The Story of Jibina
A story from Palestinian heritage...
In Palestinian – Once upon a time, there was a woman who could not conceive or give birth. Every day, she would sit at the door of her house and wish to conceive and give birth to a child. –One day, the vendor passed by and she bought some white cheese from him. –She took a piece of cheese and began to eat it. –She said, "Oh Lord, my beloved, bless me with a daughter who is as sweet and white as this piece of cheese."
God answered her prayers and took her by the hand. She got pregnant and nine months later gave birth to a baby girl who was as white as cheese. She named her Jibina, and because the baby was so white, her mother did not let the sun touch her. Even when she wanted to breastfeed her, she would cover her for fear that she would turn brown. The girl grew up and her cousin proposed to her. When her cousins saw her, they became jealous andwanted to get rid of her.
One day, her cousins agreed with the girls from the neighborhood to go to the dome and said, "Let's take some cheese with us."
They went to Jibina and said to her: "Jibina, Jibina, come with us to the dome."
Jibina said, "I'm not going. Go ask my mother."
They went to Um Jibina and said to her: "Um Jibina, for the sake of Jibina, let Jibina come with us to the dome."
Tell them I'm not coming. Tell her father.
They went to her father and said, "Hey, Abu Jibina, let Jibina come with us to the dome."
They didn't judge the girl who was engaged to her cousin. They went to her fiancé and said, "Hey, fiancé, bring her with us to the dome. Tell her to come with us. Don't be late. Be back before sunset. Be here."
At dawn, each girl carried her belongings and a basket of food to the distant palm trees.
When the girls arrived, they said to Jibina, "Come out, we'll take you to your room and put you in your bed. Don't be afraid."
Jibina climbed up the tree and started picking dates and throwing them to the girls. She thought they would put them in their baskets, but they just threw them away. Jibina climbed down and each girl carried her basket, wanting to leave before sunset and the ghoul came to the trees. On the way, when they reached this spot (a rocky area), the girls said, "Come on, let's rest a little." They put down their baskets to rest. One of them said, "Come on, let's see who collected the most dom." She turned her belongings over on the hill, and then the second and third girls did the same. When Jibina turned her belongings over, she found that they were full of lizards, snakes, and spiders. Her cousins laughed at her, and all her belongings scattered from the hill, and Jibina began to cry. (She screamed) – Her cousins said, "Why are you screaming? Go to the palm tree, and we'll wait for you until you finish your toys and come back." She carried her creatures and went to the palm trees, and every now and then she would come out and see her cousins, which made her heart sink with fear. When she moved away a little, her cousins cut the sleeves of their clothes and put stones on them, which made them flutter. They were there. –She climbed up the tree to see the masks, thinking they were her cousins. –Little by little, the sun set and the masks fluttered, and she thought her cousins were there. A little while later, the sun set, and the ghoul came running from afar, saying, "I smell you."
She said, "If you have a goat, it means you have someone." He climbed up the tree and said, "Look, I won't let go." She said, "Look, I flew to the other tree," and he kept telling her as she flew from tree to tree until they finished all the trees. The last time, she fell to the ground, and he picked her up and took her to his palace. –He said, "I want to marry you." –Jibina and the ogre lived together, and every day the ogre would go out during the day and only return at night. –One day he said, "I want to go far, far away." He slept next to the palace, and when he said, "I want to go close," he stayed away from the palace all day long.
As for Jibina, she would go out of the palace every day and see nothing but flying birds. She would call out to the birds, saying, "O flying birds, give my regards to my father and mother and tell them that Jibina is taking care of the cows and sheep.She would tend to the cows and sheep and every day she would talk to the flying birds. One day, the birds arrived and greeted Jibina's cousin. When he heard that Jibina was alive, he said, "I must go and rescue her from the ogre." He mounted his horse, took his sword, and said, "God be with you, Jibina." When he arrived, he knocked on the door and said, "What brought you here? The ogre will eat you and suck your bones dry." "Come, I will hide you." –She entered the room and placed the needle in her cap. –When the ogre entered, he said, "I smell a woman. Tell me, is there a woman here?" She said, "No, I smell a woman. I searched the whole palace and found no one." At night, the ogre fell asleep, and the woman got up and stole everything in the house: the pots, the plates, the cups, everything. She left only the drum. At dawn, the ogre woke up and her cousin carried her on his horse and flew away with her to his country. At sunset, the ogre returned to his palace and knocked on the door, but no one answered. He knocked and knocked, but no one answered. –
Call on Basah and Win Stick—said Miu Miu Stee and Halana in their sleep—and the dog woof woof Stee and Halana in their sleep, everyone in the house says Stee and Halana in their sleep (Gatraqa in sleep) except for the drum that drums and talks – Drum takh drum takh her cousin took her and went Drum takh drum takh her cousin took her and went – From the day the ghoul heard the drum's words, he flew away and her cousin ran and her cousin rode on a horse –And every time he got close, Jibina was afraid, and her cousin would tell her, "Don't be afraid." On the way, Jibina wished there was a sea between her and the ghoul, and if that sea existed
The ogre took out his dog and said, "Here, my dog, I'm leaving." And so the dog became the ogre's dog, and the ogre drank sea water, and every time her belly flattened, the ogre would sew it up with a needle. But Jibina's cousin was faster and arrived in the country, where the Bedouins welcomed him. The next day, they held a wedding for Jibina and her cousin, and the bird flew away. May God bless you withwell.
