Song for Jerusalem

Author: Miriam (Egypt/Israel/USA) - May 15, 2008

The following is a musical composition for the 60th anniversary of Israel’s creation, which is the Palestinian catastrophe. I didn’t write any of it. It is a mixture of two songs: “Flower of Cities” or Zahrat al-Mada’in by the Rahbani brothers, sung by Fairouz, and “Jerusalem of Gold” or Yerushalayim Shel Zahav composed and performed by Nomi Shemer. The words are meant to be sung in their original melodies; the time signatures blend together though they are different. An English translation of the alternating lyrics is below.

פרח הערים / القدس الذهبية
Arrangement: Miriam Asnes

لأجلك يا مدينة الصلاة أصلي
لأجلك يا بهية المساكن يا زهرة المدائن
يا قدس يا قدس يا مدينة الصلاة أصلي

אויר הרים צלול כיין
וריח אורנים
נשא ברוח הערביים
עם קול פעמונים

عيوننا إليك ترحل كل يوم
تدور في أروقة المعابد
تعانق الكنائس القديمة
و تمسح الحزن عن المساجد

ובתרדמת אילן ואבן
שבויה בחלומה
העיר אשר בדד יושבת
ובליבה חומה

يا ليلة الأسراء
يا درب من مروا إلى السماء
הלא לכל שירייך אני כינור
ירושלים של זהב
ושל נחושת ושל אור
عيوننا إليك ترحل كل يوم و انني أصلي

For your sake, O city of prayer, I pray.
For your sake, O most beautiful of dwelling places,
O flower of cities
O Jerusalem
O Jerusalem
O Jerusalem O city of prayer, I pray

The mountain air is clear as wine
And the scent of pines
Is carried on the breeze of twilight
With the sound of bells.

Our eyes turn to you each day
They wander in the corridors of the temples
They embrace the ancient churches
They wipe the sadness from the mosques.

And in the slumber of tree and stone
Captured in her dream
The city that sits solitary
And in its midst is a wall.

O night of Mohammed’s ascent
O path by which they traveled to the heavens
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.
Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light
Our eyes turn to you each day
And therefore, I pray.

(cross-posted here.)