O My Love, If Only You Knew
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
| Poem | Translation |
|---|---|
| 1) wā mḥab w-lū tdā // be-śśəǧwēʾī w-sebbēt | O my love, if only you knew // my distress and shame! |
| 2) men ʾāǧēbek ḏe-wnūn // hēs ebāl emuhsēt | I moan from loving you // like someone with malaria. |
| 3) šī kḏē kḏē ʾāṣūr // l-ād dġafk eššənēt | I have had so many nights // in which I never tasted sleep, |
| 4) ḳōtī hebġaźk tēs // we-ṣḳamk enfəsēt | I find my food loathsome // and I’ve starved my body |
| 5) we-ḥmō eṭamh ṣam // wēt ʾeṭafk ʾāṭəfēt | And water tastes bitter // when I drink a draught of it |
| 6) ʾāddem hī kettūbet kel // we-ṭbōbet ḏ-reḥbēt | All the amulet-writers have already [treated] me // and so too the doctors of the town |
| 7) we-ḏ-nūka yefkūr // be-mrēźī w-ʾāllēt | But whoever comes ponders // my illness and malady. |
| 8) ʾān fḥāsem lī ǧhāz // ǧeḥdīhem we-bhēt | If they check me with a device // it fails them and gives no answer |
| 9) w-ān ġlōḳem lī hāyōm // šeḳśīr men emənnēt | If they observe me for a few days // they are stripped of hope. |
| 10) ṣawbī tṣyidh lā // lā brāh w-lā ḥebbēt | Nothing helps my affliction // neither shots nor pills. |
| 11) wel ynōka beh ktōb // ġeyr ereḥmōn w-hēt | No amulet comes [to cure it] // only the Merciful or you. |
| 12) hēt tḥāmī hōh leḥyē // ʾaw tḥāmī hōh lemēt | Either you want me to live // or you want me to die. |