Li Beirut - A song to break your heart

Heard it on Democracy Now! Friday. It's by Lebanese singer Fayrouz and is so very poignant right now. You can listen to the audio at Myspace Fayrouz.

English translation cobbled together from elsewhere online:

Li Beirut - To Beirut (to the tune of The Lonely Shepherd)

A greeting from my heart to Beirut
kisses to the sea and to the houses
to a rock, which is like an old sailor’s face
She is made from the people’s soul..from wine
She is from his sweat…a bread and Jasmins
So how does her taste become? A taste of fire and smoke

Glory from the ashes to Beirut
My city has turned out her lamp
From the blood of a child carried upon her hand
She shut her door, and became alone in the sky
Alone with the night
You are mine, you are mine
Ah Hug me you are mine
You are my flag, tomorrow stone
And a travel’s waves
The wounds of my people have blossomed
And mothers tear
You are mine, you are mine
Ah Hug me

It breaks all of our hearts.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/20060804_MIDEAST_GRAPHIC/

(press July 31st to see devastation)

I'm very, very sorry...Are you from Beirut originally? My heart goes out to you if so, and to all of Lebanon for the unjust punishment being inflicted on her. That's why I wanted to share Li Beirut here, after hearing it for the first time yesterday. I don't know when Fairouz first debuted this song, but the words and sorrowful melody seem eloquent of the current tragedy.

I lived there until I was 17 and I miss it so much:

Here are the English lyrics to "Li Beirut"
A greeting from my heart to Beirut
kisses to the sea and to the houses
to a rock, which is like an old sailor’s face
She is made from the people’s soul..from wine
She is from his sweat…a bread and Jasmins
So how does her taste become? A taste of fire and smoke

Beirut has a glory of ashes
My city has turned out her lamp
By a child’s blood, who was over her hand
She’as shut her door, and became alone in the sky
Alone with the night
You are mine, you are mine
Ah Hug me you are mine
You are my flag, tomorrow stone
And a travel’s waves
My people’s wounds have flourished
And mothers tear
You are mine, you are mine
Ah Hug me

And words from Khalil Gibran:

You have your Lebanon and I have mine.
You have your Lebanon with her problems,
and I have my Lebanon with her beauty.
You have your Lebanon with all her prejudices and struggles,
and I have my Lebanon with all her dreams and securities.
Your Lebanon is a political knot, a national dilemma, a place of conflict and deception.
My Lebanon, is a place of beauty and dreams of enchanting valleys and splendid mountains.
Your Lebanon is inhabited by functionaries, officers, politicians, committees, and factions.
My Lebanon is for peasants, shepherds, young boys and girls, parents and poets.
Your Lebanon is empty and fleeting,
whereas My Lebanon will endure forever.



-Khalil Gibran

the full clip takes a bit to download, lyrics in French, attempt of literal translation below

has become a hit in France

Tina Arena is Australian/Italian but lives sin France

clip here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXe9QeN02zE

J’ai vécu heureuse - I lived happily
Dans mes palais - in my palaces
D’or noir et de pierres précieuses - of black gold and precious stones
Le Tigre glissait - The Tigris was flowing
Sur les pavés de cristal - on crystal cobblestones
Mille califes se bousculaient - thousand caliphs lined up
Sur mes carnets de bal - on my bal lists

On m’appelait - They called me
La Cité pleine de grâce - the city full of grace
Dieu - God
Comme le temps passe - how time goes by

On m’appelait - they called me
Capitale de lumière - capital of light
Dieu - God
Que tout se perd - everything gets lost

Je m’appelle Bagdad - My name is Baghdad
Et je suis tombée - and I fell
Sous le feu des blindés - under the fire of the tanks
Sous le feu des blindés - under the fire of the tanks
Je m’appelle Bagdad - My name is Baghdad
Princesse défigurée - disfigured princess
Et Shéhérazade - and Sheherazad
M’a oubliée - has forgotten me

Je vis sur mes terres - I live on my land
Comme une pauvre mendiante - as a poor begger
Sous les bulldozers - under the bulldozers
Les esprits me hantent - ghosts haunt me
Je pleure ma beauté en ruine - I weep over my beauty in ruins
Sous les pierres encore fumantes - under stones still smoldering
C’est mon âme qu’on assassine - its my soul they murder

On m’appelait - they called me
Capitale de lumière - capital of light
Dieu - God
Que tout se perd - everything gets lost

Je m’appelle Bagdad - My name is Baghdad
Et je suis tombée - and I fell
Sous le feu des blindés - under the fire of the tanks
Sous le feu des blindés - under the fire of the tanks
Je m’appelle Bagdad - My name is Baghdad
Princesse défigurée - disfigured princess
Et Shéhérazade - and Sheherazad
M’a oubliée - has forgotten me

Mes contes des mille et une nuits - My thousands and one nights stories
N’intéressent plus personne - don't interest anybody anymore
Ils ont tout détruit - they destroyed everything

Je m’appelle Bagdad - My name is Baghdad
Et je suis tombée - and I fell
Sous le feu des blindés - under the fire of the tanks
Sous le feu des blindés - under the fire of the tanks
Je m’appelle Bagdad - My name is Baghdad
Princesse défigurée - defaced princess
Et Shéhérazade - and Sheherazad
M’a oubliée - has forgotten me

:shrug:

excellent video

Thanks for that tocqueville. I'll have a look tonight and post the link here when I find it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXe9QeN02zE

Great song. I've liked Tina Arena's work since I lived in the UK, but I hadn't heard this one before. I don't suppose this kind of music gets much air time on US music channels.

Thank you for sharing.

Brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it! I already loved Concierto De Aranjuez by Rodrigo in the past as one of my favorite Classical music pieces, which is the melody of this song, so the topicality of the lyrics and her voice just adds to it's meaning to me.