Egyptian Dialect:
ابعتلي جواب
Ib‘atli Gawāb
(“Send Me a Reply”)
The first few lines are from this song:
- البوسْطَجِيّة اشتكو من كثر مراسيلي
Il-Bustagiyya ishtaku min kuthr(i) marāsīli.
The mailmen have complained to me about the sheer amount of my letters.
– بُوسْطَجِيّ = mailman (from English “post” and the Turkish “-ji” ending for professions)
- وعيوني يا ما بكو شكتلي مناديلي
Wa ‘uyūni ya ma baku shakitli manādīli.
And my eyes cried so much that even my tissues started to complain to me.
– يا ما = how much + verb (not as a question but for purposes of emphasis or astonishment)
- من يوم ما سافر حبيبي واخذ قلبي وروحي معه
Min yōm ma sāfar ḥabībi u akhad ’albi u rūḥi ma‘a
From the day that my lover left and took my heart and my sole with him.
- عرفت عيوني السهر وصاحبت مناديلي
‘arifit ‘uyūni is-sahr u ṣāḥibt manādīli
My eyes learned the meaning of sleeplesness and I formed friendship with the tissues.
– ṣāḥibt = note that in Egyptian Arabic the past tense of form III verbs is not ṣāḥab but ṣāḥib and form V is not it’allam but it’allim
- ابعتلي جواب، جواب، جواب .. وطمني
ib‘atli gawāb, gawāb, gawāb.. u ṭaminni
Send me a reply… and tell me you’re alright.
– جواب = response; here maybe: letter
– طَمَّن، يْطَمِّن = to reassure, tell someone one is alright
- ولو انه عتاب، عتاب، عتاب .. لا تحرمني
Wa law ino ‘itāb, ‘itāb, ‘itāb.. ma taḥrimni
Even if it’s just to scold me… don’t deprive me of you.
– عاتب، يعاتب، العِتاب = to scold, to reproach (عَتَب، يَعْتِب = to blame, rebuke)
- ابعتلي جواب يا سيدي
ib‘atli gawāb, ya sīdi
Please, just send me a reply.
– يا سيدي = polite way of addressing someone (lit.: my master)
- غيابك طال .. وبستنا
ġiyābak ṭāl.. u bastanna
Your absence is becoming long.. and I’m waiting.
- وقلبك مال .. بتهنى
wa ’albak māl .. bithanna
Your heart has shifted.. I’m happy.
- ان كنت هويت ونسيتني
In kunt(i) hawēt wi nsitni,
If you have fallen in love and forgotten about me,
– kunt(i) hawēt = note the helping vowel (i) that is inserted because otherwise there would be three consonants after one another, which is not permissable in Egyptian Arabic.
– nsitni = 1. note the helping vowel in the beginning as Egyptian Arabic doesn’t allow two consonants at the beginning of a word. 2. Note how it’s not “nsītni” as in other dialects. This is because the ī is shortened in a so-called closed syllable (with two consonants surrounding one vowel). In “n-sīt-ni” the long i is in the syllable sīt which has a vowel at the beginning and at the end so the ī is shortened to i.
- وعلي جنيت ما راعيتني
wa ‘alayya ganēt ma rā‘itni
You have done me unjusitice, you didn’t protect me.
– rā‘itni = note once more the shortening of the ī (in other dialects it would be rā‘ītni) for the same reasons mentioned above (rā-‘īt-ni)
- ابعتلي جواب، جواب، جواب .. وطمني
ib‘atli gawāb, gawāb, gawāb.. u ṭaminni
Send me a reply… and tell me you’re alright.
- ولو انه عتاب، عتاب، عتاب .. لا تحرمني
Wa law ino ‘itāb, ‘itāb, ‘itāb.. ma taḥrimni
Even if it’s just to scold me… don’t deprive me of you.
- ابعتلي جواب يا سيدي
ib‘atli gawāb, ya sīdi
Please, just send me a reply.
- انا ليه إلاه يعرفني
Ana liya ilāh yi‘rifni
I have God who knows me.
– liya = Fuṣḥā لي (lī)
- من حر الآه ينصفني
min ḥarr il-āh yinṣafni
He will establish right in the face of my burning pain.
– آه = “aah” (expression of pain)
– أَنْصَف = to be just, establish justice
- موش قادر اقول انت الجاني
Mush ’ādir a’ūl anta il-gāni
I can’t say you’re a criminal
- حـاصبر على طول على احزاني
ḥaṣbur ‘ala ṭul ‘ala aḥzāni
I will always be patient with my sorrows.
– ḥaṣbur = note the ḥa- prefix which is the future particle in Egyptian dialect
– على طول = always, all the time; immediately, right away; straight on, straight ahead
- ابعتلي جواب يا سيدي
ib‘atli gawāb, ya sīdi
Please, just send me a reply.
- ابعتلي جواب، جواب، جواب .. وطمني
ib‘atli gawāb, gawāb, gawāb.. u ṭaminni
Send me a reply… and tell me you’re alright.
- ولو انه عتاب، عتاب، عتاب .. لا تحرمني
Wa law ino ‘itāb, ‘itāb, ‘itāb.. ma taḥrimni
Even if it’s just to scold me… don’t deprive me of you.
- صبرت عليك .. وذقت مرار
Ṣuburt(i) ‘alēk.. wi du’t(i) marār
I was patiened with you and tasted the bitterness of life.
– داق، يدوق = to taste
– مُرّ، ج أَمْرار = bitter
- وبعتٌ إليك .. اخبار واخبار
U ba‘t ilik.. akhbār u akhbār
I sent you letters over letters.
- اتاريك نسيتني مع الايام
Atarīk nisitni ma‘ il-ayyam
It seems like you have forgotten about me with time.
– أتاري / أتابي = It seems like, looks like
- ورضيت تفوتني على الألام
Wi riḍīt tifawwitni ‘ala il-alam.
(Sounds rather like “tifutni” to me)
And you were fine with throwing me into these pains.
– فوّت، يفوّت = to put in, bring in (from فات، يفوت “to enter; to pass”)
- ابعتلي جواب، جواب، جواب .. وطمني
ib‘atli gawāb, gawāb, gawāb.. u ṭaminni
Send me a reply… and tell me you’re alright.
- ولو انه عتاب، عتاب، عتاب .. لا تحرمني
Wa law ino ‘itāb, ‘itāb, ‘itāb.. ma taḥrimni
Even if it’s just to scold me… don’t deprive me of you.
- ابعتلي جواب يا حبيبي
ib‘atli gawāb, ya ḥabibi
Please, just send me a reply, my lover.