I Want to Ask at the Wedding Party
Recited by Ḥājj Dākōn and recorded by Sam Liebhaber at the Khalīj Hotel, al-Ghaydha, October 7, 2003.
| Poem | Translation |
|---|---|
| 1) ḥōm lešaḫber bōlī ʾārs // ḏīmeh mōn ḏ-ġabrūt | I want to ask the people at the wedding party: // “Who is this who has shown up?” |
| 2) ḏīmeh līs mśōbeh lā // hēl ʾaynī ber śnūt | There are no equals to this one // from what my eye has seen. |
| 3) zeynes we-ḳdēres ġeyr // we-rḥōmet šettemmūt | Her beauty and stature are without compare // her virtue is complete. |
| 4) ǧēma ḏe-ḫḫəlā hnīs // kel ḏ-bīleh we-skūt | The whole group of young date palms around her // are distracted and silent. |
| 5) seh msīres hēs eḫeyl // wēt berkīsen seyrūt | Her gait is like a mare’s // when she goes among them. |
| 6) tē ʾafōr ḏ-ġīrī mens // we-ḥyōm ḏ-šāḏrūt | Even the clouds envy her // and the sun holds itself back. |
| 7) we-mṣawbeḥ yeġmīs // wēt fnīhem ḫaṭrūt | Lamps grow dim // when she passes before them. |
| 8) hōh men hēs ġleḳk tēs // ʾaynī l-ɛ̄d l-ṣabrūt | From the time I saw her // my eye cannot endure to wait |
| 9) kīnen dōyem leśśənēs // ʾān ḫeyret ḥaṣlūt | My hope is to see her always // if good things ever come to pass. |
| 10) rawḥī we-fwōdī šīs // we-mhawǧəsī śǧūt | My 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–ḥallūt | I’d say she’s from nearby // from a village in this district |
| 13) ḏekrōna hammes lā // ʾār ehamm ḏ–šāmrūt | I won’t mention her name // except by her childhood nickname. |
| 14) ġōlī tešhūma bēh // we-hnēn mhūṣfūt | She’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-byūt | We praise her with the other beauties // whether at parties or at home. |