Umm Kulthum
by Jack Foley
listening to the astounding
listening to the astounding
sounds Rendition generates tarab, enchantment
sounds
of umm kulthum
of umm kulthum
is like being
is like being
transported
transported
not to
not to
Arabia
Arabia Listening in Egypt is usually participatory:
but to audience members call out subtle compliments
but to or loud encouragement to performers. Silence some
vas t is interpreted as disinterest or dislike.
some vas t
empty
empty
space
space
filled
filled Demands are not met by wishing:
with sounds the world can only be taken
with sounds by struggle.
akin to
akin to
wailing
wailing
to a mo –
to a mo – Opinions are complex entities,
an subject to many forces, some
an contradictory to one another.
tha – A stated “opinion”
tha – is a kind of selection
t from a matrix of forces
t that swirl around a subject.
breaks loose It is the point of poetry
breaks loose to name
into everything the matrix.
and show –
s
and show –
s
the utter authority
the sheer authority
the vast immensity
the sheer immensity
the all – encompassing
SAHARA
of
pa –
of
pa –
in
in
Note: Umm Kulthum was an Egyptian singer, songwriter, and actress.
“More than three decades after her death, she is still recognized as
one of the Arab world’s most famous and distinguished singers of the
20th century.” Wikipedia