Читать книгу The Book of Travels - Hannā Diyāb - Страница 21

١،٢2.1

فبعد كام يوم خرجنا من مدينة طربلس صحبة رجل نسيب من بيت الخازن يسما كوالير حنا وهذا كان اجتمع مع الخواجه في بيت قنصر الفرنساويه وصار بينهم محبه وصحبه فلما وصلنا الي جبل كسروان الي مكان يسما زوق ميكاييل حيث بيت الکوالير المذکور. حيندٍ کلف الخواجه الی بيته حتی يتغدا هو واياه.

After a few days, we left Tripoli in the company of a kinsman of the al-Khāzin family known as the chevalier Ḥannā.²⁷ He had met Paul Lucas in the home of the French consul, and they’d taken a liking to one another. In the mountains of Kisrawān we came to a place named Zūq Mīkāyīl, where the chevalier lived. He invited the khawājah for lunch.

٢،٢2.2

ونحن اعني الفقير والخادم الذی معنا نزلنا فی ساحت الزوق وربطنا خيلنا وجمعنا اخراجنا ولبشنا واستقمنا نستنا الغدا من عند الكوالير لانه عزمنا ايضًا حتي نتغدا عنده فلما راينا ما جانا غدا ونحن مضنا الجوع لاننا مشينا طول الليل حيندٍ اخرجنا من عندنا^١ سمك بحري مقلي وخبز ونبيد وجلسنا نتغدا فما راينا الا صار حولنا لمه من الاوادم وصاروا يسالونا هل انتم مسيحيه قلنا نعم فقالوا كيف انكم بتفتروا قبل الوقت فقلنا لهم نحن مسافرين وطول الليل ماشيين ما علينا صوم وكان ذلك في اول جمعه من صوم الكبير واهل تلك البلاد منهم بيصوم الي الدهر ومنهم بيصوم الي التاسعه وما احد منهم بيقدر يتظاهر بالفتور قبل الوقت.

١ الأصل: عندا.

Meanwhile, I went off to the town square along with the servant who was accompanying us. We tied up our horses, piled up our bags, and sat waiting for some lunch to be brought to us from the chevalier’s house, for he’d invited us as well. We’d walked all night and were famished! But no lunch arrived, so we took out our own food—fried fish, bread, and wine—and settled in to eat. All of a sudden, a crowd of people formed around us!

“Are you Christians?” they demanded.

“Yes.”

“Then what do you think you’re doing, breaking the fast before it’s time?” they asked.

“We’re travelers, and we’ve been walking all night,” we said. “We’re not required to fast.”

It was the first week of Lent. In those parts, some people would fast until noon and others until nine o’clock, and no one was allowed to break their fast publicly before the appointed time.

٣،٢2.3

وهذا صار في خواجتنا ايضًا لان الكولير صار يشغله حتي يسير وقت الدهر ثم يغديه فلما تعوق عليه بالغدا غافله واجا لعندنا فراءنا عمالين منتغدا فجلس حتي يتغدا معنا وهو محصور من الكولير وفي ذلك الوقت اجا الكولير حنا وصار بيتعدر منه في تعويقه الغدا عليه وانه يروح معه ويتغدي في الحال بغير عوقه. حيندٍ استحي منه وراح معه وارسل لنا طبق تنسيف وفيه صحن عسل وزيت ورغيفين خبز حتي نتغدي فاكلنا منهم لقمتين ورجعناهم فاستقمنا ذلك اليوم في الزوق الي باكر.

The same thing happened with our khawājah. The chevalier had tried to distract him until noon when he could serve lunch, but after a while, the khawājah abandoned him and joined us. Seeing us in the midst of lunch, he sat down to eat, annoyed with his host.

Eventually the chevalier appeared, apologizing for delaying our lunch. He begged the khawājah to return to have lunch right away, with no further delay. The khawājah was embarrassed, so he went with the chevalier, who sent us on a large straw tray a plate of honey and oil and two loaves of bread for our lunch. We had a few bites and sent them back. We spent the rest of the day in al-Zūq.

٤،٢2.4

فودعنا الكولير وسافرنا في ذلك الجبل من مكان الي مكان ومن ضيعه الي ضيعه والخواجه يفتش علي حشايش في تلك الجبال العاليه. اخيرًا وصلنا الي مدينة بيروت ونزلنا في دير بادري كبوجي فاسترحب فينا واعطا الي خواجتنا اوضه مفروشه اعني بتخت وفرشه وكراسي وما يشبه ذلك.

The next morning, we bid farewell to the chevalier and journeyed through the mountains, from village to village, as the khawājah foraged for plants around those lofty peaks. Eventually we arrived in Beirut, and lodged at the monastery of a Capuchin friar. He welcomed us and gave our khawājah a room with a bed, chairs, and other furnishings.

٥،٢2.5

وفي ذلك اليوم اجا للدير واحد من جماعتنا حلبي يسما يوسف ابن المكحل وهذا كان صاحبي في حلب فلما راني استرحب فيّ قوي كثير وسالني عن سبب مجيي الي بيروت فاحكيتله في مجراويتي وكيف اني انشبكت مع هل سايح. اخيرًا استمنيته بان يدورني في مدينة بيروت حتي اتفرج قبل ما نسافر فقلي تكرم قوم اتمشي معي حتي افرجك علي كل المدينه مكان بمكان. حيندٍ ارت اغير شاش الابيض والف شاش الازرق فمنعني عن تغيير الشاش وقلي انكان بتريد لف شال اخضر في هل بلد ما في قيد علي النصراني ايش ما لبس. اخيرًا ما امكن حتي لفيت شاشي الازرق.

That same day, a fellow named Yūsuf ibn al-Mukaḥḥal, who was from our community in Aleppo, turned up at the monastery. He was a friend of mine from back home and greeted me warmly when he saw me, asking why I’d come to Beirut. I told Yūsuf the story of how I’d gotten caught up with the French traveler and asked if he would show me around, so that I might see the sights before we set off.

“Of course,” he said. “Come along, and I’ll take you on a tour of the whole city.”

I started to swap my white turban for a blue one, but he stopped me.

“If you wanted to, you could even wrap a green turban around your head,” he said. “In this town, there’s no restriction on what Christians can wear.”²⁸ But even with his reassurance, I couldn’t bring myself to wear any turban but my blue one.

٦،٢2.6

وخرجت معه ندور في المدينه ولا زلنا دايرين حتي وصلنا الي مكان كانه صرايه لكن صغير بالقد وله ليوان وجالس هناك ثلاث اربع اغاوات كاسم عصملي لافين بروسهم شاشات يانس باطراف قصب وعلي اكتافهم مشالح صوف انكرلي شاككين خناجر مجوهره وامامهم عشر خمسة عشر شب بسربندات قرمز ومنهم اخدر وشاككين كذالك فضه وسيوف سقطه فلما رايتهم تلملمت ورجعت الي الوراء فقلي ذلك الشاب اعني به يوسف الحلبي ما بالك يا اخي فزعان اتعرف هل اغاوات من هم قلتله لا لكن بظن انهم حكام البلد قلي نعم انهم حكام البلاد كلها اعني بلاد كسروان وهل مكان هو الكمرك الذي هن ظابطينه وهن موارنه من بيت الخازن واخدين ميري البلاد عليهم ومن هناك اخدني فرجني علي الاسكله وعلي مغارة التنين الذي قتله ماري جرجس ومن هناك رجعنا الي الدير.

We set off to tour the city. After a little while, we arrived at a small palace containing an īwān.²⁹ Seated there were three or four officers dressed in the Ottoman style. On their heads were turbans of crimped silk, the edges brocaded with gold thread. They wore long cloaks of angora wool over their shoulders, and sported jeweled daggers. Ten or fifteen young men stood before them, some wearing crimson turbans and others green ones. They too were armed with silver daggers and damascened swords.

I stopped short and took a step backward when I saw them, but Yūsuf, the young man from Aleppo, said to me, “Why are you afraid, brother? Don’t you know who these officers are?”

“No,” I said. “But I did think they might be the rulers of the town.”

“Indeed,” he said. “They’re the rulers of the whole country, which is to say all of Kisrawān. This here is the customhouse, which they control. They’re Maronites from the al-Khāzin family, and they’ve taken over the collection of the mīrī tax in the country.”³⁰

From there, he took me to see the seaport and the cave of the dragon slain by Saint George. We then returned to the monastery.

٧،٢2.7

وتاني يوم ما سافرنا فراد الخواجه يستقيم كام يوم في بيروت حتي يتفرج لاني كنت احكيت له علي فرجتي في يوم الاول فلما طلعت انا واياه من الدير فقلي من الان وصاعد ان احد سالك عني اقول باني حكيم وهو كان لابس ثياب بلادنا وفي راسه قلبق فطلعنا ندور في المدينه من مكان الي مكان وهو يفتش علي فلوس قدم اعني معاملة ملوك الاقدمين فاشترينا في ذلك اليوم مقدار اربعين خمسين واحد ورجعنا للدير.

We didn’t travel the next day. The khawājah decided to spend a few days touring Beirut, as I’d told him about all the things I’d seen the first day. When we left the monastery together, he said to me, “From now on, if anyone asks you about me, tell them I’m a doctor.”

He was wearing our native dress and a calpac on his head. We went to tour the city, and he searched for old coins, the kind struck by ancient kings. We bought forty or fifty coins that day and returned to the monastery.

٨،٢2.8

وتاني يوم ايضًا نزلنا للمدينه ورحنا الي سوق السياغه فصار يفتش علي حجار وخواتم مصورات فوجدنا كام واحد ومن الفلوس وجدنا ايضًا كام واحد ونحن راجعين للدير فصاحنا واحد مسلم معصارني فقلي عندي فلوس بتشتروهم فقلته هاتهم لنراهم فدخل الي مكانه وجاب لنا اربعين فلس كل واحد بقد ثلث لكن سميك فوضعهم امامنا فلما راهم الخواجه وهم مصديين وما مبين لهم كتابه من كثره الصدا فابا عن اخدهم وقلي بلسان الفرنجي اشتريهم منه وجاز عنا وراح فلما راح رحت انا ايضًا.

The next day, we set off again into the city, headed for the jewelry souk. He hunted for precious stones and engraved rings, and we found a few, along with some more coins. On our way back to the monastery, a Muslim oil presser called out to us.³¹

“I have some coins,” he said. “Want to buy them?”

“Let’s have a look,” I said.

He went into his shop and brought out forty coins, each the size of a thulth, but thicker.³² He placed them before us, and when the khawājah saw that they were so rusty that no writing could be made out on them, he declined to buy any. Before leaving, though, he said a few words to me in Frankish.

“Buy them from him.”

After the khawājah left, I turned to leave as well.

٩،٢2.9

فقلي ذلك الرجل ما بالك ما بتشتريهم قلتله لاجل صداهم وغيابة كتابتهم ما عادوا بينفعوا شي فعاد قلي خدهم بكام ما بتريد. حيندٍ قلتله الحكيم ما بيريدهم لكن كرما لك انا بشتريهم بكام بتبيعهم لي قلي بغرس كل واحد بمصريه فدفعت له نصف غرش فما راد يعطيهم فجزت عنه ورحت في طريقي فعاد صاحني وارواني حجر خاتم سليماني مصور فيه راس جميل وتحته مكتوب احرف ما بتنعرف باينا لسان فلما رايته رجعت وصحة الخواجه فلما راء حجر الخاتم رماه ورجع وقلي بلسانه اشتريه بكام ما قلك. حيندٍ قلت للرجل انا بشتري الجميع الحجر والفلوس.

“What’s the matter? Aren’t you interested?” the man asked.

“They’re so rusty you can’t read what’s written on them,” I said. “They’re worthless.”

“Name your price,” he insisted.

“The doctor doesn’t want them,” I said. “But as a favor to you, I’ll buy them myself. What do you want for them?”

“One piaster for the lot,” he said. “That’s one miṣriyyah each.”³³

I offered him half a piaster, but he wouldn’t agree. So I walked out and started on my way. He called out to me again, showing me the stone from a Seal of Solomon.³⁴ On it was engraved a beautiful head, with some letters beneath it in some indistinguishable language. When I saw it, I turned and called after the khawājah. He looked at the stone and tossed it aside.

“Buy it for whatever price he asks,” he said to me as he left.

“I’ll take it all,” I said to the man. “The stone and the coins.”

١٠،٢2.10

اخيرًا بعد الجهد حتي وصلته بحق الجميع غرس وقلتله ما في زود فاعطاني الفلوس وحجر الخاتم فاعطيته الغرش واخدتهم وسرت وكان الخواجه واقف بيستناني في عوجه فلما وصلت لعنده سالني هل اشتريتهم قلته نعم وما اعطاهم لي الا بغرش قلي عفاك سير بنا الي الدير.

After a lengthy negotiation, I brought him down to a single piaster for everything, saying I could go no higher. He handed over the coins and the stone, and I gave him the piaster. I gathered everything, left, and found the khawājah waiting for me around the corner.

“Did you buy it all?”

“Yes, but he wouldn’t sell for less than a piaster.”

“Bravo!” he said. “Let’s go back to the monastery.”

١١،٢2.11

وفي وصولنا الي محلنا قلي جيب لي في فراغ شويت خل وحط تلك الفلوس في ذلك الخل وصار يتامل في ذلك الحجر وفي تلك الاحرف المكتوبه وهو فرحان وقلي صدق لو يطلب هل رجل حق هل حجر وحده ماية غرش لعطيته لان هل حجر له خواص عظيم وما راد يقلي عن خواصه بل قلي بان هذا راس ملك من ملوك القدم وسوف بفحص عن اسمه في التواريخ.^١

١ الأصل: التوايخ.

When we arrived, he said, “Bring me a little bit of vinegar in a bowl.” He put the coins in the vinegar, and studied the stone and its engraved letters with great delight.

“Believe me, if that man had asked for a hundred piasters for the stone alone, I would have given it to him, because this stone has tremendous magical properties,” he said, but he wouldn’t tell me what they were. “This is the head of an ancient king,” he continued. “I’ll look for his name in the chronicles.”

١٢،٢2.12

وثاني يوم باكر دخلت الي عنده فرايته عمال بيمسح الفلوس من الصدا فرايت جميعهم فضه خالصه وبانت كتاباتهم مسرجه بينه فقلي الخواجه بان هذه معاملة هل ملك الذي رايت صورته في حجر الخاتم الذي اشتريناه من ذاك الرجل المعصراني والشاهد بذلك كنا سالنا ذلك الرجل من اين حصل علي هل فلوس والحجر فقلنا بانه را كثير منهم في اساس حيط قديم لما خرب وراد يعمره فراهم مضمورين في الارض.

The next day when I went in to see him, he was wiping the rust off the coins. I could see that they were all pure silver, and the inscriptions were clearly visible.

“These coins were struck by the king whose image was on the gemstone we bought from that oil presser,” he said.

It was evident that they were ancient coins, because when we’d asked the man where he found the coins and the stone, he said he’d discovered many of them at the base of an old crumbled wall. When he set about rebuilding it, he found them buried in the ground.

١٣،٢2.13

وذلك اليوم خرجنا ايضًا ندور في المدينه ونفتش علي فلوس قدم وكان ذلك الوقت شاع خبر الخواجه بانه حكيم فصاروا يتهادونا من مكان الي مكان وهو يحكم البعض منهم والبعض يوصف لهم وصفات ويطلب حق حكمته لهم فلوس قدم فلمينا مشوار من تلك الفلوس وراينا بعضهم فضه ونحاس وكام واحد دهب نشتريهم بثمنهم.

That same day, we went again to tour the city in search of old coins. Meanwhile, news had spread that the khawājah was a doctor, and people sent us from one place to another. He would treat some people and prescribe medicines to others, asking everyone for his fee in the form of old coins. We amassed an assortment of coins, some of silver, some of brass. A few were made of gold, which we bought, paying what they were worth.

١٤،٢2.14

وبعد كام يوم خرجنا من بيروت وطلعنا الي جبل الدروز ودرنا في تلك الاماكن نفتش ايضًا علي فلوس والخواجه يحكم وبواسطة الحكمه كانوا يفتشوله علي فلوس فحصلنا علي كام واحد منهم وايضًا علي بعض حشايش التي وجدناها في تلك الجبال ومن هناك توجهنا الي مدينة صيدا ونزلنا في بيت القنصر الذي هو داخل خان واوض البازركانة ايضًا داخل ذلك الخان وصار للخواجه من القنصر والبازركان اكرام جزيل.

After a few days, we left Beirut and went up to the Mountain of the Druze and roamed about looking for coins.³⁵ The khawājah would dispense medical treatment, using it as a means to have people hunt for coins on his behalf. We turned up a few, along with some mountain plants. From there, we headed to Sidon and lodged at the home of the consul, which was in a caravansary where all the foreign merchants had their quarters. The khawājah was treated very honorably by the consul and the merchants.

١٥،٢2.15

وفي ذلك الوقت انوجد كام راهب من رهبان السكلنت ماضيين الي القدس فهم الخواجه في السفر معهم وبما انه كان اوعد خزمتكاره الذي كان معه يخدمه بانه يرسله الي القدس فالتزم بان ياخده معه وابقاني انا في بيت القنصر وسافر مع الرهبان وما صار لي نصيب اروح معه من قلت بختي.

At that same time, some Franciscan friars happened to be traveling to Jerusalem.³⁶ The khawājah decided to travel with them, as he’d promised the servant who attended him during his travels that he would take him to Jerusalem. So he was obliged to accompany him, and to leave me at the consul’s home while he traveled with the friars. Unluckily for me, I didn’t get to go along.³⁷

١٦،٢2.16

فاستقمت هناك الي يوم من ذات الايام وانا جالس في باب الخان فدعاني واحد من البازركان القاطنين هناك وسالني عن اسمي فاجبته عن اسمي وعن كنيتي فقلي جاني مكتوب من حلب منشانك ودخلني الي مخزنه واخرج اعطاني المكتوب ففتحت المكتوب وقراته وهو كان من عند اخي وباعت بيوبخني كثير كيف اني خرجت من حلب من غير علمه واني اقوم ارجع الي حلب من كل بد مع اول قفل الذي بيتوجه الي طرفنا وداكر لي باني استقيم عند ذلك الخواجه الي حين ما بيتوجه احد الي طربلس تكون تسافر معهم من كل بد وسبب ولا تخالف.

So I remained in Sidon. One day, while sitting by the gate of the caravansary, one of the foreign merchants who lived there called me over and asked my name. When I told him my given name and family name, he said he’d received a letter for me from Aleppo! He took me into his store, took out the letter, and handed it over.

I opened it. It was from my brother, who’d written to admonish me furiously for leaving Aleppo without telling him, and to demand that I return with the first caravan headed his way. Until then, I was to stay put, with the merchant.

“I want you on the next caravan to Tripoli, no ifs, ands, or buts!” he wrote.

١٧،٢2.17

فلما كملت قراات المكتوب صار عندي حزن عظيم كيف انه ما ارسلي الحوايج التي دكرت له عنها. حيندٍ التف اليا ذلك الخواجه وقلي انا وصلني مكتوب من عند معلمك خواجه رمزات باني ارسلك الي حلب ان ردت وما ردت فقتله انا ماني الان تحت حكم خواجه رمزات ولا انت بتقدر تلزمني بالرواح انا رجل مرشد طريقي وانا الان خادم عند خواجه بول لوكا سايح سلطان فرنسا لما بيرجع من القدس هو بيرد لك عني جواب.

As I came to the end of the letter, I welled up with sadness. How could he have refused to send me the clothes I’d asked for?

The merchant turned to me and said, “I also received a letter from your master, khawājah Rémuzat. He told me to send you back to Aleppo whether you liked it or not.”

“I’m not under the authority of khawājah Rémuzat anymore,” I said, “and you can’t make me go anywhere! I’ll decide where I go all on my own! I now serve khawājah Paul Lucas, a traveler on the sultan of France’s business! As soon as he returns from Jerusalem, he’ll speak for me.”

١٨،٢2.18

اخيرًا من بعد مناهده عظيمه واخد ورد فراء ما مني جاره. حيندٍ اعطاني مكتوب ثاني من اخي وداكر لي انكان ما بتريد ترجع الله يسهل طريقك واصلك تحت يد ذلك الخواجه بقجة الحوايج التي دكرت لي عنها بتكون تاخدها من عنده وايش ما اعتزت من الخرجيه ايضًا خد منه وانا دكرت له بانه يوصلك مهما اعتزت من الدراهم وترسلي وصول في الحوايج والخرجيه التي بتاخدها منه والسلام فلما قرات ثاني مكتوب فصار عندي فرح عظيم في وصول الحوايج. حيندٍ اخرج اعطاني بقجة الحوايج وسالني ايش قدر بريد من الخرجيه فاخدت منه كام غرش واعطيته وصول من يدي بالجميع ورجعت الي بيت القنصر وانا مبسوط في غاية ما يكون.

After much argument and back-and-forth, the merchant saw that I wouldn’t budge. So he took out a second letter from my brother, and handed it to me.

“If you don’t wish to return, God grant you a smooth journey,” my brother had written. “I’ve sent you the bundle of clothes you’d requested, in the care of this merchant. Take the clothes from him, along with as much money as you’ll need. I’ve told him to advance you whatever you ask for. Send me receipts for the clothes and the money you’ve taken. Godspeed.”

After reading the second letter, I was overjoyed to learn of the arrival of the clothes! The merchant took out the bundle, handed it to me, and asked how much money I wanted. I took a few piasters and wrote out receipts for everything and returned to the consul’s home, as happy as could be.

١٩،٢2.19

واستقمت في صيده ادور واتفرج من مكان الي مكان وكان حكم عندنا عيد الكبير وعند طايفة الموارنه طريقه ما احد منهم بيقدر بيعترف ويتناول الاسرار الا في كنيسته عند الخوري لاجل بعض اسباب فعزمني واحد صاحب ليلة العيد الي بيته حتي نبكر ونروح نعترف عند الخوري ونحدر القداس ونتناول وبعدما قضينا فرضنا اخدني ايضًا الي بيته وضيفني ووقف في واجبي.

I stayed on in Sidon, touring and seeing the sights. It was Easter time, and according to the custom of the Maronites, for some reason or other, one could only attend confession and receive communion from one’s own church and priest. A friend of mine invited me to spend the evening of the feast at his home so that we might rise early and go to confession with the priest, attend mass, and receive communion. After fulfilling our obligation, he invited me back to his house as his guest and treated me with due regard.

٢٠،٢2.20

اخيرًا استقمت في صيدا الي حين ما رجع معلمي من القدس فاحكيتله بان وصلتني الحوايج مع مكتوب من اخي وكيف انه كاتب لذلك الخواجه بانه يرجعني الي حلب طيبه غصيبه والان انا ثابت بقراري معك فقلي وانا ايضًا بكل وعدي معك ان وصلنا بالسلامه الي مدينة بهريس والخزمتكار الذي راح معه للقدس ما عاد رجع فاستقام هناك حتي يروح الي بلاده فاستقمت انا وحدي في خدمة هل خواجه وبعده همينا بالسفر الي جزيرة قبرس.

I remained in Sidon until my master returned from Jerusalem, whereupon I informed him that my clothes had arrived with a letter from my brother.³⁸ I told him all about how my brother had instructed the merchant to send me back to Aleppo by hook or by crook.

“I’m fully committed to joining you on your voyage,” I said.

“And I promise to do right by you, if we get to Paris in one piece,” he replied.

The servant who’d gone with him to Jerusalem hadn’t returned, remaining there so he could continue on to his own country. So it was that only I remained in the service of this khawājah.

We made ready to travel to the island of Cyprus.