A rehearsed answer gives a carpenter’s work a neat story. A fallen pencil lets another voice enter.
01Read the Arabic story
الْمُقَابَلَةُ الَّتِي تَدَرَّبْنَا عَلَيْهَا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يَنْبَغِي
دَعَوْتُ مَحْمُودًا، النَّجَّارَ الْمُتَطَوِّعَ، إِلَى مُقَابَلَةٍ لِنَشْرَةِ الْحَيِّ عَنْ رُفُوفِ مَكْتَبَتِنَا الصَّغِيرَةِ. كَانَ يَخْشَى جِهَازَ التَّسْجِيلِ، فَاقْتَرَحْتُ تَجْرِبَةَ الْأَسْئِلَةِ مُسْبَقًا. جَلَسْنَا فِي وَرْشَتِهِ، وَكَتَبْتُ جَوَابًا قَصِيرًا تَحْتَ كُلِّ سُؤَالٍ. بَعْدَ ثَلَاثِ مُحَاوَلَاتٍ، صَارَ يَعْرِفُ مَتَى أَهُزُّ رَأْسِي وَمَتَى أَنْتَقِلُ إِلَى الْبِطَاقَةِ التَّالِيَةِ. وَلَمْ تَكُنْ الْبِطَاقَاتُ مُعَدَّةً لِلنَّشْرِ، بَلْ لِطَمْأَنَتِهِ.
يَوْمَ التَّسْجِيلِ جَرَتِ الْمُقَابَلَةُ بِسُهُولَةٍ. سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ خَفْضِ أَحَدِ الرُّفُوفِ، فَقَالَ الْجُمْلَةَ الَّتِي اتَّفَقْنَا عَلَيْهَا: «أَرَدْتُ أَنْ تَكُونَ الْكُتُبُ فِي مُتَنَاوَلِ الْجَمِيعِ». كَانَ الصَّوْتُ هَادِئًا، وَكَانَ الْجَوَابُ صَالِحًا لِعُنْوَانٍ جَمِيلٍ. وَضَعْتُ عَلَامَةً بِجَانِبِهِ، وَبَدَأْتُ سُؤَالًا آخَرَ عَنْ سَنَوَاتِهِ فِي الْمِهْنَةِ، قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ شَيْءٌ غَيْرُ مُرَتَّبٍ. وَكُنْتُ، بِوَصْفِي مُحَرِّرَةَ النَّشْرَةِ، مَسْرُورَةً بِهَذَا الِانْتِظَامِ.
سَقَطَ قَلَمِي، فَانْحَنَى لِيَلْتَقِطَهُ، ثُمَّ أَشَارَ إِلَى رَفٍّ قَرِيبٍ: «هَذَا الِارْتِفَاعُ اقْتَرَحَتْهُ بِنْتُ الْجِيرَانِ». سَأَلْتُهُ كَيْفَ، فَضَحِكَ بِتَرَدُّدٍ. كَانَ قَدْ أَرَاهَا الرَّسْمَ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّهَا سَتَحْتَاجُ إِلَى كُرْسِيٍّ لِتَبْلُغَ الْكُتُبَ. ثُمَّ أَرَتْهُ بِكَفِّهَا الْمَوْضِعَ الْمُنَاسِبَ. لَمْ يَكُنِ اقْتِرَاحُهَا خُطْبَةً عَنِ الْمَكْتَبَةِ؛ كَانَ طَلَبًا يُغَيِّرُ رَسْمًا فِي يَدِهِ.
نَظَرْتُ إِلَى الْجَوَابِ الَّذِي كَتَبْنَاهُ. لَمْ يَكُنْ كَاذِبًا، فَهُوَ أَرَادَ فِعْلًا أَنْ يَصِلَ الْجَمِيعُ إِلَى الْكُتُبِ. لَكِنَّنَا جَعَلْنَا هَذِهِ الرَّغْبَةَ تَبْدُو سَبَبَ التَّغْيِيرِ الْوَحِيدَ. قُلْتُ إِنَّنِي اخْتَصَرْتُ حِكَايَتَهُ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يَنْبَغِي. أَبْعَدْتُ الْبِطَاقَةَ وَسَأَلْتُ: «مَا الَّذِي غَيَّرَ الْخُطَّةَ؟» فَبَدَأَ مِنْ جُمْلَةِ الْبِنْتِ، لَا مِنْ جُمْلَتِنَا.
أَعَدْنَا تَسْجِيلَ ذَلِكَ الْجُزْءِ، وَتَرَكْنَا الْأَجْوِبَةَ الْأُخْرَى الَّتِي سَاعَدَهُ التَّدْرِيبُ عَلَى قَوْلِهَا. عِنْدَ التَّحْرِيرِ، أَبْقَيْتُ التَّرَدُّدَ الَّذِي سَبَقَ جَوَابَهُ، وَحَذَفْتُ صَوْتَ الْقَلَمِ السَّاقِطِ. قَرَأَ مَحْمُودٌ النَّصَّ وَأَشَارَ إِلَى وَصْفِي لِلْبِنْتِ بِالْمُلْهِمَةِ. قَالَ: «اُكْتُبِي مَا طَلَبَتْهُ أَوَّلًا». فَوَضَعْتُ الْوَرَقَةَ بَيْنَنَا، وَانْتَظَرْتُ أَنْ يَفْرُغَ مِنَ الْقِرَاءَةِ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَكْتُبَ الْعُنْوَانَ. تَرَكْتُ لَهُ قَلَمِي الْأَزْرَقَ.
Show English translationHide English translation
I invited Mahmoud, the volunteer carpenter, to an interview for the neighbourhood newsletter about the shelves in our little library. He was nervous about the recorder, so I suggested trying the questions beforehand. We sat in his workshop, and I wrote a short answer beneath each question. After three attempts, he knew when I would nod and when I would move to the next card. The cards were intended to reassure him, rather than for publication.
On recording day, the interview went smoothly. I asked him about lowering one shelf, and he said the sentence we had agreed on: “I wanted the books to be within everyone’s reach.” His voice was calm, and the answer would make a lovely headline. I put a mark beside it and started another question about his years in the trade, before anything unplanned could enter. As the newsletter’s editor, I was pleased with this orderliness.
My pencil fell, and he bent down to pick it up. Then he pointed to a nearby shelf: “The neighbours’ daughter suggested this height.” I asked how, and he laughed hesitantly. He had shown her the drawing, and she said she would need a chair to reach the books. Then she showed him the appropriate position with her hand. Her suggestion had not been a speech about the library; it was a request that changed a drawing in his hand.
I looked at the answer we had written. It was not false: he really had wanted everyone to be able to reach the books. But we had made that wish appear to be the sole reason for the change. I said that I had shortened his account more than I should have. I moved the card aside and asked, “What changed the plan?” He began with the girl’s sentence, rather than ours.
We recorded that part again and kept the other answers that practice had helped him to give. While editing, I kept the hesitation before his answer and removed the sound of the falling pencil. Mahmoud read the text and pointed to my description of the girl as an inspiration. He said, “Write what she asked for first.” I put the paper between us and waited for him to finish reading before writing the headline. I left him my blue pencil.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| النَّجَّارَ الْمُتَطَوِّعَ | the volunteer carpenter |
| لِنَشْرَةِ الْحَيِّ | for the neighbourhood newsletter |
| جِهَازَ التَّسْجِيلِ | the recorder |
| مُسْبَقًا | in advance |
| فِي مُتَنَاوَلِ الْجَمِيعِ | within everyone’s reach |
| بِتَرَدُّدٍ | hesitantly |
| اقْتِرَاحُهَا | her suggestion |
| اخْتَصَرْتُ | I shortened; condensed |
| عِنْدَ التَّحْرِيرِ | while editing |
| بِالْمُلْهِمَةِ | as an inspiration; as the inspiring girl |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Track voices, omissions and competing accounts. Choose the reading best supported by the Arabic text.
What to remember
- A true statement of intention can leave out who prompted a concrete change.
- Rehearsal can support speaking while a polished answer narrows the story being told.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Past-Tense Endings: I Wrote, You Wrote and We Wrote
وَكَتَبْتُ جَوَابًا قَصِيرًا
Review the tu ending that identifies the speaker in a regular past-tense verb.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
الْجَوَابِ الَّذِي كَتَبْنَاهُ
Connect a definite masculine singular noun with alladhi; the object suffix refers back to the answer.
