Nature
The Red Cockatoo
Translated by Arthur Waley (1918) · From A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems (1918)
Nature
Sent as a present from Annam--
A red cockatoo.
Coloured like the peach-tree blossom,
Speaking with the speech of men.
And they did to it what is always done
To the learned and eloquent.
They took a cage with stout bars
And shut it up inside.
Cite this poem
MLA
Chü-i, Po. “The Red Cockatoo.” Translated by Arthur Waley. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/po-chu-i/31/.
Chicago
Chü-i, Po. “The Red Cockatoo.” Translated by Arthur Waley. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/po-chu-i/31/.
Read this poem with the Codex →