أنت عمري رجعوني عنيك لأيامي اللي راحوا علموني أندم على الماضي وجراحه اللي شفته قبل ما تشوفك عنيه عمر ضايع يحسبوه إزاي عليّ انت عمري اللي ابتدي بنورك صباحه قد ايه من عمري قبلك راح وعدّى يا حبيبي قد ايه من عمري راح ولا شاف القلب قبلك فرحة واحدة ولا داق في الدنيا غير طعم الجراح ابتديت دلوقت بس أحب عمري ابتديت دلوقت اخاف لا العمر يجري كل فرحه اشتاقها من قبلك خيالي التقاها في نور عنيك قلبي وفكري يا حياة قلبي يا أغلى من حياتي ليه ما قابلتش هواك يا حبيبي بدري اللي شفته قبل ما تشوفك عنيه عمر ضايع يحسبوه إزاي عليّ انت عمري اللي ابتدي بنورك صباحه الليالي الحلوه والشوق والمحبة من زمان والقلب شايلهم عشانك دوق معايا الحب دوق حبه بحبه من حنان قلبي اللي طال شوقه لحنانك هات عنيك تسرح في دنيتهم عنيه هات ايديك ترتاح للمستهم ايديه يا حبيبي تعالى وكفاية اللي فاتنا هو اللي فاتنا يا حبيب الروح شويه اللي شفته قبل ما تشوفك عنيه عمر ضايع يحسبوه إزاي عليّ انت عمري اللي ابتدي بنورك صباحه يا حبيبي تعالى وكفاية اللي فاتنا هو اللي فاتنا يا حبيب الروح شويه اللي شفته قبل ما تشوفك عنيه عمر ضايع يحسبوه إزاي عليّ انت عمري اللي ابتدي بنورك صباحه يا أغلى من أيامي يا أحلى من أحلامي خدني لحنانك خدني من الوجود وابعدني بعيد بعيد أنا وانت بعيد بعيد وحدينا ع الحب تصحى أيامنا ع الشوق تنام ليالينا صالحت بيك ايامي سامحت بيك الزمن نستني بيك آلامي ونسيت معاك الشجن ودعوني عنيك للأيامي اللي راحوا علموني أندم على الماضي وجراحه اللي شفته قبل ما تشوفك عنيه عمر ضايع يحسبوه إزاي عليّ |
Umm Kulthum was born in the village of Tamay e-Zahayra, belonging to the city of El Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, in the Nile Delta. Her birth date is unconfirmed, as birth registration was not enforced throughout the Arab world in that era. The Egyptian Ministry of Information seems to have given either December 31, 1898, or December 31, 1904. Her English-language biographer, Virginia Danielson (see sources below), reported that it was May 4, 1904. At a young age she showed exceptional singing talent. Her father, an imam at the local mosque, taught her to recite the Qur'an, and she is said to have memorized the entire book. When she was 12 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 16, she was noticed by Mohamed Aboul Ela, a modestly famous singer, who taught her the old classical Arab repertoire. A few years later, she met the famous composer and oudistZakariyya Ahmad, who invited her to come to Cairo. Although she made several visits to Cairo in the early 1920s, she waited until 1923 before permanently moving there. She was invited on several occasions to the house of Amin Beh Al Mahdy, who taught her to play the oud, a type of lute. She developed a close relationship to Rawheya Al Mahdi, Amin's daughter, and became her closest friend. Kulthum even attended Rawheya's daughter's wedding, although she normally preferred to avoid appearing in public (off stage).
Amin Al Mahdi introduced her to the cultural circles in Cairo, where she carefully avoided succumbing to the attractions of the bohemian lifestyle and, indeed, throughout her life, stressed her pride in her humble origins and espousal of conservative values. She also maintained a tightly managed public image, which undoubtedly added to her allure. At this point in her career, Umm Kulthum 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 head mentor in Arabic literature and literary analysis. Furthermore, she was introduced to the renowned oud virtuoso and composer Mohamed El Qasabgi, who introduced her to the Arabic Theatre Palace, where she would experience her first real public success. In 1932, her fame as a singer increased through sales of her records to the point where she embarked upon a major tour of the Middle East, performing in important Arab cities such as Damascus, Syria;Baghdad, Iraq; Beirut, Lebanon; and Tripoli, Libya. Fame |