To paint a portrait of a bird by Jacques Prévert

To paint a portrait of a bird

First paint a cage

with an open door

then paint

something pretty

something simple

something beautiful

something useful

for the bird

then place the canvas against a tree

in a garden

in a wood

or in a forest

hide behind the tree

without speaking

without moving . . .

Sometimes the bird arrives quickly

but he might also wait long years

before deciding

Do not be discouraged

wait

wait if necessary for years

the speed or slowness of the bird’s arrival

has absolutely no connection

with the success or failure of the picture

When the bird arrives

if he arrives

observe the most solemn silence

wait until the bird enters the cage

and when he enters

gently close the door with the brush

then erase the bars one by one

making sure not to touch the feathers of the bird

Then paint a portrait of the tree

choosing the prettiest of its branches

for the bird

and then paint the green foliage and the freshness of the breeze

the dust of the sun

and the choice of the creatures in the grass in the summer heat

and then wait until the bird decides to sing

If the bird does not sing

it is a bad sign

a sign the picture is bad

but if he sings it’s a good sign

a sign you can sign

Now very gently pluck

one of the bird’s feathers

and write your name in the corner of the picture.

The Chatto Book of Nonsense Poetry, ed. by Hugh Haughton (London: Chatto & Windus, 1988), 409-10.