Juha and the Misers (جحا والبخلاء) — Page 8

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الرَّأْيُ السَّلِيمُ أَنْ أَتَوَلَّى الْغَرْفَ بِنَفْسِي.

The sound opinion is that I take charge of the scooping myself.

اسْتَرَحْتُ إِلَى الْيَأْسِ مِنْ مُعَاوَنَةِ صَاحِبِي الْبَخِيلِ الْكَسُولِ.

I rested in the despair of getting help from my stingy, lazy companion.

قُمْتُ أَنَا فَغَرَفْتُ. (٦) أَكْلُ الطَّعَامِ.

I stood up and scooped.

قُلْتُ لَهُ مُسْتَهْزِئًا بِهِ: «لَعَلَّكَ - فِي هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةِ - قَادِرٌ عَلَى مُشَارَكَتِي فِي الْأَكْلِ أَيُّهَا الرَّجُلُ النَّشِيطُ!»

I said to him, mocking him: 'Perhaps you are - this time - capable of sharing the meal with me, O active man!'

أَتَعْرِفُ كَيْفَ أَجَابَنِي يَا أَبَا الْغُصْنِ؟

Do you know how he answered me, O Abu al-Ghusn?

قُلْتُ: «إِنَّ جَوَابَهُ ظَاهِرٌ، لَا يَكَادُ يَسْتَخْفِي عَلَى أَحَدٍ.»

I said: 'His answer is apparent; it is hardly hidden from anyone.'

لَا شَكَّ فِي أَنَّهُ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْكَ مُتَوَدِّدًا، وَقَالَ: «قَدْ - وَاللَّهِ - اسْتَحْيَيْتُ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ خِلَافِي لَكَ. ثُمَّ تَقَدَّمَ فَأَكَلَ مَعَكَ!»

There is no doubt that he approached you affectionately and said: 'By God, I have become ashamed of my frequent disagreement with you. Then he stepped forward and ate with you!'

صَاحَ أَبُو عُصْفُورٍ مُتَعَجِّبًا: «لَكَأَنَّكَ كُنْتَ مَعَنَا يَا أَبَا الْغُصْنِ»، كَيْفَ عَرَفْتَ ذَلِكَ؟

Abu Usfur shouted in amazement: 'It is as if you were with us, O Abu al-Ghusn, how did you know that?'

قُلْتُ لِصَاحِبِي: «لَعَلِّي مِنْ أَعْرَفِ النَّاسِ بِأَبِي مُرَّةَ، إِنَّهُ كَأَمْثَالِهِ مِنَ الْأَنَانِيِّينَ، لَا يُفَكِّرُ إِلَّا فِي نَفْسِهِ وَحْدَهَا، وَكُلُّ هَمِّهِ أَنْ يَنْتَفِعَ بِغَيْرِهِ مِنَ النَّاسِ، دُونَ أَنْ يَنْفَعَ أَحَدًا مِنَ النَّاسِ. وَمَا أَسْوَأَ هَذَا الْخُلُقَ!»

I said to my companion: 'I am perhaps the most knowledgeable of people about Abu Murrah; he is like his peers among the selfish, he thinks only of himself, and his only concern is to benefit from others without benefiting anyone.'

قَالَ أَحَدُ الْحَاضِرِينَ مُعَقِّبًا عَلَى قَوْلِي: «زَادَتْ أَنَانِيَّةُ أَبِي مُرَّةَ عَلَى أَنَانِيَّةِ الْقَائِلِ: مِنْكَ الدَّقِيقُ، وَمِنِّي النَّارُ أُوقِدُهَا وَالْمَاءُ مِنِّي، وَمِنْكَ السَّمْنُ وَالْعَسَلُ!»

One of the attendees said, commenting on my words: 'Abu Murrah's selfishness exceeded the selfishness of the one who said: The flour is from you, the fire I kindle is from me, the water is from me, and the ghee and honey are from you!'

قُلْتُ: مَا كَانَ أَهْوَنَ عَلَى أَبِي عُصْفُورٍ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِأَبِي مُرَّةَ: «إِنَّ الثَّمَرَةَ الَّتِي يَغْرِسُهَا اثْنَانِ وَيَتَعَهَّدَانِهَا يَجِبُ أَنْ يَتَقَاسَمَهَا كِلَاهُمَا إِذَا تَكَاسَلَ عَنِ الْعَمَلِ أَحَدُهُمَا - وَهُوَ قَادِرٌ عَلَيْهِ – وَجَبَ أَنْ يَسْتَأْثِرَ بِهِ الْآخَرُ.»

I said: How easy it would have been for Abu Usfur to say to Abu Murrah: 'The fruit that two people plant and look after must be shared by both of them; if one of them is lazy about the work - while being capable of it - the other must take it for himself.'

ثُمَّ تَذَاكَرْنَا - فِيمَا تَذَاكَرْنَاهُ مِنْ فُنُونِ الْحَدِيثِ - مَا طُبِعَ عَلَيْهِ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ مِنْ جُحُودِ النِّعْمَةِ وَكُفْرَانِهَا إِذَا غَمَرَتْهُمُ الْأَنْبَاءُ السَّارَّةُ.

Then we discussed - among the arts of conversation we discussed - what some people are naturally inclined to regarding the denial of blessings and ingratitude when joyful news overwhelms them.

Vocabulary · المفردات (34 verbs · 42 nouns)

• تَوَلَّى — to take charge
• اِسْتَرَاحَ — to resort
• قَامَ — to begin
• غَرَفَ — to scoop
• أَكَلَ — to eat
• قَالَ — to say
• اِسْتَهْزَأَ — to mock
• عَرَفَ — to know
• أَجَابَ — to answer
• كَادَ — hardly
• اِسْتَخْفَى — to be hidden
• أَقْبَلَ — to approach
• تَوَدَّدَ — to show affection
• اِسْتَحْيَا — to be ashamed
• تَقَدَّمَ — to advance
• صَاحَ — to shout
• تَعَجَّبَ — to be amazed
• كَانَ — to be
• فَكَّرَ — to think
• اِنْتَفَعَ — to benefit
• نَفَعَ — to be useful
• سَاءَ — to be bad
• عَقَّبَ — to comment
• زَادَ — to increase
• أَوْقَدَ — to kindle
• غَرَسَ — to plant
• تَعَهَّدَ — to look after
• وَجَبَ — to be necessary
• تَقَاسَمَ — to share
• تَكَاسَلَ — to be lazy
• اِسْتَأْثَرَ — to monopolize
• تَذَاكَرَ — to discuss
• طَبَعَ — to imprint
• غَمَرَ — to overwhelm
• رَأْيٌ — opinion
• سَلِيمٌ — sound
• غَرْفٌ — scooping
• نَفْسٌ — self
• يَأْسٌ — despair
• مُعَاوَنَةٌ — assistance
• صَاحِبٌ — companion
• بَخِيلٌ — miser
• كَسُولٌ — lazy
• أَكْلٌ — eating
• طَعَامٌ — food
• قَادِرٌ — capable
• مُشَارَكَةٌ — participation
• رَجُلٌ — man
• نَشِيطٌ — active
• جَوَابٌ — answer
• ظَاهِرٌ — apparent
• أَحَدٌ — someone
• شَكٌّ — doubt
• كَثْرَةٌ — abundance
• خِلَافٌ — disagreement
• عُصْفُورٌ — sparrow
• نَاسٌ — people
• أَنَانِيٌّ — selfish
• هَمٌّ — concern
• خُلُقٌ — character
• حَاضِرٌ — attendee
• دَقِيقٌ — flour
• نَارٌ — fire
• مَاءٌ — water
• سَمْنٌ — ghee
• عَسَلٌ — honey
• جُحُودٌ — denial
• نِعْمَةٌ — blessing
• ثَمَرَةٌ — fruit
• عَمَلٌ — work
• آخَرُ — other
• حَدِيثٌ — conversation
• بَعْضٌ — some
• كُفْرَانٌ — ingratitude
• نَبَأٌ — news
• سَارٌّ — joyful