Zauvijek

Dođi mi nisam ti daleko
Dođi mi samo pređi preko ponosa
Tako blizu sam ti ja

Vrati me ti u svoje snove
Vrati se sve je ovdje tvoje
Da li čuješ glas što ti srce doziva

Spasi me ti od ove moje tuge
I od ovog gorkog plamena
Spasi me da osjetim ljubav vječnu
Da zauvijek rob sam tebi ja

Dođi mi nađi me u sebi
Ljubav je skrivena u tebi
U njoj je sjaj što duši daje mir

 Forever

Come to me, I am not far from you
Come to me, overcome your pride
I am so close to you

Come back to my dreams
Come back, all that is here is yours
Do you hear the voice from my heart that calls you?

Save me from my sadness
And from this bitter flame
Save me that I may feel your love eternally
That I may be evermore your slave

Come to me, find me within yourself
Love is hidden within you
In that is the radiance that gives your soul peace

Here are the Bosnian and English versions of Burhan Šaban’s new song for Srebrenica; as always, it’s much better in the original language!

“Muslim World Music Day is an online effort to identify and catalog all the recordings of Muslim music in the world. It will be a step towards making this culturally significant body of work readily available to people around the globe for study and enjoyment.”   Read More

So what is happening in my life?  I have been living in Prague, Czech Republic since July 2009, with Mr. Musicalchef (since November 2009), whom I met when I was living in Bosnia.  I’ll probably write more later about life in Prague, but you can visit my page on resources for Muslims in Prague if you’re curious about the community here.  I have been teaching English, which I enjoy, but don’t want to do all my life.  But it’s a good job and I’m glad to have it.

I’m still doing research when I have time, although it’s from the armchair (computer chair?) right now, until I get a chance to visit Bosnia again or go back to the US.  I did have the opportunity of participating in a conference here a month ago and giving a presentation on modern Muslim music in Indonesia.  And I’m reading a lot.  Since I spend so much time on the bus, metro, and tram going between classes, the public library is a real friend!

As for cooking, I haven’t been experimenting as much as I used to.  I don’t want to accumulate a bunch of spices and cooking tools when I don’t really know how long I will be here in Prague.  So the “chef” is on hold for now.  We have no oven, so desserts come from Marks & Spencer (thank God for that store!).

I’m toying with the idea of making the blog more “professional,” but if I do that I’ll probably have to lose the name “musicalchef” and stop posting lolcats.  I plan to keep expanding the existing music pages (basically databases) and adding more.  Anyways, I’ll try to update more often!

You can buy their songs here.  (type “Debu” into the search engine)

Here is the program

Muslim World Music Day combines elements of an academic teach-in, a crash course, and a virtual town hall meeting with an innovative crowdsourcing process. A collection of individuals and institutions from a variety of disciplines will work together to create awareness and understanding of the chosen subject in a compressed time frame.

Muslim World Music Day will be a live online effort to identify and catalog all the recordings of Muslim music in the world, in one day. It will be a step towards making this culturally significant body of work readily available to people around the globe for study and enjoyment.”  Read more…

This video is of Halid Bešlić, you can also find the mp3 of Aziz Alili singing it – that version is more well-known -  here (mouse over “donload mp3,” then “ilahije i kaside,” and select “ilahije download/1.”  Scroll down a bit to look for Aziz Alili).  The text here in italics is the chorus.  Yes I am aware that he sings it a bit differently in this video, but I thought it was the best version   Poor guy was in an accident last year; that’s why his face is like that.

O Zefire

Ti si Sunce koje blista s nebeskih visina;

Drugi resuli su zvijezde što sjaje iz tmina.

O, zefire, kad poletiš do medinskih strana,

Poselami onog što ga moja duša sanja!

Ti si kao cvijet nježan, kao Mjesec ponosan,

Ti si more od ićrama, najljepši ti si san.

Kao sedef sjajni školjkin kada se rastvori,

Takav je tvoj osmijeh blagi kada progovoriš

Takav miris ne imadu ni zafran ni mošus

Kao zemljica što pokriva tvoje tijelo I kosu

Oh Breeze

You are a sun that beams from the lofty heavens

The other messengers are stars that shine from that

O, breeze, when you fly through Medina

Greet the one whom my soul dreams of!

You are like a tender blossom, like the proud moon,

You are a sea of generosity, the most beautiful dream

Like a brilliant white seashell when it opens,

So is your gracious smile when you speak

Such a scent has neither saffron nor musk

Like the fragrance of your body and hair

Baraka Blue, from the Remarkable Current label

Tyson Amir’s bandcamp site

Hor Hazreti Hamza:  “Jecajem te zovem ja”

Gazel:  “Sad Te zovem ya Rahman”  (a cappella)

Hor Bedem and Miralem Babajić:  “Vejsel Karani”

Hor Kewser