ترجمة احدى مقامات بديع الزمان الى الإنجليزية

[علي فرحان]

المَقَامَةُ القِرْدِيَّةُ
حَدَّثنَا عِيسَى بْنُ هِشَامٍ قَالَ:
بَيْنَا أَنا بِمَديِنَةِ السَّلامِ، قَافِلاً مِنَ البَلَدِ الحرَامِ، أَمِيسُ مَيْسَ الرِّجْلَةِ، على شاطئِ الدِّجْلَةِ، أَتَأَمَّلُ تِلْكَ الطَّرَائِفَ، وَأَتَقَصَّى تِلْكَ الزَّخَارِفَ، إِذْ انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى حَلْقَةِ رِجَالٍ مُزْدَحِمِينَ يَلْوي الطَّرَبُ أَعْنَاقَهُمْ، وَيَشَّقُ الضَحِكُ أَشْداقَهُمْ، فَسَاقَنِي الحِرصُ إِلى مَا ساقَهُمْ، حَتَّى وَقَفْتُ بِمَسْمَعِ صَوتِ رَجُلٍ دُونَ مَرأَيَ وَجْهِهِ لِشِدَّةِ الهَجْمَةِ وَفَرْطِ الزَّحْمَةِ، فَإِذَا هُوَ قَرَّادٌ يُرْقِصُ قِرْدَهُ، وَيُضْحِكُ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ، فَرقَصْتُ رَقْصَ المُحَرَّجِ، وَسِرتُ سَيْرَ الأَعْرَجِ، فَوْقَ رِقَابِ النَّاسِ يَلْفِظُنِي عَاتِقُ هَذا لِسُرَّةِ ذَاكَ، حَتَّى افْتَرَشْتُ لِحَيَةَ رَجُلَيْنِ، وَقَعَدْتُ بَعْدَ الايْنَ، وَقَدْ أَشْرَقَنِي الخَجَلُ بَرِيقهِ، وَأَرْهَقَنِي المَكانُ بِضِيِقِهِ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ القَّرادُ مِن شُغْلِهِ، وانْتَفَضَ المَجْلِسُ عَنْ أَهْلِهِ، قُمْتُ وَقَدْ كَسَانِي الدَّهَشُ حُلَّتَهُ، وَوَقَفْتُ لأَرَى صُورَتَهُ، فَإِذا هُو واللهِ أَبو الفَتْحِ الإِسْكَنْدَرِيُّ، فَقُلتُ: مَا هَذِهِ الدَّنَاءَةُ وَيْحَكَ، فَأَنْشَأَ يَقُولُ:
الـذَّنْـبُ لِـلْأَيَام لاَ لِــي فَاعْتِبْ عَلَي صَرْفِ اللَّيالِي
بِالحْمْقِ أَدْرَكْتُ الـمُـنَـى وَرَفَلْتُ فَي حُلَلِ الجَمَـالِ


Translating into English the above prose piece of literary work:

Once Isa bin Husham told us that one day when he was in Baghdad after attaining the rituals of Mecca pilgrim, he gathered himself to be in pleasure trip walking alongside the Tigris River looked attentively at- astonishment between those corners and horners. Momently his mind was concerned about that charming picturesque and decorations of both nature and human made.
He ended his paces to meet a group of crowded men, where the- overwhelming rejoicing pleasure overcomes upon their souls, being sweetened and might have nodding in both of their heads and necks crackling in laughter until their mouths widely - were opened, then he was instinctively at sympathetically desirously moment to contributing them their activity until he was too closer to hear a voice of a monkey's trickery man, and barely could he distinguish the matter, because of the noise of crowded multitude people who gathered enjoying the scene.
Lastly he was sure and knew that this person is a man, who teaches his monkey to dance in order to enjoy people, then Isa was in an invigorated occasion to sharing them this dancing party, but in reluctantly and embarrassingly, has walked as a cripple man over their necks and their shoulders, and they frequently kicking him from one side to another side as a seesaw, in which he touched their middles in every kick.
Eventually he was trapping between tow bearded-men, stayed there as he was closely to their beards….. After sitting awhile he felt that he was caught in a perplexing situation, moreover being fatigued as a result of the narrow place he puts himself into.
When the monkey's owner has finished his play, and everyone has gone ahead separating the place, he says; that he has stood up on his feet, but was filled up with confusion when he knew this well-known person whose nickname is- Alexandrian. (Abu Fatah), is the monkey owner. And said that he spoke with him; saying, curst upon you what baseness is! But the monkey's trickery man replies……..
The sin is of time, never is mine.
Blame those ominous days ups and down
Stupidly I have earned the comfortable lifestyle.
Basking in luxury at this town—


تمت المقامة القردية وأنشاء الله يتبعها من يناسب.
المترجم: الموصل 4\ 12 \ 2012