Loulou

"There's a café at the crossroads" - في قهوة عالمفرق

Arabic
في قهوة ع المفرق، في موقدة وفي نار
نبقى انا وحبيبي نفرشها بالاسرار
جيت لقيت فيها، عشاق اتنين زغار
قعدوا على مقاعدنا

 سرقوا منا المشوار
يا ورق الاصفر،عم تكبر، عم تكبر
الطرقات...البيوت...عم تكبر، عم تكبر
بتخلص الدني، وما في غيرك يا وطني
بتضلك طفل زغيّر
متل السهم الراجع من سفر الزمان
قطعت الشوارع، ما ضحكلي انسان
كل صحابي كبروا، وتغيّر اللي كان
صاروا العمر الماضي، صاروا دهب النسيان

يا ورق الاصفر،عم تكبر، عم تكبر
الطرقات...البيوت...عم تكبر، عم تكبر
بتخلص الدني، وما في غيرك يا وطني
بتضلك طفل زغيّر

English:(Literal)

There's a café at the crossroads

There's a hearth, and a fire

My lover and I used to furnish it with secrets

I came and found in it

Two young lovers

They sat in our seats

They stole the journey from us
O yellow leaves, you're only growing older
The roads, the houses...They're only growing older
The world comes to its end

And there's no one but you, O my homeland,

You remain a young child
Like a returning arrow

From its trip into time

I crossed the streets, not a person laughed to me
All my friends have grown up, and everything that was has changed
They became the past
They became the gold of oblivion
O yellow leaves you're only growing older
The roads,the houses...they're only growing older
The world comes to its end,
And no one but you, O my homeland...

You remain a young child 

English:(Liberal)

There's a café at the crossroads

There's a hearth, and a fire

My lover and I used to furnish it with secrets

One day I went there, and found two young lovers

Sitting in our seats

They stole the journey from us!
O yellow leaves, you're only growing older
The roads, the houses...They're only growing older

The world might come to its end
But there's no one like you, O my homeland...

You remain a young child
Like an arrow, returning from a journey into time

I crossed the streets, not a person smiled to me
All my friends have grown up, and everything that was has changed
They became the past
They became the gold of oblivion
O yellow leaves, you're only growing older
The roads,the houses...they're only growing older
The world might come to its end, 

But there's no one like you, O my homeland...

You remain a young child

Explanation:

Loulou is a 1974 play by the Rahbani Brothers. Loulou (Fayrouz) returns to her hometown after 15 years of unjust detention. In this song, she notices how everything has grown old during her absence: the roads and houses; Even she, herself, has grown old, along with her love...But only her country, Lebanon, remains forever young. 

Song:" There's a café at the crossroads"

Lyrics: Rahbani Brothers

Music: Rahbani Brothers

Video Reference: Fi Ahwi Aal Mafra'

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"We waited-نطّرونا"

Arabic:

نطرونا كتير،كتير...عموقف دارينا

لا عرفنا أساميهن، ولا عرفوا أسامينا

عموقف دارينا

عالموقف ركّاب وليل، وبنيّة مهيوبة

وشبّ يقلّا صيف وليل، وتقلّو مخطوبة

يا نسمة خدينا ويا نسمة جيبينا

عموقف دارينا

سيارة صغيرة، والليل، والغيرة

والعشاق اتنين اتنين

ما حدا عارف لوين

نطّرونا، نطّرونا

English: (Literal)
They made us wait for a long time, at the "Darina" stop

We never knew their names, and they never knew ours

At the "Darina" stop

At the stop, there were passengers, and a night, and a prestigious girl

And a guy telling her: "Summer", and "night"...And she tells him: "I'm engaged"

O breeze, take us...And O breeze, bring us back

To the "Darina" stop

A small car, and the night, and jealousy

And lovers, two by two, nobody knows to where

They made us wait, they made us wait

English: (Liberal)

We waited for a long time*, at the "Darina" stop

We never knew their names, and they never knew ours

At the "Darina" stop

At the stop, there were passengers, and it was (late at) night, and there was a charming girl

And a guy was telling her:"Summer", and "night"**...And she answers: "(I'm) Engaged"

O breeze, take us away...And bring us back

To the "Darina" stop

A small car, and the night, and jealousy

Lovers were together, two by two (as couples), and nobody knew to where (they were going)

We waited, we waited...

Explanation: 

This song is not directly related to the context of the play. Fairouz sang it when Gergi (the shoe-shiner) said that he was delayed at the 'Darina' stop, on his way back from a trip she sent him on. It could be that what he said reminded her of her old journeys, in which she had to take a cab at the 'Darina' stop, in order to get back to her village. I cannot analyse the song any further because what's being narrated has no direct reference to any people or things in the play. It is appealing to say that she's referring to herself when talking about the 'charming girl', especially that the character was indeed engaged before she went to prison. But it might not be the case. 

*This sentence can also mean: "Many times, we waited, at the 'Darina' stop." The word "كتير" (meaning: much/a lot) is used in Arabic to say: "many times" and "a long time". In the play, Gergi said that he was delayed, which caused me to lean on the translation I provided earlier. But there is an equal chance for the other translation to be the correct one. Especially if 'Darina' was the lovers' mandatory stop before they can head out on a journey.
**This sentence means that the guy was probably telling her stories, or making her promises that evoked the themes of the summer and the night.

-Also, I looked a lot to see if the 'Darina' stop exists, but I wasn't able to find any clues concerning that issue. 

Song:"Nattarouna"

Lyrics: Rahbani brothers

Music: Ziad El Rahbani

Video reference:Nattarouna

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"From the height of sleep-من عزّ النوم"

Arabic:
من عز النوم بتسرقني

 بهرب لبعيد بتسبقني
يا حبي صرت بآخر أرض

 عم أمشي وتمشي فيّي الأرض 

لوينك بعدك لاحقني؟

كنا تودعنا وصوتك غاب 
ونادني العمر الفاني
ولمّا عحالي سكرت الباب 
لاقيتك بيني و بين حالي
مشلوحة على بحر النسيان 
فارقني النوم وكل شي كان
وجّك ما كان يفارقني 
وجرب أسبح و يغرقني

رقص و ضحك وسهريّة عيد
 وكل صحابي حواليّي
وعم فتّش أنا على حبّ جديد 
والناس عيونها عليّي
بتطّل بيوقع منّي الكاس 
وحدي اللي بشوفك من هالنّاس
من بين الكل بتسرقني 
وبتلج الماضي بتحرقني

English: (Literal)

From the height of sleep

You steal me

I run to the far-off

You precede me

O my love, I have reached the last land

Walking, and the land walks along

To where are you still following me?

We had said goodbye, and your voice died away

And a hollow world called upon me

And when I closed the door on myself,

I found you between me and myself

Hurled over the sea of oblivion

Sleep deserted me, along with everything that was

Your face wouldn't leave me

I tried to swim, it drowned me

Dance, and laughter, and a night of feast

And all my friends are around me

And I'm searching for a new love

And people's eyes are on me

You appear, the cup falls off from me

I'm the only one who sees you, of all these people

From among everybody, you steal me

And with the ice of the past, you burn me.

English: (Liberal)

From the height of sleep

You steal me

To the far-off where I run,

You precede me

O my love I have reached the last land

Walking to wherever the journey would take me

Where are you still following me to?

We had said goodbye, and your voice died away

And a empty world called upon me

And when I closed the door on myself,

I found you between me and myself

Hurled over the sea of oblivion

Sleep, and everything else, deserted me

But your face wouldn't leave me

I tried to swim, it drowned me

Dance and laughter, in a merry soirée

And I'm surrounded by all my friends

I'm searching for a new love

With people's eyes on me

You suddenly show up (to the feast), the cup falls off from my hand

Alone among all, I see you

From among them all, you steal me

And with the ice of the past, you burn me.

Comment:

In this song, Fairouz speaks of her inability to forget nor overcome her feelings for the man she said goodbye to. He keeps her from sleeping at night as she feels his presence in everything, and in all the places she runs away to. His face refuses to depart from her thoughts, and heart. She tried to forget, and fight his omnipresence, and when she finally got to distract herself in a soirée, and even started looking for a new love...There he is. After all this time he shows up, and in a second destroys what she was trying to build in his absence. Her heart burns again with the ice of the past. 
Now this song does not describe events that do happen in the play. She actually felt a great disappointment after seeing her old lover long married, while she waited for her release in order to be with him again.

P.S: The liberal translation was taken from here, although several verses have been substantially changed.  

Song:"Min Izz el Nawm"

Lyrics: Rahbani brothers

Music: Philemon Wehbi

Video reference:Men Izz el Nawm

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"We shall return, O love-راجعين يا هوى"

Arabic:
راجعين يا هوى، راجعين

يا زهرة المساكين

راجعين يا هوى، على دار الهوى

على نار الهوى، راجعين

منودع زمان، ومنروح لزمان

وينسانا على ارض النسيان

منقول رايحين، منكون راجعين

على دار الحب ومش عارفين

آه، راجعين يا هوى

 على دار الهوى، على نار الهوى

راجعين

مغرور يا هوى، يا هوى مغرور

يا حبيبي، يا وردة على سور

نحنا العاشقين، على طول عاشقين

وانتو بليالينا عايشين

English: (Literal)

We are coming back, O love

We are coming back

O flower of the unfortunate

We shall return, O love, to the home of love

To the fire of love, we shall

We bid farewell to a time, and go to another

And it'd forget us in the land of oblivion

We say we're leaving, but we are returning

To the home of love, without knowing

How proud you are, O love

O my lover, O rose (leaning) over the fence

We, the lovers, are always in love

And you dwell in our nights for always

English: (Liberal)

We are coming back, O love

O flower of the unfortunate

We shall return, O love, to the land of love

To the fire of love, we shall

We bid farewell to a time, and skip to another

Only to be forgotten in a forgotten land

We speak of leave, and yet we return 

To where love dwells, unknowingly

How proud you are, O love

O my lover, like a rose leaning over a fence

We are lovers, eternal lovers 

And you dwell in our nights for always

Comment:

This song is slightly unrelated to the course of events in the play. It is a love song introduced at the beginning of the second act of the play, and it speaks of a return to the forgotten land that is love. Loulou, who sees her old lover after 15 years of unjust imprisonment, actually regrets falling in love with him in the first place. She even thanks heavens for her imprisonment, because it spared her the life-long prison of an unhappy marriage.

Now the song describes the amazing power that love has over people's hearts. Despite the time that passes by, the tremendous pains that one might experience from love, and the conscious effort made in avoiding it, love succeeds in stealing us from this world, and throwing us in its flames. It is important to note that the song mainly speaks of the same old love flaring again in a person's heart:

 "We are lovers, eternal lovers 

And you dwell in our nights for always".

P.S.:I added two videos for the song, the first is taken from the remake of the play, while the second is from a live performance of the play. There are some differences in the musical arrangement, but not in the lyrics.

Song:"Rajiin Ya Hawa"

Lyrics & music by: Rahbani Brothers

Video references: Rajiin Ya Hawa & Rajiin Ya Hawa-Live

In collaboration with Abdulfattah El Cheikh

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"We had a mill - كان عندنا طاحون"

Arabic

شو كانت حلوة الليالي

والهوى يبقى ناطرنا

وتجي تلاقيني

وياخدنا بعيد

هدير الميّ والليل

كان عندنا طاحون عنبع الميّ

قدامو ساحات مزروعة فيّ

وجدّي كان يطحن للحيّ قمح وسهريات

ويبقوا الناس بهالساحات

شي معهن كياس وشي عربيّات

رايحين جايين عطول الطريق، تهدر غنّيات

آه يا سهر الليالي

آه يا حلوة على بالي
 نغنّي على الطرقات

وراحت الايام وشويّ شويّ

سكت الطاحون عكتف الميّ

وجدّي صار طاحون الذكريات

يطحن شمس وفيّ

English:(Literal)

How sweet were the nights

And love used to wait for us

You’d come meet me

And the babbling of water, and the night, would take us far

We used to have a windmill, by the water spring

In front of it were greens, planted with shade

And my grandfather used to grind, for the neighborhood, wheat and soirées

And there were people in these fields

Some held bags, others had carts

Going and coming, droning songs along the way

O nightly soirées

O beautiful, I want us to sing on the roads.

And days went by, and slowly, 

The mill silenced, on the water’s shoulder

And my grandfather became the mill of memories

Grinding out sun and shade.

English: (Liberal)

How sweet were those nights...

When love waited for us

You’d come meet me

And the roaring of water, and the night, would take us far

We used to have a windmill, by the water spring

In front of it were shaded greens

And my grandfather used to grind wheat and soirées, to the people of the neighborhood

People were coming and going across these greens

Holding bags, or pulling carts

Droning songs along the way

O, sleepless nights

O beautiful, I feel like singing in the streets.

And slowly, as days went by

The mill that was near the spring silenced (stopped working)

My grandfather became the mill of memories, grinding out sun and shade.

Comment:

This song is the finale of “Loulou”. The heroine reunites with her grandfather, and reminisces the past. She describes the village, the people, and how her grandfather used to grind wheat and soirées. She’s remembering the joyful days, those of love and prosperity, the days when music filled the streets. In context of the other songs, especially “Fi Ahwi Aal Mafraa” (There’s a café at the crossroads) we can assume that she would have also expected that the days be joyful when she’d be released from prison, only to see the mill near the water spring silenced.

Song:"Sahar llayali"

Lyrics: Rahbani brothers

Music: Elias El Rahbani (In his book, "Bayrout wal Hadatha", Kamal Deeb states that the music is that of a Russian folkloric song).

Video reference:Sahar llayali

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Read the entire plot of Loulou Here