باح باح بالمسطاح
"When I was a child my parents sang this to us a lot. It's a popular song here." -Fatima
باح باح بالمسطاح
Gone! Gone! On the Flat Land
Children's Song
Children's Song
(Arabic)
(English)
باح باح بالمسطاح
إجا (جاء) الواوي (ثعلب) عوه و راح
بیها الشگ (شق) و بیها البگ (بق)
بیها اضحیکات (ضحکات) النیني (الصغیر)
و النیني یرید حلیبه
الحلیبه من الجاموسه
الجاموسه ترید حشیش
و حشیشها من الفلاح
الفلاح یرید منجل
المنجل من الحداد
الحداد یرید فلسات (نقود)
فلیساته من الفلاح
والدیبه ترید حبیبات
حبیباتها من المسطاح
باح باح بالمسطاح
إجا (جاء) الواوي (ثعلب) عوه و راح
یا خسارتک یا فلاح
Gone! Gone! On the flat land*
The fox came, yapped and went.
There is a tent on the flat land and a mosquito in it
And laughter of the baby
And the baby wants milk
The milk is from the water buffalo**.
The water buffalo wants grass
And its grass is from the farmer
The farmer wants a sickle
The sickle is from the blacksmith
The blacksmith wants money
His money is from the farmer
And the wolf wants grain
Its grain is from the flat land
Gone! Gone! Flat land
The fox came, yapped and went,
Hey Farmer! What a pity.
Notes
*A flat spot, place or land.
**Fatima wrote, "We have a lot of water buffalo here in Iran."
*****
Transliteration
Bah bah be-al-mostah
Ija al-wawi awwa o rah
Biha al-sheg wa biha al-bag
Biha edhhikat al-nini
Wa al-nini yerid haliba
Wa al-haliba men al-jamousa
Al-jamousa trid hasheesh
Hasheeshha men al-falah
Al-falah yerid menjal
Al-minjal men al-haddad
Al-haddad yerid felsat
Felsatah men-alfalah
Wa al-dibeh trid hobaibat
hobaibatha men al-mostah
Bah bah be al-mostah
Ija al-wawi awwa o rah
Ya khsartak ya falah
Thanks and Acknowledgements
This song was compiled by Aghil Zargai and translated by Fatima Baji.
Many thanks to Fatima Baji for contributing, transliterating and translating this song.
Image: Wikipedia
