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من يوميات عظم
ترجمة : أسماء حسن
محمد
From
the diary of a bone by Sabiha Shubber
Bone as I am, I was
there in that combination of broken bones hanging between
the consumed meat. With face disfigured by fatigue and
sadness that had tormented in all those difficult years, she
was no longer a lady whose face was a beautiful, and whose
features were a symbol of joy and serenity to many people.
Today, everything had changed, even her hair had quickly
turned white. She was there, searching between accumulated
bones that randomly tossed in that place.
With a loud voice,
she had asked: Are all bones taken by their families?
I had known her
voice. In fact, I had even remembered how she kept rocking
me when I was a child, and the pretty tales she told me
when my eyes refused to submit to sleep because they still
expected a much more pampering.She was really beautiful and
I loved her, not only for her beauty but also for her
courage and ability to withstand the difficulties of life
and my loud screams that ran without truce because I always
wanted to be close to her.
The old lady had
searched between the bones, trying to put the pieces next to
each other to form a creature, who was once so dear to her
heart. Seeeing her, I had felt a great pity for her.. With a
burning desire and eagerness, she had continued asking the
man who was guarding the bones:
Are
there other bones? Perhaps, in a place nearby!
Her voice, which
turned into a tone of supplication and fear, has always
excited me despite her attempts to hide her weakness. She
had once a beautiful voice, singing the most beautiful songs
of Fayruz with a very gentle and intimate intonation which
is so dear to my heart. And I would say it was very similar
to the voice of the original singer, taking me to other
worlds filled with joy and beauty from which I did not want
to leave.
The lady had
returned to ask insistently:
Where
will they ever put the other bones?
I had felt
frightened by the weakness that her voice has sent. I
thought that I would never have had to see her in this way,
but it seems that the days had first their effects on the
souls, then the psyche of the body. It changed us with an
extreme speed, turning us into such amazing form.
The woman, who
always impressed me by her splendid beauty, had continued
asking the man:
Do
you know where is the rest of the bones of the other bodies?
I was puzzled by
the question. It appeared that the woman did not know what
had really happened. There were so many bones, and so many
bodies, which randomly accumulated here. Suddenly, she has
found my arm, which recognised by the sleeve shirt that she
had sewn with his soft hands.
Puzzeled, she had
asked him again:
Do
you know where can I find the right arm and the left leg?
Oh, my dear lady,
do not you know that they were cutting our own throats, and
I never imagined that I would be a witness for your
puzzle.. You have to realize that you are hopelessly
searching..
Weeping, the child
kept looking for a beautiful lady, singing to him with a
voice matching that of Fayruz.
Holding the bones ,
the lady was trying to put them together in order to settle
the whole body, but she had noticed that there were two
missing bones, and then recognized it was difficult to
reform the body without them. Frieghtened not to find them,
she had asked him again:
Please,
where did they put the other bones?
Madam, our bones
have broken,scattered, then they were randomly filed in
different places.
Overwhelmed with
serene sentiments, the child had drunk his milk, then she
played with him, singing to him the most beautiful songs of
Fayruz to reassure him. So, he felt happy as an angel who
praises the sky along with other nightingales.
She had repeated
her strange question, but the man seemed unwilling to tell
her the truth in order not to cause her suffering more than
she needs to:
Please,
tell me where did they put the bones? I need the right arm
and the left leg of a person so dear to me. I want to put
his bones together in order to take them home where I can
burry them with my warm affection.
The lady had
embraced the child, swinging him right then left, while he
burst out laughing with joy and happiness came from inside
him.
Please,
I want the right arm and the left leg, she said. He is my
son. First, I thought that he was alive but now I know that
he was beheaded.
Thousands of people
were beheaded, dear lady, and nothing remained except bones;
oh mom, so how can you now resurrect the dead bones?
She had intended to
ask the gentleman again, but he was not able to bear her
endless questions so he angerily said:
My
Lady, there are no bones because we were consumed, and
became ashes taken away by the wind.
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