Esther Ofarim (Hebrew: אסתר עופרים‎, born Esther Zaied, 13 June 1941 in Saf… Read Full Bio ↴Esther Ofarim (Hebrew: אסתר עופרים‎, born Esther Zaied, 13 June 1941 in Safed) is an Israeli female vocalist.

She met Abi Ofarim, a guitarist and dancer, in 1959 and subsequently married him. With her husband and without him she began to sing Hebrew and international folk songs.

In 1960 Esther got a small role in the film Exodus. In 1961 Esther won the Song Festival in Tel Aviv, where she sang "Saeni imcha bemachol" and "Neama". Two years later, Esther made the 2nd place at the Eurovision Song Contest with "T'en vas pas", representing Switzerland.

From then on, her duo with her then husband Abi Ofarim began take off. In 1966 they had their first hit in Germany with "Noch einen Tanz". Their greatest success in Germany was "Morning of my Life" in 1967, which was written by the Bee Gees. In 1968 the Ofarims had their international breakthrough with "Cinderella Rockefella", which hit the top of the charts in a number of countries including the UK. They played many live concerts in New York and London, and in 1969 they toured around the world.

As result of problems in both business, and personal relations, they divorced in 1970 [1] (in German).

Esther started her solo career with several albums and concerts. In 1984 she played in Joshua Sobol's piece "Ghetto", produced by Peter Zadek in Berlin (Germany). There she sang some songs, including "Frühling" and "Unter deinen weissen Sternen". The play was extremely successful, which was attributed in part to Esther's strong presence.

Since 1998, Esther Ofarim has been performing several concerts each year, especially in Israel and Germany. This includes annual concerts in the Hamburger Kammerspiele.

Ofarim's songs were prominently featured in the 2004 Israeli film, Walk on Water.

La Scillitana
Esther Ofarim Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Vitti na tigra dinta
Na silva 'scura, na silva 'scura
E cu lui chiantu miu mansueta fari.

Vitti cu l'aqua na
Marmura dura, marmura dura
Calaum a guccia a guccia arrimudari.

E vui che siti bedda
Criatura criatura

Vi ni riditi di stu chiantu amari
Vi ni riditi di stu chiantu amari

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Esther Ofarim's song La Scillitana are poetic and steeped in emotion. The first verse describes the singer's encounter with a tiger, which is followed by a reference to a dark forest. The singer speaks of wanting to calm the tiger and make it gentle, implying a desire to tame the wild and assert a peaceful presence in the midst of danger.

The second verse paints a picture of water trickling onto hard marble, a metaphor for the singer's tears falling upon a tough exterior. The final verse is an appeal to someone the singer identifies as being beautiful - perhaps a love interest - asking them to laugh at the singer's bitter tears. The singer seems to be expressing grief, but also a willingness to face it head-on.

The song is rich in symbolism, using imagery to convey the singer's emotions in a way that is both subtle and poignant. Its themes of danger, taming the wild, and facing grief are universal and have the power to resonate with listeners.

Line by Line Meaning

Vitti na tigra dinta
I saw a tiger close by

Na silva 'scura, na silva 'scura
In the dark woods, in the dark woods

E cu lui chiantu miu mansueta fari.
And with him, my gentle crying

Vitti cu l'aqua na
I saw water nearby

Marmura dura, marmura dura
Hard marble, hard marble

Calaum a guccia a guccia arrimudari.
Dripping slowly, bit by bit

E vui che siti bedda
And you, who are beautiful

Criatura criatura
Creature, creature

Vi ni riditi di stu chiantu amari
You laugh at my bitter crying

Contributed by Blake V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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