Ken Tzipor (Hebrew: קַן צִפּוֹר) is a Hebrew children's poem by Hayim Nahman Bialik, later set to music by Yitzhak Edel and other composers. The poem describes a bird's nest nestled among the trees, holding three eggs, each with a tiny chick asleep inside.
Poem text A nest for the birdBetween the trees,And in the nestThree little eggs.And in each eggHush, do not wakeThere sleepsA tiny chick.
Background
At the time the poem was written, the Hebrew word "ephroach" (אפרוח) was a synonym for "gozal" (גוזל), both meaning chick or fledgling. The poem focuses on the natural world and its rhythm, capturing the serenity and anticipation of new life.
The poem was widely disseminated in collections of children's songs and became part of the educational curriculum in preschools and elementary schools in Mandatory Palestine and later the State of Israel.
Musical settings "Bird's Nest" was composed by Yitzhak Edel and has been performed by several prominent musicians and arrangers, including Nahum Nardi"Bird's Nest" by Nahum Nardi, Zemereshet (in Hebrew) and Uri Gevaon."Bird's Nest" by Uri Gevaon, Zemereshet (in Hebrew) The opening melody is notably similar to that of the Hanukkah song "Ner Li", though it is not identical.
Cultural impact Literary scholar Ziva Shamir analyzed the poem's structure as concentric circles (like a matryoshka doll), guiding the reader's focus inward—from the trees, to the nest, to the egg, and finally to the chick.Shamir, Ziva. Poems and Songs Also for Children: On Bialik's Poetry for Children and Youth, Papyrus Publishing, 1986, pp. 35–44 (Hebrew) She notes that this pattern also appears in some of Bialik's canonical adult poems.
Public art installations have been inspired by the poem. On Chen Boulevard in Rehovot, four colorful sculptures illustrate the imagery of "Bird's Nest": a bird with three egg-shaped hollows,Bird sculpture, Gil Sadeh website (Hebrew) two egg-shaped benches,Benches, Gil Sadeh website (Hebrew) and a large hollow egg with a bench encircling a chick inside.Chick inside the egg sculpture, Gil Sadeh website (Hebrew) The sculptures are accompanied by signage featuring the full text of the poem.
Graffiti of the poem has also appeared on public walls in Ramat Gan, including near the municipal building and the Ramat Gan Safari.
References
Further reading Ziva Shamir, Poems and Songs Also for Children: On Bialik's Poetry for Children and Youth, Papyrus Publishing, 1986, pp. 35–44.
External links "Bird's Nest", at Project Ben-Yehuda (in Hebrew) Performances of "Bird's Nest", at Zemereshet (in Hebrew) Song analysis from a Jewish-critical perspective, *Haaretz* (Hebrew) "Bird's Nest": “Hass-penta’ir” of Bialik, The Safranim blog (Hebrew)