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

over the question of the raising of the British flag?

      Deputy That’s for people in Istanbul and London.

      Visitor Then you must be busy contacting the Khedive over the arrangements for the Emperor’s arrival?

      Deputy That’s a job for one of his aides.

      Visitor Could it be then that, along with the Minister of Works, you’re involved in organizing the precautionary measures to be taken against the Nile flood this year?

      Deputy That’s for local authorities to worry about.

      Visitor Then maybe you’re trying to come up with an excuse for selling off the Sudanese Railway.

      Deputy Suarez is working on that. I’m not concerned with any of those public interest items you’ve just mentioned. It’s a purely private matter.

      Visitor Could it be that Mr. Rollo has authorized the sale of his house in Bāb al-Lūq to you for the three thousand pounds that you’ve offered, when he’d been asking for twelve thousand?

      Deputy It’s not that either. Two things are bothering me: the term of tripartite rule has come to an end; and secondly my own term as deputy qāʾim maqām is over. All I can do is to try to find some way of keeping alive the memory of my period in government, something that’ll give me pleasure in retirement, something my children can wear as a badge of pride. Then after my death, my descendants can assume the Fakhrī mantle.¹⁴

      Visitor What a marvelous idea.

      ٣،٣،٠0.3.3

      (وهنا يعود النائب إلى قدح القريحة كما كان، وبعد هنيهة ينتفض جذلان فرحا مبتهجا منشرحا ويصيح قائلا «وجدتها» كما قالها أرخميدس من قبله).

      الزائر (متشوقا متطلعا) ما هذه الخبيئة التي وجدتها، والرغيبة التي نلتها، فأراك قد لمعت أسرتك، وأشرقت غرتك.

      النائب ثلاثة في واحد وواحد في ثلاثة.

      الزائر لم لا تخبرني في أول الأمر أنك تبحث في مسألة من الهندسة أو الجبر.

      النائب نعم ثلاثة في واحد وواحد في ثلاثة.

      الزائر فهمت، ولكن ما هي هذه المسألة التي تحار فيها الألباب، وتخلط بين تخليد الذكر ومسائل الحساب.

      النائب ستفهم الآن مرامي بهذا الدكريتو الذي تراه أمامي.

      الزائر لم تزدني في الأمر إلا تعمية وإبهاما.

      النائب هاك ما يكشف لك العمى (يتناول القلم ويسطر به على قرطاس ثم يدفعه إليه فإذا هو الأمر العالي بتعيين رئيس قوميسيون السكة الحديد وقد أمضاه على هذه الصورة):

      بأمر الحضرة الخديوية عن رئيس مجلس النظار

      فخري فخري

      ناظر الأشغال العمومية

      فخري

      (The deputy continues to rack his brains. After a while, he leaps to his feet in joy. “I’ve found it,” he yells, just like Archimedes before him.)

      Visitor What secret treasure have you uncovered? What cherished dream have you now realized? Why such a radiant smile on your face?!

      Deputy Three in one and one in three.

      Visitor Why didn’t you tell me at the start that it was an engineering or algebra problem you were trying to solve?

      Deputy That’s it: three in one and one in three.

      Visitor I understand. But tell me, what is this problem which has been bothering you—one that manages to combine arithmetic with keeping memories alive?

      Deputy Now you’ll understand the import of the decree that you see in front of me.

      Visitor You’re just making me even more confused and baffled.

      Deputy This will solve the riddle.

      (The deputy takes out a pen, writes something on a piece of paper, then ‎hands it to his visitor. It concerns the important matter involving the ‎appointment of the chairman of the Railways Commission. Here’s how he ‎has written it out:)

      By order of His Excellency the Khedive from the Prime Minister:

Fakhrī	Fakhrī
Minister of Public Works
Fakhrī.15

      ٤،٣،٠0.3.4

      الزائر أما خطر لك أنّ الناس في مستقبل الدهر يظنون أنه كان في الحكومة المصرية ثلاثة من الحكام بهذا الاسم في آن واحد.

      النائب وهل تظن أن الدهر يسمح في آن واحد بثلاثة من مثلي، أما سمعت قول الشاعر:

      هيهات أن يأتي الزمان بمثله

      إنّ الزمـان بمثلـه لبخـيـل

      الزائر سبحان من هداك وأرشدك إلى هذا الاختراع فهو أشبه بالمرآة الثلاثية يرى الناظر فيها نفسه ثلاثة في وقت واحد.

      Visitor Hasn’t it occurred to you that in future people may think there were three people with the same name in the Egyptian government at the same time?

      Deputy Do you imagine that the fates would allow there to be three people like me at any one time? Haven’t you heard the words of the poet:

      Small chance that time will ever produce his peer;

      with people of his ilk it is miserly indeed!¹⁶

      Visitor Thank God you have been able to devise this plan. It’s like a three-way mirror in which the Minister can see himself three times at once!

      مصباح الشرق ٣٠، ١٠ نوفمبر ١٨٩٨

      Miṣbāḥ al-sharq 30, November 10, 1898

      النظار والمساواة

      Ministers and Equality

      ١،٤،٠0.4.1

      حدثنا عيسى بن هشام، قال رغبت في سماع الكلام،