she sat with fear in her eyes
contemplating the overturned cup
she said "oh my son don't be sad
for love is what is written for you oh my son"
oh my son
he dies a martyr
he who sacrifices himself for the beloved
i've foretold and predicted a lot
but never have i read a cup
that looks like yours
i've foretold and predicted a lot
but never have i known a cup
with sorrows similar to yours
you're destined to swim forever
in the sea of love without a sail
your life is destined to be a book full of tears
you're destined to forever be imprisoned
between water and between fire
despite all its fires
and despite all its precedents
and despite all the sadness that dwells in us day and night
and despite the wind
and despite the rainy weather and the hurricane
Love will remain, oh my son, the best of fate
in your life, oh my son, a woman
her eyes, glory be to God!
her mouth is a cluster of grapes
her laugh is melodies and roses
and her mad gypsy hair
travels all around the world
the woman you love, oh my son
will be the desire of your whole heart in this world
but your sky is raining
and your road is blocked, blocked
for your beloved, oh my son, is sleeping
in a guarded palace
he who enters her chamber
and asks for her hand
he who approaches her garden walls
he who tries to untie her braids
oh my son, will be lost, lost
lost, oh my son
you will search for her, oh my son
in every place
and ask about her to the waves of the sea
and ask about her to the turquoise of the sea
you will roam the seas and the seas
and your tears will flow like rivers
and your grief will grow until it becomes a tree
and someday, oh my son, you will return defeated
heart-broken
and at that point you will realise
that you had been chasing a trace of smoke
for the beloved of your heart has no land
or home or address
how hard it is to fall for a woman
oh my son, who has no address
she has no address, oh my son
This poem is a famous song sung by Abdel Halim Hafez in the voice of its author.