Kitabı oku: «Hekayəti – Müsyö Jordan», sayfa 3

Shahrabanu khanum: (impatiently) Oh, what else did he say? You only repeat one and the same word.

Sharafnisa khanum: Oh, he said a lot of other words, too. I remember only those words. But the rest I forgot. I can’t remember, I don’t know.

Shahrabanu khanum: (angrily) Oh my God! Hey girl, how can I tell Hatamkhan agha without any reason that Shahbaz bey expresses his sympathy to Parisian girls, that’s why he joins Monsieur Jordan and leaves us? Your 16 year old daughter Sharafnisa khanum envies the girls and women of Paris. Nobody, neither goes, nor comes back yet, she sheds her eye tears like torrent and is moaning!

Sharafnisa khanum: (standing up) Wow, oh my God, may earth bury me! What mother says! The Earth shook under my feet. Let me run away.

She goes out of the room.

Shahrabanu khanum: (turning towards her younger daughter) Gulchohra, your father is behind the house, he is talking to shepherds there. Tell him to come here as soon as possible. I have an urgent talk to him.

Gulchohra runs out.

Shahrabanu khanum: (to herself) What ungrateful people are these French people! They won’t understand our kindness. I, a foolish woman, was serving Monsieur Jordan for breakfast with sheep cream, butter, every supper with plov and roasted beef, when he goes back to his country not to say that Karabakhian elat* women are not clever and capable, that they can’t respect and serve guests well. Say, how one could do his best after this matter! My kindness has lost its effect, indeed.

The door opens at this moment.

Hatamkhan agha: (enters) May it be goodness wife, what has happened that you have called me urgently?

Shahrabanu khanum: (frowning) You ask what has happened?! See, your guest who gathers sticks and straws, whom you feed well, wants to deceive and take your nephew with him to Paris.

Hatamkhan agha: What? Does Monsieur Jordan want to take Shahbaz to Paris? Who says it?

Shahrabanu khanum: I say! Shahbaz himself said it to Sharafnisa!

Hatamkhan agha: (he roars with an unnatural laughter) Shahbaz knows that your daughter has a gentle and sentimental heart and he wants to tease her. Perhaps it’s the reason of Sharafnisa’s cries. Ha-ha-ha. You and your daughter have no sense of two pennies. You lose your head for nonsense.

Shahrabanu khanum: (screaming) You always come up to everything indifferently. He is an ignorant teenager, may be that French deceived him with some useless words. You are a man. Will bloodshed happen if you call both men and ask them what has happened?

Hatamkhan agha: All right madam, for the sake of God, don’t scream! I’ll call them just now and at your presence I’ll ask them about the matter. Be patient!

Curtain fall

Act 2

The second act takes place on that day in the same room. The room is laid well with carpets. Flour sacks, butter skins and woolsacks are spread everywhere. Hatamkhan agha is sitting on the rug at the topside of the room. His wife Shahrabanu khanum is sitting on his right. Her chin is covered with veil. She has a white headscarf on her head, scutcher also is sitting quietly. Shahbaz bey is sitting opposite his uncle. He takes by the handle of his dagger and is waiting about what his uncle will say. One of the woolsacks is covered with a carpet. It’s put on the left side of  Shahbaz  bey. Monsieur Jordan is sitting on it in French cloth with open head, crossing his legs. He has folded a cigar with tobacco in the size of a forefinger. He lights it and begins to smoke. Hatamkhan agha’s elder daughter Sharafnisa khanum came before them, hid behind the rug which was hung in front of the mattresses, blankets and pillows. They were piled on one another. She is spying them to see what about they will talk. Thus, Hatamkhan agha turning his face towards Monsieur Jordan begins to speak.

Hatamkhan agha: Monsieur doctor, I heard you want to take Shahbaz to France, is it true?

Monsieur Jordan: Yes, Hatamkhan agha, I would say it to you myself. Because it’s pity such a quick, swift, agile, adroit, educated young fellow doesn’t know the French language. I intend to take him to Paris, teach him French and send him back. Because he is interested in French, he’ll learn it quickly. Having been in a contact with me he has kept in his memory some French words and expressions.

Hatamkhan agha: (turning his face towards Shahbaz bey) Shahbaz, do you really want to go to Paris?

Shahbaz bey: Yes, uncle, if you allow I’ll go with Monsieur Jordan and then I’ll come back myself.

Hatamkhan agha: What for do you want to go there, balam*?

Shahbaz  bey: To learn the French language, uncle!

Hatamkhan agha: Why do you want to learn it, dear? You needed to learn the Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Russian languages, God bless, you have learnt all of them in madrasas which were opened with the help of our state.

Shahbaz bey: Uncle, French language is very important for me. Last year you sent me to Tiflis to get permission to find the archive. Allahverdi bey’s son Tanriverdi had learnt French in Warsaw. In all parties he is more respected though that person knows no more languages except French and Turkish.

Hatamkhan agha: Balam, you are a child yet. All these are quite nonsense. Human being should have a wit. The wit will not increase by mastering one more language. A man should know the customs and traditions of the people of his time by any language, which he knows in order to be able to plan his work.

Shahbaz  bey: One of such human societies in modern life are people of Paris. From your talk, it becomes clear one should be aware of Paris people’s customs and traditions.

Hatamkhan agha: It’s not bad, you can learn their customs and traditions if you want.

Shahbaz bey: How can I be aware of customs and traditions of Paris people if I don’t go there?

Hatamkhan agha: It’s very easy. I learn and know them by having contact with Monsieur Jordan and by listening to his speech, though I haven`t seen any other country but only Karabakh.

Shahbaz bey: Uncle, I don’t understand how could you be aware of customs and traditions of Paris people?

Hatamkhan agha: Just now, I’ll explain to you my child! I came to such a conclusion, what customs and characters we have the Parisians have the opposite. For instance, we dye our hands with henna, but French people don’t. We cut and shave our hair, but they put on their heads wigs; we put on caps at home, but they sit without it. We wear slippers, but they wear boots; we eat by our hands, but they eat with a spoon. We take bribe openly, but they take it in secret; we believe all, they believe nothing; our women put on short dresses, but theirs long ones; by our traditions one man can marry several women, but by their tradition a woman marries several men.

Shahbaz bey: Uncle, I didn’t catch all what you say.

Hatamkhan agha: Why don’t you understand, balam? To marry several women means one man isn’t satisfied with one woman. To be married to several men means one man is not enough for a woman. The first tradition belongs to us, the second tradition belongs to Parisians. As during long winter nights Monsieur Jordan read French books and explained their meaning in details for us, now it`s enough to have imagination about Paris and Parisians and leave away the decision to go to Paris.

Monsieur Jordan: (with irony) Ha-ha-ha! Hatamkhan agha, I’m surprised, why such a logically educated, clever, sagacious and brave man as you, is not a member of any consultation club. Though I can’t dare to interfere the principle – customs, but I’d like to declare some words if you allow.

Hatamkhan agha: You are welcome, hakim Sahib!* Every word of yours is pleasant for us.

Monsieur Jordan: (with proud) Hatamkhan agha, my aim to take Shahbaz bey to Paris is first to teach him a good behaviour, the French language and French sciences. I’ll introduce him to the King. You did your best and served me well and I’ll ask the King of France an award for Shabaz bey and I’ll send him back. Because I’m under the protection of the King’s authority. I belong to the government’s official scientists and I am the King’s respectable close friend. But it becomes clear that you are against the travel. That’s why I must prove the importance of the travel. (He puts his hand into his pocket and takes out a notebook from it, opens and shows them some grass, which were put there in good order), if I didn’t come to Karabakh who would know that on the summer pastures existed these grasses. Before our botanists and doctors monsieur Linney, Turnefor and Bertram used to suppose that they existed only on the Alps in America, Africa and Switzerland. But coming here, I’ll prove to the Parisian Academy of sciencies that the former scientists made a gross mistake. This flora exists on the Karabakhian mountains too. I’ll research this flora and I’ll apply it into experience and I’ll make new classification quite different from the ancestors, for instance. This grass which you see (he shows one of the plants) it’s called in Latin “agantus”, by my experience it’s very useful for diarrhoea. Monsieur Linney supposes it the third grade and monsieur Turnefor supposes the fourth grade, but I’ll suppose it the second grade. This (he shows another plant) in Latin is called “Serastrum Alpinium”. It’s an important medicine for eyes. Monsieur Linney supposes it the seventh grade and monsieur Turnefor supposes it the sixth grade. But I’ll consider it the tenth grade. (He shows the third plant) The name of this plant in Latin is “Jamlina Africana”. It’s the remedy for the tooth ache. Monsieur Linney supposes it the fifth grade and monsieur Turnefor supposes it the third grade, but I’ll suppose it the eighth grade. The name of this grass in Latin is “Gombretum”. Till modern time it was not famous in Europe. But in American flora it was known. Now I’m very glad that I found it on Karabakh mountains. It’s very useful to cure cold catch. Monsieur Linney supposes it the sixth grade, monsieur Turnefor supposes it the fifth grade, but I’ll suppose it the fourth grade and I’ll write the essense and specifics of all found plants. In this way I’ll declare it to the world. And my fame will be wider than Linney’s protector George Glifford’s. And my service for science will be higher than all German scientists who searched and found potato disease.