The Journey of Two Moons (مسيرة قمرين) — Page 14

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

مَسِيرَةُ قَمَرَيْنِ.

A two-moon march.

حَاوَلَا الذَّهَابَ وَحْدَهُمَا فَسَيُوَفِّرُ عَلَى الْجَمِيعِ الْكَثِيرَ مِنَ الْوَقْتِ وَالْإِحْرَاجِ بِإِبْلَاغِ الشُّرْطَةِ عَنْهُمَا لِلْقَبْضِ عَلَيْهِمَا قَبْلَ حَتَّى أَنْ يُغَادِرَا مَمَرَّ السَّيَّارَاتِ بِالْمَنْزِلِ.

They tried to set off on their own, so it would have saved everyone a lot of time and embarrassment to report them to the police and have them arrested before they even left the driveway.

قَدْ يَبْدُو إِبْلَاغُ رَجُلِ الشُّرْطَةِ عَنْ أَبَوَيْهِ الْعَجُوزَيْنِ الْخَرِفَيْنِ سُلُوكًا فِيهِ شَيْءٌ مِنَ التَّطَرُّفِ، لَكِنْ كُلَّمَا رَكِبَ جَدَّايَ سَيَّارَةً، تَلْحَقُ بِهِمَا الْمَتَاعِبُ كَمُهْرَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ تَتْبَعُ أُمَّهَا.

Reporting one's own elderly, senile parents to the police might seem extreme, but whenever my grandparents get in a car, trouble follows them like a foal following its mother.

جَدَّايَ مِنْ عَائِلَةِ هِيدِل هُمَا جَدَّايَ مِنْ نَاحِيَةِ أَبِي وَهُمَا يَفِيضَانِ طِيبَةً وَعُذُوبَةً امْتَزَجَتَا بِمَسْحَةٍ مِنْ غَرَابَةِ الْأَطْوَارِ.

My Hiddle grandparents are my father's parents, and they overflow with a kindness and sweetness mixed with a touch of eccentricity.

هَذَا الْمَزِيجُ جَعَلَ رُفْقَتَهُمَا مُشَوِّقَةً، غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ لَا يُمْكِنُ التَّنَبُّؤُ قَطُّ بِمَا قَدْ يَقُولَانِهِ أَوْ يَفْعَلَانِهِ.

This blend made their company interesting, though it was impossible to predict what they might say or do next.

فَوْرَ أَنْ تَقَرَّرَ ذَهَابُنَا نَحْنُ الثَّلَاثَةَ، اتَّخَذَتِ الرِّحْلَةُ مَنْحًى مُقْلِقًا يُشْبِهُ تَكَثُّفَ سَحَابَةٍ رَعْدِيَّةٍ ضَخْمَةٍ حَوْلِي خِلَالَ الْأُسْبُوعِ الَّذِي سَبَقَ مُغَادَرَتَنَا، كَانَتِ الرِّيحُ تَهْدِرُ قَائِلَةً: «هَيَّا هَيَّا هَيَّا»، وَفِي اللَّيْلِ كَانَ الظَّلَامُ الصَّامِتُ يَهْمِسُ: «هَلُمُّوا، هَلُمُّوا، هَلُمُّوا».

As soon as the three of us decided to go, the trip took an unsettling turn, like a massive thundercloud gathering around me during the week before we left; the wind roared, 'Hurry, hurry, hurry,' and at night, the silent darkness whispered, 'Come, come, come.'

خُيِّلَ لِي أَنَّنَا لَنْ نُغَادِرَ أَبَدًا، وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ لَمْ أَكُنْ أَوَدُّ الْمُغَادَرَةَ.

I felt as though we would never leave, yet I did not want to go.

إِذْ لَمْ أَتَوَقَّعْ أَنْ أَصْمُدَ حَتَّى نِهَايَةِ الرِّحْلَةِ.

I did not expect to survive the trip.

لَكِنِّي كُنْتُ قَدْ عَزَمْتُ عَلَى الذَّهَابِ وَسَوْفَ أَذْهَبُ، كَمَا أَنَّ عَلَيَّ أَنْ أَكُونَ حَاضِرَةً فِي مَوْعِدِ عِيدِ مِيلَادِ أُمِّي.

But I had resolved to go, and I would, especially since I had to be there for my mother's birthday.

كَانَ لِهَذَا أَهَمِّيَّةٌ بَالِغَةٌ.

That was of the utmost importance.

إِذْ أَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّهُ لَوْ وُجِدَتْ فُرْصَةٌ لِإِعَادَةِ أُمِّي إِلَى الْبَيْتِ فَسَتَحِينُ تِلْكَ الْفُرْصَةُ يَوْمَ عِيدِ مِيلَادِهَا.

I believed that if there were any chance of bringing my mother home, it would be on her birthday.

لَوْ كُنْتُ أَفْصَحْتُ عَنْ هَذَا لِأَبِي أَوْ لِجَدَّيَّ، لَقَالُوا إِنَّ تِلْكَ أَمَانِيُّ فَارِغَةٌ؛ لِذَا أَبْقَيْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي.

If I had told my father or my grandparents, they would have called it a pipe dream, so I kept it to myself.

لَكِنِّي كُنْتُ أَعْتَقِدُ بِهِ.

But I believed in it.

أَحْيَانًا أَكُونُ حَرُونًا وَعَنِيدَةً بِشِدَّةٍ كَحِمَارٍ مُسِنٍّ.

Sometimes I am as stubborn and obstinate as an old donkey.

يَقُولُ أَبِي إِنِّي أَسْتَنِدُ إِلَى حَائِطٍ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَنْقَضَّ وَسَيَنْهَارُ بِي يَوْمًا مَا.

My father says I am leaning against a wall that is ready to crumble and will collapse on me one day.

لَمَّا انْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَجَدَّايَ هِيدِل أَخِيرًا فِي رِحْلَتِنَا، قَضَيْتُ أَوَّلَ ثَلَاثِينَ دَقِيقَةً مِنْ أَوَّلِ أَيَّامِهَا أُصَلِّي بِلَا انْقِطَاعٍ.

When my Hiddle grandparents and I finally set off on our trip, I spent the first thirty minutes of the first day praying without stopping.

دَعَوْتُ أَلَّا يَقَعَ لَنَا حَادِثٌ كُنْتُ أَرْتَعِبُ مِنَ السَّيَّارَاتِ وَالْحَافِلَاتِ وَأَنْ نَصِلَ إِلَى وِجْهَتِنَا بِحُلُولِ عِيدِ مِيلَادِ أُمِّي – الَّذِي كَانَ سَيَحِينُ بَعْدَ سَبْعَةِ أَيَّامٍ – وَأَنْ نُعِيدَهَا مَعَنَا إِلَى بَيْتِهَا ظَلَلْتُ أُكَرِّرُ صَلَوَاتِي تِلْكَ مِرَارًا وَتَكْرَارًا.

I prayed that we wouldn't have an accident—I was terrified of cars and buses—and that we would reach our destination by my mother's birthday, which was seven days away, so we could bring her home; I kept repeating those prayers over and over.

كُنْتُ أَتَوَجَّهُ بِهَا إِلَى الْأَشْجَارِ.

I directed them toward the trees.

كَانَ هَذَا أَسْهَلَ مِنْ أَنْ أَتَوَجَّهَ بِصَلَوَاتِي إِلَى الرَّبِّ مُبَاشَرَةً.

That was easier than praying directly to the Lord.

فَلَا يَكَادُ مَكَانٌ يَخْلُو مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ قَرِيبَةٍ.

There is almost always a tree nearby.

حِينَ تَوَقَّفْنَا بَعْدَ أَنْ اجْتَزْنَا طَرِيقَ أُوهَايُو السَّرِيعَ، الَّذِي يُعَدُّ الطَّرِيقَ الْأَكْثَرَ انْبِسَاطًا وَاسْتِقَامَةً عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ، قَاطَعَ جَدِّي صَلَوَاتِي.

When we stopped after crossing the Ohio turnpike, which is the flattest, straightest road on earth, my grandfather interrupted my prayers.

«سَالَا مَنْكَا...»

'Salamanca...'

يَنْبَغِي أَنْ أُفَسِّرَ فِي الْحَالِ أَنَّ اسْمِي الْحَقِيقِيَّ هُوَ سَالَا مَنْكَا تَرِي هِيدِل.

I should explain right away that my real name is Salamanca Tree Hiddle.

كَانَ أَبَوَايَ يَظُنَّانِ أَنَّ سَالَا مَنْكَا هُوَ اسْمُ الْقَبِيلَةِ الْهِنْدِيَّةِ الَّتِي تَنْتَمِي إِلَيْهَا جَدَّةُ جَدَّةِ جَدَّتِي.

My parents thought Salamanca was the name of the Native American tribe my great-great-great-grandmother belonged to.

Vocabulary · المفردات (52 verbs · 101 nouns)

• حَاوَلَ — to attempt
• وَفَّرَ — to save
• غَادَرَ — to leave
• بَدَا — to seem
• رَكِبَ — to ride
• لَحِقَ — to follow
• تَبِعَ — to follow
• فَاضَ — to overflow
• اِمْتَزَجَ — to mix
• جَعَلَ — to make
• أَمْكَنَ — to enable, to make possible
• قَالَ — to say
• فَعَلَ — to do
• تَقَرَّرَ — to settle
• اِتَّخَذَ — to take
• أَشْبَهَ — to resemble
• سَبَقَ — to precede
• هَدَرَ — to roar
• هَمَسَ — to whisper
• خَيَّلَ — to imagine
• وَدَّ — to wish
• تَوَقَّعَ — to expect
• صَمَدَ — to endure
• عَزَمَ — to resolve
• اِعْتَقَدَ — to believe
• وُجِدَ — to find
• حَانَ — to arrive
• أَفْصَحَ — to disclose
• أَبْقَى — to keep
• اِسْتَنَدَ — to lean
• أَرَادَ — to want
• اِنْقَضَّ — to collapse
• اِنْهَارَ — to collapse
• اِنْطَلَقَ — to set off
• قَضَى — to spend
• صَلَّى — to pray
• دَعَا — to pray
• وَقَعَ — to happen
• اِرْتَعَبَ — to panic
• وَصَلَ — to arrive
• ظَلَّ — to remain
• كَرَّرَ — to repeat
• تَوَجَّهَ — to head
• خَلَا — to become empty
• تَوَقَّفَ — to stop
• اِجْتَازَ — to cross
• عَدَّ — to count
• قَاطَعَ — to interrupt
• اِنْبَغَى — to behoove
• فَسَّرَ — to explain
• ظَنَّ — to think
• اِنْتَمَى — to belong
• مَسِيرَة — march
• قَمَر — moon
• ذَهَاب — going
• وَحْدَة — solitude
• جَمِيع — everyone
• كَثِير — a lot
• وَقْت — time
• إِحْرَاج — embarrassment
• إِبْلَاغ — reporting
• شُرْطَة — police
• قَبْض — arrest
• مَمَرّ — corridor
• سَيَّارَة — car
• مَنْزِل — house
• رَجُل — man
• أَب — father
• عَجُوز — old man
• خَرِف — senile man
• سُلُوك — behavior
• شَيْء — thing
• تَطَرُّف — extremism
• جَدّ — grandfather
• مَتْعَبَة — troubles
• مُهْرَة — filly
• صَغِير — young male; small (male)
• أُمّ — mother
• عَائِلَة — family
• نَاحِيَة — side
• طِيبَة — kindness
• عُذُوبَة — sweetness
• مَسْحَة — touch
• غَرَابَة — strangeness
• طَوْر — ways
• مَزِيج — mixture
• رُفْقَة — company
• مُشَوِّق — interesting
• تَنَبُّؤ — prediction
• فَوْر — moment
• رِحْلَة — trip
• مَنْحَى — direction
• مُقْلِق — worrying
• تَكَثُّفٌ — condensation
• سَحَابَة — cloud
• رَعْدِيَّة — thunderous
• ضَخْم — huge
• أُسْبُوع — week
• مُغَادَرَة — departure
• رِيح — wind
• لَيْل — night
• ظَلَام — darkness
• صَامِت — silent
• أَبَد — eternity
• نِهَايَة — end
• حَاضِر — present
• مَوْعِد — appointment
• عِيد — feast
• مِيلَاد — birth
• أَهَمِّيَّة — importance
• بَالِغ — extreme
• فُرْصَة — opportunity
• إِعَادَة — return
• بَيْت — house
• أُمْنِيَّة — wishes
• فَارِغ — empty
• نَفْس — self
• حَرُون — stubborn female
• عَنِيد — stubborn, obstinate (male)
• شِدَّة — intensity
• حِمَار — donkey
• مُسِنّ — old
• حَائِط — wall
• يَوْم — day
• دَقِيقَة — minute
• اِنْقِطَاع — interruption
• حَادِث — accident
• حَافِلَة — bus
• وِجْهَة — destination
• حُلُول — arrival
• صَلَاة — prayer
• مِرَار — times
• تَكْرَار — repetition
• شَجَر — trees
• أَسْهَل — easier
• رَبّ — Lord
• مُبَاشَرَة — directly
• مَكَان — place
• شَجَرَة — tree
• قَرِيب — near
• طَرِيق — road
• سَرِيع — fast
• أَكْثَر — most
• اِنْبِسَاط — flatness
• اِسْتِقَامَة — straightness
• أَرْض — earth
• حَال — case
• اِسْم — name
• حَقِيقِيّ — real
• قَبِيلَة — tribe
• هِنْدِيَّة — Indian
• جَدَّة — grandmother
• مَتَاعِب — troubles