أَرْمَلَةُ صَانِعِ السُّيُوفِ في طُلَيْطِلَة

The Swordsmith's Widow of Toledo

الفَصْلُ الأَوَّل: الأَرْمَلَةُ وَالنَّار

Chapter One: The Widow and the Fire

كَانَتْ خَدِيجَةُ بِنْتُ أَحْمَدَ أَرْمَلَةَ أَشْهَرِ صَانِعِي السُّيُوفِ فِي طُلَيْطِلَةَ. مَاتَ زَوْجُهَا وَلَمْ يَتْرُكْ وَلَدًا ذَكَرًا، فَوَرِثَتْ هِيَ المَشْغَلَ وَأَسْرَارَ الصِّنَاعَة. وَكَانَ الرِّجَالُ يَسْخَرُونَ مِنْ فِكْرَةِ امْرَأَةٍ تَصْنَعُ السُّيُوفَ، حَتَّى رَأَوْا نَصَالَهَا الَّتِي تَشُقُّ الفُولَاذَ.

Khadija bint Ahmad was the widow of the most renowned swordsmith in Toledo. Her husband died leaving no male heir, so she inherited the forge and the secrets of the craft. Men mocked the idea of a woman forging swords, until they saw her blades that split steel.

كَانَتْ خَدِيجَةُ فِي الخَامِسَةِ وَالثَّلَاثِينَ، جَسَدُهَا قَوِيٌّ وَمُمْتَلِئٌ مِنَ العَمَلِ عَلَى الكِيرِ وَالمِطْرَقَة. ذِرَاعَاهَا صُلْبَتَانِ كَالحَدِيدِ، وَنَهْدَاهَا مُكْتَنِزَانِ تَحْتَ ثَوْبِ العَمَلِ الجِلْدِيّ. كَانَتِ النَّارُ قَدْ حَفَرَتْ عَلَى بَشَرَتِهَا سُمْرَةً ذَهَبِيَّةً.

Khadija was thirty-five, her body strong and full from working the bellows and hammer. Her arms were solid as iron, her breasts full beneath her leather work tunic. The fire had carved a golden tan upon her skin.

الفَصْلُ الثَّاني: المُحَارِبُ البَرْبَرِيّ

Chapter Two: The Berber Warrior

جَاءَهَا فَارِسٌ بَرْبَرِيٌّ يُدْعَى يُوسُفَ بنَ تَاشُفِينَ، مِنْ قَبِيلَةِ لَمْتُونَة. كَانَ طَوِيلًا كَالرُّمْحِ، جَسَدُهُ مَنْحُوتٌ مِنَ الرِّمَالِ وَالشَّمْس، وَعَيْنَاهُ صَفْرَاوَانِ كَعَيْنَيِ الأَسَد.

A Berber knight named Yusuf ibn Tashfin came to her, from the Lamtuna tribe. He was tall as a spear, his body carved from sand and sun, his eyes yellow as a lion's.

"أَحْتَاجُ سَيْفًا يَقْتُلُ مِئَةَ رَجُل،" قَالَ.

"I need a sword that can kill a hundred men," he said.

"لَا أَصْنَعُ سُيُوفًا لِلْقَتْلِ،" أَجَابَتْ خَدِيجَةُ. "أَصْنَعُ سُيُوفًا لِلْحِمَايَة."

"I do not forge swords for killing," answered Khadija. "I forge swords for protection."

"أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَحْمِيَ بِلَادَ المُسْلِمِينَ مِنَ الفِرِنْجَة. أَلَيْسَ هَذَا حِمَايَة؟"

"I want to protect Muslim lands from the Franks. Is that not protection?"

نَظَرَتْ إِلَيْهِ طَوِيلًا، ثُمَّ قَالَتْ: "سَآخُذُ شَهْرًا لِأَصْنَعَ لَكَ مَا تُرِيد. وَعَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَبْقَى هُنَا لِأُعَدِّلَ السَّيْفَ عَلَى قَبْضَتِكَ."

She looked at him long, then said: "I will take a month to forge what you want. You must stay here so I can adjust the sword to your grip."

الفَصْلُ الثَّالِث: حَرَارَةُ الكِير

Chapter Three: The Heat of the Forge

كَانَتْ خَدِيجَةُ تَعْمَلُ لَيْلًا، حِينَ تَبْرُدُ المَدِينَة. وَكَانَ يُوسُفُ يَجْلِسُ يُرَاقِبُهَا وَهِيَ تَطْرُقُ الحَدِيدَ، عَرَقُهَا يَسِيلُ بَيْنَ نَهْدَيْهَا، وَجَسَدُهَا يَتَحَرَّكُ فِي إِيقَاعِ المِطْرَقَة.

Khadija worked at night, when the city cooled. Yusuf would sit watching her hammer the iron, her sweat running between her breasts, her body moving to the hammer's rhythm.

"أَنْتِ قَوِيَّةٌ كَالرَّجُل،" قَالَ لَهَا.

"You are strong as a man," he said to her.

"أَنَا أَقْوَى،" أَجَابَتْ بِابْتِسَامَة. "الرَّجُلُ يَتْعَبُ. أَنَا لَا أَتْعَب."

"I am stronger," she answered with a smile. "A man tires. I do not tire."

فِي لَيْلَةٍ مِنَ اللَّيَالِي، وَبَيْنَمَا كَانَتْ تُخْرِجُ الحَدِيدَ المُتَوَهِّجَ مِنَ النَّارِ، شَعَرَتْ بِيَدَيْهِ عَلَى خَصْرِهَا مِنَ الخَلْف.

On one of those nights, as she drew the glowing iron from the fire, she felt his hands on her waist from behind.

"أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَرَى حَدِيدَكِ الآخَرَ،" هَمَسَ فِي أُذُنِهَا.

"I want to see your other iron," he whispered in her ear.

الفَصْلُ الرَّابِع: سَيْفَانِ يَلْتَقِيَان

Chapter Four: Two Swords Meet

ضَاجَعَهَا عَلَى أَكْيَاسِ الفَحْمِ، وَشَرَرُ الكِيرِ يَتَطَايَرُ فَوْقَهُمَا كَالنُّجُوم. كَانَتْ خَدِيجَةُ بَرِّيَّةً كَالمِطْرَقَةِ عَلَى السِّنْدَان، تُعْطِيهِ ضَرَبَاتٍ مِنَ اللَّذَّةِ تَهُزُّ جَسَدَهُ كَمَا يَهُزُّ الكِيرُ الحَدِيد.

He took her on the sacks of coal, sparks from the forge flying above them like stars. Khadija was wild as a hammer on an anvil, striking him with blows of pleasure that shook his body as the bellows shake iron.

"جَسَدُكِ نَارٌ،" قَالَ وَهُوَ يَغُوصُ فِي لَحْمِهَا المُكْتَنِز.

"Your body is fire," he said, diving into her full flesh.

"وَأَنْتَ الحَدِيدُ الَّذِي أُشَكِّلُهُ،" أَجَابَتْ وَهِيَ تُطَوِّقُهُ بِفَخِذَيْهَا القَوِيَّتَيْن.

"And you are the iron I shape," she answered, wrapping him with her strong thighs.

وَطَرَقَتْهُ طَوَالَ اللَّيْل، حَتَّى صَارَ سَيْفًا فِي يَدِهَا.

She hammered him all night, until he became a sword in her hand.

الفَصْلُ الخَامِس: أَفْضَلُ سَيْف

Chapter Five: The Finest Sword

صَنَعَتْ لَهُ خَدِيجَةُ سَيْفًا لَمْ يَرَ العَالَمُ مِثْلَهُ: نَصْلُهُ مِنْ فُولَاذٍ دِمَشْقِيٍّ، وَمَقْبِضُهُ مِنْ عَاجٍ وَذَهَب. لَكِنَّهَا أَضَافَتْ شَيْئًا لَمْ تُخْبِرْهُ بِهِ: قَطَرَاتٍ مِنْ عَرَقِهَا فِي المَعْدَن.

Khadija forged him a sword the world had never seen: its blade of Damascus steel, its hilt of ivory and gold. But she added something she did not tell him: drops of her sweat in the metal.

"هَذَا السَّيْفُ لَنْ يُهْزَم،" قَالَتْ، "لِأَنَّ فِيهِ شَيْئًا مِنِّي."

"This sword shall never be defeated," she said, "for it contains something of me."

أَخَذَهَا يُوسُفُ زَوْجَةً وَعَادَ بِهَا إِلَى بِلَادِ المَغْرِب. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ سَيْفَهَا هَذَا كَانَ الَّذِي فَتَحَ بِهِ الأَنْدَلُسَ مِنَ الفِرِنْجَة.

Yusuf took her as his wife and returned with her to the Maghreb lands. It is said this sword of hers was the one with which he conquered Andalusia from the Franks.

الخَاتِمَة

Epilogue

صَارَتْ خَدِيجَةُ أُمَّ مُلُوكِ المُرَابِطِينَ، وَعَلَّمَتْ أَبْنَاءَهَا صِنَاعَةَ السُّيُوفِ. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ سُيُوفَ طُلَيْطِلَةَ ظَلَّتْ أَفْضَلَ سُيُوفِ العَالَمِ لِقُرُونٍ، لِأَنَّ صَانِعِيهَا تَعَلَّمُوا سِرًّا: أَنَّ أَقْوَى الحَدِيدِ هُوَ الَّذِي يُطْرَقُ بِالحُبّ.

Khadija became the mother of Almoravid kings, teaching her sons the craft of sword-making. It is said that Toledo swords remained the world's finest for centuries, for their makers learned a secret: the strongest iron is that which is hammered with love.