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

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Studying Literature at Dar El Ulum – Part 2

Egyptian Arabic transcript :

،‫م‬456 7#‫&رس <)اء زي أ‬-# =>7< ?>‫ و‬،=>7< ‫&رس‬-# ،*"# $%&' ‫"* ا )( ا‬# ‫&رس‬-# *"# .&‫)& آ‬# 0#‫ و‬: ‫ا‬
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Aa4Z# b4'B %4> ‫ن‬4‫^ آ‬4# _(Z)5 ‫ ا‬.^4# _(Z)5B Q4JQ ،^4# _(Z)5B A%O Q45E‫ و‬A 4‫& رﺡ‬P‫م وا‬4> A%‫ د‬A%4`' ‫ا‬
‫ا إن‬7 4"Q ، ‫ ا‬،A%V WBP‫= د‬Q ،b4' ‫ ا‬7‫ إ = ه‬،‫ء‬45 ‫ب ﻡ[ ا‬7‫ آ‬b%4  4Q ،‫ء‬45 ‫ب ﻡ[ ا‬7‫ آ‬،AC‫ ﻡ‬G%4#7‫ آ‬ABZ‫ه‬
eB5 $)# ،A%V %4> ‫م‬4>‫ و‬7?-\# Af‫ ﺡ‬،AC5 ‫ ا‬G%4#7‫ آ‬g#h‫ ﻡ‬،‫ء‬45 ‫ب ا‬7‫ب آ‬h% _ ،G5BJ5 4# ‫ا‬d‫ا آ‬d‫ا آ‬d‫ا آ‬7B5a ‫ا وم‬
_BQ .‫&ي‬-a .PV‫&ك و‬-a A ‫ أو‬4ًhC e [BE‫ر‬O 4j‫آ‬Z6 _ ‫ ا وم إن‬bB‫^ إ * آ‬4# _(Z)5 ‫[ ا‬C-‫ﻡ‬k5 ‫ ا‬C‫ ﻡ[ أﻡ‬AB> ‫ا وم‬
=Q ‫ك‬7B5 ‫دة ا‬4)‫ا ا )(…وآ‬d‫= ه‬Q ‫ك‬7B5 ‫دة ا‬4)‫ وآ‬،gC\ ‫= ا‬Q ‫ج‬m% ‫ أن‬،^4# _(Z)5 ‫ ا‬،A%V ‫"ر‬Q ،A‫ﻡ‬I`# _Zj%
‫"ر‬Q ،‫ن‬7‫ﻥ‬4j% ‫ن‬75BJ5 ‫) وا‬n% ‫ذا‬45Q ،G‫)آ‬5 ‫ ا‬.d‫= ه‬Q ‫م‬ojCE A‫ا أﻥ‬7)5pQ [C5\-5 ‫[ وا‬CQ‫ل ا )ا‬pE .‫ا )( دا‬
:4j)Bf‫&ة ﻡ‬C(> ACQ ‫ل‬4> ،)h ‫ ا‬5‫م <) ﻡ[ أ‬456 7#‫ أ‬ACQ ‫ل‬4"Q ،[CQ‫م ا )ا‬I`# A#p% _ ‫وج و‬m ‫ا‬
b% ‫ وا‬eh ‫ء ا‬I [‫= ﺡ&ه‬Q…bZ` ‫ء ﻡ[ ا‬4?‫ء إﻥ‬4>&‫ أﺹ‬sCJ ‫ا‬
)< ‫&رس‬-# ،_C‫اه‬#‫ ا‬vQ4‫>= وﺡ‬7< *"# ‫&رس‬-# *"# [%&)#‫ و‬.=‫ﻡ‬IEt‫& ا‬B? ‫ ا‬،A%‫ر‬75a uZQ ‫ن‬4‫ ا 'ب آ‬.d‫)& ه‬# I)Q‫و‬
:eh ‫رة ا‬7x ‫& زي‬D4(> ‫&رس‬-#‫ و‬،‫ل‬IwO‫&ة ا‬C(> ‫& زي‬D4(> ‫&رس‬-# ،G)#‫ ا ا‬G-J ‫= ا‬Q $%&‫ﺡ‬
.=-‫ ﻡ‬W‫ وأﻥ‬eCQ e<‫د أ‬4‫ﻥ= أآ‬O =Jn‫= ﻥ‬Q e<‫د أ‬4‫أآ‬
:4j)Bf‫ل زي ﻡ‬IwO‫&ة ا‬C(> ‫&رس‬-#‫و‬
‫ى‬7jQ = 4CP [‫ ﻡ‬4‫ن ﺹﺡ‬4‫ى آ‬7j ‫[ ا‬%‫ل أ‬4J6 z ‫ادي‬kQ 4%
‫ ا &ﻡ{ روى‬45 4w =-a ‫…واروي‬A Iw‫* ا‬Ba ‫= وا<ب‬-"E‫ا‬

.G)%<‫ق و‬IP‫ وأ‬GnJBQ 4jCQ ‫&رس‬-#‫ و‬،‫ث‬4'#‫ أ‬4jCQ 5)-#‫ و‬،A"%) ‫ ا‬GCB` ‫ ا‬،‫م‬7B) ‫[ دار ا‬a A)%E .d?‫ ﻥ‬.‫دا‬

English translation:

Man: And that’s it. And after that, we study the Modern Era. We study Shawki,1 and
before Shawki, we study poets such as Abu Tammam. For Abu Tammam, we study very
beautiful poems by him. I mean, there is a story we studied by Abu Tammam that’s very
beautiful. It’s that he was, during the days of the Islamic nation … there was … ah … a
woman in the land of the Romanians. Romanians … ah … Romanians did what? They
hurt her. So, what did she say? Wa mutasamah.2 A man came, I mean from the Muslims,
and saw this thing. He packed his stuff and traveled to where? To al-Mutasem Bellah. So
he traveled to al-Mutasem Bellah. Al-Mutasem Bellah had told his servant, “Bring me a
cup of water” … a cup of water. The man who’s the servant brought the cup of water
while the [other] man was entering. So … ah … he told him, “What’s wrong with you?”
He told him that the issue is … ah … that the Romanians did such and such to the, to the
Muslim woman.

1
Ahmed Shawki (1868-1932) was one of the greatest Egyptian poets. He wrote poems on different
subjects, including criticism of his government.
2
A calling word for a person named Mutasem, who was the Muslim ruler.
He didn’t drink the cup of water; he didn’t drink the cup of water. He put it aside, and
said what? He sent to the … to, to the King of the Romanians. He told him, “From the
Ruler of the Believers, Al-Mutasem Bellah, to the dog of the Romanians. If you don’t
release her I will send to you an army that starts at your country and ends at mine.”
He [the Romanian leader] didn’t pay attention to his words; he didn’t pay attention to his
words. So he [Mutasem] decided what? Al-Mutasem Bellah left with the army. And it
was the habit of kings in that era … he asked the sorcerers. He asked the sor….
And [as] it was the habit of kings in that era, he asked the sorcerers and soothsayer, and
they agreed that he will be defeated in this battle, in this battle, so what should he do
when Muslims are humiliated? He decided to go, and didn’t care about the sorcerers’
words. Abu Tammam said about him some poetry that’s one of the most beautiful poems.
He told him … he wrote a poem about him that starts with

The sword tells the truth more than books do

In their blades, doubt and fear disappear

And truly, after this war, it was the conquest, conquest of Amureyah, the Muslim
country.

And after that, we study Shawki and Hafez Ibrahim3, and we study … ah … modern
poetry during the senior year. We study poems, such as the poem The Ruins. And we
study … ah … revolution … poems such as The Revolution of Doubt:

I am about to doubt you because I am about to doubt myself

Because I am about to doubt you and you are from me

And we study the poem of The Ruins, as it starts with

My heart, don’t ask where love is,

It used to be a monument of my imagination, so it collapsed.

Water me and drink on its ruins,

And talk for me as tears have watered me.

This is, I mean, a quick summary about the College of Sciences, the historical college …
and we do research in it, and we study philosophy in it, and ethics, and Shari’a and … ah
….

3
Hafez Ibrahim (1872-1932) was a great Egyptian poet, who was a friend of Shawki.
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