Yellow Bird
Wen Yiduo

Ah! Adopted child of the forest,
Descendant from space,
You, a wild bird of unknown name!

Turbaned in black brocade,
Feathery clothes, honey-colored,
Inlain with copper beak and claws—
A bright dart of fire,
Shooting forth in made ecstasy,
Shatters the sky of serenity!

Like a carved crystal,
Though its art is not yet complete,
Perpetually reflecting the colors and lights in the sky—
This is how his graceful and spirited music is made!
As graceful and spirited as the Greek!

Ambitious bird!
I know the overly rich songs
Are choking you
In your throat.
But do sing them slowly,

Releasing those crystalline notes of yours
To build a palace of art,
Offering a home
To a lost soul.