La noche de los
cruzados.
El emir Bishr preside el acto. Se trata de la conmemoración
de un suceso histórico que tuvo lugar en Tierra Santa. Salima, visiblemente
alterada, sube a la tribuna para acompañar a su padre en el acto.
Se celebra la noche en la que los cruzados atacaron las
tiendas de campaña del ejército musulmán que rodeaba la ciudad de Jerusalén. A
pesar de sufrir un ataque por sorpresa, en una reacción inesperada, las huestes
del emir consiguieron obligar a huir a los atacantes.
Situada la tribuna en la gran llanura de la Luna, los muyahidines,
o soldados de la fe extienden su formación hasta el límite del horizonte.
En el momento culminante de la celebración, un muyahidín
sobre un caballo al galope se dirige a la tribuna. El soldado se abalanza sobre
el emir y blandiendo su alfanje se dispone a acabar con su vida. Más rápido que
el rayo, una espada cristiana se interpone en la trayectoria del arma del
asesino y al mismo tiempo una daga divide en dos su corazón.
Bishr está impresionado y agradecido. Cuando se dirige a su
salvador, éste se arrodilla ante él. El negro cabello impide ver su rostro.
Cuando el emir le pide que alce la vista, le sorprende la belleza de una joven
que le mira con los ojos llenos de lágrimas.
La joven acaba de dar muerte a su hermano y amante de
Salima. Un complot para acabar con el emir, que tuvo que abortar, ella la esclava
cristiana secretamente enamorada del emir.
The Night
of the Crusaders
The Emir
Bishr presides over the act. It is the commemoration of an historic event that
took place in the Holy Land. His daughter, Salima follows him up to the rostrum
to accompany her father on the spot. She seems aloof and her face is clouded by
something that she tries to hide behind her carefully composed expression.
This night is
the celebration of the moment when the crusaders attacked the tents of the
Muslim army surrounding the city of Jerusalem. In spite of a surprise attack,
in an unexpected reaction, the faithful followers of the Emir managed to force
the attackers to flee.
The ceremonial
rostrum situated in the great plain of the Moon is rising above the seemingly
endless lines and rows of the mujahideen, soldiers of the faith, extending
their formation to the edge of the horizon. It is an ocean of steel and
heartbeats under the all encompassing moonligt.
At the
culminating moment of the celebration, a mujahideen on a galloping horse breaks
the lines, heading to the rostrum. The soldier rushes over the emir and
brandishing his cutlass is ready to end his life. Faster than light, a
Christian sword gets in the way of the killer's weapon and at the same time a
dagger divides his heart in two.
Bishr is
impressed and grateful. When he addresses his savior, he kneels before him. The
long black hides his face. When the emir asks him to look up, he is surprised to
see the beauty of a young woman who faces him with eyes full of tears.
The heart
is heavy and torn to pieces. She has just killed her brother and Salima's
lover. She ended the plot to kill the Emir. A plot to kill the emir, who she had
to abort. She, the Christian slave secretly in love with the Emir…
