Desire
Recited by Ḥājj Dākōn and recorded by Sam Liebhaber at the Khalīj Hotel, al-Ghaydha, October 7, 2003.
Sung and recorded by Ḥājj Dākōn at his home, Mḥayfīf, May 2004.
Recited by Ḥājj Dākōn and recorded by Sam Liebhaber at the Khalīj Hotel, al-Ghaydha, October 7, 2003.
| Poem | Translation |
|---|---|
| 1) rī we-fwōd // ymoh ḏ-īrfīf | My lungs and heart // today are fluttering |
| 2) ber melʾam śawḳ // w-bēr ġetlīf | Desire has filled them // they have been filled to the brim. |
| 3) l-ād wiṯḫem lā // men zawl we-ḏlīf | They haven’t yet settled down // from anxiety and excitement. |
| 4) we-mbeyn źīlā // ḏ-yehharǧīf | Between my ribs // they are shivering. |
| 5) ḏ–ār śefh eśśawḳ // ḫṭeyr we-klīf | I’ve seen that desire // is dangerous and troublesome |
| 6) ʾām bēr metkūn // w-ḥel be-ǧwīf | If it becomes rooted // and settles in its cavities, |
| 7) yesdūd enfəsēt // we-tlōbed tlīf | It blocks the breathing // and you become a wreck. |
| 8) we-tkūn maḥśēś // śʾōf we-ḥfīf | You are agitated // quick to anger and impatient |
| 9) ḫā ṭāṭ ḏ-hālūḳ // śīwōṭ b-līf | Like a dry palm frond // with fire on its fibres. |
| 10) hoh ṣabrī tim // we-ḥḥōlī sfīf | My patience has finished // and my condition is weak, |
| 11) we-mhawǧesī kel // mnī ḏ-nessīf | All my emotions // have been torn to shreds. |
| 12) leywā ṣwāḳār // frēr w-āyīf | O little falcon! // Go quickly! Fly! |
| 13) w-bōṣer w-bār // men emḥeyfīf | Go at dusk, travel all night // from Mḥayfīf, |
| 14) w-hēt ḥatfōṯ̣ // ḳā hīnī wkīf | Keep my order in mind // and act faithfully in my stead. |
| 15) w-menbād esslōm // mḏebbel rdīf | After the greetings // have been exchanged twice-over |
| 16) ʾamēr bādīš // ḫā hoh mhaṣrīf | Say: “After you // I’m like a man all used up.” |