The Honey Hunters | صَيَّادُو العَسَلِ
"A young hunter learns the ancient secrets of wild honey gathering in the mountains of Oman"
صَيَّادُو العَسَلِ
The Honey Hunters
الفصلُ الأَوَّلُ: تَقْلِيدُ الأَجْدادِ
Chapter One: The Tradition of Ancestors
فِي جِبالِ الحَجَرِ الشَّرْقِيِّ، كانَتْ عائِلَةُ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ تَمْتَهِنُ صَيْدَ العَسَلِ البَرِّيِّ مُنْذُ أَجْيالٍ. كانُوا يَتَسَلَّقُونَ المُنْحَدَراتِ الخَطِرَةَ لِيَصِلُوا إِلى خَلايا النَّحْلِ فِي الكُهُوفِ.
In the Eastern Hajar mountains, the Al-Muhammad family had practiced wild honey hunting for generations. They would climb dangerous slopes to reach beehives in caves.
قالَ الجَدُّ لِحَفِيدِهِ سُلْطانٍ: «هَذا العَمَلُ لَيْسَ لِلْجُبَناءِ. يَجِبُ أَنْ تَكُونَ شُجاعًا وَحَكِيمًا.»
The grandfather said to his grandson Sultan: "This work is not for cowards. You must be brave and wise."
سُلْطانُ كانَ فَتًى فِي الخامِسَةَ عَشْرَةَ، يَحْلُمُ بِأَنْ يُصْبِحَ صَيَّادَ عَسَلٍ مِثْلَ جَدِّهِ.
Sultan was a boy of fifteen, dreaming of becoming a honey hunter like his grandfather.
الفصلُ الثَّانِي: الاِخْتِبارُ الأَوَّلُ
Chapter Two: The First Test
قالَ الجَدُّ: «اليَوْمَ سَتَتَسَلَّقُ مَعِي لِأَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ. لَكِنْ تَذَكَّرْ: النَّحْلُ لَيْسَ عَدُوًّا. إِنَّهُ شَرِيكٌ. لا تَأْخُذْ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا تَحْتاجُ، وَاتْرُكْ لَهُ ما يَكْفِيهِ.»
The grandfather said: "Today you will climb with me for the first time. But remember: bees are not enemies. They are partners. Do not take more than you need, and leave them enough."
تَسَلَّقا مَعًا صَخْرَةً عَمُودِيَّةً. سُلْطانُ كانَ خائِفًا، لَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَتَراجَعْ.
They climbed together a vertical rock. Sultan was afraid, but he did not retreat.
وَصَلا إِلى كَهْفٍ صَغِيرٍ مَمْلُوءٍ بِالنَّحْلِ. أَشْعَلَ الجَدُّ دُخانًا مِنْ أَعْشابٍ خاصَّةٍ، فَهَدَأَ النَّحْلُ.
They reached a small cave filled with bees. The grandfather lit smoke from special herbs, and the bees calmed.
الفصلُ الثَّالِثُ: الدَّرْسُ الصَّعْبُ
Chapter Three: The Difficult Lesson
قَطَفَ الجَدُّ بَعْضَ العَسَلِ وَتَوَقَّفَ. قالَ: «هَذا يَكْفِي.»
The grandfather gathered some honey and stopped. He said: "This is enough."
قالَ سُلْطانُ: «لَكِنَّ هُناكَ المَزِيدَ! لِماذا لا نَأْخُذُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ؟»
Sultan said: "But there is more! Why don't we take everything?"
قالَ الجَدُّ بِحِدَّةٍ: «لِأَنَّنا لَسْنا لُصُوصًا! إِذا أَخَذْنا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ، يَمُوتُ النَّحْلُ. وَإِذا ماتَ النَّحْلُ، يَمُوتُ العَسَلُ. وَإِذا ماتَ العَسَلُ، يَمُوتُ رِزْقُنا.»
The grandfather said sharply: "Because we are not thieves! If we take everything, the bees die. If the bees die, the honey dies. If the honey dies, our livelihood dies."
فَهِمَ سُلْطانُ أَوَّلَ دَرْسٍ: الطَّمَعُ يَقْتُلُ.
Sultan understood the first lesson: greed kills.
الفصلُ الرَّابِعُ: الوارِثُ الحَقِيقِيُّ
Chapter Four: The True Heir
مَرَّتِ السَّنَواتُ، وَتَعَلَّمَ سُلْطانُ كُلَّ أَسْرارِ الصَّنْعَةِ. عَرَفَ كَيْفَ يَقْرَأُ الجَبَلَ، وَكَيْفَ يَفْهَمُ النَّحْلَ، وَكَيْفَ يَحْتَرِمُ الطَّبِيعَةَ.
Years passed, and Sultan learned all the secrets of the craft. He knew how to read the mountain, understand the bees, and respect nature.
حِينَ ماتَ الجَدُّ، صارَ سُلْطانُ كَبِيرَ صَيَّادِي العَسَلِ. وَعَلَّمَ أَبْناءَهُ كَما عَلَّمَهُ جَدُّهُ.
When the grandfather died, Sultan became the chief honey hunter. He taught his children as his grandfather had taught him.
قالَ لَهُمْ: «العَسَلُ ذَهَبُ الجِبالِ. لَكِنَّ الحِكْمَةَ أَغْلَى مِنَ الذَّهَبِ.»
He said to them: "Honey is the gold of mountains. But wisdom is more precious than gold."
تَمَّتِ القِصَّةُ | The End