بتتلج الدني - Btetloj El Deni (The World Is Covered in Snow)

If you are familiar with the corpus of Fairouz's work, you'll know that there are many beautiful songs about how wonderful Lebanon is. Basically, Fairouz rules at the patriotic Lebanese song genre. Here's one of my favorites:

لا تخافي سالم غفيان مش بردان
نايم ع تلة بتضل تصلي
وناطر زهر اللوز بنيسان
بقلبو الإيمان ومغطى بعلم لبنان
بتتلج الدني بتشمس الدني
ويا لبنان بحبك تتخلص الدني
بخبيك بعنيي وبقلك غنية
تلجك المحبة وشمسك الحرية
وطني يا حكاية بالعز مضواية
ليش هالقد بحبك يا غاية الغاية
بحبك يا عنيي لأنك غنية
تلجك المحبة وشمسك الحرية
بتتلج الدني بتشمس الدني
ويا لبنان بحبك تتخلص الدني
بخبيك بعنيي وبقلك غنية
تلجك المحبة وشمسك الحرية
شمسك الحرية

Don't worry, Salem is sleeping, and not cold

He's sleeping on a hill, and we should keep praying

And he's waiting for the almond flowers to bloom in April

Faith is in his heart, and he's covered with the flag of Lebanon

The world will be covered in snow, and then filled with sunlight

And Lebanon, I will love you until the world ends

I will hide you inside my eyes (protect you) and sing you this song

Your snow is love, and your sun is freedom

My homeland, your story shines with glory

Why do I love you so much, and want nothing but you?

I love you as dear as my eyes because you are my song

Your snow is love, and your sun is freedom

and the song itself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxFEHjzD1ac

A little bit of background first. This song is from Fairouz's play, El Baalbakiya (aka The Return of the Soldiers). The play is just a collection of patriotic songs about some war in Baalbek and the soldiers fighting for Lebanon. Before this song starts, the soldiers have returned except one soldier, Salem, who died in battle. So that explains the first four lines. After that, the song just goes on saying that no matter what happens, they will always love their homeland, Lebanon, and it is totally worth all of the sacrifices. Why? Because everything good in this world is tied to that homeland.

This song is much needed nowadays in my life. It is getting harder and harder to feel this bond to Egypt, my homeland. With the political situation in shambles, and the country practically falling apart, it is becoming impossible to see anything good in the homeland. It sometimes feels that there are two Egypts, the mystical one in my mind that has all of the good things that Fairouz describes in Lebanon, and the real one that drove me and my family away. It is hard to reconcile my conflicting feelings towards Egypt. It really is. However, as an Egyptian saying goes, "If you don't remember your origins with good things, you will never find the good in those things to come." So, I still love Egypt, and I am proud to be an Egyptian, and I truly wish it well. I'm not sure what I can possibly do to make it better, but I will not hesitate to do it. I had good memories growing up in this godforsaken country, and I will not let anyone take these memories away from me. Egypt will persevere!