Salah Jahin
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Salah Eldin Bahgat Helmy , known as "Salah Jaheen" or "Salah Jahin" was a leading Egyptian poet
, lyricist
, playwright
and cartoonist
.
on 1930 to a middle-class family. He studied law in Cairo University
. In 1955, he started working for the Egyptian weekly magazine "Rose al-Yousef" as a cartoonist. A year later, he moved to the new magazine "Sabah el-Khair" for which he became the editor-in-chief, then he joined Al-Ahram
.
Together with Fuad Haddad, Jaheen had a great role in development of Egyptian colloquial poetry. In fact, the term "shi'r al-ammiya" or "Arabic colloquial poetry" was only coined in 1961 by a group of young poets including Salah Jahin, Abd Al-Rahman Abnudi
, Fuad Qaud and Sayyid Higab who called themselves "Jama't Ibn Arus". Before that, poetry in colloquial Egyptian Arabic
was regarded as a folkloric and low art produced by and for the uneducated masses, while the term "Shi'r" (Arabic for poetry) was restricted to poetry written in Modern Standard Arabic (commonly known as "", meaning most eloquent).
He wrote several plays for the puppet
theatre. He was also known for his nationalist and patriotic songs that marked the revolutionary era of Gamal Abdel Nasser
role, many of which were performed by the famous Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez
. The poet was highly inspired by the 1952 Revolution
and was sometimes known as the semiofficial poet of the revolution. However, after Egypt's defeat in the 1967 war and Gamal Abdel Nasser
death in 1970 he suffered from a severe depression. In one interview, he said that with the death of Nasser in 1970 and the sudden shift in political orientation he felt increasingly like Hamlet
, with Sadat
embodying the treacherous Claudius
.
In addition to political poetry, Jahin's poems frequently contain metaphysical
and philosophical themes, questioning the purpose of human life, the nature of good and evil, human and divine will and the limits of human pursuit of freedom and happiness.
In 1965, Jaheen was awarded the Egyptian Order of Science and Arts of the First Class. He died in 1986 at the age of 55.
in which he expressed his beliefs, emotions and views of life, existence, good and evil. Each verse ended with one ironic expression "Agabi" or "how strange !". Quatrains are sometimes argued as the greatest popular poetic achievement in Egypt in the last 50 years.
, from the pharaoic era
till present. Each verse ended with the same expression "Ala esm Masr" or "In Egypt's name" but each time holding a new meaning. In this poem Jaheen repeatedly expressed his love for his country. In one stanza
, he says:
Jaheen's cartoons usually had political and social goals, directing the attention of the public and the government to mistakes that needed correction. For several years, Jaheen's cartoons at Al-Ahram
were widely viewed by its readers and were considered "news in brief" giving a gist of what preoccupied people most.
of many songs, mostly patriotic songs that were performed by Abdel Halim Hafez
. His songs include: "Soura" or photo, "ehna elsha'b" or "we are the people", "Khaly elselah sahy" or "oh weapon, be ready", "Ya ahlan belma'arek" or Welcome battles" and "El-mas'oulia" or "Responsibility". He wrote for the puppet theatre, including the famous operetta
"El-leila el-kebira" or The Grand Night. Jaheen also worked as a film producer
, screenwriter
and an actor. His screenplay
s included: "Awdat al ibn al dal" or The return of the prodigal son ; directed by Youssef Chahine
, "El less wal kilab" or "The Thief and the Dogs
" movie, "Shafika we Metwali" or "Shafika and Metwali", "Khally ballak men Zouzou" or "Take Care of Zouzou" and "Amira Hoby Ana" or Amira My Sweetheart. In the latter two, the famous Egyptian actress Suad Husni
sang some of his most beautiful songs: "Ya wad ya te'eel", "Khally ballak men Zouzou" or "Take of Zouzou", "El-hayah ba'a lonha bamby" or "Life has turned pink" and "El-donia rabe'" or "It's spring time". He also wrote the script and lyrics for the "Riddles"-a television series with a riddle in each episode presented during the month of Ramadan
in the Egyptian
and Arab televisions- for several successive years and for the television serial
"Howa wa heya
" or "He and She" portrayed by Ahmad Zaki and Suad Husni
.
2010, The Egyptian Singer Tony Kaldas
composed a song from his lyrics and sang it in a new different style, in a classical way with Piano.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
.
Life and career
Jaheen was born in Shobra district, CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
on 1930 to a middle-class family. He studied law in Cairo University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
. In 1955, he started working for the Egyptian weekly magazine "Rose al-Yousef" as a cartoonist. A year later, he moved to the new magazine "Sabah el-Khair" for which he became the editor-in-chief, then he joined Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....
.
Together with Fuad Haddad, Jaheen had a great role in development of Egyptian colloquial poetry. In fact, the term "shi'r al-ammiya" or "Arabic colloquial poetry" was only coined in 1961 by a group of young poets including Salah Jahin, Abd Al-Rahman Abnudi
Abd Al-Rahman Abnudi
Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi is a popular Egyptian poet, and more recently a children's books writer. He is one of a generation of poets who wrote their work in the Egyptian dialect rather than in Classical Arabic, the standard literary language...
, Fuad Qaud and Sayyid Higab who called themselves "Jama't Ibn Arus". Before that, poetry in colloquial Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
was regarded as a folkloric and low art produced by and for the uneducated masses, while the term "Shi'r" (Arabic for poetry) was restricted to poetry written in Modern Standard Arabic (commonly known as "", meaning most eloquent).
He wrote several plays for the puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
theatre. He was also known for his nationalist and patriotic songs that marked the revolutionary era of Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
role, many of which were performed by the famous Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez
Abdel Halim Hafez
Abdel Halim Ali Shabana commonly known as Abdel Halim Hafez , is among the most popular Egyptian and Arab singers and performers. In addition to singing, Halim was also an actor, conductor, business man, music teacher and movie producer...
. The poet was highly inspired by the 1952 Revolution
1952 Revolution
The Egyptian Revolution of 1952 , also known as the 23 July Revolution, began on 23 July 1952, with a military coup d'état by the Free Officers Movement, a group of army officers led by Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser. The revolution was initially aimed at overthrowing King Farouk...
and was sometimes known as the semiofficial poet of the revolution. However, after Egypt's defeat in the 1967 war and Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
death in 1970 he suffered from a severe depression. In one interview, he said that with the death of Nasser in 1970 and the sudden shift in political orientation he felt increasingly like Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, with Sadat
Sadat
- See also :* Anwar Sadat, former President of Egypt* Sadat * Saadat* Sadat. Term also used for the descendents of Holy Prophet Muhammad through Imam Ali and Bibi Fatima progeny....
embodying the treacherous Claudius
King Claudius
King Claudius is a character and the antagonist from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. He is the brother to King Hamlet, second husband to Gertrude and uncle to Hamlet. He obtained the throne of Denmark by murdering his own brother with poison and then marrying the late king's widow...
.
In addition to political poetry, Jahin's poems frequently contain metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
and philosophical themes, questioning the purpose of human life, the nature of good and evil, human and divine will and the limits of human pursuit of freedom and happiness.
In 1965, Jaheen was awarded the Egyptian Order of Science and Arts of the First Class. He died in 1986 at the age of 55.
Ruba'iyat (Quatrains)
In 1963 Jaheen wrote his quatrains or rubaiyatRubaiyat
"Rubāʿī" is Arabic for "quatrain", and is used to describe a Persian quatrain, or its derivative form in English and other languages. The plural form of the word, rubāʿiyāt ,often anglicised rubaiyat , is used to describe a collection of such quatrains.There are a number of possible rhyme schemes...
in which he expressed his beliefs, emotions and views of life, existence, good and evil. Each verse ended with one ironic expression "Agabi" or "how strange !". Quatrains are sometimes argued as the greatest popular poetic achievement in Egypt in the last 50 years.
In Egypt's Name
In 1971, Jaheen wrote "Ala Esm Masr" or "In Egypt's name", an epic poem narrating the history of EgyptHistory of Egypt
Egyptian history can be roughly divided into the following periods:*Prehistoric Egypt*Ancient Egypt**Early Dynastic Period of Egypt: 31st to 27th centuries BC**Old Kingdom of Egypt: 27th to 22nd centuries BC...
, from the pharaoic era
History of Ancient Egypt
The History of Ancient Egypt spans the period from the early predynastic settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the Roman conquest in 30 BC...
till present. Each verse ended with the same expression "Ala esm Masr" or "In Egypt's name" but each time holding a new meaning. In this poem Jaheen repeatedly expressed his love for his country. In one stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
, he says:
- "History may say what it wishes in Egypt name
- Egypt, for me, is the most beloved and most beautiful of things.
- I love her when she owns the earth, east and west.
- And I love her when she is down, wounded in a battle.
- I love her fiercely, gently and with modesty.
- I hate her and curse her with the passion of the lovesick.
- I leave her and flee down one path, and she remains in another .
- She turns to find me beside her in misfortune.
- My veins pulsating with a thousand tunes and rhythms.
- In Egypt's name."
Others
His other books of colloquial poetry include:- An al-qamar wa al-teen (1961).
- Qasaqis Waraq, (1966).
- Dawawin Salah Jahin, (1977).
- Angham Siptambirriyah, (1984).
As a cartoonist
Jaheen is the founder of the modern Egyptian cartoon school. Among his known cartoon series were Hashish addicts, Vigor Coffee-house and the Government Departments in which he introduced a theme called the "fahhama" or "the understander", an imaginary device clamped on the skulls of various cartoon characters, which intended to make the incomprehensible comprehensible thus drawing attention to the absurdities of modern life.Jaheen's cartoons usually had political and social goals, directing the attention of the public and the government to mistakes that needed correction. For several years, Jaheen's cartoons at Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....
were widely viewed by its readers and were considered "news in brief" giving a gist of what preoccupied people most.
Others
Jaheen wrote the lyricsLyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
of many songs, mostly patriotic songs that were performed by Abdel Halim Hafez
Abdel Halim Hafez
Abdel Halim Ali Shabana commonly known as Abdel Halim Hafez , is among the most popular Egyptian and Arab singers and performers. In addition to singing, Halim was also an actor, conductor, business man, music teacher and movie producer...
. His songs include: "Soura" or photo, "ehna elsha'b" or "we are the people", "Khaly elselah sahy" or "oh weapon, be ready", "Ya ahlan belma'arek" or Welcome battles" and "El-mas'oulia" or "Responsibility". He wrote for the puppet theatre, including the famous operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
"El-leila el-kebira" or The Grand Night. Jaheen also worked as a film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and an actor. His screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s included: "Awdat al ibn al dal" or The return of the prodigal son ; directed by Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine was an Egyptian film director active in the Egyptian film industry since 1950. He was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif...
, "El less wal kilab" or "The Thief and the Dogs
The Thief and the Dogs
The Thief and the Dogs is one of the Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz's most celebrated works. He further developed his theme of existentialism using stream-of-consciousness and surrealist techniques...
" movie, "Shafika we Metwali" or "Shafika and Metwali", "Khally ballak men Zouzou" or "Take Care of Zouzou" and "Amira Hoby Ana" or Amira My Sweetheart. In the latter two, the famous Egyptian actress Suad Husni
Suad Husni
Soad Mohamed Hosny was an Egyptian actress born in the Bulaq district of Cairo. Hosny was known as the "Cinderella of Egyptian cinema" and one of the most influential actresses in the artistic arena. She ascended to stardom in the end of the 1950s, performing in more than 83 films between 1959 and...
sang some of his most beautiful songs: "Ya wad ya te'eel", "Khally ballak men Zouzou" or "Take of Zouzou", "El-hayah ba'a lonha bamby" or "Life has turned pink" and "El-donia rabe'" or "It's spring time". He also wrote the script and lyrics for the "Riddles"-a television series with a riddle in each episode presented during the month of Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
in the Egyptian
Egyptian television
The Egyptian Television Network is a television service run by the Egyptian Radio and Television Union. It commenced programming in 1960. Today it has more than three national channels, and several broadcast channels on satellite.- History :...
and Arab televisions- for several successive years and for the television serial
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
"Howa wa heya
Howa wa heya
* " Howa wa Heya", "Him and Her," هو و هي"* director = Yehia Al-Alamy* producer = Egyptian television*writer = Sanaa Al Bisi*script and lyrics =Salah Jahin* starring =*Soad Hosny*Ahmed Zaki...
" or "He and She" portrayed by Ahmad Zaki and Suad Husni
Suad Husni
Soad Mohamed Hosny was an Egyptian actress born in the Bulaq district of Cairo. Hosny was known as the "Cinderella of Egyptian cinema" and one of the most influential actresses in the artistic arena. She ascended to stardom in the end of the 1950s, performing in more than 83 films between 1959 and...
.
2010, The Egyptian Singer Tony Kaldas
Tony Kaldas
Tony Kaldas is a young Egyptian singer, trained for both opera and Arabic, classical and light singing. He was featured in concerts in Egypt.- Biography :Early Years – 2004...
composed a song from his lyrics and sang it in a new different style, in a classical way with Piano.