Jeddah
Sami Almutlaq
I sat by the Red Sea, quite alone
Yes, the sea was thus coloured
Not from the setting sun
But by the writhing of the sinking love stories
Of those I knew once in Jeddah
Mahmoud, I asked in a whisper
To my invisible companion,
Did she, Fatima, speak of me?
Yes, me, Khalid from Unaizah.
I visited her father once, when I was young
To discuss some matter of cold commerce
I knew she watched from the slit in the wall
But we knew there was no door, no veil
Just a very sharp sense of each other's presence
Ropes tied my feet to hold me back
But I left anyway, watched urgently
Her desperate cry in her stricken gaze.
I then left, Mahmoud, because I thought
I would come back for her, very soon.
And she thought so too
For I received a box with three dates
With no instructions
But I sensed her touch, and I knew.
I ate one then, and never tasted anything sweeter.
The other I kept for her when I would meet her, I thought.
And Mahmoud, I kept the last for my final moment.
But I could not return, Mahmoud
Do not ask why.
We thought of each other
And talked in silence across many miles
Ignoring the camels and the sands the palms and the Wadis
That might have stood in our way.
But slowly, the sand crept in, urged by time
My hair turned gray
My bones ached
My children became successful
They said I had lived a long and happy life
That I was truly blessed by Allah.
ﺟدة ﺳﺎﻣﻲ اﻟﻣطﻠق ﺟﻠﺳت ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﺑﺣر اﻷﺣﻣر، وﺣﯾدا ﻧﻌم، ﻛﺎن اﻟﺑﺣر ﻣﻠوﻧ ﺎً ﻟﯾس ﻣن ﻏروب اﻟﺷﻣس وﻟﻛن ﻣن ﻛﺗﺎﺑﺔ ﻗﺻص اﻟﻐرق ﻓﻲ اﻟﺣب ﺗﻠك اﻟﺗﻲ ﻋرﻓﺗﮭﺎ ﻣرة ﻓﻲ ﺟدة. ﻣﺣﻣود، ﺳﺄﻟت ﺑﺻوت ﺧﺎﻓت إﻟﻰ رﻓﯾﻘﻲ ﻏﯾر اﻟﻣرﺋﻲ. ھل ﺗﺣدﺛت اﻟﻲ، اﻋﻧﻲ ﻓﺎطﻣﺔ؟ ﻧﻌم، ﻟﻲ، ﺧﺎﻟد ﻣن ﻋﻧﯾزة. ﻗﻣت ﺑزﯾﺎرة واﻟدھﺎ ﻣرة واﺣدة، ﻋﻧدﻣﺎ ﻛﻧت ﺻﻐﯾرا ﻟﻣﻧﺎﻗﺷﺔ ﺑﻌض اﻻﻣور اﻟﻣﺗﻌﻠﻘﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﺗﺟﺎرة اﻟﺑﺎردة ﻛﻧت أﻋرف أﻧﮭﺎ راﻗﺑت ﻣن ﻓﺗﺣﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺟدار وﻟﻛن ﻛﻧﺎ ﻧﻌرف اﻧﮫ ﻟم ﯾﻛن ھﻧﺎك ﺑﺎب، وﻻ ﺣﺟﺎب ﻣﺟرد ﺷﻌور ﺣﺎد ﺟدا ﺑوﺟود ﺑﻌﺿﻧﺎ اﻟﺑﻌض اﻟﺣﺑﺎل ﻗد رﺑطت ﻗدﻣﻲ ﻟﺗﺷدﻧﻲ اﻟﻰ اﻟﺧﻠف وﻟﻛﻧﯾﻐﺎدرت ﻋﻠﻰ أي ﺣﺎل، ﻟﻣﺣت ﺑﻛﺎءھﺎ اﻟﯾﺎﺋس ﻓﻲ ﻧظرﺗﮭﺎ اﻟﻣﻧﻛوﺑﺔ. وﺑﻌد ذﻟك ﻏﺎدرت ﯾﺎ ﻣﺣﻣود، ﻷﻧﻧﻲ اﻋﺗﻘدت ﺑﺎﻧﻲ ﺳوف أﻋود ﻟﮭﺎ، ﻗرﯾﺑ ﺎًﺟد اً. وﻛذﻟك ھﻲ. ﺣﯾث ﺣﺻﻠت ﻋﻠﻰ ﺻﻧدوق ﻓﯾﮫ ﺛﻼث ﺗﻣرات ﺑدون ﺗﻌﻠﯾﻣﺎت وﻟﻛﻧﻲ ﺷﻌرﺗﺑﻠﻣﺳﺗﮭﺎ، وﻛﻧت ﻗد ﻋرﻓت. أﻛﻠت واﺣدة، وﻟم اﻛن ﻗد ﺗذوﻗت ﻣﺎ ھو اﺣﻠﻰ ﻣﻧﮭﺎ، واﺣﺗﻔظت ﺑﺎﻻﺧرى ﻟﮭﺎ ﻟﺣﯾن ﻟﻘﺎﺋﻲ ﺑﮭﺎ، ھﻛذا ﻓﻛرت. ﻣﺣﻣود، واﺣﺗﻔﺿت ﺑﺎﻟﺗﻣرة اﻻﺧﯾرة ﻟﻠﺣظﺗﻲ اﻻﺧﯾرة. وﻟﻛﻧﻧﻲ ﻟم أﺳﺗطﻊ اﻟﻌودةﯾﺎ ﻣﺣﻣود ﻻ ﺗﺳﺄل ﻟﻣﺎذا. ﻓﻛرﻧﺎﺑﺑﻌﺿﮭﺎ اﻟﺑﻌض وﺗﺣدﺛﻧﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺻﻣت ﻋﺑر ﻋدة أﻣﯾﺎل ﻣﺗﺟﺎھﻠﯾن اﻟﺟﻣﺎل واﻟرﻣﺎل اﻟﻧﺧﯾل واﻟودﯾﺎن اﻟﺗﻲ رﺑﻣﺎ ﻗد وﻗﻔت ﻓﻲ طرﯾﻘﻧﺎ. ﺳرﻋت اﻟزﻣن ، وﻟﻛن ﺑﺑطء، زﺣﻔت اﻟرﻣﺎل اﻟﯾﻧﺎ ﺷﻌري ﺗﺣول اﻟﻲ رﻣﺎدي ﺗﺎﻟﻣت ﻋظﺎﻣﻲ أﺻﺑﺢ أطﻔﺎﻟﻲ ﻧﺎﺟﺣﯾن ﻗﺎﻟوا إﻧﻧﻲ ﻗد ﻋﺷت ﺣﯾﺎة طوﯾﻠﺔ وﺳﻌﯾدة
But I knew, Mahmoud, what the truth was
Even as I lived, half-dead
She too waited, while time taunted her
And she became old, hiding well
The ether of a moment of many years previous.
And now I have come back to Jeddah
To look for she who has finally gone Mahmoud,
I shall now throw the second date Into the sea
and then I shall have the last one.
I do not wish to wait any longer.
ﻗد اﻧﻌم ﷲ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺑﮭﺎ. ﻟﻛﻧﻧﻲ ﻛﻧت أﻋرف ﯾﺎ ﻣﺣﻣود، ﻣﺎذا ﻛﺎﻧت اﻟﺣﻘﯾﻘﺔ ﺣﺗﻰ اﻧﻲ ﻋﺷت، ﻧﺻف ﻣﯾت وﻛذﻟك اﻧﺗظرت ھﻲ أﯾﺿﺎ، ﻓﻲ ﺣﯾن ﺳﺧر ﻣﻧﮭﺎ اﻟزﻣن ﺗﺧﺑﺊ ﺑﻌﻧﺎﯾﺔ ، وأﺻﺑﺣت ﻋﺟوزا أﺛﯾر اﻟﻠﺣظﺔ ﻣن ﺳﻧوات ﻋدﯾدة ﻣرت. واﻵن ﻟﻘد رﺟﻌت إﻟﻰ ﺟدة ﻟﻠﺑﺣث ﻋﻧﮭﺎ، وﻛﺎﻧت ﻗد ذھﺑت. ﻣﺣﻣود، ﯾﺟب ﻋﻠﻲ ان ارﻣﻲ اﻟﺗﻣرة اﻟﺛﺎﻧﯾﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺑﺣر. ﻋﻧدﺋذ ﺳﯾﻛون ﻟدي اﻟﺗﻣرة اﻻﺧﯾرة. أﻧﺎ ﻻ اود اﻻﻧﺗظﺎر ﻟﻔﺗرة أطول.
