Gulf Arabic: Level 2

يتيمة فرحتي

“My Happiness is an Orphan”

كلمات خالد عبدالرحمن

أداء محمد فهد

 

 

• يتيمة فرحتي والله يتيمة

Yatīma farḥati waḷḷah, yatīma

My happiness is an orphan, by God, an orphan.

– والله = note 1. the و  of saying an oath (for more see التعجُّب in the Arabic Grammar Glossary) 2. the velarized ḷ (meaning it is pronounced further back in the mouth)

 

• يحسدوني على فرحه يتيمه

yaḥasdūni ‘ala farḥa yatīma

And yet they envy me for my happiness, the orphan.

– يحسدوني  = note how it is pronounced “yaḥasdūni” and not as expected “yaḥsidūni” because of the glottalic ḥ which in this position requires a fatḥa on it (this is a peculiarity of Gulf dialects)

 

 

• جمعته ياس كل الخلق فيني

jima‘tah yās kill il-khalg fīni

I have gathered the hopelessness of all the people inside me.

– جمعت  (jima‘t) = note that in Gulf Dialects the pattern fi‘al is very common (in most other dialects this would be jama‘t)

– جمعته (jima‘tah) = note that the masculine pronoun ending is -ah and the feminine one -ha as in most dialects

– كل (kill) = Fuṣḥā kull

 

• خفوقي ماقوى صدمة عظيمة

khafūgi māgwa ṣadma ‘azīma

My heartbeat couldn’t handle a terrible shock.

 

• حبيبي والله اني فيك مغرم

ḥabībi, waḷḷah inni fīk mughram

Darling, by God, I’m in love with you.

 

• ونفسٍ مالها ذمة سقيمة

u-nafsin mālha dhimma sagīma

and my soul doesn’t have a bad conscience. (?)

– سقيم = sick, ill, ailing

 

• حبيبي كل شي فيني ملكته

ḥabībi kill(i) šey fīni malaktah

My love, you own everything in me.

– malaktah = note that in the Gulf dialects the masculine pronoun ending is -ah (not -o like in most dialects) while the feminine one is as expected -ha

 

• ونار الحب في جوفي ضريمه

u-nār il-ḥubb(i) fi jōfi ḍarīma

The fire of love in my chest has been ignited.

 

• اذا روحي لها في حبك ذنوب

idha rūḥi laha fi ḥubbik dhunūb

If my soul is sinning when in love with you.

 

• هلا بذنوبها لو هي ظليمة

hala bi-dhunubha law hiyya ẓalīma

I welcome these sins, even if they are tyrannical.

 

• واذا في حبك اجرام ارتكبته

w-idha fi ḥubbik ijrām irtikabtah

If loving you is a crime, I glady commit it.

 

• فانا كلي فخر باعظم جريمة

f-ana killi fakhr b-a‘ẓam jarīma

I commit this most grandiose crime with all my pride.