The Prince's Tutor of Shiraz | مُؤَدِّبَةُ الأَمِيرِ في شِيرَاز
"A learned Persian woman hired to educate a young prince teaches him lessons in more than poetry, awakening desires that shake the Safavid court."
مُؤَدِّبَةُ الأَمِيرِ في شِيرَاز
The Prince's Tutor of Shiraz
الفَصْلُ الأَوَّل: العَالِمَةُ الحَسْنَاء
Chapter One: The Beautiful Scholar
كَانَتْ مَهْتَابُ بِنْتُ الحَكِيمِ أَعْلَمَ نِسَاءِ شِيرَازَ بِالشِّعْرِ الفَارِسِيِّ وَالعَرَبِيّ. حَفِظَتْ دِيوَانَ حَافِظٍ وَسَعْدِيٍّ وَالمُتَنَبِّي، وَكَانَتْ تَكْتُبُ شِعْرًا يُبْكِي الحَجَر. فِي الأَرْبَعِينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهَا، وَجَمَالُهَا يَزْدَادُ كَالنَّبِيذِ المُعَتَّق.
Mahtab bint al-Hakim was the most learned woman in Shiraz in Persian and Arabic poetry. She had memorized the anthologies of Hafez, Saadi, and al-Mutanabbi, writing poetry that could make stones weep. Forty years of age, her beauty increasing like aged wine.
جَسَدُهَا نَاضِجٌ وَمُمْتَلِئٌ، كَرُمَّانَةِ شِيرَازَ المَشْهُورَةِ بِحَلَاوَتِهَا. نَهْدَاهَا دَائِرَتَانِ كَامِلَتَانِ تَحْتَ قَمِيصِهَا الحَرِيرِيّ، وَوَرِكَاهَا وَاسِعَتَانِ كَالقُبَّةِ الفَيْرُوزِيَّة.
Her body was ripe and full, like the pomegranate of Shiraz famous for its sweetness. Her breasts were two perfect circles beneath her silk shirt, her hips wide as the turquoise dome.
اسْتَأْجَرَهَا الشَّاهُ لِتُعَلِّمَ ابْنَهُ الأَمِيرَ فَيْرُوزَ، شَابًّا فِي العِشْرِينَ يَكْرَهُ الكُتُبَ وَيُحِبُّ الصَّيْدَ وَالنِّسَاء.
The Shah hired her to educate his son Prince Firouz, a youth of twenty who hated books and loved hunting and women.
الفَصْلُ الثَّاني: الدَّرْسُ الأَوَّل
Chapter Two: The First Lesson
"لَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَتَعَلَّمَ الشِّعْرَ،" قَالَ الأَمِيرُ فِي أَوَّلِ لِقَاء. "الشِّعْرُ لِلْعَجَائِزِ وَالضُّعَفَاء."
"I do not want to learn poetry," said the Prince at their first meeting. "Poetry is for old people and weaklings."
"الشِّعْرُ هُوَ سِلَاحُ الأَقْوِيَاء،" أَجَابَتْ مَهْتَاب. "حَافِظٌ فَتَحَ قُلُوبًا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا فَتَحَ السَّيْفُ مُدُنًا."
"Poetry is the weapon of the strong," answered Mahtab. "Hafez conquered more hearts than the sword conquered cities."
"وَأَيَّ قَلْبٍ فَتَحْتِ أَنْتِ بِشِعْرِكِ؟"
"And which heart have you conquered with your poetry?"
ابْتَسَمَتْ وَاقْتَرَبَتْ مِنْه. كَانَتْ رَائِحَتُهَا كَمَاءِ الوَرْد، وَعَيْنَاهَا خَضْرَاوَانِ كَحَدَائِقِ شِيرَاز. "سَأَقْرَأُ لَكَ بَيْتًا مِنْ حَافِظ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يُحَرِّكْكَ، أُعْفِيكَ مِنَ الدُّرُوس."
She smiled and approached him. Her scent was like rosewater, her eyes green as Shiraz's gardens. "I will read you one verse of Hafez. If it does not move you, I will excuse you from lessons."
الفَصْلُ الثَّالِث: بَيْتٌ مِنْ نَار
Chapter Three: A Verse of Fire
قَرَأَتْ:
She recited:
"خَرَامَشْ كَشَيْدَمْ وَ بَرْ لَبْ نَهَادَمْ بِنُوشِيدَمَشْ تَا بِجَانْ رَفْتَ مَسْتِي"
"I drew her close and to my lips I pressed her, I drank of her till to my soul went the intoxication."
وَبَيْنَمَا كَانَتْ تَقْرَأ، أَمْسَكَتْ يَدَهُ وَوَضَعَتْهَا عَلَى خَدِّهَا. شَعَرَ الأَمِيرُ بِحَرَارَةٍ لَمْ يَشْعُرْ بِهَا مَعَ جَوَارِي القَصْر.
As she recited, she took his hand and placed it on her cheek. The Prince felt a heat he had never felt with the palace concubines.
"هَلْ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَفْهَمَ هَذَا البَيْتَ فَهْمًا حَقِيقِيًّا؟" سَأَلَتْ.
"Do you want to truly understand this verse?" she asked.
"نَعَم،" أَجَابَ بِصَوْتٍ مُرْتَجِف.
"Yes," he answered in a trembling voice.
"الفَهْمُ يَحْتَاجُ تَطْبِيقًا."
"Understanding requires application."
الفَصْلُ الرَّابِع: دُرُوسٌ خَاصَّة
Chapter Four: Private Lessons
صَارَتْ دُرُوسُهُمَا خَاصَّةً جِدًّا. كَانَتْ تُعَلِّمُهُ كُلَّ بَيْتٍ بِجَسَدِهَا: حِينَ يَتَكَلَّمُ الشَّاعِرُ عَنِ الخَمْرِ، تُعَلِّمُهُ طَعْمَ شَفَتَيْهَا. وَحِينَ يَتَكَلَّمُ عَنِ القِوَامِ، تُرِيهِ انْحِنَاءَاتِ جَسَدِهَا.
Their lessons became very private. She taught him each verse with her body: when the poet spoke of wine, she taught him the taste of her lips. When he spoke of stature, she showed him the curves of her body.
"جَسَدُكِ كَدِيوَانِ شِعْر،" قَالَ لَهَا وَهُمَا عَلَى سَرِيرِهَا بَيْنَ كُتُبِهَا، "وَأَنَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَقْرَأَهُ كَامِلًا."
"Your body is like an anthology of poetry," he said while they lay on her bed among her books, "and I want to read it completely."
"إِقْرَأ،" قَالَتْ وَهِيَ تَفْتَحُ لَهُ ذِرَاعَيْهَا، "فَكُلُّ صَفْحَةٍ أَلَذُّ مِنَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهَا."
"Read," she said, opening her arms to him, "for every page is sweeter than the last."
قَرَأَهَا مِنَ العُنُقِ إِلَى القَدَمَيْن، يَحْفَظُ كُلَّ بُقْعَةٍ فِيهَا كَمَا يَحْفَظُ الشِّعْر. وَأَنَّتْ مَهْتَابُ أَنَّاتٍ كَانَتْ أَجْمَلَ مِنْ كُلِّ قَصَائِدِ حَافِظ.
He read her from neck to feet, memorizing every spot in her as one memorizes poetry. Mahtab moaned with sighs more beautiful than all of Hafez's poems.
الفَصْلُ الخَامِس: الامْتِحَانُ النِّهَائِيّ
Chapter Five: The Final Examination
اكْتَشَفَ الشَّاهُ أَمْرَهُمَا. لَكِنَّ الأَمِيرَ وَقَفَ أَمَامَ أَبِيهِ وَأَلْقَى قَصِيدَةً فِي مَدْحِ مَهْتَاب، قَصِيدَةً جَعَلَتِ الشَّاهَ يَبْكِي.
The Shah discovered their affair. But the Prince stood before his father and recited a poem in praise of Mahtab, a poem that made the Shah weep.
"مَنْ عَلَّمَكَ هَذَا؟" سَأَلَ الشَّاهُ.
"Who taught you this?" asked the Shah.
"مُعَلِّمَتِي،" أَجَابَ الأَمِيرُ. "وَأُرِيدُهَا زَوْجَةً."
"My teacher," answered the Prince. "And I want her as my wife."
وَافَقَ الشَّاهُ، لِأَنَّهُ عَرَفَ أَنَّ المَرْأَةَ الَّتِي تُعَلِّمُ أَمِيرًا الشِّعْرَ تَسْتَحِقُّ التَّاج.
The Shah agreed, for he knew that a woman who teaches a prince poetry deserves the crown.
الخَاتِمَة
Epilogue
صَارَتْ مَهْتَابُ أَمِيرَةً، ثُمَّ مَلِكَةً بَعْدَ وَفَاةِ الشَّاه. وَأَلَّفَتْ دِيوَانًا سَمَّتْهُ "دُرُوسُ الحُبِّ"، يُقَالُ إِنَّ مَنْ يَقْرَأُهُ يَتَعَلَّمُ أَسْرَارَ اللَّذَّةِ الحَقِيقِيَّة.
Mahtab became a princess, then queen after the Shah's death. She composed an anthology she named "Lessons of Love," said to teach whoever reads it the secrets of true pleasure.