Mahragan Ayem Fe Bahr El Ghadr (عايم في بحر الغدر) - Ahmed Ezzat

 عايم في بحر الغدر

Swimming in the sea of betrayal,

شط الندالة مليان ب قلوب ماليها الشر

The shore of treachery is full of hearts devoid of goodness,

والبر ما له أمان

And the land has no safety.

نجي الخسيس منه اما الاصيل غرقان

We rescue the ignoble, while the noble drown,

والقوي في قوته بس علي الغلبان

And the strong in their strength oppress the weak.

شيطان ضحك علي الكل

The devil laughed at everyone,

والذل كان عنوان

And humiliation was the title.

نشر الفجور والذل ما بين بني الإنسان

Corruption and humiliation spread among humankind,

ولما قبضوا الثمن الكل باع وخان

And when they were paid, everyone sold out and betrayed.

واللي عامل حبيبي علي حقيقته بان

And whoever acted as my beloved revealed his true colors,

شايف الوشوش الوان

Seeing the deceitful faces,

بلياتشو البهلوان

The clownish pretenders,

بيمثلوا الضحكه وبيصنعوا الأوهام

They pretend to laugh and create illusions.

يا قلوب بلا مأوي جبل الهموم اقوي

Oh hearts without refuge, the mountain of worries is strong,

فيها القوي علي الضعيف

In it, the strong overpower the weak.

جاي بيستقوي

He's coming to get stronger.

دنيا فيها الفاعل مبني علي المفعول

A world where actions are based on consequences,

الفرح فيها ماضي بابه صبح مقفول

Joy here is a past door closed at sunrise.

مركب ف بحر غريق والبحر موجه عالي

A boat in a sea of drowning, and the sea's waves are high,

مبيفرقش ما بين عزيز ولا غالي

It doesn't differentiate between precious and priceless.

خلق وأخرها تراب عايشين ف دنيا سراب

People created, and in the end, they're just dust, living in a world of mirage.

واللي كانوا حبايب دلوقتي بقوا أغراب

And those who were friends are now strangers,

عجبي عليك يا عجب

Amazing, oh, how amazing!

علي اي متستعجب

Oh what are you amazed (or suprised)?

دنيا وفيها العجب هو اللي مستعجب

In a world where the amazement is what's amazing,

بحراسيه ناس مش هي وقلوب عماله بتتلخبط

Guarded by people who are not themselves, and hearts are confused,

فين الطيبه فين الحنيه

Where is the kindness, where is the tenderness?

اصل الدنيا خلاص بتشطب

Because the world is now being erased. 

This song reflects on the themes of betrayal and the harsh realities of life. It portrays a world where trust is rare, and people are driven by self-interest which results in the downfall of genuine relationships as well as the erasure of moral values.

I love (أنا بعشق) - Nagat Al Sagheera

       انا بعشق البحر

زيك يا حبيبى حنون

وسعات زيك مجنون

ومهاجر ومسافر

وسعات زيك حيران

وسعات زيك زعلان

وسعات مليان بالصمت

انا بعشق البحر

انا بعشق السما

علشان زيك مسامحة

مزروعة نجوم وفرحة

وحبيبة وغريبة

وعشان زيك بعيدة

وسعات زيك قريبة

بعيون متنغمة

انا بعشق السما

انا بعشق الطريق

لانة فية لقانة

رحنا وشقانا

واصحابنا وشبابنا

وفية ضحكت دمعنا

وفية بكيت شمعنا

وضاع فية الصديق

انا بعشق الطريق

انا بعشق البحر

وبعشق السما

وبعشق الطريق

لانهم حياة

وانتى يا حبيبتى

انتى كل الحياة 

I love the sea

Like you, my dear it is tender

And sometimes, like you, it is crazy

Leaving and a traveler

And sometimes, like you, it is confused

And sometimes, like you, it is upset

And sometimes, like you, it is full of silence

I love the sea 

I love the sky

Because, like you, it is forgiving

Planted with stars and joy

It is loved and strange (far, distant)

And like you, it is far 

But sometimes it is, like you, near

With beautifully arranged eyes

I love the sky 

I love the road

It is there that we met

It is there we have our joy and sadness

Our friends and our youth 

And it is there our tears have laughed

And it is there our candles cried

And it is there where we have lost a friend

I love the road 

I love the sea 

And I love the sky 

And I love the road 

For in them there is life

And you my beloved

You are life itself. (What it means to live).  

I love this song because it expresses love and admiration for an unnamed beloved while comparing them to the three elements of nature: the sea, the sky, and the road. Each stanza describes the unique qualities and characteristics of these elements, drawing parallels between them and the beloved. The sea is depicted as tender, sometimes crazy, and occasionally silent, mirroring what a human relationship may be like. Similarly, the sky is described as forgiving, adorned with stars and joy, yet distant at times. The road symbolizes the journey of life, where moments of joy and sadness, laughter and tears, are experienced with friends. Overall, I like to think that the poem describes how life itself is embodied in the beloved of the speaker.

I always enjoyed songs and poems about the sea, making the first three stanzas my favorite:

       انا بعشق البحر

زيك يا حبيبى حنون

وسعات زيك مجنون

I love the sea

Like you, my dear it is tender

And sometimes, like you, it is crazy. 

I miss her smile. 

How she would nod her head when she tickled me. 

I miss her voice. 

How she would call for me and say "thank you beta."

I miss her. 

I miss her smell. 

And her cute jokes.

I miss the person I was around her. 

I miss her arms around me as she pulled me into a close hug. 

I felt very safe in her arms when she would pull me into a close hug. 

But she is at home. 

She is with her loved ones and Creator. 

She beat me to it. 

And as she looks down at me, 

I can only hope that she sees me trying.

I miss you Dada. 

Forest and River

Forest and River by Zhaleh Esfahani

The forest cried out to the river:
I wish I were like you
Traveling day and night, with such sights to see, 
Down to the limpid, open sea
A riverbed of shining water
A restless eager soul
A surging, turquoise-colored light
Flowing forever, 
And what am I? 
A captive caught in earth
In eternal silence
I'll grow old
I'll turn yellow
I'll dry up
I'll be a handful of cold ashes
Sooner or later
The river shouted: 
Forest, you're half-awake
I wish I was in your place
That I knew such lucid, emerald peace
On glittering moonlit nights,
To be the mirror in which spring sees herself
The spreading shade where lovers meet
Your destiny's to be renewed each year
And mine's to abscond from myself
All I know is to run in confusion
to run 
and run
From all this migrating and journeying
What do I get except 
futility and restlessness?
Ah not for a moment is my soul ever at peace!
No one knows
another's heart
Who can say of a passer-by
who he is or was?
A man walks in shadow, asking himself under his breath,
Who am I?
River?
Forest?
Both together?
Forest and river?
Forest and river. 

Translated by Dick Davis

I came across this poem in a collection of Persian poetry by women called The Mirror of My Heart. I have yet to write and publish my review on the book itself but the poems in there are beautiful. I wonder what I am.... the forest or the river?

The Mirror of My Heart

I recently finished "The Mirror of My Heart: A Thousand Years of Persian Poetry by Women" translated by Dick Davis. I am so happy that I chose to start my poetry journey with this book.