I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before ... I know we talked about animals in HOOM, but I don't remember reading about this. I came across this Shakespeare poem tonight, and it obviously reminded me of In California (this is only part of it):
When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,
Cuckoo;
Cuckoo, cuckoo: Oh word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!
Then I wondered if perhaps the cuckoo of In California could be related to the cuckoo as used here? One of the things that struck me was that apparently the term cuckoldry comes from not only the mate-changing habit of the cuckoo, but also that they lay their eggs in others' nests, which reminded me of "...content to see my garden grow so sweet and full of someone else's flowers." But I'm not really sure that I see other connections. Y'all are smarter than me.
Any thoughts?