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November 13, 2006
Surely skinny Maya: Inaugural post and beggar's quest for an English transliteration
Although I might qualify as a white-guy "Arabist" I am not a fan of Arabic music, and am a provincial American white boy in taste. In fact, one cultural thing America and Egypt have in common, I like to note, is their national artistic treasures: we have Moby Dick the novel, they have Umm Kalthoum, the singer. Both are remarkably similar in that they are both essentially about endlessly boring exercises in whaling. But I had a nice experience while putting in a CD of the Syrian group Kulna Sawa which strives to incorporate jazz and rock in their style. I found an Arabic folk song so cool (at least in how they do it) that I took the hands off the wheel to clap hands and even pretended to sing along phonetically. Below I request someone to provide me a phonetic transliteration.
The song was a well-known folk song 'Almaya -- to the [spring] water, or such. A translation would be nice as well but a phonetic transliteration would be great. Sadly, I cannot find one online, perhaps I havent looked hard enough. But they seem to be singing about "surely skinny Maya".
Actually with some rudimentary knowledge of Arabic and the fact that I can read a bit phonetically and the lyrics are printed in Arabic, I can probably fake it on my own but I am sure to mistake a n for a b or commit some other cross-orthographic dyslexia.
The particular rendition and the song itself remind me of Celtic and Slavic folk tunes, and the escalating rhythm and repetitious lyrics were infectious and anthemic. A choral opening and harmonic crescendo with an overlay of actually thrilling wailing was really gripping. In short, an Arabic song that was accessible to the Anglo-Celtic late 20th century Muse.
All help appreciated.
Posted by Matthew Hogan at November 13, 2006 07:21 PM
Filed Under:
MENA Culture
Comments
dear m,
why don't you post the text or provide a link to the lyrics? i've looked at their website but on that album the javascript doesn't work & hence the lyrics don't show.
--raf*
ps: characterising both moby dick & umm kulthoum as "essentially about endlessly boring exercises in whaling" makes me wonder just how much you understand about mid-19th american/european and mid-20th century egyptian/arab culture.
Posted by: raf* ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://matthew.aqoul.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 14, 2006 06:43 AM
ps: characterising both moby dick & umm kulthoum as "essentially about endlessly boring exercises in whaling" makes me wonder just how much you understand about mid-19th american/european and mid-20th century egyptian/arab culture.
Enough to know I'm bored. Gestibus non disputandis. Or however that goes.
Posted by: matthew hogan at November 14, 2006 11:33 AM
Actually, I did scope about online for lyrics, I have only a printed Arabic version which i can work off myself, or get by with a little help my friends when i bring it around to them. That's why I am casting a broader net; also my understanding is that the lyrics may be partly well known. Or at least the main verses.
Posted by: matthew hogan at November 14, 2006 11:35 AM
dear m,
de gustibus non est disputandum, 'tis true.
i couldn't find the lyrics online & wasn't going to sign up for melody hits or some other arab music site to download the song.
scan the lyrics & send them to me - i'd be happy to do it for you.
--raf*
Posted by: raf* at November 14, 2006 01:31 PM
Thanks, raf*, I may just do that....as soon as I find them, they've migrated to the usual pile of papers!
Posted by: matthew hogan at November 14, 2006 09:02 PM
ah cool
Posted by: jahaaa at November 16, 2006 10:47 PM
