Syrian Arabic Curriculum — Grade 3, Semester 1 — Page 6

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

خَرَجَ جُودٌ مَعَ جَدِّهِ وَجَدَّتِهِ لِيُسَاعِدَهُمَا فِي قِطَافِ الزَّيْتُونِ.

Joud went out with his grandparents to help them harvest the olives.

وَأَمَامَ الأَشْجَارِ الْمُثْقَلَةِ بِحَبَّاتِ الزَّيْتُونِ تَسَاءَلَ مُتَعَجِّبًا كَمْ يَبْلُغُ عُمُرُكِ أَيَّتُهَا الأَشْجَارُ الْخَيِّرَةُ؟!

Standing before trees heavy with fruit, he wondered aloud, "How old are you, my generous trees?"

فَتَبَسَّمَ الْجَدُّ، وَاحْتَضَنَ حَفِيدَهُ قَائِلًا: لَقَدْ زَرَعَهَا جَدِّي قَبْلَ عَشَرَاتِ السِّنِينَ يَا صَغِيرِي.

His grandfather smiled, hugged him, and said, "My own grandfather planted these decades ago, little one."

وَعَاهَدْتُ نَفْسِي أَنْ أَرْعَاهَا لِأَتْرُكَهَا لِأَوْلَادِي وَأَحْفَادِي مِنْ بَعْدِي.

I made a promise to care for them so I could pass them on to my children and grandchildren.

رَفَعَتِ الْجَدَّةُ بِيَدِهَا حَفْنَةً مِنَ التُّرَابِ، وَقَالَتْ مُفْتَخِرَةً: لَوْ تَعْلَمُ يَا صَغِيرِي كَمْ مِنَ التَّضْحِيَاتِ قَدَّمَهَا أَجْدَادُكَ لِيَبْقَى هَذَا التُّرَابُ حُرًّا طَاهِرًا!

His grandmother scooped up a handful of earth and said proudly, "If you only knew the sacrifices your ancestors made to keep this soil free and pure."

وَفِي سَهْرَةِ الْعَائِلَةِ أَحْضَرَتِ الْجَدَّةُ صُنْدُوقًا قَدِيمًا، وَقَالَتْ سَأَرْوِي لَكُمْ اللَّيْلَةَ حِكَايَةَ حَقْلِنَا بِصُوَرٍ احْتَفَظْتُ بِهَا فِي هَذَا الصُّنْدُوقِ.

That evening, she brought out an old box. "Tonight," she said, "I will tell you the story of our field using the pictures I have kept in here."

وَبَعْدَ عَرْضِهَا، سَأَلَ الْجِدُّ مَا الَّذِي تَرَاهُ فِي هَذِهِ الصُّوَرِ يَا جُودُ؟

After showing them, his grandfather asked, "What do you see in these pictures, Joud?"

أَجَابَ: أَرَى دَارًا وَأَشْجَارًا وَحَقْلًا، فَسَأَلَهُ الْجَدُّ وَمَا أَهَمُّ مَا تَرَاهُ فِي الصُّوَرِ؟

"I see a house, trees, and a field," Joud replied. His grandfather asked, "But what is the most important thing you see?"

بَدَتِ الْحَيْرَةُ عَلَى وَجْهِ جُودٍ، وَتَسَاءَلَ: أَهِيَ الدَّارُ؟

Joud looked puzzled. "Is it the house?" he asked.

قَالَ الْجَدُّ: الدَّارُ ضَرُورِيَّةٌ نَعِيشُ فِيهَا، وَلَكِنَّهَا تَتَشَقَّقُ، وَإِذَا مَا تَهَدَّمَتْ نُعِيدُ بِنَاءَهَا فَهِيَ لَيْسَتِ الأَهَمَّ.

"The house is necessary for shelter," the grandfather explained, "but walls crack and buildings fall; we can always rebuild them. It is not the most important thing."

قَالَ جُودٌ: أَهِيَ الأَشْجَارُ؟

"Is it the trees, then?" Joud asked.

قَالَ الْجَدُّ: الأَشْجَارُ مُهِمَّةٌ وَلَكِنَّهَا تَكْبُرُ وَإِذَا مَا يَبِسَتْ نَزْرَعُ غَيْرَهَا مِنْ جَدِيدٍ، وَنَجْنِي ثِمَارَهَا.

"Trees are important, but they grow old. If they wither, we plant new ones and harvest their fruit again."

قَالَ جُودٌ: فَهُوَ الْحَقْلُ.

"Then it must be the field," Joud said.

هَزَّ الْجَدُّ رَأْسَهُ: الْحَقْلُ أَيْضًا نَرْعَاهُ وَنُعِيدُ زِرَاعَتَهُ كُلَّ عَامٍ.

His grandfather shook his head. "We tend to the field and replant it every year, too."

تَسَاءَلَ الصَّغِيرُ بِحَيْرَةٍ: مَا الَّذِي تَعْنِيهِ يَا جَدِّي؟

The boy looked confused. "What do you mean, Grandfather?"

أَجَابَ الْجَدُّ: إِنَّهَا الأَرْضُ يَا صَغِيرِي.

"It is the land, my boy."

الأَرْضُ الَّتِي لَنْ نَسْتَطِيعَ أَنْ نَبْنِيَ الدَّارَ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا، وَلَنْ نَسْتَطِيعَ أَنْ نَغْرِسَ شَجَرَةً أَوْ نَزْرَعَ حَقْلًا مِنْ دُونِهَا.

It is the land upon which we build our homes, and without which we could never plant a tree or sow a field.

لِهَذَا يَجِبُ أَنْ نَمُدَّ جُذُورَنَا فِيهَا، وَنَتَشَبَّثَ بِهَا كَتَشَبُّثِ جُذُورِ أَشْجَارِ الزَّيْتُونِ بِهَا، وَأَنْ نَعْمَلَ وَنُضَحِّيَ فِي سَبِيلِهَا.

That is why we must sink our roots deep into it, holding on as firmly as an olive tree, and work and sacrifice for its sake."

Vocabulary · المفردات (43 verbs · 65 nouns)

• خَرَجَ — to go out
• سَاعَدَ — to help
• تَسَاءَلَ — to wonder
• بَلَغَ — to reach
• تَبَسَّمَ — to smile
• احْتَضَنَ — to embrace
• زَرَعَ — to plant
• عَاهَدَ — to promise
• رَعَى — to care for
• تَرَكَ — to leave
• رَفَعَ — to lift
• قَالَ — to say
• عَلِمَ — to know
• قَدَّمَ — to offer
• بَقِيَ — to remain
• أَحْضَرَ — to bring
• رَوَى — to narrate
• احْتَفَظَ — to keep
• سَأَلَ — to ask
• رَأَى — to see
• بَدَا — to seem
• عَاشَ — to live
• تَشَقَّقَ — to crack
• تَهَدَّمَ — to collapse
• أَعَادَ — to repeat
• كَبُرَ — to grow
• يَبِسَ — to dry up
• جَنَى — to harvest
• هَزَّ — to shake
• عَنَى — to mean
• اسْتَطَاعَ — to be able
• بَنَى — to build
• غَرَسَ — to plant
• وَجَبَ — to be necessary
• مَدَّ — to extend
• تَشَبَّثَ — to cling
• عَمِلَ — to work
• ضَحَّى — to sacrifice
• قَرَأَ — to read
• حَاكَى — to imitate
• رَاعَى — to observe
• تَعَلَّقَ — to attach
• تَمَسَّكَ — to hold on
• أَرْض — land
• جُود — Joud
• جَدّ — grandfather
• جَدَّة — grandmother
• قِطَاف — harvest
• زَيْتُون — olive
• شَجَرَة — tree
• مُثْقَل — heavy
• حَبَّة — grain
• مُتَعَجِّب — amazed
• عُمُر — age
• خَيِّر — good
• حَفِيد — grandson
• سَنَة — year
• صَغِير — young
• نَفْس — self
• وَلَد — child
• يَد — hand
• حَفْنَة — handful
• تُرَاب — soil
• مُفْتَخِر — proud
• تَضْحِيَة — sacrifice
• حُرّ — free
• طَاهِر — pure
• سَهْرَة — evening
• عَائِلَة — family
• صُنْدُوق — box
• قَدِيم — old
• لَيْلَة — night
• حِكَايَة — story
• حَقْل — field
• صُورَة — picture
• عَرْض — presentation
• أَهَمّ — most important
• حَيْرَة — confusion
• وَجْه — face
• دَار — house
• ضَرُورِيّ — necessary
• بِنَاء — a building
• مُهِمّ — important
• جَدِيد — new
• ثَمَرَة — fruit
• رَأْس — head
• زِرَاعَة — farming
• عَام — year
• جِذْر — root
• سَبِيل — path
• قِرَاءَة — reading
• جَهْرِيّ — aloud
• سَلِيم — correct
• مُعَلِّم — teacher
• مَقْطَع — section
• ثَانٍ — second
• أُسْلُوب — style
• حِوَار — dialogue
• هَرِم — aged
• كَبِير — big
• مِلْء — fullness
• كَفّ — palm
• عِبَارَة — phrase
• آتٍ — following
• عَلَامَة — sign
• تَرْقِيم — punctuation
• مُعْجَم — dictionary
• كَلِمَة — word