men passing by saw you walking in the park?" Again, she might say,
"My Lord, I would never have thought that possible," or other similar
things. Her words did not express any disapproval, but her dramatic
or melodramatic tone implied more than one meaning, like the
scolding tone assumed by a father who is reciting from the Qur'an
and saying his prayers when he notices that his son nearby has acted
improperly or impolitely, for that is easier than breaking off his prayers
and scolding his child openly.
To relieve her rage, as soon as Khadija was alone with Yasin she
told him, "Goodness gracious, what a promenader your wife is."
He laughingly answered, "That is the Turkish fashion. It's hard
for you to understand."
The word "Turkish" reminded her of Zaynab's boasts of her ancestry,
which Khadija found hard to bear. She commented, "By the
way, the lady of the house brags a lot about her Turkish ancestry.
Why? Because the grandfather of the grandfather of the grandfather
of the grandfather of her grandfather was Turkish? Watch out,
brother. Turkish women end up going crazy."
Countering her sarcasm, he replied, "I prefer insanity to a person
who has a nose that would drive anyone with good taste crazy."
The battle brewing between Khadija and Zaynab was evident to
members of the family with any ability to predict the future. Fahmy
warned Khadija to watch her tongue lest the other girl learn of her
rude remarks. He also secretly cautioned Kamal, who kept flitting
back and forth between them and the bride like a butterfly carrying
pollen from flower to flower. But Fahmy could not have foreseen, no
more than anyone else in the family, that fate was at work to separate
the two girls.
Widow Shawkat and Aisha paid the house a visit crowned with an
3o4
Naguib Mahfou
ending none of them could have imagined. In the presence of Khadiia,
the old lady addressed the mother: "Mrs. Amina, I have come to visit
you today in order to ask for Khadiia's hand for my son Ibrahim."
It was a joy that came with no warning, although they had awaited
it for an unbearably long time. The woman's words were beautiful
poetry to the mother's ears. Amina could not remember any previous
statement ever bringing such a balm of comfort and peace to her
breast. She was almost giddy with happiness when she replied in a
trembling voice, "Khadiia's no more mine than.yours. She's your
daughter. She will certainly find twice as much happiness in your
custody as she has in her father's home."
This happy conversation went on for some time, but Khadiia's
attention drifted away. She was in a kind of daze. She lowered her
eyes from modesty and confusion. The mocking spirit that so often
gleamed in her eyes abandoned her. She became uncommonly meek
and yielded to the current of her thoughts. The proposal had come
as a surprise, and what a surprise. Troublesome when absent, it was
incredible now that it had taken place. But her happiness was almost
submerged by a wave of consternation. "To ask for Khadiia's hand
for my son Ibrahim.... " What had come over him? Despite his languor,
which had aroused her ridicule, he had a handsome face. He
was a prince among men. So what had come over him?
"It's fortunate that the two sisters will be united in one home."
The voice of Widow Shawkat confirmed the reality and vouched
for it. There was no doubt about it, then. Ibrahim had as much money
and status as Khalil. The fates had reserved a fine destiny for her.
How unhappy she had been when Aisha married first. She had not
known that Aisha's marriage was destined to open the doors of good
fortune for her.
"How lovely it is that the sister-in-law will also be a sister. This
will remove one of the basic causes for headaches in a family." She
laughed and continued: "That leaves only her mother-in-law and I
think she'll be easy to deal with."
"Since her sister-in-law is her sister, then her mother-in law will
be a mother for her."
The two mothers continued to compliment each other. Khadiia
loved the old lady who brought her these glad tidings as much as
she had hated her when she came to ask for Aisha's hand. Maryam
must be told the news today. She could not bear to put it off. She
did not know the reason for this insistent desire. Perhaps it was Mar
yam's comment about Aisha's engagement: "How would it have hurt
them to wait until you got engaged?" At the time Khadija had been
suspicious of the question's apparent innocence.
When the Shawkat family had left, Yasin wanted to tease and provoke
Khadija. He remarked, "As soon as I saw Ibrahim Shawkat I
told myself, 'This ox of a man, who looks incapable of distinguishing
between black and white, will probably choose a wife like Iadiia
someday.'"
Khadija smiled briefly but said nothing. Yasin cried out in astonishment,
"Have you finally learned manners and modesty?" Even as
he teased her, his face revealed his pleasure and delight for her.
Nothing spoiled their good cheer until Kamal asked anxiously, "Is
Khadija going to leave us too?"
To console him and herself, his mother replied, "Sugar Street's not
far away."
Kamal could not express what he felt with complete freedom until
he was alone with his mother that night. He sat on the sofa facing
her and asked in a voice of protest and reproach, "What's happened
to your mind, Mother.... Are you going to give up Khadiia the way
you abandoned Aisha?"
She explained to him that she was not abandoning either of the
girls but was pleased by what would make them happy. As though
pointing out something she had overlooked before and was about to
overlook again, he warned, "She'll leave us too. Perhaps you think
she'll return, the way you did with Aisha. But she won't return. If
she visits you, it'll be as a guest. The moment she's drunk her coffee,
she'll tell you goodbye. I say quite frankly that she'll never return."
Then, cautioning and preaching at the same time, he continued:
"You'll find yourself alone with no companion. Who will help you
sweep and dust?... Who will assist you in the oven room? Who will
keep us company in the evening.... Who will make us laugh? You
won't find anyone except Umm Hanafi, who will see the way clear
to steal all our food."
She explained to him that happiness has a price. He protested,
"Who told you marriage brings happiness? I can tell you that there's
absolutely no happiness in marriage. How can anyone be happy
when separated from his mother.''
He added fervently, "And she doesn't want to get married any
more than Aisha did before her. She told me that one night in her
bed."
His mother argued that a girl needs to get married. Then he could
not keep himself from saying, "Who says a girl's got to go to the
3o6
Naguib Makfou
home of strangers? What will she do if that other man makes her sit
in a chaise longue and takes her chin in his hand too ahd...?"
She scolded him and ordered him not to talk about things that did
not concern him. Then he struck his hands together and warned her,
"You can do what you want.., but you'll see."
That evening Amina was kept awake by her happiness as though
by brilliant moonlight. She stayed awake until after midnight when
her husband returned and she told him the good news. Despite his
strange ideas about the marriage of a daughter, he received the news
with such delight that it cleared the hangover from his head. But he
frowned suddenly and asked, "Has Ibrahim been allowed to see her?"
The woman asked herself why his delight, which was so rare,
could not have lasted longer than half a minute. She mumbled anxiously,
"His mother..."
He interrupted her angrily, "Has Ibrahim been allowed to see her?"
For the first time that evening her happiness deserted her, and she
said, "Once when we were in Aisha's apartment he entered the room
as a member of the family. I did not see anything wrong with that."
He observed furiously, "But I didn't know about it."
Everything pointed to an evil outcome. Would he deal the girl's
future a fatal blow? She could not keep the tears from welling up in
her eyes. Ignoring his sullen anger, she said, before she knew what
she was doing, "Master, Khadiia's life is in your custody. It's hardly
likely that fortune will smile at her a second time."
He threw her a harsh look and began to shad, growl, mutter, and
grumble as though his anger had reduced him to communicating with
the sounds his first ancestors had used. But he said nothing more. He
had perhaps intended from the start to agree but had refused tO yield
until he had expressed his anger, like a politician who attacks an
opponent, even though supporting the same goal, in order to defend
his principles.
During his honeymoon Yasin devoted all his energy to his new life
as a married man. Since his wedding coincided with his summer holiday,
he did not have to depart for work during the day. At night he
did not go out in search of entertainment and left the house only for
a pressing necessity like buying a bottle of cognac. Otherwise, he
found no employment, meaning, or identity outside the conjugal
framework. He poured himself into marriage with all the energy,
enthusiasm, and optimism of a man who imagined he was carrying
out the initial steps of a huge program for carnal enjoyment that
would last day after day, month after month, and year after year.
During the final ten days of the month, he realized he had been a
little too optimistic in at least one respect. A flaw he did not completely
understand had appeared in his life. He was extremely perplexed
and for the first time ever suffered from that illness native to
the human soul known as boredom. He had not experienced it before
when he was with Zanuba or even with the woman who sold down
palm fruit, because they had not been his property the way Zaynab
was. She was securely settled in his own home. This secure, peaceful
form of ownership inspired a kind of apathy. Marriage's external appearance
was beguiling, tempting enough to die for, but inside it was
so staid and sedate that a person might become indifferent or disgusted.
It was like a trick chocolate presented on April Fools' Day
with garlic stuffed inside the sweet coating. What a calamity it was
that the intoxication of body and soul should be lost in a self-conscious,
mechanical, planned, repetitive, and cold habit that destroyed
the emotion and novelty of married love. In the same manner a tranquil,
spiritual vision may be transformed into a verbal prayer inattentively
repeated by rote.
The young man began to wonder what had happened to his rebellious
nature and what had calmed his demons. Why was he satiated?
How had that happened? Where had the temptation gone?
Where was the old Yasin and where was Zaynab? Where were the
dreams? Was marriage itself at fault or was he? What if months went
by followed by more months? Yasin had not lost all desire for his
Naguib Mahfou
wife, but it was no longer the desire of a fasting person for a tasty
delicacy. He was appalled to find his desire becalmed when he had
expected it to flourish. His perplexity was increased by the fact that
the girl showed no comparable reaction. As a matter of fact, her
vivacity and desire had increased. When he would think that sleep
had become a necessity after such a long period of activity, before he
knew it her leg would be flung over his as if of its own accord. So
he told himself, "How amazing... she's the one who's realizing my
dreams for our marriage."
In addition to all this, although he had enjoyed it at first, now when
he embraced her he was embarrassed, because it ultimately made him
lose himself in memories to which he thought he had said farewell
forever. Zanuba and his other women rose from the depths to dominate
his mind the way objects thrown into the sea float to the surface
when a storm is over. He had entered the nest of matrimony with no
leftover desires and a heart full of good intentions, but after comparing,
contrasting, and pondering his alternatives, he became convinced
that a bride was not the magic key to the world of women. He did
not know how he could really be faithful to the good wishes with
which he had strewn the path of matrimony. It seemed that at least
one aspect of his naive dreams would be difficult to achieve--namely,
his assumption that in the arms of his wife he would have no need
for anything else in the world and would be able to remain in her
shelter his whole life. That had merely been a dream inspired by his
innocent lust. He would find it increasingly difficult to cut himself off
from his former world and habits, and what need was there for that?
He had to search for some method or other to escape frequently from
himself, his thoughts, and his failure. Similarly, when even an excel:
lent singer spends too much time on the instrumental preludes to his
vocal improvisations, the listener feels a desire for the main part of
the piece to begin.
Liberation from his prison would also give him a chance to meet
with some of his married friends. Perhaps they had reassuring answers
to the perplexing questions that troubled him, even if not a
panacea for every malady. From this moment on, how could he believe
a panacea existed? The best thing would be for him to stop
trying to make long-range plans that would soon come to naught and
mock his vision. He should satisfy himself with proceeding in life a
step at a time so that he could see where he was ending up. He would
begin by acting on a suggestion that she, his wife, had made for them
to go out together.
PALACE WALK
To the family's amazement, Yasin and his wife left the house without
informing anyone of their destination, even though they had both
been chatting with them that evening. Because of the lateness of the
hour and because they were residents of the home of al-Sayyid Abroad,
their excursion seemed a strange event and aroused various
suspicions. Khadija did not hesitate to summon Nut, the bride's servant,
to ask her what she knew about her mistress's outing. With
great simplicity, the maid answered in her ringing voice, "Lady, they
went to Kishkish Bey."
Khadija and her mother both exclaimed at the same time, "Kishkish
Bey!"
They were not unfamiliar with that name, which had taken the
world by storm. Everyone and his brother were singing the songs
about this vaudeville character created by al-Rihani, but all the same
he seemed as distant as a legendary hero or the zeppelin, that Satan
of the skies. For Yasin to take his wife to see him was an extremely
different matter. They might as well have been hauled into court.
The mother cast her eyes back and forth between Khadija and Fahmy
and asked with apparent fear, "When will they return?"
With an inane smile decorating his iips, Fahmy replied, "After midnight,
perhaps a little before dawn."
Their mother excused the servant and waited until her footsteps
could no longer be heard. Then she blurted out emotionally, "What's
come over Yasin? He sat here with us in full control of his senses....
Has he stopped worrying about what his father will think?"
Khadija said resentfully, "Yasin's too smart to plan a trip like this.
It's not sense that he lacks, but he's too meek. That doesn't suit a
man. I'll cut off my arm if she isn't the one who goaded him into it."
Motivated by a desire to lighten the tense atmosphere, although he
instinctively shunned his brother's recklessness, Fahmy said, "Yasin's
always liked the theater."
His defense of Yasin increased Khadija's anger. She burst out: "It's
not Yasin and his likes or dislikes that concern us. He can love places
of amusement all he wants or continue to stay out until dawn whenever
he wants, but to take his cloistered wife with him is an idea that
could not have originated with him. Perhaps it came up because it
was obvious he wouldn't be able to resist, especially now that he's
so docile, like a house cat in her arms. So far as I can tell, she would
not think twice about this. Haven't you heard her describe her excursions
with her father? If she had not inspired him to do it, he wouldn't
have taken her with him to Kishkish Bey. What a scandal!... In
3 o
Naguib iFlahfoug
these dark days when grown men hide at home like mice in their
holes for fear of the Australians."
The incident had stirred everyone so deeply that, whether they
supported it, opposed it, or were neutral, they kept commenting on
it. Only Kamal followed the heated discussion with alert silence. He
could not grasp the secret that had turned Kishkish Bey into a reprehensible
crime meriting all this discussion and distress. Was not Kishkish
the model for the little doll sold in the markets with a body that
jumped around playfully, a laughing face with a thick beard, a loose
gown, and a conical turban? Was he not the figure to whom those
jolly songs were ascribed? He had memorized some of them to sing
with his friend Fuad, who was the son of Jamil al-Hamzawi, the
assistant to Kamal's father. Why were they attacking this pleasant
character who was linked in Kamal's imagination with fun and mirth?
Perhaps the reason for their distress was the fact that Yasin took his
wife with him, not anything about Kishkish Bey himself. If that were
so, he agreed with their alarm at Yasin's daring, especially since he
could not forget the excursion he had made with his mother to see
al-Husayn and the ensuing events. Yes, it would have been better for
Yasin to go alone or to take Kamal, if he wanted a companion, particularly
since Kamal was on his sur/amer holiday and had done very
well on the school examination. Before be knew it, he was moved to
voice his thoughts: "Wouldn't it have been better for him to take
me?"
His question broke into their conversation like a Western theme
incorporated into a purely Eastern piece of music. Khadija commented,
"From now on we'll know to excuse you for your lack of
sense."
A laugh escaped from Fahmy. He observed, "The son of the goose
is a good swimmer."
The proverb did not sound right to him once he said it, and the
surprised stares from his mother and Khadija confirmed that it had
not been well received. He realized his unintentional slip and, feeling
upset and embarrassed, corrected himself: "The brother of the goose
is a good swimmer.... That's what I meant to say."
Taken as a whole, their conversation betrayed Khadiia's prejudice
against Zaynab and the mother's fear of the consequences, although
Amina did not divulge everything she felt. That evening she had
learned things about herself she had not known before. She had frequently
felt disappointed or uneasy with Zaynab but never to the
point of hating or disliking her. She had blamed the problem on the
PALACE WALK
girl's pride, whether or not it was justified. Today she was appalled
to find Zaynab violating common decency and tradition. In Amina's
opinion, Zaynab was arrogating to herself masculine prerogatives.
She took exception to this conduct, precisely because she was a
woman who had spent her life shut up inside her house, a woman
who had paid with her health and well-being For an innocent visit to
al-Husayn, the glory of the Prophet's family--not to Kishkish Bey.
Her silent criticism was mixed with a feeling of bitterness and rage
which she seemed to be rationalizing when she observed to herself,
"Either that woman is punished too or life has no meaning."
Thus in one month of living with this new woman, Amina's pure,
devout soul was soiled by rancor and resentment after a lifetime of
earnestness, discipline, and fatigue during which her heart had known
nothing but obedience, forgiveness, and serenity. When she retired
to her room, she did not know whether she wished that God would
conceal Yasin's crime, as she had stated in front of her children, or
whether she hoped that he or, more appropriately, his wife would
receive the scolding and punishment she merited. That night nothing
in the world seemed to matter to her except preserving the family's
traditions from being tampered with and defending them from the
attack launched against them. Her noral fervor was keen enough to
be cruel. She buried her normal, tender emotions deep inside herself
in the name of sincerity, virtue, and religion, as an excuse for ignoring
her troubled conscience. A dream may similarly reveal suppressed
drives in the name of freedom or some other lofty principle.
Amina was in this determined state of mind when her husband
returned, but the sight of him sent shivers of fright up her spine. She
could not bring herself to speak. She listened to what he had to say
and answered his questions absentmindedly. Her heart was pounding
and she did not know how to express the thought raging through her
mind. As the minutes passed and bedtime approached, a nervous desire
to talk troubled her. She wished with all her heart that the reality
would reveal itself. If Yasin and his wife returned before the father
fell asleep, then al-Sayyid Ahmad would learn firsthand about Yasin's
reprehensible deed. The frivolous bride would be confronted by his
opinion of her conduct, without the mother having to interfere. That
would no doubt grieve her but also relieve her mind.
Anxiously and apprehensively, she listened for a long time for
someone to knock on the door. She waited minute after minute until
her husband yawned and told her in a relaxed voice, "Put out the
lamp."
Naguib Mahfou
With defeat at hand, she found her voice. In a soft but troubled
tone, she said as though thinking about it to herself, "It's late, and
Yasin and his wife aren't home yet."
Al-Sayyid Ahmad stared at her and asked in amazement, "His wife?
... Where did they go?"
The woman swallowed. She was afflicted by fear not only of her
husband but of herself as well. She found herself forced to answer,
"I heard the maid say they went to Kishkih Bey."
"Kishkish["
His voice sounded loud and petulant. Sparks seemed tO fly from
his eyes inflamed by alcohol. He proceeded to ask her question after
question, storming and snarling, until he felt wide awake again, He
refused to go to bed until the two reprobates returned. He waited,
seething with fury-. His anger cast a shadow of terror over her. She
was as terrified as if she had been the guilty person. She was consumed
by regret for what she had said, regret that descended on her
immediately after she had revealed her secret. She almost seemed to
have spoken in order to regret it. She would have given anything
then, no matter how costly, to be able to correct her error. She was
merciless and accused herself of being responsible for the evil that
would occur. If she really wanted to reform them rather than get
revenge, should she not have covered up for them and waited till the
next day to point out their error to them? She had intentionally
yielded to malice. She had wanted something bad to happen. She had
prepared for the young man and his bride a calamity they had never
dreamed of and had brought down on herself remorse that was savagely
eating away at her tormented heart. Although she was ashamed
to mention His name, she prayed to God to be merciful to all of
them. Each minute that passed made her feel worse.
She was roused by her husband's voice saying with bitter sarcasm,
"Mr. Kishkish has arrived."
She listened carefully and looked out the open window to the
courtyard. She heard grating as the main door was closed. AI-Sayyid
Ahmad rose and left the room. She got up mechanically but remained
frozen where she stood from cowardice and shame. Her heart
pounded wildly until she heard his loud voice tell the newcomers,
"Follow me to my room." She was terribly frightened and slipped
away to escape.
Al-Sayyid Abroad returned to his seat, followed by Yasin and
Zaynab. Ignoring Yasin, he gave the girl a penetrating look and said
firmly, but not coarsely or rudely, "Listen to me carefully, my little
PALACE WALK
girl. Your father is like a brother to me, or even closer and dearer. You are my daughter just as much as Khadiia and Aisha. I would
never want to trouble your peace of mind, but there are matters that
I cannot be silent about without committing what I consider an unforgivable
crime. One of these is for a girl like you to stay out of her
house until this hour of the night. Do not imagine that the presence
of your husband excuses such perverse behavior, for a husband who
demeans his honor to this degree is unfit to steady the person whom
he has unfortunately been the first to shove. Since I am certain you
are innocent or, rather, that your only offense was complying with
his wishes, my hope is that you will assist me in reforming him by
refusing to submit to his enticements again."
The girl was speechless and overwhelmed by astonishment. Although
she had enjoyed a measure of freedom in her father's care,
she could not work up the courage to argue with this man, not to
mention oppose him. After living for a month in his home, her character
had been infected with the virus of submission to his will, which
terrified everyone in the house. Her conscience protested that her
Дата добавления: 2015-09-29; просмотров: 22 | Нарушение авторских прав
| <== предыдущая лекция | | | следующая лекция ==> |