خَطّاطُ القَيْرَوان

The Calligrapher of Kairouan

الفصل الأول: المَدينَةُ المُقَدَّسَة

Chapter One: The Holy City

في مَدينَةِ القَيْرَوانِ المُقَدَّسَةِ، عاشَ الخَطّاطُ مُصْطَفى بنُ عَلِيٍّ. كانَ أَشْهَرَ خَطّاطٍ في كُلِّ إفْريقِيَّةَ، يَأْتيهِ النّاسُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكانٍ لِيَكْتُبَ لَهُمُ المَصاحِفَ وَالعُقودَ.

In the holy city of Kairouan lived the calligrapher Mustafa ibn Ali. He was the most famous calligrapher in all of Ifriqiya, people coming to him from everywhere to write Qurans and contracts for them.

كانَ في الأَرْبَعينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهِ، رَجُلاً نَحيفاً ذا أَصابِعَ طَويلَةٍ رَشيقَةٍ. عَيْناهُ بُنِّيَّتانِ عَميقَتانِ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ التَّحْديقِ في الحُروفِ.

He was forty years of age, a thin man with long, graceful fingers. His eyes were deep brown from staring so much at letters.

ذاتَ يَوْمٍ، جاءَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ غَيَّرَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ.

One day, a woman came to him who changed everything.

الفصل الثاني: البَرْبَرِيَّة

Chapter Two: The Berber Woman

"أُريدُكَ أَنْ تَكْتُبَ عَقْدَ زَواجي،" قالَتِ المَرْأَةُ الواقِفَةُ أَمامَهُ.

"I want you to write my marriage contract," said the woman standing before him.

كانَتْ بَرْبَرِيَّةً في الثَّلاثينَ مِنْ عُمْرِها، ذاتَ بَشَرَةٍ سَمْراءَ ذَهَبِيَّةٍ وَعَيْنَيْنِ سَوْداوَيْنِ كَبيرَتَيْنِ. شَعْرُها أَسْوَدُ مُجَعَّدٌ. وَجَهُها مَوْشومٌ بِالطَّريقَةِ البَرْبَرِيَّةِ التَّقْليدِيَّةِ.

She was a Berber woman in her thirties, with golden brown skin and large black eyes. Her hair was black and curly. Her face was tattooed in the traditional Berber way.

لكِنَّ الأَكْثَرَ لَفْتاً لِلنَّظَرِ كانَ جَسَدُها. كانَتْ مُمْتَلِئَةً جِدّاً بِالطَّريقَةِ التي يُحِبُّها البَرْبَرُ. صَدْرُها ضَخْمٌ تَحْتَ ثِيابِها المُلَوَّنَةِ، وَوِرْكاها عَريضَتانِ جِدّاً.

But most striking was her body. She was very full in the way Berbers love. Her chest was massive under her colorful clothes, and her hips were very wide.

"اسْمي مَلِيكَةُ،" قالَتْ. "وَأَنا أُتَزَوَّجُ بَعْدَ أُسْبوعٍ."

"My name is Malika," she said. "And I am getting married after a week."

الفصل الثالث: العَمَل

Chapter Three: The Work

جاءَتْ مَلِيكَةُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ لِتَرى تَقَدُّمَ العَمَلِ. وَفي كُلِّ زِيارَةٍ، كانَتِ المُحادَثاتُ تَطولُ.

Malika came every day to see the progress of the work. And with each visit, the conversations grew longer.

"زَواجي مُرَتَّبٌ،" قالَتْ ذاتَ يَوْمٍ. "لَمْ أَخْتَرْ زَوْجي."

"My marriage is arranged," she said one day. "I did not choose my husband."

"هذا شائِعٌ."

"That is common."

"لكِنَّهُ رَجُلٌ عَجوزٌ. في السِّتّينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهِ. غَنِيٌّ لكِنَّهُ لا يُثيرُني."

"But he is an old man. Sixty years of age. Rich but he does not excite me."

نَظَرَ إلَيْها مُصْطَفى. "ماذا يُثيرُكِ؟"

Mustafa looked at her. "What excites you?"

نَظَرَتْ إلَيْهِ بِعَيْنَيْها السَّوْداوَيْنِ الكَبيرَتَيْنِ. "رَجُلٌ ماهِرُ اليَدَيْنِ. رَجُلٌ يَعْرِفُ كَيْفَ يَلْمِسُ الأَشْياءَ بِرِقَّةٍ."

She looked at him with her large black eyes. "A man skilled with his hands. A man who knows how to touch things gently."

الفصل الرابع: لَيْلَةٌ قَبْلَ الزِّفاف

Chapter Four: A Night Before the Wedding

في اللَّيْلَةِ الأَخيرَةِ قَبْلَ زَواجِها، جاءَتْ مَلِيكَةُ إلى دُكّانِهِ.

On the last night before her wedding, Malika came to his shop.

"العَقْدُ جاهِزٌ،" قالَ مُصْطَفى وَهُوَ يُريها العَمَلَ النِّهائِيَّ.

"The contract is ready," Mustafa said, showing her the final work.

"جَميلٌ،" قالَتْ. "لكِنَّني لَمْ آتِ لِأَرى العَقْدَ."

"Beautiful," she said. "But I did not come to see the contract."

"لِماذا جِئْتِ إذاً؟"

"Why did you come then?"

أَغْلَقَتِ البابَ خَلْفَها. "غَداً سَأَتَزَوَّجُ رَجُلاً لا أُحِبُّهُ. وَلَمْ أَعْرِفِ المُتْعَةَ الحَقيقِيَّةَ في حَياتي أَبَداً."

She closed the door behind her. "Tomorrow I will marry a man I do not love. And I have never known true pleasure in my life."

"ماذا تُريدينَ مِنّي؟"

"What do you want from me?"

"أُريدُكَ أَنْتَ."

"I want you."

الفصل الخامس: الكَشْف

Chapter Five: The Revelation

خَلَعَتْ ثِيابَها المُلَوَّنَةَ البَرْبَرِيَّةَ. ظَهَرَ جَسَدُها في ضَوْءِ المِصْباحِ.

She removed her colorful Berber clothes. Her body appeared in the lamplight.

كانَتْ فاتِنَةً. سَمْراءُ ذَهَبِيَّةُ البَشَرَةِ. جَسَدُها مُمْتَلِئٌ جِدّاً بِمُنْحَنَياتٍ بَرْبَرِيَّةٍ. ثَدْياها ضَخْمانِ ثَقيلانِ بِحَلَماتٍ داكِنَةٍ. بَطْنُها مُسْتَديرَةٌ مَوْشومَةٌ بِرُموزٍ بَرْبَرِيَّةٍ قَديمَةٍ. وِرْكاها عَريضَتانِ جِدّاً وَأَرْدافُها ضَخْمَةٌ.

She was enchanting. Golden brown-skinned. Her body was very full with Berber curves. Her breasts were massive and heavy with dark nipples. Her belly was round, tattooed with ancient Berber symbols. Her hips were very wide and her buttocks were huge.

"الوَشْمُ عَلى بَطْنِكِ..." بَدَأَ مُصْطَفى.

"The tattoo on your belly..." Mustafa began.

"رُموزُ الخُصوبَةِ. وَضَعَتْها جَدَّتي حينَ كُنْتُ صَغيرَةً."

"Fertility symbols. My grandmother placed them when I was young."

"أَجْمَلُ مِنْ أَيِّ خَطٍّ كَتَبْتُهُ."

"More beautiful than any script I have written."

الفصل السادس: اللَّمْسَة

Chapter Six: The Touch

"الْمِسْني،" قالَتْ. "الْمِسْني كَما تَلْمِسُ القَلَمَ."

"Touch me," she said. "Touch me as you touch the pen."

مَدَّ أَصابِعَهُ الطَّويلَةَ الرَّشيقَةَ وَلَمَسَ صَدْرَها الضَّخْمَ بِرِفْقٍ. كانَتْ بَشَرَتُها ناعِمَةً دافِئَةً.

He extended his long, graceful fingers and touched her massive chest gently. Her skin was soft and warm.

"يَداكَ سِحْرِيَّتانِ،" تَنَهَّدَتْ.

"Your hands are magical," she sighed.

نَزَلَتْ يَداهُ إلى بَطْنِها المَوْشومَةِ. تَتَبَّعَ الرُّموزَ بِأَصابِعِهِ كَأَنَّهُ يَقْرَأُ نَصّاً قَديماً.

His hands descended to her tattooed belly. He traced the symbols with his fingers as if reading an ancient text.

"أَنْتِ مَخْطوطَةٌ حَيَّةٌ،" هَمَسَ.

"You are a living manuscript," he whispered.

"اِقْرَأْني كُلَّها."

"Read me entirely."

الفصل السابع: الاتِّحاد

Chapter Seven: The Union

أَلْقاها عَلى الوَسائِدِ بَيْنَ الأَوْراقِ وَالأَقْلامِ. خَلَعَ ثِيابَهُ وَاسْتَلْقى فَوْقَها.

He laid her on the cushions among the papers and pens. He removed his clothes and lay upon her.

"اُدْخُلْني،" أَمَرَتْهُ. "أُريدُ أَنْ أَعْرِفَ المُتْعَةَ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَموتَ."

"Enter me," she commanded him. "I want to know pleasure before I die."

فَتَحَتْ ساقَيْها العَريضَتَيْنِ وَاسْتَقْبَلَتْهُ. دَخَلَها بِبُطْءٍ وَرِقَّةٍ كَما يَكْتُبُ حَرْفاً.

She opened her wide legs and received him. He entered her slowly and gently as if writing a letter.

"آهٍ!" أَنَّتْ. "هكَذا. بِهذا البُطْءِ."

"Ah!" she moaned. "Like that. With this slowness."

تَحَرَّكَ داخِلَها بِإيقاعٍ بَطيءٍ مُتَّزِنٍ. كانَ يَعْزِفُ عَلى جَسَدِها كَما يَعْزِفُ القَلَمُ عَلى الوَرَقِ.

He moved inside her with a slow, balanced rhythm. He was playing on her body as the pen plays on paper.

جَسَدُها المُمْتَلِئُ يَتَمَوَّجُ تَحْتَهُ. ثَدْياها الضَّخْمانِ يَرْتَجِفانِ.

Her full body undulated beneath him. Her massive breasts trembled.

الفصل الثامن: الذُّروَة

Chapter Eight: The Climax

زادَ سُرْعَتَهُ تَدْريجِيّاً. كانَتْ تَصْرُخُ بِلُغَةٍ بَرْبَرِيَّةٍ لَمْ يَفْهَمْها.

He increased his speed gradually. She was crying out in a Berber language he did not understand.

"أَنا قَريبَةٌ!" صَرَخَتْ أَخيراً بِالعَرَبِيَّةِ.

"I am close!" she finally cried in Arabic.

"وَأَنا أَيْضاً!"

"And I too!"

وَصَلا إلى الذُّروَةِ مَعاً. صَرَخا بِصَوْتٍ واحِدٍ. انْسَكَبَ داخِلَها وَهِيَ تَرْتَجِفُ تَحْتَهُ، جَسَدُها المُمْتَلِئُ يَتَشَنَّجُ بِاللَّذَّةِ.

They reached the climax together. They cried out with one voice. He spilled inside her while she trembled beneath him, her full body convulsing with pleasure.

الخاتِمَة

Epilogue

في الصَّباحِ، غادَرَتْ مَلِيكَةُ لِتَتَزَوَّجَ زَوْجَها العَجوزَ. لكِنَّها ابْتَسَمَتْ لِأَنَّها عَرَفَتِ المُتْعَةَ الحَقيقِيَّةَ.

In the morning, Malika left to marry her old husband. But she smiled because she had known true pleasure.

وَمُصْطَفى؟ أَصْبَحَ خَطُّهُ أَجْمَلَ بَعْدَ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ. يَقولُ النّاسُ إنَّ حُروفَهُ أَصْبَحَتْ تَرْقُصُ عَلى الوَرَقِ كَجَسَدِ امْرَأَةٍ.

And Mustafa? His calligraphy became more beautiful after that night. People say his letters began to dance on paper like a woman's body.

وَلَمْ يَنْسَها أَبَداً.

And he never forgot her.

انْتَهَتِ القِصَّة | The End