Le'ebet El Ayyam

The Days Play with Her

Music from CD Ahla Samrah
by Ehab Tawfik

Orginally sung by Warda

Tethaklak il ayyam
When the days are smiling to you
tohgor wa tinsani.
you'll leave and forget me.
Toghdorbak il ayyam
When the days disappoint you
tergali min teeni, min teeni.
you'll come back to me again, again.

* Betghaiyarak ayyam
You are changed by days
w tebadelak ayyam.
and transformed by days.
W betgiini, telaini
And you return to me, you find me
ma il maadi, ma il zikra, ma il ahlam.
with the past, with the memories, with the dreams.
Ashan albi ana awfa min el ayyam.
Because my heart is more trustworthy than days.
Ya le'ebet il ayyam.
The days play with her.

Ya le'ebet il ayyam.
The days play with her
Ertah w rayahni.
Rest and let me have rest.
Yama 'oghlubt kalam
I tired myself with talking to you
wala marra tisma'ni.
and not once you listened to me.
** Betaghdak il ayyam
When the days take you
'aish le garhak.
I live for your wound.
w tigibak il ayyam
And when the days bring you back
'aish le garhak.
I live for your wound.
repeat from *

Fi youm ma il donya toghdorbak
There is days when the world disapoints you
w ayyam el hana tekhunak
and the happy days cheat on you
w ayyam el dana tezillak.
and the days of misery punish you.

Tigini w tiftikir hobbak
You come to me and remember your love.
w shuf il zol fi a'yunak.
and I see the punishment in your eyes.
Aqoul nafsi feda zullak
I say: "I sacrifice myself to your punishment."

Ya aghla andi min nafsi
You are more precious than myself
ma ben amali w ben ya'si.
between my hopes and my disappointments.

Danaani el sabr w gruhi.
My patient waiting and wounds are finishing me.
W luula baqeya min rasmi
And if there weren't some left from my picture
w harf w kilma min esmi
and letter and word from my name
latahet a'ini a'nrohi.
my eyes would loose my soul.(= I would not recognise myself.)

Yalli hawak kasen
Your love is like a pair of wine classes
ahla ma fihum mor.
even the best one of them may be cracked
Wil sabr 'ala il itneen
Being patient for both of us
faq el azab wil mor.
is more than punishment and bad life.
repeat from **

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.