Lena Chamamyan - Before Dinnerلينا شماميان - قبل العشاQabl El Isha

Lena Chamamian - Before Dinner Not before dinner sir After dinner yes, yes With who can I send my greetings to you With my soul (literally "apple of the eye") or my heart?

Oh lighting send them my regards whenever you strike

When you were far away I used to hear your news
Now that you're close I can't stop looking at you

I won't die, no I won't die even if they bring the burial shroud I won't
I'll go down to the Straight Street market and have a coffin made
One nail made of silver and gold and the other nail of ruby
The people will be amazed when they see us both in the coffin

You have a apricot tree in your house and we have a peach tree in ours
The apricot tree has leaned towards the peach tree (it makes a little more sense in Arabic, but to lean towards someone means to like them so it's a play on words)
Quit coming and going
Oh lord give us some rain, the Earth is longing (also a metaphor)

لينا شاماميان - قبل العشا

قبل العشا لا يا سيدي وبعد العشا ايه وايه

مع مين ومع مين ارسلك سلام مع مين
يامهجة العين ويا كبد الحشا مع مين

يا برق سلم عليهم كل ما تلمع
كنتو بعيدين و باخبار إلكم نسمع
صرت قريبين وما تطليع ما نشبع

ما موت وما موت ولو جابو الكفن ما موت
لانزل عسوق الطويل وفصل التابوت
مسمار من فضة ودهب ومسمار من ياقوت
وتتعجب المسكونة و تنين بالتابوت

بداركم مشمشة وبدارنا خوخة
يا شجرة المشمشة مالت على الخوخة
حاجي تروح وتجي من تحت هالطاقة
يا رب رشقة مطر والأرض مشتاقة

The Rosanna عالروزانا الروزاناAl Rozana

The song "Al Rozana (ع الروزانا)" is a folk song native to the region of the Levant or بلاد الشام, ie Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. The story behind it is that at the height of the intense wheat famine that the region experienced at the beginning of the 20th century, and Italian ship called "The Rosanna" was said to have been sent carrying food to the starving population of the Levant. Everybody was waiting in anticipation for the ship's arrival, but when it finally landed as the story goes in the song, it was carrying nothing but apples and grapes, on of the foods that the region was actually overflowing with at that time. The people cursed the ship for this reason.

Here are the lyrics.

Oh the Rosanna, the Rosanna, everything good is inside her
What has the Rosanna done?
God punish her!
Oh the Rosanna the Rosanna, all happiness is inside her
What has the Rosanna done?
God punish her

Hey you who are going to Aleppo, my love went with you
Hey you who are carrying grapes and on top of that apples
Everyone is with their beloved and my beloved has gone
Oh lord, may the breeze bring my lover back to me

عالروزانا عالروزانا كل الحلى فيها
شو عملت الروزانا ألله يجازيها
عالروزانا عالروزانا كل الهنا فيها
شو عملت الروزانا الله يجازيها
يا رايحين ل حلب حبي معاكم راح
يا محملين العنب فوق العنب تفاح
كل من حبيبه معه وأنا حبيبي راح
يا ربي نسمة هوى ترد الولف ليا

In an article in al-Watan, Bandar Khalil explains the cultural significance of this event in the present day like this:

With this genuine Arabic song, many questions arise in the mind of the genuine Arab. For example, how many of our people have had all of their rosy dreams met with dark disappointment, and all their hopes were squandered on an endless range of despair, frustration and helplessness? How many of us have waited and were patient and bore all of the their pain, only to find that when our Rosanna came and dropped anchor in the harbor of their dreams, nothing came out of it... We as an Arab people that has spent its whole life waiting for numerous "Rosannas" which still have never arrived, while carrying further disappointment for our dreams, how many times must we hear this song each day?

Yet, we shouldn't take this song as perceived by every listener as a song that sums up the broken dreams of the Arab people. Nonetheless, the theme of disappointment pervades discussion of the song. One poster in another forum describes the song as perfect for expression the feeling of disappointment by some soccer team. The point is this folk song is very much a song about getting your hopes up only to find that the thing you were waiting for was a mirage.

I've supplied many different versions so everyone can find their favorite.

Sabah Fakhri (صباح فخري)



Tony Hana (طوني حنا) with Gypsy Band



Lena Chamamian (لينا شماميان)



Amal Marcus (أمل مرقص)

Lena Shamamian - On the Waves of the Seaلينا شماميان – على موج البحرAla Mouj al Bahr

Lena Chamamyan - On the Waves of the Sea Oh how beautiful are the wide open spaces on top of land As the moon shines on the waves of the sea He said to me, "come, you whose always on my mind" "Be the one for me forever and always" As the moons shines on the waves of the sea

My origin is love, a laugh and playfulness
May we be in each other's company forever and always
As the moon shines on the waves of the sea

لينا شماميان – على موج البحر

يا ما أحلى الفسحة يا عيني على رأس البر
والقمر نور عيني يا عيني يا عيني على موج البحر

قال لي تعالي يا شاغلة بالي
قال لي تعالي يا شاغلة بالي
كوني حلالي على طول العمر
والقمر نور عيني عيني عيني على موج البحر

يا ما أحلى الفسحة يا عيني على رأس البر
والقمر نور عيني يا عيني يا عيني على موج البحر

أصلي محبة ضحكة ولعبة
خلينا صحبة يا عيني على طول العمر
والقمر نور عيني عيني عيني على موج البحر

Lena Chamamyan - Momma Noلينا شماميان - يما لا لاYomma La la

"yomma" is an utterance of protest or complaint, which is clear in the context of the song. it kind of means "momma" i guess, for the sake of the song i will translate it that way since it seems like it might be a guy talking to his mother... but calling someone "momma" in Arabic doesn't mean they are your mother, just you are complaining to them or entreating them.

المتصفح الذي لديك لايدعم مشغل الأغاني. دبر حالك و روح نزل البرنامج أو .<A HREF="http://www.asqalan.com/rm/album/lena/shamat/01%20Yomma%20Lala.rm">اضغط هنا</A> لسماع الأغنية.

Lena Chamamyan - Momma No Momma no, what do you want from me auntie (auntie here is a way to refer to a female older than you, or it could be his aunt in the song theoretically, but its probably actually his mother) What do you want from me auntie, what do you want from me auntie? I beg you, leave me alone and leave that pretty girl alone Leave that pretty girl alone, leave that pretty girl alone

Come on, don't make me miss her, she's always running through my mind
This pretty girl made me go crazy
Her eyes are like the eyes of the gazelle (meaning they are really beautiful)
Her eyes are like the eyes of the gazelle

Come on, let that pretty girl be, let her leave and go about as she pleases
Come on momma!
We've never seen anyone more beautiful than her
This pretty girl has a great feminine charm (the word dalaal means like femininity in the sense of being girly and pretty, or can be translated as coquetry, but what it means is that she is really attractive in the traditional sense of feminine beauty meaning cute, tame, vulnerable, etc)

لينا شماميان – يما لا لا

يما لا لا ولا لا يا لا لا لا وايش بدك مني يا خالة
ايش بدك من يا خالة وايش بدك مني يا خالة
بحياتك خليني بحالي وخلي الحلوة بحالها
وخلي الحلوة بحالها وخلي الحلوة بحالها

يما لا لا لا تخليني احن دايما على بالي بتعن
يما لا لا لا تخليني احن دايما على بالي بتعن
هالحلوة خلتني أجن
عيونها عيون الغزالة
عيونها عيون الغزالة
يما لا

يما خلي الحلوة لأهلها تمشي وتسرح ع مهلها
يماااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااه
ما شفنا منها أحلى
هالحلوة زادت دلالها
هالحلوة زادت دلالها
يما لا

Lena Chamamyan - When He Was Bendingلينا شماميان - لما بدا يتثنىLama Bada Yatathana

The verb "tathanna" means to "bend" or "to fold." She's referring to the way this man is dancing, gracefully bending or swaying side to side slowly in a way that resembles Andalusian dance for those who are familiar.

المتصفح الذي لديك لايدعم مشغل الأغاني. دبر حالك و روح نزل البرنامج أو .<A HREF="http://www.asqalan.com/rm/album/lena/asmar/02%20Lama%20Bada%20Yatathana_2.rm">اضغط هنا</A> لسماع الأغنية.

Lena Shamamian - When He Was Bending When he was bending, when he was bending (this means he is dancing or doing something graceful) My love, his beauty struck us Something about it captivated us beauty, as soon as he began to bend

My promise, oh my confusion, my promise, oh my confusion
Who could be the one to alleviate my sufferings in love, from my torment, except the one of beauty
Oh mercy, oh mercy, oh mercy

لينا شماميان – لما بدا يتثنى

لما بدا يتثنى لما بدا يتثنى
حبي جماله فتنا
أمر ما بلحظة أسرنا
حسن ثنى حينما
وعدي ويا حيرتي وعدي ويا حيرتي
من لي رحيم شكوتي
في الحب من لوعتي
إلا مليك الجمال
أمان أمان أمان أمان

Lena Shamamian - Let Me Give Generouslyلينا شماميان - دعوني أجودDaony Ajoud

Alright so in this translation I've trained to preserve the original language of the poem somewhat to avoid rewriting the whole song, and have added explanations where necessary.

And to comment on the title, she says "da3uuni ajuud (دعوني أجود)" which means "let me give generously" or "let me bestow lavishly." The word doesn't have a good translation and I can't seem to get the meaning perfect in the sentence, but she's giving generously with weeping upon her son who has died, the idea in that is that the tears are like an offering to him, and that is why that particular verb is being used.

Lena Shamamian - Let Me Give Generously Let me give generously with weeping upon my only son by myself So pour down, oh tears, and reach my heart (literally: my liver) My soul (literally: my heart) was seared on my most beloved (meaning: "my heart was injured badly because of what happened to my beloved") And my skin betrayed me (meaning: "and I couldn't take it" or "my patience didn't hold up") My only son has passed on, my beloved only son So break apart, oh heart (literally: liver)

لينا شماميان - دعوني أجود

دعوني أجود بالبكاء على وحيدي وحدي
فانهمري يا دموع عيني وأثري في كبدي
فؤادي انتكوى على الحبيب وخانني جلدي
وحيدي قضى وحيدي الحبيب فتفطري يا كبدي

Lena Shamamian - My Thoughts Are With Youبالي معاكBali Maak

There are some problems with translating this song into English. A lot of the phrases cannot be translated literally in a form that sounds natural, especially the key phrase in the song "gheerak ma yaHla li." "yaHla l-" means "to be sweet (to someone)" or "to be pleasing (to someone)," so I've translated it as "no one but you pleases me," but if you want a cleaner English translation we could say "you're the only one for me."

Lena Shamamian - My Thoughts Are With You My thoughts are with you My thoughts, my thoughts, my thoughts Your forehead is high (meaning: he has lofty morals or ideas, it's a good things) I swear upon the pupils of your eyes my darling No one but you pleases me

My life will never be at peace
While I have this desire for you in my heart
With you my thoughts have become enlightened
No one but you pleases me

If my heart said ah, my darling (meaning: if my heart felt pain)
They ahs would cauterize me
When will I be graced with your presence

لينا شماميان - بالي معاك

بالي معاك بالي بالي بالي بالي
يابو الجبين عالي عالي عالي عالي
وحياة سواد عينيك ياحبيبي
غيرك ما يحلى لي

عمري ماراح يرتاح ياحبيبي
والشوق في قلبي ليك
فكري معاك نّور ياحبيبي
غيرك ما يحلى للي

الـقـلـب لـو قـال آه يا حبيبي
آهـاتـه تكـويني

إيمتـى بـقـا الـدنيـا يا حبيبي
بقربك ح تحلا لي

Lyrics transcription from Damascus Online