Sawah

Wanderer

sawah
wanderer
wa mashi fil bilaad, sawah
and walking through countries, wanderer
wil khatwa beinii wa bein habibi barah
and the steps between me and my love are numerous
mishwar baid wana fih gharib
the journey is long and in it, I'm a stranger
wil leil ya'arab
and the night approaches
wil nahar rawah
and the day goes away

*win laakom habibi
if you meet my love
salimuli alee
greet him for me
taminunil asmarani
reassure me, my dark one
amla ee il ghorba fi
how is she in her exile

sawah, wana mashi layali
wanderer, and I walk though the nights
sawah, walla dari bhali
wanderer, and I do not understand myself
sawah, fil ghorba ya ghali
wanderer, from the exile, oh precious
sawah, eih elli garali
wanderer, what has happened to me?

**wisneen
and years
wisneen wana dari bisho' wa haniin
and for years I have felt longing and yearning
aiz araf bas tari'u mineen
I only want to know where the road lies?
continue *

ya 'ayuni, ah ya 'ayuni
oh my eyes, oh my eyes
ee garalak, fen inta, we btamil ee
what happend to you, where are you and what are you doing
ya znuuni, ah ya znuuni mat sebuuni
oh my doubts, oh my doubts leave me
mish na'as ana hiir ale
I'm worried enough about him

Lana arif artah
I don't know the rest
wana tayeh sawah
and I'm lost, wanderer
continue **

ya amar, ya nasini
oh moon, oh you have forgotten me
rasiini alee ghayeb
take me to the hidden one
nawarli, warini
shine on me, show me
siket el habayib
the way to the beloved

waseitak, waseiya
I empower you
ya shahed alaya
oh you who bears witness for me
tahkilu 'ali beya
tell him of my state
wili asetu flayaleya
and how I suffer during the nights
continue **

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.