The Songbirds Went Away

The Songbirds Went Away (Hazalan: XXX) is a novel written by Hazalan author Bangto Echibe and published in 1949. The story follows a family in Hazala shortly before and after Sáillinnciadi colonial rule is established in the highlands in the mid-1800's. It is one of the most famous pieces of Hazalan, and indeed Diharan, literature in the world, and is considered the spark of the Diharan Literary Renaissance. The book has been translated in over 50 languages, and is commonly taught and read in many Auroran and Veharian schools and literary groups.

The main focus of the novel is Buhrondo, chieftain of the fictional Hazalan tribe of Maruf. The book is split into three parts; the first part deals with family drama and life before colonial rule. The second part deals with the arrival of the Sáillinnciadi in the highlands, while the third part depicts the end of Maruf's fall from grace and the establishment of Auroran colonial rule.