The Wolf Pit (حفرة الذئاب) — Page 18

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

قَعَدَ مُنْتَصِبًا وَفَرَكَ عَيْنَيْهِ.

He sat upright and rubbed his eyes.

وَقَالَ: «تُوجَدُ أَسْبَابٌ كَثِيرَةٌ.

He said, 'There are many reasons.'

مِنْ بَيْنِهَا أَنَّ عَدَدَ الْأَشْخَاصِ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَصْطَادُونَ الذِّئَابَ لَمْ يَعُدْ كَافِيًا.

For one, there were no longer enough people hunting wolves.

فَأَصْبَحَتْ أَشَدَّ جُرْأَةً وَأَكْثَرَ عَدَدًا مِنَ الْحَدِّ الْمَعْقُولِ.»

They became bolder and more numerous than was reasonable.'

خَطَرَ بِبَالِي حِينَئِذٍ حُفْرَةٌ مَلِيئَةٌ بِالذِّئَابِ.

A pit full of wolves flashed into my mind.

«هَلْ كَانُوا يَقْتُلُونَهَا بَعْدَمَا يُوقِعُونَ بِهَا فِي الْحُفْرَةِ؟»

'Did they kill them after trapping them in the pit?'

ضَحِكَ.

He laughed.

تَنَهَّدَ جَدِّي.

My grandfather sighed.

وَقَالَ: «كَانُوا يُطْلِقُونَ الرَّصَاصَ عَلَيْهَا.

He said, 'They shot them.'

وَيُسَلِّمُونَ آذَانَهَا لِلسُّلُطَاتِ مِنْ أَجْلِ الْمُكَافَأَةِ ثَلَاثَةَ دُولَارَاتٍ عَنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ.»

'They turned in the ears to the authorities for a three-dollar bounty per pair.'

«يُسَلِّمُونَ آذَانَهَا؟ مَاذَا إِذَا كَانَتْ جِرَاءً، هَلْ كَانُوا يَتَّخِذُونَهَا حَيَوَانَاتٍ أَلِيفَةً؟»

'They turned in their ears? What about the puppies—did they keep them as pets?'

جَدِّي وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُصْدِرُ صَخَبًا كَبِيرًا عِنْدَمَا يَضْحَكُ.

My grandfather didn't make much noise when he laughed.

كَانَ يَكْتَفِي بِهَزِّ كَتِفَيْهِ بِضْعَ مَرَّاتٍ.

He would just shake his shoulders a few times.

وَقَالَ: «أَتَظُنِّينَ أَنَّ الذِّئْبَ يُمْكِنُ أَنْ يَتَعَايَشَ مَعَ الْكَلْبِ؟»

He said, 'Do you think a wolf can coexist with a dog?'

دَائِمًا مَا كَانَتِ الْمَزْرَعَةُ تَضُمُّ عَدَدًا وَفِيرًا مِنَ الْكِلَابِ.

The farm always had plenty of dogs.

لَمْ أَكُنْ أَسْتَطِيعُ تَخَيُّلَ الْمَكَانِ دُونَ سِتَّةِ كِلَابٍ أَوْ سَبْعَةٍ تَرْكُضُ فِي أَنْحَائِهِ.

I couldn't imagine the place without six or seven of them running around.

قُلْتُ: «وَلَكِنْ كَانَ بِإِمْكَانِهِمْ أَنْ يُرَبُّوا الْجِرَاءَ تَرْبِيَةً سَلِيمَةً.

I said, 'But they could have raised the puppies properly.'

وَيَجْعَلُوا مِنْهَا كِلَابًا.»

'They could have turned them into dogs.'

رَفَعَ جَدِّي حَمَّالَتَيْ بِنْطَالِهِ فَوْقَ كَتِفَيْهِ وَبَدَأَ يَرْتَدِي جَوَارِبَهُ.

My grandfather pulled his suspenders over his shoulders and started putting on his socks.

ثُمَّ قَالَ: «الذِّئْبُ لَيْسَ كَلْبًا، وَلَنْ يَكُونَ كَذَلِكَ أَبَدًا، مَهْمَا كَانَتِ الطَّرِيقَةُ الَّتِي تُرَبِّينَهُ بِهَا.»

Then he said, 'A wolf is not a dog, and it never will be, no matter how you raise it.'

وَعِنْدَمَا انْتَعَلَ حِذَاءَهُ وَرَبَطَهُ، وَقَفَ وَوَضَعَ إِحْدَى يَدَيْهِ الضَّخْمَتَيْنِ عَلَى رَأْسِي.

When he had laced up his boots, he stood and placed one of his huge hands on my head.

وَقَالَ: «كَانُوا يَقْتُلُونَ الْجِرَاءَ أَيْضًا يَا أَنَابِلُ مَا كَانُوا يُفَكِّرُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ كَثِيرًا عَلَى الْأَرْجَحِ.

He said, 'They killed the puppies too, Annabel; they probably didn't think much of it.

لَا تَنْسَيْ أَنَّكِ لَمْ تَنْزَعِجِي إِطْلَاقًا عِنْدَمَا هَرَسْتُ تِلْكَ الْأَفْعَى الصَّغِيرَةَ فِي الرَّبِيعِ الْمَاضِي.»

Don't forget you weren't bothered at all when I crushed that little snake last spring.'

كَانَ حِذَاؤُهُ قَدْ تَرَكَ بَصْمَةً ثَابِتَةً عَلَى الْأَفْعَى، وَكَأَنَّهَا كَانَتْ مَخْلُوقَةً مِنْ طِينٍ.

His boot had left a permanent imprint on the snake, as if it were made of clay.

قُلْتُ: «الْأَفَاعِي النُّحَاسِيَّةُ الرَّأْسِ سَامَّةٌ.

I said, 'Copperheads are venomous.

هَذِهِ مَسْأَلَةٌ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ.»

That's a different matter.'

فَقَالَ: «هِيَ لَيْسَتْ هَكَذَا لِلْأَفْعَى.

He replied, 'It doesn't look that way to the snake.'

وَلَا لِلرَّبِّ الَّذِي خَلَقَهَا.»

'Or to the Lord who created it.'

Vocabulary · المفردات (39 verbs · 63 nouns)

• قَعَدَ — to sit
• فَرَكَ — to rub
• قَالَ — to say
• وَجَدَ — to exist
• صَادَ — to hunt
• عَادَ — to return
• أَصْبَحَ — to become
• خَطَرَ — to occur to mind
• قَتَلَ — to kill
• وَقَعَ — to fall
• ضَحِكَ — to laugh
• تَنَهَّدَ — to sigh
• أَطْلَقَ — to release
• سَلَّمَ — to hand over
• اتَّخَذَ — to take
• أَصْدَرَ — to emit
• اكْتَفَى — to suffice
• هَزَّ — to shake
• ظَنَّ — to think
• تَعَايَشَ — to coexist
• ضَمَّ — to include
• اسْتَطَاعَ — to manage to
• تَخَيَّلَ — to imagine
• رَكَضَ — to run
• رَبَّى — to raise
• جَعَلَ — to make
• رَفَعَ — to lift
• بَدَأَ — to begin
• ارْتَدَى — to wear
• انْتَعَلَ — to put on shoes
• رَبَطَ — to tie
• وَقَفَ — to stand
• وَضَعَ — to place
• فَكَّرَ — to think
• نَسِيَ — to forget
• انْزَعَجَ — to become annoyed
• هَرَسَ — to crush
• تَرَكَ — to leave
• خَلَقَ — to create
• مُنْتَصِب — upright
• عَيْن — eye
• سَبَب — reason
• كَثِير — many
• عَدَد — number
• شَخْص — person
• ذِئْب — wolf
• كَافٍ — sufficient
• شَدِيد — intense
• جُرْأَة — boldness
• حَدّ — limit
• مَعْقُول — reasonable
• بَال — mind
• حُفْرَة — pit
• مَلِيء — full
• رَصَاص — bullets
• أُذُن — ear
• سُلْطَة — authority
• مُكَافَأَة — reward
• ثَلَاثَة — three
• دُولَار — dollar
• زَوْج — pair
• جِرْو — puppy
• حَيَوَان — animal
• أَلِيف — tame
• صَخَب — noise
• كَبِير — big
• كَتِف — shoulder
• بِضْع — a few
• مَرَّة — time
• كَلْب — dog
• مَزْرَعَة — farm
• وَفِير — abundant
• مَكَان — place
• سِتَّة — six
• سَبْعَة — seven
• نَاحِيَة — areas
• تَرْبِيَة — upbringing
• سَلِيم — sound
• حَمَّالَة — strap
• بِنْطَال — pants
• جَوْرَب — sock
• طَرِيقَة — way
• حِذَاء — shoe
• يَد — hand
• ضَخْم — huge
• رَأْس — head
• أَرْجَح — most likely
• أَفْعَى — snake
• صَغِير — small
• رَبِيع — spring
• مَاض — past
• بَصْمَة — imprint
• ثَابِت — firm
• مَخْلُوق — creature
• طِين — clay
• نُحَاسِي — copper
• سَامّ — venomous
• مَسْأَلَة — matter
• مُخْتَلِف — different
• رَبّ — Lord
• أَكْثَر — more
• مَلِيئَة — full