An Egyptian proverb says, "What/who you know is better than what/who you don't know." To me it's, "What you don't know is better than what you know, or at least is more interesting." ^_^
I came across this book (International Stories for Children) and thought it may be useful for those learning Arabic. It has the tashkeel in it and tells different stories from around the world. I recorded my voice reading it in MSA and 3ameyya. It's my first time to be recording so I'm not very good at it. Any suggestions for improving the sound quality are most appreciated. I'd also like to know if I should be speaking slower.
This is the first story in the book, Katika. Just click on the picture to move to the next page. First, the MSA version. I tried to read without an Egyptian accent, but slipped a few times with the jeem. ^_^
Just finished Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky, another book we brought back from our visit home. The author had only just finished the first two parts of the book (out of the intended five) when she was arrested and sent to concentration camp where she passed away shortly after.
The first part dealt with the chaos before the German occupation of France. People fleeing Paris and trying to get to the country. What happened on their way, the misery and hopelessness. It shows both what the poor went through as well as the rich, who were often disgusting the way they looked down on others in such a time when all are in the same boat (sort of).
The second part talks about the German occupation of the country, of one particular village that had helped the refugees before (and hence you're familiar with some of the characters). How the villagers had to give up a lot to the Germans, but at sometimes were able to take advantage of them and make profits. How they had to share their homes with some of the officers, and the mixed feelings this all brings up.
When I was reading the first part I was wondering how the rest of the novel would go. It naturally focused on the French civilians' troubles and feelings. I had been thinking about what would one do in such a situation where you're dealing with the enemy face to face. Reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society had gotten me started on the idea. So I was wondering if the second part would continue with the same perspective.
Well, it didn't. It tackles both sides' feelings, but maybe more on the French side. The villagers are sometimes torn between treating these polite young German soldiers nicely, and feeling hatred because their sons/husbands/fathers are prisoners of war or have been killed in the war. The Germans on the other hand, definitely miss their loved ones. They also wonder how the French truly feel towards them, especially when they're ordered to go to Russia to fight.
I loved the book, but what made it better was reading the author's notes on how she was planning the rest of it. It gives you the chance to continue the story on your own with her guidelines as well as an idea of how she felt. The second appendix was correspondences first between her and her publisher asking for help to get through the tough times (because of her Jewish ancestry). Then they're between her husband and contacts trying to find out where she was taken. She only managed to send two letters after she was arrested. Later her husband was arrested as well and sent to the gas chamber. But the correspondence between their friends continue as they didn't know about their deaths. Their two little girls had to go in hiding, and even when the war was over and the prisoners returned they would go to the train station to try to find their parents. The appendixes got me crying, they're real life, not fiction.
Came across this song around election time and it's really touching, so thought I'd share it. It's in 3ameyya, but not all is your everyday way of saying something, quite a few things are poetic. And I should thank my friends on FB for sharing. ^_^
أهاجر؟
Immigrate?
واسيبك لمين
And leave you to whom?
ولسه صبية .. ونيلك حزين
(You’re) Still young, and your Nile is sad ولسه لبكرة ماليكي الحنين
And you’re still yearning for tomorrow أسيبك لمين؟
Leave you to whom? ومين راح يرد لتاريخك صباه
And who’s to bring back to your history its youth ويمشي ف طريقك.. لآخر مداه
And walk down your path/way till its end ومين من حياته يجيب لك حياة ..
And who’s to give you from his own life a life ومين راح يكبر وقت الصلاة
And who’s to make takbir when it’s prayer time أسيبك لمين؟
Leave you to whom? ومين يبقى مغرم بحبك صبابة
And who’s to be passionately in love with you ومين يحمي طيبتك ؟ يا أم الطيابة
And who’s to protect your kindness, oh source of kindness? ومين يبقى ضلة .. في شمس الغلابة
And who’s to be a shade… in the poor people’s sun ومين يبقى شوكة في حلق الديابة
And who’s to be a thorn in the wolves’ throat أسيبك لمين؟؟
Leave you to whom?
لمينLmeen to whom
In 3ameyya, it’s always at the end of the sentence, whereas in MSA it can be in the beginning or end sometimes.In 3ameyya, you say: اديته لمين؟Eddeitoh lmeen? Who did you give it (masculine) to?
But in MSA, you could say لِمَنْ أَعْطَيْتُه؟Leman 2a3Taytoh? or أَعْطَيْتُه لِمَنْ؟2a3Taytoh leman? روحت / روحتي لمين؟Ro7t / ro7tee lmeen? Who did you go to?
لسهlessah still, not yet لسه ماروحتشLessah maro7tish I haven’t gone yet. دي لسه صغيرةDee lessah Soghayyarah She’s still young. (She’s still a child.)
مين راحmeen ra7 Literally this means who went..? but in this context it means who’s going to… I don’t think it’s an expression I’d use in everyday conversation. I'd more likely say meen ha... هو راح فين؟Howwa ra7 fein? Where did he go? هي راحت فين؟Heyya ra7et fein? Where did she go?
مين هيكلّم الشركة؟ Meen haykallim essherkah? Who's going to call the company?
مين هيكبّر وقت الصلاة؟ Meen haykabbar wa2t essalah? Who's going to make takbir when it's prayer time?
أم الطيابةom elTayabah Literally mother of kindness, but it’s an expression to mean the source of something, you’re so kind that you’re the source (mother) of kindness. For masculine it would be abu… This can be used in a negative or positive way depending on the adjective added and context.
ديابةdiyabah wolves
This is one of the cases where the dhal in MSA is turned into a dal. The singular is ديبdeeb in 3ameyya. In MSA, its ذِئْبdhe2b and the plural is ذِئَابdhe2aab.
My meimei is having her katb kitab this weekend. It's also been a long time since I last translated a song so this is dedicated to her (being her favorite). Baraka Allahu lakoma wa baraka 3alaykoma wa jama3 baynakoma!
As always, feel free to add comments, corrections, or ask questions. ^_^
The song is only 4 minutes, but couldn't find a 4 min video that could be embedded.
في كلام لما بيتقال بيغير كل حياتنا معاه
Some things when said, change our whole life along with them
عاللي بيستهلوا ندور طول العمر ونستناه
Those who are worth looking for our whole lives and waiting for them
أنا من اللحظه دي بقولك إني بحبك أكتر مني
From this moment, I’m telling you I love you more than myself
إنتي اللي عشانك بأكتب شعر
You’re the one I write poetry for
إنتي اللي عشانها بأغني
You’re the one I sing for
تتجوزيني
Will you marry me?
مش عايز غيرك في الحياة
I don’t want anyone but you in life
أوعي تسيبيني
Don’t leave me
من غير ما أتكلم انتي بتسمعيني
Without talking, you hear me
عشانك أطول السما لو حبتيني
For you I’d reach out to the sky, if you (just) love me
أنا حاسس إن الكون وياكي بأشوفه بشكل جديد
I feel like I see the universe in a new way when I’m with you
الدنيا بتضحك وإنتي معايا
The world smiles/laughs when you’re with me
تكشر وإنتي بعيد
(And) frowns when you’re away
أنا شايف فيكي ولادنا ومستقبلنا ودنيا أمان
I see in you our children, future and a safe world
مهما هنكبر ونعجز هأفضل أحبك زي زمان
No matter how much we grow and get old, I’ll always love you like before
تتجوزيني
Will you marry me?
مش عايز غيرك في الحياة
I don’t want anyone but you in life
أوعي تسيبيني
Don’t leave me
من غير ما أتكلم انتي بتفهميني
Without talking, you understand me
عشانك أطول السما لو حبتيني
For you I’d reach out to the sky, if you (just) love me
أنا من اللحظه دي بقولك إني بحبك أكتر مني
From this moment, I’m telling you I love you more than myself
انتي اللي عشانك باكتب شعر
You’re the one I write poetry for
إنتي اللي عشانها بأغني
You’re the one I sing for
تتجوزيني
Will you marry me?
مش عايز غيرك في الحياة
I don’t want anyone but you in life
أوعي تسيبيني
Don’t leave me
من غير ما أتكلم انتي بتسمعيني
Without talking, you hear me
عشانك أطول السما لو حبتيني
For you I’d reach out to the sky, if you (just) love me
تتجوزيني
Will you marry me?
Ew3i (said to a female) / ew3a (said to a male) can have different meanings:
Don’t
* Ew3a tru7 henaak. Don’t go there.
* Ew3i tkhaafi. Don’t be afraid.
You’d better not… (usually ew3a tkun / ew3i tkuni…)
* Ew3i tkuni betfakkari tghayyari ra2yek. You’d better not be thinking of changing your mind.
* Ew3a tkun 3ayez tetgawwez tani. You’d better not want to marry again.
Watch out!
* Ew3a el3arabeyya! Watch out for the car!
Another way to warn someone would be by saying: 7aseb / 7asbi.
* 7asbi elshay! Watch out for the tea! (you’re going to spill it).
* 7aseb, elwalad hayo2a3. Watch out, the boy is going to fall.
Get out of the way (not very polite when talking to adults, so it's best for people you're familiar with)
* Ew3i! Get out of my way! Move!
* Ew3a, 7aseb. (said to a kid) Excuse me.
A polite way of saying that would be:
* 3an eznak (to male) / 3an eznek (to female) which just means excuse me (lit. with your permission)
* Law sama7t (to male) / Law sama7ti (to female) which is lit. please but it would be understood from the situation, e.g. you're in a narrow aisle.
Hanekbar w n3aggez:
Nekbar means (we) grow and n3aggez means (we) grow old.
It’s perfectly normal to use them together when talking about aging, but if you want to use one only, nekbar would sound a bit odd for adults.
My answer has changed over time depending on how I define myself, or how much I think the asker needs to know. But after seeing this article (in Arabic), I can confidently say, "No, and neither are you!". ^_^
It turns out if someone accuses you of not being Egyptian, there's no way you can prove it, at least realistically. And in all other cases the accuser should bring evidence, but in this one case it's the accused person's job to come up with evidence of his/her innocence. Your National ID number, passport, birth certificate even your military service certificate (for men) aren't enough to prove your citizenship.
So how do you get proof of Egyptian citizenship? Well, anyone who has settled in Egypt before November 5, 1914, and isn't a national of a foreign country, is Egyptian by law. That date is when Egypt ceased to be part of the Ottoman Empire.
To get the certificate proving your citizenship you need:
Both your parent's birth certificates
Your grandparents' birth certificates
Your great-grandparents' birth certificates etc. all the way back to 1914
Then you need to prove that your grandfather's grandfather had been residing in Egypt before that date by coming up with (1) a receipt for electricity, gas or telephone payment & (2) a property contract registered before the said date.
There's an Egyptian proverb that says: Elli te3rafoh a7san min elli mate3rafush (who/what you know is better than who/what you don't know). Its concept is constantly in use here.
Sometimes families prefer to marry within the family (especially for their daughters) citing this proverb as a reason. Your relative won't abuse you, and after all, blood can never turn into water.
Another example is when you ask people about elections, some would say, "So-and-so has been in charge for so long, he has so much experience and we know him. But how can we vote for someone we don't know." Or maybe they just say it to stay out of trouble.
I wonder if the proverb came from the culture, or it has changed the culture itself. I think originally the proverb would be about the person you befriend, use or trust, naturally the one you know is better than the one you don't know. But when its usage has spread to many other issues, I wonder if it's still true.
To me Elli mate3rafush a7san min elli te3rafoh, or at least more interesting. ^_^
Recently, I finished "The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices". It tells the stories of many Chinese women the writer came across during her work as a journalist and presenter of a radio show. Some of the stories were quite shocking. I can't say I was surprised, given the circumstances, but can't deny they were a bit too hard to read without being emotional.
One thing that was repeated in the book was a Chinese proverb: Women are like water and men are like mountains. At first I wasn't sure what it meant. I thought maybe it means that men are solid like rocks whereas women are flexible. Or that men get their way and women should be flexible and accommodating, at least that's how I feel it is culturally here. Having seen quite a few Arabic & Chinese proverbs that are derogatory of women when we were doing our graduation paper, I was wondering who's better than who in this proverb, but I guess there can be different explanations and it doesn't have to be that one is better than the other. In the book, different people gave different interpretations of it. One was:
"Chinese men need women in order to form a picture of themselves - as mountains are reflected in streams. But streams flow from the mountains. Where then is the true picture?"
Another was:
"Men are like mountains they only know the ground beneath their feet, and the trees on their slopes. But women are like water."
and when the same person was asked why, she said:
"Everybody says women are like water. I think it's because water is the source of life, and it adapts itself to its environment. Like women, water also gives of itself wherever it goes to nurture life."
Now I see it to mean: life cannot be without men or women, they're different but it doesn't mean either of them is dispensable. Mountains are like pegs to fasten the Earth's crust, whereas water is vital for survival on Earth.
The book reminds me of another one I read a few years ago, "I Wish I Were a Wolf: The New Voice in Chinese Women's Literature". Though it's fiction it still showed how women struggle in China and I think some of the stories can reflect women's struggles in other parts of the world as well.
I've thought about starting a blog for a long time, but never got around to doing it. Over time, the reasons have changed, but basically to have a place to share my thoughts, observations and translations. So here we go, bismillah.
