Al Atlal

The Ruins

wantabahna b'ad mazal el rahiq
and we became aware after the euphoria disappeared
wa afakna laita anna lanafiq
and if only we had not awakened
yaqza tahat beahlam el kora
wakefulness ruined the dreams of slumber
wa tawala wallail wallail sadiq
and the night came and the night is a friend
wa iza el nour nazir tal'a
and then the light is an omen of the coming sunrise
wa iza el fagr mutil kalharik
and then a fiery dawn

wa iza donya kama n'arifha
and then also the world is as we know her
wa iza al ahbab kull fi tariq
and then each lover in their own way
ayuha al saher taghfu tazkor al 'ahd wa tasho
oh the sleepless one slumbers, remembers the promise and awakens
wa iza maltam garhahu gadda bil azkar garha
and when his wound heals, it opens again because of his memories
fat'alim kaifa tansa wat'alim kaifa tamhu
learn how to forget and learn how to erase it

hal ra el hob sukara, sukara mislana
had love seen two as intoxicated, intoxicated as us?
kam banaina min khayal haulana
so much hope we had built up around us
wa mashaina fi tariq mukmira
and we walked on the moonlit path
tasif el farha fi qablina
happiness skipping along ahead of us
wadahakna dahka teflain m'a
and we laughed, laughter of two children together
wa d'awna fasabaqna zillana
and we ran, raced our shadows

ya habibi kull shai beqata
oh my darling, everything is fated
ma beaidina khuliqna to'asa
it isn't by our hands that misfortune is made
robbama tagm'ana akdarna zata yom
perhaps our fates will cross one day
b'ad ma 'azza allika
after we desire to meet
faiza ankara khel khellahu
if friend denies his friend
wa talaqaina leqa al ghuraba
and we meet as strangers
wa mada kul ela ghrayatu
and everyone follows their own way
latakul shena faena el haz sha faena el haz sha
don't say fate is as we will, the fate is as luck wills
faena allah sha
the fate is as God wills

I'm very grateful for all my friends, who helped me to translate the lyrics of this song. None of my friends is a professional Arabic-English translator: some of them are fluent in Arabic, some in English and a few - my self included - have some skill in both languages. It's often quite challenging to express both the idea and the literal meaning of the lyrics in a few words, as I consider it most useful to dancers that the translation include both these aspects.