Saudi Arabic Curriculum (لغتي) — Grade 7, Semester 2 — Page 15

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

أَقْرَأُ النَّصَّ، ثُمَّ أُجِيبُ.

I read the text, then I answer.

سُرِرْتُ مَسَاءَ الْبَارِحَةِ بِمَشْهَدٍ رَاقٍ، هُوَ افْتِتَاحُ مُلْتَقَى الْمُثَقَّفِينَ السُّعُودِيِّينَ الْأَوَّلِ.

Last night, I was pleased to attend a refined event: the opening of the first Saudi Intellectuals Forum.

وَسَاءَنِي مَشْهَدٌ غَيْرُ رَاقٍ فِي أَحَدِ الْمَتَاجِرِ الْكَبِيرَةِ، حَيْثُ كَانَ شَابٌّ صَغِيرٌ يَدْخُلُ فِي نِقَاشٍ حَادٍّ مَعَ الْبَائِعِ.

However, I was saddened by an ugly scene at a large store, where a young man was locked in a heated argument with a clerk.

وَهُوَ مِنْ جِنْسِيَّةٍ أُخْرَى، مُتَّهِمًا إِيَّاهُ بِتَجَاهُلِهِ عَلَى الرَّغْمِ مِنْ أَنَّ الشَّابَّ الصَّغِيرَ تَخَطَّى كُلَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْبِقُونَهُ فِي الْوُقُوفِ؛ لِيَتَحَدَّثَ إِلَى الْبَائِعِ دُونَ اسْتِئْذَانٍ مِنْهُمْ.

The man, who was of another nationality, accused the clerk of ignoring him, even though he had cut in front of everyone else in line to speak to the clerk without asking.

وَعَبَثًا حَاوَلَ الْبَائِعُ إِقْنَاعَهُ بِأَنَّهُ مَشْغُولٌ بِخِدْمَةِ زَبَائِنِهِ وَأَنَّ عَلَيْهِ الصَّبْرَ قَلِيلًا.

The clerk tried in vain to explain that he was busy serving other customers and asked him to be patient.

إِلَّا أَنَّ الشَّابَّ الصَّغِيرَ مَسْنُودًا بِصُحْبَتِهِ أَخَذَ يَنْعَتُهُ بِجِنْسِيَّةِ بِلَادِهِ وَكَأَنَّهَا سُبَّةٌ، وَيَتَلَفَّظُ عَلَيْهِ بِعِبَارَاتٍ قَاسِيَةٍ.

Supported by his friends, the young man began using the clerk’s nationality as an insult, hurling harsh words at him.

لَمْ أَحْتَمِلِ الْمَوْقِفَ وَطَلَبْتُ مِنَ الشَّابِّ أَنْ يَتَأَدَّبَ وَيَحْتَرِمَ إِنْسَانِيَّةَ الْبَائِعِ.

I couldn't stand by, so I told the young man to show some manners and respect the clerk’s humanity.

وَلَكِنَّهُ الْتَفَتَ إِلَيَّ وَطَلَبَ مِنِّي بِكُلِّ غُرُورٍ أَلَّا أَتَدَخَّلَ حَتَّى لَا أَسْمَعَ مَا لَا يَسُرُّنِي.

He turned to me and arrogantly told me to stay out of it if I didn't want to hear something unpleasant.

طَبْعًا لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنَ الْمُمْكِنِ أَلَّا أَتَدَخَّلَ وَأَنَا أُشَاهِدُ هَذَا الْغِرَّ السَّفِيهَ يُسِيءُ إِلَى صُورَةِ الْمُوَاطِنِ أَمَامَ هَذَا الْعَامِلِ الزَّائِرِ الَّذِي سَيَعُودُ إِلَى بِلَادِهِ يَوْمًا بِانْطِبَاعَاتِهِ عَنْ أَهْلِهَا.

Of course, I couldn't just walk away while watching this arrogant fool tarnish the image of my country in front of a guest worker who would one day return home with his impressions of our people.

وَشَعَرْتُ بِأَنَّ مِنْ وَاجِبِي أَنْ أُدَافِعَ عَنْ سُمْعَةِ بِلَادِي أَوَّلًا بِالْإِضَافَةِ إِلَى الدِّفَاعِ عَنْ كَرَامَةِ إِنْسَانٍ هُوَ فِي حُكْمِ الضَّيْفِ.

I felt it was my duty to defend my country’s reputation, as well as the dignity of a man who is, in effect, our guest.

بَعْدَ النِّقَاشِ انْتَهَى بِانْقِلَابِ صُحْبَةِ الشَّابِّ أَنْفُسِهِمْ عَلَيْهِ، وَسَيْطَرَتِهِمْ عَلَى انْفِعَالِهِ أَنْ شَعَرُوا بِأَنَّ صَاحِبَهُمْ قَدْ تَجَاوَزَ كُلَّ حُدُودِهِ.

The argument ended when the young man’s own friends turned on him, calming him down because they realized he had crossed the line.

وَلَكِنَّ مَا حَزَّ فِي نَفْسِي هُوَ سَلْبِيَّةُ بَعْضِ الْمَوْجُودِينَ مِنَ الزَّبَائِنِ تُجَاهَ هَذَا الْمَوْقِفِ حَيْثُ كَانُوا مُجَرَّدَ مُتَفَرِّجِينَ دُونَ أَنْ تُحَرِّكَ أَيًّا مِنْهُمْ مُرُوءَتُهُ أَوْ شَهَامَتُهُ لِنُصْرَةِ إِنْسَانٍ مُقِيمٍ تُهْدَرُ كَرَامَتُهُ عَلَى يَدِ شَابٍّ أَحْمَقَ فِي أَصْغَرِ أَبْنَائِهِ، بَيْنَمَا الْغَالِبِيَّةُ مِنْهُمْ لَمْ يَرْضَوْا عَنْهُ، وَأَبْدَوْا امْتِعَاضَهُمْ.

What truly grieved me, however, was the passivity of the other customers. They stood by as mere spectators, their sense of decency failing to move them to support a resident whose dignity was being trampled by a foolish boy, even though most of them were clearly uncomfortable and showed their resentment.

إِنَّ هَذَا التَّصَرُّفَ فَرْدِيٌّ لَا يُمَثِّلُ السُّلُوكَ الْعَامَّ لِلشَّعْبِ السُّعُودِيِّ، الَّذِي يَسْتَقْبِلُ سَنَوِيًّا الْمَلَايِينَ مِنَ الْبَشَرِ بِمُخْتَلِفِ جِنْسِيَّاتِهِمْ، وَيَتَعَاوَنُ مَعَ الْجَمِيعِ بِرُقِيٍّ دَاخِلَ وَطَنِهِ وَخَارِجِهِ.

This behavior is an isolated incident and does not reflect the general conduct of the Saudi people, who welcome millions of people of all nationalities every year and treat everyone with respect, both at home and abroad.

Vocabulary · المفردات (35 verbs · 87 nouns)

• قَرَأَ — to read
• أَجَابَ — to answer
• سَرَّ — to please
• سَاءَ — to be bad
• دَخَلَ — to enter
• تَخَطَّى — to skip
• سَبَقَ — to precede
• تَحَدَّثَ — to speak
• حَاوَلَ — to try
• أَخَذَ — to begin
• نَعَتَ — to describe
• تَلَفَّظَ — to utter
• احْتَمَلَ — to bear
• طَلَبَ — to request
• تَأَدَّبَ — to be polite
• احْتَرَمَ — to respect
• الْتَفَتَ — to turn
• تَدَخَّلَ — to intervene
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• شَاهَدَ — to watch
• أَسَاءَ — to offend
• عَادَ — to return
• شَعَرَ — to feel
• دَافَعَ — to defend
• انْتَهَى — to end
• سَيْطَرَ — to control
• تَجَاوَزَ — to exceed
• حَزَّ — to grieve
• حَرَّكَ — to move
• أَهْدَرَ — to waste
• رَضِيَ — to be satisfied
• أَبْدَى — to show
• مَثَّلَ — to represent
• اسْتَقْبَلَ — to receive
• تَعَاوَنَ — to cooperate
• مَلْحُوظَة — note
• نَصّ — text
• مَسَاء — evening
• بَارِحَة — yesterday
• مَشْهَد — scene
• افْتِتَاح — opening
• مُلْتَقَى — forum
• مُثَقَّف — intellectual (male)
• أَوَّل — first
• مَتْجَر — store
• كَبِير — large
• شَابّ — young man
• صَغِير — small
• نِقَاش — discussion
• حَادّ — sharp
• بَائِع — seller
• جِنْسِيَّة — nationality
• آخَر — other
• مُتَّهِم — accuser (male)
• تَجَاهُل — ignoring
• رَغْم — despite
• وُقُوف — standing
• اسْتِئْذَان — permission
• عَبَث — futility, play
• إِقْنَاع — persuasion
• مَشْغُول — busy
• خِدْمَة — service
• زَبُون — customer
• صَبْر — patience
• قَلِيل — a little
• صُحْبَة — company
• بِلَاد — country
• سُبَّة — insult
• عِبَارَة — phrase
• قَاسِيَة — harsh
• مَوْقِف — situation
• إِنْسَانِيَّة — humanity
• غُرُور — arrogance
• مُمْكِن — possible
• غِرّ — naive person (male)
• سَفِيه — fool (male)
• صُورَة — copy, image
• مُوَاطِن — citizen
• عَامِل — worker (male)
• زَائِر — visitor
• يَوْم — day
• انْطِبَاع — impression
• أَهْل — people
• وَاجِب — assignment, duty
• سُمْعَة — reputation
• إِضَافَة — addition
• دِفَاع — defense
• كَرَامَة — dignity
• حُكْم — judgment
• ضَيْف — guest
• انْقِلَاب — reversal
• انْفِعَال — emotion
• صَاحِب — friend (male)
• حَدّ — limit
• نَفْس — self
• سَلْبِيَّة — negativity
• مَوْجُود — present person (male)
• مُتَفَرِّج — spectator
• مُرُوءَة — chivalry
• شَهَامَة — gallantry
• نُصْرَة — support
• مُقِيم — resident (male)
• أَحْمَق — foolish
• أَصْغَر — youngest
• ابْن — son
• غَالِبِيَّة — majority
• امْتِعَاض — resentment
• تَصَرُّف — behavior
• فَرْدِيّ — individual
• سُلُوك — conduct
• عَامّ — general
• شَعْب — people
• سَنَوِيّ — annual
• مَلْيُون — million
• بَشَر — human
• مُخْتَلِف — different
• رُقِيّ — refinement
• دَاخِل — inside
• وَطَن — homeland
• خَارِج — going out; external; outside (adjective/participle)
• إِنْسَان — human
• مَسْنُود — supported