The Book of Travels. Hannā Diyāb

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СКАЧАТЬ من هل بلاد وهذا بيصير لك منه خير عظيم ابتريد تروح معي قلتله نعم ثم قلي بتعطيني قرار بتبت بانك بتروح معي الي بهريز. حيندٍ قلتله ما بعطيك قرار ثابت الا في طرابلس وقلت في بالي حتي استخبر عنه هل هو صادق في هل كلام ام لا. اخيرًا قلي لا تفارقني في هل درب حتي نصل الي طرابلس وكان قصده حتي اترجمله لان الذي كان معه ما بيفهم بالعربي انما كان يفهم قليلًا بلسان التلياني فاجبته علي الراس والعين. اخيرًا استازنت منه ورحت عند رفقاتي وبتنا تلك الليله الي الصباح فلما اصبحنا قلنا القاطرجي بانه بيريد يكسر ذلك اليوم في الضيعه كعادتهم.

      At this, the Frank asked me where I was headed. I was too embarrassed to tell him the real story, so I merely said I was on a voyage to explore the world. This was a ruse meant to throw him off the scent, but as a result, he was convinced that I was indeed setting off on a voyage. Such was God’s plan!

      “If you’re interested in travel, you won’t find a better companion than me,” he said, and explained that he’d been sent by the sultan of France to tour these lands and to write an account of what he saw. He was in search of old chronicles and of medallions—coins struck by kings of old—as well as particular plants to be found in this part of the world.

      “Do you know how to read Arabic?” he asked.

      “Yes, and French as well,” I replied.

      “If you come with me, I’ll arrange a position for you at the Arabic Library,” he offered.²²“The king will pay you a salary and you’ll spend your whole life under his protection. The king’s minister has charged me to bring home a man from this part of the world who knows how to read Arabic. You’d benefit greatly from the minister’s good graces. Will you come with me?”

      “Yes,” I said.

      “Do I have your word that you’ll come to Paris with me?”

      “Not until we reach Tripoli,” I said, thinking I should look into whether he was being truthful or not.

      “In that case, while we’re on the road to Tripoli, don’t leave my side,” he said, as he intended to have me serve as a translator. The fellow who was traveling with him didn’t understand Arabic, only a little Italian.

      “Happily,” I replied.

      I took my leave and rejoined my companions. I spent the night with them, and in the morning when we awoke, the muleteer said that he wanted to spend the day in the village, as he usually did.

      ٣٤،١1.34

      فلما سمع الخواجه المذكور بان القفل بيستقيم ذلك اليوم في الضيعه فصار يسال الكفاتنه انكان موجود قريب منهم عماره قديمه من ايام ملوك النصارا فدلوه علي جبل قريب من الضيعه مسافة درب ساعه وقالوله بان هناك موجود عماير نصاري ودير وكنيسه لكنهم خراب انما مكتوب علي بعض حجاره احرف فرنجيه فلما سمع منهم هل كلام دعي القاطرجي وقله بريد اروح الي هل جبل واتفرج فاجابه القاطرجي بان هل مكان بيلتقا من اللصوص والعرب بخاف عليك ليلا يشلحوك فقله هذا ما شغلك انما احضر لي دواب حتي نركب.

      When the khawājah heard that the caravan would be spending the day in the village, he asked the residents of Kaftīn if there were any buildings nearby dating to the period of the ancient Christian kings. They pointed out a mountain, about an hour’s journey from the village, and told him there were some Christian buildings there, as well as a monastery and church: They were in ruins, but there was some Frankish writing on some of the stones. On hearing this, he called for the muleteer.

      “I wish to go see that mountain,” he said.

      “That area is full of bandits and Bedouins,” the muleteer replied. “I worry that you’ll be robbed.”

      “That’s none of your concern,” the Frank replied. “Bring me some mounts.”

٣٥،١1.35

      فاستكري له كدش من الضيعه لان دوابه تعابا بده يريحهم حتي يسافروا ثاني يوم فلما حضروا الكدش فاخدنا معنا زواده اكل وشرب واستكرينا اربع خمس قواسه حتي يروحوا معنا صيانة من اللصوص وسافرنا وصعدنا لذلك الجبل فمشينا في الجبل قليلًا فراينا تلك العماير التي احكوا لنا عنها الكفاتنه فنزلنا هناك فصار الخواجه يدور في تلك الاماكن وينسخ الكتابات المكتوبه علي بعض من تلك الحجاره فلما انتهي من تلك الكتابات فرحنا الي مكان وجدنا فيه قبر يعلوه حجر قطعة جبل. حيندٍ دار ما يدور القبر لعله يجد مكان يدخل اليه فما راء غير خراقه داخله للقبر فراد بان واحد من القواسه ينزل في هل خراق ما احد نزل منهم وقالوله بيمكن هذا يكون وكر وحش ام ضبع ام نمر او غير ذلك من الوحوش الضاريه من له جرعه ينزل.

      The muleteer hired some packhorses from the village, as his own animals were tired and he wanted to rest them so they could travel the next day. They brought us the horses, and we packed some food and drink to bring along, hired four or five guards to protect us from thieves, and set off to climb the mountain.

      After going a little way, we came upon the structures the villagers of Kaftīn had told us about and stopped to dismount. The khawājah began walking around the buildings, copying the inscriptions on some of the stones. When he finished with the inscriptions, we walked over to a tomb covered by a boulder.²³ The khawājah circled the tomb, looking for a place where he might enter, but all he could find was a narrow gap that opened onto the interior.

      He СКАЧАТЬ