Ahlan أهــْــلاً, Arabic lovers! Today is 28^th January. This day five years ago was the epic day of the Egyptian 25^th January, 2011 Revolution. The day was known as “The Friday of Anger جــمــعــة الــغــضــب“. It witnessed the biggest crowds that gathered in every place in Egypt. It also witnessed the biggest number of deaths. Since then, Egypt is still going up and down. No one can tell for sure that the revolution in Egypt has come to an end yet.

    In this memory, I present today a poem by the late Egyptian poet Ahmad Fu’ad Negm أحــمــد فــؤاد نــجــم . Negm or El-Fagoumi as he was nicknamed, recited this poem for the first time at the first foundational conference of Al-Dostour Party حــزب الــدســتــور in 2012. The party was founded by the Nobel Laureate Dr Mohammad El-Baradei مــحــمــد الــبــرادعــي who was an icon of the 2011 Revolution.

     The poem is called “The Strike الإضراب“. However, some people also call it “Get Together إتــجــمــّــعــوا” because this is the main idea of it. The poem is directed to the young people of the party and to all the Egyptian people to get together and get united under the goals of the revolution and against any kind of oppression or dictatorship. The poem was then taken by the Tunisian singer and composer Lotfi Bouchnak لــُــطــفــي بــُــوشــنــاق who made it into a beautiful patriotic song. I have made the English translation and I hope you will enjoy it.

إتــجــمــّــعــوا

Get Together

يا مقربين .. الفجر نوره ومطلعه 

 O, you who are getting nearer .. the dawn’s light and birthplace

مدوا المسامع في المجامع واسمعوا 

Stretch the ears in every assembly and listen

صرخة مغني الحي من جوف العدم 

To the scream of the neighborhood’s chanter from the heart of emptiness;

اتجمعوا .. اتجمعوا .. اتجمعوا 

Get together .. Get together .. Get together! 

 باسم الإله الشعب .. رب المضربين 

In the name of the God People .. Lord of strikers

الصايم .. المحروم .. على مر السنين 

The one who is fasting .. deprived .. all the years long

يا منشدين الحي حيوا حينا 

O, you chanters of the neighborhood .. greet our neighborhood

 واحنا هنا عالعهد دايما مخلصين 

And we are here, as always, sincere 

 محلا (مــا أحــلــى) القصايد في الشدايد .. والغنا 

How sweet the poems at hardships are.. and the singing! 

 محلا (مــا أحــلــى) كلام الحب أوقات الشقا 

How sweet the words of love are .. at wintertime! 

 احنا اللي تهنا عالطريق من بعضنا 

We are the ones who strayed on the way from each other

 متفرقين .. والسجن هوا الملتقي ! 

Dispersed .. and prison was our meeting place!  

 آه يا رفاق .. من متاهات الطريق 

O, companions .. of the road mazes

 لما الليالي بيتخنق فيها القمر 

When the nights’ moon gets strangled,

 يمشي الصديق في الضلمه يخبط في الصديق 

The friend walks in darkness and collides into the friend

 والسكه بنت الخطوتين .. تاخد سنه ! 

 And the road that takes two steps, .. takes two years!

إحنا النهارده فين وكام ؟ 

Where and how many are we today?  

 وبكره كام ، وبعده فين ؟ 

How many are we tomorrow and where to after?   

 و كل يوم بنزور مكان 

And every day, we visit a place   

 وكل يوم بنزيد عدد 

And every day, we grow in number

 وكل يوم نفتح بيبان 

And every day we open doors

 وكل يوم بنزيل سدد 

And every day, we remove a barrier

وكل يوم يطلع بنا 

And every day, a construction goes up   

وكل يوم ينزل هدد 

And every day a demolition goes down  

 وكل يوم نحبل غنا 

And every day, we got pregnant with singing   

 وكل يوم نولد مدد 

And every day, we give birth to sustainment

 احنا كده .. لازم نكون 

We are like this .. we must be  

جوا السجون .. برا السجون 

Inside prisons .. out of prisons.  

 محلا (مــا أحــلــى) القصايد في الشدايد .. والغنا 

How sweet the poems at hardships are.. and the singing!   

 محلا (مــا أحــلــى) كلام الحب أوقات الشقا 

How sweet the words of love are .. at wintertime!  

 احنا اللي تهنا عالطريق من بعضنا 

We are the ones who strayed on the way from each other  

 متفرقين .. والسجن هوا الملتقي ! 

Dispersed .. and prison was our meeting place! 

 ملعونه قامه تنحني بالقهر من حاكم .. و خان 

Cursed is the body that is bent by a ruler’s suppression .. and he betrayed

ملعونه كلمه تنتني في الحلق .. تهرب م اللسان 

Cursed is the word that is bent in the throat .. that escapes the tongue

 ملعونه ساعه تنحسب م العمر .. يطويها الخنوع 

Cursed is the hour of life .. that is folded by submission  

 ملعونه لقمه مغمسه بالذل .. ملعونه الجبان 

Cursed is the slice of bread that is mixed with humiliation .. cursed is the coward

 آه يا رفاق .. آه يا رفاق 

O, companions .. O, companions

ياللي عملتوا الصلابه للحجر 

You who have taught stiffness to the rocks  

بانده لكم 

I am calling at you

 وسط الكآبه .. والرتابه .. والضجر 

Amidst sorrow .. monotony .. and boredom

 يا مقربين .. الفجر نوره ومطلعه 

O, you who are getting nearer .. the dawn’s light and birthplace

مدوا المسامع في المجامع واسمعوا 

Stretch the ears in every assembly and listen

 صرخة مغني الحي من جوف العدم 

To the scream of the neighborhood’s chanter from the heart of emptiness;

 اتجمعوا .. اتجمعوا .. اتجمعوا 

Get together .. Get together .. Get together!

***** 

 Check us back soon 

Peace  ســـَـــلام /Salam/