White Whippoorwill Song
Oh, why are you home?
Why are you here?
The woman cries to her man.
We saw a white whippoorwill.
Saw it on the path.
We ended the hunt and will stay here.
Was it singing? Did its song you hear?
Aye, we'll stay home, hide here.
Stay inside 'til it goes away.
Wailing in the street. Where's my son?
Hunter, oh Hunter, is he with you?
A mother cries from the stoop.
Get in here, you know better than to be out
When the white whippoorwill
Sings on the path in daylight
But he was on the hunt, he was
With you. Where is he now,
My boy, my heart, my youth
He said he has no time for
The old superstitions the old tales
He stayed on the hunt
Don’t you worry, he’ll be fine.
The mothers sit in front of the fire
Rosaries in hand praying through the night
Daybreak and the Hunter is gathering
the men. Where are you going?
Is it safe to go out?
We'll find your boy, or turn back
If the bird is still there
The white whippoorwill on the path
The men measure each step, weapon in hand
Eyes on the trees, not making a sound
Looking for the white whippoorwill
A tree lies across the path
The white bird on top, the pale boy below
The bird flies off without a noise
The men clear the tree
Return the boy to his mother
Then go back on the hunt.
When you see a white whippoorwill
Singing in day light, hide.
A man will die during the night.
Traditional Algonquian song
translated from French
Greg Chambers creative writing group March 2026
