Folktale. ” The Emperor and the nightingale”. the bird with the singing that melts the heart of men. i looked for a likeness of the bird . greatest disappointment, no bird of paradise plumage to match the divine singing. instead the drabbest grey bird.
Years later, i was at a Jet-setters party in Paris. the Beautiful People of Tout Paris was there. every one elegant and handsome except for one young lady, homely and shy. To entertain themselves, the ” beautiful people” picked on her : ” what is the hunchback of Notre Dame doing here? her parents must have deep pockets …” out of pity, i went to keep her company. then we walked to the piano, there she stomped the keyboard and belted out blues melodies like the best of pros. rocked the house . the queen of the party for the rest of the evening. Some time later i saw the movie ” Au revoir les enfants” by Francois Truffaut. a shy young boy becomes the hero of the day when he hits the keyboard to the sounds of jazz. was Truffaut there , witnessing the event?
Nightingales of the world, stand up and sing your song.