قِطَافُ الْوَرْدِ الدِّمَشْقِيِّ

هَذِهِ وَرْدَةٌ دِمَشْقِيَّةٌ. لَوْنُهَا وَرْدِيٌّ. وَرَائِحَتُهَا طَيِّبَةٌ جِدًّا. اسْمُهَا مِنِ اسْمِ دِمَشْقَ. وَدِمَشْقُ عَاصِمَةُ سُورِيَا. فِي جِبَالِ الْقَلَمُونِ قَرْيَةٌ قَدِيمَةٌ. بُيُوتُهَا الْقَدِيمَةُ مِنَ الْحَجَرِ. وَسُقُوفُهَا مِنَ الْخَشَبِ. فِي الْقَرْيَةِ حُقُولٌ لِلْوَرْدِ الدِّمَشْقِيِّ. وَالْمَطَرُ يَسْقِي الْوَرْدَ فِي الْحُقُولِ. فِي الرَّبِيعِ يَبْدَأُ قِطَافُ الْوَرْدِ. يَذْهَبُ الْمُزَارِعُونَ إِلَى الْحُقُولِ فِي الصَّبَاحِ الْبَاكِرِ. وَتَذْهَبُ مَعَهُمْ عَائِلَاتُهُمْ. يَقْطِفُونَ الْوَرْدَ بِالْيَدِ قَبْلَ حَرِّ النَّهَارِ. ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُونَ إِلَى بُيُوتِهِمْ بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ. فِي الْبَيْتِ تَفْرِزُ الْعَائِلَةُ كُلُّهَا الْوَرْدَ. وَتُجَفِّفُ بَعْضَهُ لِلشَّايِ. وَتَحْفَظُ الْبَاقِيَ لِمَاءِ الْوَرْدِ. يَضَعُ أَهْلُ الْقَرْيَةِ الْوَرْدَ وَالْمَاءَ فِي إِنَاءٍ. ثُمَّ يُسَخِّنُونَ الْإِنَاءَ بِبُطْءٍ. وَمِنَ الْبُخَارِ يَأْتِي مَاءُ الْوَرْدِ وَزَيْتُهُ. تَصْنَعُ النِّسَاءُ مِنَ الْوَرْدِ مُرَبًّى وَشَرَابًا. وَيَبِيعُ الْعَطَّارُونَ الْوَرْدَ الْمُجَفَّفَ. وَيَذْهَبُ زَيْتُ الْوَرْدِ إِلَى فَرَنْسَا. وَهُنَاكَ يَصْنَعُونَ مِنْهُ الْعُطُورَ. فِي مَوْسِمِ الْقِطَافِ مِهْرَجَانٌ لِلْوَرْدِ. يَأْتِي إِلَيْهِ النَّاسُ مِنَ الْقُرَى الْقَرِيبَةِ. تُقَدِّمُ النِّسَاءُ أَطْبَاقًا بِالْوَرْدِ. وَيُغَنِّي الْجَمِيعُ لِلْوَرْدِ.

This is a Damascene rose. Its colour is pink. Its scent is very pleasant. Its name comes from the name Damascus. Damascus is the capital of Syria. In the Qalamoun mountains there is an old village. Its old houses are made of stone. Their roofs are made of wood. In the village there are fields of Damascene roses. The rain waters the roses in the fields. In spring the rose picking begins. The farmers go to the fields early in the morning. Their families go with them. They pick the roses by hand before the heat of the day. Then they go back to their homes in the afternoon. At home the whole family sorts the roses. They dry some of them for tea. They keep the rest for rose water. The villagers put the roses and water in a pot. Then they heat the pot slowly. Rose water and rose oil come from the steam. The women make jam and syrup from the roses. Herbalists sell the dried roses. Rose oil goes to France. There they make perfumes from it. In the picking season there is a rose festival. P