Inte Omri
(You Are My Life)

This page contains the English translation to the song lyrics of "Inte Omri", an Egyptian classical song which was made popular by Oum Kalthoum in 1965. It is sometimes spelled as "Inta Omri", "Enta Omri", or "Ente Omri". Lyrics: Ahmed Shafik Music: Mohamed Abdel Wehab The full length of this song, including its instrumentals, is about 40 minutes. Over the years, different recordings of this were made during her varying concerts, so different lengths of the song may be offered by vendors. Oum Kalthoum was born in 1904 and died in 1975. She was unquestionably the most gifted singer and musician of the 20th century in the Middle East. She was continuously popular for over 50 years and her songs are still played nightly on any number of Arabic-language radio stations. Oum Kalthoum is one of four vocalists who have achieved legendary status in Egyptian music. The other three are Farid al-Atrache, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, and Abdel Halim Hafez. Her name is transliterated many different ways in the Roman alphabet, including Um Kulthum, Om Kalsoum, Umm Kulthoum, Om Kalthoum, Umm Kalsum, Oum Kalthum, Oum Kolthoum, Oum Kaltsoum, and others.

Listen to MP3 Clips of this Song

Lyrics

Note from Shira: Two different transliterations and translations of this song have been contributed to this web site. I have decided to make both available. Song lyrics are poetry, and it can be challenging for a translator to communicate nuances of meaning. By having two translations to use, you can explore two different people's ideas on how to convey these nuances.

• Translation by Nicole Ibrahim, provided to this web site by Linda Grondahl and Lennie Clark
• Translation by Hani Guirguis, provided to this web site by Yamina Ramzy

Translation By Nicole Ibrahim, Provided by Linda Grondahl and Lennie Clark

This translation was provided by Linda Grondahl, by way of Lennie Clark's web site. The translator was Nicole Ibrahim.

(Note from Lennie Clark: There is some wonderful footage of Umm Kalthoum singing this song, accompanied by Mohammed Abdel Wahab and orchestra, in the documentary "Umm Kulthoum, a Voice Like Egypt". That historic performance was the first joint performance of these two great artists.)

* Lennie wasn't able to decipher the copy she received from Linda

Translation by Hani Guirguis, Provided by Yasmina Ramzy

This translation was provided to this web site by Yasmina Ramzy. The translator was her late friend Hani Guirguis.

Translations of
Oum Kalthoum's Songs on This Site

Other translations of songs performed by Oum Kalthoum on this web site include:

Where to Get Recordings of this Song

	Listen to Clip	Artist: Oum Kalthoum Album Title: Enta Omri
		Artist: Mary Ellen Donald & Mimi Spencer CD Title: Gems of the Middle East, Volume 3 To contact her: Mary Ellen Books P.O. Box 411562 San Francisco, CA 94141-1562 U.S.A. Telephone: (+1) (510) 654-DRUM or (+1) (510) 654-3786 Web Site: www.maryellendonald.com
		Artist: Hossam Ramzy CD Title: Best of Om Kolthoum
		Artist: Various CD Title: The Renaissance of Arabic Classics for Clubbers

Acknowledgements

About the Contributor of the First Translation

Linda Grondahl's background is that of a devoted lover of Arabic music and dance. She danced with Amina and the Aswan Dancers for many years. She took Arabic percussion with Mary Ellen Donald, Su Su Pampanin, George Dubai, Vince Deldado, and Tony Lammam. She took Arabic singing from Nicole Ibrahim, Mimi Spencer, Georges Lammam. On the oud, she studied under Nazir Latouf, Mimi Spencer, Abdullah Kdough. She was a member of the Aswat Arab-American Choir under the direction of Elias Lammam. She is now a member of the El Ashaab dance troupe, and Tahneen, the all-girl, all-American Middle eastern music ensemble. They have played for Arab and American events, and for many years at the Rakassah festival.

"I just saved whatever I could get my hands on, for years", writes Linda, "and really don't know why. It was always so dificult to get music, so I just kept on saving."

Linda lives in San Francisco, California. Her favorite color is any shade of purple.

About the Contributor of the Second Translation

Thanks are due Yasmina Ramzy of Arabesque Academy of Toronto, Canada for granting permission to share these beautiful song lyrics via this web site. The translation was done for Yasmina by her friend, the beloved and late Hani Guirguis of Toronto, Canada.

Also, many thanks to Tahseen Alkoudsi for providing the transliteration into the Roman alphabet of the Arabic-language lyrics. He died October 15, 2006.

About the Source

This article originally appeared on Lennie Clark's web site, "Arabic Song Translations." Lennie created this web site in 2002 as a response to discussion on the Internet regarding incidents of dancers who performed inappropriate sensual dances to religious music. Lennie's web site resided on a free web hosting service known as Geocities. When the planned October 2009 closure of the Geocities web hosting service was announced, Lennie and Shira agreed to move the contents of Lennie's site to Shira.net. To explore all the articles and song translations that once appeared on Lennie's Geocities site, visit Lennie's portal page here on Shira.net.

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