Christopher Columbus

Majestic — such would we see Columbus in the last days of his life.

Seville. A small house. A tidy white room. Severe gout prevents Columbus from getting out of bed for a long time now. He looks at his hands and doesn’t recognize them. Medicated poultices only help for a short while. But behind this unbearable pain, he feels… harmony. The rightness of everything that happened to him.

The shackles hang in the corner. Yes! Shackles! His destiny played with him this way. They are kept in sight on purpose to remember about and rise above all these sufferings and alleged failures. He touches a small book of the psalms of David, which is always kept on hand. He’s unable to read them since long ago, but it’s not needed — the psalms are written on his heart.

Whence comes this calmness and appeasement in a person deprived of all titles, left destitute? His efforts are forgotten, and achievements are cursed. Mankind will begin to realize the greatness of Columbus’s deed only 60 years later, when ships, loaded with precious stones and metals, will sail to Spain and make it a mighty power.

Columbus’s eyes are shut. He’s immersed in his thoughts.

“Nani… Nani….”

He doesn’t remember his mother’s hands but recalls her clear high-pitched voice and this Sephardic lullaby. She often endearingly reminded him:

“Dodi, sonny ….” she addressed him. “Always remember. You come from the House of David.”

He felt a certain solemnity in those words, but at that time, he didn’t understand what it meant.

“Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu… Love the Lord your God with all your heart ….”

“Mommy, what’re you saying?” little Christo was asking.

“It’s our prayer…” the mother paused, thinking of something. “Son, you should know it, you come from a Marrano family. We are Jews; we were forced to pray differently… But at heart, we always have only our God. Follow Him. You’re a descendant of David. He guards you.”

“And grandma and grandpa are also Marranos?”

“Yes, dear. They had a difficult life. Our family lived in Seville. A terrible tragedy happened. The Seville massacre. They decided to kill all Jews. My father and mother were able to flee to Genoa by a miracle,” she sighed. “The Creator is great; I met your father here…”

The mother pressed her son firmly to her bosom and began to cry.

“Dodi, you should study, this hatred for us comes back all the time. You must survive yourself and help your people.”

The clatter of pots in the adjacent room got into these recollections. “It’s the son,” Christopher understood, “preparing the medication for my compresses.” He smiled.

He became oblivious again.

The teenager Christo had a secret love: the sea. This is what Genoa is all about. Everything’s imbued with it. All the paths ran across the port. From home to school and back home, to the father’s workshop across the port and, of course, an obligatory stop by the sea on the way back to listen to the stories of ‘navals’, ask them his endless questions:

“And where did you get to?”

“Why didn’t you go further?”

“And what was the wind?”

“What were the birds? And the flowers?”

He got it hot from his father for being lazy and hanging about in the port. The family mocked but accepted this secret passion. Christo just stood still by the sea, he daydreamed, he adored this symphony of sensations — rattling chains of anchors, the lushness of scents, cold splashes, the feeling of a storm coming. He even spoke to the sea…

“Dad, here’s your medication. And we need to change the bandages. Look, Diego and Martinez have come, brought some bread and fruits.”

This is Fernando, son. While saying all this, he skillfully bandaged his legs, trying to cause as little pain as possible to his father. The old man’s heart got filled with tenderness: “That’s the kind of love I deserved! The true one!” But he couldn’t stop feeling guilty:

“Sonny, I’m very worried. I didn’t leave anything behind. Just debts, borrowings. I hope you’ll forgive me and understand… I had to pay my crew. Sorry.”

“Daddy,” the son caressingly put his hand on his father’s hand. “You gave me far more than any wealth. Persistence!”

Fernando slyly looked at his father:

“Tell me, what if pains in your legs abated now a little….”

Columbus laughed happily and youngly; in his eyes, he had the same bright sparkles as the guy who questioned sailors at the marina:

“Yes! I’d start preparing for the journey again!”

“Dad,” the son looked at Christopher in admiration, “what a passion is this?”

Columbus pondered:

“You know, it’s a kind of rebellion. It was in me since I was born. I always knew I would be at sea searching for new lands. I didn’t understand what for but this prophecy of the Torah resounded in me: “Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!” Zion, my son! But this is the seat of David!”

“So, you felt it? You knew what your mission was?”

“I finally understood it when, after severe trials, I anyway could to go out to sea. Long have I waited for it! And Queen Isabella gave me a chance. All three of my ships were ready on August 2nd, 1492. I’ll never forget that.

We didn’t go out to sea that day.”

Fernando raised his eyebrows in surprise.

The father continued telling his story.

“According to our Jewish calendar, it was the ninth of Av. The day of mourning. There might be no undertakings on this day. But I saw,” he seemed to have looked somewhere deep inside, “it was the last day of the expulsion of Jews from Spain. They walked leaning on each other, carried the infirm, supported the old men. All together. Women and children. Took very few things with them. For the sake of their God. Leaving. All as one.”

His eyes got wet:

“You know, they could have stayed. They might not have abandoned their dwellings in Spain, but for that, they had to forget their God. I couldn’t help them; I cried because I felt powerless. And then, I realized how come I couldn’t? I’ll find this land! I’ll find the place where they’ll be free at last.”

“This is what it was for!” it took son’s breath away. He always knew it, but all the people around were sure that his father’s discoveries brought only wars and diseases, that he allegedly wanted to become famous, enrich himself. But he was trying to save his people! Banished but not humiliated!

“We sailed west, though usually, the routes led east. We only relied on the compass, stars, and… the wind. No one has ever done that! I learned to use the ‘Viento de pasada’ (trade wind — T/N) — the wind that blows east to west. Before, all the shipping routes went east to Africa. But the Ottoman Empire had already gained such a power that all the marches turned into battles, and the way to the west was unknown. When studying the works of Marco Polo, Ptolemy, Toscanelli, Mandeville, I realized that it’s possible to sail across the Atlantic ocean and reach India, and along the way, we will pass by Cipango (i.e., Asia — A/N). And we have really been there! We were welcomed by yellow-skinned people with black hair. Very hospitable. After having some rest, we raised the anchor and moved to Cuba, and further on to Cibao. I named this island Española.

But it was here where the first big failure waited for us: “Santa Maria” ran aground. The ship was completely destroyed.”

“Father! How could God let this happen? Everyone betrayed you, including your crew members, the ones whom you rescued after the “Santa Maria” ship got destroyed and left in the Española fort.”

Columbus sighed:

“It’s not God, son. It’s people. But He helped us — the only ones! — cross the Sargasso Sea, to be friendly with inhabitants of the lands we discovered, and still to organize and complete our four voyages. He helped me focus on my mission. When coming back from the last three voyages, we felt the anger, the hostility of people and the crown… Everyone thought it was my fault. I didn’t want it, I warned… But obviously, all this was for me to become stronger. To fortify my spirit.”

“And you became stronger in spirit?”

“Isabella, Queen of Castile. It was she to whom I came totally exhausted. I did admit I was nobody, but she… I want you to know what she said, “Columbus, look, did Moses or David get more help than you did? You discovered the New World, new lands, and new people! Turned Spain into the most powerful country. Made the great discovery.”

Christopher became silent.

Fernando saw that his father needed some rest. He carefully covered him with a blanket and went out. How can that be? Unrecognized, blamed, unknown to anyone. Made the discovery that changed the world.

“For the sake of his people… For the sake of Him,” Fernando reflected.

Time will tell all. But how right that would be if everyone carried out his or her mission! The only thing he or she was born for. How our lives would change! When all come together — for the sake of one common aim. Do what you must in our world. To the best of your abilities and possibilities.

Being still under the strong impression, the son opened his father’s diary and read the last entry:

“People think I’m a great seafarer. But I don’t know much about it. I only know my God. And my only desire is to do what my people expect me to do. And my God….”

This is what Columbus was like.