Gulf Arabic: Level 2

جالس في حالي

“Sitting All Alone”

عيضة المنهالي

 

 

* Note: Vowels in brackets are only inserted in order to fit the rhythm of the music, they’re not helping vowels that are inserted in order to avoid consonant clusters.

 

• جالس في حالي و لحالي هزني الشوق و ذكرتك

Jālis fi ḥāli u-li-ḥāli, hazz(i)ni iš-šōg u-dhikkar(a)tik

Sitting all alone, withdrawn into myself, a longing shook me up and I remembered you.

–  حال  = can mean “state” but in dialects it means “self” (= Fuṣḥā نفس)

 

• يعني معقولة يا غالي كل هذا و ما وحشتك

Ya‘ni ma‘gūl ya ghāli, kill(i) hādha u-ma waḥḥaštik

As in, is this really happening, darling, after all this you don’t even miss me?

– معقولة  = “is this possible?”; “really?” (in other dialects: معقول )

– وحش  = in some dialects like Egyptian and here “to miss” (the person missed is the subject, the person missing the other person is the object)

 

• غيبتك طالت ليالي يا عسى خير و عذرتك

ġēbitik ṭālit liyāli, ya ‘asa khēr u ‘idhartik

Your absence is taking nights, hopefully you’re well, I have forgiven you.

– غَيبة  = same as غياب (= abscence)

– عسى = “hopefully”, “perheps” (frozen verb; see here for more)

 

• خوفي وكل إنشغالي دون ما أقصد جرحتك

Khōfi u kill inšġāli, dūn ma agṣid jaraḥtik.

My fear and only concern is that I, without intending to do so, hurt you.

إنشغال  = occupation; anxiety, concern

 

• يعلم الله و قلبي شاهد أن عيني من أملها

Ya‘lim aḷḷah u-galbi šāhid inna ‘ayni min amalha…

God knows and my heart is a witness that my eye’s only hope is…

 

• بس تشوفك عندي قاعد روحي ترجع في محلها

…bas tšufik ‘andi gā‘id rūḥi tirja‘ fi maḥallha

…that the moment I see you sitting here my sole will return to its (former) place.

– بس  = but; only; as soon as, the moment that

– قعد  = to sit (جلس  is more Fuṣḥā)

– روح  = note that it’s feminine 

 

• تدري يوم أحنا نتباعد كل هالدنيا و أهلها

Tadri yōm iḥna nit(i)bā‘id kill ha-d-dinya w-ahlha…

You know, when one day we are separated from each other, this entire world and its people…

– درى  يدري  = to know (very common in the Gulf dialects)

–  إحنا  = Fuṣḥā نحن

– هالدنيا  = Fuṣḥā هذه الدنيا 

 

• يفقدون إنسان واحد و أفقد أنا الدنيا كلها

…yafgidūn insān wāḥid u afgid ana id-dinya killha

…lose one person, but as for me, I lose the entire world.

– يفقدون = note the ن  that is the same in Fuṣḥā and is common in Gulf dialects but doesn’t exist in most other dialects

 

• كان قلبك يا فتوني طاوعك تنسى حبيبك

Kān(i) galbik ya fitūni ṭāwi‘ik tinsa ḥabībik…

If your heart, oh my darling, accedes to your wish to forget your lover…

– فتون  = charming girl

 

• أنا ببقى مع شجوني و أنت روح الله حسيبك

…ana bibga ma‘ šijūni w-anta rūḥ aḷḷah ḥasībik.

…I will stay with my sorrows, you can go, see for yourself…

– ببقى  = note that the ب  prefix in Gulf dialects denotes the future, unlike in most other dialects where it’s more likely to be used for continuing and repetitive actions

– شَجَن  ج  شجون  = distress, sorrow, grief

– الله حسيبك  = 

 

• بس تأكد يا عيوني لو بقى غيري نصيبك

Bas ta’akkid ya ‘uyūni law biga ġēri naṣībik…

But rest assured, sweetheart, if someone other than me becomes your destiny…

– يا عيوني  = lit.: “oh my eyes” – term of endearment (the eyes are considered one of the most important parts of the human body so they embody something that is hard to live without, see here for lots of other expressions that include the eyes)

– بقى، يبقى  = to remain, to stay; to continue; to become

 

• أنت وياي أو بدوني ما أبي مكروه يصيبك

…anta wiyaayi au bidūni, ma abi makrūh yiṣībik

…with me or without me, I don’t want adversity to hurt you.

– ويا  = with

– bagha, yabi = from Fuṣḥā بغى، يبغي  = “to want” (very common in the Gulf dialects)