Etmakhtari Ya Helwa Ya Zena

Walk With A Graceful Swinging Gait,

O Beautiful, O Pretty One

This page contains a translation into English of the song lyrics to the song Etmakhtari Ya Helwa Ya Zena.

Rhythm: Iqa Zaffa, which is in 8/4

Lyrics

Arabic Lyrics	English Translation
Chorus:	Chorus:
Etmakhtari	Walk with a graceful swinging gait,
Ya helwa ya zena	O beautiful, O pretty one
Ya warda men gowwa gnena	O flower inside a garden
Ya ud oronfel ya arusa	O bride, you are a carnation stem and flower
El ward dallel alena	The flowers give us shade in our procession

Verse 1:	Verse 1:
Esh sham 'ayed hawaleki	The candles are lit all around you
Wes-sehr bayen fi eneki	Your eyes have magic and charm
En el-hasud ma lehash fiki	The evil eye is unable to reach you and do you harm
Etmakhtari w mili alena	Walk with a graceful swigning gait and lean over us

Verse 2:	Verse 2:
Etmakhtari b-helwe awamek	Walk your beautiful body with a graceful swinging gait
Arisek el-kheffa d-dahek	Your lighthearted and smiling bridegroom
Aref ghalawtek we ma'amek	Knows your worth and status
Ya badr nawwar hawalena	O full moon shine over us.

Verse 3:	Verse 3:
El ward elahmar fe khdud	The red flowers that are part of your cheeks
Fattah we nawwar ala udek	Have opened up and illuminated your body
Wel-lela dih ketti hasudek	Tonight you have made those envious of you even more jealous
Ya helwa tefdi be-enena	O beautiful, we shall sacrifice even our eyes for your sake.

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.

Etmakhtari Ya Helwa Ya Zena

Walk With A Graceful Swinging Gait,

O Beautiful, O Pretty One

Lyrics

Arabic Lyrics

English Translation

Chorus:

Chorus:

Verse 1:

Verse 1:

Verse 2:

Verse 2:

Verse 3:

Verse 3:

Acknowledgements