Help with Ya el Menfi (algerian I know)

Darija, Moroccan Arabic Forums - Forums de darija, Moroccan Arabic Translation - Traduction de l'arab
#1

Hi
I’m translating 1,2,3, soleils for a friend
I need some help with it please.
I need help with the version by 1,2,3 soleils, here is what I have so far.
I just need help with the parts I bolded please…

Goulou lemmi ma tebkich ya el menfi Weldak rebbi ma ikhelich ya el menfi
tell my mom not to cry oh menfi
God will not leave your son oh menfi

?Aw ki dakhal fi wast bibane ya el menfi (3.45 of the video)
He is entering the gates/doors
Aw sab3aa fih el gada3ane ya el menfi
Aw galouli kachi doukhane ya el menfi
Wana fi wasthoum dehchane ya el menfi
I was in the midst of them surprised??

REFRAIN ?

Aw ki dawni le tribunal ya el menfi
they took to me to the court/tribumal
Djadarmiya kbar wa sghar ya el menfi (bis)
Big and small gendarmes (French policemen)
Aw sensla tewzen qantar ya el menfi
The necklace weighed a quintal (100 kg?)
Aw derbouni baam wa nhar ya el menfi ?they (hit me with) gave me a year and a day (in jail i suppose?) help here?

?REFRAIN ?

Aala dekhla haffouli ras ya el menfi
when i entered they shaved my head…
Aw aatawni zoura w paillasse ya el menfi
they gave me a pillow and a mattress
Aw grifounia maaya aassas ya el menfi

Aala tmania tesmaa soulas ya el menfi
what does this mean? and is this in darija too?

?REFRAIN

?Aw ya guelbi wach dak ti3f ya el menfi
??
Aw soupa daymane kif-kif ya el menfi
The soup is always the same
Aw el gamila ma3amra ba el ma ya el menfi
the huge pot is filled with water
Aw gralou i3oom fiha …ya el menfi ?
the cockroaches swim in it…

here is the video it starts at 3 minutes

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhPz7h3UOHo[/youtube]

#2

I have no idea, Marroquina - but this will be a great exercise to try and figure out, so thanks :^^: And welcome to the forum :hat:

#3

thanks jonquix!!
bumping this thread!!

#4

u need an algerian here … maybe mini can help u …

#5

oh sowwy but my darija isn’t good enough in translating what u want :no:

#6

Ei! I have been asking and some moroccans told me that in algerian Menfi means “who is in exile”, who have been banned of his country.

So, banned works with the sense of the song.

But we would need confirmation

I’ve found also interesting information that sure you will enjoy, as I did:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVKBelWpbzQ[/youtube]

In Youtube there is this interesting text in french, that confirms that Menfi means exilied

“Yal Menfi” est une reprise en arabe dialectal d’un vieux chant d’exil kabyle composé au lendemain de l’insurrection de 1871 et du verdict sans appel : la déportation en Nouvelle-Calédonie de la plupart des meneurs. “Yal Menfi” (l’exilé) évoque les souffrances endurées par les immigrés algériens de toutes les époques.

#7

Ok, I’ve been roaming trying to get the whole significat. Except one or two lines, where it’s possible to understand some diferents meanings, it’s clear.

It’s very important to know the circumstances of this song:

1 - It’s suposed to be a kabylie popular song, sing at the war times in Algeria. There were tortures to the prisioners as: to sleep at open field where they were forced to work, to sank them in a big bath of water (mybe the gamila 3mer bil ma’), to whipe them and other fisical violences.
At war, the young algerians were deportated to the oriental french colonies.

2 - Akli Yahyaten, who was an algerian singer from the kabylia, emigrated to France in 50’s, where he worked in the Citroën factories. He become to frequent the Latin Quartier, where they used to meet algerian artists. France police suspected him of collecting funds for the FLN, so he was emprisioned more than once and two…
He learned to read in prision, where he wrote some songs, as “Ia el Melfi”. When he was free again, he retourned to Algeria to found there that he was a real star.

[quote=marroquina]Goulou lemmi ma tebkich ya el menfi Weldak rebbi ma ikhelich ya el menfi
tell my mom not to cry
oh menfi
oh, banned /exiled
God will not leave your son
oh menfi
oh, banned /exiled

?Aw ki dakhal fi wast bibane ya el menfi
He is entering the gates/doors
Aw sab3aa fih el gada3ane ya el menfi
and there are seven braves [I suppose their are talking about prision, seven in the cell, all closed by the same reason]
Aw galouli kachi doukhane ya el menfi
And they said to me: “do you have tobacco?”
Wana fi wasthoum dehchane ya el menfi
I was in the midst of them surprised?? —> Also you can understand exhausted

REFRAIN ?

Aw ki dawni le tribunal ya el menfi
they took to me to the court/tribumal
Djadarmiya kbar wa sghar ya el menfi (bis)
Big and small gendarmes (French policemen)
Aw sensla tewzen qantar ya el menfi
The necklace weighed a quintal (100 kg?) --> Yeah, is a french word
Aw derbouni baam wa nhar ya el menfi
?they (hit me with) gave me a year and a day (in jail i suppose?) help here? --> Yeah, in prision.

?REFRAIN ?

Aala dekhla haffouli ras ya el menfi
when i entered they shaved my head…
Aw aatawni zoura w paillasse ya el menfi
they gave me a pillow and a mattress
Aw grifounia maaya aassas ya el menfi
They assigned me a guardian (greffer–> to graft) There is no consensus on the net about the words, but the sense is clear.
[s]Aala tmania tesmaa soulas silence (french word)
At 20:00 you hear the silence —> But this is in the Taha cover. In the original one it seems to be diferent words and sense:
arift minya tesmaa siyyet --> You know why we hear the whipe

?REFRAIN

?Aw ya guelbi wach dak ti3f ya el menfi
Oh, my heart, why you are upset / displeased
Aw soupa daymane kif-kif ya el menfi
The soup is always the same
Aw el gamila ma3amra ba el ma ya el menfi
the huge pot is filled with water
Aw gralou i3oom fiha …ya el menfi ?
the cockroaches swim in it…[/quote]

#8

thanks guys!!
The context of this song is quite fascinating