Shael, Shael, y’al Jamali

a traditional Palestinian tarweeda

This powerful tarweeda, شيل شيل عالجماله , (transliterated as Shael, Shael, y'al Jamali) came to us from Gaza via Ahmed Muin Abu Amsha & his students, Gaza Birds Singing, when he shared a video of himself singing this with his students as a way to process the constant noise of the IOF drones flying overhead. Ahmed was inspired, by Zaid Hilal, who incorporated this traditional song into his recording, Libre Palestina.

You can find out more about Ahmed’s work through his project, Songs From the Rubble. You can listen to his music and support him and his family and students through Songs From the Rubble bandcamp.

Here is a message about the song from Ahmed:

A call to lift the weight of truth, the voice of courage, and the spirit that refuses to be silenced.

A tribute to those who held on to the truth until their very last breath, to every soul that spread light through honest words, and refused to be silenced in the face of injustice.

Peace to their souls… their memory will forever be a light in our hearts.

with love, 
Ahmed Muin from Gaza

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LYRICS:

This transliteration/translation, are my best effort to compile and sift through all the information I found in my research, and to best equate to an accurate pronunciation of the original Arabic, and a translation that makes the most sense in English (which is inadequate).

Phonetic transliteration:

Shael shael y’al Jamali
Shael, ya hawattak b’Allah
Dem al’shahee_d’matar bil heil 
Leil ya leilo
Wael wael a’dzhalimi
Waelo waelo min Allah
La’as_har ala nujum el leil 
An’a dawaelo

English Translation:

Carry, carry, oh camel driver, 
Carry. I entrust you to God
The martyr’s blood is perfumed with cardamom
Night, oh night
Woe, woe to the oppressor
Woe, woe to him from God
I will stay awake under the stars of the night
Crying out to him

Original Arabic:

شيل شيل عالجمال
شيل يا حوطك بالله 
دم الشهيد معطر بالهيل
ليل يا ليلو 
ويل ويل عالظالم
ويله ويله من الله 
لسهر على نجوم الليل
انا داويله