The king of birds

Humor y sentido en The displaced person [Collected Works, L. of America 288-9, 302, 317]

288-9 The priest spoke in a foreign way himself, English but as if he had a throatful of hay. He had a big nose and a bald rectangular face and head. (...) The peacock was standing a few feet behind her, with his head slightly cocked.
"What a beauti-ful birdrrd!", the priest murmured. (...)
"So beautiful,", the priest said. "A tail full of suns,"

302 "Arrrrr!" he [el cura] said as they approached the brooder. "Look at the little biddies!"

317 The priest let his eyes wander toward the birds. They had reached the middle of the lawn. The cock stopped suddenly and curving his neck backwards, he raised his tail and spread it with a shimmering timbrous noise. Tiers of small pregnant suns floated in a green gold haze over his head. The priest stood transfixed, his jaw slack. Mrs. McIntyre [la dueña de la granja, protestante] wondered she had ever seen such an idiotic man. “Christ will come like that!” he said in a loud gay voice and wiped his hand over his mouth and stood there, gaping.
(…)
The old man didn’t seem to hear her. His attention was fixed on the cock who was taking minute steps backward, his head against the spread tail. “The transfiguration,” he murmured.