A courtyard looks convincing in an architectural photograph. Its designer returns to discover how differently the residents move through it.
01Read the Arabic story
الْمِعْمَارِيَّةُ وَالْفِنَاءُ غَيْرُ الْمُسْتَخْدَمِ
عَادَتْ نَدَى إِلَى الْمَبْنَى الَّذِي صَمَّمَتْ فِنَاءَهُ بَعْدَ أَنْ نَشَرَتْ مَجَلَّةٌ صُورَتَهُ. كَانَ الْبَلَاطُ الْفَاتِحُ يُبْرِزُ ظِلَّ الْجِدَارِ، وَكَانَ الْمَقْعَدُ الثَّابِتُ فِي الْوَسَطِ يَجْمَعُ خُطُوطَ التَّصْمِيمِ. غَيْرَ أَنَّ الْمَقْعَدَ كَانَ خَالِيًا، مَعَ أَنَّ نَوَافِذَ كَثِيرَةً كَانَتْ مَفْتُوحَةً فَوْقَهُ. صَوَّرَتْهُ مِنَ الزَّاوِيَةِ الْمَنْشُورَةِ، ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَتْ هَاتِفَهَا وَانْتَظَرَتْ حَرَكَةً لَا تَدْخُلُ الصُّورَةَ.
مَرَّ سَالِمٌ بِأَكْيَاسِ الْبِقَالَةِ، وَدَارَ حَوْلَ الْمَقْعَدِ لِيَصِلَ إِلَى الْبَابِ. سَأَلَتْهُ نَدَى إِنْ كَانَ يَجْلِسُ هُنَا، فَأَشَارَ إِلَى الشَّمْسِ. قَالَ إِنَّ الظِّلَّ يَبْلُغُ الْمَقْعَدَ مَسَاءً، حِينَ يَكُونُ فِي عَمَلِهِ. وَكَانَ جَارُهُ يَمُرُّ صَبَاحًا لَا مَسَاءً. لَمْ يَكُنِ الْفِنَاءُ خَالِيًا مِنَ النَّاسِ؛ كَانُوا يَعْبُرُونَهُ، لَكِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَتَوَقَّفُوا حَيْثُ تَوَقَّعَتِ الْمُهَنْدِسَةُ فِي مُخَطَّطِهَا.
اقْتَرَحَتْ نَدَى نَقْلَ الْمَقْعَدِ إِلَى الْجِدَارِ، فَاعْتَرَضَتْ سَاكِنَةٌ يَحْتَاجُ بَابُهَا إِلَى مَسَاحَةٍ خَالِيَةٍ. اقْتَرَحَ سَالِمٌ مَظَلَّةً قُمَاشِيَّةً، بَيْنَمَا خَشِيَ جَارُهُ أَنْ يَفْقِدَ ضَوْءَ الشِّتَاءِ. أَخْرَجَتْ نَدَى الْمُخَطَّطَ، وَكَادَتْ تَشْرَحُ أَهَمِّيَّةَ الْوَسَطِ فِي التَّكْوِينِ. لَكِنَّهَا سَأَلَتْ عَنْ أَوْقَاتِ خُرُوجِهِمْ أَوَّلًا. صَارَ الْمَقْعَدُ، فِي الْحَدِيثِ، حَاجَةً تَخْتَلِفُ بِاخْتِلَافِ السَّاعَةِ، لَا نُقْطَةً مُشْتَرَكَةً عَلَى الْوَرَقِ.
رَسَمَتْ عَلَى وَرَقَةٍ شَفَّافَةٍ مَظَلَّةً صَغِيرَةً يُمْكِنُ طَيُّهَا، وَمَمَرًّا أَوْسَعَ بِجَانِبِ الْمَقْعَدِ. كَانَ التَّعْدِيلُ يَكْسِرُ التَّنَاظُرَ الَّذِي مَدَحَتْهُ الْمَجَلَّةُ، وَيَحْتَاجُ إِلَى نَفَقَةٍ لَمْ تُحْسَبْ سَابِقًا. لَمْ يَرْضَ الْجَمِيعُ؛ سَأَلَتِ السَّاكِنَةُ عَمَّنْ سَيَطْوِي الْقُمَاشَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ. كَتَبَتْ نَدَى السُّؤَالَ عَلَى حَافَةِ الْوَرَقَةِ، وَطَلَبَتْ مَوْعِدًا آخَرَ لِمُنَاقَشَةِ التَّكْلِفَةِ وَتَجْرِبَةِ الْمَوْضِعِ.
قَبْلَ أَنْ تُغَادِرَ، جَلَسَتْ عَلَى الْمَقْعَدِ دَقَائِقَ وَحَمَلَتِ الْمُخَطَّطَ فَوْقَ رَأْسِهَا لِتَحْجُبَ الشَّمْسَ. عَادَ سَالِمٌ بِكِيسٍ آخَرَ، فَضَحِكَ دُونَ أَنْ يَعِدَهَا بِقَبُولِ الْمَظَلَّةِ. فِي مَكْتَبِهَا، وَضَعَتِ الْوَرَقَةَ الشَّفَّافَةَ فَوْقَ الصُّورَةِ الْمَطْبُوعَةِ. لَمْ تُمَزِّقِ الصُّورَةَ، وَلَمْ تَعُدْ تَرَى الْفَرَاغَ فِيهَا دَلِيلًا كَافِيًا عَلَى هُدُوءِ الْمَكَانِ.
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Nada returned to the building whose courtyard she had designed after a magazine published its photograph. The pale paving brought out the wall’s shadow, and the fixed central bench brought the design’s lines together. Yet the bench was empty, although many windows stood open above it. She photographed it from the published angle, then lowered her phone and waited for movement that would not fit inside the image.
Salim passed with shopping bags and went around the bench to reach the door. Nada asked whether he sat here, and he pointed to the sun. He said the shade reached the bench in the evening, when he was at work. His neighbour passed in the morning, not the evening. The courtyard was not devoid of people: they crossed it, but did not stop where the architect had expected in her plan.
Nada proposed moving the bench to the wall, but a resident objected because her door needed clear space. Salim proposed a fabric canopy, while his neighbour feared losing the winter light. Nada took out the plan and almost explained the importance of the centre to the composition. Instead, she first asked when they went out. In the conversation, the bench became a need that differed according to the hour, rather than a shared point on paper.
On a sheet of tracing paper, she drew a small foldable canopy and a wider passage beside the bench. The change broke the symmetry the magazine had praised and required an expense not previously allowed for. Not everyone was satisfied: the resident asked who would fold the fabric every day. Nada wrote the question on the edge of the sheet and requested another meeting to discuss the cost and test the position.
Before leaving, she sat on the bench for a few minutes and held the plan above her head to block the sun. Salim returned with another bag and laughed without promising to accept the canopy. In her office, she laid the tracing paper over the printed photograph. She did not tear up the photograph, but no longer saw its emptiness as sufficient evidence that the place was peaceful.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| فِنَاءَهُ | its courtyard |
| الْبَلَاطُ | the paving; tiles |
| الثَّابِتُ | fixed in place |
| يَعْبُرُونَهُ | cross it |
| مَظَلَّةً قُمَاشِيَّةً | a fabric canopy |
| التَّكْوِينِ | the composition |
| شَفَّافَةٍ | transparent |
| التَّنَاظُرَ | the symmetry |
| نَفَقَةٍ | an expense |
| لِتَحْجُبَ | to block |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Follow the details, shifts in perspective and limits of what the characters know. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- An empty architectural photograph conceals movement and mismatched hours; visual praise alone does not establish usable space.
- The proposed alteration trades symmetry for possible use while leaving cost, maintenance and winter light open to discussion.
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
الْمَبْنَى الَّذِي صَمَّمَتْ فِنَاءَهُ
Use alladhi to connect the definite masculine building to the clause about its courtyard’s designer.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّهَا سَأَلَتْ عَنْ أَوْقَاتِ خُرُوجِهِمْ أَوَّلًا
Read lakinnaha as a contrast that redirects Nada from explaining composition to asking about daily routines.
