Shams el Assil (2nd paragraph) June 7, 1956

I don't know why I am in "Shams el Assil" mood these days!!! It might have to something to do with the beginning of the beautiful weather here in Canada (lots of sunshine these days, don't want to jinx it though).

True it is a great song (this qualifier seems to apply to all Oum Kasloum's songs prior to the 1960s), but Kalsoumoholics usually won't indicate this song among their top favourites. Yet, there is something whimsical about it, and I think that it transports you into the setting that Bayram describes in the lyrics. Whatever it is, I have been listening to almost every performance of this song in my possession lately.

Here I present the second paragraph, i.e the one following the opening that I posted last week, but from an earlier concert (less than 2 weeks actually). The whole performance is great, and I will be uploading more of it in the future.
In this paragraph, Oum Kalsoum compares the purity of her relationship with her lover to that of the Nile. Again, Oum Kalsoum did not improvise melodic lines in this paragraph, yet she made some astonishing colourful variations on the word "safaq" (purity) @ 1:34, 2:36, 5:33, 6:06 (wonderful)
hawak (1:50, 2:08, 3:05, 3:24, 6:36 and 6:51 (last two miraculously beautiful)
Also notice how she inflames the audience when she says "you (Nile) and we (my lover and I) are unmatched in beauty at 4:32.

Stunning rendition!