The Voyager (الرحالة) — Page 18

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

الرَّحَّالَةُ صَفْحَةُ الْمَاءِ، لَا أَسْمَعُ سِوَى أَصْوَاتِ الرِّيَاحِ وَخَرِيرِ الْمَاءِ وَتَغْرِيدِ الطُّيُورِ، جَمِيعُهُمْ يُنَادُونَنِي: «أَبْحِرِي، أَبْحِرِي».

(from previous page) ⟵ The sea kept calling, "Come out, come out." I rode all kinds of boats: rowing boats, rubber boats, and steam boats. After I learned to sail, I became like someone flying above the traveler's page of water, hearing nothing but the sounds of the wind, the gurgling of water, and the chirping of birds. All of them call out to me: "Sail, sail."

وَهَذَا مَا كُنْتُ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُوَاصِلَ الْإِبْحَارَ بِمُفْرَدِي وَسَطَ الْمَاءِ وَالرِّيَاحِ وَالطُّيُورِ، وَلَكِنَّ الْبَعْضَ قَالَ إِنِّي مَا زِلْتُ صَغِيرَةً جِدًّا، وَغِوَايَةَ الْبَحْرِ شَيْءٌ خَطِيرٌ، وَعِنْدَمَا سَجَا اللَّيْلُ، رَأَيْتُ حُلْمًا مُزْعِجًا.

This was what I wanted: to keep sailing alone amidst the water, the wind, and the birds. Yet some said I was still too young and that the sea's allure is dangerous. When night fell, I had a disturbing dream.

رَأَيْتُ أَمْوَاجًا عَاتِيَةً تَزْحَفُ خَلْفِي وَتَرْتَفِعُ فَوْقِي كَجِبَالٍ سَوْدَاءَ شَاهِقَةٍ، وَأَخَذَتْ تَقْتَرِبُ وَتَقْتَرِبُ، وَلَكِنِّي دَائِمًا مَا كُنْتُ أَسْتَيْقِظُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَغْمُرَنِي الْمَاءُ، وَدَائِمًا مَا كُنْتُ أَشْعُرُ كَأَنَّنِي أَطْفُو فَوْقَ الْمَاءِ عِنْدَمَا أَسْتَيْقِظُ.

I saw fierce waves creeping up behind me, rising like towering black mountains. They drew closer and closer, but I always woke before the water could submerge me, feeling as though I were still floating on the surface as I came to.

Vocabulary · المفردات (18 verbs · 31 nouns)

• سَمِعَ — to hear
• نَادَى — to call
• أَبْحَرَ — to sail
• كَانَ — to be
• أَرَادَ — to want
• وَاصَلَ — to continue
• زَالَ — to cease
• قَالَ — to say
• سَجَا — to become calm
• رَأَى — to see
• زَحَفَ — to crawl
• ارْتَفَعَ — to rise
• أَخَذَ — to begin
• اقْتَرَبَ — to approach
• اسْتَيْقَظَ — to wake up
• غَمَرَ — to submerge
• شَعَرَ — to feel
• طَفَا — to float
• صَفْحَة — surface
• مَاء — water
• صَوْت — sound
• رِيح — wind
• خَرِير — murmur
• تَغْرِيد — chirping
• طَيْر — bird
• جَمِيع — all
• إِبْحَار — sailing
• مُفْرَد — individual
• وَسَط — middle
• بَعْض — some
• صَغِير — small (male)
• جِدٌّ — very
• غِوَايَة — temptation
• بَحْر — sea
• شَيْء — thing
• خَطِير — dangerous
• لَيْل — night
• حُلْم — dream
• مُزْعِج — annoying
• مَوْج — wave
• عَات — fierce
• خَلْف — back
• فَوْق — above
• جَبَل — mountain
• أَسْوَد — black
• شَاهِق — lofty
• دَائِم — constant
• عَاتِيَة — fierce
• سَوْدَاء — black