Sindbad the Sailor (السندباد البحري) — Page 16

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَكَانَتْ هَذِهِ هِيَ أَوَّلَ رِحْلَةٍ لِي.

(from previous page) ⟵ I traveled with a group of merchants from the city of Baghdad until we reached the city of Basra, where a large ship set sail with us and proceeded along the Persian Gulf. This was my first journey.

فَلَمْ أَكَدْ أَرْكَبُ الْبَحْرَ حَتَّى اعْتَرَانِي دُوَارٌ.

I had barely set sail when I was struck by seasickness.

أَفَقْتُ مِنْهُ بَعْدَ قَلِيلٍ مِنَ الزَّمَنِ.

I soon recovered.

ثُمَّ أَلِفْتُ هَوَاءَ الْبَحْرِ - بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ – وَعَادَتْ إِلَيَّ صِحَّتِي.

Before long, I grew accustomed to the sea air and regained my health.

وَظَلَّتِ السَّفِينَةُ سَائِرَةً بِنَا مِنْ جَزِيرَةٍ إِلَى جَزِيرَةٍ.

The ship carried us from island to island.

وَنَحْنُ نَبِيعُ وَنَشْتَرِي فِي كُلِّ مَكَانٍ حَلَلْنَا بِهِ. عَلَى ظَهْرِ حُوتٍ.

We traded in every port we visited.

وَبَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ سَائِرُونَ فِي عُرْضِ الْبَحْرِ، إِذْ لَاحَتْ لَنَا جَزِيرَةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ.

While we were out on the open sea, a small island appeared.

فَاقْتَرَبْنَا مِنْهَا، وَنَزَلَ بِهَا بَعْضُ التُّجَّارِ.

We drew near, and several merchants went ashore.

وَبَقِينَا عَلَى هَذِهِ الْجَزِيرَةِ زَمَنًا وَنَحْنُ نَلْهُو وَنَلْعَبُ.

We spent some time on the island, enjoying ourselves.

حَتَّى جَاءَ وَقْتُ الْغَدَاءِ.

When lunchtime arrived,

فَأَتَيْنَا بِخُشُبٍ مِنَ السَّفِينَةِ وَأَوْقَدْنَا بِهَا النَّارَ لِنَطْبُخَ عَلَيْهَا طَعَامَنَا.

we brought wood from the ship to build a fire and cook our meal.

وَلَمْ نَكَدْ نُوقِدُ النَّارَ حَتَّى اهْتَزَّتْ بِنَا الْجَزِيرَةُ اهْتِزَازًا عَنِيفًا.

Hardly had the fire been lit when the island began to shake violently.

فَصَرَخْنَا مِنَ الْفَزَعِ وَالرُّعْبِ.

We screamed in terror.

وَصَاحَ بِنَا رُبَّانُ السَّفِينَةِ: «أَنْجُوا بِأَنْفُسِكُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحُلَّ بِكُمُ الْهَلَاكُ!».

The captain shouted, "Save yourselves before you are destroyed!"

وَلَمْ يَكَدْ يُتِمُّ قَوْلَهُ حَتَّى غَاصَتِ الْجَزِيرَةُ كُلُّهَا فِي الْبَحْرِ.

He had barely finished speaking when the entire island plunged into the sea.

فَأَسْرَعَ إِلَى السَّفِينَةِ مَنْ كَانَ قَرِيبًا مِنْهَا فَنَجَا وَغَرِقَ الْبَاقُونَ. حَقِيقَةُ الْجَزِيرَةِ.

Those near the ship scrambled aboard and survived, but the others drowned.

وَلَمْ تَكُنْ هَذِهِ جَزِيرَةً - كَمَا حَسِبْنَا - بَلْ حُوتًا هَائِلًا.

It was not an island as we had believed, but a colossal whale.

كَانَ نَائِمًا عَلَى سَطْحِ الْمَاءِ.

It had been sleeping on the surface of the water.

فَلَمَّا أَوْقَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ النَّارَ أَحَسَّ الْحَرَارَةَ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ مِنْ نَوْمِهِ وَغَاصَ فِي الْبَحْرِ.

When we lit the fire, the heat roused the creature, and it dove into the depths.

أَمَّا أَنَا فَكُنْتُ بَعِيدًا عَنِ السَّفِينَةِ فَلَمْ أَتَمَكَّنْ مِنَ الْوُصُولِ إِلَيْهَا.

I was too far from the ship to reach it.

وَقَدْ كِدْتُ أَغْرَقُ لَوْ لَمْ أَتَعَلَّقْ بِلَوْحٍ مِنَ الْخَشَبِ.

I would have drowned had I not clung to a wooden plank.

وَنَادَيْتُ مَنْ فِي السَّفِينَةِ بِأَعْلَى صَوْتِي فَلَمْ يَسْمَعْنِي أَحَدٌ.

I shouted to those on board at the top of my lungs, but no one heard me.

لِشِدَّةِ مَا لَحِقَهُمْ مِنَ الرُّعْبِ.

They were paralyzed by their own terror.

Vocabulary · المفردات (40 verbs · 35 nouns)

• كَانَ — to be
• كَادَ — to be on the verge of
• رَكِبَ — to ride
• اعْتَرَى — to afflict
• أَفَاقَ — to wake up
• أَلِفَ — to become accustomed to
• عَادَ — to return
• ظَلَّ — to remain
• سَارَ — to walk
• بَاعَ — to sell
• اشْتَرَى — to buy
• حَلَّ — to land
• لَاحَ — to appear
• ارْتَفَعَ — to rise
• اقْتَرَبَ — to approach
• نَزَلَ — to descend
• بَقِيَ — to remain
• لَهَا — to play
• لَعِبَ — to play
• جَاءَ — to come
• أَتَى — to bring
• أَوْقَدَ — to kindle
• طَبَخَ — to cook
• اهْتَزَّ — to shake
• صَرَخَ — to scream
• صَاحَ — to shout
• نَجَا — to survive
• أَتَمَّ — to complete
• غَاصَ — to dive
• أَسْرَعَ — to hurry
• غَرِقَ — to drown
• حَسِبَ — to think
• نَامَ — to sleep
• أَحَسَّ — to feel
• اسْتَيْقَظَ — to wake up
• تَمَكَّنَ — to be able
• تَعَلَّقَ — to cling
• نَادَى — to call
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• لَحِقَ — to befall
• دُوَار — dizziness
• بَحْر — sea
• رِحْلَة — journey
• زَمَن — time
• هَوَاء — air
• صِحَّة — health
• سَفِينَة — ship
• بَلَد — country
• مَكَان — place
• ظَهْر — back
• حُوت — whale
• عُرْض — middle
• سَطْح — surface
• مَاء — water
• تَاجِر — merchant
• وَقْت — time
• غَدَاء — lunch
• خَشَب — wood
• نَار — fire
• طَعَام — food
• اهْتِزَاز — shaking
• فَزَع — panic
• رُعْب — terror
• رُبَّان — captain
• هَلَاك — destruction
• قَوْل — saying
• حَقِيقَة — truth
• حَرَارَة — heat
• نَوْم — sleep
• غَرَق — drowning
• وُصُول — arrival
• لَوْح — plank
• وَقُود — fuel
• صَوْت — voice
• شِدَّة — intensity