When Melodies Gather: Oral Art of the Mahra

O My Love, If Only You Knew

Poem #4 in the Dīwān of Ḥājj Dākōn.

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


Recitation by Ḥājj Dākōn, recorded by Sam Liebhaber at the Khalīj Hotel, al-Ghaydha, October 7, 2003
PoemTranslation
1) wā mḥab w-lū tdā // be-śśəǧwēʾī w-sebbētO my love, if only you knew // my distress and shame!
2) men ʾāǧēbek ḏe-wnūn // hēs ebāl emuhsētI moan from loving you // like someone with malaria.
3) šī kḏē kḏē ʾāṣūr // l-ād dġafk eššənētI have had so many nights // in which I never tasted sleep,
4) ḳōtī hebġaźk tēs // we-ṣḳamk enfəsētI find my food loathsome // and I’ve starved my body
5) we-ḥmō eṭamh ṣam // wēt ʾeṭafk ʾāṭəfētAnd water tastes bitter // when I drink a draught of it
6) ʾāddem hī kettūbet kel // we-ṭbōbet ḏ-reḥbētAll the amulet-writers have already [treated] me // and so too the doctors of the town
7) we-ḏ-nūka yefkūr // be-mrēźī w-ʾāllētBut whoever comes ponders // my illness and malady.
8) ʾān fḥāsem lī ǧhāz // ǧeḥdīhem we-bhētIf they check me with a device // it fails them and gives no answer
9) w-ān ġlōḳem lī hāyōm // šeḳśīr men emənnētIf they observe me for a few days // they are stripped of hope.
10) ṣawbī tṣyidh lā // lā brāh w-lā ḥebbētNothing helps my affliction // neither shots nor pills.
11) wel ynōka beh ktōb // ġeyr ereḥmōn w-hētNo amulet comes [to cure it] // only the Merciful or you.
12) hēt tḥāmī hōh leḥyē // ʾaw tḥāmī hōh lemētEither you want me to live // or you want me to die.
  

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