Sunday, October 18, 2009

Lena Chamamyan - Before Dinner
لينا شماميان - قبل العشا
Qabl El Isha



Lena Chamamian - Before Dinner

Not before dinner sir
After dinner yes, yes

With who can I send my greetings to you
With my soul (literally "apple of the eye") or my heart?
Oh lighting send them my regards whenever you strike

When you were far away I used to hear your news
Now that you're close I can't stop looking at you

I won't die, no I won't die even if they bring the burial shroud I won't
I'll go down to the Straight Street market and have a coffin made
One nail made of silver and gold and the other nail of ruby
The people will be amazed when they see us both in the coffin

You have a apricot tree in your house and we have a peach tree in ours
The apricot tree has leaned towards the peach tree (it makes a little more sense in Arabic, but to lean towards someone means to like them so it's a play on words)
Quit coming and going
Oh lord give us some rain, the Earth is longing (also a metaphor)

لينا شاماميان - قبل العشا

قبل العشا لا يا سيدي وبعد العشا ايه وايه

مع مين ومع مين ارسلك سلام مع مين
يامهجة العين ويا كبد الحشا مع مين

يا برق سلم عليهم كل ما تلمع
كنتو بعيدين و باخبار إلكم نسمع
صرت قريبين وما تطليع ما نشبع

ما موت وما موت ولو جابو الكفن ما موت
لانزل عسوق الطويل وفصل التابوت
مسمار من فضة ودهب ومسمار من ياقوت
وتتعجب المسكونة و تنين بالتابوت

بداركم مشمشة وبدارنا خوخة
يا شجرة المشمشة مالت على الخوخة
حاجي تروح وتجي من تحت هالطاقة
يا رب رشقة مطر والأرض مشتاقة
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6 comments:

  1. anonymNovember 22, 2009 at 10:36 AM

    :-) very beautiful song!
    i hope you will translate more songs soon! good luck ! bitawfeeq

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  2. anonymNovember 22, 2009 at 1:41 PM

    do you have a link where I can download this song from? :)

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  3. IsabellaNovember 23, 2009 at 4:40 AM

    great blog! Thanks

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  4. AnonymousDecember 25, 2009 at 8:32 AM

    I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
    And you et an account on Twitter?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 6, 2010 at 2:05 AM

    You and the song are 100% pure beauty, tell me where to get your CD and your phone number....?

    ReplyDelete
  6. cewJune 7, 2011 at 9:07 AM

    I like this song too; just some notes on the translation:


    "with whom can I send . . . " I think is better than "with who"


    "lighting" means the lighting (lights, electric lights) in a house or building; if you mean the lightning from the storm it's spelled with an "n" after the "ght."


    I like the metaphor about the peach and apricot trees; we have some similar metaphors in English; so no need for a comment. (One poem that mentions trees in neighboring yards is "Mending Wall," but there is one I cannot recall more like this one about two lovers.)


    Great work! I could not have done this.

    ReplyDelete