Lesley Hazleton: A "tourist" reads the Koran

Prevoditelj: Ilijana Vargovic Radic Recezent: Tilen Pigac - EFZG

Možda ste čuli

You may have heard about the Koran's idea of paradise

o Kuranovoj ideji raja

being 72 virgins,

sa 72 djevice.

Obećavam vam da ću se vratiti na te djevice.

and I promise I will come back to those virgins.

Ustvari, ovdje na sjeverozapadu,

But in fact, here in the Northwest, we're living very close

živimo vrlo blizu

to the real Koranic idea of paradise,

pravoj Kuranovoj ideji raja,

defined 36 times as "gardens watered by running streams."

definiranoj 36 puta

kao "vrtovi zaliveni vodopadima".

Since I live on a houseboat on the running stream of Lake Union,

Budući da živim na kuća-brodu na izvorištu jezera Union,

ovo mi ima potpunog smisla.

this makes perfect sense to me.

But the thing is, how come it's news to most people?

No stvar je u tome, kako to da su to novosti većini ljudi?

I know many well-intentioned non-Muslims

Poznajem mnoge dobromisleće ne-muslimane

who've begun reading the Koran, but given up,

koji su započeli čitati Kuran da bi odustali,

disconcerted by its "otherness."

uzdrmani njegovom posebnošću.

Povjesničar Thomas Carlyle

The historian Thomas Carlyle considered Muhammad

je smatrao Muhameda jednim od najvećih svjetskih heroja,

one of the world's greatest heroes,

yet even he called the Koran

no i on je nazvao Kuran,

"Zamornije štivo koje sam ikada uzeo,

"as toilsome reading as I ever undertook; a wearisome, confused jumble."

dosadna, zbunjujuća hrpa".

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Dio problema, mislim,

Part of the problem, I think, is that we imagine

je da smo zamislili da Kuran može biti čitan

that the Koran can be read as we usually read a book --

poput uobičajenog štiva --

as though we can curl up with it on a rainy afternoon

kao da se možemo s njime zavuči u krevet na kišno poslijepodne

with a bowl of popcorn within reach,

sa zdjelom kokica pri ruci,

as though God --

kao da Bog --

and the Koran is entirely in the voice of God speaking to Muhammad --

i Kuran je u potpunosti u glasu Boga koji govori Muhamedu --

je samo još jedan autor na listi najprodavanijih knjiga.

were just another author on the best-seller list.

Yet, the fact that so few people do actually read the Koran

No činjenica da tako malo ljudi

stvarno čita Kuran

je precizan razlog zašto ga je tako lako citirati --

is precisely why it's so easy to quote -- that is, to misquote.

to jest, pogrešno citirati.

(Laughter)

Fraze i odlomci uzeti iz konteksta

Phrases and snippets taken out of context

in what I call the "highlighter version,"

u onome što zovem visoko-laganoj verziji,

which is the one favored by both Muslim fundamentalists

koja je favorizirana od strane muslimanskih fundamentalista

and anti-Muslim Islamophobes.

i anti-muslimanskih islamofoba.

Stoga, prošlog proljeća,

So this past spring,

dok sam se pripremala

as I was gearing up to begin writing a biography of Muhammad,

započeti pisati biografiju o Muhamedu,

I realized I needed to read the Koran properly --

shvatila sam da mi je potrebno pročitati Kuran propisno --

što propisnije u mojoj mogućnosti.

as properly as I could, that is.

Moj arapski je bio reduciran dotad

My Arabic is reduced by now to wielding a dictionary,

na korištenje rječnika,

so I took four well-known translations

stoga sam uzela četiri poznata prijevoda

and decided to read them side by side, verse by verse,

i odlučila čitati ih usporedno,

stih po stih

along with a transliteration and the original seventh-century Arabic.

uz transliteraciju

i originalan arapski iz sedmoga stoljeća.

Imala sam prednost.

Now, I did have an advantage.

My last book was about the story behind the Shi'a-Sunni split,

Moja zadnja knjiga

je bila o priči iza Shia-Sunni razdora,

and for that, I'd worked closely with the earliest Islamic histories,

i za nju sam radila blizu najranijih islamskh povijesti,

so I knew the events to which the Koran constantly refers,

tako da sam znala događaje

koje Kuran stalno navodi,

its frame of reference.

svoj okvir navoda.

I knew enough, that is, to know that I'd be a tourist in the Koran --

Znala sam dosta, to jest, znati

da ću biti turist u Kuranu --

an informed one,

informiran,

an experienced one, even,

iskusan štoviše,

but still an outsider,

ali još uvijek outsajder,

an agnostic Jew reading someone else's holy book.

agnostički Židov

čitajući tuđu svetu knjigu.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

So I read slowly.

Stoga sporo čitam.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I'd set aside three weeks for this project,

Ostavila sam si sa strane tri tjedna za ovaj projekt,

and that, I think, is what is meant by "hubris" --

i to je ono, što mislim da se podrazumijeva pod oholost.

(Smijeh)

(Laughter)

Jer je na kraju ispalo tri mjeseca.

because it turned out to be three months.

(Laughter)

I did resist the temptation to skip to the back,

Otrgla sam se iskušenju da preskočim na kraj

gdje se nalaze kraća i jasnije mistična poglavlja.

where the shorter and more clearly mystical chapters are.

Ali svaki put kad sam pomislila da sam započela

But every time I thought I was beginning to get a handle on the Koran --

uhvatiti Kuran za rep --

that feeling of "I get it now" --

onaj osjećaj "Sad shvaćam" --

bi otišao preko noći.

it would slip away overnight,

I onda bih se vratila ujutro

and I'd come back in the morning,

wondering if I wasn't lost in a strange land.

razmišljajući da li sam se izgubila u nepoznatoj zemlji.

Usprkos, teren je bio vrlo familijaran.

And yet, the terrain was very familiar.

The Koran declares that it comes to renew the message

Kuran izjavljuje da dolazi

obnoviti poruku Tore i evanđelja.

of the Torah and the Gospels.

So one-third of it reprises the stories of Biblical figures

Dakle trećina toga

ponavlja priče biblijskih figura

like Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Mary, Jesus.

poput Abrahama, Mojsija,

Josipa, Marije, Isusa.

Sam Bog je bio u potpunosti poznat

God himself was utterly familiar

from his earlier manifestation as Yahweh,

po svojoj ranijoj manifestaciji kao Jahve --

jealously insisting on no other gods.

ljubomorno inzistirajući na monoteizmu.

The presence of camels, mountains, desert wells and springs

Prisustvo deva, planina,

pustinjskih bunara i izvora

took me back to the year I spent wandering the Sinai Desert.

me odvelo unatrag godinama koje sam provela

lutajući pustinjom Sinaj.

Zatim, tu je bio i jezik,

And then there was the language, the rhythmic cadence of it,

njegova ritmička kadenca,

reminding me of evenings spent listening to Bedouin elders

podsječajući me na večeri provedene slušajući beduinske starješine

kako recitiraju satima duge epove

recite hours-long narrative poems

u potpunosti napamet.

entirely from memory.

Započela sam hvatati

And I began to grasp why it's said

što je rečeno

that the Koran is really the Koran only in Arabic.

time da je Kuran pravi Kuran

jedino na arapskom.

Take the Fatihah, the seven-verse opening chapter

Uzmite Faatihah,

prvo poglavlje od sedam stihova

that is the Lord's Prayer and the Shema Yisrael of Islam combined.

je Božja molitva i Shema Izrael od Islama zajedno.

It's just 29 words in Arabic,

To je samo 29 arapskih riječi,

ali sa 65 do 72 prijevoda.

but anywhere from 65 to 72 in translation.

Što više dodajete,

And yet the more you add, the more seems to go missing.

više se i čini da nedostaje.

Arapski ima ritualno recitiranje,

The Arabic has an incantatory, almost hypnotic quality

gotovo hipnotizirajuće, kvaliteta

that begs to be heard rather than read,

koja moli da bude saslušana umjesto pročitana,

osjećana više nego analizirana.

felt more than analyzed.

It wants to be chanted out loud,

Želi biti ispjevana naglas,

to sound its music in the ear and on the tongue.

da odzvanja svoju glazbu u uhu i na jeziku.

Dakle Kuran na engleskom

So the Koran in English is a kind of shadow of itself,

je jedna vrsta vlastite sjene,

or as Arthur Arberry called his version,

ili kao što je Arthur Arberry nazvao svoju verziju,

"an interpretation."

"interpretacijom".

But all is not lost in translation.

Ali nije sve izgubljeno u prijevodu.

Kao što Kuran obećava, strpljenje je nagrađeno,

As the Koran promises, patience is rewarded,

and there are many surprises --

i postoje mnoga iznenađenja --

a degree of environmental awareness, for instance,

stupanj svijesnosti okoliša na primjer

and of humans as mere stewards of God's creation,

i ljudi kao podvornici Božje kreacije,

nepodudarnost s Biblijom.

unmatched in the Bible.

And where the Bible is addressed exclusively to men,

I dok se Biblija ekskluzivno obraća muškarcima,

using the second- and third-person masculine,

koristeći drugo i treće lice muškog roda,

Kuran uključuje žene --

the Koran includes women --

talking, for instance,

govoreći, primjerice,

of believing men and believing women,

o vjernicima i vjernicama --

honorable men and honorable women.

časnim muškarcima i časnim ženama.

Or take the infamous verse about killing the unbelievers.

Ili uzmite ozloglašen stih

o ubijanju nevjernika.

Da, to govori,

Yes, it does say that,

but in a very specific context:

ali u vrlo specifičnom kontekstu:

the anticipated conquest of the sanctuary city of Mecca,

očekivan poraz

grada utočišta Meke

where fighting was usually forbidden.

gdje je borba bila uobičajeno zabranjena.

And the permission comes hedged about with qualifiers.

Dozvola dolazi pokrivena s kvalificiranima.

Not "You must kill unbelievers in Mecca,"

Nije, morate ubiti nevjernike u Meki,

but you can, you are allowed to,

ali možete, dopušteno vam je,

but only after a grace period is over,

ali tek nakon perioda milosti

and only if there's no other pact in place,

i samo ako nema drugog dogovora

and only if they try to stop you getting to the Kaaba,

i samo ako vas zaustave na putu do Kaabe,

and only if they attack you first.

i samo ako vas oni prvi napadnu.

And even then -- God is merciful;

I čak tada -- Bog je milostiv,

oproštenje je vrhovno --

forgiveness is supreme --

and so, essentially,

i stoga, zapravo,

better if you don't.

bolje ako ne ubijete.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

This was perhaps the biggest surprise --

Ovo je najvjerovatnije najveće iznenađenje --

how flexible the Koran is,

koliko je Kuran fleksibilan,

at least in minds that are not fundamentally inflexible.

barem u umovima koji nisu

fundamentalno nefleskibilni.

"Some of these verses are definite in meaning," it says,

"Neki od ovih stihova su konačni u značenju", Kuran govori,

"a drugi su dvosmisleni.

"and others are ambiguous."

Izopačeni u srcu

The perverse at heart will seek out the ambiguities,

će tražiti dvosmislenosti

trying to create discord by pinning down meanings of their own.

pokušavajući stvoriti neslogu

pripisivajući značenja na vlastitu ruku.

Only God knows the true meaning.

Samo Bog zna pravo značenje".

The phrase "God is subtle" appears again and again,

Fraza "Bog je suptilan"

se ponavlja.

and indeed, the whole of the Koran is far more subtle

Uistinu, cijeli Kuran je daleko više suptilan

than most of us have been led to believe.

nego što su mnogi spremni vjerovati.

Poput u, na primjer,

As in, for instance, that little matter of virgins and paradise.

toj maloj stvari

o djevicama i raju.

Old-fashioned orientalism comes into play here.

Staromodan orijentalizam dolazi do izražaja ovdje.

The word used four times is "houris,"

Riječ upotrebljena četiri puta

je Houris,

predočena kao

rendered as dark-eyed maidens with swelling breasts,

tamnooke djeve s nabreklim grudima,

or as fair, high-bosomed virgins.

ili kao svijetlopute djevice podignutih grudi.

Ipak, sve što se nalazi na originalnom arapskom

Yet all there is in the original Arabic is that one word: houris.

je ta jedna riječ: Houris.

Not a swelling breast or high bosom in sight.

Nema nabrekle grudi niti podignutih grudi na vidiku.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Now this may be a way of saying "pure beings," like in angels,

Ovo bi mogao biti jedan način prijevoda

čista bića -- poput u anđela --

ili bi moglo biti poput grčkog Kourosa ili Kore,

or it may be like the Greek "kouros" or "kore,"

vječna mladost.

an eternal youth.

But the truth is, nobody really knows.

Ali istina je da nitko ne zna,

And that's the point.

i to je taj smisao.

Because the Koran is quite clear

Jer Kuran je dosta jasan

when it says that you'll be "a new creation in paradise,"

kad kaže da ćete biti

"nova kreacija u raju"

and that you will be "recreated in a form unknown to you,"

i da ćete biti "ponovno stvoreni

u vama nepoznat oblik",

which seems to me a far more appealing prospect

što mi se čini kao daleko primamljivo očekivanje

than a virgin.

od djevice.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And that number 72 never appears.

Taj broj 72 se nikada ne pojavljuje.

There are no 72 virgins in the Koran.

Nema 72 djevice

u Kuranu.

That idea only came into being 300 years later,

Ta je ideja rođena 300 godina poslije,

and most Islamic scholars see it as the equivalent

i većina islamskih akademika je vide istoznačnu

of people with wings sitting on clouds and strumming harps.

ljudima s krilima koji sjede na oblacima

svirajući harfe.

Paradise is quite the opposite.

Raj je nešto sasvim drugo.

Nije djevičanstvo,

It's not virginity;

it's fecundity;

ono je plodnost,

it's plenty.

ono je izobilje,

ono je zaliven vrt

It's gardens watered by running streams.

vodopadima.

Hvala vam.

Thank you.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)