Читать книгу Akiva and Rachel. One of the greatest love stories of all time - Gertcel Davydov, Gertz (Gertcel) Davydov, Gertz Davydov - Страница 4

The autumn was exceptionally wet that year. Akiva continued to work tending the sheep on Kalba Savua’s estate and received a good wage in return. Each morning, he drove the flock out of the fold and made his way down to the pastureland near the river. The sheep grazed peacefully while the shepherd admired the beauty of nature and the flowing of the river.

Akiva took great care of his flock and always made sure that the animals grazed in a fine spot where the grass was lush. He protected the sheep from excessive cold, noise and scorching heat. On days when Kalba Savua’s guests wished to lunch outside in the summer house where they could enjoy the beautiful view of the river and spend long hours debating the future of the Jewish people, Akiva would drive the sheep to a more peaceful spot. Akiva believed that calm sheep would produce more wool and that the meat would be juicer and have a richer aroma. On days when the young girl came to the summer house, reading her book for long hours in the company of her maid, Akiva let the flock stay by the river, occasionally throwing a glance in the girl’s direction to see whether she ever looked at him. But the girl was engaged in her reading and did not notice the shepherd. When her eyes became tired of the text before her, she would cast her glance to the river watching the water glisten under rays of burning sunlight.

On Fridays, Akiva drove the sheep to pasture early at the first rays of the morning sun so that he could return to the house before dark. Shabbat began after sunset13, and on Kalva Savua’s estate no-one worked on the Shabbat. Sometimes Mr. Shimon would invite Akiva to spend the Shabbat at his home. The elderly couple were always pleased to see Akiva and joyfully greeted their guest.

Akiva had long been trying to guess who the beautiful stranger might be that had given him a drink of water by the well that day and what her name might be, but his questions remained unanswered. Fearing the wrath of the farm manager, Akiva decided it would be better not to ask him who the girl was and so said nothing about it to anyone.

Sometimes, when he returned to the estate after his work was done, he went to the well, hoping to catch even the slightest glimpse of the lovely girl. Having filled the pitcher, Akiva would bring it to his lips and drink from it slowly, giving himself time to take in what was happening around him. Sometimes he did catch sight of her hanging sheets with her maid, feeding the horses or filling the huge trough beside the door with kitchen waste. She filled it regularly so that stray dogs would have something to eat. Akiva liked to watch her working, but most of all, he loved to see her warm smile.

One day, when he was filling the pitcher with water, Akiva heard the sound of dogs barking loudly. When he turned round to see what was happening, he spotted a stray dog running towards the trough and barking viciously at the young girl who was, as usual, filling it with kitchen wast. Spying the pan in her hands and smelling something edible, the dog continued barking at the girl until she was forced to drop the pan, spilling its contents on the ground.

Akiva rushed to her aid shouting in an attempt to drive away the savage looking animal. The dog retreated with reluctance but then decided to return and win the pan after all. Akiva shook his fist at the dog but he didn’t have his rod with him. Before making its escape, the dog bit his hand. The girl rushed to help Akiva but the shepherd silently turned his back to her and walked away.

The girl watched the man as he quickly disappeared in the direction of the river to wash his wound clamping the bleeding bite with his other hand. She had never seen so much blood and that evening it was a long time before she could fall asleep for thoughts of the hero-shepherd.

By nature of his work, it wasn’t the first time that Akiva had suffered a bite from a dog, insect or snake, and so he didn’t think too much of it. He rinsed his hand in the river water, bound it tightly, and then fell into thinking about the girl. “Perhaps she is the maid’s daughter, as she accompanies her everywhere, or perhaps she is a relative of Kalba Savua,” Akiva reasoned to himself.

The days passed and then weeks and months. Circumstances in Judea went from bad to worse. Jerusalem was being destroyed and the city dwellers struggled to make ends meet. They regularly paid heavy taxes to the Romans so as not to repeat the fate of other Jews who had been sold into slavery. In the absence of the Temple, the residents of the city tried to recreate the spiritual life in Judea and preserve the Holy Scriptures for the Jewish people.

Akiva had very little to do with any of it and thought neither about the Torah, nor the destruction of the Temple. Every day he drove the sheep to pasture and anxiously awaited a meeting with his beautiful stranger.

* * *

Akiva planned to spend the following Shabbat with Shimon. After lunch, he drove the sheep into the barn and having informed the manager that he would not be present at the festive meal, he set off for Shimon’s house. At the main gate he recognised the girl-reader with wonderful long hair. Her neck was decorated with a gold chain from which three letters hung which meant nothing to Akiva. He could not take his eyes off her and almost hit his head on the gate as he passed. All the way to Shimon’s house, the shepherd could think only of the beautiful girl.

After a hearty dinner, Shimon gave the blessing to complete the Shabbat meal. Then he gave Akiva and his wife a brief description of the key aspects of the week’s chapter of the Torah and after all the traditions had been observed, he asked his guest:

“Akiva, how is your work with Kalba Savua going?”

“Really well, thank you. I have never had such enjoyable work and such a good wage. I like herding the sheep and spending the day in the fresh air.”

“Do you not get tired?”

“I’ve been doing physical work ever since I was a small child, so I am used to it. Compared to some of the work I have done in the past, working for Kalba Savua is relatively easy. I used to work the whole year round, from morn till night without a day off, whereas now I rest on the Shabbat and on holidays. Mr.Shimon, I have been meaning to ask you. Is today a special Jewish holiday?”

“No! Why do you ask?”

“Everyone has been busy rushing about at Kalba Savua’s estate since this morning.”

“Kalba Savua is celebrating his sixtieth birthday today. I was at his house today. I took fresh spices and even managed to give the birthday boy a silver Menorah from Yavne14. He persuaded me to stay and share in the joyous occasion with his many friends. Even Rabbi Ben Zakai15 was there, but I made my excuses, raised a glass of red wine to his health and hurried home for the Shabbat.

“Who is Rabbi Johanan ben Zakai?”, asked Akiva.

“Oh, he’s one of the most famous and respected rabbis. He is head of the yeshivas in the city of Yavne and today, the spiritual leader of all Judea. I am lucky enough to have spoken with him a few times. He’s an amazing person and a real example of a good leader. It’s amazing to see such an elderly person retain such mental clarity, wisdom and strong leadership qualities.”

Having heard Shimon mention Kalba Savua’s estate, Akiva’s thoughts returned to the girl and the rabbi seemed less important. Listening to his host recount with great enthusiasm his first meeting with Rabbi Johanan ben Zakai, Akiva searched for the words with which to pose the question that had tormented him for so long. As soon as there was a short pause, unable to wait until the end of Shimon’s story, Akiva said, “Mr. Shimon, may I ask you something? You often visit the estate of Kalba Savua. Tell me, what is the name of the young girl who lives in the house?”

“There are a lot of women living there. They clean the house, some help on the farm, others cook and then there are the women who do the washing. Who is it among them that you like?” asked the old man with a smile.

“A very sweet girl, about twenty with beautiful long hair.”

“Point her out to me if you get a chance and I might be able to introduce you to her. If she is a decent girl and she works for Kalba Savua, then I’ll put in a word for you.”

“A young girl with long black hair. Do you remember, the first time we entered Kalba Savua’s home, she gave us some water from the well and the last time you went there with spices, she saw you and Kalba Savua to the gate. I was returning from the pasture with the sheep.”

Shimon was struggling to remember who had seen him out on Wednesday when he was leaving Kalba Savua’s house. Then Shimon shuddered and said, “Forget about her!”

“What’s the matter Shimon?” Dvora his wife asked in alarm.

“Forget about her. Don’t even look at her,” Shimon repeated insistently. Then he turned to his anxious wife and said,” Do you realise who he is talking about? He’s referring to Rachel, Kalba Savua’s daughter.”

Shimon’s face was flushed red with concern. Despite all his wife’s efforts to soothe him, Shimon continued to worry.

“If Kalba Savua learns that you like his daughter,” the old man said to Akiva, “or even worse, if he knows that you want to be introduced to her, he will make sure that you will never work anywhere in Jerusalem ever again. Do you want to lose your job and go back to searching for a wage every single day?”

Akiva looked down and said, “I didn’t mean to upset you. It simply never occurred to me that Kalba Savua could have such a young daughter.”

“She is a late child, which is why he loves her so much and takes such good care of her. His daughter is everything to him. Please, Akiva, put her out of your mind,” Shimon said, more calmly now.

Both Akiva and Dvora tried to change the topic of conversation to something more neutral and once Shimon had calmed down, they all retired for the night.

Akiva was filled with sorrow at the news he had heard. It was a long time before he was finally able to sleep. How could a man as poor as he marry Kalba Savua’s daughter? Akiva convinced himself to take Shimon’s advice and put her out of his mind but he couldn’t help himself. Rachel was all he could think about. Now that he knew her name, it seemed to him the most beautiful name in all the world. Akiva tried to weigh everything up a second time and this time was determined to get a grip on himself and forget about the beautiful young woman once and for all to avoid wrecking his own life and threatening the friendship that existed between Mr. Shimon and Kalba Savua.

* * *

Life went on just as before. Akiva’s first winter at Kalba Savua’s estate was particularly cold. He had to work very hard in the severe winter conditions to protect the flock. He looked after the sheep with great care and spend most of his time with them as the work helped him forget about Rachel, at least for some of the time.

Gradually, the spring sun began to warm the people of Jerusalem helping them recover from the cold of winter. The path that lead to the river on the estate dried out and Akiva began driving the flock out towards the banks more regularly. Days of beautiful sunshine were from time to time followed by rainy days but the wet weather was no shadow over Akiva, who received great pleasure from his work. Every year, in the run-up to Pesach16 a census was carried out on Kalba Savua’s estate. Despite the severe cold of the winter months, Akiva had succeeded not only in preserving the head of cattle but in increasing their number.

The farm manager was very pleased with Akiva and promised to speak with Kalba Savua about increasing his wage.

On the Kalba Savua estate, as in all Judea, Pesach was celebrated with great enthusiasm despite all the difficulties of the time. After the celebrations were over, Akiva started driving the sheep down to the river every day, although as soon as the clouds filled the sky and threatened rain he would hurry to drive the herd back to the fold.

One spring day Akiva was caught in a sudden downpour. He struggled to manage the herd who, on hearing the rolls of thunder, scattered in different directions bleating with panic. Akiva was drenched to the skin but did his best to drive all the sheep back into the fold. Having finally closed the door behind them Akiva dreamed of sheltering from the rain and hurricane force winds himself, changing his clothes and warming himself through, when glancing back over towards the pasturelands, he thought he spotted an abandoned lamb. The powerful gusts of wind had blown one of the lambs towards the river. The little animal fought with all its might against being blown into the river until all its strength was spent.

Akiva ran to help the lamb when a surge of wind blew the animal off its feet and into the river. Seeing the current carry the exhausted lamb downstream, Akiva jumped into the water and with swift movements managed to reach the lamb and drag it onto the bank. The lamb was terrified and trembling with cold. Akiva made towards the summer house upwards of the riverbank in the hope of finding shelter from the continuing downpour. The shepherd quickly climbed the incline and ran to the summer house hugging the rescued lamb to his chest. Rachel was standing in the alcove. As soon as he noticed her, Akiva turned to rush out from under the roof back into the rain until the girl’s words reached his ears.

“Where are you going? Please, come back. You need dry clothes. Here, take my cloak.”

Akiva refused the cloak with a slight movement of his head but returned silently and sat on the edge of the bench turning his body towards the river to avoid looking at her. In his anxiety, he hugged the trembling lamb even more tightly.

“When you saved me from the dog, I prayed for a long time that everything would be all right and that you hadn’t suffered on my account. I didn’t tell anyone what happened because I didn’t want the story to reach my father. If he finds out, he’ll forbid me to feed the dogs and horses and won’t let me out of the house. If I had not seen that you were ok the next day, I would have told my father and he would have instantly called the best healers. You are a brave and decent man. Now that I have seen how you saved the lamb, I am convinced of it. Not every shepherd would jump into the river to save a lamb even if it were their own. But you leapt to save an animal that is not even your own property.”

Akiva said nothing. Rachel continued, “Last autumn I often watched you herding the sheep by the river but it was too cold in winter and I rarely came down here. I love to watch the water and the current. I can sit here for hours lost in thought and contemplation. I think about life, not about life itself and why we are born, but about my own role in life, why I am here in the world and my true purpose. I often think about the future. What do you think about when you look at the river?” Asked Rachel.

Just as she finished speaking there was another clap of thunder and the lamb bleated piteously in fear. Rachel took off her shawl and handed it to Akiva.

“Wrap the lamb up in this. It’ll warm him up and he’ll calm down.”

Akiva took the shawl and wrapped it around the lamb’s body. The rain began to subside gradually losing its force. Without stopping to say goodbye, Akiva quickly set off for his room carrying the little rescuee with him. Rachel also made her way home.

That evening, Akiva lay on his bed pressing Rachel’s shawl to his body. He could barely believe that they had met and that rather than laughing at him, she had chatted away so sweetly. It was all a dream. Only the shawl that Rachel had given him to wrap around the lamb proved that it was real. Akiva breathed in the subtle scent of the shawl immersing himself once again in the feeling of the day’s meeting with Rachel. Akiva’s dreams carried him far away but he tried to calm himself and fall asleep after what had been a tiring day. In the morning, he decided to take the shawl with him and give it to Ezra or one of the other employees, so that they could return it to their mistress.

It was a beautiful day with not a single cloud in the sky. Akiva drove the sheep to pasture and then, as usual, sat on a stone by the river from where he could gaze at the water. The lamb he had saved the night before grazed close to him and from time to time he stroked the lamb’s silky coat. Akiva’s soul was in turmoil. On the one hand, he could not wait for Rachel to appear but on the other, he was afraid of seeing her again as he understood that if he did see her again and hear her gentle voice, he would fall in love with her even more deeply and would no longer be capable of living without her. The summerhouse was empty. Eventually the sun started to set on the horizon and it was time to return to the estate. Akiva got up from his stone holding his rod in his right hand and the shawl in the other, ready to drive the sheep back for the night.

“Hello. I see you have my shawl. I’ll come down for it.”

Akiva was gripped by a sudden fear. He didn’t know how to behave or what to do with himself. Rachel picked her way carefully down towards the river and Akiva held out her shawl. Their eyes met for a brief moment. “She is more beautiful than ever’ thought Akiva but not a split second passed before he dragged his eyes away from her.

Having taken the shawl, Rachel said, “I’m pleased to see that you are well after what happened yesterday. Where’s the lamb you rescued?”

Akiva pointed to the lamb which he had kept close to his side the entire day.

“It’s so sweet. If father would allow it, I would take it home to my room. I would feed it wash it and even let it sleep with me. Its coat is so soft and its eyes so beautiful and sad, don’t you think?”

Akiva didn’t utter a word, whether because of what Shimon had said, or whether because he was afraid of saying something stupid and disappointing Rachel, he couldn’t tell.

“Are you always so quiet?” Rachel asked, slightly offended. “I like to talk, particularly on a day as beautiful as today. What kind of weather do you like best? What’s your favourite season of the year?” The girl showered him with questions but Akiva did not reply.

“Can you at least hear me?”

Akiva nodded his head in confirmation.

“Oh good, I was beginning to worry, what a relief, I thought you might be deaf. Can you talk?”

Akiva nodded his head again preventing his eyes from making contact with the gaze of his beautiful conversant.

“I know you can talk” Rachel continued, “because I’ve heard you speaking with Ezra.”

Akiva still said nothing.

“So why don’t you say anything? Has Ezra forbidden you to talk to me, or perhaps on seeing me you lose the gift of speech?”

Akiva nodded again nervously.

“I don’t understand,” Rachel smiled, “do you always answer a question with yes?”

Akiva shook his head.

“The first refusal” Rachel laughed. She wasn’t going to give up. “Do you have a name?”

Akiva was silent.

“You’ve turned into deaf and dumb again?” Rachel found Akiva’s behaviour amusing and at the same time, just a little insulting. “You don’t want to tell me your name, you won’t talk to me you don’t answer any of my questions and you won’t even look at me. What has Ezra said, that if you look at me you’ll turn to stone?” Rachel joked.

Akiva felt exactly as if he had turned to stone and had turned both deaf and blind in an instant.

“I have to go now, father will be getting worried.” Rachel thought for a moment and then said, “Write you name in the sand.”

From somewhere, Akiva found the strength to speak and confessed that he didn’t know how to read or write and then added:

“My name is Akiva.”

Rachel laughed cheerfully, “You’re a grown man and you don’t know how to write your own name?”

With that Rachel turned and left. Akiva dropped his head in sorrow. “Why did I tell her that I can’t read or write?” Akiva thought. “She’ll never talk to me ever again. She’s a well-educated young woman and is seeing an ignoramus like me for the very first time. I should have said nothing and then at least I could have seen her from time to time, heard her lovely voice; now… now she’ll keep me at a distance.”