I'm looking for the title & author of a poem I read years ago in
school about a bird by the sea side.  It may have been a sea gull or a
pelican. The poem starts by observing how ugly and awkward the bird is
while it is walking on the ground, then as it takes flight the
observer/author quickly realizes how graceful and beautiful the bird
actually is, and apologizes for the mistake.
I've searched without luck for this poem title - perhaps because I am
not certain what type of bird it was.  Tried seagull and pelican
without luck.
I read this poem during an english class in jr high or sr high perhaps
40 years ago.  I assume it was a well known poem, as I took very few
such classes.

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Request for Question Clarification by scriptor-ga on 20 Sep 2005 16:21 PDT

Dear hanes,

Is it this poem?


Often, to amuse themselves, the crew of the ship
Would fell an albatross, the largest of sea birds,
Indolent companions of their trip
As they slide across the deep sea's bitters.

Scarcely had they dropped to the plank
Than these blue kings, maladroit and ashamed
Let their great white wings sink
Like an oar dragging under the water's plane.

The winged visitor, so awkward and weak!
So recently beautiful, now comic and ugly!
One sailor grinds a pipe into his beak,
Another, limping, mimics the infirm bird that once could fly.

The poet is like the prince of the clouds
Who haunts the storm and laughs at lightning.
He's exiled to the ground and its hooting crowds;
His giant wings prevent him from walking.

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Clarification of Question by hanes-ga on 20 Sep 2005 19:15 PDT

That's a nice poem, but not the one I'm searching for.  I just recall
it started with the 'narrator' commenting about how
ugly/ungainly/awkward the bird was as it walked along the shore or
pier.  This criticism continued until the point where the bird took
flight, and then the attitude of the narrator suddenly took a dramatic
shift as he said something to the effect of "Oh, I'm sorry - I had no
idea just how graceful you really were."  It kind of has an ugly
duckling into a swan theme.  Sorry I can't be more specific - I read
it once about 40 years ago and it just stayed with me!