I want to compose love's anthem, to build it from the ground up,
and remember the days of my captivity.
I long so deeply for the snare and the cage
that, though I am free, I go searching for the hunter.
Explanation: The bird that misses its cage is a classic Persian image for a lover who yearns for the sweet bondage of love even after gaining freedom.
Original · Persian
شمارهٔ ۱۸
خواهم که سرود عشق بنیاد کنم
از عهد گرفتاری خود یاد کنم
از بسکه در آرزوی دام و قفسم
آزادم و جستجوی صیاد کنم