Gulf Arabic: Level 3
القوس قوسك
“The Bow is Yours”
- القوس قوسك والسهام سهامك
Il-gōs gōsik w-is-sihām(i) shāmik
The bow is yours, and so are the arrows.
– note that in Gulf dialects the second person pronouns are -ik (masculine) and -ič (feminine)
- مالي على رمشٍ تسله قوّة
Māli ‘ala rimšin tisillah guwwah
The way you open your eyes (lit.: eyelash) is too much for me.
– مالي على… قوّة = “I can’t handle…”, “… is too much for me”
– رمشٍ = note that the tanwīn in Gulf dialects is an indefinite marker and has nothing to do with case (it’s always “-in”)
– سلّ، يسلّ = to pull out, withdraw
- انا اســــــيرك واقفٍ قــــدامك
Ana asīrik wagifin giddāmik
I’m your prisoner, standing in front of you.
– واقفٍ = note that the tanwīn here has nothing to do with case but is an indefinite marker in the Gulf dialects
- واللي تبا تسويه فيه ســـــــوّه
W-illi taba tsawwīh fiiya sawwah
And what you want to do with me, do it.
– اللي = Fuṣḥā الذي
– تبا = Fuṣḥā تريد from بغى، يبغي (= to want)
– ســـــــوّه = note that the imperative of final weak verbs in some Gulf dialects is (or used to be) فعْ like: خل (= stay!) or here ســـــــوّ (= do!)
- وثقت في قلبك وطيب انسامك
Wathagt(i) fi galbik wi ṭīb insāmik
I had faith in your heart and your gentle breezes.
- ماظن تظلم وانـــت فيك امروّة
Ma aẓinn taẓlim w-anta fīk (i)mruwwa
I don’t think you can be cruel for in you there is chivalry.
- قلبي رهيف ولا يروم هيامــــك
Galbi rahīf wala yirūm hiyāmik.
My heart is delicate, it doesn’t want your infatuation.
- توه تعلم كيف يعــــــــشق توّه
Tawwa t‘allim kēf ya‘šig tawwa
It only learned now how to love, just now.
- قلبٍ قبضته لا تــــــرص احكامك
Galbin gabaḍtah, la tiraṣṣ iḥkāmik
You have taken over a heart, don’t set aside your principles.
– احكامك = I’m not sure whether “احكام” as in “perfection, preciseness” is meant here or “حكم ج احكام” meaning “rule, control, authority; judgement”
- خفف على قلبٍ حكمت بجوّه
khaffif ‘ala galbin, ḥakamt bi-juwwah
Be gentle on a heart whose state you rule over.
- يفــــــــــداك لكنه يشيل احلامك
Yifdāk lakinnah yišīl aḥlāmik
I sacrifice it to you, but (remember), it carries your dreams.
- ملكك ولا لي منه غــــــــير امخوّه
Milkik wala li minnah ġēr imkhuwwa
It’s your reign, I don’t own anything in it but (its) emptiness.
- بك زين من راسك يــــ لين ابهامك
bak zēn min rāsik yalēn ibhāmik
You’re beautiful from your head down to your toe.
- والليل ياخذ من صباحك ضـــــــوّه
W-illēl yakhidh min ṣabāḥik ẓawwah
And the night takes its light from your forehead.
– ياخذ = note that Gulf dialects retain interdentals like the “dh” here
– صباح = both “morning” and “forehead”
– ضـــــــوّه = Fuṣḥā ضوءه (note that 1. the ض (ḍ) is pronounced ظ (ẓ)) 2. the Hamza is omitted and 3. the masculine pronoun is pronunced -ah)
- ما يحجب الويه الصبوح لـــــثامك
Ma yaḥjib il-wiyya is-subūḥ ilthāmik
Your glowing face can’t be covered by the veil.
– ويه = Fuṣḥā وجه
- طلتك دايــــــــــم يالحلى محلوهـّــ
ṭallatk(a) dāyim bi-l-ḥala maḥlawa
Your appearance is forever most beautiful, o’ my beauty.
ماكنــــك اتدوس الثرى باقـــدامك
Ma ka-innak itdūs ath-thara bi-gdāmik
It’s as if you don’t step on the sand.
- كـــــن الثرى تحتك يسير المــوه
Kinn ith-thara taḥtik yisīr il-mawwa
But the sand flows under you like water
– كـــــن = Fuṣḥā كأنّ (= as if)