Tuesday, September 26, 2006

gharrid ya shibl al eeman

we've done it: arabs have taken the whole metaphor use a step too far.

for those of you who don't know, the arabic language is rich with metaphors, similes and all sorts of language complexities. it's beautiful that way, whether poetry or prose, but sometimes people just take it too far.

on my way to work (it was ramadan and religion was in the air) i was listening to the radio when the lyrics "gharrid ya shibl al eeman" caught my attention. why, you ask? let me translate it literally: "chirp o cub of faith". what on earth is wrong with the composer? first off, a "cub of faith" does not conjure images of strength or pride (or whatever else the composer was aiming for), it's just downright scary. i can't imagine a cub being anything but. but then, chirp? maybe chirp is not the correct translation. in arabic birds do not sing, they "gharrid"; there's a specific verb for birds' song. in any case, the composer used that verb specifically. not only is the cub faithful, it sings like a bird. and if that doesn't freak you out, nothing will.

seriously, what kind of song is that?!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Now thats another one for u buddy!

OCD no. X: U cant not bitch about radio

ur faithful friend: Zooz