傍晚到公園做運動時
看見有人提著鳥籠
裡面關著一隻八哥

「你們看！牠會講話呢！」
那人自誇著，然後向八哥說：
「你說我會講話。」
那隻八哥照樣跟著說了一遍
圍觀的人大為讚賞
那人又說了一些讓牠跟
牠都能如主人所示照說

那人繼續逗牠講話
並不停地誇說他如何細心照顧訓練牠
盡量給牠美食，盡量給牠優厚的處遇
耐心一遍遍教牠學說話……

當太陽西下天將黑時
他提著鳥籠帶著八哥走了
圍觀的人以羨慕的眼光目送他離去
我卻不以為然地在心中說：
「再給牠怎麼優厚的處遇
還不如給送回山林裡去
畢竟那裡才是鳥的家園！」

The Talking Mynah　Hsu ChiCheng

In the evening when I go sporting in the park
I see somebody holding a birdcage
Which contains a mynah

“You see, it can talk!”
The man brags, and then speak to his mynah:
“You say I can talk.”
And the mynah repeats the sentence
All the watchers are surprised
The man speaks on and the mynah follows
And repeats his words

And the man keeps it talking
While bragging how he carefully trains it
And nurtures it with delicious food, plus other comfort
And how he teaches it speak time and again …

When the sun sets in the west and dusk approaches
He departs with the birdcage and mynah
All the watchers, filled with admiration, watch him leaving
But I say in my heart disapprovingly:
“Whatever comfort offered to it
Is no better than send it back to mountain forest
Which is the paradise of birds!”
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