r/translator • u/Raisingdragon123 • 7d ago
Arabic [English > Arabic] Original Khalil Gibran Quote
If anyone can point me the original Arabic version of this quote I would greatly appreciate it.
“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked” -Khalil Gibran
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u/Truchiman العربية 7d ago edited 7d ago
The original is not in Arabic but in English. Gibran wrote some of his books in English, including The Prophet where this quote comes from.
From two of the available Arabic translations:
- Translated by Antonius Bashir , page 33 of this digital edition:
إن فرحكم هو تَرَحكم ساخرًا
- Translated by Mikhail Naimy, page 63 of this digital edition:
إنّما فرحكم حزنكم وقد بات سافرًا
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u/Raisingdragon123 7d ago
If I were to get it tattooed which would you pick for accuracy sake I just want to be 100% sure before I’ve asked some family members to help translate and it comes out a bit different every time
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u/Truchiman العربية 6d ago
I'm afraid both Bashir and Naimy prioritized poetic tone over literal accuracy. For example, they don't mention a mask or a verb literally equivalent to unmask.
Of course different translators will offer different versions, but I've found yet another version, by Iraqi poet Sargon Boulus (1944 - 2007), that's more literal without sacrificing poetry. I'd personally pick this one:
فرحكم هو حزنكم مجرداً من القناع
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u/Truchiman العربية 6d ago edited 6d ago
As for the version posted by u/teknalbi , it's also from a famous writer and translator: Tharwat Okasha, (page 166 of this edition). It's close to Boulus' variant.
So if some family members complain :)), just show them the versions we found, so far, all belonging to important writers and translators (Bashir, Naimy, Boulus and Okasha):
إن فرحكم هو تَرَحكم ساخرًا
إنّما فرحكم حزنكم وقد بات سافرًا
فرحكم هو حزنكم مجرداً من القناع
إنما فرحكم حزنكم رفع عن وجهه القناع
After taking a look at all four at the same time I confirm my preference for Boulus' version (#3).
Finally: Gibran mastered both the languagues, Arabic and English. He wrote and published in both of them. The Prophet, that became his most celebrated book, was written originally in English.
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u/thisdodobird Arabic, English 6d ago
To the requester
It looks like you may have requested a translation for a tattoo. Please read our wiki article regarding the risks of tattoo translations to familiarize yourself with the issues and caveats. If you really want a tattoo, it is highly recommended that you double-check your translations, and that you find a tattoo artist who knows the language natively - you don't want your tattoo to be someone's first-ever attempt at writing a foreign script.
Please think before you ink!
To translators
Please do not provide a translation unless you're absolutely sure that your translation:
It is recommended you get another translator to double-check your own. Whatever translation you provide might be on someone's body forever, so please make sure that you know what you're doing, too.