Читать книгу What 'Isa ibn Hisham Told Us - Muhammad al-Muwaylihi - Страница 9

مصباح الشرق ٩١، ٨ فبراير ١٩٠٠

Miṣbāḥ al-sharq 91, February 8, 1900

١،٣١31.1

قال عيسى بن هشام: وما كاد يستقر بنا المقام ويأخذ صاحبنا في بسط الكلام بعد انتهاء ذلك الخصام حتى جاء دور الرقص فعلت الضوضاء من الامام واشتد النعيق والنعير واشتعلت الاكف بالتصفيق والافواه بالصفير واختلط العجيج بالعجيج واتصل الضجيج بالضجيج اذ قامت على المنصة هلوك ورهاء دميمة شوهاء فطساء فوهاء عمشاء مرهاء مزججة الحاجبين محمرة الخدين مبيضة الجبين مخضبة البنان بأنواع الطلاء والدهان قد أسدلت على وجهها من التزويق برقعًا ونقابا وأسبلت عليه من التمويه سترًا وحجابا من أصباغ شتى وألوان بين أبيض ناصع وأسود فاحم وأحمر قان فهي تتلون فيه تلون الحرباء في هجير البيداء ثم وارت ما تكشف من جسمها وتعرى من لحمها بالعقود والقلائد والأساور والمعاضد والمناطق والخلاخل والدمالج والجلاجل وانسابت في الحجلان على توقيع الالحان وتلوت في الميلان تلوي الافعوان

ʿĪsā ibn Hishām said: Once the row was over, we had hardly taken our seats again and our Friend had only just started telling us things before the dancing started. People were yelling and screaming; there was both applause and whistling. When a brazen tart took to the stage, a wholesale hubbub ensued. She was emaciated and ugly, flat-nosed and big-mouthed, bleary-eyed and nearsighted. With penciled eyebrows, she presented a riot of color—red cheeks, white forehead, and dyed fingers. Using greasepaint she had decorated her face with a veil of makeup and plastered on it a false, multicolored covering in a variety of hues—from gleaming white to pitch black and deep red. In fact she displayed as many different colors as the chameleon in the midday heat of the desert. The exposed parts of her body and naked flesh were covered with necklaces, bangles, bracelets, supports, armlets, bells, belts, and anklets. She started skipping and dancing to the beat of the music, twisting and turning like a snake.

٢،٣١31.2

وبجانبها خادم ما شككنا من سوء هيئته أنه ابليس في طلعته ركبت منه أشنع هامة على أقبح قامة بوجه قدّ من صخر وعينين كعيني الصقر وأنف كمنسر النسر وشفة مهدولة وعمامة مجدولة وفي يمينه ابريق يسقيها منه بكأس من حريق لا بكأس من رحيق ويعاطيها من غسلين وقطران ويجرعها من حميم آن وكلما أترع لها كأسا همست في أذنه همسا وهي تشير بطرف الكف الى بعض الجالسين في أول صف فيصيح صيحة الاسد من فريسته وقع بصره على فريسته فتأتي الزجاجات أزواجًا متعددة وأدوارًا متجددة فيغض عنها الختام ويصففها عند مقعدها تحت الاقدام ولا يزال يملأ لها ويسكب وهي تشرب وتطلب لا تكتفي ولا تقنع مما لا يروي ولا ينقع كانما هو يمتح من قليب ويصب في واد جديب أو يملأ من ماء منبثق في دن منخرق فاذا دبت في عروقها نمال الخمر واشتعل منها جوفها ااشتعال الجمر جدت في لعبها ودورانها واشتدت في قفزها وثورانها واحتدت في جمزها وجولانها وتلاعبت كالسلحفاة بعنقها وتثنت كالحية في طرقها

Alongside her stood an assistant so repulsive that we had no doubt that he was the accursed Devil himself. He had an ugly head placed on top of a disgusting frame. His features seemed carved out of rock, with eyes like a hawk, a nose like a vulture’s beak, drooping lips, and a tightly twisted turban. In his hand he held a pitcher from which he kept pouring glasses of sheer fire, not wine. He gave her pitch and tar, and made her swallow boiling hot water. Every time he filled a glass for her, she whispered in his ear and then pointed her finger at someone sitting in the front row. He would then roar like a lion once it has spied its prey. Bottles in multiple pairs and rounds one after another would appear, and he would uncork them and arrange them in rows at her feet. Her assistant kept pouring glasses for her, and she would quaff them and ask for more. She seemed never to be satisfied; her thirst was unquenchable. It was as if he were drawing water from a well and pouring it into an arid valley, or filling a cracked jug with water from a gushing stream. Once the wine had seeped like an insect through her veins and lit a red hot fire inside her, she started her twists and gyrations again. Her leaps and pirouettes became more violent and her jumps and turns intensified. She kept toying with her neck like a tortoise and twisting like a snake.

٣،٣١31.3

والخادم في صحبتها أتبع لها من ظلها وأطوع من نعلها ينازلها وتنازله ويغازلها وتغازله ويراقصها وتراقصه ويقارصها وتقارصه وهي بين كل روحة وجيئة وبيئة وفيئة ترسل على الحاضرين الفاظًا بذيئة وأقوالا رديئة وتوسعهم فحشا وهجرا وتشبعهم هذيًا وهذرا فتغتر لها الثغور وتنشرح لها الصدور ليس فيهم الا كل مستحسن ومعجب ومستملح ومستعذب ومطنب ومستزيد ومحاك لحركاتها ومستعيد الى أن تخور قواها وتغور عيناها وتتقلص شفتاها ويهبط شدقاها وينضح العرق من أطرافها وتراقيها ويتعقد الزبد فوق خطمها وفيها فيغشي العرق بصرها ويملأ نحرها فتضطر الى مسحه وازالته وتحتاج الى نفضه وازاحته فتتناول المنديل تمسح به من وجهها وذراعها، فيتلون بأشكال الصبغة وأنواعها فكأن ما تصبب من أديمها ورشح مطر غدا به المنديل قوس قزح فانكشف التمويه والتلبيس ووضح التلفي والتدليس وظهر ما بطن وبرز ما كمن وانقلبت الى سعلاء تترآى في فلاه وغول تكلح وتصول ودب يهتز ويدب فحولنا وجوهنا استكراهًا واستنكارا ولوينا أعناقنا استقباحًا واستقذارا.

Her assistant stood beside her, closer than her own shadow, pliant as her own shoes. He kept making passes at her, flirting and dancing with her and exchanging suggestive pinches. Between her to-ings and fro-ings, she kept making lewd and disgusting comments to the audience, treating them to all manner of filth and lechery, and mouthing taunts and nonsense. Their mouths simply gaped, and their hearts were enthralled. Everyone was stunned and full of admiration; as they followed her every movement, they were all expressing their utmost pleasure. They kept asking for more and demanding an encore. Eventually her energy gave out; her eyes began to droop, her lips contracted, and her jawbone tensed. Sweat poured off her shoulders and sides, and foam thickened on her neck and mouth. Sweat blinded her and covered her chest, so she had to wipe it completely off. She took a handkerchief and used it to wipe her face and arms. It was stained with various types of makeup, as though all the sweat that came off her skin were a kind of rain that the handkerchief turned into a rainbow. As a result, the falseness of her appearance was exposed and the deception became clear; things that had been hidden were brought out into the open. She was transformed into the guise of a harpy appearing in a desert mirage, a ghoul grimacing and leaping around, or a bear quivering and crawling. We turned away in utter horror and disgust, so powerful was our sense of revulsion.

٤،٣١31.4

وقال الباشا: أعلى مثل هذه الافعى تحوم الافكار واليها تشخص الأبصار؟

الصاحب نعم وتتفتت القلوب وتنشق المرائر والجيوب فهذه التي تراها تهرب منها الوحوش ويتعوذ منها الشيطان هي عند هؤلاء المغرورين المدلهين دمية القصر وفريدة العصر ويتيمة الدهر كم ذهبت بأموال وأودت بأرواح وأضاعت شرفًا ومجدًا وأذلت رقابًا وأفسدت حكاما وكم فرقت بين المرء وزوجه وأوقعت العقوق بين الوالد وولده والعداوة والبغضاء بين الاخ وأخيه وكم خربت بيوتًا عامرة ودنست انسابًا طاهرة وكم ولدت للشر أسبابا وفتحت للمحاكم أبوابًا وكم تهتك عليها سري وشريف واحترق بجمرها سني وكريم وهؤلاء الذين تراهم جالسين في هذا المستنقع الوبيء والمرعى الوبيل يقضون فيه ليالي الشهر تباعًا وشهور العام ردافًا لا تظنهم لقبح المكان من أسافل الناس وأدنياء القوم بل انظر عن يمينك فان هذا الجالس بين اخوانه جلسة الكبرياء هو أحد أبناء الامراء مات أبوه وترك له أموالا جمة فالتف به قرناء السوء من أهل الفراغ والبطالة فبدأ في تبديد تلك الاموال باقتناء الخيول المطهمة والمركبات المعلمة وثنى بالاسراف الفاحش في مهرجان زواجه وانتهى بتسليم ما بقي لأيدي العواهر وأخصهن هذه اللخناء التي تراها وغاية ما بقي له منها أنه يتردد هنا كل ليلة ليتمتع منها بنظرة ويتملئ بلحظة فلا تنظر اليه ولا تسأل عنه.

The Pāshā asked: “Do people’s minds really focus on vipers like this and stare longingly at them?”

Friend Yes, indeed they do! Hearts and souls have been riven and pockets shredded for her. This woman you’re watching is so hideous that wild beasts would run away and Satan himself would take refuge from her. And yet the dupes in this audience regard her as a palace statue, a pearl of the era, the wonder of the age. She’s taken piles of money from men and ruined their lives; for her sake honor and prestige have been lost. She’s humiliated people and corrupted many governors. Many times she’s broken up a man and his wife, and provoked disagreement between father and son and enmity between one brother and another. As she’s worked her evil ways, she’s managed to bring ruin to flourishing houses, to sully pure lineages, and to open the gates to litigation. Many’s the distinguished and honorable man she’s ruined; many’s the noble and exalted person she’s consumed in her flames. The people you see sitting in this plague-infested marsh spend night after night here every month, and month after month throughout the year. And please don’t imagine that, because this place is so awful, they’re from the lowest class of people. Quite the contrary, just look to your right. The man sitting there arrogantly among his comrades is an amir’s son whose father died and bequeathed him piles of money. His evil companions, all of them idle loafers, have swarmed round him. Now he’s started squandering the money by buying pedigree horses and sumptuous carriages. He spent an obscene amount on his wedding reception, and now he’s ended up handing over what’s left to whores and to this stinking tart in particular. But, when he comes here every night, the only thing he gets is to look at her while she neither looks at him nor even asks after him.

٥،٣١31.5

ثم انظر الى يمينك فان هذا الجالس يفتل في شاربيه ويحملق بعينيه ويغمز بحاجبيه من أبناء الكبراء أيضًا ماتت أمه فورثها ولم يمض على موتها بضعة أسابيع حتى أوقعه نحس طالعه في مخالب هذه الخداعة الغرارة فهو لا يصير منها ولا يقطع المجيء اليها كل ليلة وهي تسلبه كل ما تصل اليه يدها من خفيف وثقيل مما كان لأمه من حلي وجواهر وفرش ثمينة ومن ذهب منثور كل ليلة في أرض هذا المكان وانظر أمامك فهذا الذي تراه معظمًا ومبجلاً بين جلسائه هو من كبار الموظفين بالارياف ما زال مغرمًا صبًا بهذه المرأة حتى كادت لفظاعة أعمالها معه تسلخه من شرفه وتنزعه من منصبه وهو مع ذلك لا يسلوها ولا يلهو عنها فاذا حضر الى القاهرة لم يكن له في كل أيامه بها الا بيتها مأوى والا مرقصها ملهى واذا عاد الى مقره عاد يغير لبه فلا يؤوب اليه حتى يتمحل الاسباب لاغراء العمد والاعيان في بلده باقامة الولائم تمهيدا لاستئجارها للرقص فيها وهذا الشيخ الجالس منفردًا الراشق يده بين صدغه وعمامته هو الرجل من أعيان الناس على ما بلغ من السن وما به من وقار الشيب قد انعكست أيامه عليه وانقلب دور الزمان فيه فتصابى في شيخوخته وأخذ يبدد ما جمعه في شيبته ولوعًا بهذه البغي الفاجرة.

Now look to your left. Do you see that fellow over there twisting his moustache as he leers and makes lewd gestures with his eyebrows. He’s the son of an important man too. When his mother died, she left him a substantial legacy. It was only a few weeks after her death that misfortune allowed him to fall into the clutches of this deceptive trickstress. He cannot stand not being with her; he comes here every night to see her while she proceeds to rob him of every single thing he’s inherited from his mother—jewelery and costly furnishings, not to mention the gold that gets scattered on the floor of this place. Then look in front of you. The man who’s being shown such deference and respect by his companions is an important provincial official; he’s still totally besotted with this woman. The way she’s treated him has been disgusting; she’s robbed him of his honor and toppled him from his lofty position. And yet, in spite of all that, he still can’t forget her or take his mind off her. Whenever he comes to Cairo, her house is the one place he heads for, and he always comes to the hall where she dances. When he goes back to his provincial seat, he’s utterly distracted. The only way he can recover his senses is to devise ways of cajoling local ʿumdahs and notables into holding banquets, the sole purpose being to hire this dancer. Then look at that shaykh sitting by himself over there, with his hand wedged between his temple and turban. He’s one of the leading men of the city, and yet, in spite of the sobriety and dignity of old age, things have redounded against him and the role of time has been reversed. Even in old age he’s behaving like a youngster; he’s crazy about this lewd temptress and is wasting everything that he’d kept for his latter years.

٦،٣١31.6

الباشا علم الله انني لا أرى في هذه المرأة مزية ظاهرة توجب انكباب الناس عليها وانصبابهم اليها وأرى أن الامر على عكس ذلك فان الهروب منها أسلم من النظر اليها فهل تعلم من سبب آخر يحسن السكوت عليه.

الصاحب ليس في الامر الا المباهاة والمباراة والمسابقة والمفاخرة وحب الأثرة والاختصاص فان هذه البغي قد اشتهرت بالرقص وفاقت فيه وأنفس الجهلاء ولوعة بالشهرة الباطلة والصيت الكاذب يتشبثون به عمي النواظر عمه البصائر فهم يرون أن الاختصاص بمثل هذه الشهيرة على ما ترى من قبحها هو الفخر كل الفخر والفضل كل الفضل والسبق كل السبق وكلهم مجبولون على الحكاية والتقليد ولذلك نفذ فيهم سهمها وسرى في عروقهم سمها.

الباشا اذا كان الامر على ما ذكرت وقد فسد الناس الى هذه الدرجة وسفهت أحلامهم الى هذا الحد أليس لهم من واعظ يعظهم أو ناصح ينصحهم أو وازع يزعهم أو مانع يمنعهم أو حكومة تردعهم وتكف الاذى عنهم؟

Pāshā God knows, I can’t see any obvious female qualities in this woman that would justify the way people seem so infatuated with her. As far as I can tell, it should be exactly the opposite: people should be running away from her rather than looking at her. Can you give me some other explanation which is better not mentioned?

Friend The only reason is that people love to boast, compete, show off, and monopolize. This tart is famous for her perfect and matchless dancing. Ignorant people are passionately fond of phony prestige; they cling to it blindly and helplessly. In spite of this woman’s obvious ugliness, people believe there’s something distinctive about such a woman and regard it all as an object of pride, a primary virtue, and a stake worth pursuing. People tend naturally to imitate and copy each other. That explains why her arrows are so effective and her poison flows through their veins.

Pāshā If things are as you say and people are that corrupt and their dreams so inane, is there no preacher to offer them guidance, no counselor to advise them, no restraint to stop them, or no government authority to impede them and keep them out of harm’s way?

٧،٣١31.7

الصاحب لا واعظ ولا ناصح ولا وازع ولا مانع فالناس مشتغلون ببعضهم عن بعض وقل بيننا من يشتغل للناس في نفع الناس وان صادف بينهم ناصح لا يكون نصيبه الا الضحك منه والهزء به على ألسنة الفجار والفساق أما الحكومة وأسمع بها وأبصر فان هذه الامور تجري بعلمها وتصنع على عينها وهي تنظر اليها نظر الرضى وتتقبلها قبولا حسنًا فهي التي تضع حدودها وتدير نظامها فتقرر له اللوائح وتصدر المنشورات فيشتغل بها الحكام ويتعب لها القضاة وان اضمحل بها حال الرعية وساء مصير الناس وماذا نقول في حكومة تعلم ان ثروتها من ثروة رعيتها وحياتها بحياتها ثم هي مع ذلك ترضى بانتشار هذه الموبقات المقوضة للثروة المتلفة للارواح والاجساد؟ او ماذا نقول في حكومة تجعل عاصمة بلادها عقدًا واسطته بيوت الخمر وزوايا المقامرة ومكامن الفسوق محيطة بمحلة البغايا؟ ومما يقضي بالعجب ان اصغر حاكم في الارياف قادر بسلطته ان يكف عن بلده شر هذه الامور على أن مركز الحكم هذا والحكام ينظرون الى تفاقم الشر وتزايد البلاء ولا تسنح لهم سانحة في تخفيف وطأته على الاقل أو تلطيف شدته واعجب من ذلك واغرب ان هذه الحكومة لا تحتذي على مثال لحكومة إسلامية أو اجنبية فهي تعلم ان جميع عواصم اسلام خالية من اماكن معينة معلومة لبغايا المسلمات وان المنع فيها شديد لا يجسر احد ان يتعداه وتعلم ان مثل بلاد الانكليز لا يوجد فيها بيت فاحشة تعرفه الحكومة

وتعلم ان من شذ تلك الحكومات من هذا الحكم وأغضى عن أماكن البغاء فقد عين لها مواقع خاصة في أطراف البلاد بعيدة عن أماكن الناس ومساكنهم ومعتزلة عن نواديهم ومجامعهم ولكنها تخالف كل هذا فهي حكومة مسلمة وتصرح بفتح البيوت للفحشاء وتعطي بيدها الرخصة لأيدي الفاسقات المسلمات يفتحن بها بيوتهن في محلة تكتنفها أحياء الحرائر.

الباشا مازلت منذ دهر أرى العجيب وأسمع بالغريب وما زال التجول بي والتنقل يجمع لي بين النقائض ويزيدني معرفة بالنقائص حتى انتهى بي الحال من التعجب والتأثر الى التجلد لا بل الى التبلد.

Friend There’s neither preacher nor adviser, no authority or restrainer. People are too busy with their own affairs; very few of them bother to help other people. If anyone does offer advice, all he gets by way of response is laughter and mockery from lechers and debauchees. For example, consider the government’s attitude and listen to what it has to say! All these things take place with its full cognizance and before its very eyes. It regards them with approval and accepts them. It’s the government that’s supposed to lay down the laws and administer them. It formulates bills and publishes decrees that keep governors busy and wear out judges, even though people’s lives are much worse and they are faced with a dire plight. What can you say about a government which realizes that its wealth comes from the people and that its life depends on theirs, and yet approves of the spread of these vile practices that result in the squandering of wealth and the destruction of body and soul; a government which has fashioned for its capital city’s centerpiece, a necklace of taverns, gaming rooms, and brothels. It’s incredible that in the provinces the most junior government official has the authority to rid his region of these evil practices, but here—where the center of authority actually subsists, people in government look at the way evil and misery are on the increase, and yet have no opportunity at the very least to soften the violence of its impact. What’s even more incredible and peculiar is that this government does not follow the example of either Islamic or foreign governments. It’s well aware that all Islamic capital cities are completely devoid of brothels where Muslim women prostitute themselves; any such thing is strictly forbidden, and no one dares to contravene it. It also knows that, in countries like England, no brothels exist with the cognizance of the government; furthermore, that governments which are an exception to this rule and turn a blind eye to brothels put them in special places on the outskirts of towns far away from people’s houses and well out of the way of clubs and meeting places. But this government (which is a Muslim government) has gone against all this and given Muslim prostitutes permission to open their houses in an area surrounded by quarters where respectable people live.

Pāshā For some time now I’ve been seeing remarkable things and hearing strange information. My peregrinations have produced a series of contradictions while increasing my awareness of people’s shortcomings. My perception and amazement has now reached a stage of resignation, or, perhaps even more, of apathy.

٨،٣١31.8

قال عيسى بن هشام: وكانت الراقصة بعد ان انتهت من رقصها ذهبت للتغيير ملابسها والاصلاح من حالها ثم جاءت تتهادى في مشيتها وقد جددت ألوانها بانواع أصباغها فتطاولت نحوها الاعناق وشخصت فيها الاحداق وتطلعت اليها النفوس وهلعت القلوب وزحزحت لها المجالس وحلت الحبى وجهز لها كل فريق كرسيًا بجانبه فلم تعبأ بشيء من ذلك ولم تأبه له واستمرت في مشيها قاصدة مقر صاحب الحان فوقفت معه برهة في ملاعبة ومداعبة ومضاحكة وممازحة ثم شاهدنا ذاك الخادم جالسًا في زمرة ذلك الحاكم المغرم يمزح ويمرح وينكت ويبكت فلما مرت به ولم تجلس همس الحاكم في أذن الخادم وغمزه في يده بشيء من الدراهم فوثب ولحق بها عند صاحب الحان وألقى في أذنها كلامًا فرأيناها تشير اشارة الرفض والنبذ فما زال ينفث فيها ويرقيها حتى لانت له فاسرع كانه يبشر الحاكم بحضورها ثم جاءت عقبه تجرر أذيالها فجلست بجانب الحاكم على الكرسي الذي أعده لها وجاء الغلام على أثرها وفي يده أربع زجاجات لشربها فض ختامها كلها مرة واحدة ففارت وفاضت على الارض والغلام صابر لها منتظر لسكونها حتى اذا لم يبق بها الاشفافة أو صبابة صبها في الكاسات فتلمس الفاجرة كل كأس لمسة بشفتيها ثم يعود الغلام ليأخذ فارغة فتأمره بإحضار غيرها فيفعل بها مثل فعله الاول ولا يزال الحال هكذا مرات أربعًا أو خمسًا وقد قطع الناس كلهم حديثهم ولم يق لهم عمل سوى النظر الى حركاتها وسكناتها وما تأتيه من ضروب التقصف والتهتك كانما هم يرصدون كوكبًا أو يرقبون هلالاً

ʿĪsā ibn Hishām said: Once the dancer had finished her routine, she went to change her clothes and put herself in order. After putting on fresh makeup, she came out and started walking falteringly among the crowd. Necks and eyes strained in her direction, hearts and minds yearned for her, tables were adjusted to accommodate her, and gifts were readied. Each group put out a chair, but she paid no attention to any of this and kept walking till she reached the place where the Proprietor was standing. She stood beside him for a while, joking and laughing playfully. We then noticed her assistant sitting with the coterie of the infatuated provincial official; he was joking, jesting, and making merry with him. When the dancer walked right past him and didn’t sit down, the official whispered something in the assistant’s ear and slipped him some coins. With that, the assistant leapt up and went over to the dancer standing beside the Proprietor. He whispered something in her ear, and we watched as she rejected the idea. He persisted and kept on at her till she softened her stance. He rushed back to give the official the good news, and she reluctantly followed him over. She sat next to the official on a chair he had put out for her, and the waiter was soon back with four bottles of champagne. He opened all of them at once, and the bubbling liquid gushed all over the floor. The waiter bided his time and waited till the fizzing had stopped and there was barely anything left, barely a thimbleful to fill the glasses. The tart quickly touched all of them with her lips, and the waiter came back to collect the empty glasses. She told him to bring some more, and the waiter did the same thing with them too. This continued for four or five more rounds. All conversation had ceased, and all they could do was stare at the way she moved and sat and the kind of mayhem and obscenity she was causing; it was as though they were looking at a star or waiting for a new moon.

٩،٣١31.9

ثم رأينا الخادم وقد انقطع الطلب وقف بعيدًا عنها على مرأى منها يشير اليها بحاجبيه تارة وطرف لسانه أخرى فتهم بالقيام فيبهت الحاكم فتصفعه صفعة مزاح على قفاه وتلعن لعن الضحك أباه كأنها تترضاه بذلك عن قيامها فيهش الجميع لها ويبشون وتنسل من حضرته الى حيث أشار اليها الخادم من موقفه فتأتي الى الفريق الذي عن يميننا وتخاطب ذلك الشاب الذي أفنى ماله وشرفه في حبها وتقول له: ماذا تريد مني ولأي شيء دعوتني ولم أقلقتني من مكاني؟ .فيتلعثم المسكين لا يدري بماذا يجيب ثم يجيبها متلطفًا منكسرًا: ما دعوتك الا لأخبرك بما تم عليه الحال بيني وبين المحامي في قضيتك ووصولنا الى النتيجة المحمودة فيها فهلا تجلسين فأفصل لك الامر وأسكن منك البال فتقول له: لا بال ولا مال دعني أباشر مصلحتي وأقض حق ليلتي فان صاحب الحان ينظرني من بعيد وأنت تعلم ما نظرة صاحب الحان وأنا أعلم ما بك من القلة وأن ليس في يدك ما يرضيه فيأخذ يذكرها بالعهد القديم والحب الصميم وليالي الصفاء وأيام الوفاء وما جرى فيها من لطائف النوادر ومحاسن الآثار فتلطمه على وجهه لكمة المعلم المؤدب وتقول له: دع الذكر تلك الليالي والايام الخوالي فقد مرت بآثارها ولم يبق غير أخبارها وأنا أقص عليك عبرة من العبرة وحكمة من احكم , قصة الاضراس التي هي أساس عندنا في صناعتنا وقاعدة في فننا:

When the requests came to an end, the assistant was standing at a distance where she could see him. He kept gesturing at her, sometimes with his eyebrows, at others with the tip of his tongue. She was about to get up, and that flummoxed the provincial offical. She gave him a playful slap on the neck and jokingly cursed his father to compensate for her departure. Everyone smiled at her as she slunk her way over to the place where her assistant had pointed. She joined a group to our right and spoke to the young man who had lost his money and forfeited his honor because of his passion for her. “What do you want with me?” she asked. “Why have you called me over and made me give up my seat?” The poor man had no idea what to say in reply. Feeling crushed, he tried to make amends by saying, “I just wanted to let you know how things stand between me and the lawyer regarding your case. We’ve reached a favorable conclusion to the matter. Won’t you sit down for a moment and let me explain things to you and give you some peace of mind?” “Forget about money and peace of mind!” she told him. “Let me take care of my own interests and do what I have to do. The Proprietor’s looking at me from over there, and you know what that means. I know how poor you are now; you don’t have enough to satisfy him.” He now began to remind her of their long acquaintance and their former love affair, the serene nights and earnest days they had spent together, and the beautiful memories and happy times they had shared. At that, she slapped his face like a school teacher. “Those days and nights of old are long past,” she told him. “All that remains are the tales they tell. Instead let me tell you a cautionary tale with a message. It’s the Tale of the Teeth, one that provides the basic framework in which women such as myself operate and the foundation of our craft:

١٠،٣١31.10

«زعموا ان شابًا كان يهوى غادة منا وتهواه فعاشا تحت جناح الهوى والحب زمنًا سعيدًا ثم طرأ على الشاب سفر يبعده عنها فجاء في يوم التوديع يسكب الدموع ويصعد الزفرات ولما انتهت من البكاء معه وحانت ساعة الفراق طلبت شيئًا منه تتذكره به مدة غيبته وتستنشق منه ريحه فقال لها: ما عندي شيء ألصق بجسمي وأعز على نفسي من ضرسي وعمد الى ضرسه فانتزعه واقتلعه غير مبال بشدة الألم ثم ناولها اياه وتزود بآخر زاد منها وسافر ومضت بعد ذلك الليالي والايام وآب الغائب من سفره وقد بلغها رقة حاله ونفاد ماله فلما طرق بابها تنكرت له وأنكرته فقال: أنا فلان فقالت: ومن فلان؟ قال: صاحب العشرة القديمة قالت: كل الناس عاشر وفارق فأيهم أنت؟ قال أنا صاحب الضرس قالت ألك عندي ضرس؟ قال: نعم قالت: فادخل فدخل فأخرجت له من صندوقها علبة فتحتها فاذا هي ملآى بالاضراس وقالت له: ان كنت تعرف ضرسك بين هذه الاضراس عرفتك هذه حالنا فاعلمنها وأسعد الله مصبحك وممساك.»

“They tell the tale of a boy who loved a girl as much as she loved him. Under love’s wing they spent a happy time together. Then the boy had to leave on an unexpected journey that carried him far away from her in quest of money. On the farewell day the boy arrived with tears and sobs. When she had stopped sharing his tears and it was time for him to depart, she asked him to leave her a memento to remind her of him during his absence and give her a hint of his scent. ‘I have nothing that is part of my very body and more precious to me than my own tooth.’ With that, he extracted one of his teeth without flinching at the intense pain and handed it to her. Taking his final leave of her, he departed. Days and nights went by, and then the absentee returned from his journey. The girl had heard that he was emaciated and had no money left. Thus, when he knocked on her door, she would not let him in and claimed not to know him. ‘But I’m A!’ he told her. ‘And who is that?’ she replied. ‘I’m your old beloved,’ he told her, to which she responded that everyone is a friend for a while, then leaves. ‘Which one are you?’ she asked. ‘I’m the one with the tooth!’ he told her. ‘Do I have a tooth of yours?’ she asked him. ‘Yes, you do,’ he replied. ‘Then come in,’ she said. He went in, and she produced a small case from her box and opened it. It was full of teeth. ‘If you can recognize your tooth among that lot,’ she told him, ‘then I’ll know who you are.’ So that’s the way we are. Learn the lesson, and may God bring you happiness morning and evening!”

١١،٣١31.11

ثم تتركه وتذهب الى ذلك الشيخ فيقوم لها واقفًا ويبدي لها نواجذه في ابتسامة السرور بحضورها فتجلس معه ولغلام فوق رأسها فتقول له: دعنا الآن فليس صاحبنا بغريب فاذا ذهب قال الشيخ: لقد احضر تلك الازرار التي طلبتها مني وهي ستة واستحسنت أن تكون من المجرات لا من الجنيهات لان عيار هذه أدنى من عيار تلك فتضحك في وجهه وتمد يدها تخرجها من جيبه ثم تقوم باسمة ويقيم الشيخ في ابتهاج وصفاء كأنما قعد منها تحت موعد اللقاء وتذهب لتنصب على سواه شباكها وترمي للصيد أشراكها.

With that, she left him and went over to the Shaykh. He stood up to greet her with a gleaming smile. As she sat down beside him, the hall waiter was standing right behind her. “Forget that for now,” she told him. “This gentleman’s no stranger.” Once the waiter had left, the Shaykh told her he was bringing the buttons she had asked for. There were six of them; and fortunately they were of better weight than monetary pounds because the latter was less valuable than the former. She laughed at him and stretched out her hand to take them out of his pocket. She got up with a smile, and the Shaykh seemed serenely happy as though there was to be a rendezvous. She went away to work her wiles and cast her net over someone else.