Songtext 00
Shayyid qsurak ‘al mazare’
 
SHAYYID QSURAK ‘AL MAZARE‘

Lyrics by Zein El Abidin Fouad [1984]

Music by Sheikh Imam

YouTube: http://youtu.be/pWR9r7Keef0

شيد قصورك ع المزارع ... من كدنا وعمل إدينا


والخمارات جنب المصانع ... والسجن مطرح الجنينه


واطلق كلابك في الشوارع ... واقفل زنازينك علينا


و يقل نومنا في المضاجع ... ادي احنا نمنا ما اشتهينا


واتقل علينا بالمواجع ... احنا اتوجعنا واكتفينا


وعرفنا مين سبب جراحنا ... وعرفنا روحنا والتقينا


احين وطلبه ... دقت ساعتنا وابتدايناعمال وفل


نسلك طريق ما لهش راجع ... والنصر قرب من عنينا

Transliteration (phonetic):

 
Shayyid ousourak al mazare’e / min kaddina w-a’amal idina
W-il khammaraat ganb il masane’e / wi-ssigni matrah el ginina
W-itlik kilabak fi-shshaware’e / w-ikfil zanazinak ‘aleyna
Wi y'oul nomna fil madagia’a / adihna nemna maa shtahena
Wi taal ‘aleyna b-il mawage’a / ihna twagaana w-iktafena
W-arefna miin sabab girahna / w-arefna rouhna w-iltaqeiina
Ummal wi fellahin wi talaba / da'it sa’etna wi-btadeena
Neslouk tari' maa lhash ragia’a / wi-nnasri ‘arrab min eyniina
 
Translation:
 
Build your castles on the farmland
 by our hard work and with our hands
And the bars near the factories
 and the prisons instead of the gardens
And set your dogs in the streets
 and shut your cells on us
And we sleep less
 we slept and did not desire
And make us feel more pain where it hurts
 we were hurt and we are fed up
And we knew who the cause of our wounds was
 and we knew our souls and we met
Workers and peasants and students
 our time has come and we have started
Taking a road without going back
 and we see the victory coming closer.

NOTES:

Imam Mohammad Ahmad Eissa or Sheikh Imam (b. July 2, 1918; d. June 7, 1995) was a famous Egyptian composer and singer. For most of his life, he formed a duo with the famous Egyptian colloquial poet Ahmed Fouad Negm. Together, they were known for their political songs in favor of the poor and the working classes.

Subtitled Youtube clip posted by Walaa Qisay:

http://youtu.be/pWR9r7Keef0

Sheikh Imam articles by Ed Emery:

http://mondediplo.com/2006/05/19sheikhimam

http://mondediplo.com/2006/05/20prison

Translation / transliteration: Ed Emery and Christelle Madani

SOAS Arabic Band

E-mail: [email protected]

18.xi.2018