"High Noon"

 

"O Phnom Penh"

O, Phnom Penh!

During the three years we were apart,

I missed you and my heart suffered each and every day,

Because the enemy cut off the affection between you and me.

When I was forced to leave you,

Anger burnt in my heart

And compelled me to redress the sufferings you bore,

To show my faithfulness to you.

Phnom Penh, our beloved city,

In spite of the three years of hardship,

You managed to preserve our history

And represent the soul of Cambodia.

You prevented the disappearance of Cambodia,

Land of the Khmer race.

The soul of the Khmer nation lives on

And stays strong under the shade of Angkor.

O, Phnom Penh, now we are reunited

And you are relieved from your sadness and your sorrow.

O, Phnom Penh, our nation’s heart and soul.

Music by Bunnaray Morm

Lyric by Chenda Keo

Original vocal by Sokha Morm

"The King's Procession"

Oh, I think with nostalgia of the king’s procession

Oh, I think with nostalgia of the king’s procession

He never traveled alone, he never traveled alone

Always escorted by his army.

Oh, the day started, the day started, with dimly light

Oh, the day started, the day started, with dimly light

Escorted the king, escorted the king who traveled by land.

Oh, the king was on a horseback, the king was on a horseback

The king rode on the back of an elephant

The king was on the back of the royal lion, regarding the forest.

Oh, I continue to think nostalgically

Oh, I continue to think nostalgically

With rejuvenated body

Surrounded by flowers, surrounded by flowers

The king entered the victory hall.

Sdach Yeang, or The King’s Procession in English, is a Khmer wedding song

Composed in baky buon (four-syllable metre)

Each stanza is to be sung twice.

"Thunder Romance"

I haven’t been able to update this blog for awhile. I was traveling, helping my niece
move across the country. Anyway, today I have a very old Khmer song to share.
The song is “Sontheuk Pkor Kraom” which loosely translates to Thunder Romance.
It was composed in baky buon (four-syllable metre). The four-syllable metre is the
oldest of the Khmer poetic metres. It predated the arrival of Hinduism
in Cambodia. It’s the metre which mostly found in songs.
“Sontheuk Pkor Kraom” had been adapted to mahori music. You can listen to
a recording of the song here. There are three stanzas in the original, but for
whatever reason they left out the last stanza in that mahori recording.

A roar of thunder echoed around the sky

Followed by another roar and another...  

I steered my lover toward the stable

Told her to take shelter inside.

With a heavy heart, I left my lover

Went looking for horses

But the horses were long gone.

A bundle of rolled up tobacco

Betel nuts wrapped in a shawl

Couldn’t quit my lover

I asked my wife for a divorce.

Source for the Khmer lyrics: Traditional Songs of Cambodia by Hang Sout, Em Chiey, Meas Saem (2004) Phnom Penh

 

Khmer Lullaby

O wild rooster

Are you cawing, cawing

Near our hut?

Hey Krishna. O Krishna

Hey Krishna, dearest child, don’t you cry

Mother’s here, mother’s here, singing you to sleep.

O cicada

Are you singing, singing  

Near our hut?

Hey Krishna. O Krishna

Hey Krishna, dearest child, don’t you cry

Mother’s here, mother’s here, singing you to sleep.

O flutist

Are you playing, playing

Near our hut?

Hey Krishna. O Krishna

Hey Krishna, dearest child, don’t you cry

Mother’s here, mother’s here, singing you to sleep.

"Oh Brahmin"

Oh Brahmin,

You never walk along the ground.

You usually ride an elephant

Its howdah decorates with flowers.

Oh Brahmin,

Your feet tap as you walk along.

The thorns of the feronia

Cut your feet.

Anak cau brahm oey

Min tael toe ti

Dhlap jih tamri

Kancaen ray phkay

Anak cau brahm oey

Cau toe tamn tamn

Panla krasamn

Mut joen cau brahm

"Oh Brahmin" is a very old Khmer song, written in Baky Buon (four-syllable metre)

Transliteration by Judith M. Jacob