When Melodies Gather: Oral Art of the Mahra

I Want to Ask at the Wedding Party

Poem #3 in the Dīwān of Ḥājj Dākōn.

Recited by Ḥājj Dākōn and recorded by Sam Liebhaber at the Khalīj Hotel, al-Ghaydha, October 7, 2003.


 
PoemTranslation
1) ḥōm lešaḫber bōlī ʾārs // ḏīmeh mōn ḏ-ġabrūtI want to ask the people at the wedding party: // “Who is this who has shown up?”
2) ḏīmeh līs mśōbeh lā // hēl ʾaynī ber śnūtThere are no equals to this one // from what my eye has seen.
3) zeynes we-ḳdēres ġeyr // we-rḥōmet šettemmūtHer beauty and stature are without compare // her virtue is complete.
4) ǧēma ḏe-ḫḫəlā hnīs // kel ḏ-bīleh we-skūtThe whole group of young date palms around her // are distracted and silent.
5) seh msīres hēs eḫeyl // wēt berkīsen seyrūtHer gait is like a mare’s // when she goes among them.
6) tē ʾafōr ḏ-ġīrī mens // we-ḥyōm ḏ-šāḏrūtEven the clouds envy her // and the sun holds itself back.
7) we-mṣawbeḥ yeġmīs // wēt fnīhem ḫaṭrūtLamps grow dim // when she passes before them.
8) hōh men hēs ġleḳk tēs // ʾaynī l-ɛ̄d l-ṣabrūtFrom the time I saw her // my eye cannot endure to wait
9) kīnen dōyem leśśənēs // ʾān ḫeyret ḥaṣlūtMy hope is to see her always // if good things ever come to pass.
10) rawḥī we-fwōdī šīs // we-mhawǧəsī śǧūtMy heart and soul are with her // my feelings are in turmoil.
11) ʾān l-seh ḏrīyet lā // wel men rēḥaḳ ḏe-nšūt [sic: nśūt]If she herself is not a stranger // and hasn’t travelled from afar
12) ʾamrōna men ḳrīb // we-b-ḥaft ḏ–ḥallūtI’d say she’s from nearby // from a village in this district
13) ḏekrōna hammes lā // ʾār ehamm ḏ–šāmrūtI won’t mention her name // except by her childhood nickname.
14) ġōlī tešhūma bēh // we-hnēn mhūṣfūtShe’s called “Precious” // when she is described by us
15) kellen neməṯṯīlen bīs // hēl nḫawṭer w-neštūt [sic: neśtūt]All of us idealize her // wherever we journey and travel
16) w-nūṣafs k-rīḥōm // be-ššərōweḥ we-byūtWe praise her with the other beauties // whether at parties or at home.
  

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