Translation: Birima - Youssou N'Dour

"Birima" from the album "Joko (The Link)" (Original Lyrics)
By Youssou N'Dour

He assumed the throne of Cajor
And became well-known for his festive reign
Where every occasion was reason for
Celebration in great style
Having inherited a rich oral tradition
He encouraged local musicians
And his patronage gave rise to the flourishing of
The music known as mbaboor

Ah! Birima!
A day spent in your presence
Was the picture of hospitality!

This music was transmitted by the griots
Who painted vivid portraits of the kingdom
Mbaboor became inextricably linked
To the history of Cajor
Most importantly, it forged a new and enduring link
Between royalty and the common people
Where relations had been different before
As the classes lived and struggled and
Celebrated together
Common experience allowed them to identify
With one another

Ah! Birima!
A day spent in your presence
Was the picture of hospitality



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31 comments:

  1. Great post full of useful tips! My site is fairly new and I am also having a hard time getting my readers to leave comments. Analytics shows they are coming to the site but I have a feeling “nobody wants to be first”. Traduccion Cristiana

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  2. A Senegalese friend from college introduced me to Youssou N'Dour. She did explain what it means, but I forgot. So I googled and here I am. Thank you for the translation.

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    1. I want that friend to introduce me to Birima

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  3. I would love an English translation of Tijaniyya from Egypt
    It is so beautiful!

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  4. One of the best tunes.Never gets old.
    I am going to Senegal for the first time and meeting him is on my list of things to-do.Thanks for the translation.

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  5. dutiful track nice to know the meaning at last

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  6. Listened to this songs for the first time in year 2000 shortly after mg Dad died... I didnt know the meaning or Correct lytics but this song gave me Joy. Youssou N'dour is blessed beyond measure !

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  7. can i translate it to my mothertoungue Assamese. plz reply

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  8. Thank you for the translation

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  9. Thank you for this translation. The song birima is something else, transforms my spirit to the cosmos. I had looked for the meaning invain, so thank you so much. Youssou N'dour is top of my favorite artists right now, I love him so much it's crazy!

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  10. I just love the song ,,but I didn't understand the lyrics .thank for the translation

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  11. My dear late partners favourite work and respectfully her funeral music what a lady. It's pointless wading through match.com as 99.9 percent of its subscribers won't even heard of youssou.. a loss in which ever way you look at it. Xx

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  12. Is Birima a name of a person or just a word if yes kindly assist with the translation.
    Thanks Nhlanhla From South Africa

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    1. A person's name. The name of the main character receiving thanks in the song for his hospitality.

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  13. Wow!!! What a wonderful song. A song that can inspire anyone without knowing it's meaning. I love this song, God bless his generation

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  14. Golden times. Kids today will never know the feeling, when we enjoy this song and many others like it from Youssou N'dour and the likes of African Musicians. Blessed to be born in the 90's. God bless Africa πŸ–€

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    1. We should continue playing our African music

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    2. I was born in 2000 and discovered this song recently, I refute the fallacy that kids today don’t know old music

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  15. Thanks you, I'm togolese and very familiar with this song. Thanks for translating.

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  16. One of my favourite πŸ‘Birima

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  17. Thank you thank you! I feel huge and connected to the cosmos listening to this song!

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  18. I am from Xhosa tribe in SA and I enjoyed the song as much as I didn't understand the meaning but from seeing the song it told me that Birima is someone who's rich but kind to those are poor, I'm so happy to see that I'm not far.i so love Africans with their music and I hope one day someone can bring me close to these legends Yousssou N'Dour,Salif Keita please.thank you Youssou N'Dour for great music pls don't stop

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    1. You've got great tatse in music....! Am reminded of Jabu Khanyile and Ringo...their music is international too and touches all age groups and cultures

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  19. You've got great tatse in music....! Am reminded of Jabu Khanyile and Ringo...their music is international too and touches all age groups and cultures

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  20. I loved Youssou N'Dour from years back, then heard his voice on radio and said which album is this? Then shazamed it only to find out its an album,its a must have going to get it. Normally I would get albums and listen to all the tracks but how I missed this is being too busy in life. I need to catch up with my music(all good african music) including the one from my country South Africa. May our African Artists continue blessing us africans with our own, our food for the soul music. We connect to it even before we know the meaning of the songs. Listen to all live versions..... Ooh you will love it! even the London one.

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  21. thanks for the translation! love this song.. !! it's on repeat ..

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  22. I Listened to this song a million times. Today I have an idea what the song is all about. . Long live youssour.

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  23. Youssou ndour is a legend i have met in my dreams for so many times because mostly his music is my lullaby. I can sing many of his song without knowing the meaning of a single word in the lyrics. Because this i have been learning French and kirikou is the song I love very much because i now know the meaning of what say.
    This is Zakaria from Ghana πŸ‡¬πŸ‡­

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  24. I simply love Yousou Ndour I wish to meet him one day.

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  25. Thank you, just thank you. This translation means so much to me because this music lives right at the bottom of my heart. Live from ghana πŸ‡¬πŸ‡­

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