Juha and the Misers (جحا والبخلاء) — Page 14

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

زَادَ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ سِمَنًا وَقُوَّةً، وَجَلَادَةً وَفُتُوَّةً.

Hard work only made him sturdier, stronger, and more resilient, as if he were in his prime.

كَادَ حَجْمُهُ يَتَضَاعَفُ، لِفَرْطِ صِحَّتِهِ، وَمَوْفُورِ قُوَّتِهِ.

He looked as though he might burst with health and vigor.

فَجَعَلَ يَهْتَزُّ فَرَحًا وَسُرُورًا بِمَا يَسْمَعُ مِنِّي.

He beamed, visibly delighted by my words.

ثُمَّ قَالَ: «كَيْفَ حَالُ الدَّارِ يَا أَبَا الْغُصْنِ؟»

Then he asked, "How are things at home, Abu al-Ghusn?"

قُلْتُ: «نِعْمَ الدَّارُ! إِنَّهَا عَامِرَةٌ بِأَهْلِهَا غَانِيَةٌ بِمَنْ فِيهَا، مَوْفُورَةُ الْأُنْسِ بِسَاكِنِيهَا؛ فَطِبْ نَفْسًا، وَاهْدَأْ بَالًا.» (١٥) نَفَادُ الصَّبْرِ

I replied, "It is a wonderful home, bustling with life and full of warmth. You have nothing to worry about, so set your mind at ease."

ظَلِلْتُ أَقُصُّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَخْبَارِ السَّارَّةِ، وَأَتَفَنَّنُ فِي إِدْخَالِ الْفَرَحِ وَالسُّرُورِ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ، دُونَ أَنْ يُفَكِّرَ فِي دَعْوَتِي إِلَى طَعَامِهِ.

I kept regaling him with pleasant news, doing my best to lift his spirits, yet he never once thought to offer me a meal.

كَادَ الْجُوعُ يُهْلِكُنِي!

I was starving to death!

أَبَى عَلَيْهِ بُخْلُهُ أَنْ يَزِيدَنِي عَلَى ابْتِسَامَةٍ مُخْتَصَرَةٍ مَاكِرَةٍ، أَوْ إِيمَاءَةٍ مُقْتَضَبَةٍ عَابِرَةٍ، أَوْ هَزَّةٍ بِرَأْسِهِ، أَوْ لَمْحَةٍ بِعَيْنِهِ، فِي غَيْرِ مُبَالَاةٍ بِي وَلَا اهْتِمَامٍ.

His stinginess held him back; he offered nothing but a brief, sly smile, a curt nod, or a fleeting glance, showing me no real concern or interest.

أَصْبَحْتُ عَلَى أَحَرَّ مِنَ الْجَمْرِ.

I was sitting on pins and needles.

نَفِدَ تَجَلُّدِي وَعَزَّنِي الصَّبْرُ. (١٦) بُخْلُ أَبِي مُرَّةَ

My restraint vanished, and my patience wore thin.

اطْمَأَنَّ أَبُو مُرَّةَ عَلَى دَارِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَأَهْلِهِ، وَكَلْبِهِ وَجَمَلِهِ.

Abu Murra felt satisfied that his house, children, family, dog, and camel were all fine.

لَمْ يُبَالِ بِي.

He did not care about me at all.

لَمْ يَعْنِهِ مِنْ أَمْرِي – بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ – شَيْءٌ.

Nothing regarding me mattered to him anymore.

Vocabulary · المفردات (21 verbs · 46 nouns)

• زَادَ — to increase
• كَادَ — to be on the verge of
• تَضَاعَفَ — to double
• جَعَلَ — to begin
• اهْتَزَّ — to shake
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• قَالَ — to say
• طَابَ — to be pleasant
• هَدَأَ — to calm down
• ظَلَّ — to remain
• قَصَّ — to narrate
• تَفَنَّنَ — to diversify
• فَكَّرَ — to think
• أَهْلَكَ — to destroy
• أَبَى — to refuse
• أَصْبَحَ — to become
• نَفَدَ — to run out
• عَزَّ — to be scarce
• اطْمَأَنَّ — to be reassured
• بَالَى — to care
• عَنَى — to concern
• سِمَن — fatness
• قُوَّة — strength
• جَلَادَة — endurance
• فُتُوَّة — youthfulness
• حَجْم — size
• فَرْط — excess
• صِحَّة — health
• فَرَح — joy
• سُرُور — happiness
• حَال — state
• دَار — house
• غُصْن — branch
• أَهْل — family
• غَانِيَة — prosperous
• أُنْس — intimacy
• سَاكِن — inhabitant
• نَفْس — soul
• بَال — mind
• نَفَاد — exhaustion
• صَبْر — patience
• خَبَر — news
• سَارّ — happy
• إِدْخَال — insertion
• قَلْب — heart
• دَعْوَة — invitation
• طَعَام — food
• جُوع — hunger
• بُخْل — stinginess
• ابْتِسَامَة — smile
• مُخْتَصَر — brief
• مَاكِر — cunning
• إِيمَاءَة — gesture
• مُقْتَضَب — concise
• عَابِر — fleeting
• هَزَّة — shake
• رَأْس — head
• لَمْحَة — glance
• مُبَالَاة — concern
• اهْتِمَام — attention
• حَرّ — heat
• جَمْر — ember
• تَجَلُّد — fortitude
• وَلَد — child
• جَمَل — camel
• أَمْر — matter
• شَيْء — thing