CultureTalk Egypt Video Transcripts: http://langmedia.fivecolleges.

edu
Salah Jaheen’s Quatrains

Egyptian Arabic transcript:

.‫"ل ا*)('&ت‬- ./ ‫ ا*>&ة‬8‫?آ‬/ 8‫ آ‬:1; .&‫ه‬7 ‫"ح‬# ،‫"ل ا*)('&ت‬- ./ ‫ل‬01‫ر أ‬41‫ أ‬،‫ ا*)('&ت‬56( :‫م‬
.@7‫ ﺡ‬.B C*0D‫" ﺡ‬E/ 5F'‫ی‬
.‫"ل ا*)('&ت‬- ./ @?1F/ "E/ ‫"ت‬#‫ا‬0K*‫*@ ا‬LM/ :HIJ;
.@7‫ ﺡ‬NIB C*0D‫ ﺡ‬5F'‫ ی‬:‫م‬
..OK/ @K‫ﺡ‬P*‫ ا‬.B QIOR :HIJ;
‫ أ])اد ا[ )ة‬.&( / @#- ‫س‬F*‫ [ن ا‬.4FR ‫ات‬4( 5*‫;&@ إ‬M;T‫ت ا‬1"'*‫ ا‬.B "E/ QIOU&( ،@K‫ﺡ‬P*‫ ا‬.B QIOR‫ و‬WX :‫م‬
:C*0D( .0F/ 5;'F( 5*‫ إ‬F‫ إﺡ‬W‫ دا‬،‫ة‬4‫اﺡ‬0*‫ا‬

)J>*‫ داب ا‬،)J‫&)وا ﺡ‬d ab7‫ا و‬0U&/‫ ر‬5bI1 .^&D‫&ش ;س (>^ وﺡ‬/ ‫س‬F*‫وا‬...^&D?*‫_ دم ا‬K&( ^&D?*‫ل ا‬1
.5bJB‫&^ و‬1‫ ر‬eI1 a'7‫ور‬

)g; @7‫ا و‬0O&* ‫ا‬0h)( 0U;‫ وإ‬4DUB‫ ا‬.4‫ واﺡ‬a1‫ و‬5] @7‫ا ﺡ‬f‫ آ‬NIB QIOU&( 0‫@ ه‬BK7 ‫ی‬...H‫ی‬X NIB QIOU&( 0‫ ه‬5F'‫ی‬...
8DB :&l/ ND( 5F'‫&^ ی‬D&?*‫ ا‬.^&D?*‫ ا[خ وا‬.&( 5F'‫س ی‬F*‫)ب ا‬1[ ‫&@ دي‬M;T‫ت ا‬D*'*‫د ا‬M] .B QIOU&( k‫ أو‬.4&‫أآ‬
.@I& 0*‫)ر ا‬bU( @‫ی‬p*‫ ا‬.‫"ص‬- @D&D‫_ دم ﺵ‬K&( H'FK‫ء ی‬5‫ ﺵ‬:&l/
....B :/ ‫ دا‬q( WX :HIJ;
.5D&D‫ ﺡ‬W‫ دا‬:‫م‬
.86>&(‫د و‬070/ 0‫ ه‬:@IJ;
.‫ا‬47 ‫&)ة‬b‫رة آ‬06( 5U10*‫ ]& دي د‬F‫ إﺡ‬5*‫)ة إ‬Ul*‫ ا‬5] )g‫أ ی‬4( .OK‫د وی‬070/ 0‫ ه‬:‫م‬
.‫ش أوي‬0UMKI/ ;‫ أ‬:HIJ;
.)&U‫س آ‬F( 5‫آ‬OU‫"ل اﺡ‬- ./ ‫ أوي‬HUMK* .‫ أوي‬HUMK* ;‫ أ‬:‫م‬
HKB‫ت و‬/   ‫ ا‬W(( 5F'‫ ی‬،((‫ و‬HKB 5F'‫ ی‬،./)>*‫ ا‬4bB )‫ ا; ]آ‬5F'‫ ی‬،W4‫@ زي آ‬7‫ا ﺡ‬0*0D&( ‫د‬k‫ أو‬5] 5F'‫ ی‬:HIJ;
‫ط‬w>;‫ ا‬W4‫ آ‬5] "'] 8‫ ه‬5F'‫ ی‬.5F'‫ ی‬5D&D‫ ﺡ‬W‫رف إذا آن دا‬B :/ q( ‫م‬0K'*‫ ا‬NIB .H‫ی‬X ‫رف‬B :/‫&)اث و‬K*‫ ا‬f-‫أ‬
.‫"ق‬-y*
.B ;4'( ;‫ إ‬5‫ وه‬FB 5KIOUU( aF‫ آ‬5*‫;&@ إ‬k‫ ا[و‬HwDF*‫ ا‬qlF* z7)F‫ا ﺡ‬0h)( 5‫"ق وه‬-y* ‫ط‬w>;‫ ا‬5‫ ه‬:‫م‬
:‫ل‬0DU( ،@‫وی‬4'*‫ة را('@ ا‬4&MI* ‫ا‬47 .&I&K7 .&U&( ،‫ا‬47 8&K7 a&( 5] 5F'‫ ی‬.‫ أوي أوي أوي‬F(‫ر‬

ُHَbُّ‫ِْ ُ) ﺡ‬gُR a َ ْ;‫ وَأ‬H*ِT‫ ا‬5ِ6ْ'َR

zُ ‫ی‬4( ‫&س‬D*‫ ا‬5] ٌ‫>ل‬/ ‫ا‬f‫ه‬
ُHَUْ'َ[
َ ً1ِ‫َد‬# C َ ُbُّ‫ن ﺡ‬
َ ‫ْ آ‬0َ*
zُ &ِwُ/ e ُّ ِ>ُ‫ْ ی‬.َKِ* e
َّ ِ>ُKْ*‫ن ا‬
َّ ‫إ‬

8UD&( .(‫ف إ‬0?F( / ‫ زي‬5/‫ أ‬8UD‫ ﺡ‬:/ ،‫ي‬0-‫ ﺡ^ أ‬4-‫ ﺡ‬:/ F(‫ ر‬e>( 0* F/ e ،‫ا‬47 F(‫ ر‬e>F( F;‫ل إ‬0DF( FI‫آ‬
;‫ إن أ‬QK*‫ ا‬،5F(‫ إ‬،‫ي‬0-‫أﺡ† أ‬،‫ي‬0-‫ آن أ‬0* NU‫( ﺡ‬..)‫ أ; و('ƒ ال‬5Db&( e*OU&( :/ .W0(‫ أ‬8UD&( .(‫ أو إ‬.H/‫أ‬
.HR&B(‫ ر‬5] F‫? ه‬1F&( .8#‫أو‬
.@&;M;‫ت إ‬1"B 5F'‫ ی‬:HIJ;
....OK‫ی‬...‫ا‬47 ‫ا‬47 ‫ا‬47 ?1F&( ..0*‫ ة ا‬L/‫و‬....0*‫ ا‬:‫م‬
..0*‫ ة ا‬L/ H‫ی‬X :HIJ;
....1967 4'( / ‫ و‬67 8b1 / ‫)ة‬U] .5UlIU‡/ .&R)U] 5] ‫&ت‬B()*‫ ا‬eU‫ آ‬.&‫"ح ﺵه‬#....0*‫ ة ا‬L/ :‫م‬
English translation:

Seham: Look, from the quatrains, I can say that through the quatrains which I have read
more than once, Salah Jaheen1 discussed all the problems of life via the quatrains, I mean
for example, I will tell you something ….

Naglaa: The problem of transportation, for instance, he discussed through the quatrains?

Seham: I will tell you something ….

Amal: The problem of crowdedness ….

Seham: Yes, he talked about crowdedness. He talks, for example, about the human
relations that started to fall apart among people, especially among members of the same
family, and this is what we suffer from. He tells you:

They said a brother exploits his brother

And people are not true people;
I threw my heart and put a rock instead,
The rock melted and became a soft heart again
How strange!

What is he talking about, people? He is not … he is talking about several things at the
same time, I think, but you also have your own point of view. First, he’s talking about the
corruption of human relationships among the closest people, I mean between a brother
and … a brother, it’s over. I mean, there is no brain, there is no shame, there is nothing to
prevent him from sucking the blood of his brother2 -- that’s it. Now it’s “the end justifies
the means” ….

Naglaa: Yes, but this is not, not general ….

Seham: No, it’s true.

Naglaa: It does exist, and it happens, maybe, because ….

Seham: Maybe it started to emerge in this period on a larger scale.

Naglaa: I have not felt it as much.

Seham: I might have felt it strongly; I have seen it so much through interacting
[empathizing with] with other people.

1
A leading Egyptian poet, born in Cairo in 1930. A major figure in the development of poetry in Egyptian
colloquial Arabic, he died in 1986.
2
Arabic expression that means exploiting something.
Naglaa: I mean, there are children who would say such a thing. Do you remember Abdul
Rahim, and his father died first, and his uncle took the inheritance, or something like
this? Anyway … I don’t really know if this is true or not. Is it possible that there is such
immorality?

Seham: It is immorality, but we will return to the same point that you were talking about,
which is that we have distanced ourselves from our God so much. I mean, there is a
verse; there are two beautiful verses by Mrs. Rabi’a el-Adaweya. She says:

You disobey God, yet you show your love,

This is impossible, yet magnificent if measured;
Had you loved Him truly, you would have obeyed Him,
A lover is obedient to his love.

All we do is to say that we love our God very much. So, if I love our God, I don’t take
my brother’s right, I don’t kill my mother as we see a son killing his mother or a son
killing his father, I don’t collaborate; it should not be “after me comes the flood,” even if
he is my brother, my brother, my son, any one -- the important thing is that I reach [my
goal]. He discusses these things in his quatrains.

Naglaa: I mean the human relations ….

Seham: He discussed them. The country, and the country’s tragedy … he discusses them
so much, so much, so much.

Naglaa: What is the country’s tragedy?

Seham: The country’s tragedy, especially …. Salah Jaheen wrote the quatrains in two
different periods; the period before ‘67 and after ‘67.

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