ابْنَةُ البَيَّازِ في بُخَارَى

The Falconer's Daughter of Bukhara

الفَصْلُ الأَوَّل: المَرْأَةُ وَالصَّقْر

Chapter One: The Woman and the Falcon

كَانَ أَبُو طُغَانَ أَشْهَرَ بَيَّازٍ فِي بُخَارَى، يُدَرِّبُ الصُّقُورَ لِلْأُمَرَاءِ وَالمُلُوك. لَكِنَّ ابْنَتَهُ طُغَانَ كَانَتْ أَمْهَرَ مِنْهُ. وُلِدَتْ وَفِي عَيْنَيْهَا نَظْرَةُ الصَّقْر، وَفِي رُوحِهَا حُرِّيَّةُ الطَّيْر.

Abu Tughan was the most famous falconer in Bukhara, training hawks for princes and kings. But his daughter Tughan was more skilled than he. She was born with a falcon's gaze in her eyes and a bird's freedom in her soul.

كَانَتْ طُغَانُ فِي الخَامِسَةِ وَالعِشْرِينَ، جَسَدُهَا قَوِيٌّ وَمُمْتَلِئٌ مِنَ الحَيَاةِ فِي البَرَارِي. ذِرَاعَاهَا صُلْبَتَانِ مِنْ حَمْلِ الصُّقُور، وَفَخِذَاهَا ثَقِيلَتَانِ مِنْ رُكُوبِ الخَيْل. شَعْرُهَا أَسْوَدُ كَرِيشِ الغُرَابِ، يَتَطَايَرُ فِي الرِّيحِ كَأَجْنِحَة.

Tughan was twenty-five, her body strong and full from life in the wilderness. Her arms were solid from carrying falcons, her thighs heavy from riding horses. Her hair was black as raven feathers, flying in the wind like wings.

الفَصْلُ الثَّاني: الأَمِيرُ الصَّيَّاد

Chapter Two: The Hunting Prince

جَاءَ إِلَى بُخَارَى أَمِيرٌ مَغُولِيٌّ يُدْعَى بَاتُورُ، حَفِيدُ جَنْكِيز خَان. كَانَ يَبْحَثُ عَنْ صَقْرٍ يَسْتَطِيعُ صَيْدَ الذِّئَاب. سَمِعَ عَنْ طُغَانَ فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَرَاهَا.

A Mongol prince named Batur came to Bukhara, a descendant of Genghis Khan. He was seeking a falcon that could hunt wolves. He heard of Tughan and wished to see her.

"النِّسَاءُ لَا يُدَرِّبْنَ الصُّقُورَ،" قَالَ مُسْتَهْزِئًا.

"Women do not train falcons," he said mockingly.

"وَالرِّجَالُ لَا يَصِيدُونَ الذِّئَابَ بِالصُّقُور،" أَجَابَتْ طُغَانُ. "لَكِنَّنِي أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أُرِيكَ مَا لَا تَعْرِفُه."

"And men do not hunt wolves with falcons," answered Tughan. "But I can show you what you do not know."

خَرَجَا مَعًا إِلَى السَّهْلِ. وَحِينَ رَأَى بَاتُورُ صَقْرَهَا يَنْقَضُّ عَلَى ذِئْبٍ وَيَقْتُلُهُ، عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ أَمَامَ امْرَأَةٍ لَا مَثِيلَ لَهَا.

They went out together to the steppe. When Batur saw her falcon dive upon a wolf and kill it, he knew he stood before a woman without equal.

الفَصْلُ الثَّالِث: الصَّيْدُ وَالصَّيَّاد

Chapter Three: The Hunt and the Hunter

"أُرِيدُ أَنْ تُعَلِّمِينِي،" قَالَ بَاتُورُ.

"I want you to teach me," said Batur.

"التَّعْلِيمُ يَحْتَاجُ صَبْرًا. هَلْ لَدَيْكَ صَبْر؟"

"Teaching requires patience. Do you have patience?"

"لَدَيَّ مَا يَكْفِي."

"I have enough."

بَدَأَتْ طُغَانُ تُعَلِّمُهُ. كَانَتْ تَقِفُ خَلْفَهُ، جَسَدُهَا المُمْتَلِئُ يَلْمِسُ ظَهْرَهُ، وَهِيَ تُوَجِّهُ ذِرَاعَهُ. "الصَّقْرُ يَشْعُرُ بِكُلِّ شَيْء،" هَمَسَتْ فِي أُذُنِهِ. "إِذَا اشْتَعَلَتْ رَغْبَتُكَ، يَطِيرُ. وَإِذَا خِفْتَ، يَنْقَضُّ عَلَيْكَ."

Tughan began teaching him. She stood behind him, her full body touching his back, guiding his arm. "The falcon senses everything," she whispered in his ear. "If your desire ignites, it flies away. If you fear, it attacks you."

"وَمَاذَا لَوِ اشْتَعَلَتْ رَغْبَتِي فِيكِ؟"

"And what if my desire ignites for you?"

"حِينَئِذٍ،" ابْتَسَمَتْ، "أَنَا الصَّقْرُ الَّذِي يَجِبُ أَنْ تَصِيدَه."

"Then," she smiled, "I am the falcon you must catch."

الفَصْلُ الرَّابِع: التَّرْوِيض

Chapter Four: The Taming

رَاوَدَهَا بَاتُورُ أَيَّامًا، لَكِنَّهَا كَانَتْ تَهْرُبُ كَالصَّقْرِ البَرِّيّ. عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ يَحْتَاجُ طَرِيقَةً أُخْرَى. فَأَتَى لَهَا بِأَنْدَرِ صَقْرٍ فِي العَالَم: صَقْرٌ أَبْيَضُ مِنْ جِبَالِ الهِمَالَايَا.

Batur pursued her for days, but she escaped like a wild falcon. He knew he needed another approach. So he brought her the rarest falcon in the world: a white falcon from the Himalayan mountains.

"هَذَا مَهْرُكِ،" قَالَ.

"This is your bride-price," he said.

نَظَرَتْ طُغَانُ إِلَى الصَّقْرِ الأَبْيَض، ثُمَّ إِلَى بَاتُور. "الصَّقْرُ لَا يُشْتَرَى وَلَا يُبَاع. وَكَذَلِكَ أَنَا."

Tughan looked at the white falcon, then at Batur. "A falcon is neither bought nor sold. And neither am I."

"إِذَنْ كَيْفَ أَحْصُلُ عَلَيْكِ؟"

"Then how do I obtain you?"

"بِأَنْ تَصِيرَ جَدِيرًا بِي."

"By becoming worthy of me."

تَحَدَّتْهُ إِلَى سِبَاقٍ فِي الصَّيْد. مَنْ يَصِيدُ أَكْثَرَ يَفُوز. سَابَقَهَا بَاتُورُ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَفِي النِّهَايَةِ تَعَادَلَا.

She challenged him to a hunting contest. Whoever caught more would win. Batur raced her for three days, and in the end they tied.

الفَصْلُ الخَامِس: جَنَاحَانِ يَلْتَقِيَان

Chapter Five: Two Wings Meet

"تَعَادَلْنَا،" قَالَ بَاتُور.

"We tied," said Batur.

"إِذَنْ كِلَانَا فَائِز،" قَالَتْ طُغَان. "وَكِلَانَا يَسْتَحِقُّ الآخَر."

"Then we are both winners," said Tughan. "And each deserves the other."

فِي تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ، تَحْتَ سَمَاءِ السَّهْلِ المُرَصَّعَةِ بِالنُّجُوم، تَعَانَقَا عَلَى فِرَاشٍ مِنَ العُشْب. كَانَتْ طُغَانُ بَرِّيَّةً كَالصَّقْر، تَخْدِشُ وَتَعَضُّ وَتَصْرُخ. وَجَسَدُهَا المُمْتَلِئُ القَوِيُّ يَتَصَارَعُ مَعَهُ كَمَا يَتَصَارَعُ طَائِرَانِ فِي السَّمَاء.

That night, beneath the star-studded steppe sky, they embraced on a bed of grass. Tughan was wild as a falcon, scratching and biting and screaming. Her full, strong body wrestled with him as two birds wrestle in the sky.

"أَنْتِ أَصْعَبُ صَيْدٍ صِدْتُهُ،" قَالَ وَهُمَا يَلْهَثَان.

"You are the hardest prey I have ever caught," he said as they panted.

"وَأَنْتَ أَوَّلُ مَنِ اصْطَادَنِي."

"And you are the first to catch me."

الخَاتِمَة

Epilogue

تَزَوَّجَ بَاتُورُ طُغَانَ وَأَخَذَهَا إِلَى بِلَادِ المَغُول. وَصَارَتْ أَشْهَرَ بَيَّازَةٍ فِي الإِمْبِرَاطُورِيَّة، تُدَرِّبُ صُقُورَ الخَانَاتِ وَالأُمَرَاء. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ نَسْلَهَا مَا زَالَ يَعِيشُ فِي السُّهُوبِ، يَحْمِلُونَ فِي عُيُونِهِمْ نَظْرَةَ الصَّقْر.

Batur married Tughan and took her to Mongol lands. She became the most famous falconer in the empire, training hawks for khans and princes. It is said her descendants still live on the steppes, carrying the falcon's gaze in their eyes.