"Oh mother, my mother (lamentation)"

This lament is based on a traditional Lebanese Good Friday hymn (Wa Habibi/Beloved). The melody follows a Byzantine theme and the singer's trills and guttural pulsations will probably sound dissonant to classically-trained ears.

Here's my rendition of the lyrics in English:

Oh mother, my mother

my path was sown

with bitterness and absinthe

Oh mother, my mother

my days of youth gave way

under the weight of swords.

Oh heaven, my heaven

send me water

to soak the desert

so that a soothing flower 

may bloom

from my airy frame

Oh mother, my mother

bring me Spring

upon the cross.

Oh mother, my mother

my sun-drenched day 

when will I find you.

Oh heaven, my heaven

dissolve these darkened clouds 

so that I may cross the frontier

and on one evening

upon the mountains

to raise the call

Oh mother, my mother

in my hands today

the nails burn so.

Oh heaven, my heaven

send me water

to soak the desert

so that a soothing flower 

may bloom

from my airy frame

Oh mother, my mother

bring me your Sun

upon the cross.