The Voyager (الرحالة) — Page 17

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

تَلَاحَقَتْ أَمْوَاجُهُ وَدَعَانِي.

Its waves surged one after another, beckoning me.

كَانَ يَقُولُ «اقْتَرِبِي مِنِّي اقْتَرِبِي مِنِّي»

It kept saying, 'Come closer, come closer.'

وَاسْتَجَبْتُ لَهُ، طَفَوْتُ عَلَى صَفْحَتِهِ، وَتَقَاذَفَتْنِي أَمْوَاجُهُ، وَابْتَلَّتْ ثِيَابِي بِرَذَاذِهِ، وَسَبَحْتُ فِي أَرْجَائِهِ، وَنَادَانِي الْبَحْرُ، «اخْرُجِي، اخْرُجِي»، فَوَاصَلْتُ السِّبَاحَةَ بَعِيدًا، وَلَكِنْ دَائِمًا مَا كَانَتْ تَقْذِفُ بِي الْأَمْوَاجُ إِلَى الشَّاطِئِ.

I answered its call, floating on its surface as the waves tossed me about. My clothes soaked through with spray as I swam across the expanse. The sea called out, 'Get out, get out,' but though I swam further away, the waves always cast me back to the shore.

وَظَلَّ الْبَحْرُ يُنَادِي، «اخْرُجِي، اخْرُجِي»، رَكِبْتُ شَتَّى أَنْوَاعِ الْقَوَارِبِ؛ قَوَارِبُ التَّجْدِيفِ وَالْقَوَارِبُ الْمَطَّاطِيَّةُ وَتِلْكَ الْبُخَارِيَّةُ، وَبَعْدَ أَنْ تَعَلَّمْتُ الْإِبْحَارَ أَصْبَحْتُ كَمَنْ يَطِيرُ فَوْقَ

The sea continued to call, 'Get out, get out.' I tried all kinds of boats—rowboats, inflatables, and steamers—and once I learned to sail, I felt as if I were flying above it.

Vocabulary · المفردات (19 verbs · 13 nouns)

• تَلَاحَقَ — to follow one another
• دَعَا — to call
• كَانَ — to be
• قَالَ — to say
• اقْتَرَبَ — to approach
• اسْتَجَابَ — to respond
• طَفَا — to float
• تَقَاذَفَ — to toss about
• ابْتَلَّ — to get wet
• سَبَحَ — to swim
• نَادَى — to call out
• خَرَجَ — to exit
• وَاصَلَ — to continue
• قَذَفَ — to throw
• ظَلَّ — to remain
• رَكِبَ — to ride
• تَعَلَّمَ — to learn
• أَصْبَحَ — to become
• طَارَ — to fly
• بَحْر — sea
• مَوْج — wave
• صَفْحَة — surface
• ثَوْب — garment
• رَذَاذ — spray
• رَجَاء — region
• سِبَاحَة — swimming
• شَاطِئ — beach
• نَوْع — type
• قَارِب — boat
• تَجْدِيف — rowing
• مَطَّاطِيٌّ — rubber (adj)
• إِبْحَار — sailing