It's no exaggeration to say that the Ensemble Kaboul have literally kept Af… Read Full Bio ↴It's no exaggeration to say that the Ensemble Kaboul have literally kept Afghan music alive through many difficult years. Based in Geneva (hence the French spelling of Kabul) and led by Khaled Arman who plays the rubab lute - the Afghan national instrument - they represent thetraditional and popular sound of Afghan music. Thanks to its position at the crossroads of Asia, Afghan music is a heady and accessible mixtureof Indian, Persian and Central Asian sounds - and in the hands of a group like this, it obviously has an international appeal. Khaled's father Hossein Arman, who sings and plays harmonium in the ensemble, had a considerable reputation at Radio Afghanistan. Things got difficult for musicians in Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989 and the mujaheddin took power with their extreme Islamic beliefs. That's when Hossein decided to leave and follow his son who'd already left to studyin Europe. The situation got worse when the Taliban came to power in the mid-90s and music was entirely banned and instruments destroyed. It was then that Khaled and the Ensemble Kaboul really felt a duty to sustain the music of their country. Their first CD "Nastaran" was considered Top of the World by Songlines magazine. Ensemble Kaboul have not yet been back to Afghanistan as the situation with respect to music is still uncertain.
--Short biography by Simon Broughton, March 2003, at WOMAD.org

Jâwâniam
Kabul Ensemble Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

جوانی هم بهاری بود بگذشت
به ما یک اعتباری بود بگذشت
جوانی هم بهاری بود بگذشت
به ما یک اعتباری بود بگذشت
میان ما و تو یک الفتی بود
که آنَم نو بهاری بود بگذشت
میان ما و تو یک الفتی بود
که آنَم نو بهاری بود بگذشت

بهار است و بهار است و بهار است
دل من داغدار است داغدار است
بهار است و بهار است و بهار است
دل من داغدار است داغدار است
ز گل و باغ دوران جوانی
برایم یک خزانی یادگار است
ز گل و باغ دوران جوانی
برایم یک خزانی یادگار است

ز کف عمر و جوانی رفت افسوس
بهارِ زنده گانی رفت افسوس
ز کف عمر و جوانی رفت افسوس
بهارِ زنده گانی رفت افسوس
نگفتم راز دل یک دم به پیشش
ز پیشم یار جانی رفت افسوس
نگفتم راز دل یک دم به پیشش
ز پیشم یار جانی رفت افسوس

بهار و سبزه زاران جوانی
نمی آید دگر در زندگانی
بهار و سبزه زاران جوانی
نمی آید دگر در زندگانی
شده مویم سفید از بس که بارید
به سر خاک تو ارمان جوانی
شده مویم سفید از بس که بارید
به سر خاک تو ارمان جوانی
جوانی هم بهاری بود بگذشت
به ما یک اعتباری بود بگذشت
جوانی هم بهاری بود بگذشت
به ما یک اعتباری بود بگذشت
میان ما و تو یک الفتی بود
که آنَم نو بهاری بود بگذشت

میان ما و تو یک الفتی بود
که آنَم نو بهاری بود بگذشت

Overall Meaning

The song Jâwâniam by Kabul Ensemble is a nostalgic and melancholic reflection on youth and beauty. The lyrics describe the passing of youth, which was once like a blooming spring, and the loss of the memories and emotions that come with it. The singer reflects on the deep bond they shared with a lover during their youth, which has now faded away, leaving only the pain of the memories. The chorus repeats the sentiment that it is spring, but the heart is still burning with the pain of lost youth. The lyrics express regret for not having shared the secrets of the heart with the lost lover before they departed.

The song is a melancholic celebration of both youth and the fleeting nature of life. The singer sees youth as a gift that is taken away too soon, leaving only the memories of springtime and the beauty of the world. The lyrics also suggest a feeling of isolation and longing for the past, which is not unique to the singer, but is shared by all who have lost their youth. The sadness is underscored by the traditional instrumentation of the song, played on the rubab, dhol, and tabla, which gives the song an intimate and personal feeling.

Line by Line Meaning

جوانی هم بهاری بود بگذشت
Youth, much like spring, has passed us by

به ما یک اعتباری بود بگذشت
It was only a brief credit to us

میان ما و تو یک الفتی بود
There was a kinship between you and me

که آنَم نو بهاری بود بگذشت
That, too, was a fresh spring that has passed

بهار است و بهار است و بهار است
It is spring, and spring, and spring

دل من داغدار است داغدار است
My heart is wounded, it is wounded

ز گل و باغ دوران جوانی
From the flowers and gardens of youth

برایم یک خزانی یادگار است
There is a whole autumn worth of memories for me

ز کف عمر و جوانی رفت افسوس
I regret the passing of my youth and prime

بهارِ زنده گانی رفت افسوس
I regret the passing of the spring of life

نگفتم راز دل یک دم به پیشش
I didn't even have a chance to tell her my heart's secrets