PAINTED HAWK

  

From blank white silk arise wind and frost– 

a blue hawk, painted in fine detail. 

Its body tenses, spotting a wily hare. 

Its eyes glare like an angry barbarian. 

The bright tether ring tempts your grasp. 

The high perch solicits your call. 

Would the great hawk then attack lesser birds, 

marring the green plain with blood and feathers? 

      –Du Fu