Fairuz’s Bird of Sorrow and Its Lebanese Story
Resumo
In r/Lebanon, this announcement explores the story behind Fairuz’s song Bird of Sorrow and its connection to a Lebanese Shiite cleric who wrote the poem. It shares details about his poetry, opposition to Saddam Hussein’s regime, and killing in 1980, connecting music with a painful chapter of Lebanese history.
TIL: Fairuz’ song “عصفورة الشجن-bird of sorrow” was an ode to Lebanese Shia cleric Ali Badr El-Din who was killed by the Iraqi Baathist Party.
Ali Muhammad Jawad Badr al-Din (1949 - 1980) was a Lebanese Shiite cleric. He studied in Najaf, and Fairuz sang a poem for him without mentioning his name, at his request. His body was found with gunshot wounds and signs of torture.
The Sayyid for whom Fairuz sang
In early November 1980, the body of a thirty-year-old cleric was found in one of the valleys in southern Lebanon, having been pierced by several fatal bullets, and showing signs of brutal torture. The young slain sheikh was quickly identified. He was Sayyid Ali Badr al-Din, the imam of the town of Harouf in the Nabatieh district, who had disappeared while on his way to the mosque a few days before his body was discovered.
It was said that he met Composer and Husband of Fairuz Assi Rahbani in the late 1960s and he sold him the lyrics of bird of sorrow from a poem he wrote for 35 Lebanese Liras and a pack of cigarettes. Badr El-Din was known for his poetic talent and his passion for the Lebanese “Zajal”. He was also an outspoken opposer of Saddam Hussein’s regime, which eventually led to his brutal death.
Post Author: /u/Due_Inevitable_2784
Content Warning: None
