The Boat Builder's Wife of Shela | زَوْجَةُ بَنّاءِ القَوارِبِ في شيلا
"In the picturesque village of Shela near Lamu, a boat builder's young wife discovers passion with a visiting Arab calligrapher."
زَوْجَةُ بَنّاءِ القَوارِبِ في شيلا
The Boat Builder's Wife of Shela
الفصل الأول: قَرْيَةُ شيلا
Chapter One: The Village of Shela
في شيلا، القَرْيَةِ الجَميلَةِ قُرْبَ لامو، عاشَتْ لَيْلى بِنْتُ عَبّاسٍ مَعَ زَوْجِها بَنّاءِ القَوارِبِ. كانَ زَوْجُها مُنْهَمِكاً في عَمَلِهِ مِنَ الفَجْرِ حَتّى الغُروبِ.
In Shela, the beautiful village near Lamu, lived Layla bint Abbas with her husband the boat builder. Her husband was absorbed in his work from dawn until sunset.
كانَتْ لَيْلى في الثّامِنَةِ وَالعِشْرينَ مِنْ عُمْرِها، امْرَأَةً سَواحِلِيَّةً شابَّةً جَميلَةً. بَشَرَتُها بُنِّيَّةٌ فاتِحَةٌ، وَشَعْرُها أَسْوَدُ مُجَعَّدٌ. جَسَدُها مُمْتَلِئٌ بِشَكْلٍ جَذّابٍ، بِثَدْيَيْنِ مُسْتَديرَيْنِ وَخَصْرٍ ضَيِّقٍ وَوِرْكَيْنِ مُنْحَنِيَتَيْنِ.
Layla was twenty-eight years of age, a beautiful young Swahili woman. Her skin was light brown, and her hair was black and curly. Her body was attractively full, with round breasts, a narrow waist, and curved hips.
الفصل الثاني: الخَطّاطُ العَرَبِيّ
Chapter Two: The Arab Calligrapher
وَصَلَ إلى القَرْيَةِ خَطّاطٌ مِنَ اليَمَنِ اسْمُهُ عادِلُ بنُ نَجيبٍ. كانَ في الثّالِثَةِ وَالثَّلاثينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهِ، قَدِمَ لِتَزْيينِ المَسْجِدِ الجَديدِ بِالآياتِ.
A calligrapher from Yemen named Adil ibn Najib arrived at the village. He was thirty-three years of age, having come to decorate the new mosque with verses.
اسْتَأْجَرَ غُرْفَةً في بَيْتِ لَيْلى وَزَوْجِها.
He rented a room in the house of Layla and her husband.
"زَوْجي يَعْمَلُ طَوالَ النَّهارِ،" قالَتْ لَيْلى. "إذا احْتَجْتَ إلى شَيْءٍ، أَنا هُنا."
"My husband works all day," said Layla. "If you need anything, I am here."
نَظَرَ إلَيْها عادِلٌ. "سَأَحْتاجُ إلى أَشْياءٍ كَثيرَةٍ."
Adil looked at her. "I will need many things."
الفصل الثالث: الحِبْر
Chapter Three: The Ink
ذاتَ صَباحٍ، دَخَلَتْ لَيْلى غُرْفَتَهُ لِتُنَظِّفَها. وَجَدَتْهُ يَكْتُبُ، صَدْرُهُ عارٍ مِنَ الحَرِّ.
One morning, Layla entered his room to clean it. She found him writing, his chest bare from the heat.
"عُذْراً!" قالَتْ وَحاوَلَتِ الخُروجَ.
"Excuse me!" she said and tried to exit.
"اِنْتَظِري." نَظَرَ إلَيْها. "أُريدُ أَنْ أَكْتُبَ شَيْئاً عَلى جِلْدِكِ."
"Wait." He looked at her. "I want to write something on your skin."
"عَلى جِلْدي؟"
"On my skin?"
"جِلْدُكِ أَجْمَلُ مِنْ أَيِّ وَرَقٍ."
"Your skin is more beautiful than any paper."
الفصل الرابع: الكِتابَة
Chapter Four: The Writing
أَغْلَقَ البابَ. أَمْسَكَ بِذِراعِها وَبَدَأَ يَكْتُبُ عَلَيْها بِالحِبْرِ.
He closed the door. He took her arm and began to write on it with ink.
"ماذا تَكْتُبُ؟" سَأَلَتْهُ.
"What are you writing?" she asked him.
"اسْمَكِ بِالخَطِّ الكوفِيِّ."
"Your name in Kufic script."
الحِبْرُ البارِدُ عَلى بَشَرَتِها الدّافِئَةِ. أَصابِعُهُ تَلْمِسُها بِرِقَّةٍ.
The cold ink on her warm skin. His fingers touched her gently.
"أُريدُ أَنْ أَكْتُبَ في أَماكِنَ أُخْرى."
"I want to write in other places."
"أَيُّ أَماكِنَ؟"
"What places?"
"كُلُّ جَسَدِكِ."
"Your whole body."
الفصل الخامس: اللَّوْحَة
Chapter Five: The Canvas
خَلَعَتْ ثَوْبَها وَوَقَفَتْ أَمامَهُ عارِيَةً. جَسَدُها المُمْتَلِئُ كَلَوْحَةٍ بَيْضاءَ.
She removed her garment and stood before him naked. Her full body like a white canvas.
ثَدْياها المُسْتَديرانِ بِحَلَماتٍ بُنِّيَّةٍ. بَطْنُها مُسْتَوِيَةٌ تَقْريباً. وِرْكاها مُنْحَنِيَتانِ بِشَكْلٍ أُنْثَوِيٍّ.
Her round breasts with brown nipples. Her belly nearly flat. Her hips curved femininely.
بَدَأَ يَكْتُبُ عَلى صَدْرِها. آياتٍ وَأَبْياتَ شِعْرٍ.
He began to write on her chest. Verses and lines of poetry.
"هَذا يُثيرُني،" هَمَسَتْ.
"This excites me," she whispered.
"هَذا فَقَطِ البِدايَةُ."
"This is only the beginning."
الفصل السادس: التَّوْقيع
Chapter Six: The Signature
نَزَلَ بِالقَلَمِ إلى بَطْنِها، يَرْسُمُ دَوائِرَ حَوْلَ سُرَّتِها. ثُمَّ نَزَلَ أَكْثَرَ.
He descended with the pen to her belly, drawing circles around her navel. Then he descended more.
"سَأُوَقِّعُ اسْمي هُنا،" قالَ وَلَمَسَ ما بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْها بِالقَلَمِ.
"I will sign my name here," he said and touched between her thighs with the pen.
"آهْ!" صَرَخَتْ مِنَ البَرْدِ وَاللَّذَّةِ.
"Ah!" she screamed from the cold and pleasure.
وَضَعَ القَلَمَ جانِباً وَأَبْدَلَهُ بِلِسانِهِ.
He put the pen aside and replaced it with his tongue.
الفصل السابع: المَحْو
Chapter Seven: The Erasure
لَعِقَ الحِبْرَ عَنْ جَسَدِها، مَحْواً مَحْواً. بَدَأَ بِصَدْرِها، يَلْعَقُ كُلَّ حَرْفٍ.
He licked the ink from her body, erasure by erasure. He began with her chest, licking every letter.
"يا اللهِ!" أَنَّتْ.
"My God!" she moaned.
نَزَلَ إلى بَطْنِها. ثُمَّ إلى ما بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْها. لَعِقَها بِشَغَفٍ حَتّى وَصَلَتْ إلى ذُرْوَتِها.
He descended to her belly. Then to between her thighs. He licked her with passion until she reached her climax.
صَرَخَتْ وَجَسَدُها يَرْتَجِفُ.
She screamed and her body trembled.
الفصل الثامن: الخَتْم
Chapter Eight: The Seal
"الآنَ سَأَخْتِمُكِ بِخاتَمي الخاصِّ،" قالَ وَخَلَعَ ثِيابَهُ.
"Now I will seal you with my special seal," he said and removed his clothes.
دَخَلَها بِرِفْقٍ. جَسَدُها المَكْتوبُ عَلَيْهِ يَلْتَفُّ حَوْلَهُ.
He entered her gently. Her inscribed body wrapped around him.
"اُكْتُبْني مِنَ الدّاخِلِ!" لَهَثَتْ.
"Write me from the inside!" she panted.
تَحَرَّكَ داخِلَها بِإيقاعٍ مُتَصاعِدٍ. ثَدْياها يَرْتَجِفانِ. الحِبْرُ المُتَبَقّي يَلْطُخُ جَسَدَيْهِما.
He moved inside her with an ascending rhythm. Her breasts trembled. The remaining ink smeared their bodies.
الفصل التاسع: الذُّرْوَة
Chapter Nine: The Climax
وَصَلا إلى الذُّرْوَةِ مَعاً. صَرَخا وَسَقَطا عَلى السَّريرِ المُلَطَّخِ بِالحِبْرِ.
They reached the climax together. They screamed and fell on the bed smeared with ink.
"أَنْتِ أَجْمَلُ ما كَتَبْتُهُ،" هَمَسَ.
"You are the most beautiful thing I have written," he whispered.
"وَأَنْتَ أَجْمَلُ خَطّاطٍ عَرَفْتُهُ."
"And you are the most beautiful calligrapher I have known."
الخاتِمَة
Epilogue
بَقِيَ عادِلٌ في شيلا ثَلاثَةَ أَشْهُرٍ حَتّى انْتَهى مِنَ المَسْجِدِ. وَكُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ، كانَ يَكْتُبُ عَلى جَسَدِ لَيْلى.
Adil stayed in Shela for three months until he finished the mosque. And every night, he would write on Layla's body.
وَيُقالُ إنَّ لَيْلى بَكَتْ حينَ رَحَلَ. لكِنَّها احْتَفَظَتْ بِقَلَمِهِ كَذِكْرى، وَأَصْبَحَتْ تَكْتُبُ بِنَفْسِها.
It is said that Layla cried when he left. But she kept his pen as a memory, and began to write herself.
انْتَهَتِ القِصَّة | The End