The Wolf Pit (حفرة الذئاب) — Page 20

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

«تَظُنِّينَ أَنَّنِي غَنِيَّةٌ؟»

"Do you think I'm rich?"

لَمْ يَخْطُرْ بِبَالِي قَطُّ أَنَّ أَيَّ أَحَدٍ قَدْ يَعْتَبِرُنِي غَنِيَّةً، مَعَ أَنَّ عَائِلَتِي كَانَتْ عَائِلَةً عَرِيقَةً تَبَرَّعَتْ بِأَرْضٍ لِلْكَنِيسَةِ وَالْمَدْرَسَةِ، وَظَلَّ لَدَيْهَا أَرْضٌ كَافِيَةٌ لِإِقَامَةِ مَزْرَعَةٍ فَسِيحَةٍ.

It never occurred to me that anyone would consider me rich, even though my family was of old stock, having donated land to the church and the school, while still keeping enough to maintain a spacious farm.

كَانَ أَجْدَادِي رَاقِدِينَ تَحْتَ أَرْقَى شَوَاهِدِ الْقُبُورِ فِي الْمَقْبَرَةِ، وَكَانَ مَنْزِلُنَا، فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ، فَسِيحًا بِمَا يَكْفِي لِإِيوَاءِ أَفْرَادِ الْأَجْيَالِ الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَعِيشُونَ فِيهِ الْآنَ، وَإِنْ كَانَ مُزْدَحِمًا بِهِمْ.

My ancestors lay under the finest headstones in the cemetery, and our house was, in truth, large enough to shelter the three generations living there, even if it was crowded.

كَانَ لَدَيْنَا مِيَاهٌ جَارِيَةٌ.

We had running water.

وَقَبْلَ ذَلِكَ بِعَامَيْنِ، أَوْصَلَ السَّيِّدُ رُوزْفِلْتُ الْكَهْرُبَاءَ إِلَى الْمِنْطَقَةِ، وَكَانَ لَدَيْنَا الْمَالُ اللَّازِمُ لِإِمْدَادِ الْمَنْزِلِ بِالْأَسْلَاكِ وَالْوُصْلَاتِ الْكَهْرُبَائِيَّةِ.

Two years earlier, Mr. Roosevelt had brought electricity to the area, and we had the money to wire the house and install outlets.

كَانَ لَدَيْنَا فِي الْمَنْزِلِ هَاتِفٌ مُثَبَّتٌ بِحَائِطِ غُرْفَةِ الْجُلُوسِ، وَكُنَّا مَا نَزَالُ نَعْتَبِرُهُ أَشْبَهَ بِمُعْجِزَةٍ.

We had a telephone mounted on the living room wall, which we still considered something of a miracle.

وَفَوْقَ ذَلِكَ، كُنَّا نَأْكُلُ فِي مَطْعَمِ «لَانْكَاسْتَر» فِي سِيُوِيكْلِي حَوَالَيْ مَرَّتَيْنِ فِي السَّنَةِ.

On top of that, we ate at the Lancaster restaurant in Sewickley about twice a year.

لَكِنَّنَا لَمْ نَكُنْ أَغْنِيَاءَ.

But we were not rich.

الْأَرْوَعُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ هُوَ الْمِرْحَاضُ الدَّاخِلِيُّ الَّذِي رَكَّبَهُ وَالِدَايَ مُؤَخَّرًا لِإِرَاحَةِ جَدِّي وَجَدَّتِي؛ لِأَنَّهُمَا صَارَا كَبِيرَيْنِ بِمَا يَكْفِي لِأَنْ يَسْتَحِقَّا الرَّاحَةَ.

The most wonderful thing of all was the indoor toilet my parents had recently installed for my grandparents' comfort, as they had reached an age where they deserved some ease.

قَالَتْ بَيْتِي: «لَدَيْكِ نَافِذَةٌ أُرْجُوَانِيَّةٌ.»

Betty said, "You have a purple window."

لَمْ أَكُنْ أَعْرِفُ عَمَّ تَتَحَدَّثُ حَتَّى تَذَكَّرْتُ الزُّجَاجَ الْأُرْجُوَانِيَّ الْفَاتِحَ فِي نَافِذَةِ الصَّالَةِ الْأَمَامِيَّةِ لِمَنْزِلِنَا الَّذِي كَانَ مِنْ أَحَبِّ الْأَشْيَاءِ إِلَيَّ فِيهِ.

I didn't know what she was talking about until I remembered the light purple glass in our front hall window, which was one of my favorite things about the house.

كُنْتُ أُحِبُّهُ لِلْغَايَةِ هُوَ وَالْجَمْلُونَاتِ وَالسَّقْفَ الْأَرْدَوَازِيَّ الَّذِي كَانَ أَشْبَهَ بِرِيشٍ فَضِّيٍّ.

I loved it dearly, along with the gables and the slate roof that looked like silver feathers.

وَالْمَدَافِئَ الْكَبِيرَةَ فِي كُلِّ غُرْفَةٍ.

And the large fireplaces in every room.

وَالنَّوَافِذَ الطَّوِيلَةَ كَالْأَبْوَابِ.

And the windows as tall as doors.

قَالَتْ بَيْتِي: «لَقَدْ أَخْبَرَتْنِي جَدَّتِي بِشَأْنِ نَافِذَتِكُمُ الْأُرْجُوَانِيَّةِ.

Betty said, "My grandmother told me about your purple window."

لَمْ أَسْمَعْ مِنْ قَبْلُ عَنْ وُجُودِ نَوَافِذَ أُرْجُوَانِيَّةٍ، إِلَّا فِي كَنِيسَةٍ أَوْ مَمْلَكَةٍ.

I've never heard of purple windows, except in a church or a palace.

لَا أَحَدَ لَدَيْهِ نَافِذَةٌ أُرْجُوَانِيَّةٌ إِلَّا إِذَا كَانَ غَنِيًّا.»

No one has a purple window unless they're rich."

لَمْ أَكُنْ أَعْرِفُ بِمَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ أَرُدَّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ؛ وَلِذَا لَمْ أَقُلْ أَيَّ شَيْءٍ.

I didn't know how to respond, so I said nothing.

الْتَقَطَتْ بَيْتِي عَصًا مِنْ جَانِبِ الْمَمْشَى.

Betty picked up a stick from the side of the path.

كَانَتْ غُصْنًا يَابِسًا، لَكِنِّي أَدْرَكْتُ مِنْ طَرِيقَةِ إِمْسَاكِهَا بِهَا أَنَّهَا مَا تَزَالُ ثَقِيلَةً.

It was a dry branch, but I could tell from the way she held it that it was still heavy.

«غَدًا، سَتَجْلِبِينَ إِلَيَّ شَيْئًا مَا وَإِلَّا فَسَأَضْرِبُكِ بِهَذِهِ الْعَصَا.»

"Tomorrow, you will bring me something, or I will hit you with this stick."

قَالَتْ ذَلِكَ بِهُدُوءٍ شَدِيدٍ لِدَرَجَةِ أَنَّنِي ظَنَنْتُهَا تَمْزَحُ، وَلَكِنْ حِينَ تَقَدَّمَتْ خُطْوَةً تُجَاهِي، صَارَ جَسَدِي سَاخِنًا وَشَعَرْتُ بِأَنَّ قَلْبِي يَخْفِقُ بِعُنْفٍ.

She said it so calmly that I thought she was joking, but when she took a step toward me, my body flushed and I felt my heart hammering.

قُلْتُ لَهَا: «شَيْئًا مِثْلَ مَاذَا؟» وَتَخَيَّلْتُ نَفْسِي أَجُرُّ النَّافِذَةَ الْأُرْجُوَانِيَّةَ عَبْرَ الْأَحْرَاجِ.

I asked, "Something like what?" and imagined myself dragging the purple window through the woods.

«أَيَّ شَيْءٍ تَمْلِكِينَهُ.»

"Anything you own."

لَمْ أَكُنْ أَمْلِكُ الْكَثِيرَ.

I didn't own much.

لَمْ يَكُنْ لَدَيَّ سِوَى حَصَّالَتِي وَمَا تَحْوِيهِ مِنْ عُمْلَاتٍ مَعْدِنِيَّةٍ، وَكُتُبِي.

I had only my piggy bank with its coins, and my books.

وَكُمٌّ مُنْفَصِلٌ مَصْنُوعٌ مِنْ فَرْوِ الْقُنْدُسِ كَانَ جَدِّي قَدْ صَنَعَهُ لِجَدَّتِي الَّتِي أَعْطَتْنِي إِيَّاهُ حِينَ صَارَ رِئًا.

And a separate beaver-fur sleeve my grandfather had made for my grandmother, who gave it to me when it grew worn.

وَيَاقَةٌ مِنَ الدَّانْتِيلِ كُنْتُ أَخِيطُهَا بِفَسَاتِينِي الَّتِي أَرْتَدِيهَا لِلْكَنِيسَةِ.

And a lace collar I used to sew onto my church dresses.

Vocabulary · المفردات (40 verbs · 105 nouns)

• خَطَرَ — to occur
• اعْتَبَرَ — to consider
• تَبَرَّعَ — to donate
• ظَلَّ — to remain
• أَقَامَ — to establish
• رَقَدَ — to lie
• عَاشَ — to live
• أَوْصَلَ — to connect
• أَمَدَّ — to supply
• ثَبَتَ — to fix
• جَلَسَ — to sit
• أَكَلَ — to eat
• رَكَّبَ — to install
• أَرَاحَ — to comfort
• اسْتَحَقَّ — to deserve
• عَرَفَ — to know
• تَحَدَّثَ — to speak
• تَذَكَّرَ — to remember
• أَحَبَّ — to love
• أَخْبَرَ — to inform
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• اِنْبَغَى — to behoove
• رَدَّ — to reply
• الْتَقَطَ — to pick up
• أَدْرَكَ — to realize
• جَلَبَ — to bring
• ضَرَبَ — to hit
• ظَنَّ — to think
• مَزَحَ — to joke
• تَقَدَّمَ — to advance
• شَعَرَ — to feel
• خَفَقَ — to beat
• تَخَيَّلَ — to imagine
• جَرَّ — to drag
• مَلَكَ — to own
• حَوَى — to contain
• صَنَعَ — to make
• أَعْطَى — to give
• خَاطَ — to sew
• ارْتَدَى — to wear
• حُفْرَة — pit
• ذِئْب — wolf
• غَنِيٌّ — rich person
• بَال — mind
• أَحَدٌ — anyone
• عَائِلَة — family
• عَرِيق — ancient
• أَرْض — land
• كَنِيسَة — church
• مَدْرَسَة — school
• إِقَامَة — establishment
• مَزْرَعَة — farm
• فَسِيح — spacious
• جَدٌّ — grandfather
• رَاقِد — lying
• شَاهِد — tombstone
• قَبْر — grave
• مَقْبَرَة — cemetery
• مَنْزِل — house
• حَقِيقَة — truth
• إِيوَاء — sheltering
• فَرْد — individual
• جِيل — generation
• ثَلَاثَة — three
• مُزْدَحِم — crowded
• مَاء — water
• جَارٍ — running
• عَام — year
• سَيِّد — master
• كَهْرُبَاءٌ — electricity
• مِنْطَقَة — region
• مَال — money
• لَازِم — necessary
• إِمْدَاد — supplying
• سِلْك — wire
• وُصْلَةٌ — connection
• كَهْرُبَائِيٌّ — electrical
• هَاتِف — telephone
• مُثَبَّت — fixed
• حَائِط — wall
• غُرْفَة — room
• جُلُوس — sitting
• مُعْجِزَة — miracle
• مَطْعَم — restaurant
• سَنَة — year
• مِرْحَاض — toilet
• دَاخِلِيٌّ — internal
• وَالِد — parent
• إِرَاحَة — comforting
• كَبِير — old
• رَاحَة — rest
• نَافِذَة — window
• أُرْجُوَانِيٌّ — purple
• زُجَاج — glass
• فَاتِح — light
• صَالَة — hall
• أَمَامِيٌّ — front
• أَحَبُّ — most beloved
• شَيْء — thing
• غَايَة — extreme
• جَمْلُون — gable
• سَقْف — roof
• أَرْدَوَازِيٌّ — slate
• رِيش — feather
• فَضِّيٌّ — silvery
• مِدْفَأَة — fireplace
• طَوِيل — long
• بَاب — door
• شَأْن — matter
• وُجُود — existence
• مَمْلَكَة — kingdom
• عَصًا — stick
• جَانِب — side
• مَمْشًى — walkway
• غُصْن — branch
• يَابِس — dry
• طَرِيقَة — way
• إِمْسَاك — holding
• ثَقِيل — heavy
• هُدُوء — calmness
• شَدِيد — intense
• دَرَجَة — degree
• خُطْوَة — step
• جَسَد — body
• سَاخِن — hot
• قَلْب — heart
• عُنْف — violence
• حَرَج — woods
• كَثِير — much
• حَصَّالَة — piggy bank
• عُمْلَة — coin
• مَعْدِنِيٌّ — metallic
• كِتَاب — book
• كُمٌّ — sleeve
• مُنْفَصِل — separate
• مَصْنُوع — made
• فَرْو — fur
• قُنْدُس — beaver
• رِئَة — worn out
• يَاقَة — collar
• دَانْتِيل — lace
• فُسْتَان — dress
• كَافِيَة — enough
• أَرْوَع — more wonderful
• أَشْبَه — most similar