أم كلثوم
العربية

Songs

نهج البردة Nahj al-Burda (The Way of the Mantle)

Year
1946
Dramatic low-key portrait of Umm Kulthum in a black dress and long jeweled earrings, her face lit from above against a dark background.
Umm Kulthum in a portrait for the film 'Fatma', 1947.

Lines marked with a gold ornament carry a note — select one to read it.

Lyrics (Arabic)
Transliteration
English translation

ريمٌ عَلى القاعِ بَينَ البانِ وَالعَلَمِ — أَحَلَّ سَفكَ دَمي في الأَشهُرِ الحُرُمِ

Rimun 'ala l-qa'i bayna l-bani wa-l-'alami — ahalla safka dami fi l-ash-huri l-hurumi

A gazelle on the plain, between the willow and the peak — has made the shedding of my blood lawful in the sacred months

لَمّا رَنا حَدَّثَتني النَفسُ قائِلَةً — يا وَيحَ جَنبِكَ بِالسَهمِ المُصيبِ رُمي

Lamma rana haddathatni n-nafsu qa'ilatan — ya wayha janbika bi-s-sahmi l-musibi rumi

When it gazed at me, my soul spoke up and said — alas for your side: the unerring arrow has found it

جَحَدتُها وَكَتَمتُ السَهمَ في كَبِدي — جُرحُ الأَحِبَّةِ عِندي غَيرُ ذي أَلَمِ

Jahadtuha wa-katamtu s-sahma fi kabidi — jurhu l-ahibbati 'indi ghayru dhi alami

I denied her, and hid the arrow deep in my liver — a wound from the beloved, to me, carries no pain

يا لائِمي في هَواهُ وَالهَوى قَدَرٌ — لَو شَفَّكَ الوَجدُ لَم تَعذِل وَلَم تَلُمِ

Ya la'imi fi hawahu wa-l-hawa qadarun — law shaffaka l-wajdu lam ta'dhil wa-lam talumi

You who blame me for loving him — love is fate — had longing wasted you, you would not scold or blame

لَقَد أَنَلتُكَ أُذنًا غَيرَ واعِيَةٍ — وَرُبَّ مُنتَصِتٍ وَالقَلبُ في صَمَمِ

Laqad analtuka udhnan ghayra wa'iyatin — wa-rubba muntasitin wa-l-qalbu fi samami

I lent you an ear that took in nothing — many a man seems to listen while his heart is deaf

يا ناعِسَ الطَرفِ لا ذُقتَ الهَوى أَبَدًا — أَسهَرتَ مُضناكَ في حِفظِ الهَوى فَنَمِ

Ya na'isa t-tarfi la dhuqta l-hawa abadan — as-harta mudnaka fi hifzi l-hawa fa-nami

O drowsy-eyed one, may you never taste love's ache — you have kept your worn-out lover awake guarding love; now sleep

يا نَفسُ دُنياكِ تُخفي كُلَّ مُبكِيَةٍ — وَإِن بَدا لَكِ مِنها حُسنُ مُبتَسَمِ

Ya nafsu dunyaki tukhfi kulla mubkiyatin — wa-in bada laki minha husnu mubtasami

O soul, your world conceals every cause for weeping — however lovely the smile it turns upon you

صَلاحُ أَمرِكَ لِلأَخلاقِ مَرجِعُهُ — فَقَوِّمِ النَفسَ بِالأَخلاقِ تَستَقِمِ

Salahu amrika li-l-akhlaqi marji'uhu — fa-qawwimi n-nafsa bi-l-akhlaqi tastaqimi

The mending of your affairs traces back to character — so straighten the soul with virtue, and it stands straight

وَالنَفسُ مِن خَيرِها في خَيرِ عافِيَةٍ — وَالنَفسُ مِن شَرِّها في مَرتَعٍ وَخِمِ

Wa-n-nafsu min khayriha fi khayri 'afiyatin — wa-n-nafsu min sharriha fi marta'in wakhimi

The soul, in its goodness, dwells in perfect health — and in its evil, in a rank and poisoned pasture

إِن جَلَّ ذَنبي عَنِ الغُفرانِ لي أَمَلٌ — في اللَهِ يَجعَلُني في خَيرِ مُعتَصِمِ

In jalla dhanbi 'ani l-ghufrani li amalun — fi llahi yaj'aluni fi khayri mu'tasimi

If my sin is too great for pardon, I still have hope — in God, who sets me in the surest refuge

أُلقي رَجائي إِذا عَزَّ المُجيرُ عَلى — مُفَرِّجِ الكَربِ في الدارَينِ وَالغَمَمِ

Ulqi raja'i idha 'azza l-mujiru 'ala — mufarriji l-karbi fi d-darayni wa-l-ghamami

When every protector fails, I cast my hope upon — the Reliever of anguish, in both worlds, and of sorrow

إِذا خَفَضتُ جَناحَ الذُلِّ أَسأَلُهُ — عِزَّ الشَفاعَةِ لَم أَسأَل سِوى أُمَمِ

Idha khafadtu janaha dh-dhulli as'aluhu — 'izza sh-shafa'ati lam as'al siwa umami

When I lower the wing of humility and ask him — for the glory of intercession, I ask nothing out of reach

وَإِن تَقَدَّمَ ذو تَقوى بِصالِحَةٍ — قَدَّمتُ بَينَ يَدَيهِ عَبرَةَ النَدَمِ

Wa-in taqaddama dhu taqwa bi-salihatin — qaddamtu bayna yadayhi 'abrata n-nadami

And where the pious man brings forward his good works — I bring before him only the tear of my remorse

لَزِمتُ بابَ أَميرِ الأَنبِياءِ وَمَن — يُمسِك بِمِفتاحِ بابِ اللَهِ يَغتَنِمِ

Lazimtu baba amiri l-anbiya'i wa-man — yumsik bi-miftahi babi llahi yaghtanimi

I have kept to the door of the prince of prophets — and whoever grasps the key to God's door has won

مُحَمَّدٌ صَفوَةُ الباري وَرَحمَتُهُ — وَبُغيَةُ اللَهِ مِن خَلقٍ وَمِن نَسَمِ

Muhammadun safwatu l-bari wa-rahmatuhu — wa-bughyatu llahi min khalqin wa-min nasami

Muhammad, the Creator's chosen one and His mercy — the purpose of God in all creation, in every living breath

وَنودِيَ اِقرَأ تَعالى اللَهُ قائِلُها — لَم تَتَّصِل قَبلَ مَن قيلَت لَهُ بِفَمِ

Wa-nudiya qra' ta'ala llahu qa'iluha — lam tattasil qabla man qilat lahu bi-fami

The call came: "Read!" — exalted be He who spoke it — a word never joined to a mouth before the one who heard it

هُناكَ أَذَّنَ لِلرَحمَنِ فَاِمتَلَأَت — أَسماعُ مَكَّةَ مِن قُدسِيَّةِ النَغَمِ

Hunaka adhdhana li-r-rahmani fa-mtala'at — asma'u makkata min qudsiyyati n-naghami

There he raised the call to the Merciful, and the ears — of Mecca filled with the holiness of that melody

سَرَت بَشائِرُ بِالهادي وَمَولِدِهِ — في الشَرقِ وَالغَربِ مَسرى النورِ في الظُلَمِ

Sarat basha'iru bi-l-hadi wa-mawlidihi — fi sh-sharqi wa-l-gharbi masra n-nuri fi z-zulami

Glad tidings of the Guide and of his birth ran on — through East and West, as light runs through the dark

أَتَيتَ وَالناسُ فَوضى لا تَمُرُّ بِهِم — إِلّا عَلى صَنَمٍ قَد هامَ في صَنَمِ

Atayta wa-n-nasu fawda la tamurru bihim — illa 'ala sanamin qad hama fi sanami

You came when mankind was chaos, and passing among them — one met only an idol infatuated with an idol

أَسرى بِكَ اللَهُ لَيلًا إِذ مَلائِكُهُ — وَالرُسلُ في المَسجِدِ الأَقصى عَلى قَدَمِ

Asra bika llahu laylan idh mala'ikuhu — wa-r-ruslu fi l-masjidi l-aqsa 'ala qadami

God carried you by night, while His angels — and the messengers stood waiting at the Farthest Mosque

لَمّا خَطَرتَ بِهِ اِلتَفّوا بِسَيِّدِهِم — كَالشُهبِ بِالبَدرِ أَو كَالجُندِ بِالعَلَمِ

Lamma khatarta bihi ltaffu bi-sayyidihim — ka-sh-shuhbi bi-l-badri aw ka-l-jundi bi-l-'alami

When you appeared among them they pressed round their master — like stars around the full moon, or soldiers round the standard

صَلّى وَراءَكَ مِنهُم كُلُّ ذي خَطَرٍ — وَمَن يَفُز بِحَبيبِ اللَهِ يَأتَمِمِ

Salla wara'aka minhum kullu dhi khatarin — wa-man yafuz bi-habibi llahi ya'tamimi

Every man of rank among them prayed behind you — for whoever wins God's beloved takes him as imam

جُبتَ السَماواتِ أَو ما فَوقَهُنَّ بِهِم — عَلى مُنَوَّرَةٍ دُرِّيَّةِ اللُجُمِ

Jubta s-samawati aw ma fawqahunna bihim — 'ala munawwaratin durriyyati l-lujumi

You crossed the heavens, and what lies above them, with them — on a luminous mount bridled with pearl

مَشيئَةُ الخالِقِ الباري وَصَنعَتُهُ — وَقُدرَةُ اللَهِ فَوقَ الشَكِّ وَالتُهَمِ

Mashi'atu l-khaliqi l-bari wa-san'atuhu — wa-qudratu llahi fawqa sh-shakki wa-t-tuhami

The will of the Maker, the Creator, and His handiwork — and the power of God, above all doubt and accusation

حَتّى بَلَغتَ سَماءً لا يُطارُ لَها — عَلى جَناحٍ وَلا يُسعى عَلى قَدَمِ

Hatta balaghta sama'an la yutaru laha — 'ala janahin wa-la yus'a 'ala qadami

Until you reached a heaven no wing can fly to — and no foot was ever made to climb

وَقيلَ كُلُّ نَبِيٍّ عِندَ رُتبَتِهِ — وَيا مُحَمَّدُ هَذا العَرشُ فَاِستَلِمِ

Wa-qila kullu nabiyyin 'inda rutbatihi — wa-ya Muhammadu hadha l-'arshu fa-stalimi

And it was said: let every prophet keep his station — but O Muhammad, here is the Throne: draw near

يا رَبِّ هَبَّت شُعوبٌ مِن مَنِيَّتِها — وَاِستَيقَظَت أُمَمٌ مِن رَقدَةِ العَدَمِ

Ya rabbi habbat shu'ubun min maniyyatiha — wa-stayqazat umamun min raqdati l-'adami

O Lord, peoples have risen up from their deathbed — and nations have woken from the slumber of nothingness

رَأى قَضاؤُكَ فينا رَأيَ حِكمَتِهِ — أَكرِم بِوَجهِكَ مِن قاضٍ وَمُنتَقِمِ

Ra'a qada'uka fina ra'ya hikmatihi — akrim bi-wajhika min qadin wa-muntaqimi

Your decree has judged us as its wisdom saw fit — how exalted Your face, as judge and as requiter

فَاِلطُف لِأَجلِ رَسولِ العالَمينَ بِنا — وَلا تَزِد قَومَهُ خَسفًا وَلا تُسِمِ

Fa-ltuf li-ajli rasuli l-'alamina bina — wa-la tazid qawmahu khasfan wa-la tusimi

For the sake of the Messenger of the worlds, be gentle with us — do not deepen his people's abasement, nor brand them further

يا رَبِّ أَحسَنتَ بَدءَ المُسلِمينَ بِهِ — فَتَمِّمِ الفَضلَ وَاِمنَح حُسنَ مُختَتَمِ

Ya rabbi ahsanta bad'a l-muslimina bihi — fa-tammimi l-fadla wa-mnah husna mukhtatami

O Lord, through him You gave the Muslims a beautiful beginning — now complete the grace, and grant a beautiful end

What this song means

Every literature has a poem that later poets must answer, and for the Arabic tradition of prophetic praise that poem is the Burda — the “Mantle Ode” of al-Busiri, a thirteenth-century Egyptian Sufi whose qasida of praise for the Prophet became, over seven centuries, the most recited poem in the Islamic world. When Ahmed Shawqi wrote “Nahj al-Burda” — “The Way of the Mantle” — he was performing the tradition’s most demanding exercise: a mu’arada, a formal answer-poem that keeps the original’s meter (basit) and rhyme (the letter mim) across a hundred and ninety verses, and dares comparison at every line.

In 1946 Umm Kulthum and Riad al-Sunbati distilled those hundred and ninety verses to thirty. The selection is a masterclass in editorial intelligence, preserving each station of the canonical arc: the ghazal prelude, where a gazelle’s glance makes the lover’s blood lawful even in the sacred months; the reproach of the soul, whose world “conceals every cause for weeping” behind its smile; repentance and hope; the entry into praise at the door of “the prince of prophets”; the Night Journey and the ascent through the heavens; and the closing prayer. A listener who never opens the diwan still travels the entire road from profane wound to sacred plea.

Sunbati set the poem in Rahat al-Arwah — “the repose of souls” — a transposed member of the Sikah-Huzam family whose lowered position and quarter-tone shading give it a veiled, censer-smoke gravity. It was a connoisseur’s choice: where “Salou Qalbi,” premiered the same year, stands in the daylight clarity of Rast, “Nahj al-Burda” moves through candlelight. The setting rises section by section with the text, thinning to near-bareness for the address to the soul, breaking open at the first sounding of the name “Muhammad,” and climbing register by register through the mi’raj until the famous summons — “O Muhammad, here is the Throne: draw near” — where the melody performs the very ascent the words describe.

The poem’s boldest moments had always drawn debate; theologians argued over whether calling the Prophet past all other prophets to the Throne itself exceeded the proprieties of praise. Sung, the question dissolved into awe. Contemporary accounts and later recordings agree that the mi’raj section was the evening’s peak, the audience’s exclamations riding under the orchestra — tarab and devotion proving, for the length of a concert, indistinguishable.

And the ending belonged to its year. Shawqi had closed with a prayer written in the Ottoman twilight — “peoples have risen from their deathbed, nations have woken from the slumber of nothingness” — but in 1946, with the war just ended, the empires visibly receding and the independence question filling every newspaper, Umm Kulthum’s audience heard the line as a bulletin about themselves. That is the recurring miracle of her Shawqi repertoire: verse written for one historical moment, detonating in another. “Nahj al-Burda” remains for many listeners the most exalted thing she ever sang — a poem seven centuries deep, a melody at the summit of Sunbati’s craft, and a voice able to carry both at once.

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Understanding Maqam

A plain-language guide to the maqam system — quarter tones, sayr, and tarab — through four maqams heard in Umm Kulthum's songs: Rast, Kurd, Huzam, Farahfaza.

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