Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Zulema, tears of a young moorish girl

       
Grazalema, the muslim Great Zulema of current southdern Spain, viewed from the surrounding forests.

Zulema, the young moorish girl more beautiful of Grazalema, at her eleven tender years had been many months crying uncontrollably. Her sadness was immense, deep, impossible to describe with words. She was born free. Her father, Musharraf, adored her, she was the apple of his eye, his confited date, his jewel. Her mother, Habiba, the favorite wife of her father, had not been able to give more children, but was happy to see how much Musharraf loved his girl. The other two wives, christian slaves captured by her husband in a northern border town, had filled of boys the rooms of the small palace where they lived. Habiba was a little jealous of these children, should have given birth to her, but did not hate. With the help of her old black slave Nahina, brought as a child from the far Sudan, she had allowed the christians to give birth them and to raise them and she felt a little bit their mother. Musharraf did not love their christian wives, nor their children. His heart was all for his daughter Zulema, dark like her grandmother, the african mother of Musharraf, who he adored.

Zulema did not understand what had happened, refused to accept her new christian name Beatriz, her captor had changed her real name. She refused to obey the orders of her master's wife, an infidel, a christian fat and ugly that reeked of stale sweat and scorched pork fat. She was not a slave, was born free and her name was Zulema.

Isabel and Maria, the two christian wives of her father and their mongrel children had survived the conquest of their village by christians of north. They were free again. The friar who accompanied the conquistadors had baptized their children and had given them christian names. Zulema had also been baptized and renamed, but still treated like a slave.

Her parents had been brutally murdered before her eyes of child and from that day's smile had faded out of her face. No talking. He did not play. Always walked with her watery eyes downcast and sad, black as jet. Understand the strange language of her captors. She had learned by listening to the two christian slaves from her father, who spoke Castilian among them when they were alone with the children, but did see that did not understand the orders because their dignity as free girl stopped him. I will never be a slave, never be repeated again and again. She felt painfully alone, surrounded by strangers who looked with scorn, insulted and spat on him for being delinquent. Her brothers did not want her and made as if they did not knew her, they were afraid of being rejected by their father's muslim blood running through their veins.

Abies pinsapo, fir of  Ronda, endemic to Andalucia, which form immense forests around Grazalema.

Whenever she could he escaped into the great forest of fir trees that surrounded the beautiful white town that bore her name, Zulema, that christians had changed by Great Zulema. They sought the shade intimate, fresh and welcoming of an old spruce, fir and sat her on the dead leaves with her back against the thick trunk. Then she closed her eyes and felt the warm invisible embrace of her father, his strong arms and pressed without doing damage to her made her so happy. Musharraf loving voice echoing in her ears from the memory, "Zulema, my girl, one day be the queen of these forests."

There, mired in a strange ecstasy, on a flight to the memory indelibly etched in her memory, managed to be happy again, she forgot her misery, her sadness, her loneliness. She was loved, respected, felt the breath mint from her father which whispered to nice words and two large tears of joy welled in her eyes, down her cheeks and fell on the dead leaves, watering the roots of old fir tree, which shaking with emotion, as if it has in its trunk the soul of her father.

Zulema stood soon comforted and walked around patting each and every one of the plants that grew there. She called it by moorish names and they seemed to understand her words. There was a small herb, very furry fur, which wanted Zulema especially kind, a very small and fragile ferns whose fronds are broken just touched. She knew its weakness and she was identified with that insignificant seedling and yet so beautiful.

Pleurosorus hispanicus, a treasure of Andalucía 

Musharraf had taught like a great treasure hidden in question. With his strong hand of father had taken one of her fingers and made him stroke the hairy surface of its fronds. She had lit her glance and with their large eyes had turned to her father and told him: "How soft is, it seems velvet!". "Yes, my child, like velvet, like you," he had answered him. 

Surface and underside of the fronds of Pleurosorus hispanicus, with its dense glandulous pilosity.

As if their survival depended on their memories, Zulema remembered all the words of her father and repeated over and over again that she had made walks in the company of Musharraf, who had instilled a love for their land, pine forests, streams coming down from the mountain after heavy rains, animals, plants, even the most insignificant of herbs. In the arms of her father had admired the pristine beauty of Saxifraga white flowers, ferns habitat companion velvet.

Pleurosorus hispanicus and Saxifraga bourgeana, on the outskirts of Grazalema village.

Flowers of Saxifraga bourgeana.

Musharraf arms also had learned to love and recognize birds by their song that paradise without seeing them. Her heart was beating fast with excitement when her father taught him the contents of a birds nest with newborns, innocently open their beaks. Would never forget. Her memories with all those details were to her as the most precious of all treasures. It was her handle in order to survive.

Her evil christian missis insulted her and continually abused, especially when she escaped into the forest. Then sent their daughters to look and forced to return home, where she received a big beating. To break her indomitable character, her missis punished can not leave the house for weeks and humiliated with the most painful and hard work.

Zulema wanted to die, did not think of anything else. Would never be happy. The days were endless, endless torture. The nights, however, was her moment of escapism. In dreams she walk again in the arms of her father, she smelled the smell of man, his breath mint, she felt the strength of his embrace, the warmth of his body, heard the beautiful words that Musharraf would whisper in her ear and was happy again , in dreams, but happy.

It took several years. Her character is tamed by pure resignation and her missis aged, becoming less severe with her. The daughters of the house were married and went to live with their mothers in law and Zulema remained single, because no boy of the village loved her, being moorish.

While they did not want her as wife, deep secretly desired because she was the most beautiful of the village with her long black hair covered by a white cotton veil, her eyes of jet, her lips like a rose half open, her brunette skin, her figure slender moorish princess, soft hips, her elegant walk, her voice sweet as honey of olive flower. Yes, they desired Zulema, but they were cowards.

Abies pinsapo male flowers

In the Great Zulema, her village, others were enslaved Moors, baptized yes, but basically treated as slaves, as the same Zulema. One of these Moors was called Taufik, a strong and handsome young man, who had been baptized as christians Fernando. Was the same age that Zulema and, like her, still single, because no one christian girl wanted him as husband. For years he was secretly in love with her and secretly followed her escapades in the spruce forest. He had seen many times what she made in her ritual in memory of her father. He had heard as Zulema sing the birds and grasses in their native language, which was also his. Other times he had seen mourn bitterly and he also wept without her noticed their proximity. He knew her love for the little velvet fern. Desperately wanted to hold her, caress her, kiss her, tell her he loved her, but dared not, because nothing could offer. He had nothing. He was homeless. He was a slave.


Yes, Taufik was very sad, crying when no one saw him devastated. As Zulema also wanted to die. One August afternoon, a sultry heat, was a shelter from the sun under the dense canopy of old spruce Zulema. He sat where she sat and began to mourn bitterly. He ended up falling asleep and being asleep, in dreams he felt the trunk of the fir hugged him and got scared. Wanted to get up and escape, but could not. Fear paralyzed him and it was then he heard a whisper that he spoke with a man's voice seemed familiar. "Taufik, my son, I know how much you want my daughter Zulema. Do not cry anymore. Years ago I promised to Zulema one day be the queen of these forests. Arise, dig with your hands where you were sitting and you'll find a silver box filled gold coins. They're for you. With them buying this forest and built a palace for Zulema. Then marry her and make her happy. "


Stunned, as delirious, Taufik said the tree: "How do I tell her I love her? I've never spoken to her and I have no father or brothers who can ask for her hand for me. " And the tree replied: "Fear not, I'll tell you what you have to do to win her heart. Do you see the hairy sorts of herbs growing on this rock oozing? Start a leaflet carefully because it is very fragile and give it to Zulema where you see her. There's no need to talk, just give it. "

Underside of a frond of Pleurosorus hispanicus, endemic to Andalusia and North Africa.

Taufik felt the blood was boiling in his veins and that his heart would explode from his chest. Had finally found a hope for happiness with his beloved. He dug at the foot of the old fir tree and found the silver box with gold coins. He sought out the owner of those mountains and bought the fir forest that she loved. Then paid the freedom of several slaves baptized him and asked them to build a palace, a small but beautiful palace as a jewel, along the old fir. Zulema and he did not need anything else to be happy.

Taufik knew that Zulema will be surprised to see these men built a palace in her beloved woods and he waited to attend. He saw from afar come to light passing gazelle and loved as he had never loved. Would be his.

Zulema got to where he was, her head bowed and covered by white cotton veil, spoke softly but firmly: "What are you doing in my forest?". The voice of Zulema so close it seemed to Taufik the most beautiful in the world. His heart beat wildly in his chest, as he had never been so close to his beloved, and with two tears of happiness in their moorish eyes said, "I'm building a palace for you. I want you to be my wife. Your father gave me your hand in dreams and believe me told me to give you this sheet. " Then reached out his open hand towards her and taught her hairy little sheet of velvet grass and then Zulema knew that this was the will of her beloved father. She  looked up towards Taufik and she looked him directly with her eyes of jet. Her look like a spear pierced the dark eyes of the boy and reached into his soul so she knew he was good and noble and she wanted as her husband. She took the leaf and put it in her hand. "Find me when you have finished the palace and be your wife," she said. Taufik felt as if floating on a cloud, like the clouds almost every day visiting the beautiful white village of Great Zulema, his beloved wife.




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