4 珍珠鸟

Lesson Four

Hawfinches

1. What a fine pair of hawfinches my friend has given me!

2. I put them in a simple bamboo cage with a bundle of straw to make them a warm and comfortable nest.

3. Some say this bird fears people.

4. I hung the cage in the window, where a pot of luxuriant spider plant

5. hid the cage behind small green leaves which sprouted from their trailing stems, making the birds feel as peaceful as if they were in the woods. Their flute-like warbling became happy and unrestrained.

6. The sun shone through the window so that the small, spear-shaped leaves sparkled like pieces of jade, fascinating and exuberant. The birds hopped hither and thither behind the leaves; neither they nor their nest could be clearly seen, only their scarlet beaks reaching out from amongst the leaves.

7. I would rarely part the foliage to watch them. But, gradually, they began to stretch out their heads to take a look at me.

8. Bit by bit we became acquainted with each other.

9. Three months later I heard a sharp yet delicate peep from behind the lush leaves.

10. I guessed they had a nestling.

11. I tried not to look at it or frighten it with my curious eyes when feeding them.

12. A few days later a tiny head appeared between the stems:

13. the chick! So this was the little fellow.

14. It was small enough to steal between the bars.

15. How much it resembled its mother: red beak and feet, grey-blue feathers, but as yet without the pearl-like white dots on the back,

16. as plump as a ball of fluff.

17. To begin with it would only play near the cage, and then it began flying about the room from the cabinet to the bookshelf—where it boldly pecked at the illustrious names of the intellectuals—sending the light cord swinging from side to side and escaping to the top of the picture frame.

18. Yet as soon as the mother bird gave an angry peep, it would quickly fly home.

19. I did not disturb it.

20. Later when I opened the window it just flew as far as the window sill.

21. Gradually it gained the confidence to land on my desk.

22. First it kept its distance from me, then hopped nearer, then stood upon my glass and eventually lowered its head to drink my tea.

23. When it turned to look at me, I smiled and continued to write,

24. and it plucked up the courage to run on to my manuscript and hop around the nib of my pen, making scratching noises with its little red claws.

25. I wrote on in silence, quietly enjoying the little thing’s companionship. 

26. This put it completely at ease. It would even peck my bobbing nib with its waxy red bill.

27. I stroked its sleek down and instead of being afraid, it would give my fingers two friendly pecks.

28. In the daytime it was my mischievous companion; when the shades of night fell it flew back to the cage as its parents’ repeated calls and, with a twist of its dumpy form, squeezed in between the green leaves.

29. One day it landed on my shoulder while I was hunched over the desk writing. I automatically halted my pen, for fear of scaring it away.

30. I froze for a moment, and when I turned my head the little chap had gone to sleep perched on my shoulder, its eyes lidded silver-grey and its little red feet covered by the long down on its breast.

31. I gently shrugged my shoulder without waking it.

32. It was sound asleep, its beak still working. Was it dreaming?

33. Feeling flowed from my nib at that instant:

Trust makes a better world.