Trafika Europe 6 - Arabesque

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!”

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