The Merchant of Baghdad (تاجر بغداد) — Page 15

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَلَمَّا جَاءَ وَقْتُ السَّفَرِ، وَدَّعَ عَلِيٌّ كُوجِيَا صَاحِبَهُ التَّاجِرَ حَسَنًا، وَسَافَرَ مَعَ الْقَافِلَةِ.

When it was time to depart, Ali Kojia said goodbye to his friend Hassan the merchant and joined the caravan.

مِنْ بَغْدَادَ بَعْدَ أَنْ أَخَذَ مَعَهُ الْبَضَائِعَ الَّتِي أَبْقَاهَا مَعَهُ لِيَبِيعَهَا فِي مَكَّةَ.

He left Baghdad, taking along the goods he had set aside to sell in Mecca.

وَسَارَتِ الْقَافِلَةُ الَّتِي رَكِبَ فِيهَا عَلِيُّ كُوجِيَا حَتَّى وَصَلَتْ إِلَى مَكَّةَ.

The caravan traveled steadily until it reached Mecca.

وَهُنَاكَ أَدَّى عَلِيٌّ كُوجِيَا وَمَنْ سَافَرَ مَعَهُ فَرِيضَةَ الْحَجِّ.

Once there, Ali Kojia and his fellow travelers performed the Hajj.

وَلَمَّا انْتَهَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ، أَخَذَ يَبِيعُ بَضَائِعَهُ الَّتِي أَحْضَرَهَا مَعَهُ مِنْ بَغْدَادَ وَيَشْتَرِي غَيْرَهَا مِنْ مَكَّةَ.

After completing the pilgrimage, he began selling the wares he had brought from Baghdad and purchasing new stock from Mecca.

وَمَرَّ عَلَيْهِ تَاجِرَانِ، فَوَقَفَا يَتَأَمَّلَانِ فِي بَضَائِعِهِ، وَيُعْجَبَانِ بِحُسْنِهَا وَجَوْدَتِهَا.

Two merchants passed by, stopped to examine his goods, and were impressed by their beauty and quality.

ثُمَّ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا لِلْآخَرِ: لَوْ أَنَّ هَذَا التَّاجِرَ ذَهَبَ بِهَذِهِ الْبَضَائِعِ النَّفِيسَةِ النَّادِرَةِ إِلَى الْقَاهِرَةِ، لَبَاعَهَا فِيهَا بِأَغْلَى ثَمَنٍ. (٢) عَلِيُّ كُوجِيَا فِي طَرِيقِهِ إِلَى الْقَاهِرَةِ.

One remarked to the other, "If this merchant took these rare, precious goods to Cairo, he could sell them for a fortune."

وَلَمَّا سَمِعَ مِنْهُمَا هَذَا الْكَلَامَ، عَزَمَ عَلَى السَّفَرِ إِلَى الْقَاهِرَةِ، لِيَبِيعَ بَضَائِعَهُ فِيهَا بِأَغْلَى ثَمَنٍ.

Hearing this, Ali Kojia decided to travel to Cairo to sell his merchandise for the highest possible price.

وَكَانَ عَلِيُّ كُوجِيَا يَسْمَعُ وَهُوَ فِي بَلَدِهِ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ يَتَحَدَّثُونَ بِجَمَالِ الْقَاهِرَةِ، وَيُعْجَبُونَ بِمَا فِيهَا مِنَ الْآثَارِ الْقَدِيمَةِ كَأَهْرَامِ الْجِيزَةِ وَأَبِي الْهَوْلِ وَغَيْرِهَا.

Back home, he had often heard people praise the beauty of Cairo and marvel at its ancient wonders, such as the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx.

Vocabulary · المفردات (23 verbs · 19 nouns)

• جَاءَ — to come
• وَدَّعَ — to bid farewell
• سَافَرَ — to travel
• أَخَذَ — to begin
• أَبْقَى — to keep
• بَاعَ — to sell
• سَارَ — to walk
• رَكِبَ — to ride
• وَصَلَ — to arrive
• أَدَّى — to perform
• انْتَهَى — to finish
• أَحْضَرَ — to bring
• اِشْتَرَى — to buy
• مَرَّ — to pass
• وَقَفَ — to stand
• تَأَمَّلَ — to contemplate
• عَجِبَ — to admire
• قَالَ — to say
• ذَهَبَ — to go
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• عَزَمَ — to resolve
• كَانَ — to be
• تَحَدَّثَ — to talk
• سِفْر — travels
• وَقْت — time
• صَاحِب — companion
• تَاجِر — merchant
• قَافِلَة — caravan
• بِضَاعَة — merchandise
• فَرِيضَة — duty
• حَجّ — pilgrimage
• حُسْن — beauty
• جَوْدَة — quality
• ثَمَن — price
• طَرِيق — path
• كَلَام — speech
• بَلَد — country
• نَاس — people
• جَمَال — beauty
• أَثَر — monument
• هَرَم — pyramid
• هَوْل — terror