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Sample translations submitted: 1
English to Arabic: A Hazelnut Growing in My Head
Source text - English A Hazelnut Growing in My Head
As usual, the line to the bakery reached all the way to the mosque, and as he used to do his uncle bought the loaves to spare him from the discomfort of squeezing his small body between the older people’s legs to get his turn to order bread.
His grandfather once said to him “be careful not to get used to holding onto anything because once you do, things will change abruptly, and you will not be able to confront that change."
Even though it was his uncle who bought him all the bread he needed every day, he still kept his place in line until he got there to get them.
As usual, and for years to come, once he would put his head on the pillow to sleep, he would always see that nightmare. Here it is again. It would begin with a countdown that ended at zero, and then he would see himself plunging down into darkness thinking that he has gone to sleep.
On that morning, the line was longer than usual, and he was having difficulty keeping his position in the line despite his desperate attempts to cling to the ground with his bare feet. It seemed like something heavy was dragging him to the bottom. Then... he fell down, scattering the line.
In the hospital, once he became conscious, he saw his oldest sister staring at him as if he were playing the role of some kind of circus magician. Later, she told him that there was a hazelnut growing in his head, and that the doctors were worried about extracting it because of how fast it was growing. He kept silent, wondering what she was talking about or whether she was lying to him. But, he ended up believing her.
While he was asking his doctor about when to leave the hospital and go back to school, he panicked because nightmares do not haunt those who are awake. Then the countdown started to show again and … it ended at zero once again, and he plunged into darkness.
Once his sister made sure he completely calmed him down, she told him while he was blacking out that the hazelnut had gotten bigger and blocked the light from his eyes.
It has been thirteen days, and the days and nights seemed to be endless continuations of one another while he was in the dark. It is nagging and overwhelming him with worry for not feeling the hazelnut anymore. Though, when he felt that his ears seemed as if they were shut with cotton, a feeling of reassuring and certainty surrounded him that the hazelnut was still growing.
For nearly a month and almost every morning, he kept describing to his sister how the hazelnut looked. She tried to draw it for him because he is the only one who could see it. Then he would keep the drawing book under his pillow. He promised her that once leaving the hospital; he will not buy lots of candy from school, thinking that the hazelnut chose his head among the other children’s heads only because he used to eat candy excessively, especially that one with hazelnut flavor.
Before he hears her answer to his question about the time it will take for the hazelnut to be ripe, he suddenly felt that his body started to elevate from the bed as if hidden hands are pulling him up.
His body started to tingle. He shirked to his sister, wanting to tell her that the hazelnut has finally become ripe, and that he felt its strong desire to get out. His tongue became heavy, his breathing cut off, and his heart stopped beating.
The drawing of the hazelnut in his drawing book under his pillow was big and rich. It was the only thing that left of him after they had buried him.
Translation - Arabic حبة بندف تنمو في رأسي
كالعادة, وصل طابور الخبز إلى باب المسجد, وكالعادة, كان عمه يشتري له الأرغفة الأربعة, ويكفيه عناء حشر جسده الضئيل بين أقدام الكبار, لانتظار دوره.
قال له جده ذات مرة: احذر أن تعتاد على أي شيء, فما إن تفعل حتى تتغير الأشياء فجأة, ولن تستطيع مواجهة التغيير. ومع أن عمه كان يشتري له حاجته من الأرغفة كل يوم, إلا أنه كان يحافظ على موقعه في الطابور إلى حين الحصول عليها.
وعلى عادته, منذ ليالٍ بعيدة, حين يضع رأسه على الوسادة وينام, لا يزال يرى الكابوس نفسه, وها هو العد التنازلي ينتهي عند الرقم "صفر", ويغرق في الظلام, فيحسب نفسه قد نام.
وفي ذلك الصباح, كان الطابور أطول من المعتاد, أما هو؛ فبدا عاجزاً عن المحافظة على موقعه, على الرغم من محاولاته البائسة في التشبث بالأرض بقدميه الحافيتين, فقد شعر بأن ثمة شيئاً ثقيلاً يسحبه نحو القاع, فوقع مبعثراً الطابور.
من فور استيقاظه في المشفى, وجد أخته الكبرى تحدق نظرها فيه, كما لو أنه كان يؤدي دور الساحر في سيرك ما. أخبرته, لاحقاً, بأنه ثمة حبة بندق تنمو في داخل رأسه, والأطباء يشعرون بتأنيب الضمير لتفكيرهم في إخراجها, بخاصةٍ أنها تكبر بسرعة. سكت يفكر في مدى صحى كلامها, ولم يجد بدا من تصديقها.
بينما كان يسأل الطبيب عن ميعاد رجوعه إلى المدرسة, أصابه الذعر؛ لأن الكوايس لا تنتاب المستيقظين, فقد عاوده ذلك الكابوس؛ فبدأ العد التنازلي, وانتهى عند الرقم صفر, وغرق في الظلام.
وحين تيقنت أخته أنه قد هدأ تماماً, أخبرته, وهو ما زال غارقهاً في الظلام, بأن حبة البندق في رأسه كبرت, وحجبت النو عن عينيه.
تراكم ثلاثة عشر يوماً, بلياليها ونهرها, متواصلة في الظلام, وكأنها ترجم شعوره بالقلق لفقده الإحساس بحبة البندق الخاصة به, ولما أحس بأذنية تبدوان وكأنهما مغلقتان بالقطن, اطمأن, وتأكد أنها لا تزال تكبر.
قرابة شهر, بقي كل صباح يصف لأخته كيف تبدو حبة البندق؛ لتقوم برسمها, فهو الوحيد الذي يستطيع رؤيتها, بعد ذلك يحتفظ بالكراسة تحت وسادته.
وعدها بأنه حين يخرج من المشفى لن يشتري كثيراً من الحلوى في المدرسة, ظن بأن حبة البندق اختارت رأسه من بين رؤوس الصغار جميعاً؛ لأنه كان يفرط في تناول الحلوى, بخاصة تلك التي بنكهة البندق.
وقبل أن يسمع جوابها عن سؤاله, عن الوقت الذي يستغرقه البندق في النضج, أحس فجأه بأن جسده بدأ يرتفع عن السرير, كما لو أن أيدٍ خفية تجذبه نحو الأعلى.
ارتعش وهتف بأخته يريد أن يخبرها بأن حبة البندق خاصته قد نضجت أخيراً, وأنه شعر برغبتها القوية في الخروج, وصار بالإمكان قطفها, غير أن لسانه أصبح ثقيلاً, وانقطع نفسه, وتوقف قلبه عن النبض. حبة البندق في الكراسة تحت وسادته, غنية وكبيرة, كانت آخر ما تبقى من جسده بعد أن دفنوه.
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Years of experience: 2. Registered at ProZ.com: May 2018.