ترجمة نص ريشة منزوعة من طائر للشاعر حسن عامر

 

فوبيا 

بقلم: أسامة محمد علي - مصر

ترجمها إلى الإنجليزية عبد اللطيف غسري

مرت به الأيام ناصحة له مع كل خطوة يخطوها، وتساؤلات شتى تكررها له كي يعي بعضا منها، وقد يكون تحصيل مامر به وعايشه نتيجة لتجارب سمعها من غيره دون تجربة قد قيدت أفكاره وجعلته عاجزا عن اتخاذ مايلزم تجاه بعض المواقف التي تمر به، وباتت النصائح المخزنة في العقل الباطن عبئا ثقيلا عليه، يجتر منها ما يناسبه بحذر أمام تجاذبات تلك الحياة..

ولكن هل حقا نحن نستخدم عقولنا على الوجه الأمثل؟

 

مضى نحو المَرْفَأ الصغير يلتمس رَكُوبَةً تنقله حيث يُقيم.. وصل إِلى مسامعه صوت صدام عنيف تبعه أَصوات استغاثة وصراخ شديد.. فكر كثيرا في الأَمر ثم ما لبث أَن أَعاد التفكير مرة أُخرى!!

.وأخيرا!! ذهب لِيرى ماالذي يحدث!  

فِي تُؤَدَة تقدم نحو مصدر اَلصرخات، عاين عَنْ كثب تلك المجموعة في وسط المياه والّتي لايِبدو أن أَحدا منهم يجيد السباحة..

 أشارت له أَكُف الحاجة.. أَشار لهم بِالسلام ظنا منه أنهم يحيونه!

 تفحص نظراتهم الزائغه، التائهة، المسترحمة، نظر حوله يبحث عنْ مغيث لهم..

وكأن شخصا ما يحدثه ويراجعه فيما ذهب إليه تفكيره..

بحث في الْمَرْفَأ عله يجد مساعدة لهم لكنه لم يجِد إِلا بِعضّ اَلحبال وطوق نجاة.. حين عزم على مد يد العون لهم؛ هداه تفكيرِه لِتأَمّل الموقف بهدوء!

 أَيلقي لهم الحبال؟

أَم طوق النجاة؟

اِدْلَهَمَّ الخطب بهم بعد ماتفلتت أَيديهم.. اِسودت الدنيا من حولهم.. وأَيقنوا أَنه لامنجا لهم من هذا الخطب.. نادتهم الأَعماق..

بعد أَخذ ورد مع نفسه! أمسك اخيرا بطوق النجاةِ لِيلقيه اليهم!

 لكنه توقف! حين لم ير أحدا مِنهم.. وبعدما شاهد فقاقيع الهواء تعلو صفحة الماء!

تساءل: ماذا لو كنت مكانهم؟

ظل السؤال يتكرر ويطارده أَينما حول وجهه!

 وفجأَة وكأنه أَغلق صفحةٌ من كتاب.. ادار ظهره لِلمشهد برمته ومضى لِركوبِ آخر معَدِّيَّة بِالْمَرْفَأ!!

جلس ينتظر قدومها وطال الانتظار، فأخذته سنة من النوم.. شاهد الموتى في أكفانهم وقد التفوا حوله يعنفونه على عدم إنقاذهم، ومدوا أياديهم نحو رقبته وصرخوا جميعا صرخة أرعبته وجعلته يستيقظ من نومه..

حين فتح عينيه رأى المعَدِّيَّة وقد وصلت الْمَرْفَأ وأصوات نفيرها كأنه صرخات الموتى التي سمعها منذ قليل في منامه ..

حين هم بالركوب شاهد بعض جثث الغرقى على صفحة الماء وشاهدهم وهم ينظرون إليه نظرة ارتعب لها جسده وغادر على إثرها المعَدِّيَّة!!

 وتملكه خوف شديد، وآثر السلامة والانتظار عند الْمَرْفَأ..

 ومن يومها وهو في انتظار الْعَوْدَةِ إِلَى بَيتِه عَلَى غَير هدى!!!

أسامة محمد علي - مصر

 

Phobia

A short story by Ossama Mohamed Ali

Translated from Arabic by ABDELLATIF RHESRI

 

Days went by, giving him advice in every step he took, and repeating questions for him to be aware of. It might be normal for him that all the experiences of others which he had seen and heard before without taking part of, crippled his thinking and rendered him unable to take the right decision in some situations he had undergone. The pieces of advice stored in his subconsciousness became a heavy burden for him, of which he would cautiously reiterate what fitted him against the ups and downs of life.

But, do we really use our mind in the right way?

He headed for the small harbour, seeking a vehicle to take him to his dwelling place. He heard the sound of violent collision followed with sounds calling for help and loud screams. He thought very well about it, and then thought again.

Finally, he went to see what had happened.

Very slowly, he came over to the source of the screams. He looked closely at that group of people in the water none of whom seemed to be good at swimming.

The hands waved to him asking for help. He waved back to them thinking they were greeting him. He examined their digressing, stray looks that begged for mercy. He looked around for somebody to rescue them.

It seemed like there was someone talking to him and trying to dissuade him from what his thinking had arrived at.

He searched in the harbour for some kind of help for them, but he only found some ropes and a lifeline. As he was about to give them a helping hand, his mind bade him contemplate the situation quietly.

Shall he throw the ropes to them?

Or rather the lifeline?

The situation grew more critical after their hands let go of whatever they were clinging to. The world around them turned dark. They were sure that they would not survive that critical moment. They were being called by the depths.

After so much debating with himself, he grabbed the lifeline, at last, intending to throw it to them.

But he stopped when he saw no one of them. He only saw the air bubbles floating on the water surface.

He wondered; "What if I were in their position?".

That question kept popping into his mind and pestering him wherever he turned his face. Suddenly, he turned a page of a book and shut it. He turned his back to the whole scene, and went to ride the last ferryboat in the harbour. He sat there waiting for its arrival. He waited for too long, until he fell asleep. He saw the dead ones in their shrouds surrounding and scolding him for not having rescued them. They stretched out their hands towards his neck screaming all of them in a way that terrified him and made him wake up from sleep.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the ferryboat arriving at the harbour. The sound of its horn seemed like the dead

ones' screams he had just heard in his sleep.

As he was about to ride, he saw some drowned bodies staring at him so horribly that a shiver of fear shook his body. Hence, he left the ferryboat.

He was extremely scared, so he preferred, for safety, to wait in the harbour.

Since that day, he had been waiting for the return home, but without guidance.