Music and poetry

Lyrics in English

(Narrator) Hear now the story of Kemal, a young prince of the East, descendant of Sinbad,
who thought he could change the world, but bitter is the will of Allah, and dark are the souls of men

In the eastern lands
once upon a time
the purse was empty
the water stale

in Mosul, in Basra
in the old date palm
in bitterness are crying
the children of the desert

and a young man
of royal blood
witnesses the dirge
and veers towards it

The Bedouins look at him
with a sorrowful glance
and he swears in the name of Allah
that the times will change

When the lords heard
of the boy's fearlessness
they set off with a wolf's fang
and a lion's fleece

From Tiger to Euphrates
and from the earth to the sky
they're hunting down the renegade
to catch him alive

the hordes come down on him
like rampant dogs
and they take him to the Caliph
to tie a noose around his head

black honey, black milk
he drank that morning
before he drew on the gallows
his final breath

with two old camels
with a red war horse
at the gates of paradise
the Prophet awaits

they go now hand in hand
and it's cloudy all around
but the star of Damascus
kept them company

in a month, in a year
they see Allah in front of them
who from his high throne
says to foolish Sinbad

my defeated wise guy ***
times do not change

with fire and knife
the world always goes forth.

(Narrator) Goodnight Kemal
this world will never change
goodnight

*** (here the artist sarcastically uses the word 'ksefteri' i.e. 'grass hawk' meaning a very smart person)