Tahseen

Noura Ya Noura
(Noura Oh Noura)

This page contains a translation into English of the lyrics to the Arabic song "Noura Ya Noura", using the version that was recorded by Hamid el-Shaari. The singer's name is sometimes spelled "Hamid El Sha'eri" or "Hameed al-Sharia'i". Also included is a transliteration of the Arabic lyrics into the Roman alphabet so you can sing along if you like. The song has also been recorded by Farid al-Atrache in Egypt and George Abdo in the U.S. The song title sometimes is spelled as "Noora Ya Noora", "Noura Noura", or "Noora Noora". Noura is a woman's name. Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes. If you like the song, please purchase either the album or a download from an authorized source. Farid al-Atrache was a multi-talented entertainer of the 20th century. He was a virtuoso at playing the oud, a movie star, a singer, and a composer of music. Al-Atrache was born in 1915 to parents Prince Fahad Al Atrache and Princess Alia of the Druze people. When he was 8 years old in 1923, his mother brought the family to Egypt to escape the violence of Lebanon, where people were fighting to end the French colonial occupation. In Egypt, young Atrache became a naturalized Egyptian citizen. As a promising young musician, he was accepted into the conservatory. He became apprenticed to legendary composer Riad al-Sombati, who was known for creating several of Oum Kalthoum's hit songs. As he matured, he became a popular performer as a singer and oud player in Cairo's thriving nightclub scene, working first for Mary Mansour, and later for Badia Masabni. He was discovered by Medhat ‘Aassem who heard him sing in Badia Masabni's club, and recruited him to begin his radio career. Farid went on to enjoy a thriving career in Egyptian cinema, appearing as a leading man in over 30 movies, and composing music for more than 40. ABOUT THE PHOTO: The photographer who took this photo was Van Leo (Levon Boyadjian), an Armenian-Egyptian known as the photographer to the stars because of his beautiful photos of the celebrities of his day. Music: Farid al-Atrache

Listen to MP3 Clips of this Song

	Sung by George Abdo
	Sung by Brothers of the Baladi

Lyrics

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

• Tahseen Alkoudsi
• Adel Abdallah, made available to this web site by Lennie Clark.
• From Linda Grondahl, made available to this web site by Lennie Clark.

Tahseen Alkoudsi's Version

Adel Abdallah's Version

Noura, Noura
You are a beautiful rose
Your name is on a beautiful painting
Like a beautiful moon
You are a name with a meaning
A beautiful breath
Bless who named you
Bless who created you perfectly
Noura, Noora
Oh night, oh night
Whoever Noura will like
He will be the luckiest one

Linda Grondahl

Linda received this translation / transliteration from an old friend.

Where to Get Recordings of this Song

	Listen to Clip	Artist: George Abdo CD Title: Belly Dance! Best of George Abdo
	Listen to clip	Artist: George Abdo CD Title: The Joy of Belly Dancing
	Listen to clip	Artist: Brothers of the Baladi CD Title: Hope
		Artist: Farid al-Atrache CD Title: Timeless Songs of the Arabian Nights

Translations of
George Abdo's Songs on this Site

Other translations of songs performed by George Abdo on this web site include:

Translations of
Farid al-Atrache's Songs on This Site

Other translations of songs performed by Farid al-Atrache on this web site include:

About the Translator Adel Abdallah

Adel Abdallah is an Egyptian who resides in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you are traveling to that great city, he invites you to stop by the Cafe Picasso, located at 3401 Chartres (on the corner of Chartres and Desire, in the Bywater). The cafe serves delicious Middle Eastern food, and offers shiisha smoking. They are open daily except for Sundays, from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. (Deliveries until 10 P.M.) The phone number is (504) 948-6881.

The translation summary was done by Adel at Lennie Clark's request. Muchisimas gracias to Kruz, (whose Morocco to India ethnic boutique, located in the historic French Quarter, is not-to-be-missed) for suggesting Adel as a translator.

About the Contributor Linda Grondahl

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 Translator Tahseen Alkoudsi

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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