شغف الخطاط | The Calligrapher's Passion
"A master calligrapher discovers his muse in a student who comes to learn the art of Arabic writing in Fez."
شغف الخطاط
The Calligrapher's Passion
الفصل الأول | Chapter One
أُعَلِّمُ الخَطَّ العَرَبِيَّ فِي مَدْرَسَةِ فَاسَ مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً.
I have taught Arabic calligraphy in Fez school for thirty years.
جَاءَتْ أَجْنَبِيَّةٌ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَتَعَلَّمَ.
A foreign woman came wanting to learn.
"أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَكْتُبَ بِالعَرَبِيَّةِ،" قَالَتْ.
"I want to write in Arabic," she said.
الفصل الثاني | Chapter Two
كَانَتْ فِي الخَامِسَةِ وَالأَرْبَعِينَ، شَقْرَاءَ، مُمْتَلِئَةً.
She was forty-five, blonde, full-figured.
"الخَطُّ العَرَبِيُّ يَحْتَاجُ صَبْرًا،" قُلْتُ لَهَا.
"Arabic calligraphy needs patience," I told her.
"أَنَا صَبُورَةٌ جِدًّا."
"I am very patient."
الفصل الثالث | Chapter Three
عَلَّمْتُهَا كَيْفَ تُمْسِكُ القَلَمَ.
I taught her how to hold the pen.
وَضَعْتُ يَدِي عَلَى يَدِهَا لِأُوَجِّهَهَا.
I placed my hand on hers to guide her.
"هَكَذَا... بِرِفْقٍ."
"Like this... gently."
الفصل الرابع | Chapter Four
"لِمَاذَا تُرِيدِينَ تَعَلُّمَ الخَطِّ؟" سَأَلْتُهَا.
"Why do you want to learn calligraphy?" I asked her.
"لِأَنَّ الحُرُوفَ العَرَبِيَّةَ جَمِيلَةٌ كَالرَّقْصِ."
"Because Arabic letters are beautiful like dance."
"وَأَنْتِ جَمِيلَةٌ كَالحَرْفِ."
"And you are beautiful like the letter."
الفصل الخامس | Chapter Five
مَعَ كُلِّ دَرْسٍ، كُنَّا نَقْتَرِبُ أَكْثَرَ.
With each lesson, we grew closer.
يَدِي عَلَى يَدِهَا تَرْتَجِفُ.
My hand on hers trembling.
"أَشْعُرُ بِشَيْءٍ غَرِيبٍ..." قَالَتْ.
"I feel something strange..." she said.
الفصل السادس | Chapter Six
"هَذَا يُسَمَّى الشَّغَفَ،" قُلْتُ.
"This is called passion," I said.
"نَفْسُ الشَّغَفِ الَّذِي يَجْعَلُ الخَطَّ جَمِيلاً."
"The same passion that makes calligraphy beautiful."
"عَلِّمْنِي هَذَا الشَّغَفَ..."
"Teach me this passion..."
الفصل السابع | Chapter Seven
فِي وَرْشَتِي المَلِيئَةِ بِالأَحْبَارِ وَالأَوْرَاقِ.
In my workshop full of inks and papers.
كَتَبْنَا قِصَّتَنَا بِأَجْسَادِنَا.
We wrote our story with our bodies.
"جَسَدُكِ كَالوَرَقِ الأَبْيَضِ... أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَكْتُبَ عَلَيْهِ."
"Your body is like white paper... I want to write on it."
الفصل الثامن | Chapter Eight
صَارَتْ تِلْمِيذَتِي وَعَشِيقَتِي.
She became my student and my lover.
كُلَّ يَوْمٍ دَرْسُ خَطٍّ، وَكُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ دَرْسُ حُبٍّ.
Every day a calligraphy lesson, every night a love lesson.
الخَطُّ الأَجْمَلُ هُوَ مَا كَتَبْنَاهُ سَوِيًّا.
The most beautiful script is what we wrote together.
الخاتمة | Conclusion
قَالُوا إِنَّ الخَطَّ فَنٌّ يَحْتَاجُ وَحْدَةً.
They said calligraphy is an art that needs solitude.
لَكِنَّنِي اكْتَشَفْتُ أَنَّ أَجْمَلَ خَطٍّ يُكْتَبُ بِأَرْبَعِ أَيْدٍ.
But I discovered the most beautiful script is written with four hands.
من حكايات فاس From the Tales of Fez