St Valentine's Day is the wedding day of the birds. Chaucer refers to it in his poem, Parliament of Fowls, composed in honour of the marriage of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia: "For this was on Seynte Valentyne's day/ When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate." Despite Chaucer's masculine pronoun, it's well-known that, in the bird kingdom as well as elsewhere, the hens usually make such important decisions, and their judgement, with good evolutionary reason, is based on looks. This week's poem, "The Coloration of Feathers" by Ruth Fainlight isn't a love poem nor a study of avian mating habits; it fulfils a more original brief, and sheds light on the mysteries of the gorgeous plumage that might be on show soon, even in Britain, if the weather improves.from Carol Rumens: The Guardian: Poem of the week: The Coloration of Feathers by Ruth Fainlight
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