Yshka

Hi everyone. I'm crazy about Fatme Serhan. I've gotten a cheap copy of her album Queen of Baladi lately (I've now ordered the original one online but still waiting for it to arrive), but have fallen in love with it so much I want to dance to a few tracks on there.
I suspect my cd was copied from the internet, since the first 4 tracks off the original cd, "Oul Lil Maliha", "Ya Mal El Sham", "Ja'at Mo'azibti" and "Ya Mal El Sham Finale" are all in one 10:28 minute track.

Anyhow, I LOVE this entire medley and want to dance to it very badly. Only thing is, the lyrics and/or translations are nowhere to be found.
I wouldn't want to dance to this not knowing what it's about, so here goes my question.

Does anybody have the lyrics or translation to all of these songs, or would anyone be willing to scribble down the lyrics and translate em for me? I will be FOREVER TRULY MADLY DEEPLY GRATEFUL

Thanks, Yshka

janaki

Great taste in music Yshka!!! I love her muisc too. I will ask my egyptian drummer to translate these no for you. It may take few days though. Hopefully some one on this forum can help you before I could. If not, I'll try my best to get them translated for you. I don't have the cd but my friend has it. I'll get on to this case straight away.

Aisha Azar

Dear Yshka,
I can tell you about three clips on the CD. I have had them translated for me.
#1. Koo lil maliha is about a veil salesman and the song is very old. The veil salesman talks a lovely young gurls into modeling one of his veils on the steps of the mosque. I think this info is also on the vcover of the CD.

#8 THt il Shibbak- A wman sees a guy ( geddah) walking under her window. She calls out to him something like, "You going under my window in the thobe, look up at me. I have been in love with you forever, you strong, handsome guy. Geddah (pronounced gedDAH) means sort of the ideal strong good looking guy.)

#9 Ya Omda- OMdah means "mayor" in Egyptian Arabic. The girls sing to him, "Please be patient with us and don't rebuke us. Your fez is not on right, Please straighten it. " (Something about love in there, too, but I forget exactly the context. My dance company does this as a melliyeh dance.

Regards,
A'isha

Yshka

Dear Janaki, thank you!!!! Thanks so much for your effort, I am wanting to dance to these songs so badly lol. I'm not in a rush.

Dear A'isha, thanks so much for the descriptions, they are of good use to me and you've really helped me out a bit already.
I've heard someone say also some description is on the cover, but it may take a while before my cd gets here and I have only the cheap copy untill then.

I just would like a translation of the other songs in the medley as well so I know exactly what I'm doing (and knowing the lyrics IMO is really cool). I so hope Janaki will come through with this. Thanks again ladies!

P.s. a translation of the song titles would also be very very helpful.

Aisha Azar

Dear Yshka,
Paraphrased from the CD notes
1. Kool il Maliha- An Iraqui song about 500 years old that ells the story of a veil salemans that talks a lovely girl into modeling a veil on the steps of the mosque.
2. Ya Mal il sham- Syrian complimenting a girl from Damascus.
3.Jaat Mouazzibati- A mawwal: The girl that is making the guy suffer comes to him in a dream and tells him not to be afraid of love. "Whoever steps aboard a boat never fears drownung".
4.Ya mal il sham finale- "I've missed you. Come to me and let's return to our past."
5.Balady Mawwal- She sings that the guy is worthless and and her heart should not give him so much value.
6. Beledi, Law innabi ya Abdou- "Oh Mr. Abdou, you climbed the roof and complained to the winds. Don't complain; the good days will come to you."
7.Beledi- Ala warrag il foull- "With the leaf of a carnation he spoiled me. I can't take it any more."
8 and 9 were already explained in another post.
10-Yasta asl Arabiyyeh- (wedding) Intro to mawwal she congratulates the groom and his relatives, a bride "as beautiful as the moon was brought to you and comes from a respected and classy family".
11-Beledi wedding: Dousi ya al arousa- Song about the bride (arousa is bride, arous is bridegroom) "Oh bride step your feet on our rug and liven our home with your arrival.WE congratulate your blessed husband".
12- Ma arousa lana- "This bride is now ours and has livened our wedding. Men turned their horses in our direction and called her the queen of all weddings".
13-Sallou al nabi- (Wedding)" Praise be to the Prophet so that a groom like this came, valuable like gold to us, and praise be that a beautiful bride like this became ours- let's all get together and thank God".


A lot of this is of course very much dependent on cultural context. I hope this helps.
Regards,
A'isha

samsied

Thanks! I love this music as well and since I bought it online I don't have the liner notes. Her voice is so powerful!

Aisha Azar

Dear SAmsied,
You are welcome. It means so much more when we have a clue what its all about!
Regards,
A'isha

Maria_Aya

Thanks all for this wonderfull thread and answers.
Yes Fatme is wonderfull

Kisses
Maria Aya

Yshka

Hello all, it took me a while to respond but here I am.
Dear A'isha, thank you so much for the cd notes, they help me a lot already!
You are certainly right, it does help a LOT to know what she's singing about.

Can I ask a quick question? What's a mawwal? Thanks

Dear Maria, I'm also finding this thread to be much more informative than what I originally asked for. Really, really helpful!

Aisha Azar

Dear Yshka,
Mawwal is that singing style where the voice is singing in just sort of one tone and the words are usually dragged out and slow. She opens with a mawwal in several of the songs. You will know it when you hear it.
Regards,
A'isha