The Sultan's Bath Attendant of Istanbul | خَادِمَةُ حَمَّامِ السُّلْطَانِ في إِسْطَنْبُول
"In the steaming chambers of the imperial hammam, a bath attendant teaches a lonely vizier that true cleansing comes not from water, but from passion."
خَادِمَةُ حَمَّامِ السُّلْطَانِ في إِسْطَنْبُول
The Sultan's Bath Attendant of Istanbul
الفَصْلُ الأَوَّل: بُخَارُ الأَسْرَار
Chapter One: Steam of Secrets
كَانَ حَمَّامُ السُّلْطَانِ فِي إِسْطَنْبُولَ أَفْخَمَ حَمَّامَاتِ الدُّنْيَا، قُبَّتُهُ مُرَصَّعَةٌ بِنُجُومٍ مِنْ زُجَاجٍ مُلَوَّن، وَبُخَارُهُ يَصْعَدُ كَأَرْوَاحِ الجِنِّ. وَكَانَتْ هُنَاكَ خَادِمَةٌ تُدْعَى جَوْهَرَةُ، أَشْهَرُ مُدَلِّكَاتِ الحَمَّام.
The Sultan's bath in Istanbul was the most magnificent in the world, its dome studded with stars of colored glass, its steam rising like the spirits of jinn. There was an attendant called Jawhara, the most famous masseuse of the hammam.
كَانَتْ جَوْهَرَةُ جَارِيَةً شَرْكَسِيَّةً فِي الثَّلَاثِينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهَا، جَسَدُهَا أَبْيَضُ وَمُمْتَلِئٌ كَسَحَابَةِ البُخَار. يَدَاهَا سِحْرِيَّتَانِ، تَعْرِفَانِ كُلَّ عَضَلَةٍ فِي جَسَدِ الإِنْسَان. كَانَ الوُزَرَاءُ يَتَنَافَسُونَ عَلَى أَنْ تَكُونَ هِيَ مَنْ تُدَلِّكُهُم.
Jawhara was a Circassian slave woman of thirty years, her body white and full as a cloud of steam. Her hands were magical, knowing every muscle in the human body. Viziers competed for her to be their masseuse.
الفَصْلُ الثَّاني: الوَزِيرُ الحَزِين
Chapter Two: The Sorrowful Vizier
جَاءَ إِلَى الحَمَّامِ وَزِيرٌ جَدِيدٌ يُدْعَى سِنَانُ بَاشَا، رَجُلٌ فِي الخَمْسِينَ، أَرْمَلٌ مَكْسُورُ القَلْب. مَاتَتْ زَوْجَتُهُ قَبْلَ سَنَةٍ، وَمُنْذُ ذَلِكَ الحِينِ لَمْ يَذُقْ طَعَامًا بِلَذَّةٍ وَلَمْ يَنَمْ نَوْمًا هَانِئًا.
A new vizier came to the hammam called Sinan Pasha, a man of fifty, a widower with a broken heart. His wife had died a year ago, and since then he had tasted no food with pleasure nor slept a peaceful sleep.
"جَسَدُكَ مُتَحَجِّرٌ كَالرُّخَامِ،" قَالَتْ جَوْهَرَةُ وَهِيَ تَبْدَأُ تَدْلِيكَهُ. "كَأَنَّكَ لَمْ تَعْرِفِ اللَّمْسَةَ مُنْذُ سِنِين."
"Your body is rigid as marble," said Jawhara as she began massaging him. "As if you have not known touch for years."
"لَمْ أَعْرِفْهَا مُنْذُ مَاتَتْ زَوْجَتِي."
"I have not known it since my wife died."
"الجَسَدُ يَحْتَاجُ اللَّمْسَ كَمَا يَحْتَاجُ المَاء. وَإِلَّا يَمُوت."
"The body needs touch as it needs water. Otherwise it dies."
الفَصْلُ الثَّالِث: أَصَابِعُ النَّار
Chapter Three: Fingers of Fire
بَدَأَتْ جَوْهَرَةُ تَدْلِيكًا لَمْ يَعْرِفْهُ سِنَانُ مِنْ قَبْل. كَانَتْ أَصَابِعُهَا تَغُوصُ فِي عَضَلَاتِهِ كَسَيْفٍ فِي زُبْدَة، تُذِيبُ التَّوَتُّرَ وَتُشْعِلُ شَيْئًا كَانَ يَظُنُّهُ قَدْ مَات.
Jawhara began a massage Sinan had never known. Her fingers dove into his muscles like a sword through butter, melting tension and igniting something he thought had died.
"أَيْنَ تَعَلَّمْتِ هَذَا؟" سَأَلَ وَصَوْتُهُ يَرْتَجِف.
"Where did you learn this?" he asked, his voice trembling.
"فِي بِلَادِ الشَّرْكَس، تَتَعَلَّمُ النِّسَاءُ فُنُونَ الجَسَدِ مُنْذُ الصِّغَر. هَذَا عِلْمٌ لَا يُكْتَبُ فِي الكُتُب."
"In Circassian lands, women learn the arts of the body from childhood. This is knowledge not written in books."
وَانْزَلَقَتْ يَدَاهَا إِلَى أَسْفَلِ ظَهْرِهِ، ثُمَّ أَسْفَل. وَشَعَرَ سِنَانُ بِشَيْءٍ يَسْتَيْقِظُ فِيهِ كَبُرْكَانٍ نَائِم.
Her hands slid to his lower back, then lower still. Sinan felt something awakening in him like a dormant volcano.
الفَصْلُ الرَّابِع: الغُرْفَةُ السِّرِّيَّة
Chapter Four: The Secret Chamber
كَانَ فِي الحَمَّامِ غُرْفَةٌ سِرِّيَّةٌ لَا يَعْرِفُهَا إِلَّا الخَاصَّة. أَخَذَتْهُ جَوْهَرَةُ إِلَيْهَا. كَانَتِ الغُرْفَةُ صَغِيرَةً، فِيهَا حَوْضٌ مِنْ مَاءٍ سَاخِنٍ وَسَرِيرٌ مِنْ رُخَام.
In the hammam was a secret chamber known only to the privileged. Jawhara took him there. The room was small, containing a basin of hot water and a marble bed.
"هُنَا،" قَالَتْ وَهِيَ تَخْلَعُ ثِيَابَ العَمَل، "أُعَلِّمُكَ كَيْفَ تَعِيشُ مِنْ جَدِيد."
"Here," she said, removing her work clothes, "I will teach you how to live again."
ظَهَرَ جَسَدُهَا المُمْتَلِئُ فِي ضَوْءِ الشُّمُوع. كَانَتْ كَتِمْثَالٍ مِنْ عَاجٍ نَحَتَهُ فَنَّانٌ مَجْنُون. دَخَلَتِ الحَوْضَ وَمَدَّتْ يَدَهَا إِلَيْه.
Her full body appeared in the candlelight. She was like an ivory statue carved by a mad artist. She entered the basin and extended her hand to him.
"تَعَال. المَاءُ دَافِئٌ."
"Come. The water is warm."
الفَصْلُ الخَامِس: الغَسْلُ وَالوِلَادَة
Chapter Five: The Washing and Rebirth
فِي المَاءِ السَّاخِنِ، عَلَّمَتْهُ جَوْهَرَةُ مَا نَسِيَهُ جَسَدُه. عَلَّمَتْهُ كَيْفَ يَلْمِسُ وَيُلْمَس، كَيْفَ يُعْطِي وَيَأْخُذ. كَانَ جَسَدُهَا المُكْتَنِزُ يَطْفُو فِي المَاءِ كَسَفِينَةٍ مِنْ حَرِير، وَهُوَ يَتَشَبَّثُ بِهَا كَغَرِيقٍ يَتَشَبَّثُ بِالنَّجَاة.
In the hot water, Jawhara taught him what his body had forgotten. She taught him how to touch and be touched, how to give and take. Her full body floated in the water like a ship of silk, and he clung to her like a drowning man clings to salvation.
"لَقَدْ غَسَلْتِنِي مِنَ المَوْت،" قَالَ وَهُمَا يَخْرُجَانِ مِنَ المَاء.
"You have washed death from me," he said as they emerged from the water.
"وَأَنْتَ غَسَلْتَنِي مِنَ الوَحْدَة،" أَجَابَتْ.
"And you have washed loneliness from me," she answered.
أَعْتَقَهَا فِي تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ وَتَزَوَّجَهَا. وَصَارَتْ سَيِّدَةَ قَصْرِهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانَتْ خَادِمَةَ حَمَّام.
He freed her that night and married her. She became the lady of his palace after having been a bath servant.
الخَاتِمَة
Epilogue
عَاشَ سِنَانُ بَاشَا عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً أُخْرَى، وَكَانَ يَقُولُ إِنَّهُ عَاشَ فِيهَا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَاشَ فِي الخَمْسِينَ الأُولَى. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ جَوْهَرَةَ عَلَّمَتْ نِسَاءَ إِسْطَنْبُولَ فُنُونَ التَّدْلِيكِ السِّرِّيّ، وَأَنَّ مَنْ تَتَعَلَّمُهَا تَمْلِكُ قَلْبَ أَيِّ رَجُل.
Sinan Pasha lived twenty more years, saying he had lived more in them than in his first fifty. It is said Jawhara taught the women of Istanbul the arts of secret massage, and whoever learns them possesses the heart of any man.