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Lamma Bada (vocals by Ghada Shbeir)
Ensemble Constantinople
Crossroads of the Mediterranean

Lama Bada Yatathana is a 10th century Arab-Andalusian muwashah. There are a million and one translations of this song. I’ll settle with the one from Hamza El Din’s album Eclipse:

When the gossamer nymph appears,
My beloved’s beauty drives me to distraction;
Surrender
Surrender
When I am enraptured by a glimpse,
My beloved’s beauty is a tender branch caught by the breeze;
Surrender
Surrender
Oh my destiny, my perplexity,
No one can comfort me in my misery,
In my lamenting and suffering for love,
But for the one in the beautiful mirage;
My beloved’s beauty drives me to distraction,
Surrender
Surrender

Hamza El Din’s Version
Juan Martin’s Version (vocals by Abdul Salam Khair)
Fairuz’s version
Lena Chamamyan’s version
Savina Yannatou’s version
Radio Tarifa’s version (A favorite)

What’s your favorite version?

Notes

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9. thusfarwest said: … I still obsess over Chamamyan’s version
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