HAYY IBN YAQDHAN CHAPTER 3- IN THE CASKET

2- في التابوت

ثم وضعت الأم طفلها بعد أن أروته من الرضاعة- في تابوت (صندوق) أحكمت إغلاقه (إقفاله) وخرجت به سراً إلى ساحل البحر، وقلبها يكاد يحترق صبابة (حباً وشوقاً) إليه وحزناً عليه. ثم ودعته قائلة:

"أللهم إنك قد خلقت هذا الطفل- ولم يكن شيئاً مذكوراً- ورزقته في ظلمات أحشائي، وحفظته من كل سوء، وتكفلت به حتى تم واستوى. وأنا قد أسلمته إلى لطفك، ورجوت له فضلك. وسألقيه في اليم (البحر) خوفاً من هذا الملك الظالم الغشوم (الجبار العنيد). فكن له ولا تسلمه إلى من لا يرحمه يا أرحم الراحمين".

ثم قذفت به في اليم، فصادف ذلك جري الماء، بقوة المد. فاحتمله من ليلته إلى ساحل جزيرة الوقواق التي تحدثنا بها الأساطير. وكان المد ينتهي عادة إلى أقصاه (غايته ونهايته) في برّ هذه الجزيرة، ولا يصل إلى هذا المكان إلا مرة في كل عام.

فأدخله الماء بقوته إلى أجمة (غابة) ملتفة الشجر، طيبة التربة (الأرض)، مستورة عن الرياح والمطر، محجوبة عن الشمس، تنحرف عنها إذا طلعت، وتميل إذا غربت.

ثم أخذ الماء في النقص والجزر (الانقطاع) عن التابوت الذي فيه الطفل وبقي التابوت في ذلك الموضع.

وتوالى هبوب الرياح، فتجمعت الرمال وعلت وتراكمت (تكاثرت)، حتى سدّت باب الأجمة على التابوت، وردمت مدخل الماء إلى تلك الأجمة؛ فكان المد لا ينتهي (لا يصل ولا يجيء) إليها بعد ذلك.

CHAPTER 2

IN THE CASCADE

VOCABULARY

أروَته	She made him drink (here breastfed him)	رضاعة	Breast feeding
أحكَمَت	Made it firm	اِغلاق	closure
يحترق	It was burning (with emotion)	صبابة	Ardent love
وَدعَت	She bid farewell	مَذكوراً	Worth mentioning
فى  أحشائ	Inside me	تَكفَلتَ	You took (its) responsibility
تَم	Became completed	اِستوَى	It stood up, it matured
أسلَمتُ	I entrust	رَجوتُ	I hope
سأُلقيه	I will throw him	غشوم	oppressor
عَنيد	stubborn	لا تَسلِمه	Do not entrust him
قَذَفَت	She threw	صادَفَ	It came across
جري	Flow (of water)	مد	Rise of tide
يَنتَهي	It reaches up to, it ends	أقصاه	Its furthest part
أجمَة	forest	ملتفة	Whirling, intertwined
تُربة	soil	مستورة	hidden
محجوبة	hidden	تَنحَرِفُ	It deviates
طَلَعَت	The sun rose	تَميلُ	It inclines
غَرَبَت	The sun set	نقص	deficiency
جزر	Ebb of tide	توالى	It follows in succession
هبوب	blowing	تجمعت	Became collected, gathered
رمال	sands	عَلَت	It became high
تراكَمَت	It piled up, accumulated	سَدت	It hindered
رَدمَت	It filled (a pit with earth)	مَدخَل	entrance

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

After breast feeding her child in plenty the mother put it in a cascade and closed its lid firmly. She then went towards the coast secretively. Her heart was burning with emotions of love and sadness for her child. She bid farewell to him saying, “O Allah you have created this child while he was not anything worth mentioning, and provided his sustenance inside the darkness of my womb. You protected him from every harm and took care of him till it grew and became mature enough for birth. Now I am entrusting him to your kindness and hope for your favor on him. I will throw him in the water out of fear from this cruel and oppressor king. Please take care of him and do not let him fall into the hands of him who will not show mercy to him O the most Merciful one!”

She then threw the casket in the water where it came across the high tide. It carried the casket in the night to the coast of the island of Al Waqaq whose legends we have already mentioned. The tide usually reaches to the land of this island and does not reach this place except once during the year. The force of the water put this casket into the forest covered with intertwining trees. Its soil was pure and it was protected from the winds and the rain. It was also covered from the sunlight facing away from the sunrise and towards the setting of the sun. The water tide then started to recede from the casket in which the child was placed. It remained there following the blowing of the wind. Sands gathered over it and piled up high until it closed the opening of the forest preventing the entrance of the water in it.