The Red Cockatoo by Po Chu-I (772-846)

Translation

Featured in New Lyre - Winter 2021

The Red Cockatoo 
by Po Chu-I (772-846) 

loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch 

A marvelous gift from Annam— 
a red cockatoo, 
bright as peach blossom, 
fluent in men's language. 

So they did what they always do 
to the erudite and eloquent: 
they created a thick-barred cage 
and shut it up. 

Po Chu-I (772-846) is best known today for his ballads and satirical poems. Po Chu-I believed poetry should be accessible to commoners and is noted for his simple diction and natural style. His name has been rendered various ways in English: Po Chu-I, Po Chü-i, Bo Juyi and Bai Juyi. 

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