Meni

A plea in a Maghrebi voice, with Egyptian colour in the opening. His heart has gone astray, and it has never been lost like this before. He asks the beloved over and over to tell him why. Why leave him in a house of mourning? Why starve him of love? Why this coldness, when she was the dearest thing he had? He asks whether she can see the grief in his eyes, how she bore such injustice, and how she forgot. He says he would still do her good, because goodness given to him has always come back as goodness. Then a refrain of vocal syllables takes over, like a man humming to keep from breaking.