Syrian Arabic Curriculum — Grade 5, Semester 1 — Page 6

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

عَلَى الشَّاطِئِ يَعِيشُ صَيَّادٌ فَقِيرٌ.

A poor fisherman lives on the beach.

يَذْهَبُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ إِلَى الْبَحْرِ وَيَصْطَادُ بِضْعَ سَمَكَاتٍ.

Every day, he goes to the sea and catches a few fish.

ثُمَّ يَبِيعُهَا بِلِيرَاتٍ قَلِيلَةٍ.

Then, he sells them for a few liras.

وَلَكِنَّهُ مَا زَالَ يَحْلُمُ بِاصْطِيَادِ سَمَكَةٍ ذَهَبِيَّةٍ لِيَشْتَرِيَ بِثَمَنِهَا زَوْرَقاً لِلصَّيْدِ.

Yet he still dreams of catching a golden fish to sell and buy a fishing boat.

كَانَ الصَّيَّادُ يَقِفُ أَمَامَ الْبَحْرِ وَيُخَاطِبُهُ قَائِلاً: يَا صَدِيقِي امْنَحْنِي - وَلَوْ مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً - سَمَكَةً ذَهَبِيَّةً.

The fisherman used to stand before the sea and say: "My friend, grant me—just once—a golden fish."

فَعِنْدِي خَمْسَةُ أَوْلَادٍ وَزَوْجَةٌ يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَى طَعَامٍ كَثِيرٍ وَثِيَابٍ جَدِيدَةٍ.

"I have five children and a wife who need plenty of food and new clothes."

سَأَشْتَرِي بِثَمَنِ السَّمَكَةِ الذَّهَبِيَّةِ زَوْرَقاً لِلصَّيْدِ.

"I will use the money from the golden fish to buy a fishing boat."

لَقَدْ مَلَلْتُ الْوُقُوفَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ.

"I am tired of standing here every day."

أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُسَافِرَ عَلَى أَمْوَاجِكَ بَعِيداً لِأَحْصُلَ عَلَى سَمَكٍ وَفِيرٍ.

"I want to travel far out on your waves to catch plenty of fish."

ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ رَدَّ الْبَحْرُ عَلَى الصَّيَّادِ: لَيْسَ فِي مِيَاهِي سَمَكٌ ذَهَبِيٌّ لِأُعْطِيَكَ وَاحِدَةً.

One day, the sea replied: "There are no golden fish in my waters for me to give you."

الصَّيَّادُ: كَيْفَ أَيُّهَا الْبَحْرُ؟! جَدَّتِي رَوَتْ لِي حِينَ كُنْتُ صَغِيراً أَنَّكَ أَعْطَيْتَ أَحَدَ الصَّيَّادِينَ سَمَكَةً ذَهَبِيَّةً كَبِيرَةً.

The fisherman asked: "How can that be, Sea? When I was young, my grandmother told me you once gave a fisherman a large golden fish."

الْبَحْرُ (ضَاحِكاً): وَهَلْ صَدَّقْتَ؟! إِنَّهَا حِكَايَةٌ يَرْوِيهَا النَّاسُ لِيَتَسَلَّوْا بِهَا وَيَسْتَفِيدُوا مِنْ مَغْزَاهَا.

The sea laughed: "Did you really believe that? It is just a story people tell to amuse themselves and learn a lesson."

حَزِنَ الصَّيَّادُ وَفَقَدَ الْأَمَلَ وَقَالَ (يَائِساً): إِذَنْ سَأَبْقَى صَيَّاداً فَقِيراً.

Saddened and hopeless, the fisherman said in despair: "Then I will remain a poor fisherman forever."

الْبَحْرُ: لَا تَحْزَنْ، وَبَدَلاً مِنْ أَنْ تَحْلُمَ بِالسَّمَكَةِ الذَّهَبِيَّةِ وَالزَّوْرَقِ تَعَاوَنَ أَنْتَ وَزُمَلَاؤُكَ عَلَى صُنْعِ مَرْكَبٍ لِلصَّيْدِ لَعَلَّ أُمُورَكُمْ تَتَغَيَّرُ.

The sea said: "Do not be sad. Instead of dreaming of golden fish and boats, work with your fellow fishermen to build a boat together; perhaps your fortunes will change."

ذَهَبَ الصَّيَّادُ إِلَى زُمَلَائِهِ وَقَالَ: قَدْ عَرَفْتُ طَرِيقَةً يَسْتَطِيعُ بِهَا كُلُّ صَيَّادٍ أَنْ يَحْصُلَ عَلَى سَمَكَةٍ ذَهَبِيَّةٍ.

The fisherman went to his colleagues and said: "I have found a way for every fisherman to get a golden fish."

الصَّيَّادُونَ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟

The fishermen asked: "How so?"

الصَّيَّادُ: نَتَعَاوَنُ جَمِيعاً وَنَبْنِي مَرْكَباً لِلصَّيْدِ يَكُونُ مَرْكَباً لِلْجَمِيعِ.

The fisherman replied: "We can all work together to build a fishing boat that belongs to everyone."

الصَّيَّادُونَ: يَا لَهَا مِنْ فِكْرَةٍ..!! لَكِنَّنَا فُقَرَاءُ لَا نَمْلِكُ شَيْئاً نَبْنِي بِهِ الْمَرْكَبَ.

The fishermen said: "What an idea! But we are poor and have nothing to build a boat with."

صَمَتَ الْجَمِيعُ، وَفَجْأَةً نَهَضَ صَيَّادٌ شَابٌّ وَقَالَ: عِنْدِي فِكْرَةٌ.

Everyone fell silent, until suddenly a young fisherman stood up and said: "I have an idea."

يَصْطَادُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَّا سَمَكَةً إِضَافِيَّةً كُلَّ يَوْمٍ، وَنَبْدَأُ نَجْمَعُ ثَمَنَهَا لِيُصْنَعَ الْمَرْكَبُ.

"Each of us can catch one extra fish every day, and we can save the money from those to build the boat."

وَافَقَ الْجَمِيعُ وَبَدَؤُوا الْعَمَلَ بِفِكْرَتِهِ وَلَمْ يَتَكَاسَلْ أَحَدٌ فِي اصْطِيَادِ السَّمَكَةِ الْإِضَافِيَّةِ.

Everyone agreed and began working on his plan, and no one was lazy about catching that extra fish.

وَبَعْدَ فَتْرَةٍ تَوَفَّرَ الْمَالُ مَعَهُمْ، وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى صُنْعِ الْمَرْكَبِ، ثُمَّ جَهَّزُوهُ بِالشِّبَاكِ الْقَوِيَّةِ وَالْمَتِينَةِ وَأَنْزَلُوهُ إِلَى الْمَاءِ، وَأَطْلَقُوا عَلَيْهِ اسْمَ مَرْكَبِ السَّمَكَةِ الذَّهَبِيَّةِ.

After a while, they had enough money, worked together to build the boat, equipped it with strong, sturdy nets, launched it into the water, and named it the Golden Fish.

وَقَفَ الصَّيَّادُ مُخَاطِباً الْبَحْرَ: انْظُرْ أَيُّهَا الْبَحْرُ، لَقَدْ صَارَ لِكُلِّ صَيَّادٍ مِنَّا سَمَكَتُهُ الذَّهَبِيَّةُ.

The fisherman stood and addressed the sea: "Look, Sea! Now every one of us has his own golden fish."

خَفَقَ الْبَحْرُ بِمَوْجِهِ وَرَاحَ يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَى أَغَانِي الصَّيَّادِينَ الْجَمِيلَةِ.

The sea rippled with its waves and listened to the beautiful songs of the fishermen.

Vocabulary · المفردات (49 verbs · 71 nouns)

• قَرَأَ — to read
• عَاشَ — to live
• ذَهَبَ — to go
• اصْطَادَ — to hunt
• بَاعَ — to sell
• حَلَمَ — to dream
• اشْتَرَى — to buy
• كَانَ — to be
• وَقَفَ — to stand
• خَاطَبَ — to address
• مَنَحَ — to grant
• احْتَاجَ — to need
• مَلَّ — to be bored
• أَرَادَ — to want
• سَافَرَ — to travel
• حَصَلَ — to obtain
• رَدَّ — to reply
• أَعْطَى — to give
• رَوَى — to narrate
• ضَحِكَ — to laugh
• صَدَّقَ — to believe
• تَسَلَّى — to amuse oneself
• اسْتَفَادَ — to benefit
• حَزِنَ — to be sad
• فَقَدَ — to lose
• قَالَ — to say
• يَئِسَ — to despair
• بَقِيَ — to remain
• تَعَاوَنَ — to cooperate
• تَغَيَّرَ — to change
• عَرَفَ — to know
• اسْتَطَاعَ — to be able
• بَنَى — to build
• مَلَكَ — to own
• صَمَتَ — to be silent
• نَهَضَ — to rise
• جَمَعَ — to collect
• بَدَأَ — to begin
• وَافَقَ — to agree
• تَكَاسَلَ — to be lazy
• تَوَفَّرَ — to be available
• جَهَّزَ — to prepare
• أَنْزَلَ — to lower
• أَطْلَقَ — to launch
• نَظَرَ — to look
• صَارَ — to become
• خَفَقَ — to beat
• رَاحَ — to start
• اسْتَمَعَ — to listen
• سَمَكَة — fish
• شَاطِئ — beach
• صَيَّاد — fisherman
• فَقِير — poor man
• يَوْم — day
• بَحْر — meter, sea
• لِيرَة — lira
• قَلِيل — small amount
• ثَمَن — price
• زَوْرَق — boat
• صَيْد — fishing
• صَدِيق — friend
• مَرَّة — time
• وَلَد — boy
• زَوْجَة — wife
• طَعَام — food
• كَثِير — much
• ثَوْب — a garment
• جَدِيد — new
• وُقُوف — standing
• مَوْج — wave
• بَعِيد — far
• وَفِير — abundant
• مَاء — water
• جَدَّة — grandmother
• صَغِير — young boy
• كَبِير — big
• حِكَايَة — story
• نَاس — people
• مَغْزَى — moral
• أَمَل — hope
• بَدَل — instead
• زَمِيل — colleague
• صُنْع — making
• مَرْكَب — vessel
• أَمْر — matter
• طَرِيقَة — Path/method
• جَمِيع — all
• فِكْرَة — idea
• شَيْء — thing
• شَابّ — young man
• إِضَافِيّ — additional
• عَمَل — work
• فَتْرَة — period
• مَال — money
• شَبَكَة — net
• قَوِيّ — strong
• مَتِين — sturdy
• اسْم — name
• أُغْنِيَة — song
• جَمِيل — beautiful
• مَقْطَع — section
• أَوَّل — first
• نِدَاء — call
• اسْتِفْهَام — interrogation
• ثَانِي — second
• تَعَجُّب — exclamation
• مَشَاعِر — feelings
• فَرَح — joy
• نَصّ — text
• قِرَاءَة — reading
• جَهْرِيّ — aloud
• سَلِيم — sound
• تَلْوِين — intonation
• صَوْتِيّ — vocal
• مُنَاسِب — appropriate
• مَعْنَى — meaning
• مُعْجَم — dictionary
• كَلِمَة — a word (grammatical term)
• مَقْصَد — purpose
• وَاحِدَة — one (feminine)