FolkArabictraditional (first recorded c. 1910)
Lamma Bada Yatathanna
لما بدا يتثنى
Lamma Bada Yatathanna, "When he appeared, swaying", is perhaps the most famous muwashshah, a strophic song form that grew out of al-Andalus. Its few lines of love-struck wonder, set in maqam Nahawand, have been sung across the Arab world for more than a century.
- Written by
- Traditional (attributed to Lisan al-Din ibn al-Khatib or to Muhammad Abd al-Rahim al-Maslub)
- Music
- Traditional
- Raga
- Maqam Nahawand
- In the video
- National Arab Orchestra, Abeer Nehme
- Context
- Traditional Arabic muwashshah in maqam Nahawand
- Year
- traditional (first recorded c. 1910)
- Language
- Arabic
Lamma Bada Yatathanna lyrics with English translation
Text as commonly sung, from the Arabic Wikipedia transcription; hemistichs separated by spaces. Some texts read "amru ma" for "awma" in line 2.
لمَّا بدا يتثنّى لمَّا بدا يتثنّى حِبي جماله فتنّا أومى بلحظة أسرنا غصنٌ سَبَى حينَ مال
Lammā badā yatathannā lammā badā yatathannā Ḥibbī jamāluhu fattannā awmā bi-laḥẓatin asarnā Ghuṣnun sabā ḥīna māl
When my beloved appeared, swaying gracefully (twice), his beauty enchanted us; with one glance he made us captive: a slender branch that captured hearts as it bent.
وعدي ويا حيرتي وعدي ويا حيرتي ما لي راحم لشكوتي في الحب من لوعتي إلا مليك الجمال إلا مليك الجمال إلا مليك الجمال إلا مليك الجمال
Waʿdī wa-yā ḥīratī waʿdī wa-yā ḥīratī Mā lī rāḥim li-shakwatī fi l-ḥubbi min lawʿatī Illā malīku l-jamāl illā malīku l-jamāl Illā malīku l-jamāl illā malīku l-jamāl
O my fate, O my bewilderment (twice): there is no one to pity my complaint of love's burning pain except the king of beauty, except the king of beauty, except the king of beauty.
وعدي ويا حيرتي وعدي ويا حيرتي ما لي راحمٌ لشكوتي في الحب من لوعتي إلا مليك الجمال إلا مليك الجمال إلا مليك الجمال
Waʿdī wa-yā ḥīratī waʿdī wa-yā ḥīratī Mā lī rāḥimun li-shakwatī fi l-ḥubbi min lawʿatī Illā malīku l-jamāl illā malīku l-jamāl Illā malīku l-jamāl
O my fate, O my bewilderment (twice): there is no one to pity my complaint of love's burning pain except the king of beauty, except the king of beauty, except the king of beauty.
آمان آمان آمان آمان
Amān amān amān amān
Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy.
Translation: Lyriccs (original translation). Transliteration: Lyriccs.
The story behind Lamma Bada Yatathanna
The muwashshah is a form of strophic Arabic poetry that developed in Muslim Spain and was carried to North Africa and the eastern Arab world, where it became the basis of a refined vocal repertoire in cities such as Aleppo, Damascus and Cairo.
The authorship of Lamma Bada Yatathanna is disputed. The most common attribution is to the Andalusian poet and statesman Lisan al-Din ibn al-Khatib (1313-1374), because of its Andalusian style; others credit the Egyptian singer Muhammad Abd al-Rahim al-Maslub, who died in 1928 and to whom the melody is also attributed.
The earliest known recording was made around 1910 by the Egyptian singer Sayed al-Safti. Later performers include Fairuz, Sabah Fakhri and many modern ensembles; it is usually sung in the ten-beat rhythm known as sama'i thaqil.
What Lamma Bada Yatathanna means
The song captures the moment a beloved appears, moving with the grace of a swaying branch. A single glance is enough to make the onlookers captive, and the image of the bending branch was a classic Arabic figure for a slender, graceful figure.
The second section turns to the lover's confusion and pain. No one will listen to his complaint except the "king of beauty" himself, the beloved who caused the wound. The closing cry of "aman", meaning mercy, is a common vocal flourish in Ottoman-era and Levantine song.
The words are few; much of the song's beauty lies in the repetitions and the way performers stretch and ornament each line.
Quick facts
- A muwashshah, a strophic song form that originated in al-Andalus.
- Usually sung in maqam Nahawand to the 10/8 rhythm sama'i thaqil.
- Attributed to Lisan al-Din ibn al-Khatib (1313-1374) or to Muhammad Abd al-Rahim al-Maslub (d. 1928).
- The earliest known recording was made around 1910 by Sayed al-Safti.