Here's a twist on the idea of garden pets for your viewing and reading pleasure... I like to create a little drama with animal statuary in my garden. For example, one rocky corner has a bronze fox looking up wistfully at a rooster perched six feet away, out of reach up on a rail.
This “scene” is adapted from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tale about a farmer's rooster, named Chanticleer (which in French means to sing clearly). In the story, Chanticleer is the “Don Juan” of the barnyard because of his beautiful voice and golden feathers. One day, he notices a fox watching him, and becomes wary. But the fox charms him with compliments, telling him not to be afraid. Chanticleer relishes the flattery as the fox coaxes him to sing some more. He's only too happy to oblige, so he beats his wings, stands on his toes, stretches his neck, closes his eyes, and begins to crow.
In a flash, the fox pounces and grabs Chanticleer by the throat. The farmer hears the screeching and spies the fox running off into the woods with the rooster in his jaws. The farmer’s dogs take to barking, and pretty soon the whole barnyard joins in the chase.
Thinking swiftly, Chanticleer cleverly suggests that the fox turn and taunt his pursuers by boasting of his catch. Liking the idea, the fox opens his mouth to do so, and Chanticleer flies out of the fox’s mouth up onto a perch high above him. Annoyed with himself for being so easily tricked, the fox tries to flatter the bird into coming back down. But Chanticleer has learned his lesson, and tells the fox that flattery will get him nowhere!
I recreated this vignette by situating the rooster up on a rail, about six feet out of reach of the fox!
This message was edited Feb 7, 2005 10:35 AM
