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Salah Jaheen’s Use of Colloquial

Egyptian Arabic transcript:

./01203‫ ا‬456,7 8 +,‫ه‬. ‫"ح‬# ‫ ا)('& أن‬:‫م‬

."#‫ أ‬/012A ‫&وش‬6@8 ‫؟‬9‫? >ی‬6@‫ ی‬:92:‫ﻥ‬
.+‫@'&ی‬D3‫ ا‬/0 "03‫ ا‬EFA ،/012A ‫&وش‬6@8 48 ،H :‫م‬
.I&'@8 J'K‫ ﺕ‬/01203‫زم ا‬N :92:‫ﻥ‬
:‫ل‬Q',7 D3 9‫ﺕ‬,)7‫&ى ر‬W‫? إ‬A Q‫? ه‬6@‫ة ی‬EFA J2)…‫ دي‬Q‫ وه‬،/2FRD3‫? دي ا‬8 :‫م‬
IQK, EF0‫)& ی‬5 ‫ف‬Q1,203‫ا‬
.IQK2[‫ ﺕ‬N‫\ن و‬2 IQD2@‫ ﺕ‬N
Q‫ ی‬/0 "03‫ش إن ا‬QAE@(8
.IQ7]F‫ا ی‬Q@.E,7 IQ3Q',7 ?3‫إ‬

.9‫ >ی‬J2) ‫&ور‬,7 Q‫…ه‬/.W `‫ )ی‬Q‫ ه‬./0 "03‫ ا‬+,7 8 ?3‫^ إ‬56(3‫ ا‬+) _2F(,7 Q‫ه‬
./012A ‫ا‬QaE7 ‫ دي‬/0 "03‫ ا‬+,7 8 ?3‫^ إ‬56(3‫ ا‬:92:‫ﻥ‬
‫("ط ﺕم‬d‫ ا‬b@R37 c2(d‫ن ا‬QF‫ط إن ی‬E‫ ﺵ‬48 /)D. ‫ ی‬.b@R37 c2(d‫& أ‬,‫ أآ‬Q‫ه‬..9‫ >ی‬J2) ‫&ور‬,7 Q‫ا ه‬Q3Q'(7:‫م‬
…+,‫ه‬. ‫"ح‬#…+) EK@‫ن ی‬R2)
.‫ ی م‬/3Q'@8 48 :92:‫ﻥ‬
،/2,D. /8Q2@8 h2#Q,7 Q‫ إن ه‬i,3&7 E@‫? أي ﺵ‬A &.Q‫ ﺕ‬D25 ‫&ا‬. ‫&ا‬. ‫&ا‬. 9@j‫ را‬/K‫ه‬Q8 &6) ،?‫آ‬7 ،hWa... :‫م‬
48E(k(K8 /l3 ‫ أو‬/@,A‫ ر‬48 /l3 ?6@‫ دي ی‬/l23‫ إن ا‬41k,8‫ن و‬1‫ إﻥ‬i‫ آ‬D0‫ ی‬،‫&ا‬. /12 /l27 ،‫&ا‬. ?3) ‫س‬1Wn7
?3‫ إ‬i,D:3‫?ء ا‬R3‫ ا‬I&‫ن آ‬R) ،/0,@a ‫ دي‬/l23‫ إن ا‬ok,7 &W 4,08 ،92') 48E(k(K8 ‫ أو‬9(A'p 48E(k(K8 ‫ أو‬95‫زو‬
،‫]ئ‬7 E@‫ ﺵ‬Q‫? إن ه‬8@3‫ ا‬E@R3‫ ا‬+) &d((7 ?3‫ة إ‬EF03‫ ا‬E,l‫ ی‬IE@R7 ‫&ر‬5 Q‫ إن ه‬/,8@3‫ ا‬/l23‫ أو ا‬،+,‫ه‬RW"# 92D)
…_‫ه‬E,w‫ و‬،‫دي‬Q67H‫ ا‬+DWE3‫& ا‬K)‫ و‬،‫&اد‬W ‫اد‬tA‫ و‬،?1‫ﻥ‬Q(3‫م ا‬E,7 ،95A‫@ ور‬Ku‫ و‬،‫ح ﺕم‬:‫ ﻥ‬v:‫ ﻥ‬Q‫ ه‬.s18‫]ئ و‬7
.‫ا‬QAE@,W Jk[037 ‫ا‬QK(F‫ا ی‬Q3‫و‬W _10‫ ه_ ﻥ‬Q3 ‫ى‬E‫ ی ﺕ‬:92:‫ﻥ‬
.&,‫ أآ‬:‫م‬
.Jk[037 b(F,7 ‫? آن‬3x,(,7 o,‫ﻥ‬Q(3‫م ا‬E,7 :92:‫ﻥ‬
‫؟‬I&‫ آ‬9,3 ‫ ز آن‬I&‫ آ‬9,3 ‫ وآن‬I&‫ آ‬9,3 ‫ آن‬I> :‫م‬
"‫ف‬Q1‫ ی‬iA" ‫اﻥ‬Q6) o7 y6l‫ ﺕ‬/,j6w ?7 I&‫&ة آ‬,[5 ‫ زي‬i8) Q‫ ه‬/01203‫ة ا‬EFA +8 4@2\68 ‫ن‬R) o7 Q‫ ه‬:i8‫أ‬
…‫ا‬QD2F(,7 ."‫ف‬Q12,A" 48
./.‫&ار‬3‫ ا‬9:23‫? ا‬A :‫م‬
.‫ف‬Q12,A Q‫? ه‬3‫ف إ‬Q1,2A .?6@‫ ی‬/,8@3‫ ا‬/:23‫? ا‬A :i8‫أ‬

.‫وف‬E{3‫ ا‬o7 +F3 /.W J'7‫ ا‬+FD8 ‫ف آن‬Q3H7 ‫ري‬FA‫ف أ‬Q1,2A i.‫أﻥ را‬
‫ف‬Q‫? وﺵ‬D) ‫| ی‬D ‫ﺕ? إ‬8Q‫ ی‬E,(‫ت آ‬k0# ?‫اﺕ‬E‫]آ‬8 b(F7
~DW‫ل و‬Q07 i‫)& یآ‬5 ~‫ وﻥ‬+,() ~5E,7 +,D,3‫ ا‬9K6‫& ﺵ‬W‫ وا‬I‫ر دا‬63‫? ا‬3.
‫ف‬Q1,2A y6‫ آ‬Q3 ‫ف‬E@‫ ﺕ‬y‫ أﻥ‬Q8 ‫ل‬5‫وف و‬E3‫ زي ا‬x8 x8 98&d ‫ اي‬9(3
‫ج ی "م‬E0‫ ﺕ‬o‫ی‬Q‫ آ‬48 i.‫ را‬I‫ دا‬،‫م‬D‫ ﺕ‬48 i.‫ را‬I‫ دا‬،_0,7 48 i.‫ را‬I‫دا‬

‫ج ی "م‬E0‫ اﺕ‬:‫"ء‬:‫ﻥ‬

2‫ آ‬+,‫ه‬. ‫"ح‬# y)(7 ‫@ﻥ‬8 /'2@8 ?3‫ﻥ? إ‬wH‫ ا‬+) ،+,‫ه‬. ‫"ح‬# +) 9.W ?A ‫ آن‬/A‫ )ر‬4(6F8 ‫ن‬R) :92:‫ﻥ‬
…9,6W 2‫ وآ‬/2,D.
4(6F8‫ و‬2D) ?3‫ إ‬Q‫ إن ه‬/,j6l3‫)ت ا‬Q6D3‫ ا‬+8 ‫ان‬Q‫&ی‬3‫? ا‬A ‫أت‬E5 8 ‫"ل‬d +8 ~‫ﻥ? ﺵ‬wN‫@^ ا‬7 ?A H :i8‫أ‬
...?‫ﻥ‬w‫@ أ‬Ku‫ و‬.4‫ دروی‬EkK3‫ن ا‬D‫( إی‬...) .‫ دي‬b‫ آﺕ‬N‫ )…( و‬Q‫ إن ه‬I‫ر‬Q[(8
 (...) :92:‫ﻥ‬
.(not clear) :i8‫أ‬

English translation:

Seham: I think that Salah Jaheen does not discuss philosphy

Naglaa: What do you mean? He does not have a philosophy at all?

Seham: No, I do not mean he does not have a philosophy at all. I mean he does not have
that philosophy of complex philosophers.

Naglaa: Should philosophy always be complex?

Seham: This is the problem, and this is, this is what is apparent in one of his quatrains
when he says:

The philosopher is thinking, please leave him alone

Do not make him a sultan neither crucify him
Do not you know that what the philosophers say is true?
They come back and say it is a lie.

He is talking about the contradictions among philosophers. He wants something -- what is

he looking for?

Naglaa: The contradictions about what is among philosophers is a philosophy itself.

Seham: Yes, you wonder, what is he looking for? You said that he should interact with
people to express them. It is not necessary that he interacted or mixed completely with
the people to be able to express… Salah Jaheen.

Naglaa: It is not reasonable, Seham.

Seham: Salah Jaheen is a laughing, crying poet who has a very, very, very wonderful
talent that is hardly present in other types of poetry. . A proof of this is that he is
conveying to you a beautiful piece of information, with a great feeling, with a very easy
language, understood by every human being … and he [the reader] does not feel that this
is not standard language, or a language that doesn’t respect his taste, or doesn’t respect
his culture, or doesn’t respect his mind. There is no one who would feel that this is a
weak language. That’s why the beautiful thing that Salah Jaheen did with the dialect is
that he was able, through his poetry, to change the idea about colloquial poetry, which is
that it’s rude and disrespectful poetry. He was completely successful -- he and certainly
his friends, Bairam el-Tunisi, and Fu’ad Haddad, and Abdul Rahman el-Abanodi, and
others ….
Amal: But those are ….

Naglaa: What if these same poets try to write in Fus-ha [standard Arabic], will they
manage?

Seham: For sure.

Naglaa: Bairam el-Tunisi, I think, used to write in Fus-ha, I think.

Seham: He had this and that [fusha and dialect]

Naglaa: I think he used to write in ….

Amal: Well … for he was not being able to escape this idea … because he wrote a poem,
but with a song rhyme. It was sung, but its title is falyasuf not phailasuf.

Seham: Falyasuf.

Amal: Yes, he used dialect with the title: falyasuf, who is phailasuf.

I am a ‘falyasuf’ man,
I have thousands of thoughts;
I could have become something,
But the circumstance;
I write my diaries,
Many pages everyday;
Listen to this, man, and watch;
Today, a man came to me,
His right mustache is dancing;
For two and a half hours, he sat,
Eating check peas and beans;
I asked him “Any help?
He baaad like a sheep,
He said “You would know had you been a ‘falyasuf’
This man doesn’t understand,
He is not very good;
This man is not good,
Watch, ya salam!

Naglaa: Watch, ya salam! … I don’t know, there was something in my brain about Salah
Jaheen regarding the songs we memorize of Salah Jaheen.

Seham: All of them are beautiful.

Amal: No, there are some songs that I have found in a poetry volume about songs … that
he was the one who wrote them, and I didn’t imagine that he … he was within the
friendship circle of Eman el-Bahar Darwish ….

Seham: Yes, one of his friends.

Amal: And also the song of ….

Naglaa: The song of “I bend like this ….”

Seham: The tea song.

Amal: Yes, the tea song … there were also many operas done, such as “The Bride”
opera.

Seham: Yes, ‘”The Bride” opera.

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