A “finjan” is an Arabic name for an old type of coffeepot, which is held by a long handle over an open flame. The pioneers of the land of Israel would often unwind with a “finjan” around a bonfire after a day of work in the fields, singing songs of the Land of Israel. Written by Chaim Heffer and performed by Yaffa Yarkoni, this secular Israeli folk song about making coffee around a campfire is often sung on Lag B’Omer, the Jewish holiday of bonfires. An English translation of the lyrics appears below. For the original Hebrew, transliteration, and translations into other languages, click here.
The Coffee Pot
The cool wind blows,
we’ll add a chip to the campfire,
and thus in scarlet
it will rise in the flames like a sacrifice.
the fire flickers,
its song rises up
the coffee pot spins, spins around.
The fire will whisper to the chip,
our faces grow so red by the fire
if more fuel is prepared for us
from every broken branch stub in the garden,
every tree and log
will sing so softly
the coffee pot spins, spins around.