The Spice Trader's Beloved of Aden | مَعْشُوقَةُ تَاجِرِ التَّوَابِلِ في عَدَن
"In the bustling port of Aden, a wealthy spice trader discovers that the most intoxicating spice is the Ethiopian beauty who runs his warehouse."
مَعْشُوقَةُ تَاجِرِ التَّوَابِلِ في عَدَن
The Spice Trader's Beloved of Aden
الفَصْلُ الأَوَّل: مِينَاءُ العَطْر
Chapter One: Port of Fragrance
كَانَتْ عَدَنُ أَعْظَمَ مَوَانِئِ التَّوَابِلِ فِي العَالَم، حَيْثُ تَلْتَقِي سُفُنُ الهِنْدِ بِقَوَافِلِ الحَبَشَة. وَكَانَ سُلَيْمَانُ بنُ مُحَمَّدٍ أَغْنَى تُجَّارِهَا، يَمْلِكُ مَخَازِنَ مَمْلُوءَةً بِالفُلْفُلِ وَالقِرْفَةِ وَالهَيْلِ وَالزَّعْفَرَان.
Aden was the greatest spice port in the world, where ships from India met caravans from Ethiopia. Sulayman ibn Muhammad was its wealthiest merchant, owning warehouses filled with pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and saffron.
لَكِنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ كَانَ وَحِيدًا. مَاتَتْ زَوْجَتُهُ شَابَّةً وَلَمْ يَتَزَوَّجْ بَعْدَهَا. وَكَانَ يَقْضِي لَيَالِيهِ فِي المَخَازِن، يَشُمُّ التَّوَابِلَ كَأَنَّهَا تُعَوِّضُهُ عَنْ رَائِحَةِ امْرَأَة.
But Sulayman was lonely. His wife died young and he never remarried. He spent his nights in the warehouses, smelling the spices as if they could substitute for a woman's scent.
وَكَانَتْ هُنَاكَ امْرَأَةٌ حَبَشِيَّةٌ تُدْعَى عَسَلِيَّةُ، تُدِيرُ لَهُ أَكْبَرَ مَخَازِنِهِ. اسْمُهَا عَلَى مُسَمَّاها: بَشَرَتُهَا سَوْدَاءُ لَامِعَةٌ كَالعَسَلِ الأَسْوَدِ، وَجَسَدُهَا دَافِئٌ وَمُمْتَلِئٌ كَأَكْيَاسِ التَّوَابِلِ المَمْلُوءَة.
There was an Ethiopian woman called Asaliyya who managed his largest warehouse. Her name matched her nature: her skin was black and gleaming like dark honey, her body warm and full like sacks of filled spices.
الفَصْلُ الثَّاني: حَرَارَةُ التَّوَابِل
Chapter Two: The Heat of Spices
"سَيِّدِي،" قَالَتْ عَسَلِيَّةُ لَهُ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ وَهِيَ تُفَتِّشُ شِحْنَةً جَدِيدَة، "هَلْ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ الفُلْفُلَ يُشْعِلُ الدَّمَ؟"
"My master," Asaliyya said to him one night while inspecting a new shipment, "do you know that pepper ignites the blood?"
"أَعْلَمُ،" أَجَابَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَعَيْنَاهُ عَلَى انْحِنَاءَاتِ جَسَدِهَا وَهِيَ تَنْحَنِي عَلَى الأَكْيَاس.
"I know," Sulayman answered, his eyes on the curves of her body as she bent over the sacks.
"وَالزَّنْجَبِيلُ يُحَرِّكُ الشَّهْوَةَ."
"And ginger stirs desire."
"أَعْلَمُ."
"I know."
"وَجَسَدِي،" اسْتَدَارَتْ إِلَيْه، "فِيهِ كُلُّ التَّوَابِل."
"And my body," she turned to him, "contains all the spices."
الفَصْلُ الثَّالِث: الوَصْفَةُ السِّرِّيَّة
Chapter Three: The Secret Recipe
أَخَذَتْ عَسَلِيَّةُ حَفْنَةً مِنَ الزَّعْفَرَانِ وَرَشَّتْهَا عَلَى عُنُقِهَا. "هَذَا لِلرَّائِحَة،" قَالَتْ. ثُمَّ أَخَذَتْ قِرْفَةً مَطْحُونَةً وَمَسَحَتْهَا عَلَى شَفَتَيْهَا. "وَهَذِهِ لِلطَّعْم."
Asaliyya took a handful of saffron and sprinkled it on her neck. "This is for scent," she said. Then she took ground cinnamon and rubbed it on her lips. "And this is for taste."
اقْتَرَبَ سُلَيْمَانُ مِنْهَا كَمَنْ يَمْشِي فِي حُلُم. شَمَّ عُنُقَهَا، فَدَارَ رَأْسُهُ مِنَ الزَّعْفَرَان. قَبَّلَ شَفَتَيْهَا، فَاشْتَعَلَ فَمُهُ مِنَ القِرْفَة.
Sulayman approached her as one walking in a dream. He smelled her neck, and his head spun from the saffron. He kissed her lips, and his mouth caught fire from the cinnamon.
"وَبَقِيَّةُ التَّوَابِل،" هَمَسَتْ وَهِيَ تُسْقِطُ ثَوْبَهَا، "تَجِدُهَا فِي أَمَاكِنَ أُخْرَى."
"And the rest of the spices," she whispered, letting her gown fall, "you will find in other places."
الفَصْلُ الرَّابِع: المَزْجُ وَالعَجْن
Chapter Four: Blending and Kneading
ضَاجَعَهَا عَلَى أَكْيَاسِ الهَيْلِ، وَرَائِحَةُ التَّوَابِلِ تَصْعَدُ مِنْ تَحْتِهِمَا كَبَخُورِ المَعَابِد. كَانَ جَسَدُهَا لَذِيذًا كَوَلِيمَةٍ مِنْ كُلِّ بِلَادِ الشَّرْق: طَعْمُ الهِنْدِ فِي نَهْدَيْهَا، وَرَائِحَةُ جَزَائِرِ القُرُنْفُلِ بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْهَا، وَحَرَارَةُ بِلَادِ فَارِسَ فِي قُبَلَاتِهَا.
He took her on the sacks of cardamom, the scent of spices rising from beneath them like temple incense. Her body was delicious as a feast from all Eastern lands: the taste of India in her breasts, the scent of the Clove Islands between her thighs, the heat of Persia in her kisses.
"أَنْتِ أَغْلَى مِنْ كُلِّ مَا فِي مَخَازِنِي،" هَمَسَ وَهُوَ يَعْجِنُ لَحْمَهَا المُكْتَنِزَ بِيَدَيْه.
"You are more precious than all in my warehouses," he whispered, kneading her full flesh with his hands.
"وَأَنْتَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ ذَاقَنِي،" أَجَابَتْ وَجَسَدُهَا يَتَلَوَّى تَحْتَهُ كَثُعْبَانِ الحَبَشَة.
"And you are the first to taste me," she answered, her body writhing beneath him like an Ethiopian serpent.
الفَصْلُ الخَامِس: الخَلْطَةُ الأَخِيرَة
Chapter Five: The Final Blend
أَعْتَقَهَا سُلَيْمَانُ وَتَزَوَّجَهَا فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُقْمِرَةٍ عَلَى سَطْحِ المَخْزَن. وَصَنَعَا مَعًا خَلْطَةَ تَوَابِلَ سَمَّيَاهَا "العَسَلِيَّة"، صَارَتْ أَشْهَرَ خَلْطَةٍ فِي بِلَادِ العَرَب.
Sulayman freed her and married her on a moonlit night atop the warehouse. Together they created a spice blend they called "The Asaliyya," which became the most famous blend in Arab lands.
"مَا سِرُّ هَذِهِ الخَلْطَة؟" سَأَلَهُ تَاجِرٌ هِنْدِيٌّ.
"What is this blend's secret?" asked an Indian merchant.
"الحُبُّ،" أَجَابَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَعَيْنَاهُ عَلَى زَوْجَتِهِ. "فُلْفُلُ الشَّوْقِ، وَقِرْفَةُ القُبَلِ، وَزَعْفَرَانُ الشَّهْوَة."
"Love," Sulayman answered, his eyes on his wife. "Pepper of longing, cinnamon of kisses, saffron of desire."
الخَاتِمَة
Epilogue
صَارَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَعَسَلِيَّةُ أَغْنَى تُجَّارِ عَدَنَ وَأَسْعَدَهُمَا. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ خَلْطَةَ "العَسَلِيَّة" مَا زَالَتْ تُبَاعُ فِي أَسْوَاقِ اليَمَنِ، وَمَنْ يَشْتَرِيهَا وَيَطْبُخُ بِهَا لِحَبِيبِهِ، يَظَلُّ عِشْقُهُمَا مُتَّقِدًا إِلَى الأَبَد.
Sulayman and Asaliyya became Aden's wealthiest and happiest merchants. It is said the "Asaliyya" blend is still sold in Yemen's markets, and whoever buys it and cooks with it for their beloved keeps their love burning forever.