هزة واضطراب وظهر عليه حزن واكتئاب ثم تنفس الصعداء وكاد يجهش بالبكاء فقلت له ما هذه الحالة المحزنة؟ أحنينَا إلى تلك الأزمنة وما انطوت عليه من حلوها ومرهاظ وما ذهب من خيرها وشرها بعد أن سلكت سبل الهداية والرشاد؟ وبدت عليك تباشير الحكمة والسداد؟
We kept up with them so we could both see and hear them. We heard the ʿUmdah say, “I really need to exercise my body and while away some time playing a round of billiards in the Opera Bar or New Bar.” No one could have been quicker than the Playboy to satisfy his demand and fulfil his request. “What a splendid choice!” he said. “Come on and wait for me at the Opera Bar while I go and carry out the promise I’ve made; it’ll be an occasion combining all pleasures into one and giving us total satisfaction. Once I’ve managed all that in accordance with my solemn pledge, I’ll come back.” With that they agreed to his plan and separated in the square with Ibrāhīm’s statue.
“Now we know their plan,” I told the Pāshā, “and where they’re going. But stop for a moment and let me point out something to you that will be the greatest possible gift.” “And what might that be?” he asked. I pointed at the statue of Ibrāhīm and said “That!” He stared at it for a moment and then stood to attention out of respect. “Hail to Ibrāhīm!” he said, quivering and shaking all over. He gave a bitter, sorrowful sigh and almost burst into tears. “Why so sad?” I asked him. “Are you nostalgic for times past with all their happy and bitter moments and the good and bad things that are long since past? Haven’t you now pursued different paths—those of maturity and common sense—and started to display symptoms of prudence and sound judgment?”
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فقال: كيف لا أبكي بكاء الحزين؟ أم كيف لا يظهر ذلك الحزن الدفين؟ وقد تمثل أمامي بطل مصر ورافع بنود النصر موقد نيران الوقائع وصاليها وغائص غمرات المعامع وجاليها؟:
في كل منبت شعرة من جسمه
أسد يمدّ إلى الفريسة مخلبا
مولاي وولي أمري ومنبت شرفي ومصدر فخري ومما أضرم ناري فما أستطيع أواري ولا أستطيع أواري وضع تمثاله في هذه البقعة وقد اشتهرت بسوء السمعه بؤسًا لقوم بلغت بهم الغفلة إلى هذا الحد حتى جعلوا الهزل والدد تحت عنوان الرجولة والجد فقلت له: خفض عليك من همك ولومك فانما أنت ابن يومك وانظر إلى هذه البنية الايوانيه ذات الأرائك الخسروانيه فقال: أعظم به من بناء ولمن هو من الكبراء؟
“How can I not shed tears of sorrow?” the Pāshā responded, “and express my profound grief when I see before me this hero of Egypt, someone who raised triumphal banners, kindled and burned fires of battle, and waded through the floods of tumultuous war and swept them clean:
In every pore of his body where a hair grew,
there was a lion extending its claws towards the prey.11
“My lord and master, source of my honor and prestige, kindling of my fire! I cannot dissemble. How can they have erected his statue in this place infamous for its dreadful reputation? Woe to a people whose indifference has brought them so low that frivolity and scrapping are now regarded as manly and serious.”
“Calm down!” I told him, “Enough with your sorrows and censure. You’re a creature of your own times. Just take a look at this columned building.”
“It is indeed splendid,” he said. “To which grandee does it belong?”
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فقلت: هو ملهى رفع اسماعيل قواعده وأقام دعائمه ومهد مقاعده فأحسن وضعه وأبدع صنعه:
ليس يدرى أصنع انس لجن
سكنوه أم صنع جن لانس
حتى أصبح بهجة النواظر ونزهة الخواطر بما يجمعه من أفانين الألاعيب وضروب الأعاجيب مما يؤخذ من أساطير الأولين وأقاصيص الغابرين يتمثل حاضرًا للناظرين ليكون عبرة للمعتبرين وما يضمه من كل غادة حسناء فاتنة بالرقص مفتنة في الغناء على عادة الغربيين في ديارهم والعمل على آثارهم وقد بقي من بعده تتفق عليه الحكومة من اموال البلاد تسلية للنزلاء والقصاد وليس من وراء تشييده ووضعه سوى ان اثمه أكبر من نفعه
“It’s a playhouse built by Ismāʿīl,” I replied. “He was responsible for building its foundations and providing its seats. It was beautifully designed and constructed:12
No one can know: was it humans that built it for the jinn
to live in, or did the jinn construct it for humans?13
“so much so that it has now become the cynosure of all eyes, the haven of delights, where all kinds of entertainment and wonders are assembled, plots taken from sagas of the ancients and tales of yore. Scenes are acted out before the audience and offer lessons for those who would learn. They offer gorgeous girls with all the allure of song and dance. All this imitates the way Western people do things in their countries and copies their traditions. The government has decided to spend people’s money in this way in order to provide amusement for foreigners and tourists. The only logic involved in the building’s construction seems to have been that its harm should be greater than its benefits.”
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ثم التغت الباشا إلى مجتمع الحاضرين ومزدحم الواردين والصادرين عند وصولنا إلى المكان المقصود والمنهل المورود والمعهد الموعود وقال: ما هذه الضوضاء العظيمه أمأتم ما أرى أم وليمه فقلت: بل هو المحل الذي نسعى إليه ووقع اتفاق أصحابنا عليه وهو مجتمع عام تتزاحم فيه الأقدام للسمر والمدام فاقتحمنا ذلك المجمع وتخيرنا مقاعد للسمع فإذا