Arabic–English parallel text
وعد حامد
Hamid’s Promise
DuoText
A free bilingual Arabic–English edition: the Arabic text with the English beside it, paragraph by paragraph. Read it online, or download it as a dual-language ebook.
Opening the reader…
يأتي الثلج يوم السبت في الساعة الثالثة. وفي الساعة الخامسة تصبح المدينة بيضاء.
The snow comes on Saturday at three o’clock. By five the city is white.
الثلج على الخط 24 بطيء. الحافلة بطيئة. الناس بطيئون. الجميع باردون وغاضبون. عند المحطة قرب النهر يصيح عليّ رجل. أنا متأخرة ست دقائق، بسبب الثلج. لا أصيح عليه.
Snow on Line 24 is slow. The bus is slow. The people are slow. Everybody is cold and angry. At the stop by the river a man shouts at me. I am six minutes late, because of the snow. I don’t shout back.
في الساعة 9:15 يصعد يوناس. على معطفه الداكن وفي شعره الطويل ثلج.
At 9:15 Jonas gets on. There is snow on his dark coat and in his long hair.
«مساء الخير»، يقول.
“Good evening,” he says.
«مساء الخير.»
“Good evening.”
ثم لا شيء. يجلس في المقعد الأول مع الحقيبة. ينظر من النافذة.
Then nothing. He sits in the first seat with his case. He looks out of the window.
أريد أن أتكلم عن الليلة الماضية. الصوت، والضوء، ووجهه الأبيض. أفتح فمي. أغلقه. أتكلم عن الثلج. يقول «نعم». أتكلم عن الرجل الغاضب قرب النهر. لا يقول شيئا.
I want to talk about last night. The sound, the light, his white face. I open my mouth. I close it. I talk about the snow. He says “Yes.” I talk about the angry man by the river. He says nothing.
ثم أتوقف. ليس عندي ما أقوله. أنا! روزا فيريرا، وليس عندها ما تقوله. خمس وعشرون دقيقة، وفقط صوت المحرك.
Then I stop. I have nothing to say. Me! Rosa Ferreira, with nothing to say. Twenty-five minutes, and only the sound of the engine.
عند المحطة الأخيرة ينزل. «تصبحين على خير.»
At the last stop he gets off. “Good night.”
«يوناس ...»
“Jonas...”
لكن الباب مغلق. هو يمشي بعيدا عبر الساحة البيضاء.
But the door is closed. He is gone, across the white square.
في الساعة 11:50 أكون في الساحة للمرة الأخيرة. الليلة لا أقف بجانب الكنيسة. أقف بجانب دكان حامد.
At 11:50 I am on the square for the last time. Tonight I don’t stop next to the church. I stop next to Hamid’s shop.
حامد عند بابه ومعه مكنسته. ينظف الثلج عن عتبته.
Hamid is at his door with his broom. He is cleaning the snow from his step.
أنزل من الحافلة. «مساء الخير يا حامد.»
I get off the bus. “Good evening, Hamid.”
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