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ibrahim al-koni
with captivating seduction
when she pelted him with this
cutting question: “Have you
forgotten that you abducted
me from my father’s home?”
He lifted his hand to the
cloth bandaging his eyes and
grasped the piece of linen as
if intending to rip it off and
toss it far away. He swayed
back and forth like a man
in mourning. Suddenly he
became still.
Then he asked, “Did I do
something the first peoples
didn’t? Did I violate the Law
we inherited from our fathers?
Did I perform some foul deed
when I took you from a tent
that was a prison for you?”
“That tent you term a prison
was my only safe nook.”
“I’m amazed by what I hear.”
“Know that a woman never
forgives her man for taking
her from her father’s home.”
“You speak about your father’s
home the way inhabitants of
the desert speak about the
alleged paradise.”
“You may doubt whether
the paradise the desert ’s
inhabitants sing about exists,
but beware of doubting the
father’s paradise!”
“Amazing!”
“A father’s home is a nest for
the virgin. If she leaves it one
day, she will never return.
If she leaves it one day, she
loses the way back to it—and
loses herself as well.”
“I’ve never heard anything
like what you’re saying.”
“Woman watches for
opportunities for revenge,
because she hasn’t found the
treasure they deceitfully told
her she would find in man’s
arms—happiness!”