What 'Isa ibn Hisham Told Us. Muhammad al-Muwaylihi

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،٣١