Ah Ya Helu

O Beautiful

This page contains a translation into English of the song lyrics to the song Ah Ya Helu. Also included are the Arabic lyrics transliterated into the Roman alphabet so you can sing along if you like.

Maqams: Bayati and Karjeghar
Rhythm: Masmoudi Kabir, which is in 8/4

Lyrics

Arabic Lyrics	English Translation
Chorus:	Chorus:
Ah ya helu ya msallini	O beautiful, O companion,
Ya-lli be-nar el-hajre kawini	You are the one who burns me with the fire of abandonment.
Emla-l-mudam ya jamil we-s'ini ya e-ni	Fill the cup O beautiful and give it to me to drink (O my eye)
Min kotre sho'i alek ma b-anam	Because of my ardent desire for you I cannot sleep.
Repeat Chorus.	Repeat Chorus.

Verse 1:	Verse 1:
Habbet jamil we ya retni dello (3 times)	I fell in love with a beauty, I wish I were her shadow (3 times)
Ya eni	O my eye
Haz-el-jamal we-l-hosne kollo	She won all beauty and good character.
Lamma ra-eto malak fo-adi (3 times)	When I found that she took possession of my heart (3 times)
Ya eni	O my eye
Sabbarte 'albi we hamalte zello	I asked for my heart to be patient and carried along my humiliation

Verse 2:	Verse 2:
Abyad we ya, ya lon-el-yasmin (3 times)	White the color of jasmine (3 times)
Ya eni	O my eye
Ya-lli 'ala khaddak yetshaf-el-wardi	On her cheeks one can see flowers
We hyat khududak we-l-jebin (3 times)	By the life of your cheeks and forehead (3 times)
Ya eni	O my eye
Inni asir-el-mawadda	I am the prisoner of love and friendship.

Verse 3:	Verse 3:
Ma zane albi tensani (3 times)	It never occurred to my heart that you would forget me (3 times)
Ya eni	O my eye
We yzid fi hobbak ashjani	And that my grief would increase
Ud ya jamil (ya-khi) ud li tani (3 times)	Come back O beautiful, come back again. (3 times)
Ya eni	O my eye
Min kotre sho'i alek ma b-anam	Because of my ardent desire for you I cannot sleep.

Acknowledgements

This translation was done by Dr. George Sawa for Yasmina Ramzy of Arabesque Academy of Toronto, Canada. I'd like to thank Yasmina for permission to share these song lyrics with you via my web site. Her email address is dancenet@interlog.com. If you enjoyed this translation, please drop her a line thanking her for it!

Dr. George Sawa was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1947, where he completed his undergraduate studies in Western music and Classical Arabic music. In 1970, after immigrating to Canada, he completed graduate work at the University of Toronto, obtaining an MA in musicology and ethnomusicology at the Faculty of Music, and a PhD in Arabic historical musicology at the department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Since 1972, when he founded the Traditional Arabic Music Ensemble with Ebrahim Eleish, he has directed and performed with the ensemble all over North America, in both concert venues and in lecture demonstrations at universities and colleges. As a soloist, Dr. Sawa has also performed in Europe, in concerts and radio broadcasts. As well, he is frequently invited to international conferences for presentations and lectures on various aspects of medieval and modern Arabic music. At present he is directing the Centre For Studies in Middle Eastern Music.

Yasmina Ramzy has been performing, teaching, and choreographing Middle Eastern dance since 1981. She has toured extensively throughout Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, England, Mexico, the United States, and Canada as a soloist and with her company, sometimes performing for royalty and heads of state in many of these countries. She is the Artistic Director of Arabesque Academy, School of Culture-Specific Dance and the Arabesque Dance Company. Although Yasmina has dedicated her life to Middle Eastern dance, she also produces Gypsy and Dancenet which are culture-specific dance and music events with an educational slant. She is also a member of Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists and serves of the board of directors for Dance Ontario.

Ah Ya Helu

O Beautiful

Lyrics

Arabic Lyrics

English Translation

Chorus:

Chorus:

Repeat Chorus.

Repeat Chorus.

Verse 1:

Verse 1:

Verse 2:

Verse 2:

Verse 3:

Verse 3:

Acknowledgements