Rooster Flying with the Phoenix

A rooster pursues a phoenix and goes up with it. In a high forest the birds straighten their feathers. A boat is rowed across to the bank, and it returns heavy with goods.

The full boat on the way home is the most solid picture of Dai-kichi, Great good fortune, as printed in the book. Before it, the common bird keeps company far above its station.

Seen with present-day eyes, the poem is about keeping company with those more accomplished and paying attention to how one presents oneself among them. Flying a little out of your class can teach things that staying level does not.