HAYY IBN YAQDHAN CHAPTER 4

 حى بن يقظان

4- بعد حولين

وألف الطفل أم عزة، حتى أصبح لا يستطيع فراقها؛ فكلما أبطأت عنه يشتد بكاؤه فتطير إليه الظبية الحنون.

ولم يكن بالجزيرة أحد من السباع العادية (المفترسة)، فتربى الطفل ونما، واغتذى بلبن الظبية، إلى أن تم له حولان (عامان).

وتدرج الطفل في المشي، وأثغر (نبتت أسنانه). فكان يتبع الظبية. وكانت هي ترفق به وترحمه، وتحمله إلى مواضع فيها شجر مثمر. فكانت تطعمه ما تساقط من ثمراتها الحلوة النضيجة (التي طابت).

وما كان منها صلب القشر، كسرته له بطواحنها (أضراسها).

ومتى عاد الطفل إلى اللبن أروته، ومتى ظمئ إلى الماء أوردته (سقته). ومتى ضحى (أصابته الشمس) ظللته. ومتى برد أدفأته. إذا جنّ الليل (أظلم) صرفته إلى مكانه الأول، وجللته (سترته) بنفسها، وغطته بريش كان مملوءاً به التابوت الذي وضعته فيه أمه.

وكانا في غدوّهما ورواحهما (في خروجهما صباحاً وعودتهما مساءً) قد ألفهما ربرب.

أتعرف الربرب أيها القارئ الصغير؟ ما أظنك تعرفه، لأن هذه الكلمة فيما أعلم جديدة لم يألفها سمعك. فلتعلم أن الربرب هو: جماعة من بقر الوحش.

وقد ألفت هذه الجماعة الظبية والطفل، فكانت تسرح معهما، وتبيت حيث مبيتها.

فما زال الطفل مع الظبية على تلك الحال، يحكي نغمتها بصوتها حتى لا يوجد بينهما فرق، ويقلد نغمات ذلك الربرب الذي ألفه وحنا عليه بطبعه.

وكان كذلك يحكي جميع ما يسمعه من أصوات الطير وأنوع سائر الحيوان: محاكاته لصوت الظبية، في الاستصراخ (صوت الاستغاثة)، والاستئلاف (التحبب والتودد)، والاستدعاء (النداء والصياح)، والاستدفاع (طلب النصرة)؛ إذ للحيوانات في هذه الأحوال المختلفة أصوات مختلفة.

فألفته الوحوش وألفها، ولم تنكره ولا أنكرها!

وقد مثلت في خلده (صوّرت في خاطره)، صور هذه الحيوانات، وثبتت في نفسه أمثلة ما يراه من الأشياء، فكان يتخيلها بعد مغيبها عن مشاهدته. وكان يحدث له شوق إلى رؤية بعضها وكراهية بعضها.

VOCABULARY

حولين	Two years	ألفَ	He loved
فراق	separation	أِبطأت	She delayed, she was late
بُكاء	cry	ظبية	doe
سباع	beasts	سباع عادية	Beasts of prey
تربى	Grew, reared	نما	Grew up
اِغتذى	Was fed	تَم	completed
تدرجَ	Grew up slowly, started walking	أثغرَ	His teeth came out
نضيجة	ripe	صلب	hard
طواحن	Molar teeth	أضراس	Molar teeth
ظَمِئ	Felt thirsty	أورَدَت	She watered him
أدفأت	She provided warmth	جَن اليل	The night appeared, it became dark
جَلَلت	She covered	غَطت	She covered
ريش	quilt	مملؤاً	Filled with
غدو	Travel in the morning	رواح	Travel in the evening
ربرب	Party of wild cows	تَبيت	It spent night
مبيت	Night dwelling	نغم	songs
محاكات	Copying, simulation of someone’s voice or sound	اِستصراخ	Loud voice, cry for help
اِستئلاف	Love, affection	اِستدفاع	Seek help
تحبب	Love, affection	تودد	Love, affection
مثلت فى خلده	It became itched in his mind	لم يألفها سمعك	Your ears are not familiar with
يتخيل	He imagines	مغيب	absence
مشاهدة	View, presence	شوق	Longing, eagerness
كراهية	dislike

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The child also developed a love for the doe so much that he could not tolerate being separated from her. Whenever she was late in coming, his cry for her would increase and the loving doe would fly towards him. There were no other animals on this island except the beasts of prey. The child reared and grew up feeding on the doe’s milk till two years passed. The child started to walk slowly and his teeth came out. He would follow the doe and she would show her tenderness and mercy towards him. She would take him to places with fruit bearing trees. She would feed him the sweet fruit that would fall off the trees. If a fruit had a hard outer shell she would break it with her molar teeth. She would give him milk when he needed it and when he would become thirsty she would provide him with water. She would provide shade for him during heat and warmth when it was cold. When the night came she would take him to his first place and cover him herself. She would cover him with the quilt that he was found in in the casket that his mother put him in. during their going out in the morning and returning in the evening, they became friends with a party of wild cows. The party of cows also became fond of the child and the doe and it would spend the night with them at their dwelling place. The child started to hum their songs copying their voice till no one could tell them apart. He would sing their songs with them out of his love for them, and then he started copying the sounds of birds and other animals. He learnt the sounds of doe uttered at various times like crying for help, sound of love, calling and request for defense. The animals produce different sounds at different times.

The beasts loved the child and he loved them. They would not consider him an outsider and he would not consider them different.

The figures of these animals were itched in the child’s mind just like the appearance of all that he saw. He would think about these in their absence based upon his recollection of what they looked like. He developed a desire to see some, and a dislike for others.