Al-Atlal
Al-Atlal is a poem written by the Egyptian poet Ibrahim Nagi, which later became a famous song sung by Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum in 1966. The song's lyrics were adapted by Umm Kulthum and the melody was composed by the Egyptian composer Riad Al Sunbati. Two years earlier, the singer had performed her first song composed by Mohamed Abdel Wahab, titled Inta Omri. Both of these songs became very successful.
The poem
The words of the song in classical Arabic were adapted from two poems by Ibrahim Nagi, meaning that the lyrics of the song are not exactly the same words of the poem. The second poem is named Al-Wadaa. Further, the song was recorded 13 years after the poet's death. It was first published in 1944 in a compilation known as the Layali al-Qahira and is inspired by the qasida, a pre-Islamic Arabic form of poetry.The poem follows a tripartite thematic structure that can be read as a romantic narrative. In the first movement, the lyrical subject, standing amid the ruins of a deserted encampment, reflects on a past love, evoking traces of the beloved near the cold ashes of a campfire. The second section depicts a journey through the desert, interweaving meditations on loss and betrayal with the practical frustrations of travel, such as rebuking an ill-tempered camel. In the final part, arrival at a new encampment occasions an offering of a newly composed poem and personal loyalty to the local chief, symbolizing a reconciliatory acceptance of destiny or divine will. A few lines of the lyrics in English translation read as follows: