سحر الغرام [Sehr El Ghatam] [English translation]

Your love exudes warmth; your heart is cosy

By your side, love, is where my life is going to pan out

Amidst the teeming thousands, I could see what I may

But within my heart, love, you'll remain the one and only

The most magical of devotion1 is yours—the most magical

And the most luscious of words are the ones you say—the most luscious

They've made my life and days more wonderful than a dream

Love, my desire for you has reduced me to mush—it has

I could lose sight of the world and all that's in it, and not once would I lose sight of you

When you're out of my sight, I find myself void of life

My eyes dissolve into tears, my heart comes to a standstill—your absence spells out perdition

I live out my life, hour in and hour out

By your side, love, and my years are rendered wondrous

A moment of absence would be hell—it would be torment

In my heart, love, resides anguish and longing2

The most magical of devotion is yours—the most magical

And the most luscious of words are the ones you say—the most luscious

They've made my life and days more wonderful than a dream

Love, my desire for you has reduced me to mush—it has

I could lose sight of the world and all that's in it, and not once would I lose sight of you

When you're out of my sight, I find myself void of life

My eyes dissolve into tears, my heart comes to a standstill—your absence spells out perdition

1. You may have heard that Arabic has many words for love. Among the most common, غرام indicates love with an element of 'devotion,' هوى 'desire,' and عشق 'fervor.' At least theoretically, though in practice, they're interchangeable really. The root 3`-r-m literally means 'to lose money through bad investment.' Its most common derivative, غرامة, means 'a financial penalty/fine.' For comparison, هواية means 'hobby,' and عشّق 'to make fit together [as of gears, pieces of wood, etc].'2. As you may remember from the drum song, شوق وحنين both mean 'longing' and come attached together in Arabic lyrics as a cliché.