The Frozen Night | لَيْلَةُ الصَّقِيعِ
"Villagers survive a legendary cold night through unity and sacrifice"
لَيْلَةُ الصَّقِيعِ
The Frozen Night
الفصلُ الأَوَّلُ: البَرْدُ القادِمُ
Chapter One: The Coming Cold
فِي شِتاءِ ذَلِكَ العامِ، ضَرَبَتْ جَبَلَ الأَخْضَرِ مَوْجَةُ بَرْدٍ لَمْ تُعْرَفْ مِنْ قَبْلُ. سَقَطَ الثَّلْجُ عَلى القِمَمِ، وَالحَرارَةُ انْخَفَضَتْ تَحْتَ الصِّفْرِ.
In the winter of that year, a cold wave struck the Green Mountain unlike anything known before. Snow fell on the peaks, and temperature dropped below zero.
قالَ الشُّيُوخُ: «لَمْ نَرَ هَذا أَبَدًا!»
The elders said: "We have never seen this before!"
كانَ الحَطَبُ قَلِيلاً، وَالبُيُوتُ لَمْ تُبْنَ لِهَذا البَرْدِ الشَّدِيدِ. بَدَأَ الأَطْفالُ وَالشُّيُوخُ يَمْرَضُونَ.
Firewood was scarce, and houses were not built for such severe cold. Children and elderly began to fall ill.
الفصلُ الثَّانِي: القَرارُ الصَّعْبُ
Chapter Two: The Difficult Decision
اجْتَمَعَ أَهْلُ القَرْيَةِ. قالَ رَجُلٌ: «لِنَحْرِقْ أَثاثَنا لِنَتَدَفَّأَ!» قالَ آخَرُ: «لَيْسَ كافِيًا!»
The villagers gathered. A man said: "Let us burn our furniture to stay warm!" Another said: "It is not enough!"
قامَ شَيْخُ القَرْيَةِ، حَمَدٌ، وَقالَ: «الحَلُّ الوَحِيدُ: نَجْتَمِعُ كُلُّنا فِي بَيْتٍ واحِدٍ. دِفْءُ أَجْسادِنا سَيُنْقِذُنا.»
The village elder, Hamad, stood and said: "The only solution: we all gather in one house. The warmth of our bodies will save us."
الفصلُ الثَّالِثُ: لَيْلَةُ الوَحْدَةِ
Chapter Three: The Night of Unity
اجْتَمَعَ مِئَتا شَخْصٍ فِي أَكْبَرِ بَيْتٍ. تَلاصَقُوا وَتَدافَؤُوا. الأَغْنِياءُ بِجانِبِ الفُقَراءِ، وَالصِّغارُ بِجانِبِ الكِبارِ.
Two hundred people gathered in the largest house. They pressed together and kept warm. The rich beside the poor, the young beside the old.
غَنَّوْا أَغانِيَ قَدِيمَةً، وَحَكَوْا قِصَصًا، وَصَلَّوْا مَعًا. كانَتْ لَيْلَةً طَوِيلَةً، لَكِنَّها كانَتْ لَيْلَةَ حُبٍّ وَأُخُوَّةٍ.
They sang old songs, told stories, and prayed together. It was a long night, but it was a night of love and brotherhood.
مَعَ الفَجْرِ، انْكَسَرَتْ مَوْجَةُ البَرْدِ. لَمْ يَمُتْ أَحَدٌ. قالَ الشَّيْخُ حَمَدٌ: «الوَحْدَةُ أَقْوَى مِنْ أَيِّ عاصِفَةٍ.»
At dawn, the cold wave broke. No one died. Elder Hamad said: "Unity is stronger than any storm."
تَمَّتِ القِصَّةُ | The End