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.
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.
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