Is this the correct version? Is that what they call an ankle drop that she does at the end? I've never seen that before?

www.youtube.com/watch

MAWAL


ya leily, ---------ya leily, ---------ya eini,........ ya eini
oh my night,--- oh my night,-- oh my eye,-- oh my eye
("night" is personified and kinda like saying "oh my dear night." You know when something goes wrong and you might say "oh my, oh dear")

1:23
Sahibto --------------------------------sahib-------ya nass-- wa-- la-ait---- shib----- wa ....sahib
you all made a friend[with a]- friend ---- oh people- and- -found- a friend-- and--- a friend

1:33
we----sahib--------etnain---ya---(zaman ma yestogh shi) ---ma3-----sahib
and--a friend of--two------oh you( ????????????)------------with---- a friend

2:03 to 2:23

aMManta---------------- ya---- -----sahibi
oh how you are------oh you-----my friend

min------3eishriti*----------------shebeHt**-------------wentaHaina
from--our togetherness-----you're satiated------and it's over.

ma oltilish----------------Le--------Koont------- ---a dawarli--------------3ala---------- sahib
you didnt tell me----why-------I would have---looked for myself----for a---------friend
(Why didnt you tell me? I woud have found me another friend)

gada3= champ expression like "buddy"
*SaHibto="y'all made friends with"... interesting use of "you all' while adressing one person. Kinda like the country folk in USA who say "y'all come back now ya hear?" and they can be talking to one person. Same goes for the use of this word almost in a sarcastic way.

*3eishriti is derived from the word 3eish='to live." At face value the word "3eishrity" can appear to mean "the living with me." But essentially it means "our going back a long way." OR "Our hanging out all the time." Nuria! just thought you might get a kick out of this word after discusing omr vs haya.

**shebeHt= quenched, satiated.

I will get help to desipher the words in the parenthesis.


Taht---------esheback---------- we---------- lamaHtak------ ------------ya--------- gada3
Under------the window--------and--------I caught sight of you----oh you-------champ

Ba3daha-------------------wayak?-----mat ouli--------------ya-------------gada3
What's going on------with you?----commom tell me--oh--------------champ?


Iza----------3adait---------osad---------------il bait repeat again
If ----------you passed by--along side-------the house


aboos-------regLaik**-----la teboss il fo'***--- (i dont know these words)
I kiss-------your feet------"won't you look up?".....??????????

**regL= foot or leg. The Arabic word for foot is "kudam." In Egyptian dialect we use one word to describe either the foot or leg or both together and we understand the meaning when used in it's context.

The reader and dancer should know that "aboos reglaik"= "I kiss your feet" is figure of Egyptian speech which essentially is begging "PLEASE!" In other words you can exchange this phrase for "I beg you please!" "aboos eidak" = i kiss your hand" is the same effective expression. check out the "aboos eidak" at the end of this mawal vids.myspace.com/index.cfm While dancing, you might want to consider making a gesture of emotional begging please rather than refering to your own foot during the phrase "aboos reglaik." just a thought.

*** "la teboss il fo" = "do NOT look up." where "la"= no. HOWEVER!!!! when used in this context, after that phrase, it means DO look up. the best possible example I can give at the moment is "why don't you go get some milk?" essentially means "would you get some milk?"

"ya salam salim" is a neat expression also. There are many Egyptian expressions that use alliteration especially when being sarcastic. The reader/dancer should know that in this case, there is hint of: well imagine someone getting your attention by pushing you on the shoulder and saying "hey, why don't you say hello sometime?"= "ya salam salim"

Imagine someone told you an outlandish, unbelievable story like "I was dancing the other night and I had this out of body experience where i can see myself dancing with my own eyes!" You're reply might be "really now!"="ya salam" would be such an common expression. very tough to explain.

The other meanings of salam= peace,greatings.

While I know the gist of the rest of the song, I cant make out all the words and will have to ask for help so bare with me.

I'm still working on the rest of the translation because it is a little different. from the one on shira's. In the meantime check out Damiena's performance at our Dec 9 showcase at Casablanca where I had the pleasure of emcee-ing and having front row seats.

www.youtube.com/watch

Shamsi! we love you too!

RE 1:33
"zaman" usually means in the past. The way it's pronounced here and the way it's used, it does not mean past but does have a reference to time which I can't translate at the moment.

"ma yesdogh shi" is not a expression that I'm familiar with and I'm not sure if i phonectically spelled it correctly. but it means "cannot be faitful to"

we----sahib--------etnain---ya---(zaman ma yestogh shi) ---------------------ma3-----sahib
and--a friend of--two------oh you( in that time cannot be faithful)------------with---- a friend

english: If you have two girlfriends, during that time, you cannot be loyal to one (or either).
I still have one more line in the mawal to figure out.

I was also advised that:
aboos reglaik, MAT bosel fo' is the more appropriate transliteration. In the absence of arabic written lyrics, my ears continue to hear "la" and while highly respected soruces hear MAT. while both are interchangeable, "mat" makes much more sense and is the way i would speak it I were to say it naturally. If it is the case that it is "la," then it woulnt mean "no" but rather "la" = "to" as in "to look up"

If I waited till I got the whole thing perfect, i wouldnt have answered you for a long time and you would have thought I ignored you. so you can see based on my weak arabic, this will be a long process. I trust by the end, you will have good translation of Fatme Serhan's version.

NURIA: you are correct that the mawal in the text is missing and with good reason. It's expressions are very tough to translate. I have to admit, i prefer the other mawal on shira's version. It's more of a fiery wormen scorned while Serhan's is more sarcastic.

If anyone has any ideas, you are welcome to share as i also am a student and enjoy learning.

Many thanks to my teacher Sharaf and other highly respected teachers who helped me tremendously with the following translation of which I will rephrase. The reader should understand that translating some of these expressions especially of a mawal is akin to translating "I'm gonna be right back" to a non Eglish speaking American. Not only do you have to explain that "gonna" = "going to" you would also be hard pressed to show why you're saying "going to" when you are actually returning. Try to define "right" and then show how it's being used in this simple sentence to indicate quickly. laugh laugh. Then show how that's the same as "Im a fixin to return. Amplify that 10 times and that's the challenge of translating the words of a Mawal. I'm still having fun!!! :)

Imagine that the singer just saw her lover pass by the house and not even aknowlege her by looking and saying hello. Infact she is aware he is player, she is now by herself as she talks to herself, the night and perhaps inderectly speaking to her lover.


Ya leili ......ya leili..... ya eini..... ya eini
oh night....oh night---oh my eyes---oh my eye
english: oh dear night

sahibto...... ..........................sahib..... ya nass..... we..... la-ait sahib ....wa sahib
y'all made friends with a........friend......you people...and ---found a friend...and afriend

wa........... sahib itnain........... ya zaman...... ma yestogshi....... ma3 sahib
and .....a friend of two..........oh time------------is not truthful.........with a friend
E: (speaking and complaining to the personified time)
and "oh these days" when you have two friends, you cannot be honest with either

ahl ezaman ..................we hawa ezaman......... wara .............sahib
owners of the time------and the wind of the time----are behind----a friend
E:These days, people and passion are predators (are after) upon [innocent] people

amanta....... ya sahibi (2x) ,........ min 3eshrity............. shebaht......... wintahait
and you-----oh my friend---------from our hanging out-----you're satiated....and it's over
E: and you who call yourself my friend, you had your way with me, you're done with me and now it's over.

ma oltellesh..... le......... Kont........... adawarli......... 3ala sahib
why tell me.....not........i would have,,,,I find for me ---for a friend
E: why didnt you tell me, I would have tried to find someone else


taht.... esheback....... we...... lamahtak..................... yagada3
under---the window------and -----I caught sight of you..... champ
[as you passed by and didnt even look up]

ba3daha........ wayak? ........... mat olli......... ya gada3
after that--------with you?-----------tell me.......champ
E: what's up with you....... why dont you tell me champ?


Iza......... 3adait................osad........ il bait (2x)
If----------you passed by....along side....the house
E: If you just to happened to pass by the house


Aboos...... reglaik,....... mat boos il foq....... we tepbte...... isho
I kiss........you feet.....just look up..............and begin......the passion
E: I beg you please, just look up and rekindle the flame

amanah ---------3alaik....., bos wet kalim,...... 3ala eini ya gada3
It's a faith-----in you.........look and speak.....upon my eyes buddy
E: I believe in you, just look me in the eye and talk to me.

ah...... ya salam........ salim....... 3ala 3eini...... ya gada3
oh-------ya salam------greet---------upon my eye---champ
E: Oh Goodness! Just say hello and look me in the eye champ


Khadak...... tifah,--------- dawa'ni-------- ya gada3
your cheeks..apple-------let me tastse--champ
E: your apple cheeks are so appealing that they make want to get to know you.

rimshak........... dabah...... hoosh 3ani ......ya gada3
you eye lash-----slaughers....protect from me--oh player
E: Your eyelash is (embellic of the quill of the porcupine that causes one to be weary) a killer, stay away you player

iza adait.....

Khabat................ 3al bab el ..........hawa........ ya gada3
You knocked ........on the door....of the wind...champ
E: You're the one who started the passion, champ

we....... reda................ elahbab...................el dawa........... ya dada3
and the..acceptance....of the loved ones....the medicine------oh champ
E: and now the loved ones who still aknoledge me is the cure [to the crap you're putting me through]


Iza adait..

ah ya eini ya leil................ ah ya gada3.......



There's a lot of cool imagery and expressions in this song that warants further explanation and I'll get to that as soon as I can!

MAWAL (ya hilw)

Ba ool ---------ya hilw ---------ya labis---------------------- il tob
I say--------hey sweety-----the one who is wearing----the dress
E: I say! Hey darling! You the one who's wearing the dress

Ana---------- bidi-------- a-toub*-------------3ala eidak**
I--------would like-----to-repent------upon your hand
I'd like to do what ever you request so that I can redeem myself.

Ya hilw!
hey sweety!

Ya abu (yabu)------------ rimsh-------------garah
Hey "the father of"---- [the] eyelash----[that] wounds by cutting
Hey "the owner of"
E: Hey you with the killer eyelash

ana----------- albi--------- yertah--------------- a3la eidak
I [am]---------- my heart------is comforted--------upon your hand
E: I feel very secure when I'm in you care


3alashan--------- ba hibak, ---------- 3awizni ------aboos 3ala----- eidak***
because--------- I love you--------you want me---to kiss upon -----your hand
E: [but] because I love you, you want me to be your slave.



*a-toub= "I repent" OR "bidi a-toub"= would like to repent. While this might be the best one word translation at the moment, it doesn't quite give the flavor of what is being said. These few words imply "I did something wrong against you and I'd like to repent." OR based on the last sentence "I didn't fully please you and I'd like to make it up to you [by doing what you ask]."

**eidak= (m) your hand--- This figure of speech is like saying "your guiding hand," "your way" "your guidance" etc...

*** aboos 3ala eidak= "to kiss upon your hand" = to do whatever you ask

Latifa, thanks for your help and compliments. I don't follow strict rules to transliterate. Just whatever looks correct at the moment. Your transliteratation of "thobe" is the most accurate for ARABIC. In the Egyptian dialect, we pronounce it "tobe."

Galit. Your question is a good one! Based on the each Mawal alone (and not the rest of the song), they are subject to interpretation. Since I'm not a literary intellectual, especially in Arabic songs, I can only offer a personal impression as opposed to the actual. It seems that the 'Sahibto sahib" version, the singer has come to the painful conclusion that it's over and had she known earlier, she would have moved on. 'ya hilw" version, the singer is aslo hurt and would do anything to win her lover back but complains that "he" has her under his thumb such that when they are together, he is very demanding of "her." Unless, he gets his way, he ignores her. Indeed, they set two different tones.

Interestingly, this mawal appears to be a man speaking to a woman. From what I gathered, this song was originally sung by a male. Recall that older songs that were sung by men to females were sung in the masculine. Since this is a very old song could the entire song be words from a man to a woman? Modern renditions of this song seem to use female vocalists which leaves much to the imagination and interpretation. For example, in the case of a female vocalist, I'd like to imagine this mawal as the female reminiscing about a conversation that took place between her and her ex.

"Tilaa' ilwalad khanaas. It appeared the guy was bisexual."

What does this part mean? It seem odd to be in this song.

Azeeza

I learned something new the other day. I remembered the words "homosexual" in relation to part of the song Tahtil Shibbak.

In Egypt it is considered improper for a man to sing to a woman, but it is OK for a man to sing to another man or to a boy. It is OK for a woman to sing to a man or a woman. I wondered if the song was written by a man to a woman, but writer couldn't use references towards a woman, so he used the song to be singing to another man?

I feel in one popular version of the song is sung by a woman, but she probably sang it the way it was written, to a man.

Would this a reason for the homosexual idea in the song? It's not homosexual, but it isn't acceptable to sing to a woman. It's not intended to be a gay or bi song.

Could this be?

Azeeza

Hi Adel:

Thank you for helping me clarify the song. It's not gay and it's not intended to be a gay song either, it was written to be proper to be sung either for a lady or a man depending on whom is singing the song and to whom the song is being sung to.

Since my mother is not American I can understand different cultures to a certain degree. My mother doesn't understand why some things are done in America when they are not considered proper in her homeland, so I guess I'm a little more privy to such cultural differences. My father, on the other hand, just doesn't get it.

One time when I was in Paris I met an American man on vacation. He was so rude. There were just the two of us there and he complained about the garbage in the front of the hotel, he complained about how rude the Parisans were and he had nothing but negative things to say. I have a feeling he felt like he was an American and he acted as if he was in America and not as a guest in France. You should always be gracious to whomever is your host. I smiled at him, felt sorry for him for not admiring the beauty of Paris and the people who were born and raised there and I moved far, far away from him and ate in another room.

Azeeza