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Ana A'arfa
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This page contains a translation into English of the lyrics to the Arabic song "Ana A'Arfa", which was popularized by Warda El Gaza'iriya. Also included is a transliteration of the Arabic lyrics into the Roman alphabet, so you can sing along if you like. Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes. If you like the song, please purchase either the album or a download from an authorized source. About Warda El Gaza'iriyaWarda El Gaza'iriya was an Algerian singer who achieved fame in Egypt. Her name meant "Warda, the Algerian", but she was also often referred to as simply "Warda", which means "Rose". She was born in Paris to an Algerian father and a Lebanese mother, and began her music career there in the 1950's. Her father ran a cabaret named the TAM-TAM which featured prominent artists such as Farid al-Atrache. After the Algerian war of independence began in 1956, her family needed to leave Paris due to her father being caught aiding the rebellion. They moved to Lebanon, where Warda began singing in the nightclubs of Beirut. In 1959, Warda met the composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab, who began to train her in the classical style of singing. This led to an introduction to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who suggested she be cast in a pan-Arab opera. This opened more doors, and she moved to Egypt to pursue a career there in music and cinema. There she achieved great success, working with the great composers of her time. Her repertoire included 300 songs, and her records sold tens of millions of copies. Lyrics: Omar Batiesha |
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Listen to MP3 Clips of this Song
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Sung by Warda |
Lyrics
Arabic Lyrics |
English Lyrics |
| Ana a’arfah, Ana a’arfah | I know, I know |
| A’arfah, a’arfah, a’arfah, | Know, know, know, |
| A’arfah inne deh. | Know I've entered your life. |
| Khairat hayatak w shaghaly b hibbi awkatak. | And you’ve been occupied with my love. |
| A’arfah. | I know. |
| Bas an ma kasadt akhdak minha wala kint aa’ref wala shai anha! aah! | But I did not intend to take you away from her! I did not know anything about her! aah! |
| Atareek, Atareek kan leih el dounya a’ayesh w ana geit akhadtak min ahdhanha | It seems that you were living your life and I came and took you from her lap |
| Ana a’arfah, ana a’arfah, a’arfah. | I know, I know, know. |
| Aywah bahibbak lakin argouk | Yes I love you, |
| Argouk iba’aid mahma a’youni tragouk! | But please, please be far away regardless how much my eyes begged you! |
| Aywah bahibbak. | Yes, I love you. |
| Asl ana khayfah a’laik saddakni. | I am afraid of you |
| Laou atawa’ak moumkin tikrahni. | Believe me if I agree with you, you may end up hating me. |
| Laou akhadtak min naas beyhibbouk | If I take you away from people who love you |
| Ana a’arfah, ana a’arfah, a’arfah. | I know, I know, know. |
| Ana mish batloub minnak tikhtaar | I do not ask you to choose |
| w ana laou aa’ref rabbina el afkaar. | and even if god knows the thoughts. |
| Kabl ma tikhtaar baini w beinha, | Before you choose between her and me, |
| Ana hateit nafsi bimaknha w ikhtirt aba’aid w in kaan a’ala naar | I placed myself in her place and I chose to be away, even on fire |
| Ana a’arfah, a’arfah, a’arfah. | I know, know, know. |
| A’arfah innouh dah khayrait hayatak, a'arfah. | I know that is your life choice, know. |
| W shaghalt bi hibbi awkatak, a’arfah. | And you filled your time with my love, know. |
| Bas ana ma asadt akhdak minha wala kint aa’ref hagah a’anha. | But I did not intend to take you away from her. And even I did not know anything about her. |
| Atareik, Atareik koul el dounya a’ayeshha wana geit akhadtak min ahdhanha. | It seems, it seems you are living all the world and I came along to take you away from her lap. |
| Ana a’arfah, ana a’arfah, a’arfah. | I know, I know, know. |
Where to Get Recordings of this Song
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Artist: Warda |
Translations of
Warda's Songs On This Site
Translations on this web site of lyrics for songs performed by Warda include:
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About the Translator
More than 100 song translations that appear on this web site, including this one, were created by Dr. Tahseen Alkoudsi. Together with his wife Kathe, Tahseen owned an import business in Lawrence, Kansas known as Cartouche.
Dr. Alkoudsi's imports business was his second career. His first career was in the service of the United Nations. Born in Damascus, Syria, he came to the U.S. for his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics, and worked in San Francisco. He joined the United Nations in Yemen, and worked in Saudi Arabia. He then joined the UNESCO Regonal Office for Arab States. He visited most of the Arab States in the course of his work, responsible for introducing computer sciences into educational facilities. For a time, he was stationed in Cairo, Egypt. He retired from that work in 1995.
Sadly, Tahseen died on Sunday, October 15, 2006. See this link for his obituary.
To me, Tahseen was so much more than a contributor to my web site. Even though we lived far apart, I saw Tahseen and Kathe several times over the years. I always appreciated their warmth and generosity. I first "met" Tahseen online back in 1997 on the med-dance list on the Internet, where he periodically posted messages. I knew he was in Lawrence, Kansas, so when a business trip arose requiring me to travel to the Kansas City area, I emailed him to say I'd be in the neighborhood. He and Kathe came to Kansas City for an evening get-together at Tasso's restaurant, and they invited several local dancers to join us. I saw them on follow-up visits to Kansas City. They vended at Rakkasah for several years, and it was always a pleasure to greet them there in the anteroom off to the left of the main stage. I also enjoyed encountering them in Egypt at the Ahlan wa Sahlan festival. Tahseen will be missed by many. |
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