The Pearl Diver's Secret of Bahrain | سِرُّ غَوَّاصِ اللُّؤْلُؤِ في البَحْرَيْن
"A legendary pearl diver discovers forbidden passion in the depths of the Arabian Gulf, where treasures of the sea pale beside the treasures of the heart."
سِرُّ غَوَّاصِ اللُّؤْلُؤِ في البَحْرَيْن
The Pearl Diver's Secret of Bahrain
الفَصْلُ الأَوَّل: أَعْمَاقُ البَحْر
Chapter One: Depths of the Sea
كَانَ يَاسِرُ بنُ خَالِدٍ أَشْهَرَ غَوَّاصٍ في جَزِيرَةِ أُوَالَ، يَغُوصُ إِلَى أَعْمَاقٍ لَا يَجْرُؤُ عَلَيْهَا سِوَاهُ، وَيَخْرُجُ بِلَآلِئَ كَأَنَّهَا دُمُوعُ القَمَرِ. وَكَانَتِ الأَرَامِلُ وَالعَذَارَى يَتَهَامَسْنَ عَنْ جَسَدِهِ الَّذِي صَقَلَتْهُ المِيَاهُ المَالِحَةُ، وَعَنْ صَدْرِهِ العَرِيضِ الَّذِي يَحْبِسُ الهَوَاءَ دَقَائِقَ طِوَالًا.
Yasir ibn Khalid was the most renowned diver on the island of Awal, descending to depths none other dared attempt, emerging with pearls like tears of the moon. Widows and maidens whispered of his body sculpted by salt waters, of his broad chest that held breath for long minutes untold.
فِي صَبَاحٍ مِنْ صَبَاحَاتِ الصَّيْفِ، حِينَ كَانَتِ الشَّمْسُ تَلْعَقُ سَطْحَ الخَلِيجِ بِأَلْسِنَةٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ، رَأَى يَاسِرٌ امْرَأَةً تَقِفُ عَلَى الشَّاطِئِ. كَانَتْ مُمْتَلِئَةَ الجِسْمِ كَأَنَّهَا نَخْلَةٌ مُثْقَلَةٌ بِالرُّطَبِ، وَرِدَاؤُهَا الأَسْوَدُ يُلَامِسُ انْحِنَاءَاتِهَا كَمَا يُلَامِسُ المَاءُ الصَّخْرَ.
On a summer morning, when the sun licked the Gulf's surface with tongues of gold, Yasir beheld a woman standing upon the shore. Her body was full like a date palm heavy with ripe fruit, her black robe caressing her curves as water caresses stone.
"أَنَا زَيْنَبُ بِنْتُ التَّاجِرِ مَنْصُورٍ،" قَالَتْ بِصَوْتٍ كَخَرِيرِ المَوْجِ، "وَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ أَنَّكَ تَعْرِفُ أَسْرَارَ البَحْرِ كُلَّهَا."
"I am Zaynab, daughter of the merchant Mansur," she said in a voice like the murmur of waves, "and I have heard you know all the secrets of the sea."
الفَصْلُ الثَّاني: لُؤْلُؤَةُ القَمَر
Chapter Two: The Moon Pearl
طَلَبَتْ زَيْنَبُ مِنْ يَاسِرٍ أَنْ يَغُوصَ بَحْثًا عَنْ لُؤْلُؤَةٍ أُسْطُورِيَّةٍ تُسَمَّى "دَمْعَةَ سَلْمَى"، يُقَالُ إِنَّهَا تَمْنَحُ حَامِلَهَا الحُبَّ الأَبَدِيَّ. وَكَانَ ثَمَنُهَا عَشْرَ لَيَالٍ مَعَهَا عَلَى سَطْحِ المَرْكَبِ، بَعِيدًا عَنْ أَعْيُنِ الجَزِيرَةِ.
Zaynab asked Yasir to dive for a legendary pearl called "Salma's Tear," said to grant its bearer eternal love. Her payment: ten nights with her aboard the vessel, far from the island's prying eyes.
فِي اللَّيْلَةِ الأُولَى، جَلَسَا تَحْتَ سَمَاءٍ مُرَصَّعَةٍ بِالنُّجُومِ. خَلَعَتْ زَيْنَبُ عَبَاءَتَهَا، فَظَهَرَ جَسَدُهَا الفَيَّاضُ تَحْتَ ثَوْبٍ رَقِيقٍ مِنَ الحَرِيرِ الهِنْدِيِّ. كَانَ بَطْنُهَا كَثِيبًا مِنْ رَمْلٍ نَاعِمٍ، وَنَهْدَاهَا كَقِبَابِ مَسَاجِدِ البَصْرَةِ.
On the first night, they sat beneath a sky studded with stars. Zaynab removed her cloak, revealing her abundant body beneath a thin garment of Indian silk. Her belly was a dune of soft sand, her breasts like the domes of Basra's mosques.
"هَلْ تَخَافُ مِنَ الأَعْمَاقِ؟" سَأَلَتْهُ وَهِيَ تَقْتَرِبُ مِنْهُ حَتَّى شَعَرَ بِحَرَارَةِ أَنْفَاسِهَا.
"Do you fear the depths?" she asked, drawing near until he felt the warmth of her breath.
"لَا أَخَافُ إِلَّا أَنْ أَغْرَقَ فِيكِ،" أَجَابَ، وَيَدُهُ تَجِدُ طَرِيقَهَا إِلَى خَصْرِهَا المُكْتَنِز.
"I fear only drowning in you," he answered, his hand finding its way to her ample waist.
الفَصْلُ الثَّالِث: الغَوْصُ فِي اللَّهَب
Chapter Three: Diving into Flame
مَعَ كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ، كَانَ يَاسِرٌ يَكْتَشِفُ أَعْمَاقًا جَدِيدَةً فِي جَسَدِ زَيْنَبَ. عَلَّمَتْهُ كَيْفَ يُبْحِرُ بِشَفَتَيْهِ عَلَى خَرِيطَةِ جِلْدِهَا، كَيْفَ يَغُوصُ بَيْنَ تَلَالِ لَحْمِهَا الدَّافِئِ حَيْثُ تَخْتَبِئُ اللَّذَّةُ كَلُؤْلُؤَةٍ نَادِرَة.
With each night, Yasir discovered new depths in Zaynab's body. She taught him to sail his lips across the map of her skin, to dive between the warm hills of her flesh where pleasure hid like a rare pearl.
وَفِي اللَّيْلَةِ السَّابِعَةِ، حِينَ كَانَ القَمَرُ بَدْرًا، ضَمَّتْهُ زَيْنَبُ بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْهَا المُمْتَلِئَتَيْنِ وَهَمَسَتْ: "غُصْ أَعْمَقَ، يَا غَوَّاصِي، فَإِنَّ كُنُوزِي لَا تُحَدُّ."
On the seventh night, when the moon was full, Zaynab embraced him between her full thighs and whispered: "Dive deeper, my diver, for my treasures know no bounds."
وَغَاصَ يَاسِرٌ، لَا فِي مَاءٍ مَالِحٍ، بَلْ فِي بَحْرٍ مِنْ لَحْمٍ وَشَهْوَةٍ وَعَرَقٍ مُعَطَّرٍ بِالعَنْبَر. وَصَرَخَتْ زَيْنَبُ صَرَخَاتٍ أَيْقَظَتِ السَّمَكَ فِي أَعْمَاقِ الخَلِيج.
And Yasir dove—not into salt water, but into a sea of flesh and desire and sweat perfumed with ambergris. Zaynab cried out with screams that woke the fish in the Gulf's depths.
الفَصْلُ الرَّابِع: الكَنْزُ الحَقِيقِيّ
Chapter Four: The True Treasure
فِي اللَّيْلَةِ العَاشِرَةِ، وَجَدَ يَاسِرٌ اللُّؤْلُؤَةَ الأُسْطُورِيَّةَ فِي أَعْمَقِ مَغَاصٍ عَرَفَهُ البَحَّارَة. كَانَتْ بِحَجْمِ بَيْضَةِ الحَمَام، تَتَلَأْلَأُ بِسَبْعَةِ أَلْوَانٍ كَأَنَّهَا تَحْوِي قَوْسَ قُزَح.
On the tenth night, Yasir found the legendary pearl in the deepest diving spot known to sailors. It was the size of a dove's egg, shimmering with seven colors as though it contained a rainbow.
لَكِنَّهُ حِينَ صَعِدَ إِلَى السَّطْحِ، وَجَدَ زَيْنَبَ بَاكِيَة. "لَا أُرِيدُهَا،" قَالَتْ، "إِنَّ الحُبَّ الأَبَدِيَّ قَدْ وَجَدْتُهُ فِي ذِرَاعَيْكَ، لَا فِي صَدَفَةٍ."
But when he surfaced, he found Zaynab weeping. "I do not want it," she said. "Eternal love I have found in your arms, not in a shell."
وَأَلْقَتْ زَيْنَبُ نَفْسَهَا عَلَيْهِ، وَجَسَدُهَا الغَزِيرُ يَغْمُرُهُ كَمَوْجَةٍ دَافِئَةٍ. وَتَحَابَّا حَتَّى طَلَعَ الفَجْرُ، وَاللُّؤْلُؤَةُ مُهْمَلَةٌ عَلَى سَطْحِ المَرْكَب.
Zaynab threw herself upon him, her generous body engulfing him like a warm wave. They loved until dawn broke, the pearl forgotten on the ship's deck.
الخَاتِمَة
Epilogue
بَاعَ يَاسِرٌ اللُّؤْلُؤَةَ لِتَاجِرٍ فَارِسِيٍّ بِثَمَنٍ يَكْفِي لِبِنَاءِ قَصْرٍ. وَتَزَوَّجَ زَيْنَبَ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُقْمِرَةٍ عَلَى الشَّاطِئِ ذَاتِهِ الَّذِي رَآهَا فِيهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّة. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ أَحْفَادَهُمَا مَا زَالُوا يَغُوصُونَ فِي الخَلِيجِ، يَبْحَثُونَ عَنْ لَآلِئَ لَنْ تُسَاوِيَ أَبَدًا مَا وَجَدَهُ جَدُّهُمْ فِي أَحْضَانِ جَدَّتِهِمْ.
Yasir sold the pearl to a Persian merchant for a price sufficient to build a palace. He married Zaynab on a moonlit night upon the same shore where he first beheld her. It is said their descendants still dive in the Gulf, searching for pearls that will never equal what their grandfather found in their grandmother's embrace.