Qareat El Fengan – Abdel Halim Hafez

In this E-book, I will discuss one of the greatest Arabic songs – at least in my opinion.

this song was written by one of the most famous arab poets the ever lived “Nizar Gabbani” and was sung by “Abdel Halim Hafez”.

The song is called: “Qareat el fengan” which means the cup reader. In Arabic traditions, people believe that you can predict your future by reading your coffee cup after drinking it.

Abdel Halim Hafez (b. June 21, 1929 – d. March 30, 1977) was an Egyptian singer, he is considered one of the giants of Arabic singers and was one of the most prominent romantic singers of his time. He was also an advocate for the principles of the revolution and the Egyptian dream in his nationalistic songs, to the extent that it was said that Abdel Halim Hafez’s songs were the July 23 revolution in the form of music and melodies. He was also referred to as “the singer of the revolution” and had multiple patriotic songs.

Here , you can listen to one of Abdel Halim’s songs:

Nizar Qabbani (b. March 21, 1923 – d. april 30, 1998) was a Syrian poet known for his poetry about women, love, and war. He had a poetry collection that is widely circulated and his poems have a gentle impact on people’s souls, expressing their feelings with sincerity. Nizar Qabbani had many wonderful poetic compositions.

Challenge Accepted 

Having over 240 songs, with millions of fans all around the world, it was obvious that Abdel Halim Hafez is having a perfect career, regardless of his health issues he was good in everything, a good-looking man with a gorgeous voice, and everyone in Egypt loved him.

in 1974 Nizar Qabbani composed a poem, a very controversial one, and he chose Abdel Halim Hafez to perform this poem after sending it to him directly and asking him to present it due to the absence of another singer who had the necessary boldness to deviate from the prevailing norms at that time, Abdel Halim took on the challenge and chose Mohamed El Mougi to compose it, which was one of the most prominent innovators in arab music and singing; it took Mohamed El Mougi two years to finish the song.

confronting obstacles

The song went through a crisis that could have ended it in its early stages, as there was a hoarseness in Mohamed El Mougi’s voice, making it difficult to transcribe the melody into musical notes. By the time the notes were transcribed, there were only 12 days left until the concert, while Abdel Halim used to rehearse for 45 days, he decided to cancel the show, but later changed his mind with the support of his friend Magdi El Amrousi. The members of the orchestra, led by Ahmed Fouad Hassan, were determined to work 12 hours a day on rehearsals.

Even though the song was finished, Abdel Halim still regretted performing “Qareet El Fengan” due to its pessimistic content and prediction of a dark future for him.

The shock 

25 April 1976, the awaited moment came, Abdel Halim is on stage, unfortunately, he was shocked by the unwelcoming reception he received, despite the great efforts he had put into bringing the song to their level of expectation over several years, and the multiple times he had suffered from vocal bleeding as a result. He was surprised by the ingratitude he faced from his audience after he had pleased them and shared their joys and happiness with them for over a quarter of a century.

Abdel Halim initially tried to control himself and asked the audience to remain calm, explaining to them that the lyrics of the poem were difficult, but his efforts were in vain. He continued trying to calm them down and assure them that the microphone was working fine, countering claims that they couldn’t hear what he was saying.

In the second part of the song, Abdel Halim suddenly stopped singing due to the continued chaos caused by some of the attendees who were whistling and dancing. He angrily told this group, “That’s enough! I know how to whistle and yell just like you do,” and he started whistling back at them.

The argument between Abdel Halim and the audience.

The last dance

Qareat El Fengan was unfortunately the last song for Abdel Halim Hafez, legend says that the song was considered by Abdel Halim as a bad omen, especially since he was in desperate need of hope during that period, amidst his suffering from illness that was gradually consuming his body, until he passed away in London.

Abdel Halim passed away 46 years ago, but “Qareat El Fengan” did not depart, despite everything that happened the song still retains its popularity and is considered a classic piece of art that continues to be listened to and attracts audiences to this day.

Qareat El Fengan 

The Fortune Teller

Lyrics

The fortune teller read my cup,

And her words have shaken me.

She told me of dark clouds,

And that I will lose my way.

She told me, “Your heart will be filled with sorrow,

And your eyes will shed tears.

You will face difficulties and challenges,

And your nights will be sleepless.”

She told me, “Your lover will leave,

And you will be left alone.

Your dreams will be shattered,

And your heart will ache with pain.”

She told me, “Your luck will fade,

And you will be lost in the darkness.

Your days will be filled with despair,

And you will long for the past.”

But I will not lose hope,

And I will keep on fighting.

I will face whatever comes my way,

And I will rise above the challenges.

For I am not afraid of the future,

And I will not let fear consume me.

I will stand strong and face my destiny,

With determination and resilience.

So, let the fortune teller say what she wants,

Her words will not bring me down.

I will continue to live and strive,

And create my own destiny, on my own terms.

Thank you guys for reaching the last page of my book , I hope you enjoyed reading it , The most important thing is that you have seen the piece of art these giants have created for the world