Oum Kalthoum was born in Tamay ez-Zahayra village in El Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. Her birth date is controversial, either 31 December 1898, 31 December 1904 or 4 May, 1904. She died 3 February, 1975.
At a young age, she showed exceptional singing talent. Her father, an Imam, taught her to recite the Qur'an, and she is said to have memorised the entire book. When she was twelve years old, her father disguised her as a young boy and entered her in a small performing troupe that he directed. At the age of sixteen she was noticed by Abol Ela Mohamed, a modestly famous singer, and by the famous oudist Zakariyya Ahmad, who invited her to Cairo. She waited until 1923 before accepting the invitation. She was invited on several occasions to the house of Amin Beh Al Mahdy, who taught her how to play the oud. She developed a very close relationship with Rawyeha Al Mahdy, daughter of Amin, and became her closest friend. Kalthoum even attended Rawheya's daughter's wedding, although she has always tried to avoid public appearances. Amin Al Mahdy introduced her to the cultural circles in Cairo.
At this point in her career, she was introduced to the famous poet Ahmad Rami, who wrote 137 songs for her. Rami also introduced her to French literature, which he greatly admired from his studies at the Sorbonne, Paris, and eventually became her chief mentor in Arabic literature and literary analysis. Furthermore, she was introduced to the renowned lute virtuoso and composer Mohamed El Qasabgi. El Qasabgi introduced Kalthoum to the Arabic Theatre Palace, where she would experience her first real public success. In 1932 her fame increased to the point where she embarked upon a large tour of the Middle East, touring such cities as Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut, and Tripoli, Lebanon.
By 1948 her fame had come to the attention of Gamal Abdel Nasser, who would later become the president of Egypt. At one point the Egyptian musicians guild of which she became a member (and eventually president) rejected her because she had sung for the then-deposed king, Farouk of Egypt. It was his favour that made the musicians' guild accept her back into the fold. In addition, Kalthoum had been a dedicated Egyptian patriot since the time of King Farouk.
Her songs deal mostly with the universal themes of love, longing and loss. A typical concert consisted of the performance of two or three songs over a period of three to six hours. In the late 1960s, due to her age, she began to shorten her performances to two songs over a period of two and a half to three hours. The duration of her songs in performance was not fixed, but varied based on the level of emotional interaction between the singer and her audience. A typical improvisatory technique of hers was to repeat a single phrase or sentence of a song's lyrics over and over, subtly altering the emotive emphasis and intensity each time to bring her audiences into a euphoric and ecstatic state. Thus, while the official recorded length of a song such as "Enta omri" (You Are My Life) is approximately sixty minutes, a live performance could extend to many hours, as the singer and her audience fed off each other's emotional energy. This intense, highly personalised creative relationship was undoubtedly one of the reasons for Kalthoum's tremendous success as an artist.
In 1967 Kalthoum was diagnosed with a severe case of nephritis. She gave her last concert at the Palace of the Nile in 1973. Tests at that time indicated that her illness was incurable. She moved to the United States, where she benefited for some time from the advanced medical technology, but in 1975, upon re-entering her home country, she required hospitalisation due to declining health. She died in a Cairo hospital on 3rd February 1975.
Her funeral was attended by over four million mourners – one of the largest gatherings in history – and descended into pandemonium when the crowd seized control of her coffin and carried it to a mosque that they considered her favourite, before later releasing the coffin for burial.
Al Ward Gamil
Oum Kalthoum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
الورد جميل، جميل الورد
الورد جميل وله أوراق
عليها دليل من الأشواق
إذا أهداه حبيب لحبيب
يكون معناه وصال وقريب
شوف الزهور وإتعلم
بين الحابيب تتكلم
شوف الزهور، الزهور شوف وإتعلم
والنرجس مال يمين وشمال
والنرجس مال يمين وشمال
على الأغصان بتيه ودلال
عيونه تقول معانا عذول
خلينا بعيد عن العزال
شوف الزهور وإتعلم
بين الحابيب تتكلم
شوف، شوف، شوف
شوف الزهور، الزهور شوف وإتعلم
يا فل يا روح، يا روح الروح
من شم هواك عمره ما ينساك
يا فل يا روح، يا روح الروح
من شم هواك عمره ما ينساك
لكل جميل تقول بلغاك
حبيب مشتاق وبيستناك
شوف الزهور وإتعلم
بين الحابيب تتكلم
شوف، شوف، شوف
شوف الزهور، الزهور شوف وإتعلم
شوفوا الياسمين جميل نعسان
حلي له النوم على الأغصان
شوفوا الياسمين جميل نعسان
حلي له النوم على الأغصان
بكل حنان تضمه الإيد
وبه تزدان صدور الغيد
شوف الزهور وإتعلم
بين الحابيب تتكلم
شوف، شوف، شوف
شوف الزهور، الزهور
The song Al Ward Gamil by Oum Kalthoum talks about the beauty and significance of roses in love and romance. The repeated phrase "Al ward gamil" translates to "the roses are beautiful," and the song continues to describe the symbol of the rose in love. The lyrics suggest that when a lover gives a rose to their beloved, it represents closeness and connection. The rose's petals symbolize the passion and longing within the relationship. The song also mentions other flowers such as narcissus and jasmine, conveying the message that beauty comes in all forms and should be appreciated.
Throughout the song, Oum Kalthoum's voice is emotive, conveying the depth of emotions that come with love and admiration. She uses imagery and metaphor to make the message universal, making it relatable to listeners and their own experiences with love. The chorus of "shouf al zohour," which means "look at the flowers," reminds the listener that beauty is all around us, and we should learn from it.
The song's use of flowers as symbols of love, passion, and beauty has made it one of Oum Kalthoum's most popular and enduring pieces of music. It continues to be loved and appreciated by audiences around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
الورد جميل، جميل الورد
The rose is beautiful, beautiful the rose.
الورد جميل، جميل الورد
The rose is beautiful, beautiful the rose.
الورد جميل وله أوراق
The rose is beautiful and has leaves.
عليها دليل من الأشواق
It is proof of love and longing.
إذا أهداه حبيب لحبيب
If a lover gifts it to another lover,
يكون معناه وصال وقريب
It means closeness and being together.
شوف الزهور وإتعلم
Look at the flowers and learn,
بين الحابيب تتكلم
They speak of lovers.
شوف، شوف، شوف
Look, look, look
شوف الزهور، الزهور شوف وإتعلم
Look at the flowers and learn.
والنرجس مال يمين وشمال
The narcissus is on the right and left.
والنرجس مال يمين وشمال
The narcissus is on the right and left.
على الأغصان بتيه ودلال
It wanders on the branches with grace.
عيونه تقول معانا عذول
Its eyes tell us about its pain.
خلينا بعيد عن العزال
Let's stay away from isolation.
شوف الزهور وإتعلم
Look at the flowers and learn,
بين الحابيب تتكلم
They speak of lovers.
شوف، شوف، شوف
Look, look, look
شوف الزهور، الزهور شوف وإتعلم
Look at the flowers and learn.
يا فل يا روح، يا روح الروح
Oh, jasmine, oh soul, oh soul of souls,
من شم هواك عمره ما ينساك
Who smells your fragrance will never forget you.
يا فل يا روح، يا روح الروح
Oh, jasmine, oh soul, oh soul of souls,
من شم هواك عمره ما ينساك
Who smells your fragrance will never forget you.
لكل جميل تقول بلغاك
Every beautiful thing speaks of you.
حبيب مشتاق وبيستناك
The beloved is longing and waiting for you.
شوف الزهور وإتعلم
Look at the flowers and learn,
بين الحابيب تتكلم
They speak of lovers.
شوف، شوف، شوف
Look, look, look
شوف الزهور، الزهور شوف وإتعلم
Look at the flowers and learn.
شوفوا الياسمين جميل نعسان
See the beautiful and sleepy jasmine.
حلي له النوم على الأغصان
It sleeps peacefully on the branches.
شوفوا الياسمين جميل نعسان
See the beautiful and sleepy jasmine.
بكل حنان تضمه الإيد
With affection, the hand holds it.
وبه تزدان صدور الغيد
The hearts of the happy are adorned with it.
شوف الزهور وإتعلم
Look at the flowers and learn,
بين الحابيب تتكلم
They speak of lovers.
شوف، شوف، شوف
Look, look, look
شوف الزهور، الزهور
Look at the flowers, the flowers.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind