O my night, o my eye, o my night
We speak in plain Arabic... so listen, my boy
It’s a great story, that of Hasan and Na’ima
Quite a tale, a stunning one
A tale to make a healthy heart cry, you’ll like it
The victim was a young man famous for his art
In Sa’id and Beheira, people even wrote a mawwal about him
That’s what happens when a man dies in faraway land
So allow me to sing, me as well
I will sing a mawwal, and you’ll hopefully like it
The story starts with a girl, one of great beauty
Her folk are rich, and she lives in comfort
But when love is a torrent, you better start swimming
Love is what makes the gazelle fall in love with a mongoose
Love is what makes her folk and goes to life with a mongoose
So don’t judge others, or you will be judge
Just listen to what happened to Hasan al-Nems* and Na’ima
Hasan, a great crooner, used to sing all night
He got to sing in weddings and special nights
And he was hired one night, a special night
To sing in Manshiet Abu Handal first district of Menya
The station of Bani Mazar, affiliated with Egwar in Menya
So he left on his way to Menya
The crowd was big and the singing was great
He sang like a nightingale and his voice was so melodious
The girls opened their windows upstairs
Na’ima said: For Hasan, my heart is open like a window
She sent him a handkerchief and this is how it went
For love leads the way, and everyone follows
Don’t judge others, or you will be judged
As he sang, the snares of love caught on
O coffee boy bring me, as you do, my special drink
In a tin pot, bring me the special drink in your best cup
For the lovely girl at the window is looking at me
She is so pretty, her cheeks so lovely
If she passes by a crowd
They’ll forget religious rituals and the rest of it
I asked her to meet me but she said: no, I cannot
I come from a good family and my honour matters
My family is numerous, and they keep a vigilant eye on me
When the wedding was over and the guests were gone
Everyone went to bed, except the lovers who couldn’t sleep
It was good to stay up, and wait for the morning breeze
Naima stayed up all night, not a wink did she sleep
The pain of love besots and lasts
Don’t judge others, my friend, be good
Love can mean bloodshed, now go
Love took hold of Na’ima, besotted her
She left her town and went away
Her father was troubled when this happened
Not knowing what to do, he was afraid of scandal
Na’ima was away for seven night
She went to see her love, travelling for days
She went to his town and she said: I left my father and mother
My honour is untouched and you, Hasan, I can trust
He said: three hundred salutes to you
Three hundred salutes for the eye that sees you
I say it sincerely, not as a compliment
He said to his mother: Be kind to her
I went to visit her folks and they are people of worth
The daughter of such people is not used to hardship
Honour is a precious thing, and we must protect it
Since she came to us, we will be good to her
He is fair-skinned and tall and took to me
I loved him and the rascals cast aspersions on me
O charming one, come lie down with me
Let’s rest a little, until things cool down
I swear on the grave of the Prophet, whose saliva was a panacea
We shall be together, even if the rascals went on cursing me
Her folks went on searching, wondering where she (Na’ima) went
Perhaps an old woman from the country took her away
They found her living in luxury, and the lion’s** mother hosting her
They brought the doctor of the town to give her a check up
Her father said: I cannot deal with this
She’s fine... still a virgin... her honour intact
Her cheeks are rosy, her face shines like the moon
They took the girl home and tongues stopped wagging
Her honour is intact and God has saved her from all evil
The man she went to see is a gentleman
For seven nights he treated her like a sister and even better
The folks were grateful for the lion’s manner and said so
They wished the rumour mill would stop turning
But rumours die hard
How many years, o star, I stayed up all night
Sleepless all night
I left the beloved ones against my will
Since they went away, my lights are dim and the bed is lonely
The widows lash me with tongues like knives
The tears I shed for the beloved
The tears shed like blood
O people, the one I love is like no other
Her cousin came to her and said: The shame of it
I am your fiancé and you ran away, the shame of it
I spent money on you, and you left, the shame of it
She said: My brother, the eyes tell us what to love
Love made Zeleikha fall in love with Yousef***
I am flesh and blood, not stone and iron
I love him, and to be frank, wish to marry him
He said: Na’ima, as God is my witness, tomorrow you’ll see Hasan
You may be sick or in pain, but there is a cure for that
Tongues are wagging and the enemies gloat
Tomorrow I will bring your lover, for whom you pine
And you don’t need worry, or feel abandoned
For I will cut off his neck with my knife
I will shed his blood and make you watch
The lion, when he got old, cried and said in the lair
He wondered at the injustice of it all
When the scoundrel went too far, he went to him and said:
You, miserable one, don’t you know that I am a lion
I grew up with lions
O how disgraceful
When the scoundrel orders me around, and I cannot stop him
The cousin left town at dawn
Going to Beni Mazar, to do some harm
In the mouled**** of Abu el-Leil, the town was alive
He asked around, in coffeehouses, is there a singer around?
They said: Hasan is still up, talking to al-Dardir Abu Selima
He went there, with an evil plan
My heart is young and about to go on a trip
The face lovely as a moon, and the breasts wild as untamed camels
You of the infinite charms, I want to travel with you
I want you to know that I wish to travel with you
You on the back of a camel, do you ever wonder on which side I am
O girl, the flesh can hardly resist
When he showed me his face, my mind went insane
Because it is fate, the plot went as planned
They said to him: Come with us, Hasan, tonight is the night
There is a great celebration, lovely as the moon
He went with them, not knowing where they’re taking him
He travelled to the town, and the man in charge said:
No offence, but we don’t need oud,*+* or your flute
We only want to talk, o Hasan, about things
They went inside, no celebration in sight
O my night, o my eye
Na’ima saw Hasan coming in with her brothers
She felt she was shot by a rifle
Her tongue stuck to her mouth
She watched motionless, not moving a finger
Afraid of blame, dreading what’s next
They talked among them, deciding what to do
Her mind was befuddled, torn between her love and her brothers
She started crying, lamenting her misfortune
She said: I cannot help being what I am, what misfortune
The folks, the disgrace, and the horror of it all
They pulled the man’s shoulders on the flight of stairs
They brought a knife, a sharp one, good grief
They cut off his head, letting it roll down the stairs
She took the head immediately, hid it in a pile of straw
They killed the man on the stairs, quite unjustly
It was dark and to this crime everyone was party
The mayor was in the know and the sheikh was nasty
They looked for the head, and found no trace
They took his body at night and dumped it in the river
It was like that, all deceit and bribery
If there were a sentry nearby, he would have turned a blind eye
It was like that, in the time of deceit and bribery
Many people died of no crime or fault
Two days in the river and on the third it was time for burial
The body drifted down river to his town and the women collected it
His cousin, who knew him, felt so sorry
But it was a faceless body, who can confirm it
They sent to his aging mother, who was ill at the time
She hasn’t given birth for twenty years or so
But when she saw her son, her breasts flowed with milk
The mayor came, and the prosecutor and the police
They said to his mother: Tell us about your son
Does he have enemies who would want to kill him
She said: My son never hurt anyone
He took care of that girl and was protective
He was a good man, never sinned
The prosecutor cried at the horror of it all
And he ordered his burial until the culprit is found
He said to the police detective: you must find the culprit
He said to him: I got news about it, even before he left
I learned after the crime from a messenger who left
Not a mayor reported it nor a sentry spoke of it
A scoundrel has done it, and tomorrow we’ll find out who that is
The investigator was an exceptional officer, quite resourceful
His name was Ali al-Daramalli, and he knew the art of disguise
He dressed like a woman for a trick he knew
And he approached the women, as they filled their jars from the canal
Dressed in a woman’s shawl and carrying a jar, he blended in
Women often stay up at night talking
And they keep no secret among them
He filled up with water, and they started talking
He looked in the distance and saw a girl sitting alone
He said: Why do you cry, girl, being so young
Tell me what happened and it will ease your mind
If you miss your folks, I know how hard it is to be away
And if you’re in love, I have also loved, many years ago
She said: I am Na’ima, a woman of great misfortune
An innocent man has died because of my misfortune
My brother and cousin caused my misfortune
I went to him, and he treated me honourably
For seven nights he didn’t lay a finger on me
In reward, the scoundrels murdered him
And this is what happened, the sum of my misery
The girl went on crying and speaking, him taking notes
Under his garments, he went on writing
He asked about her lover and the nature of her misfortune
She told him of her innocence and what her family has done
They killed the man unjustly, for nothing he has done
She told him his head is still with her, in a basket in the straw heap
He wrote it all down, in all detail
He said: Go now Na’ima, go home and have no fear
I am here to help, have no fear
May the river and the water be a witness to you and me
And he said goodbye to her, softly like the river
If someone asks you, he said, speak out and have no fear
O boatman, would you take me across the river
I want to see my beloved with my own eyes
Every time I smell the breeze, a scorching wind comes from the west
My boats are lost at sea, and I cannot see the bank to the west
The air is oppressive and the boatman won’t take me across
My life is hard and I am set for doom
To get there, ride a camel all day and all night
My wound is worse and the boatman won’t take me across
He went to the prosecutor and told him what happened
He said: I solved the crime and have the details
The evidence is damning and the witness will speak
The prosecutor acted without delay
They attacked the house and took everyone in chains
Na’ima said: because of honour, they did it all
The author told the tale perfectly
A tale of people betraying love and trust
The year was twenty sixth, second month, tenth day
A quick court session and the ruling was clear
The mayor and the sheikh were both acquitted
The brother and cousin got life in prison
The father, being old, was sentenced to ten years
Na’ima cried her heart out: The ruling, sir, is unfair
He was just a singer, and the scoundrels betrayed him
You who hurt others, you’re not getting away
God sees everything and He knows all about you
He who committed injustice, your body will turn to dust
Hasan, go tell my father, didn’t deserve any of this
Good hearts are rare
--
* Nems is Arabic for mongoose
** The lion is used as a reference to Hasan
*** Yousef is biblical Joseph and the reference is to his attempted seduction by the wife of his master
**** The mouled is a festival marking a saint’s day
*+* Oud is a string instrument common in the Arab world and Turkey
Performed by Rabia Zein, member of El-Warsha theatre troupe
Transcribed from the mawwal sung by Sheikh Mohammed Taha
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