From Lennie Clark's Web Site:

Salamet-ha Umm Hassan
(Salametha, Mother of Hassan)

This page contains a translation into English of the lyrics to the popular shaabi song "Salamet-ha Umm Hassan", which was sung by Ahmed Adawiyya.

According to an article in Al Ahram Weekly, this song refers to Egypt after its humiliating defeat in its 1967 war with Israel, a defeat which took its toll on the mood of the nation. The song wishes mother Egypt (Salametha) a speedy recovery and expresses hope that the evil eye which has struck her son Hassan (the Egyptian soldier) will let him be. The references in the lyrics to burning incense and playing the drum next to her ear are references to the zar ceremony. The lyrics are saying that she tried a zar but it didn't work, so she should quit wasting her time on superstitions.

Alternate spellings for the song title include "Salametha Om Hassan" and "Salamit-ha Oum Hassan".

Lyrics

Note from Shira: Two different translations of this song have been contributed to this web site. I have decided to make both available. Song lyrics are poetry, and it can be challenging for a translator to communicate nuances of meaning. By having two translations to use, you can explore two different people's ideas on how to convey these nuances.

• Translation by Adel Abdallah
• Translation by Nicole Ibrahim, provided by Linda Grondahl

Translation by Adel Abdallah

"Umm Hassan is a woman who thinks that she is possessed and wants an exorcist so that she can be healed", writes Adel, the translator.

Get well, Umm Hassan,
Recover from the evil eye
Recover, all our loved ones, from the eye of envy

She was hit by the mental illness
And she could not sleep
You can not blame her

Get well, Umm Hassan...

She burned incense but it did not help
They played the drums loud to her ear like a bullet
But it did not help

Wake up, Umm Hassan
You know better that all that incense and drums
And all the hocus pocus do not help

Get well, Umm Hassan

Translation by Nicole Ibrahim, Provided by Linda Grondahl

This translation was done by Nicole Ibrahim, from whom Linda took Arabic singing classes for about eight years during the 1980's.

Where to Get Recordings of this Song

Artist: John Bilezikjian CD Title: La Danse Orientale Dantz Records - John Bilezikjian P.O. Box 2434 Laguna Hills, CA 92654-2434 U.S.A. Telephone: (+1) (949) 581-5664 Web Site: www.dantzrecords.com

Translations of
Ahmed Adawiyya's Songs on this Site

Acknowledgements

About the Translator of the First Version

Adel Abdallah is an Egyptian who resides in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you are traveling to that great city, he invites you to stop by the Cafe Picasso, located at 3401 Chartres (on the corner of Chartres and Desire, in the Bywater). The cafe serves delicious Middle Eastern food, and offers shiisha smoking. They are open daily except for Sundays, from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. (Deliveries until 10 P.M.) The phone number is (504) 948-6881.

The translation summary was done by Adel at Lennie Clark's request. Muchisimas gracias to Kruz, (whose Morocco to India ethnic boutique, located in the historic French Quarter, is not-to-be-missed) for suggesting Adel as a translator.

About the Person Who Provided the Second Video

Linda Grondahl's background is that of a devoted lover of Arabic music and dance. She danced with Amina and the Aswan Dancers for many years. She took Arabic percussion with Mary Ellen Donald, Su Su Pampanin, George Dubai, Vince Deldado, and Tony Lammam. She took Arabic singing from Nicole Ibrahim, Mimi Spencer, Georges Lammam. On the oud, she studied under Nazir Latouf, Mimi Spencer, Abdullah Kdough. She was a member of the Aswat Arab-American Choir under the direction of Elias Lammam. She is now a member of the El Ashaab dance troupe, and Tahneen, the all-girl, all-American Middle eastern music ensemble. They have played for Arab and American events, and for many years at the Rakassah festival.

"I just saved whatever I could get my hands on, for years", writes Linda, "and really don't know why. It was always so dificult to get music, so I just kept on saving."

Linda lives in San Francisco, California. Her favorite color is any shade of purple.

About the Source

This article originally appeared on Lennie Clark's web site, "Arabic Song Translations." Lennie created this web site in 2002 as a response to discussion on the Internet regarding incidents of dancers who performed inappropriate sensual dances to religious music. Lennie's web site resided on a free web hosting service known as Geocities. When the planned October 2009 closure of the Geocities web hosting service was announced, Lennie and Shira agreed to move the contents of Lennie's site to Shira.net. To explore all the articles and song translations that once appeared on Lennie's Geocities site, visit Lennie's portal page here on Shira.net.