GERİYƏ TƏRCÜMƏ
The Death of the Rabbit
By Afaq Masud
One of the rabbits was dying. The expression in its eyes had
disappeared, its black pupils were nebulous and it was
breathing heavily, its colourless mouth on the ground.
Only the ears of the other rabbit were visible from behind
the bush. From quivering of its ears, one could understand that
it was “grinding” something again without taking a breath, its
thoughtless eyes fixed on one point.
...Stooping, he drew the feeble head of the rabbit nearer to
the water bowl in case it would like to drink. Gulping the water
down, the rabbit suddenly choked, lost its breath, its eyes stood
still like glass buttons.
-
What shall we do now?.. - Her husband turned to her with
his face wizened in agony. He looked as if it was he who had
killed the rabbit.
...Isa killed his cigarette butt pressing his sole hard against
the soft sand with his foot.
-
...A buck and doe shouldn’t be kept together. Always one
is sure to die.
-
Which one dies?..
-
Most often a male one.
-
Why a male?..
Her husband got angry at this irrelevant question of hers.
As if not heard it, Old Isa put his hands into the pockets of his
trousers worn out and faded in the sun, with his head on his
breast he walked to the gate where he lingered for a moment:
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.. .Dove is safer... - he said and left.
After Isa had left, to check whether the rabbit was dead or
not, her husband raised the animal’s small white pad with his
two fingers and dropped it down, rose, put his hands on his hips
and said in a hoarse voice:
-
It will sure die...
The rabbit was still gasping for breath, its pupils were
bulging and popping out of their sockets and its tiny warm
body was quivering weakly.
.. .By the twilight the rabbit breathed its last.
Her husband dug a small pit in the farthest end of the
garden and buried the rabbit there.
The whole night she dreamed about the rabbit in agony. It
was bigger than the dead one and white, while agonizing
suddenly he revived, rose to its hind feet, put its pads on her
shoulders, opened its mouth wide and yawned showing its
throat. The rabbit yawned as if it would suck her down into its
big cavelike mouth like a vacuum-cleaner...
...At breakfast, the other rabbit was sitting in front of the
veranda, chewing something in its small mouth; it was staring
at them with a timid look as if listening to their chat.
-
I wonder which of them died - the buck or doe...
Her husband screwed up his eyes and looked at the rabbit.
-
Does it make any difference?
-
It looks like a male.
Her husband made a face as if the sunlight dazzled him.
-
What makes it look like?..
-
Its whiskers...
-
What do the whiskers have to do with it? As if Does
don’t have whiskers.
Accurately spreading butter on
a slice of bread, she said:
-
What if you buy another one?!..
-
Which one shall I buy?..
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