Lennie Clark's

Arabic Song Translations Site

Many years ago, Lennie Clark created an excellent web site on a free web hosting service known as Geocities titled "Arabic Song Translations". In October 2009, Yahoo discontinued the Geocities service. Web sites that resided on Geocities were faced with the choice of either moving to a different web hosting provider or vanishing from the Internet altogether. Lennie and Shira have collaborated to preserve the site she worked so hard to build as a corner of Shira.net. The choices on this page lead to items that once resided on Lennie's original site.

Articles

• Why Is It Important to Know What the Lyrics Mean? By Lennie Clark.
• Introduction to Understanding Arabic Translations. By Osama el-Gohary.
• Helpful Tips When You Are Dancing to a Song. By Osama el-Gohary.

Translations

Arabic Song Translations

Translations by Adel Abdalla

• A Nadda (Oh Nadda). Sung by Sabah and George Abdo.
• Abu Ouyoun Garea (The One With the Brave Eyes). Sung by Abdel Halim Hafez.
• Al Ward Gamil (Roses Are Beautiful). Sung by Oum Kalthoum.
• Amriika (America). Sung by Shaban Abdel Rehim.
• Bint El Shalabia (The Pretty Girl). Sung by Fairuz.
• Bint el Sultan (Daughter of the Sultan). Sung by Ahmed Adaweyya.
• Eina Ellayali (Where Did the Good Nights Go?) Sung by Asmahan.
• Gafnouhou (Her Eyelashes). Sung by Mohammed Abdel Wahab.
• Ma Gayartish Abadan (I Never Changed). Sung by El Amira Al Saghira.
• Noura Ya Noura (Noura Oh Noura). Sung by Farid al-Atrache and George Abdo.
• Nubian Song. Sung by Ali Hassan Kuban.
• Sahertou Minhou el-Layali (Stay Up Late Nights). Sung by Soumaya Baalbaki.
• Salametha Umm Hassan (Get Well, Mother of Hassan). Sung by Ahmed Adawiyya.
• Shatti Ya Dunya (Rain, Life, Rain). Sung by Fairuz.
• Tisslam Eidak (Bless Your Hand). Sung by Hisham Abbas.
• Ya Ana, Ya Ana (Oh Me, Oh Me). Sung by Fairuz.
• Ya Bajat al-Rouh (You, the Pleasure of the Soul). Sung by Sabah Fakhri.
• Ya Mayla al Gousoune (You Who Are Leaning on the Tree Branches.) Sung by Fairuz.
• Ya Mustapha (Oh Mustapha). Sung by George Abdo and many others.
• Ya Ritni Tir (I Wish I Were a Bird). Sung by Farid al-Atrache.
• Ya Wail (What a Pity!). Sung by George Abdo.

Translations by Khaled Hegazzi

• Hizzi Ya Nawaem (Shake It, Oh Little Delicate One). Sung by Farid al-Atrache, George Abdo, and others.
• Mawwal Ya Hob (Ode to Love). Sung by Khalil Abboud.
• Min Aboukra L'Ashiye (From Morning 'Til Night). Sung by Emad Sayyah.
• Sanateen Wana Hayyil (For Two Years). Sung by Khalil Abboud.
• Wana Wana Amil Eh (What to Do?). Sung by Hisham Abbas.
• Ya Tayyeb el Galb (The Good-Hearted One). Sung by Abdul Majeed Abdullah.

Translations by Tahseen Alkoudsi

• Bint el Arabia (Daughter of Arabia). Summary only.
• Osad Ainy (In Front of My Eyes). Sung by Amr Diab.

Translations by Samia Kadri

• Safir Ya Habibi Wirjaa (Travel, My Love).

Translations by Other Translators

• Ala Dalouna (Help Us). Sung by Tony Kiwan, Fairuz, and others. Translated by Gaby Tawil.
• Alli Garra (About the Past). Sung by Asala Nasri and Saber el Reba.
• Bint el Shalabia (Daughter of Shalabia.) Sung by Fairuz.
• Ghanili Shwaya Shwaya (Sing to Me Softly, Softly). Sung by Oum Kalthoum.
• Haad Yensa Alboo (Could Someone Forget His Own Heart?) Sung by George Wassouf. Translated by Osama el-Gohary.
• Lamma Bada Yata Thana (When She Begins to Sway).
• Sirt el Hob (Talk of Love). Sung by Oum Kalthoum. Translated by Hala.
• Wahdani (My Loneliness). Sung by Khaled Agag.
• Yaho (Yaho). Sung by Hakim. Translation provided by Tarik Sultan.

Songs from the Linda Grondahl Collection

• Ala Hasb Wedad Albi (It All Depends On My Heart). Sung by Abdel Halim Hafez.
• Ana fi Inte Zarak (I'm Waiting for You). Sung by Oum Kalthoum.
• Bahlam Beek (I Saw You In My Dreams). Sung by Abdel Halim Hafez.
• Digi Digi Ya Rababa (Play, Play Oh Rababa). Sung by Nadiha Yazbeck.
• El Helwa Di (The Beautiful One). Sung by Sheikh Sayed Darwish, Dania, and others.
• Enta Omri (You Are My Life). Sung by Oum Kalthoum.
• Gamil, Gamal (Beautiful Dancer). Sung by Farid al-Atrache.
• Habibi Ya Eini (Darling, Oh My Eyes). Sung by Nourhan.
• Habitak Bel Saif (I Loved You In Summer). Sung by Fairuz.
• Linda, Linda (Linda, Linda). Sung by Samir al-Tawil.
• Noura, Ya Noura (Noura, Oh Noura). Sung by Farid al-Atrache.
• Salamit-ha Oum Hassan (God Bless You, Mother of Hassan). Sung by Ahmed Adawiyya.
• Samra Ya Samra (Samra, Oh Samra). Sung by Karim Mahmoud.
• Sawwah (Vagabond). Sung by Abdel Halim Hafez.
• Shatti Ya Dunya (Rain, Life, Rain). Sung by Fairuz.

Translations from Farsi

• Gole Sangiam (Flower of Stone).
• Mastom, Mastom (Drunk, Drunk).

About Lennie Clark (Iliana)

Iliana is the performing name of Grace "Lennie" Clark, the editor of the "Arabic Song Translations" website. She lives in the Phoenix, Arizona area. An instructional aide at a local middle school, she also enjoys singing music of the Middle East, Spain, and Eastern Europe. She started her "Arabic Song Translations" website as a private, non-profit activity.

Lennie's involvement with Middle Eastern dance and music goes back more than a decade, and her knowledge about the subject has developed only gradually. From 1992 she was the singer and one of the core members of the former Gypsy Magic Dance Troupe at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. Her daughter was one of the dancers and also a core member of the troupe. After the troupe disbanded, Lennie continued to sing at the festival for several years, accompanying herself on the guitar, taking the character of "Iliana the Gypsy Mynstrel", singing songs from Spain, Turkey, Russia, Persia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. She continued to be involved with her former troupe members through playing percussion for the Byelarosa Dance and Music Ensemble, which performed Russian and Jewish music and dance under the direction of her good friend Tish Dvorkin, an Arizona Arts Roster Artist, for several years. Tish Dvorkin still performs her wonderful music as a solo artist.

For two years Lennie was a member of Adayna's performance class "Kefira" and wrote many articles for the Arizona Middle Eastern Dance Association newsletter. Lennie, Cathy Sundheim, and Cathy's daughter Cassandra also performed for a few years, as "The Golden Earrings" performing Gypsy music and dance, influenced by the styles of Dalia Carella, Eva Cernik, and Laurel Victoria Grey.

Lennie began studying Arabic songs from Gaby Tawil, the well known percussionist, and for a time also studied Arabic through an evening class at Mesa Community College. She has also been studying with a tutor, Hakima, and in 2008 participated in the Tempe Arabic Language MeetUp until it disbanded.

Lennie is so grateful to those generous members of the dance community who sent her translations! She is also very indebted to Adel Abdalla, Khaled Hegazzi and others, who have done some translation summaries for me which are found only on this website. And thanks to Linda Grondahl who sent some of her collection of song translations / transliterations collected over her years of study of Middle Eastern music. And to Leyla Lanty whose advice has been so instrumental in setting up the "Arabic Song Translations" web site.

Click here to contact Lennie via e-mail.