1. |
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The Nazarene women crossed the meadow of Ibn 'Aamer.
Wailing and crying as they went.
Some carried children in their wombs;
some were breastfeeding;
Some were virgins not ready to yield
up their treasure…
As cowards might yield up their daughters.
Will anyone help us, they cried?
Will anyone relieve our pain?
Will anyone share our burden?
So heavy it slides off our backs!
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2. |
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The cameleer tormented my heart
The day he made up his mind to go;
Cameleer, take me with you!
My journey is far too long, he said;
Cameleer, can I ride with you?
My load is far too heavy, he said;
I shall walk, then, cameleer;
Patience is a virtue, he said!
• The cameleer tormented my heart
• The day he made up his mind to go;
• Cameleer, how long have you travelled
the road?
• Over fifty years, he said;
• Cameleer, what have you in your caravan?
• Refugee families and children, he said;
• Where are you heading then, cameleer?
• To my homeland Palestine, he said
Oh brother, don’t spread your mattress
We are not staying over.
And don't slaughter your lamb
We are not hungry.
The cameleer tormented my heart
The day he made up his mind to go.
I asked: what is your first load?
Coffee and cups, he said;
I asked: what is your second load?
Ginger and spice, he said;
I asked: what is your third load?
Old women cooks, he said;
I asked: what is your fourth load?
Well-adorned young maidens, he said.
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3. |
Galilean Lullaby
05:18
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Our loved ones have left home,
Gone away without saying goodbye.
When I went by their place one
morning to salute the mulberry tree,
No one was there to invite me in!
All I found was a crying bird.
Regret stopped me short and pinned
my feet to the thorny ground.
I sought in vain to learn what had
become of them,
From the houses where they
once lived.
Alas, my tears stained the walls
of their buildings.
O cameleer of the caravan, if you
come across them,
Let them know that I still cry for them.
Tell them my loving eyes haven't yet
closed in sleep.
The good nights are gone that
should have lasted forever.
Do tell our loved ones who've
moved away,
That for anyone, hardship never
lasts forever.
Never lasts forever..
Never lasts forever…
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4. |
A Baker's Dozen
06:51
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How can I recognise him? All headdresses look alike.
How can I recognise him?
You eternally long for your mate.
Even the fish in the water longs eternally for its mate.
The moon is rising. Oh my loving mother, the moon is rising.
Let's welcome our loved ones.
If they visit for only an hour, let's welcome our loved ones.
• For God's sake, beloved. For God's sake, don't torment your soul!
• Don't make me worry! Tell me what hurts you. Don't make me worry.
'Ataaba stanza:
We fled our homeland,
And the tyranny of fate estranged us further.
We left at night, not daring to look back,
And left our homes open to the stars.
They did not bid us farewell.
They moved their tents by night, not bidding us farewell.
Oh eyes of mine, if you have compassion, pour out your tears.
• May sickness strike me instead of you, my love. Let sickness strike me instead of you.
• I'll watch over you all night. I'll watch over you, light of my eyes.
From amidst the Arab tribes, my love rode gloriously on his steed;
With a saddle of gold and a rein of silver, my loved one rode gloriously on his steed.
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5. |
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I lost a beautiful dream
I lost the lilies' sting
My night has been long
stretched over the garden walls
But I have not lost the way
My palm has grown accustomed
to my wounded hopes
Shake my hands with vigour
and passion, a river of songs will flow
O Guide of my colt and my sword
Variation I:
O Mother! I can endure the daggers' stabbing
But not the rule of a coward.
Your hands hover over my forehead, like two glorious crowns
If ever I should bend, a hill shall bow, and a sky will be lost
Then I am no longer worthy of a kiss or a prayer
And the door will be slammed in my face
They asked: do you love the beautiful woman? I replied: my love is worship.
Her hair is lavish and abundant
Her breast the dearest pillow
Wedding her is a sign of valour
Variation II:
O Mother! I can endure the daggers' stabbing
But not the rule of a coward.
The children of tomorrow pray in your hands
And my own child says: “my days will brighten”
For you are my sun and my shelter.
I defend the roses in yearning for your lips
I defend the sand in the streets fearful for your feet
And I defend my right to defend my right
I defend my right to defend my right.
Variation III:
O Mother! I can endure the daggers' stabbing
But not the rule of a coward.
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6. |
Yearning
10:11
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The sky cried in rain, giving solace to the burnt-out man;
It made him more impassioned.
Can one drowning in the open sea ask for a helping hand from the sky?
Does he want rain to freeze his body and add to his torments?
No! I ask the sky. Stop your tears!
This broken-hearted man is at the end of his tether…
This broken-hearted man is at the end of his tether.
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7. |
Sprinting Gazelle
05:51
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O gazelle of all gazelles.
You, who plan to go away
As you set out on your journey,
Offer your praise to the Prophet.
My eyes flooded with tears,
I cried over our parting.
Crying over our parting,
I've taken a vow of silence,
I've forbidden myself to dance the dabkeh,
I've dyed my clothes dark and gone into mourning.
I've dyed my clothes indigo blue
Over the loss of the Sprinting Gazelle.
There is none as tall or slender
I've looked everywhere and I haven't found its like.
There is nothing like it left in this world.
The day my fate was written,
I'd planned to send a bird with a message
Asking how my gazelle was faring.
If it were in trouble, I'd rescue it.
As I asked the bird to carry my message away,
The bird soared above me and then abandoned me.
Hey, my coquettish, beautiful one
Hey, my pampered mate
I've lain ill in bed, but you didn't visit me.
Never asked about me, and look at the state of me now!
O Lord of all mankind
You give life and take it away
You bring life to those who've been driven away
My heart has been torn apart because of our parting.
O gazelle of all gazelles.
You, who plan to go away…
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8. |
Yafa!
07:17
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Yafa! My tears have dried up;
I weep for you with stricken eyes
Will I ever see you?
Will I live long enough?
How are your sister towns?
How are they?
I long for them
As if each were a paradise.
And those we left behind?
Those we left for dead …
I'm weary! I'm weary!
But in my weariness
I only complain to God
And to no one else.
Yafa…
Yafa!
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9. |
Qasidah of Return
04:37
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Oh! Our faraway land is beyond your vision
In her lies our buried secret,
our young maidens' dreams
In her lie the graves of my mother and father,
the graves of our love and our smiles
And our love-scorched hearts sing her tender psalms.
We fashioned our songs for her out of prayer
We love her burning sands and merciless wind
And her woes… and her woes…
We love our orphaned existence within her; we accept her even in death.
And we'll head towards her
The more we are exiled, the more we'll head towards her
Whenever the pride of life is humiliated before our eyes.
So, go away, you killer of our longing
Yesterday was our wedding and our funeral
Don't you realise that we'd embraced you in our longing?
And that our longing for you is now dead
Our longing is dead…
Though our promise is yet to come…
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10. |
il-Hamdillah
11:44
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Imhaaha stanza:
Aweeha! Thank God, my heart's patience is finally rewarded
Aweeha! And the wound of longing is healing after so much pain
Aweeha! I swear by Him who created the clear stars above
Aweeha! That I have waited endlessly for this day
Praise God that evil is no more
We planted peppers in the heat
Our foes said they wouldn't turn red
Praise God, our peppers grew and turned red
Praise God that sorrow is no more
We planted carnations in the heat
Our foes said they wouldn't bloom
Praise God, our carnations grew and bloomed
You built a room, and we built a room
Our brides are finely dressed, in the way of our fathers and forefathers
You saddled your horses, and we saddled ours
Our young men are serving coffee, in the way of our fathers and forefathers
Fill up the builder's pitcher!
You, with hands dyed in henna
It's neither in the bragging of women,
nor the boasting of our songs
You pitched a tent, and we pitched a tent
Our brides are waiting in the hall, in the way of our fathers and forefathers
Praise God we could build a house
And it's now full of newly-weds
Praise God we could build a courtyard
And we can now live in comfort
Praise God, praise God, praise God…
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Reem Kelani London, UK
Reem Kelani is an independent artist. Please buy Reem’s music & support her work.
Get your copy of Reem's 2022 EP release "The Singer Said: Bird of Dawn". Reem's amazing booklet comes with the download!
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