The Perfumer of Shiraz | العَطّارَةُ في شيراز
"In the rose gardens of Shiraz, a master perfumer creates her most intoxicating blend—a forbidden passion with a young poet who seeks to capture her essence in verse."
العَطّارَةُ في شيراز
The Perfumer of Shiraz
الفصل الأول: حَدائِقُ الوُرود
Chapter One: The Rose Gardens
في شيرازَ، مَدينَةِ الوُرودِ وَالشُّعَراءِ، عاشَتْ شيرينُ بِنْتُ العَطّارِ. امْرَأَةٌ في الخامِسَةِ وَالثَّلاثينَ، وَرِثَتْ دُكّانَ أَبيها بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ.
In Shiraz, the city of roses and poets, lived Shirin bint al-Attar. A woman of thirty-five who inherited her father's shop after his death.
كانَتْ أَشْهَرَ عَطّارَةٍ في فارِسَ كُلِّها. تَصْنَعُ عُطوراً لِلْمُلوكِ وَالأُمَراءِ، عُطوراً تُسْكِرُ العُقولَ وَتُذيبُ القُلوبَ.
She was the most famous perfumer in all of Persia. She made perfumes for kings and princes, perfumes that intoxicated minds and melted hearts.
جَسَدُها مُمْتَلِئٌ كَبَتَلاتِ الوَرْدِ المُتَراكِمَةِ، بَشَرَتُها بَيْضاءُ كَالياسَمينِ، وَشَعْرُها أَسْوَدُ كَاللَّيْلِ الفارِسِيِّ.
Her body was full like accumulated rose petals, her skin white as jasmine, and her hair black as the Persian night.
"لِماذا لا تَتَزَوَّجينَ؟" كانَ الجيرانُ يَسْأَلونَ.
"Why don't you marry?" the neighbors would ask.
"لَمْ أَجِدْ رَجُلاً تَفوحُ مِنْهُ رائِحَةٌ تُعْجِبُني."
"I have not found a man whose scent pleases me."
الفصل الثاني: الشّاعِرُ الشّابّ
Chapter Two: The Young Poet
في رَبيعِ ذلِكَ العامِ، دَخَلَ دُكّانَها شابٌّ في الثّامِنَةِ وَالعِشْرينَ. وَسيمٌ بِعَيْنَيْنِ سَوْداوَيْنِ عَميقَتَيْنِ وَشَعْرٍ طَويلٍ.
In the spring of that year, a young man of twenty-eight entered her shop. Handsome with deep black eyes and long hair.
"أُريدُ عِطْراً يَجْعَلُ النِّساءَ يَقَعْنَ في حُبّي،" قالَ بِابْتِسامَةٍ.
"I want a perfume that makes women fall in love with me," he said with a smile.
"أَنْتَ شاعِرٌ، أَلَيْسَ كَذلِكَ؟"
"You are a poet, are you not?"
"كَيْفَ عَرَفْتِ؟"
"How did you know?"
"الشُّعَراءُ وَحْدَهُمْ يَظُنّونَ أَنَّ العِطْرَ يَجْلِبُ الحُبَّ. الحُبُّ يَأْتي مِنَ القَلْبِ، لا مِنَ القارورَةِ."
"Only poets think perfume brings love. Love comes from the heart, not from a bottle."
ضَحِكَ. "أَنا رُسْتُمُ الشّيرازِيُّ. وَأَنْتِ؟"
He laughed. "I am Rustam the Shirazi. And you?"
"أَنا شيرينُ. صاحِبَةُ هذا الدُّكّانِ."
"I am Shirin. The owner of this shop."
"شيرينُ. اِسْمٌ حُلْوٌ كَصاحِبَتِهِ."
"Shirin. A name as sweet as its owner."
الفصل الثالث: رائِحَةُ الإلْهام
Chapter Three: The Scent of Inspiration
صارَ رُسْتُمُ يَزورُ الدُّكّانَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ. يَجْلِسُ، يَشْرَبُ الشّايَ، يَقْرَأُ لَها قَصائِدَهُ.
Rustam began visiting the shop every day. He sat, drank tea, read her his poems.
"قَصائِدُكَ جَميلَةٌ،" قالَتْ لَهُ يَوْماً. "لكِنَّها تَفْتَقِرُ لِشَيْءٍ."
"Your poems are beautiful," she told him one day. "But they lack something."
"ما هُوَ؟"
"What is it?"
"تَفْتَقِرُ لِرائِحَةِ الحُبِّ الحَقيقِيِّ. أَنْتَ تَكْتُبُ عَنِ الحُبِّ لكِنَّكَ لَمْ تَشَمَّهُ أَبَداً."
"They lack the scent of true love. You write about love but you have never smelled it."
"وَما رائِحَةُ الحُبِّ؟"
"And what does love smell like?"
اقْتَرَبَتْ مِنْهُ. "هذا ما يَجِبُ أَنْ تَكْتَشِفَهُ بِنَفْسِكَ."
She approached him. "That is what you must discover yourself."
أَمْسَكَ يَدَها. "هَلْ تُعَلِّمينَني؟"
He took her hand. "Will you teach me?"
الفصل الرابع: العِطْرُ الخاصّ
Chapter Four: The Special Perfume
في لَيْلَةٍ مُقْمِرَةٍ، أَغْلَقَتْ دُكّانَها وَدَعَتْهُ لِلْبَقاءِ.
On a moonlit night, she closed her shop and invited him to stay.
"سَأَصْنَعُ لَكَ عِطْراً خاصّاً اللَّيْلَةَ."
"I will make you a special perfume tonight."
"وَما مُكَوِّناتُهُ؟"
"And what are its ingredients?"
"جَسَدي."
"My body."
أَزالَتْ ثِيابَها بِبُطْءٍ. ظَهَرَ جَسَدُها المُمْتَلِئُ في ضَوْءِ الشُّموعِ.
She removed her clothes slowly. Her full body appeared in the candlelight.
نَهْداها كَبيرانِ ناعِمانِ كَبَتَلاتِ الوَرْدِ، بَطْنُها مُسْتَديرَةٌ كَقَمَرِ شيرازَ، وَوِرْكاها عَريضَتانِ كَحَدائِقِ القَصْرِ.
Her breasts were large and soft like rose petals, her belly round as the moon of Shiraz, and her hips wide as the palace gardens.
"تَعالَ. شُمَّني."
"Come. Smell me."
الفصل الخامس: المَزْجُ الأَوَّل
Chapter Five: The First Blend
اقْتَرَبَ مِنْها. شَمَّ عُنُقَها.
He approached her. He smelled her neck.
"رائِحَةُ الياسَمينِ."
"The scent of jasmine."
"أَكْمِلْ."
"Continue."
نَزَلَ إلى نَهْدَيْها. شَمَّهُما، ثُمَّ قَبَّلَهُما.
He descended to her breasts. He smelled them, then kissed them.
"رائِحَةُ الوَرْدِ الدِّمَشْقِيِّ."
"The scent of Damascus rose."
"أَحْسَنْتَ. وَماذا أَيْضاً؟"
"Well done. And what else?"
نَزَلَ إلى بَطْنِها. قَبَّلَها بِحَنانٍ.
He descended to her belly. He kissed it tenderly.
"رائِحَةُ العَنْبَرِ."
"The scent of ambergris."
"وَإذا نَزَلْتَ أَكْثَرَ؟"
"And if you go lower?"
الفصل السادس: الجَوْهَرَةُ المَخْفِيَّة
Chapter Six: The Hidden Gem
نَزَلَ بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْها. شَمَّ زَهْرَتَها.
He descended between her thighs. He smelled her flower.
"هذا... هذا عِطْرٌ لَمْ أَعْرِفْهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ."
"This... this is a perfume I have never known before."
"هذا عِطْرُ الشَّهْوَةِ. لا يُباعُ في الأَسْواقِ."
"This is the perfume of desire. It is not sold in markets."
"أُريدُ أَنْ أَتَذَوَّقَهُ."
"I want to taste it."
لَحَسَها بِلِسانِهِ. صَرَخَتْ مِنَ اللَّذَّةِ.
He licked her with his tongue. She cried out from pleasure.
"يا إلهي! تَذَوَّقْني أَكْثَرَ!"
"My God! Taste me more!"
اسْتَمَرَّ يَلْعَقُها حَتّى وَصَلَتْ إلى ذُرْوَتِها، جَسَدُها يَرْتَجِفُ كَوَرْدَةٍ في الرّيحِ.
He continued licking her until she reached her peak, her body trembling like a rose in the wind.
الفصل السابع: المَزْجُ الكامِل
Chapter Seven: The Complete Blend
"الآنَ،" قالَتْ وَهِيَ تُلْهِثُ، "اِمْزِجْ عِطْرَكَ مَعَ عِطْري."
"Now," she said panting, "blend your perfume with mine."
خَلَعَ ثِيابَهُ. جَسَدُهُ نَحيلٌ قَوِيٌّ، وَذَكَرُهُ مُنْتَصِبٌ.
He removed his clothes. His body was lean and strong, and his member erect.
دَخَلَها بِبُطْءٍ. أَنَّتْ بِصَوْتٍ عَميقٍ.
He entered her slowly. She moaned with a deep voice.
"أَعْمَقُ! اِمْزِجْنا مَزْجاً كامِلاً!"
"Deeper! Blend us completely!"
بَدَأَ يَتَحَرَّكُ. جَسَداهُما يَتَّحِدانِ كَعِطْرَيْنِ يَمْتَزِجانِ.
He began to move. Their bodies united like two perfumes blending.
"أَسْرَعُ! أَقْوى!"
"Faster! Harder!"
زادَ سُرْعَتَهُ. نَهْداها الكَبيرانِ يَهْتَزّانِ، وَعَرَقُهُما يَمْتَزِجُ.
He increased his speed. Her large breasts swayed, and their sweat mixed.
الفصل الثامن: العِطْرُ الأَبَدِيّ
Chapter Eight: The Eternal Perfume
"أَنا قَريبَةٌ!" صَرَخَتْ.
"I am close!" she cried.
"مَعاً! سَنَصْنَعُ العِطْرَ الأَبَدِيَّ!"
"Together! We will make the eternal perfume!"
وَصَلا إلى ذُرْوَتِهِما مَعاً. صَرَخا صَرْخَةً مَلَأَتِ الدُّكّانَ.
They reached their peak together. They cried out a cry that filled the shop.
أَفْرَغَ نَفْسَهُ داخِلَها، حَرارَتُهُ تَمْتَزِجُ مَعَ رُطوبَتِها.
He emptied himself inside her, his heat mixing with her moisture.
اسْتَلْقَيا مُتَعانِقَيْنِ، رائِحَةُ الحُبِّ تَفوحُ مِنْ جَسَدَيْهِما.
They lay embracing, the scent of love emanating from their bodies.
"الآنَ أَعْرِفُ رائِحَةَ الحُبِّ،" قالَ رُسْتُمُ.
"Now I know the scent of love," said Rustam.
"فَاكْتُبْ عَنْهُ."
"Then write about it."
الخاتِمَة
Epilogue
كَتَبَ رُسْتُمُ قَصيدَةً عَنْ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ. صارَتْ أَشْهَرَ قَصائِدِهِ، يُرَدِّدُها العُشّاقُ في كُلِّ أَنْحاءِ فارِسَ.
Rustam wrote a poem about that night. It became his most famous poem, recited by lovers throughout Persia.
تَزَوَّجا وَعاشا في دُكّانِ العِطورِ. وَكُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ، كانا يَصْنَعانِ عِطْراً جَديداً لا يَعْرِفُهُ أَحَدٌ سِواهُما.
They married and lived in the perfume shop. And every night, they made a new perfume that no one knew but themselves.
انْتَهَتِ القِصَّة | The End