Aghrab-e Zolf-e Kajet - Iranian Song

Vocals, dance and santour by Kelareh Kabiri, video and arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a 19th century song by the famed composer Sheydā, whose tasnifs are some of the most well known in Classical Persian Music--the court music of Iran that serves as the country’s national and classical repertoire. Tasnifs are lyrics based music centered around one modal scale, called gushe, in Persian. Sheydā’s music is centered around romantic themes of love and passion, and legend attributes the lyrics of this song to Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, the monarch of the time, although these claims have never been seriously verified, and are more than likely a myth. The musical mode of this piece is Shushtar, which is a “gushe“ (subdivision) of the larger dastgāh (grouping of modes) of Homayoun. The dancing is a typical example of Persian dancing, one of the many styles of dancing in Iran, characterised by flowing and flowery movements centered around the use of the arms. Lyrics in Persian: عقرب زلف کجت با قمر قرینه تا قمر در عقربه کار ما چنینه نرگس مست تو و بخت من خرابه بخت من از تو و چشم تو از شرابه کیه؟ کیه در میزنه؟ من دلم میلرزه درو با لنگر میرنه، من دلم میلرزه ای پری بیا در کنار ما، جان خسته را مرنجان از برم مرو، خسته جان مشو تا برای تو کنم جان از برم مرو، خسته جان مشو تا برای تو کنم جان English translation: The curl of your hair is one with the moon’s curve, As long as our moons won’t align, our fate is to suffer grief, Who knocks at the door? My heart trembles, They strike the door with the knocker. My heart trembles, Your eyes are wine that make me drunk, my condition is ill, My condition is your doing, your eyes are made of wine, Oh angel, come to my side, do not sadden my tired spirit, Do not leave my side, do not become my soul’s ennemy, let me sacrifice myself for you,