“Narsis Coming Back”
By: Mondher Marzouki
Translated by: Taghrid Fayad
He saw the ultimate beauty, only in himself, so he was totally unable to see it in the universe.
He couldn’t understand the reason of that weird seductive desire, that kept on haunting him for several months, and which turned on lately to become an incessant caprice, which made him anxious and restless.
In the end, he decided to follow that passion, and to visit the lake where he had discovered his charming being in, many years ago.
At dawn, he started his journey, without even the telling anybody about it. He started from the gate of the city, towards the heights. He walked deeper and deeper through the back routes and the narrow strips, until he reached the peak of the mountain, where he saw, from above, the scattered villages and the wide plains, stretching in front of him. He decided to take a little rest, under a high tree, which had thick leaves and abundant branches. He noticed from his place, the river with its pure sparkling supple water flowing into the lake. He then looked with content and satisfaction at his town, sleeping peacefully there, among the hills and plains.
The fresh breeze caressed his exhausted body, so he took a nap, while he was smiling at the memory of the image reflection of his fascinating face, in the clear mirror-like water of the lake. His image was the only thing that he could see in the water, since he only cared about himself among all people.
Narsis was too proud of himself and conceited, and used to walk among people arrogantly. He used at to look at everyone around him haughtily, and dealt with them carelessly, as he only saw their amazed eyes, and astonished features, when they saw him. He never knew, if he was living in reality or in fantasy, since he never cared to know the difference. As long as he moved between them freely, happily, and satisfied.
He walked up smiling, and buoyantly went down the paths of the mountain, following the river flowing direction, as he thought. When he reached the river bank, he hurried up to the water to meet his charming image on its surface. But he couldn’t see anything there! He couldn’t see his beautiful face! Has the water swallowed his image? Or has the lake become bottomless?
He gazed at the surface of the water in horror! He was in fear, because he had noticed that there was a strange person’s face in the water! A person that he didn’t recognize, and whom he didn’t want to know.
He closed his eyes, washed his face, then looked again at the clear surface of the water, he also saw that ugly hateful man. He struck the water with both of his hands. The strange face that was there got wrinkled, and got closer to him.
Narsis was terrified to see again the ugly features of that strange person. He stood up, and ran back horrified, to the paths of the mountain, while closing his eyes, trying to avoid seeing that ugly face. He stumbled in the gravel and thorn paths, trying not to stop at all, so the ugly featured face wouldn’t appear in front of him again, and wouldn’t be fixed in his mind. He stroked his head with both of his hands, in order to make this horrible image fall down from his happy memory, so it can be down under his bloody feet, to step on it and make it disappear.
He kept running away for several hours, stumbling, tottering, swaying, and falling, until he reached the tree at the top of the mountain. He got closer the tree’s trunk, got down on his knees, crouched towards it, then he leant back on the trunk, hoping to get some sleep, in order to forget everything that he has seen, by only remembering his previous happiness.
Sleep also betrayed him, as the water had done. There was only the horrifying image of an old man, with his white hair and saggy spoiled face, a man that had dark circles under his red exhausted eyes. The strange image was of a thin and pale face, with a wrinkled forehead and a grayish white hair.
Narsis touched his face, to feel the wrinkles that were there, then he put his trembling hand on what was left of some white hair on his head. When he realized that this ugly face had become his forever, he screamed terrifyingly.
At last, when he noticed that he was screaming under the great tree that overlooks the river form one side, and his town from the other side, Narsis decided to break up the mirror, and not to ever visit the lake. He also decided to isolate himself, not to meet people at all anymore, in order to live in his memory, with the image of his beloved beautiful face, immersing himself in that wonderful love.
Unfortunately, Narsis couldn’t keep up himself enjoying his loneliness, in his happy memory. The sneaky Mnemosyne, the Greek Goddess of Memories, kept on chasing him day and night, everywhere he tried to hide in. She chased Narsis in the woods and plains, in caves and jungles, in order not to allow him to run away and forget.
Narsis spent his years running away from Mnemosyne, who tried hard to mock him with the hateful image that he was running away from.
One strange day, after a long chase, Mnemosyne was able to corner Narsis on top of a high rock, which overlooked the lake. He didn’t have any choice but to throw himself down to the clear lake, but he didn’t reach the lake’s bottom at all. Narsis was forced to stay hanging up in the air, in the space between the lake and the sky. Mnemosyne from her place on top of the high rock of oblivion, kept on watching and teasing him, since in the end he was forced to see his ugly hateful image, in the clear mirror-like water surface of the lake. It was his endless naked truth.
Tunisia: 25/June/2021
عودة نرسيس
قصة قصيرة المنذر المرزوقي – تونس
ترجمة تغريد فياض
لم يفهم سببَ الغواية التي تُراوده منذ شهور. ولا كيف تحوّلت رغبته، في الأيّام الأخيرة، إلى نزوة مُلحّة أصابته بالقلق والأرق. وهكذا خضع لها، وقرّر أخيرا، أن يزور نفس النّهر الذي اكتشف فيه ذاته الرائعة، قبل سنوات طويلة.
خرج فجرا، دون أن يجد الوقت الكافي ليُخبر أحدا برحلته إلى النّهر. خرج من باب المدينة، جهة المُرتفعات. ثمّ أوغل في المسالك الخلفيّة والثنايا الضيّقة، حتّى أدرك قمّة الجبل، فأشرف على القرى المتناثرة والسّهول الواسعة. أخذ قسطا من الرّاحة، في ظلّ شجرة عالية، كثيرة الأغصان كثيفة الأوراق. ومن مُرتفعِهِ ذاك، لمحَ النّهرَ المُنسابَ في لين، بمائه المُلتمع الصّافي، ثمّ التفتَ، سعيدا راضيا، إلى قريتهِ النائمة بين الرّبى والسّهول، هناك.
داعب النسيمُ جسده المتعبَ، وراود النّعاسُ أجفانه، فغفا، مبتسما لصورة وجهه المُبهرة في ماء النهر المرآويّ. لم ير غير نفسه في الماء، ولم يبصر إلاّ ذاته في النّاس. كان يمشي مرحًا، أو يقفُ شامخًا، أو يجولُ مُختالاً بين البشر. كان ينظر إليهم من علٍ، فيُلامسُهم بأطراف ثوبه، ولا يرى إلاّ عيونَهم الشّاخصة وملامحهم المندهشةَ. وكان “نرسيس” لا يعلم، على وجه اليقين، إن كان واقعهُ حلمًا، أم كان حُلمهُ واقعًا. لأنّه لم يكن راغبًا في الفهم والفصل، مادام يَعبُرُ بين الإثنين، مُمتلئا فَخورا، مُكتفيا بحقيقته، سَعيدا بيقينه.
استفاق “نرسيس” مُبتسما، أو هكذا بدا له، ونزل من الجبل نشطا سعيدا، قاصدا النهر، أو هكذا ظنّ. وحين أدرك ضفّة النّهر أسرع إلى الماء، ليلتقي بذاته. لكنّه لم ير شيئا. لم ير وجهه. فهل ابتلع الماء صورته؟ أم أضحى حفرة بلا قاع؟ نظر مُرتعبًا.. تفرّسَ وجلاً.. خافَ من صُورة شخصٍ آخر في الماءِ. شخص غريب لا يعرفه.
أغمض عينيه. غسل وجهه بماء النهر. ثم نظر في مرآة الماءِ اللُّجينِ من جديد، لكنّهُ رأى ذات الشخصِ الغريبِ الكريهِ. ضرب في الماء بكلتا يديه، تجعّد الوجهُ في الدوائر وارتفع مع قطرات الماء. أرعبته ملامح الوجه القبيحِ، فانتفض واقفًا. عدا مُرتعبًا في الثنايا والمرتفعات. كان يُغمضُ عينيه، كي لا يرى ويفتحُها، كي لا يُخمّن في هواجِسه. كان يتعثّرُ في دُروب الحصى والشوك ولا يتوقف، حتى لا تستقرّ صورةُ الشخص الغريب الكريه في ذهنه، كي لا تثبت في عينيه.
ضرب على رأسه، بكلتا يديه، ليُسقط الصورةَ الكريهةَ من ذاكرته السّعيدة، حتّى يدُوسَهَا ويُهشّمَهَا، تحت أقدامه الدّامية. قضّى ساعات وهو يجري.. يهوي.. يتعثّر.. يعدو.. يترنّح، حتّى أدرك الشجرة العالية. اقترب من جذعها، جَثا على ركبتيه. حبَا نحوها، ثمّ أسند ظهره إليها علّه يغفو. أو يتنفّس ملء صدره، أو ينام قليلا، على سعادته القديمة بذاته.
لكنّ النومَ، مثل الماء، غدر به، تخلَّى عنه، ليتركه وحيدًا في مُواجهة الصّورة المرعبة للشيخ الأشيب الذي أطلّ عليه من صفحة الماء. شيخٌ تهدّل وجهُهُ وارتخَى جلدُ خدّيهِ وأحاط السوادُ بعينيه المُحمرّتين المُنهكتين. كان الوجه الغريب نحيلا مصفرّا، بأنف طويل وشعر رماديّ يميل إلى بياض، وجبين عَلَتهُ الغضون.
تلمّسَ وجهَه، تحسّسَ التجاعيدَ، ومرّرَ يدهُ المرتجفةَ على بقايا شعره الأشيب. وحين أدرك أنّ الوجهَ الكريهَ قد التصق به إلى الأبد، صاح ملء صدره مُرتعبًا. فانتبه لنفسه يصيح، فزعًا، تحت الشجرة العظيمةّ المُطلّة على النّهر هنا، وعلى مدينته هناك.. قرّر أن يكسرَ المرآةَ، ألّا يعود إلى النّهر، أن يَهجرَ النّاسَ دائما، ثمّ انسحب إلى ذاكرته، حتّى يعيشَ مع صورة وجهه الحبيب، ولِهًا، هائمًا، أبدًا.
لكن نرسيس لم يهنأ أبدا بقراره. فقد أخذت مُنيمُوسينا الماكرة تطاردهُ ليلا ونهارا، وفي كلّ مكان حاول الاختباء به. كانت تتقفّى آثاره في الوديان والأحراش وتتتبّعه في السّهول والغابات وتحاصره في الكهوف والمهاوي.
هكذا لم تترك له فرصة أن يهرب أو ينسى. وهكذا قضّى أيّامه وسنواته الموحشة هاربا منها، ومن صورة تشير بها إليه ساخرة. من صورة علقت بوجهه ولا يريد أن يراها. وفي يوم غريب، مثل هذا، طاردته الماكرة لساعات. وحين حاصرته أخيرا، فوق صخرة في القمّة العالية، ولم تترك له منفذا للهروب، هوى نرسيس نحو البحيرة المرآويّة. لكنّه لم يصل إلى قاعها مطلقا. لقد بقي مُعلّقًا، أبدا، بين الماء والسّماء. تُراقِبهُ منيموسينا، من فوق صخرة النسيان الشاهقة، ساخرةً، وترقُبُهُ البحيرةُ، في القاع العميق، حتّى يرى حقيقتهُ في الماء المرآويّ، عاريةً.
المنذر المرزوقي
تونس في 25 جوان 2021
