How to Read “When the skylark flies high, it will be clear weather”
Hibari ga takaku noboru to hare
Meaning of “When the skylark flies high, it will be clear weather”
This proverb means that when you see a skylark flying high in the sky, good weather is coming or clear skies will continue.
When planning farm work or outdoor activities, people in the past had no weather forecasts. Reading signs from nature was essential for them.
If they saw a skylark soaring high and singing, they could expect clear weather that day.
Today we have advanced weather forecasts. But this proverb still holds interesting meaning as wisdom based on nature observation.
In fact, the skylark’s flight altitude is closely related to weather conditions. Experienced people can predict weather from bird behavior.
By paying attention to changes in nature around us, we can develop sensitivity to weather shifts.
Origin and Etymology
The exact first written record of this proverb is unclear. But it’s considered weather prediction wisdom passed down through Japanese farming communities for generations.
Skylarks are familiar birds commonly seen in Japanese rice fields and grasslands from spring to summer.
What’s distinctive is the male’s habit of soaring high while singing beautifully to claim territory or court mates. This behavior called “age-hibari” has been beloved by Japanese people since ancient times.
It has been featured in many waka poems and haiku.
For farmers, weather prediction was a matter of survival. Without weather observation technology, people tried to read weather changes from various natural phenomena.
Bird behavior was one important clue.
When skylarks fly high, it’s evidence that updrafts are developing. On clear days, the ground is warmed by the sun and creates strong updrafts.
Skylarks can ride these currents to soar high. Before weather deteriorates, air pressure drops and updrafts weaken.
So skylarks tend to fly at lower altitudes. This proverb likely arose from such observations.
Interesting Facts
Skylarks are unusual birds that sing while flying. Their altitude sometimes reaches over 100 meters.
They can hover in the air for several minutes while singing continuously. During this time, they watch over their territory on the ground.
This “age-hibari” behavior has held a special place in Japanese culture as a spring tradition.
Meteorologically, when the ground surface is warmed on clear days, strong updrafts occur. Skylarks use these updrafts to fly high.
As a result, the sight of high-flying skylarks becomes an indicator of clear weather. When low pressure approaches, updrafts weaken and skylarks fly at lower altitudes.
Usage Examples
- Today when the skylark flies high, it will be clear weather, so it should be safe to hang laundry outside
- Since morning when the skylark flies high, it will be clear weather, looks like perfect weather for our field trip
Universal Wisdom
This proverb teaches us the truth that nature is constantly speaking to us. Throughout history, humans have read small changes in nature and drawn wisdom for survival from them.
Even in the behavior of one small bird like the skylark, signs of large natural phenomena like weather appear.
This shows that the world is one large, intricately connected system. Every phenomenon has a reason.
If we observe carefully, we can find clues to predict the future.
Our ancestors survived in an era without weather satellites or forecasts by carefully reading such natural signs.
Their wisdom wasn’t mere superstition. It was scientific insight based on years of observation and experience.
Modern people live surrounded by convenient technology. But in exchange, we may be losing our sensitivity to feel nature.
This proverb asks us: Did you look up at the sky today? Did you listen to bird songs? Did you feel the scent of the wind?
Recovering dialogue with nature also means recovering humanity’s original power to live.
When AI Hears This
A skylark weighs only about 30 grams. This lightness actually holds important meaning.
For a bird to ascend, the lift generated by flapping must exceed the downward force from body weight.
This means that even with the same flapping energy, on low-pressure days air density decreases, reducing lift and making high flight difficult.
On high-pressure days, air near the ground surface is compressed and becomes denser. Just a 1 percent increase in density means a 1 percent increase in lift for the skylark.
For a 30-gram body, a 0.3-gram difference cannot be ignored. Furthermore, under high pressure, downdrafts are weak and air currents at altitude are stable.
Since skylarks have the habit of singing while ascending vertically hundreds of meters, they sensitively detect this air current stability.
What’s interesting is that skylarks don’t “ascend because they can ascend high.” Rather, they “detect conditions that make ascending easy and then ascend.”
During flight, sensory organs on their body surface detect pressure changes. They feel subtle differences in flapping efficiency as muscle load.
Before humans invented barometers, skylarks were already using their bodies to read the three-dimensional structure of the atmosphere and making optimal flight decisions.
The precision of biological sensors is amazing.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of reading great truths from close observation. We live in an age of information overload.
But aren’t we missing truly important signs?
Smartphone weather apps are convenient. But if we rely only on them, our power to see, feel, and judge for ourselves will decline.
Like our ancestors who predicted weather from how skylarks flew, we too can develop the power to see the essence of things by paying attention to small daily changes.
In business and relationships alike, small signs always precede big changes. Subtle customer reactions, changes in colleagues’ expressions, slight market movements.
People who can sensitively detect these can address problems before they grow large and seize opportunities without missing them.
Let’s recover the habit of nature observation. In the morning, open your window and look up at the sky. Listen to bird songs.
Such small habits will sharpen your observation skills and enrich your life.
Comments