An experienced walker imagines a summit as the natural ending to a day with friends. Their different expectations turn a pause into a decision.
01Read the Arabic story
الْقِمَّةُ الَّتِي اخْتَرْنَا أَلَّا نَصِلَ إِلَيْهَا
عُدْتُ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ الَّذِي صَعِدْتُهُ قَبْلَ أَعْوَامٍ، وَمَعِي ثَلَاثَةٌ مِنْ أَصْدِقَائِي. فِي رِسَالَةِ الدَّعْوَةِ، كَتَبْتُ أَنَّنَا سَنَقْضِي يَوْمًا جَمِيلًا مَعًا. لَمْ أَذْكُرِ الْقِمَّةَ، لَكِنَّنِي وَضَعْتُهَا فِي خَيَالِي نِهَايَةً ضَرُورِيَّةً لِلرِّحْلَةِ. حَمَلَتْ لَيْلَى دَفْتَرَ رَسْمٍ، وَجَاءَ نَادِرٌ بِكَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَسْئِلَةِ، أَمَّا سَامِرٌ فَكَانَ يَسْأَلُ عَنِ الْوَقْتِ الَّذِي سَنَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ.
كُنْتُ أَتَقَدَّمُهُمْ، ثُمَّ أَتَوَقَّفُ وَأَنْظُرُ إِلَى سَاعَتِي. أَرَادَتْ لَيْلَى تَأَمُّلَ الْأَلْوَانِ، وَكَانَ نَادِرٌ، الَّذِي لَمْ يَعْتَدْ هَذَا الْمَشْيَ، يَطْلُبُ وَقَفَاتٍ أَطْوَلَ. قُلْتُ مُشَجِّعًا إِنَّ الْمَنْظَرَ مِنَ الْقِمَّةِ يَسْتَحِقُّ التَّعَبَ. سَأَلَتْنِي لَيْلَى: «وَهَلِ الْمَنْظَرُ هُنَا مُجَرَّدُ مُقَدِّمَةٍ؟» ضَحِكْتُ، لَكِنَّنِي لَمْ أَكُنْ أَتَأَمَّلُ مَا حَوْلِي إِلَّا لِأَعْرِفَ كَمْ بَقِيَ لَنَا.
عِنْدَ هَضْبَةٍ وَاسِعَةٍ، جَلَسْنَا وَأَخْرَجْنَا الطَّعَامَ. قَالَ نَادِرٌ إِنَّهُ يُفَضِّلُ أَنْ يَقْضِيَ بَقِيَّةَ الْوَقْتِ هُنَا، وَأَخْبَرَنَا أَنَّهُ كَادَ يَعْتَذِرُ عَنِ الْمَجِيءِ خَوْفًا مِنْ إِبْطَاءِ الْجَمِيعِ. رَدَّ سَامِرٌ بِأَنَّهُ غَيَّرَ مَوْعِدًا لِيُشَارِكَ، وَكَانَ يَتَوَقَّعُ بُلُوغَ الْقِمَّةِ. لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدُهُمَا يُفْسِدُ الرِّحْلَةَ؛ كَانَ كُلٌّ مِنْهُمَا يَصِفُ رِحْلَةً مُخْتَلِفَةً عَنِ الْأُخْرَى.
اعْتَرَفْتُ بِأَنَّ دَعْوَتِي لَمْ تَكُنْ وَاضِحَةً. نَاقَشْنَا مَا يُرِيدُهُ كُلٌّ مِنَّا، ثُمَّ اخْتَرْنَا الْبَقَاءَ عَلَى الْهَضْبَةِ وَالْعَوْدَةَ مَعًا. وَافَقَ سَامِرٌ، وَلَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يُخْفِ خَيْبَتَهُ. لَمْ أَطْلُبْ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَصِفَ الْقَرَارَ بِأَنَّهُ أَفْضَلُ نِهَايَةٍ مُمْكِنَةٍ. بَيْنَمَا كَانَتْ لَيْلَى تَرْسُمُ، سَأَلَنِي نَادِرٌ عَنْ أَوَّلِ زِيَارَةٍ لِي، فَحَكَيْتُ لَهُ تَفَاصِيلَ نَسِيتُهَا مُنْذُ زَمَنٍ.
فِي الْمَسَاءِ، أَرْسَلَتْ لَيْلَى رَسْمَهَا إِلَى الْمَجْمُوعَةِ. كَانَتْ حَقَائِبُنَا الصَّغِيرَةُ فِي مُقَدِّمَتِهِ، وَظَهَرَتِ الْقِمَّةُ بَعِيدَةً خَلْفَهَا. أَرَدْتُ نَشْرَهُ بِعُنْوَانِ «عَلَى بُعْدِ خُطْوَةٍ مِنَ الْقِمَّةِ»، ثُمَّ سَأَلْتُ لَيْلَى عَنْ عُنْوَانِهَا. قَالَتْ: «غَدَاءٌ عَلَى الْهَضْبَةِ». اسْتَعْمَلْتُ عُنْوَانَهَا وَذَكَرْتُ اسْمَهَا. وَضَعَ سَامِرٌ عَلَامَةَ إِعْجَابٍ، ثُمَّ كَتَبَ أَنَّهُ مَا زَالَ يَرْغَبُ فِي زِيَارَةِ الْقِمَّةِ. أَجَبْتُهُ: «وَأَنَا أَيْضًا».
Show English translationHide English translation
I returned to the mountain I had climbed years earlier, with three friends. In the invitation, I had written that we would spend a lovely day together. I had not mentioned the summit, but in my mind I had made it an essential ending to the trip. Layla carried a sketchbook, Nadir arrived with many questions, and Samer asked about the time we would need.
I walked ahead of them, then stopped and looked at my watch. Layla wanted to study the colours, while Nadir, who was not accustomed to this kind of walking, asked for longer pauses. Trying to encourage them, I said the view from the summit was worth the effort. Layla asked, “And is the view here merely an introduction?” I laughed, but I was only looking around to work out how far we had left.
At a broad plateau, we sat down and took out our food. Nadir said he would prefer to spend the remaining time here, and told us he had almost declined the invitation for fear of slowing everyone down. Samer replied that he had changed an appointment to join us and had expected to reach the summit. Neither was spoiling the trip; each was describing a different trip from the other.
I admitted that my invitation had not been clear. We discussed what each of us wanted, then chose to stay on the plateau and return together. Samer agreed, but did not hide his disappointment. I did not ask him to describe the decision as the best possible ending. While Layla drew, Nadir asked me about my first visit, and I told him details I had forgotten long ago.
That evening, Layla sent her drawing to the group. Our little bags were in the foreground, with the summit far behind them. I wanted to post it under the title “One Step from the Summit,” then asked Layla for her title. She said, “Lunch on the Plateau.” I used her title and included her name. Samer liked the post, then wrote that he still wanted to visit the summit. I replied, “So do I.”
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| الْقِمَّةَ | the summit |
| يَسْتَحِقُّ التَّعَبَ | is worth the effort |
| مُجَرَّدُ مُقَدِّمَةٍ | merely an introduction |
| هَضْبَةٍ وَاسِعَةٍ | a broad plateau |
| إِبْطَاءِ الْجَمِيعِ | slowing everyone down |
| بُلُوغَ الْقِمَّةِ | reaching the summit |
| يُفْسِدُ الرِّحْلَةَ | spoils the trip |
| خَيْبَتَهُ | his disappointment |
| فِي مُقَدِّمَتِهِ | in its foreground |
| عَلَامَةَ إِعْجَابٍ | a like (on a post) |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the Arabic text to distinguish facts, motives and supported inferences. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- A broad invitation can hide different expectations; the friends make those expectations explicit.
- A shared decision can leave disappointment and future ambitions intact.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
إِلَى الْجَبَلِ الَّذِي صَعِدْتُهُ
Use alladhi to connect the mountain with the narrator’s earlier visit.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
وَلَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يُخْفِ خَيْبَتَهُ
Follow lakinnahu to contrast Samer’s agreement with his disappointment.
