But there comes a day when every misfortune, however
grave, is accepted. So life began to return to normal i n the
Great House, just as people return to the homes that an
earthquake forced them to leave. Radwaan and Abbaas and
Jaleel went back to their parties on the roof, while Adham
started to spend his eveni ngs in the garden again, whispering
through his flute. l-Ie found that Umayma lit up his thoughts
and warmed his feeli ngs, and the picture of her shadow
embraci ng his was firmly pri nted on his imagination. l-Ie went
to see his mother in her room, where she was embroideri ng a
shawl, and he confided in her.
- It's Umayma, mother, your relative.
His mother smi led a pale smile which showed that her
happiness at the news cou ld not overcome the pain of her
illness.
- Yes, Ad ham, she's a good girl; she'll be as good for you as
you 'll be for her. She' ll make you happy, please God!
When she saw the blush of p leasure on his cheeks, she went
on:
- You mustn 't court her yet, my child, or you'll spoil
everythi ng. I ' ll speak to your father about it, and perhaps I ' ll
have the joy of scei ng your children before I die.
19
Children of Gebelaawi
When Gebelaawi summoned him into his presence, Adham
found him smiling so sweetly that he said to himself: 'The only
thing equal to my father's sternness is his kindness. ' Then his
father said:
- So you 're looking for a wife, Adham; how time flies! This
house despises the poor; bu t you're honoring your mother by
choosing Umayma. Perhaps you ' ll produce some good children. ldrees is lost, and Abbaas andJaleel are childless, and as yet none of Radwaan 's chi ldren has lived, and all that any of
them has i nherited from me is my pride. So fill the house with
your children; otherwise my life will have been in vain.
The district had never seen anything like the bridegroom's
procession of Adham. Even today, the memory of it is still
proverbial in the Alley. That night, lamps were hung from the
branches of the trees and from every wall, so that the house was
a pool of light in the darkness. A marquee was erected on the
rooffor the musicians. Food and dri nk were spread out in the
great drawing room and in the garden and in the wasteland
adjoining the gate.
The procession started out from the far end of Gemalia
soon after midnight. It was joined by everyone who loved or
feared Gebelaawi, till it included the whole district. Adham
strode along in a silk jellaba and a brocaded scarf, between
Abbaas andJaleel, with Radwaan in front. To the right and left
people carried candles and flowers. In front went a great troop
of singers and dancers. The noise of the singing, of the band,
of the greetings shou ted ou t by the admirers ofGebelaawi and
Adham, and of the women's whoops of joys, awakened the
whole district. The procession wound its way from Gemalia
through Otouf and Kafr el-Zaghari and Mabyada. Greetings
were showered on it even by the strongmen. There was much
stick-fencing and dancing, and the taverns handed out free
ale, so that even the urchins got drunk. Hookas were offered
to the guests in every hashish den, and the air was fragrant with
the smell of fine hash ish .
20
Adham
Suddenly ldrees appeared at the end of the road, like a
demon emerging from the darkness. At the corner leading to
the desert he was lit up by the torches at the head of the
procession. The torch-bearers stopped dead and ldrees's
name was whispered around. The si ngers caught sight of him,
and fear choked off their song. The dancers saw him and froze
in their tracks. At once the drums fell silent, the pipes died
away, and the laughter ceased. People wondered what to do;
if they yielded to him they wou ld not be safe, but if they
attacked him they would be attacking the son of Gebelaawi.
ldrees brandished his cudgel and shou ted:
- Whose is this procession, you cowardly scum?
There was a deathly hush, and all necks were craned towards
Adham and his brothers. ldrees asked agai n:
- When did you make friends with the slave girl's son and
his father?
At that Radwaan took a few steps forward and cried out:
- My brother, you 'd better let the procession pass.
ldrecs scowled.
- You should be the last to speak, Radwaan, you traitorous
brother, you cowardly son, you weakling! You sold honor and
brotherhood for an easy life.
- People aren 't in terested in our disagreements.
ldrees guffawed.
- Everybody knows what vi llains you are; if they weren't
such utter cowards, you wou ldn 't have found a single musician
or singer for your procession.
Radwaan said with determination:
- Your father has entrusted your brother to us; we must
defend him.
ldrces gu ffawed again, and asked:
- Do you think you can defend yourself, let alone the slave
girl 's son?
- Where 's your common sense? You'll only get back to the
house by being sensible.
2 1
Children of Gebelaawi
- You 're a liar, and you know it.
- 1 don't blame you as far as I'm concerned, but now let the
procession pass in peace.
ldrees's answer was to hurl himself on the procession like a
mad bull. His cudgel began to rise and fall, smashing torches,
bursting drums, scattering flowers. The people panicked and
fled like sand i n a gale. Radwaan, Abbaas and Jaleel stood
shoulder to shoulder in front of Adham and the fury of ldrees
grew still greater.
- Cowards ! You defend the man you hate for fear of losing
your food and dri nk.
He rushed at them, and they retreated, taking his blows on
their sticks without trying to retaliate. Suddenly he threw
himself between them, forci ng his way to where Adham stood.
The clamor from the windows rose to a peak. Adham shouted
as he got ready to defend hi mself:
- ldrees! I 'm not your enemy. Come to your senses.
Idrees raised his cudgel. At that moment someone yelled:
'Gebelaawi ! ' , and Radwaan shouted to ldrees:
- Your father is coming ...
l drees leapt to the side of the road and turned to see
Gebelaawi surrou nded by a ring of servants carrying torches.
ldrees gnashed his teeth and shouted as he made off:
- Soon I shall present you with a bastard grandchild to
gladden your eyes.
Then off he went towards Gemalia, into the darkness, while
the people drew back to make way for him. Gebelaawi reached
the spot where the brothers stood, and he made a show of
calmness under the stare of thousands of eyes. Then he said i n
a commanding voice:
- Proceed as before !
The torch-bearers returned to their places, the drums
sounded, the p ipes started up, the singers sang, the dancers
danced, and the processi on resumed its course.
The Great House was awake till morning with singing and
22
Adham
drinki ng and merry-making. When Adham entered his room
overlooking Muqauam Desert, he found Umayma by the
mirror, her face sti ll veiled in white. He was drunk and stoned
and hardly able to stand. He moved towards her, exerting a
great effort to control his limbs, and lifted the veil from her
face, which looked up at him with exquisite loveliness. He ben t
his head to kiss her full lips, then said i n a drun ken voice:
- All's well that ends well.
Then he tottered over to the bed, and collapsed on it, still
wearing his scarf and red pumps. Umayma looked at his
reflection and smi led wi th anxious yearning.
5 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Adham found with Umayma a happiness he had never
known before. Because of his simple nature, he showed this
happiness in his conversation and behavior so much that his
brothers made fu n of him. At the end of prayers he wou ld
stretch out his hands and cry ou t: 'Praise be to the Lord of
grace, for my father's pleasure, for my wife's love, for raising
me above those who deserve to be above me, for the fertile
garden and my fTiend the f1ute, praise be to Him . '
The women of the house all said Umayma was an attentive
wife, looki ng after her husband like a son. She got on well with
her mother-in-law and loved servi ng her and even her family.
She cared for her home as though it were part of her body.
Ad ham was a loving and considerate husband. His work for the
Trust had already taken up part of the time he had previously
spent on his innocent pleasures in the garden, and now love
took up the remai nder of the day, and he gave himself up to
it completely.
Delicious days passed - lasting too long for the scornful
23
Children of Gebelaawi
brothers Radwaan , Abbaas and jaleel - then gave way to an
even tranquility, just as a rushing stream flows down into a
smooth-flowing river. Questions returned to Adham's mind
and he felt that ti me was no longer flying by, and that nightwas
following day. He saw that the duet lost all meani ng if it wen t
on i ndefinitely, a n d that the garden had been too faithfu l a
source of pleasure to be deserted. He did not feel that any of
these thi ngs meant that his heart was turning away from
Umayma. She was still at the center of it, but life goes in stages,
of which one only gradually becomes aware. He returned one
day to his old haunt by the stream, and his gaze wandered over
the flowers and birds, gratefu lly and apologeti cally. Suddenly,
there was Umayma, looking very pretty. She sat down beside
him and said:
- I peeped out of the window to see what was keeping you;
why didn 't you ask me to join you?
He smiled as he rep lied:
- I was afrai d of boring you.
- Boring me? I have always loved this garden. Don't you
remember our first meeti ng here?
He took her hand in his and rested his head against the
tru nk of a date-palm, looking up at the branches and the sky
between them. She assured him again of her love for the
garden, and the more he wanted si lence, the more she i nsisted
on talking, for she hated silence as much as she loved the
garden. Her favorite subject of conversation was their life
together, bu t she was also not unwi lling to chatter about recen t
events i n the house, especially whatever concerned the wives
of Radwaan, Abbaas and jaleel. Then she said reproachfully:
- You 're very far away from me, Ad ham.
- How can that be when you fill my heart?
- But you aren't listening to me.
This was true. But although he had not welcomed her
arrival, neither did he resent it. And if she had tried to go away
again, he would have stopped her quite sincerely. The truth
24
Adham
was, he felt her to be an integral part of himself. He said almost
apologetically:
- I love this garden. Nothing in my past life was sweeter to
me than sitting in it. Its tall trees and i ts twitteri ng birds and its
brimming streams know me as well as I know them. I want you
to share my love for it. Have you seen how the sky looks
through the branches?
She raised her eyes for a moment, then looked at him with
a smile.
- It really is lovely - lovely enough to be the dearest thing
in your life.
He detected the hidden reproach i n her words and said
hurriedly:
- That's how it was before I knew you.
- And now?
He squeezed her hand lovingly.
- Its beau ty is incomp lete wi thout you.
She raised her eyes to his.
- One good thing about it is that itdoesn't mind when you
desert it for me.
Adham laughed, drew her closer so that h is lips rested
against her cheek, then asked her:
- Don 't these flowers deserve our attention rather than