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For #WIPwednesday I wanted to share a translation I am including in my vampire novel of the Egyptian Singer Abd al-Halim Hafiz's song "Sing to me O Nightingale"
“Sing to me O Nightingale,
Sing to me O Nightingale,
Sing to me O Nightingale,
I live with him alone,
Live according to your limits,
Listen to your own singing
Accept your good life”
Hafiz, himself, was known as the Nightingale and here is a thread on the importance of this bird in Arabic music.
@bookstodon As a writer the topic of love and freedom is an interesting one to explore through historical motifs.
Our ancestors looked at the natural world and created meaning for them so I wanted to share this little translation with everyone because the song has never been fully translated.
It is sung in Egyptian Arabic by one of the most famous Egyptian singers who grew up a poor orphan and carries such strong imagery about love and freedom and what it means to sing by your own will.
@bookstodon The Nightingale is an important motif in both #Arab and #Persian music and poetry because it is a bird that only sings for its true love and will not sing no matter how much people beg.
The song is interesting because it shows a male singer begging for the nightingale to sing to him, but there is no response.
It is also a symbol of freedom throughout the Arab World. Just as you cannot force the Nightingale to sing, you cannot force the will of another person.
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