The Wolf Pit (حفرة الذئاب) — Page 15

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَصَلَتْ بَيْتِي فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ، وَوَقَفَتْ فِي مُؤَخَّرَةِ حُجْرَةِ الدِّرَاسَةِ، وَحِينَهَا قَالَتْ مُعَلِّمَتُنَا السَّيِّدَةُ تَايْلُور: «صَبَاحُ الْخَيْرِ.»

Betty arrived that day and stood at the back of the classroom, when our teacher, Mrs. Taylor, said, 'Good morning.'

لَمْ تَقُلْ بَيْتِي أَيَّ شَيْءٍ.

Betty said nothing.

كَانَتْ ذِرَاعَاهَا مَعْقُودَتَيْنِ عَلَى صَدْرِهَا.

Her arms were folded across her chest.

أَضَافَتِ الْمُعَلِّمَةُ: «يَا أَطْفَالُ، هَذِهِ بَيْتِي جِلِينْجَارِي.»

The teacher added, 'Children, this is Betty Glengarry.'

بَدَا لِي اسْمُهَا وَكَأَنَّهُ اسْمٌ مِنْ أُغْنِيَةٍ.

Her name sounded to me like one from a song.

كَانَ مِنَ الْمُنْتَظَرِ أَنْ نَرُدَّ التَّحِيَّةَ الصَّبَاحِيَّةَ، فَقُلْنَا صَبَاحَ الْخَيْرِ.

We were expected to return the greeting, so we said good morning.

لَكِنَّ بَيْتِي اكْتَفَتْ بِالنَّظَرِ إِلَيْنَا دُونَ أَيِّ كَلِمَةٍ.

But Betty just stared at us without a word.

«الْحُجْرَةُ مُكْتَظَّةٌ قَلِيلًا يَا بَيْتِي، لَكِنَّنَا سَنَجِدُ مَقْعَدًا لَكِ.

'The room is a little crowded, Betty, but we will find a seat for you.

عَلِّقِي مِعْطَفَكِ وَعُلْبَةَ غَدَائِكِ.»

Hang up your coat and your lunch box.'

رَاقَبْنَا كُلُّنَا فِي صَمْتٍ لِنَرَى الْمَكَانَ الَّذِي سَتَخْتَارُهُ السَّيِّدَةُ تَايْلُور لِبَيْتِي، لَكِنْ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَتَسَنَّى لَهَا الْفُرْصَةُ لِتُخَصِّصَ لَهَا مَقْعَدًا، تَطَوَّعَتْ فَتَاةٌ نَحِيفَةٌ اسْمُهَا لُورَا، تَسْتَطِيعُ قِرَاءَةَ الطَّالِعِ السَّيِّئِ عَلَى مَا يَبْدُو، وَأَلَمَّتْ كُتُبَهَا مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِهَا، وَانْحَشَرَتْ بِجِوَارِ صَدِيقَتِهَا إِمِيلِي، تَارِكَةً الْمَكْتَبَ فَارِغًا.

We all watched in silence to see where Mrs. Taylor would put Betty, but before she could assign a seat, a thin girl named Laura—who apparently had a knack for sensing trouble—volunteered, gathered her books, and squeezed in next to her friend Emily, leaving the desk empty.

أَصْبَحَ هَذَا مَكْتَبَ بَيْتِي.

This became Betty's desk.

كَانَ أَمَامَ الْمَكْتَبِ الَّذِي أَتَشَارَكُهُ مَعَ رُوث، وَكَانَ قَرِيبًا مِنْهُ جِدًّا لِدَرَجَةِ أَنَّنِي فِي غُضُونِ يَوْمَيْنِ، بَدَأْتُ أَجِدُ كُرَاتٍ مِنَ الْوَرَقِ الْمَمْضُوغِ تَلْتَصِقُ بِشَعْرِي، وَتَقَرُّحَاتٍ حَمْرَاءَ صَغِيرَةً عَلَى سَاقِي؛ حَيْثُ كَانَتْ بَيْتِي تَمُدُّ يَدَهَا إِلَى الْوَرَاءِ وَتَخِزُنِي بِقَلَمِهَا الرَّصَاصِ.

It was right in front of the desk I shared with Ruth, and so close that within two days, I started finding balls of chewed paper stuck in my hair and small red sores on my leg, as Betty would reach back and prick me with her pencil.

لَمْ أَكُنْ سَعِيدَةً بِهَذَا الْوَضْعِ، لَكِنِّي كُنْتُ مَسْرُورَةً لِأَنَّ بَيْتِي اخْتَارَتْ أَنْ تُضَايِقَنِي أَنَا، وَلَيْسَ رُوث الَّتِي كَانَتْ أَصْغَرَ مِنِّي حَجْمًا، وَأَكْثَرَ رِقَّةً ثُمَّ إِنَّ شَقِيقَيَّ كَانَا يُلْحِقَانِ بِي مُضَايَقَاتٍ أَشَدَّ بِكَثِيرٍ، أَمَّا رُوث فَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَدَيْهَا أَيُّ أَشِقَّاءَ.

I wasn't happy about it, but I was relieved that Betty chose to pick on me instead of Ruth, who was smaller and more delicate; besides, my brothers were much harder on me, and Ruth had no siblings at all.

قَرَّرْتُ أَنْ أَصْمُدَ أَمَامَ اعْتِدَاءَاتِ بَيْتِي الْبَسِيطَةِ طَوَالَ الْأُسْبُوعِ الْأَوَّلِ مِنْ قُدُومِهَا، عَلَى أَمَلِ أَنْ تَتَضَاءَلَ بِمُرُورِ الْوَقْتِ.

I decided to put up with Betty's minor assaults throughout her first week, hoping they would taper off over time.

لَوْ أَنَّ مِثْلَ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ قَدْ حَدَثَتْ فِي مَدْرَسَةٍ مِنْ نَوْعٍ مُخْتَلِفٍ لَلَاحَظَتْهَا الْمُعَلِّمَةُ، لَكِنَّ السَّيِّدَةَ تَايْلُور كَانَتْ مُضْطَرَّةً إِلَى التَّسْلِيمِ بِأَنَّ مَا يَحْدُثُ خَلْفَ ظَهْرِهَا لَا يَسْتَحِقُّ اهْتِمَامَهَا.

If this had happened in a different kind of school, the teacher would have noticed, but Mrs. Taylor had to accept that what went on behind her back wasn't worth her attention.

وَلِأَنَّهَا كَانَتْ تُدَرِّسُ لَنَا جَمِيعًا، فَدَائِمًا مَا كَانَتِ الْمَقَاعِدُ الْمُكَدَّسَةُ فِي مُقَدِّمَةِ الْحُجْرَةِ عِنْدَ السَّبُّورَةِ مَشْغُولَةً بِطُلَّابِ الْمَرْحَلَةِ التَّعْلِيمِيَّةِ الَّذِينَ تُلَقِّنُهُمْ دَرْسَهُمْ، أَمَّا بَقِيَّتُنَا، فَكُنَّا نَجْلِسُ فِي مَكَاتِبِنَا وَنُؤَدِّي وَاجِبَاتِنَا إِلَى أَنْ يَحِينَ دَوْرُنَا لِتَلَقِّي الشَّرْحِ فِي الْمُقَدِّمَةِ.

Because she taught all of us at once, the desks at the front by the blackboard were always occupied by the grade level she was currently instructing, while the rest of us sat at our desks doing our work until our turn came for a lesson at the front.

كَانَ بَعْضُ الصِّبْيَانِ الْأَكْبَرِ سِنًّا يَنَامُونَ قِسْطًا طَوِيلًا مِنَ النَّهَارِ.

Some of the older boys slept for a good part of the day.

وَعِنْدَمَا يَسْتَيْقِظُونَ لِدُرُوسِهِمْ عِنْدَ السَّبُّورَةِ، كَانُوا يُعَامِلُونَ السَّيِّدَةَ تَايْلُور بِوَقَاحَةٍ صَرِيحَةٍ جِدًّا، حَتَّى إِنَّنِي أَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّ الدُّرُوسَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ تُدَرِّسُهَا لَهُمْ كَانَتْ أَقْصَرَ مِمَّا يَنْبَغِي.

When they woke up for their lessons at the board, they were so openly rude to Mrs. Taylor that I suspect she kept their lessons shorter than they should have been.

كَانُوا كُلُّهُمْ صِبْيَانًا ضِخَامَ الْبِنْيَةِ وَنَافِعِينَ فِي مَزَارِعِهِمْ، وَلَمْ يَرَوْا فَائِدَةً مِنَ الذَّهَابِ إِلَى مَدْرَسَةٍ لَا تُعَلِّمُهُمْ أَنْ يَزْرَعُوا أَوْ يَحْصُدُوا أَوْ يَرْعَوْا أَيَّ شَيْءٍ.

They were all big, sturdy boys who were useful on their farms, and they saw no point in attending a school that didn't teach them how to plant, harvest, or tend to anything.

وَكَانُوا يَعْرِفُونَ أَيْضًا تَمَامَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ أَنَّ الْمَدْرَسَةَ لَنْ تُسَاعِدَهُمْ فِي قِتَالِ الْأَلْمَانِ إِذَا اسْتَمَرَّتِ الْحَرْبُ إِلَى أَنْ يُصْبِحُوا كِبَارًا بِمَا يَكْفِي لِخَوْضِ التَّلَقِّي.

They also knew full well that school wouldn't help them fight the Germans if the war lasted until they were old enough to enlist.

Vocabulary · المفردات (50 verbs · 124 nouns)

• وَصَلَ — to arrive
• وَقَفَ — to stand
• قَالَ — to say
• أَضَافَ — to add
• بَدَا — to seem
• رَدَّ — to reply
• اكْتَفَى — to content oneself
• وَجَدَ — to find
• عَلَّقَ — to hang
• رَاقَبَ — to watch
• رَأَى — to see
• اخْتَارَ — to choose
• تَسَنَّى — to become possible
• خَصَّصَ — to allocate
• تَطَوَّعَ — to volunteer
• اسْتَطَاعَ — to manage to
• أَلَمَّ — to gather
• انْحَشَرَ — to squeeze
• تَرَكَ — to leave
• أَصْبَحَ — to become
• تَشَارَكَ — to share
• بَدَأَ — to begin
• الْتَصَقَ — to stick
• مَدَّ — to extend
• خَزَّ — to prick
• ضَايَقَ — to annoy
• أَلْحَقَ — to inflict
• قَرَّرَ — to decide
• صَمَدَ — to endure
• تَضَاءَلَ — to diminish
• حَدَثَ — to happen
• لَاحَظَ — to notice
• اسْتَحَقَّ — to deserve
• دَرَّسَ — to teach
• لَقَّنَ — to instruct
• جَلَسَ — to sit
• أَدَّى — to perform
• حَانَ — to arrive (time)
• نَامَ — to sleep
• اسْتَيْقَظَ — to wake up
• عَامَلَ — to treat
• اعْتَقَدَ — to believe
• اِنْبَغَى — to behoove
• زَرَعَ — to plant
• حَصَدَ — to harvest
• رَعَى — to tend
• عَرَفَ — to know
• سَاعَدَ — to help
• اسْتَمَرَّ — to continue
• كَفَى — to suffice
• يَوْم — day
• مُؤَخَّرَة — back
• حُجْرَة — room
• دِرَاسَة — study
• مُعَلِّمَة — female teacher
• سَيِّدَة — lady
• صَبَاح — morning
• خَيْر — good
• شَيْء — thing
• ذِرَاع — arm
• صَدْر — chest
• طِفْل — child
• اسْم — name
• أُغْنِيَة — song
• مُنْتَظَر — expected
• تَحِيَّة — greeting
• صَبَاحِيَّة — morning (adj)
• نَظَر — look
• كَلِمَة — word
• مُكْتَظّ — crowded
• قَلِيل — little
• مَقْعَد — seat
• مِعْطَف — coat
• عُلْبَة — box
• غَدَاء — lunch
• صَمْت — silence
• مَكَان — place
• فُرْصَة — opportunity
• فَتَاة — girl
• نَحِيف — thin
• قِرَاءَة — reading
• طَالِع — fortune
• سَيِّئ — bad
• كِتَاب — book
• تِلْقَاء — direction/self
• نَفْس — self
• جِوَار — vicinity
• صَدِيقَة — female friend
• مَكْتَب — desk
• فَارِغ — empty
• أَمَام — front
• قَرِيب — near
• دَرَجَة — degree
• غُضْن — interval
• كُرَة — ball
• وَرَق — paper
• مَمْضُوغ — chewed
• شَعْر — hair
• تَقَرُّح — sore
• أَحْمَر — red
• صَغِير — small
• سَاق — leg
• يَد — hand
• وَرَاء — behind
• قَلَم — pen
• رَصَاص — lead
• سَعِيد — happy
• وَضْع — situation
• مَسْرُور — pleased
• أَصْغَر — younger
• حَجْم — size
• رِقَّة — delicacy
• شَقِيق — brother
• مُضَايَقَة — harassment
• أَشَدّ — more intense
• كَثِير — much
• شَقِيق — brothers
• اعْتِدَاء — assault
• بَسِيط — simple
• أُسْبُوع — week
• أَوَّل — first
• قُدُوم — arrival
• أَمَل — hope
• مُرُور — passage
• وَقْت — time
• مِثْل — like
• شَيْء — thing
• مَدْرَسَة — school
• نَوْع — type
• مُخْتَلِف — different
• مُضْطَرّ — compelled
• تَسْلِيم — acceptance
• خَلْف — behind
• ظَهْر — back
• اهْتِمَام — attention
• جَمِيع — all
• مُكَدَّس — piled
• مُقَدِّمَة — front
• سَبُّورَة — blackboard
• مَشْغُول — busy
• طَالِب — student
• مَرْحَلَة — stage
• تَعْلِيمِيَّة — educational
• دَرْس — lesson
• بَقِيَّة — remainder
• وَاجِب — duty
• دَوْر — turn
• تَلَقِّي — receiving
• شَرْح — explanation
• صَبِيّ — boy
• أَكْبَر — older
• سِنّ — age
• قِسْط — portion
• طَوِيل — long
• نَهَار — daytime
• وَقَاحَة — rudeness
• صَرِيح — explicit
• أَقْصَر — shorter
• ضَخْم — huge
• بِنْيَة — build
• نَافِع — useful
• مَزْرَعَة — farm
• فَائِدَة — benefit
• ذَهَاب — going
• تَمَام — full
• مَعْرِفَة — knowledge
• قِتَال — fighting
• حَرْب — war
• كَبِير — big
• كَفَى — enough
• أَكْثَر — more
• حَمْرَاء — red (female)
• خَوْض — delving
• تَارِكَة — one who leaves (feminine)