Rima Khcheich {ريما خشيش} (b. 1974) is a Lebanese singer,

Khcheich w… Read Full Bio ↴Rima Khcheich {ريما خشيش} (b. 1974) is a Lebanese singer,

Khcheich was born in Khiam, South Lebanon. She started singing classical Arabic music at the age of nine, and was awarded the bronze medal at the 'Bizert Festival for the Mediterranean Song' in Tunisia, 1985. Her singing career started with the children's choir at the Arabic Cultural Club, and later evolved into a solo performance with the Beirut Oriental Troop for Arabic Music under the supervision and direction of Salim Sahab.

Khcheich studied the tradition of classical Arabic singing at The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music in Beirut, and her efforts were supported by her father Kamel Khcheich who encouraged her to memorise and master classics from the Arabic music heritage, such as Muwashahat*, Adwar, and other styles. She has performed Zakariah Ahmad, Al-Kassabji, Sayyed Darwish, Kamel Al Khal'i, and Muhammad Abdel Wahab, amongst others.

Having participated in various concerts in Lebanon and around the world, Khcheich has gained international repute and admiration for her gift at performing complex Arabic classical forms such as Dor 'Emta El hawa', and Muwashah 'Anta al Mudallal'.

Currently, Khcheich teaches Oriental singing at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music and is invited on a yearly basis to Massachusetts, USA, where she teaches voice and classical Arabic singing at Mount Holyoke College under the framework of the Arabic Music Retreat program directed by musician and composer Simon Shaheen.

Her professional collaborations include performing with Shaheen, singing on composer Toufic Farroukh's album Tootya released in 2006, and being an integral part of the Dutch-Lebanese- Iraqi band The Orient Express. This band tried to create meeting grounds between the Arab musical heritage and Jazz. The band released one album, Orient Express, in 2002.

In 2006, Khsheish released her debut solo album, Yalalalli, which features a number of old songs and Muwashahat that she performs in a personalised, contemporary manner, alongside new compositions.

* Muwashahat: plural of Muwashshah, a vocal form in Arabic music.

A strophic song with refrain. The form originated at Cabra, near Cordoba, in the 9th century; it enjoyed a vogue in Muslim Spain in the 11th century, and spread subsequently throughout the Arab world, where it survives in oral tradition.

One of seven post-Classical poetic forms, It is performed on both secular and religious occasions and combines classical metres with new ones arranged in strophes. Each poem is divided into an indefinite number of units (abyat, sing. bayt), each containing a varied number of poetic lines. Musically, a muwashshah is performed by a solo singer alternating with responsorial, antiphonal or collective singing in unison, depending on the performing group. The performance of this difficult art, composed by specialists, demands a mastery of both maqams (modes) and usuls, the complicated rythmic patterns of Arabic music.

Foutina al-Lathi
Rima Khcheich Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

فـُـتن الذي فَــتن القلوب بحسنه
فأذا الجميل بليله يشكو صبابة حبه
ظبي رمى عن قوسه
دق الدفوف بخطوه
فأذا به سهم الهوى قد استدار لقلبه

فـُـتن الذي فَــتن القلوب بحسنه
فـُـتن الذي فَــتن القلوب بحسنه

فأذا الجميل بليله يشكو صبابة حبه
ظبي رمى عن قوسه
دق الدفوف بخطوه
ظبي رمى عن قوسه

دق الدفوف بخطوه
فأذا به سهم الهوى قد استدار لقلبه

Overall Meaning

In Rima Khcheich's song "Foutina al-Lathi", the singer is describing the power of love and how it can captivate the heart. The opening line, "Futin al-dhi futin al-qulub bi hasnihi", means that the one who bewitched the hearts with their beauty has caused them to fall in love. The next line talks about how even someone as beautiful as a deer can fall prey to love's arrow, which can strike unexpectedly and cause them to feel the pain of love.

The repetition of the phrase "futin al-dhi futin al-qulub bi hasnihi" throughout the song emphasizes that love's power is universal and can affect anyone, regardless of their appearance, status, or position in life. The drumbeats in the song contribute to the feeling of the rhythm and create a sense of anticipation and excitement as the story unfolds.

The song's lyrics convey a sense of longing and yearning for love, which is a common theme in Arabic music. The use of nature imagery such as the deer and the archery evoke a sense of the power and beauty of the natural world, which can also be reflected in the power of love.

Line by Line Meaning

فـُـتن الذي فَــتن القلوب بحسنه
The one who captivated hearts with his beauty

فأذا الجميل بليله يشكو صبابة حبه
When the beautiful one complains of the pain of his love in the night

ظبي رمى عن قوسه
The deer threw from his bow

دق الدفوف بخطوه
The drums sound with his step

فأذا به سهم الهوى قد استدار لقلبه
And when the arrow of love turned towards his heart

Contributed by Julia N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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