Fairuz - Come Back, Oh 1001 Nightsفيروز - ارجعي يا ألف ليلةIrja`i Ya Alfa Layla

In celebration of our first 1000 facebook likes, here's a song about 'alf layla' by Fairuz. It's from a musical about the 1001 Nights.

Notes: The 1001 Nights are called ألف ليلة وليلة in arabic (alf layla wa layla) or "alf layla" for short.




Fairouz - Come Back, Oh 1001 Nights

Come back, oh 1001 (literally 1000) nights, as a cloud of perfume
And may love water those thirsty for it with the dew of the dawn

My long-lasting desires have shortened my life
And your stories will be forever beautiful throughout the ages

فيروز - إرجعي يا ألف ليلة

إرجعي يا ألف ليلة غيمة العطر
فالهوى يروي غليله من ندى الفجر
إن أشواقي الطويلة أقصرت عمري
و حكاياكي خميلة في مدى الدهر

Fairuz - New Year's Eveفيروز - عيد الدنيEid al Dunnye

This song is composed to the tune of "O Christmas Tree"



Fairouz - New Year's Eve

It's New Year's Eve and my house is full of gifts and decorations
There's candles and bells ringing in the distance
And red-colored flowers and wine
New Year's Eve, staying up late with my beloved

It's New Year's Eve
Just you, me and a little tree covered in lights
There's a yellow lantern and snow on my doorstep
And the stars are shining like the snow
And under the rain/winter a new year is coming
Who knows what it has in store?

A year has gone and another has arrived
It's white and new
May it draw smiles on the faces of the children
And may it give the people a new life
And as a year falls asleep and another awakens
May you remain my beloved

فيروز - عيد الدنيا

عيد الدني راس السني بيتي هدايا و زيني
في شموع و جراس تدق بعيد و زهور لونا أحمر و نبيد
عيد الدني راس السني سهرا أنا و حبيبي
راس السني أنتا و أنا و سجرة زغيري مضوايي
قنديل أصفر على بابي و تلج و نجوم عم تلمع متل التلج
و تحت الشتي جايي سني ما منعرف شو مخبايي
راحت سني طلت سني لونا أبيض و جديدي
الولاد ترسم عوجوهن عيد و الناس تعطيهن عمر جديد
و تغفى سني و توعى سني و أنتا تبقى حبيبي

Fairuz - Christmas Eve (Jingle Bells)فيروز - ليلة عيدLaylat Eid

This is a Christmas song from Lebanon by Fairuz sung to the tune of jingle bells. A lot of the imagery does not translate well (much like the imagery in the song jingle bells when you think about it) but I've tried to render the meaning here in English as best I can, though I think if you really want to get the sense the song is conveying you could probably just listen to jingle bells in English.



Fairouz - Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, tonight is Christmas Eve
Decorations and people gathered
The sound of bells ringing in the distance

Friends finding presents behind the door
There's a tree in house with the children running around it
The tree is all dressed up for Christmas (literally, it's become like a holiday or part of the holiday) and there is bracelet on (my) hand (because it is a holiday, this line doesn't translate easily, but it is just giving some Christmas imagery)
And I'm hanging songs and bunches of grapes on the tree

Oh you nativities shining like sapphires
How did you bring such snow, ribbons and moons to our home?
Who's that coming from afar, giving out presents
Knocking on the door and leaving, spreading joy to all? (i.e. it's Father Christmas/St. Nick/Santa Claus etc.)

فيروز - ليلة عيد

ليلة عيد ليلة عيد الليلي ليلة عيد
زينة وناس صوت اجراس عم بترن بعيد
ليلة عيد ليلة عيد الليلي ليلة عيد
صوت اولاد تياب جداد وبكره بحُب جديد

عم يتلاقوا الاصحاب لهدية خلف الباب
في شجرة بالدار ويدوروا اولاد صغار
والشجرة صارت عيد والعيد اسوارة بأيد
والإيد تعلق عالشجرة غنية وعناقيد

يامغارة كلها بيوت تلمع مثل الياقوت
كيف جيتي عالدار ثلج شرايط واقمار
مين اللي جاي بعيد عم بيرش مواعيد
يدق بواب الناس ويمشي والخير علينا يزيد

Fairuz - Your Oud is Resonantفيروز - عودك رنانOudak Rannan

The al-oud is the instrument commonly known as a lute (same name) in the West, a string instrument which has been replaced by the modern guitar but remains important in Arabic music.

The title "3oudak rannaan" means something like "your oud is resonant," which sounds awkward in English, but what she is saying is that it sounds so good when he plays.

Fairuz - Your Oud is Resonant Your oud is resonant Lemme here the sound of your oud Play it again, keep playing it Lemme here the oud Play it loud again and again

Strum and keep strumming
Tell me this tune is for you
A true song and more beautiful than words
Play a tune that enters my heart

All these people have gathered around the sound of your strings
That string is sensitive, quit playing on the same string (what she is saying here is that he's really hit her soft spot with what he's playing, and the underlying meaning is that she's in love with him and she's really affected by what he's playing)
You've really moved me
Play it again and again

Strum and strum hard til you wake up everyone
Night is not for sleeping here it's for staying up late
You play so well, play for us

فيروز - عودك رنان

عودك رنان رنة عودك الي
عيدا كمان ضلك عيد يا علي
سمعني العود
عالعالي عيدا كمان..عيدا كمان

دق ضلك دق قلي النغمه لكي
نغمه عالحق واحلى من الحكي
نغمه بتفوت .. ع قلبي

جامع هالناس على صوت الوتر
وترك حساس حاجه تزن عالوتر
تأثرت كتير.
عليهن .. عيدا كمان وعيدا كمان

دق قوي الدق وعي كل البشر
الليل مش للنوم هون الليل للسهر
انت دقيق انت الزويق سمعنا

Fairuz - Oh Lauraفيروز - يا لور حبكYa Laure Hubbuki

This song appeared in the play Meis al Rim (ميس الريم) written by the Rahbani Brothers and starring Fairouz. I have supplied here the video from the play, in which Joseph Nassif (جوزيف نصيف) is singing, in addition to the mp3 or a version recorded by Fairouz.

I've translated the name Laur as Laura because it is the same name from the same root, referring to the Laurel tree which in Arabic can also be called شجر الغار.



Here is the Fairuz version:



You can click here to download it

Fairuz - Oh Laura Oh Laura Your love has tormented my heart And I had given you my love and affection Don't you recall our wonderful nights together And the pledge we made to be true to each other?

The night, the breeze and the wailing nightingale
And the veil of melodies, as my heart loved you
So many dreams of love and purity blossomed
In them, days seemed like slumber

The night, the dreams and the wet shore
Longing, song, and the calm countryside
Those were such fine days, so wonderful and pure
When the melodies sang of loyalty and devotion

فيروز - يا لور حبك

يا لور حبك قد لوّع الفؤاد
وقد وهبتك الحب والوداد
ألا تذكري ليالي الصفا
وعهداً عهدناه على الوفا

الليل والأنسام والبلبل الشاكي
وسترة الأنغام والقلب يهواكِ
كم أزهرت أحلام بالحب والصفا
ظهرت بها الأيام مثل الغفا

الليل والأحلام والشاطئ النادي
والشوق والأنغام والموطن الهادي
يا طيبها أيام أحلى من الصفا
وتنشد الأنغام على الوفا

Fairuz - Take Me, My Darlingفيروز - خدني حبيبيKhedni Habibi

This song is from the Rahbani Brothers play entitled "Petra (بتراء)"

Fairouz - Take Me, My Darling Take me, my darling, to a house with no doors Take me, my darling, to a hidden moon Help me for get as I sleep, in pure days So that the nights return and our loved ones come back My darling, my darling

Take me, joy is on the way
My love for you consumes me and you don't have a companion

Oh prince of the sword, where did you take the summer?
I can kind of see you, lost in the fog

There's a little princess who was betrothed early
They cast jealousy upon her, and she can't fly
The put her in a castle beyond seven seas
And the princess is little, and the gates are big

فيروز - خدني حبيبي

خدني ياحبيبي ع بيت مالو بواب
خدني ياحبيبي ع قمر الغياب
نساني بالغفا بأيام الصفا
تترجع الليالي ويرجعوا الأحباب
ياحبيبي .. ياحبيبي

خدني ولا تخدني الفرح عالطريق
حبك بيحصدني وماعندك رفيق

يا أمير السيف وين أخدت الصيف
بشوفك ومابشوفك ضايع بالضباب

في اميرة صغيرة نخطبت بكير
رميو عليها الغيرة ومابتعرف تطير

سكنوها قصور خلف سبع بحور
وصغيرة الأميرة وكبيرة البواب

Fairuz - I Beg You Bee Eaterفيروز - دخلك يا طير الوروارTayr al Werwar

Updated music and translation

Ok so I learned something new from this song. "Tayr al-warwaar" is a bird that in English we call a "bee eater." They don't live in America so I had no idea about them. Here's the wikipedia link. Needless to say the title sounds a bit more natural and beautiful in Arabic, especially because the word rhymes with other words in the song.

Fairuz - I Beg You Bee Eater I beg you oh bee eater bird You are journeying in their direction Say hi to my loved ones for me And tell me how they are and what happened

On the hills of the forgoteen sun
On the leaf of the yellow sycamore
We fly and soar higher little by little
While the world becomes smaller
And with the fig orchards October calls, my darling
So often with the silence of the turtle doves I hear your voice call me
My night and my fear is that some night my family will wail
Secrets tire me and secrets sadden me, my darling

فيروز - دخلك يا طير الوروار

دخلك يا طير الوروار
رحلك من صوبن مشوار
و سلملي عالحبايب
و خبرني بحالن شو صار
عاتلال الشمس المنسيي
على ورق الدلب الأصفر
نطير ونعلا شوي شوي
و تصير الدنيي تزغر
و بكروم التين ينده تشرين يا حبيبي
ياما بسكوت الأمريي بسمع صوتك يندهلي
ليليي و خوفي
ليليي يعوا شي مرا أهلي
و تتعب أسرار تحزن أسرار يا حبيبي

Hoda Haddad

Hoda is the sister of Fairouz. However, her participation in the Rahbani projects since the early 1960s is due to her talent and not to her family relationship to Fairouz. When Fairouz started to become a major star in Lebanon and in the Middle East in the 1950s, Hoda Haddad was a child. It was not until the start of the Baalbeck International Festivals that Hoda appeared on the scene.
While Hoda had a sweet voice, it lacked the power and charisma of Fairouz's presence on the stage and Fairouz's strong vocals. In the Rahbani's major productions, Hoda played the role of the innocent teenager in love with the charming fellow in the village, or the pretty villager who does a comic part. However, this does not discount Hoda's talents as a singer and a performer. It is her long association with Fairouz that paradoxically prevented her from developing a shining solo career.
Hoda played in every Fairouz major production. She appears in all three Fairouz movies (Bint al Hares, Baya al Khwatem, and Safarbarlek). She also participated in Fairouz's shows in and outside Lebanon. Hoda had her own TV series in which she plays the principal heroine (Min Yawm la Yawm). She also sings the theme song of the series that was very popular in Lebanon in 1971.
Currently Hoda is still playing a major role in the Rahbani's projects, most recently in "Socrate" by Mansour Rahbani. Hoda has at least 50 own songs (all by the Rahbanis), but does not have any album under her name. You may find her songs throughout Fairuz's large repertoire.
Hoda's Biography By Kamal Dib.

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