Bird Beauty Poem by Luo Zhihai

★ Bird Beauty


☆ Poetry by Muhammad Farhan Ahmed


A harlequin parrot as free as a butterfly
Flapp'd her rainbow wings in the azure sky
Boasting her grandeur and flamboyance
To mates devoid of charm and elegance

She settled on the fecund oak tree's bough
Whose bare branches in winds would bow
An unembellish'd, avacado-green fellow
Gazed at her splendour, grace and glow

''Witness my beauty, you pygmy gawk
I'm superior to any macaw or peacock
My vibrant skin, my majestic wings
Are as ornate as gardens of springs''

The parrot so penny-plain and verdant
Replied in his pompous, solemn accent
''Beauty is a lovely possession, my friend
But you'll know its sour truth in the end

A bird's blithe days do not last long
Beauty doesn't make one evasively strong
You'll be a prisoner in a man's house
Who shan't pay heed to your grouse

Or a zoo's puny adornment you'll be
To live a life lonely as the Arctic Sea
Veil your allure to avoid fate's perfidy
Before it shuts you in a cage so bitty''


▲ Chinese Translation

★ 鸟儿美丽

☆ [巴基斯坦] 穆罕默德•法尔汉•艾哈迈德 (1997-) 诗
☆ [中国] 罗志海 (1954-) 译


小丑鹦鹉像蝴蝶一样自由自在
她在蓝天拍打着彩翅
夸耀她高贵华丽
对着缺乏魅力、缺乏优雅的伴侣

她住在繁茂橡树大枝桠
谁光秃秃的树枝在风中鞠躬
一个土冒、深黄绿色的家伙哇
凝视着她辉煌，优雅和热情

“你这个侏儒傻瓜，快来见证我的美丽
我比任何金刚鹦鹉和孔雀优秀
我皮肤富有弹性，翅膀硕大无比
如同春天的花园绚丽”

雄鹦鹉如此平静和青翠
他用傲慢浮夸的口音回敬她的雌威
“美丽是一笔可爱的财产，我的宝贝
但你最终会知道它的酸味

“一只鸟欢乐的日子所剩无几
美丽并不强迫人逃避
你会是一个男人家的囚犯
谁也不会留意你这只松鸡

“抑或你会中意动物园的廉价小饰品
像在孤独的北极海般生活
为避免命运背信弃义掩饰你的诱惑
你被关进牢笼之前早已没落”


2015年4月17日翻译
On April 17,2015, Translation