him. He kicked him in the stomach as hard as he could."
Kamal glanced at their faces to judge the impact of his story, but
Naguib MvAfou
found no interest there. He noticed, rather, a reiection of hi
and a determination to continue their conversation He saw
hand stretching out to his mother's chin to turn her away from
after she had begun to listen to him. He even glimpsed a
smile spread across Yasin's lips. He had not lifted his head
book. Obstinately Kamal said in a loud voice, "The boy fell
writhing with pain and people crowded around him. Then
you know, he had departed from this life."
His mother moved the cup from her lips and asked, "Son, are.
saying he died?"
Kamal was gratified by her interest and concentrated his forces i
her, like a desperate assailant throwing all his reserves against t
weakest section of'a forbidding wall. He said, "Yes, he died.
my own eyes I saw his blood pouring out."
Fahmy glanced at him scornfully as if to say, "I know'it
first story like this you've told." He asked sarcastically, "Didn't y0
say the conductor kicked him in the stomach? So where did thi blo0
come from?"
The flame of victory that had been shining in his eyes since he
caught his mother's attention went out. Flashes of confusion and exasperation
took its place. Then his imagination came to his rescu
and his eyes recovered their lively look. He said, "When the ma
kicked him in the stomach, he fell on his face and split his hea
open."
At this, Yasin, without raising his eyes from the two orphan gi
commented, "Or the blood flowed from his mouth. Blood mig
come from his mouth without any need for an external injury. Ther
is more than one explanation for your fake news, as usual. So hay
no fear."
Kamal protested against his brother's suggestion that he had ma&
it up. He proceeded to swear the most awesome oaths that it
true, but his protests were lost in the clamorous laughter
harmoniously both the deep voices of the men and the
ones of the women.
Khadiia's sarcastic nature was aroused She remarked, "You
tainly have a lot of victims. If the reports you give were true, yoa.
leave none of the inhabitants of ai-Nahhasin alive. What will you td
our Lord if He takes you to account for these reports?"
Kamal found in Khadiia a worthy adversary. As usual when
collided with her sarcasm, he began to allude to her nose. He said, I'll tell Him it's the fault of my sister's snout."
pALACE wALK ]]
She replied with a laugh, "It's just like yours! Don't we share this
affliction?"
"You're telling the truth, sister." She
At this, yasin spoke again:
-- him, ready to pounce on him, but h.e forestalled her
tued t°w,ave [ made you angry? Why? All I &d was to express
bycsnYvtnmg'v:eement wttyou.".-.-.our own shortcomings before
allude to the defects of other people."
e raised his eyebrows, pretending to be perplexed. Then he mur
yo "By God, the greatest defect is nothing compared to this
muted,
nose."
Fahmy made a show of being displeased but asked in tones that
indicated he was joining the fray, "What are you talking about,
brother. A nose or a criminal offense?"
Since Fahmy rarely joined in a quarrel like this, Yasin welcomed
his words enthusiastically. He said, "It's both at the same time. Think
of the criminal responsibility assumed by the person who presents
this bride to her ill-fated bnoegroo.
Kamal crowed with laughter like a recurrent whistle. The mother
was not happy to have her daughter fall victim to so many assailants. Wanting to bring the conversation back to its original subject, she
said quietly, "Your idle chatter has drawn you away from the topic
of the conversation, which was whether Mr. Kamal's story was true
or not. All the same, I see no reason for doubting him since he has
sworn to it. Yes, Kamal would never swear falsely about something."
The boy's pleasure at his revenge faded at once. Although his
brothers and sisters continued the joke for a while, he withdrew into
a world of his own. He exchanged an earnest glance with his mother
and then isolated himself to reflect anxiously and uneasily. He had
grasped the seriousness of a lying oath. It could stir the wrath of God
and His saints. It distressed him deeply to swear falsely by al-Husayn,
in particular, because of his love for him, but he frequently found
himself in a serious dilemma, as he had today, from which in his
opinion the only escape was a false oath. Drawn unwittingly into
making one, he would still be worried and anxious, especially when
he remembered his offense. He wished he could pull up his sinful
past by the roots or begin with a clean, new page. He thought of al
Husayn and of standing at the base of his minaret that seemed to
touch the sky. He entreated the Prophet's grandson to forgive his
error. He felt the shame of having committed an unpardonable offense
against a loved one. He was plunged in his supplications for
Noguib MoAfou
some time. Then he began to pay attention to what was going
around him.
He opened his ears to the conversation that was
combination of old themes and new ones. Little of it interestl
It naturally consisted of a repetition of memories drawn from i
family's past, whether recent or distant, of news about what
happening to the neighbors, their joys and sorrows, and of a disc
sion about the awkward relationship that his two
their tyrannical father. Khadiia would embark on an ex
last subject and analyze it in a humorous or malicious fashion.'
the boy acquired knowledge that developed in his imagination
strange portrait, deeply indebted to the conflict between the
sive, mocking spirit of Khadiia and the indulgently forgiving.,
his mother.
Kamai tuned in when Fahmy was telling Yasin,
offensive was extremely important. It's quite possible it will be
turning point of the war."
Yasin was sympathetic to his brother's hopes, but in a calm,
tinged with indifference. Like his brother, he wished the Germ
would win and consequently the Turks too. He wanted the calipl
claimed by the Ottoman sultans to regain its previous might and
Khedive Abbas II and Muhammad Farid to. return to Egypt. Non
these hopes, however, preoccupied his heart, except when he was
talking about them. Shaking his head, he observed, "Four years h.
passed and we keep saying this same thing.... "
Fahmy replied with anxious longing, "Every war has an end. "I
war has got to end. I don't think the Germans will lose."
"This is what we pray to God will happen, but what will you:
if we discover the Germans are just the way the English descrm¢
them?"
As the debate caught fire and grew more intense Fahmy raised his
voice and said, "The important thing is to rid ourselves of the nightmare
of the English and for the caliphate to return to its previ
grandeur. Then we will find the way prepared for us."
Khadija interrupted in their conversation to ask, "Why do you love
the Germans when they're the ones who sent a zeppelin to drop
bombs on us?"
Fahmy proceeded to affirm, as he always did, that the German'
had intended their bombs for the English, not the Egyptians- Th.
the conversation turned to zeppelin airships and what was report
of their huge size, speed, and danger, until Yasin rose and wen1
ptACE WAlK $7
his room to change, prior to leaving the house for his usual night on
the town. He returned after a brief absence, ready and outfitted. His
clothes looked elegant, and he made a handsome appearance. With
his large body, sprouting mustache, and mature masculinity he
seemed much older than he was. He said goodbye to them and went
off.
Kamal gazed after him with a look revealing how much he envied
him the enioyment of his liberty with its enchanting freedom from
restrictions. It was no secret to Kamal that his brother, since his appointment
as a secretary at al-Nahhasin School, no longer had to
account for his comings or goings. He could stay out as late as he
wished and return whenever he wanted. How beautiful it was and
how blissful. How happy a person would be to be able to come and
go as he pleased and stay out nights as long as he desired. He could
limit his reading, once he mastered the skills, to novels and poetry.
He suddenly asked his mother, "When I get a job, will I be able
to go out nights like Yasin?"
His mother smiled and replied, "Going out nights is not a goal
you should be dreaming about now."
He shouted in protest, "But my father goes out at night and so
does Yasin." His mother raised her eyebrows in confusion and stammered,
"Be patient till you become a man. Then you can get a job.
When the time is right, God will grant you opportunities."
Kamal did not seem prepared to wait. He asked, "Why can't I get
a job in three years when I have my primary certificate?"
Khadija yelled sarcastically, "You want to get a job before you're
fourteen! What will you do if you wet your pants at work?"
Before Kamal could proclaim his outrage at his sister, Fahmy told
him derisively, "What a donkey you are.... Why don't you think
.
bout going into law like me? If it weren't for circumstances beyond
s control, Yasin would have gotten his primary certificate before he
was twenty. Then he would have completed his education. Lazybones,
you don't even know what to wish for."
When Fahmy and Kamal climbed to the roof of the house, tk
was about to disappear. It seemed a tranquil, white disk--its vi|
faded, heat turned cold, and glow gone out. The garden with iI
ceiling of hyacinth beans and jasmine was already growing da
young man and the boy went to the far side of the roof where t
ing barred the sun's last rays.
They headed for the wall adjoining their neighbors' roof. F
brought Kamal to this spot every evening at sunset on the pr
of reviewing his lessons in the fresh air, even though it was d
by this time of day in November. Fahmy stationed the boy with
back to the wall and stood facing him, in order to observe the
bors' adjoining roof without having to turn. There, among
clotheslines, a girl appeared, a young woman of about twenty.
was busy gathering the dry clothes and piling them in a large basl
Although Kamal spoke in his usual loud voice, she kept on
her work as though she had not noticed the arrival of the two
terlopers.
The hope that brought Fahmy at this hour was of catching
glimpse of her if some errand called her to the roof. Whenever I
hope was fulfilled, his face, blushing with surprised delight, reveak
how excited it made him. He began to listen to his younger broth*
absentmindedly while his eyes roamed about furtively.
She was visible one moment and concealed the next, or part c
her could be seen while the rest was out of sight, depending o
where she was in relation to the clothes and sheets. The gid wa
of medium build with a clear complexion verging on white. She h
black eyes that radiated life, vivacity, and warmth, but her beaut)
and his surging emotions and feeling of victory at seeing her could
not erase the anxiety pervading him, feebly when she was present
and strongly when he was by himself, at her being so daring that
she showed herself to him. Was he not man enough for a girl to
hide from or was she a girl who did not mind showing herself
men? He kept asking himself why she did not turn and flee
pALACE WALK ]9
ghadiia or Aisha would have if either had found herself in the
as
.Wed traditions and revered customs? Would he
same situation,
t strange spirit caused her to be an exception
se
to commO-nJY o,. if she had shown that customary modesty, even
mot have felt cam,- indescribable pleasure at seeing her? All the at the expense of his
same, he invented excuses for her, based on the length of time they
had been neighbors, her growing up alone, and perhaps affection
too. He continued to argue and debate with his soul to encourage
and satisfy it.
Since he was not as daring as she, he started to watch the nearby
roofs stealthily to make sure that they were free of witnesses. For
a young man of eighteen to violate the honor of the neighbors, esl)ecially
such a good neighbor as al-Sayyid Muhammad Ridwan, was
not a matter to be tolerated. For this reason he was always distressed
by" the gravity of his action. He was afraid news of it would reach
his father, with calamitous results. The way love can disregard fears,
however, is an age-old wonder. No fear is able to spoil love's development
or keep it from dreaming of its appointed hour.
Fahmy watched her appear and disappear until no clothes were
left to separate them. She faced him, her small hands rising and
falling, her fingers slowly and deliberately grasping and releasing
what she held, as though she was dragging out her work on purpose.
His heart guessed it was on purpose, although he was torn between
doubt and hope. He did not fight his feeling of being liberated to
the farthest horizons by his happiness. He was conscious of nothing
but dancing melodies. Although she did not glance up at him, her
demeanor, the blush on her cheeks, and her avoidance of looking
at him all betrayed how intensely conscious she was of his presence,
or the impact he had made on her feelings.
Composed and still, she appeared to be very reserved, as though
she was not the same girl who spread joy and delight throughout
his house when she visited his sister and her voice carried through
the house accompanied by her sonorous laughter. He would crouch
behind the door of his room with a book in his hand ready to pretend
he was memorizing his lesson if anyone knocked on the door. He
would intercept the melodious sounds of her words and laughter by
concentrating on separating them from the other voices that blended
with hers. His mind was like a magnet attracting to itself only the
bits of steel from a mixture of various materials. He might catch a
glimpse of her as he crossed the sitting room. Their eyes might meet
6o
Naguib Mafou
in a glance which, though fleeting, would be enough to
him and stun him as though he had received a message with it
momentous it made his head spin.
He nourished his eyes and spirit with ghmpses" of her faee.
though the looks were furtive and fleeting, they took control of-!
spirit and senses. They were strong and penetrating. A single [
conveyed more than a lengthy gaze or a deep investigation. "Pt
|
were like a burst of lightning glowing for a brief moment, its
illuminating vast expanses and dazzling the eyes. His heart was dr
with a mysterious and intoxicating joy, even though it was
free of a sorrow which trailed it, like the troublesome Khamsin
from the sandy desert trailing the advent of spring. He could,
stop thinking about the four years it would take to complete
education. During that time, countless hands might stretch out
pluck this ripe fruit. If the atmosphere of the house had not
so suffocating, with his father's iron grip tight around his neck,
would have been able to seek a more direct route to reassure
heart. He was afraid to breathe a word about his hopes and
them to the harsh rebuke of his father, which would scatter
and send them flying off.
He asked himself what she was thinking as he looked out
his brother's head. Was it really nothing more than taking in
laundry? Had she not yet felt what motivated him to stand he'*
evening after evening? What was her heart's response to these dari
steps of his? He imagined himself hopping over the wall that s
arated the roofs to join her where she stood in the dusk. He imagin
her reaction in different ways. She would be waiting for him y
appointment or would be surprised at his advance and start to flee.
Then he thought about what would come next--the confession,
plaint, and censure. In either case, hugging and kissing might folio
but these were mere speculations and flights of the imagination.
Fahmy was well grounded in religion and manners and knew how
unrealistic and absurd they were.
It was a silent scene, but the silence was electric and could almost
speak without a tongue. Even Kamal had an anxious look in his
small eyes, as though asking about the meaning of this strange
riousness that excited his curiosity pointlessly. Then, his patiet,
exhausted, he raised his voice to say, "I've memorized the woraS.
Aren't you going to listen to me?"
Fahmy was roused by his voice and took the notebook from
pALACE wALK
ed to ask him the meanings of the words while
-'to He proceed fil Fahmy's eyes fell on a beloved one. H.e
n.s t nswered, unt.
,:-1. ketween it and his present sltKama
" on extraordinary t.L.,..---,...,l,. he asked what it
discover.e.° -aised his voice intenttona-y......
uation. e
Heart?"
ateant:
answered him and spelled the word, while Fahmy tried
The boy
raised his voice once more and asked,
to discern her reaction. He
,'Love?" little disconcerted. Then he said in a voice that
Kamal was a..... "this word isn't in the notebook."
showed he was onlectmg,
Smiling, Fahmy saickBut I've mentioned it to you repeatedly.
You ought to know it by heart."
The boy frowned, as though by contracting the arch of his eyebrows
he could ftsh out the fugitive word. His brother, though, did
not wait for the results of this attempt. He continued his examination
in the same loud voice, saying, "Marriage..."
He thought he noticed the semblance of a smile on her lips
at that. His heart beat rapidly and feverishly. He was filled with
a sense of victory, because he had at last been able to transmit to
her a charge of the electricity blazing in his heart. He wondered
why it was this word which elicited a reaction (from her. Was it
because she disapproved of what preceded, or was it the first she
heard?
Before he knew it, he heard Kamal protesting, after being unable
to remember the answer, "These words are very hard."
His heart affirmed his brother's innocent statement. He reflected
on his situation in light of it. His joy at once subsided, or almost.
He wanted to speak, but he saw she had bent over the basket.
She picked it up and approached the wall adjoining the roof of
his house. She placed the basket on top of the wall and began to
press the laundry down with the palms of her hands. She was close
to him, separated by little more than a meter. Had she wanted to,
she could have chosen another place on the wall, but she had deliberately
confronted him. She had acted so aggressively that she
seemed daring to a degree that frightened and perplexed him; His
heartbeats were fast and feverish once more. He felt life was disclosing
to him a new variety of treasure he had never experienced
before. It was charming, delightful, vital, and enioyable. She did not
stand close to him long, for at once she lifted the basket and turned
to go to the door leading down from the roof. She darted away from
6.
Naguib Maffou
He stared at the door for sonael
him
and
disappeared
from
sight.
oblivious to his brother, who repeated his complaint about the
ficulty of the word.
I
Fahmy felt a desire to be alone to enjoy this new experience
love. He looked out into space and pretended to be astonished,
though he had just noticed for the first time the darkness marchi
across the horizon. He muttered, "It's time for us to go in n
Kamal was memorizing his lessons in the sitting room. He had left
Fahmy alone in the study in order to be closer to his mother and
sisters, who were enjoying a continuation of the coffee party limited
to women. Their talk, however trifling, provided them with incomsPearable
delight, and as usual they sat so close to each other they
emed a single body with three heads.
Kamal sat cross-legged on the sofa facing them. He had his book
open in his lap. He would read for a while and then close his eyes
to try to learn some by heart. At intervals he would amuse himself
by looking at them and listening to their conversation. Fahmy only
grudgingly agreed to let him study his lessons away from his supervision,
but the boy's excellent performance in school provided him
with an excuse to choose any place he wanted for studying. In fact,
his diligence was his only virtue worth praising and, had it not been
for his naughtiness, it would have won encouragement even from his
father.
Despite his diligence and superior performance, he got bored at
times and felt so disgusted with work and discipline that he envied
his mother and sisters their ignorance and the rest and peace they
enjoyed. Privately he even wished the destiny of men in this world
was like that of women, but these were fleeting moments. He never
forgot the advantages he possessed, which inspired him frequently to lord it over them and brag, even for no reason at all. It was not
unusual for him to ask them, his voice resounding with challenge,
"Who knows the capital of the Cape?" or "How do you say 'boy' in
French?"
He would encounter a polite silence from Aisha. Khadija would
acknowledge her ignorance, but retort, "Only a person with a head
like yours can handle such riddles."
Her mother would comment with innocent self-confidence: "If
you'd teach me these things the way you do religious studies, I'd
know them as well as you." In spite of her gentleness and humility,
she was intensely proud of her general knowledge, which had come
Nauib Mahfou
down to her from antiquity through successive generations.
not feel in need of further education or suspect there was
knowledge worth adding to the religious, historical, and medi
formation she already possessed. Her faith her learning was
by the fact that she had gotten it straight from her father,
growing up in his house, and that her father was a shaykh a
of the religious scholars God favored over all creation, beeau
knew the Qur'an by heart. It was inconceivable that any
could equal his, although, in the interest of keeping the peao
did not mention this to the others.
She frequently disapproved of things the boys were told in
She was upset either because of the explanations provided or I
young minds were allowed to learn such things. Fortunately, sl
not detect a difference worth mentioning between what the bo3
told in school about religion and her own knowledge of it.
school lesson consisted of little more than recitation of Qur'an
along with commentaries on them and the first principles
she had found it allowed her scope to narrate the legends she!
and believed to be an inseparable part of the reality and esse
religion. She may even have seen in them an eternal element
ligion. Most recounted miracles of the Prophet and prodigies
Prophet's companions and the saints, along with various spell
defense against the jinn, reptiles, and diseases.
The boy did not doubt these tales and believed in them, bee
they came from his mother and they did not conflict with w.ha
learned about religion at school. Moreover, the mentality of his
'gion teacher, as revealed by his casual remarks, did not differ a
from the mother's. Kamal was enthralled by the legends in a
that none of his dry lessons could match. Filled with enjoyment
flights of the imagination, his mother's lesson was one of the hapo
hours of his day.
On subjects outside religion, their disputes were not infreq
For example, they differed once about whether the earth
its own axis in space or stands on the head of an ox. When she fo
the boy insistent, she backed down and pretended to give in. All
same, she slipped off to Fahmy's room to ask him about the trt
the ox supporting the earth, and whether it still did. The young
thought he should be gentle with her and answer in lan
would like. He told her that the earth is held up by the power
wisdom of God. His mother left content with this answer,
pleased her, and the large ox was not erased from her imaginatiOr
pALACE wALK
ever, did,,t choose this gathering for his studies to
tcmal, how
"'; because he liked intellectual disputes. The
',-Lut his learning o.
-en's company with all his heart and
boast t he loved the worn
-.
trttth was tha, -earated from them even when he was working
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