# Sawt Safir al-Bulbul

Sawt Safir al-Bulbul (Arabic: صَوتُ صَفيرِ البُلْبُلِ; translated as the sound of the nightingale's whistle) is an 8th century Arabic poem attributed to al-Asmaʿi.

## History

Al-Asma'i challenged the Abbasid caliph Abu Ja'far al-Mansur, after he had put pressure on poets. He used to memorize the poem the first time he heard it, so he would claim that he had heard it before. After the poet finished reciting the poem, the caliph would recite the poem to him. He had a slave boy who memorized the poem after hearing it twice, so he would bring him to recite it after the poet recited it, and then the caliph. He also had a slave girl who memorized the poem the third time, so he would bring her to recite it after the slave boy to confirm to the poet that the poem had been recited before and was in fact his own composition. He did this with all poets, so the poets turned out disappointed and frustrated, especially since the caliph had set a reward equal to the weight of the poem written on in gold for anyone who could not recite a poem. When al-Asma'i heard of this, he said that the caliph was "tricking and deceiving people", after which he prepared a poem himself, with varied words and strange meanings. He dressed as a bedouin and disguised himself, as he was well-known to the prince.
   He entered the prince's presence and said, "I have a poem I would like to recite to you, and I don't think you have heard it before." The prince said, "Tell me what you have." So he recited to him the poem, "The Sound of a Nightingale's Whistle." After he finished reciting the poem, the caliph was unable to remember a single word of it. Then he brought his servant, who also remembered nothing, as he had memorized it after reciting it twice. Then he brought the slave girl, who also remembered nothing. The caliph said, "I will give you the weight of the writing tablet in gold. What did you write it on?" al-Asma'i replied, "I inherited a marble column from my father and inscribed the poem on it. This column is on my camel outside, carried by ten soldiers." They brought him and weighed the entire chest. The vizier said, "O commander of the Faithful, I think it is none other than al-Asma'i." The prince said, "Unveil your veil, O bedouin." The bedouin removed his veil and it was al-Asma'i. The prince said, "Do you treat the Commander of the Faithful like this, O Asma'i?!" He said: O Commander of the Faithful, you have cut off the poets’ livelihood by doing this. The prince said: Return the money, al-Asma’i. He said: I will not return it. The prince said: Return it. al-Asma’i said: On one condition. The prince said: What is it? He said: That you give the poets for what they say and transmit. The prince said: You may have whatever you want.

## Attribution to al-Asma'i

Some critics doubt the authenticity of the poem's attribution to al-Asma'i due to linguistic errors and other problems. Historians have also reported that al-Asma'i was in contact with Caliph Harun al-Rashid and was one of his companions, but that it has never been reported that he was a companion of al-Mansur and that if it were true, historians would have mentioned it. Al-Asma'i was born in 121 AH, and Al-Mansur ruled from 136 AH to 158 AH. Thus, Al-Asma'i would have been in his early youth during this era. Based on his biography, at this time he was acquiring knowledge, gathering news, and meeting with bedouins, but had not yet been in contact with any of the prince or caliph. It has also been mentioned that the poem's authenticity is weak and that no one has narrated it except in the book "Alam ul-Nasi bima waqae lil baramikati ma bani al-Abbasi" (Arabic: إعلام الناس بما وقع للبرامكة مع بني العباس; translated as "'Informing people about what happened to the Barmakids with the Abbasids") by Muhammad ibn Diab al-Itlidi.

## The poem

| Arabic script | Transliteration | English translation |
| صـوت صفير الـبلبـلِ هيج قلبي الثملِ الماء والزهر معاً مــــع زهرِ لحظِ المُقَلِ وأنت يا سيد لي وسيدي وموللي فكم فكم تَيَمُّنِي غُزَيلٌ عُقَيقَلِ قطَّفتَه من وجنةٍ من لثم ورد الخجلِ فقال لا لا لا لا لا وقد غدا مهرولِ والخود مالت طرباً من فعل هذا الرجلِ فولولت وولولت ولي ولي يا ويللي فقلت لا تولولي وبيني اللؤلؤلي قالت له حين كذا انهض وَجِد بالنقَلِ وفتيةٍ سقونني قهوة كالعسللي شممتها بأنافيَ أزكى من القرنفلِ في وسـط بستان حلي بالزهر والسرور لي والعود دن دن دن لي والطبل طبطب طب لـي طَب طَبِطَب طَب طَبِطَب طَب طَبِطَب طَب طَب لي والسقف سق سق سق لي والرقص قد طاب لـي شـوى شـوى وشاهِشُ على ورق سِفَرجَلِ وغرد القمري يصيح مللٍ في مللِ ولو تراني راكباً علــــى حمارٍ أهزلِ يمشي على ثلاثةٍ كمشية العرنجلِ والناس ترجم جملي في السوق بالقُلْقُلَلِ والكل كَعكَع كَعِكَع خلفي ومـــن حويللي لكن مشيت هارباً من خشية العَقَنقَلِ إلى لقاء ملكٍ معظمٍ مبجلِ يأمر لي بخلعةٍ حمراء كالدم دم لي أَجُرُّ فيها ماشياً مُبغَدِداً للذيلِ أنا الأديب الألمعي من حي أرض الموصلِ نَظِمتُ قطعاً زُخرِفَت يعجز عنها الأدبُ لي أقول في مطلعها صوت صفير البلبل | Sawtu safiri al-bulbuli, hayyaja qalbi al-thamuli Al-ma'u wa al-zahru ma‘an ma‘a zahri laḥẓi al-muqali Wa anta ya sayyid li wa sayyidi wa mawlali Fakam fakam tayammani ghuzaylun ‘uqayqali Qattaftahu min wajnatin min lathmi wardi al-khajali Faqala la la la la la wa qad ghada muharwali Wa al-khudu malat taraban min fi‘li hadha al-rajuli Fawallawlat wa wallawlat wa li wa li ya waylili Faqultu la tawallawili wa bayni al-lu’lu’uli Qalat lahu hina kadha inhaḍ wajid bil-naqali Wa fityatun saqawnani qahwatan ka al-‘asalili Shamamtuha bi-anfiyya azka min al-qurunfuli Fi wasṭi bustanin ḥali bil-zahri wa al-sururi li Wa al-‘udu dun dun dun li wa al-ṭablu ṭabṭab ṭab li Tab ṭabiṭab ṭab ṭabiṭab ṭab ṭabiṭab ṭab ṭab li Wa al-saqfu saq saq saq li wa al-raqṣu qad ṭaba li Shawa shawa wa shahishu ‘ala waraq safarjali Wa garrada al-qamri yaṣiḥ malalin fi malali Walaw tarani rakiban ‘ala himarin ahzali Yamshi ‘ala thalathatin kamshyati al-‘arnajali Wa al-nasu tarjum jamali fi al-suqi bil-qulqulali Wa al-kullu ka‘ka‘ ka‘ika‘ khalfi wa man ḥawilili Lakin mashaytu hariban min khashyati al-‘aqanqali Ila liqa’i malikin mu‘aẓẓamin mubajjali Ya’muru li bikhil‘atin ḥamra’a ka al-dam dam li Ajurru fiha mashiyan mubghadidan lil-dhayli Ana al-adibu al-alma‘i min hayyi arḍi al-mawṣili Naẓamtu qiṭa‘an zukhrifat ya‘jizu ‘anha al-adabu li Liaqula fi maṭla‘iha sawtu safiri al-bulbuli | The sound of the nightingale’s whistle stirred my intoxicated heart. The water and the flowers together, with the blossoms of the eyes. And you, my master, my lord, and my sovereign. Oh, how much, how much has a delicate gazelle captivated me! I plucked it from a cheek, from the kiss of a blushing rose. But he said, "No, no, no, no, no," as he ran away hurriedly. And the young maiden swayed in joy at the act of this man. She wailed and wailed, crying, "Oh woe is me!" I said, "Do not wail, and let me see your pearly teeth." She said to him then, "Rise and grant me a sweet gift." And young men served me coffee, sweet as honey. I smelled its fragrance, more delightful than cloves. In the midst of a garden adorned with flowers and delight. The lute played ‘dun dun dun’ for me, and the drum ‘tabtab tab’ for me. Tab tabi-tab tab tabi-tab tab tabi-tab tab tab for me. And the ceiling went ‘saq saq saq’ for me, and the dance was joyful for me. Chirping, chirping, and a nightingale sang on a quince tree. And the dove cooed, calling, "Boredom upon boredom!" If you saw me riding a weak and tired donkey, Walking on three legs, like the gait of a limping man. And people threw stones at my camel in the market. And all shouted "ka‘ka‘ ka‘ika‘" behind me and around me. But I walked away, fleeing in fear of a great trouble. Until I met a noble, revered king. Who ordered for me a robe, red as blood. I dragged it behind me, walking proudly with its long tail. I am the eloquent poet from the land of Mosul. I composed intricate verses that even the greatest poets cannot match. And in its opening, I say: "The sound of the nightingale’s whistle." |

## Online popularity

In early 2025, the poem gained wide popularity on social media, being the background music for the so-called "Tab-Tabi cat", a cat with "a beard and green taqiyah", especially before Ramadan. The original cat is called "Mario", whose Malaysian owner makes videos of him dressing up in different costumes on Instagram.