came Idrees's ear-splitting laugh, and he
heard him saying:
- Now ldrees is father to a girl and uncle to two boys .. .
A n d he went o ff to his hut singing:
Where is luck, where's fate?
Tell me where, of late !
The midwife spoke again:
- Their mother wants to call them Qadri and Humaam.
Buoyant wi th happi ness, Adham murmured:
- Qadri and Humaam ! Qadri . . . and Humaam ...
1 3 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Qadri sai d as he wiped his face on the corner of hisjellaba:
- Let's sit down and eat.
Humaam stood looki ng towards the sun, which was starting
to sink.
- Yes, time's been flying.
They sat down cross-legged in the sand at the foot ofjebel
Muqattam. Hu maam undid the knot in the striped red handkerchief, revealing bread, falafel and leeks. They fell to, glancing from time to time at their sheep, some of which
wandered about while others stood chewing peacefully. There
was nothing in the twi ns' features or build to distinguish them,
except that Qadri had a defi nite hu nter's look in his eye, which
gave him a disti nctive sharpness of expression. Qadri spoke
again, chewi ng a huge mouthful:
- If only this whole desert belonged to us alone, we could
graze our sheep wi thou t any worries.
Humaam said wi th a smile:
- But this is where shepherds come from Otoufand Kafr el-
58
Adham
Zaghari and 1-lusseinia. IL's best to be friendly with them and
avoid trouble.
Qadri laughed scornfully, spitting out a shower of crumbs,
and said:
- Those places have only one answer for anybody who tries
to be friendly: punches!
- But. . .
- There's n o but I only know one way; I grab the man by
hisjellaba and bang his head ti ll he falls on his face - or his
back for that matter.
- And that's why we can hardly count our enemies.
- Who asked you to count them?
Humaam was serious and seemed very far away. He whistled
to himself, then stopped and fell back i nto a reflective silence.
He picked out a leek, stroked it with his fingers, put i t in his
mouth with relish, smacked his lips and said:
-That's why we're alone and have to go a long time wi thou t
anybody to talk to.
- What need is there for you to talk when you 're always
singi ng?
Humaam looked at him trustingly and said:
- It seems to me that this loneliness gets you down sometimes.
- I'll always fi nd a reason to be gloomy, whether it's
loneliness or something else.
Silence fell, broken by the smacking of lips. Far away
appeared a group going back from the jebel towards Otouf,
singing a song, one leading and the others chanti ng the
responses. Humaam said:
- This part of the desert is in our district. If we went off to
the north or south, the ch ances arc we'd never return.
Qadri roared wi th laughter and said:
- You'd find plenty of people to the north and south who'd
love to kill me, but you wouldn't find one who dared take me
on.
59
Children of Gebelaawi
Humaam spoke, looking at the sheep:
- Nobody can say you 're not brave; but don't forget that
we're protected by our grandfather's name and our u ncle's
frightfu l reputation, in spi te of our quarrel with him.
Qadri frowned his disagreement, but did not contradict
this. His eye settled on the Great House visible far off to the
west as a huge shape, its features i ndisti nct.
- That house! I've never seen anything like i t, with the
desert on all sides, near to streets and alleys fp.mous for
quarrelling and bullying, owned by a man you can't deny is a
tyrant, this grandfather who's never seen his grandchildren
though they live a stone's throw from him.
Humaam looked towards the house and said:
- Our father never mentions him without respect and
admiration.
- And our uncle never mentions him without cursing him.
Humaam said uneasily:
- He is our grandfather, anyway.
- And what's the use of that, you baby? Our father strains
along behind his barrow, and our mother slaves all day and
half the night, and we go out with the sheep, barefoot
heard him saying:
- Now ldrees is father to a girl and uncle to two boys .. .
A n d he went o ff to his hut singing:
Where is luck, where's fate?
Tell me where, of late !
The midwife spoke again:
- Their mother wants to call them Qadri and Humaam.
Buoyant wi th happi ness, Adham murmured:
- Qadri and Humaam ! Qadri . . . and Humaam ...
1 3 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Qadri sai d as he wiped his face on the corner of hisjellaba:
- Let's sit down and eat.
Humaam stood looki ng towards the sun, which was starting
to sink.
- Yes, time's been flying.
They sat down cross-legged in the sand at the foot ofjebel
Muqattam. Hu maam undid the knot in the striped red handkerchief, revealing bread, falafel and leeks. They fell to, glancing from time to time at their sheep, some of which
wandered about while others stood chewing peacefully. There
was nothing in the twi ns' features or build to distinguish them,
except that Qadri had a defi nite hu nter's look in his eye, which
gave him a disti nctive sharpness of expression. Qadri spoke
again, chewi ng a huge mouthful:
- If only this whole desert belonged to us alone, we could
graze our sheep wi thou t any worries.
Humaam said wi th a smile:
- But this is where shepherds come from Otoufand Kafr el-
58
Adham
Zaghari and 1-lusseinia. IL's best to be friendly with them and
avoid trouble.
Qadri laughed scornfully, spitting out a shower of crumbs,
and said:
- Those places have only one answer for anybody who tries
to be friendly: punches!
- But. . .
- There's n o but I only know one way; I grab the man by
hisjellaba and bang his head ti ll he falls on his face - or his
back for that matter.
- And that's why we can hardly count our enemies.
- Who asked you to count them?
Humaam was serious and seemed very far away. He whistled
to himself, then stopped and fell back i nto a reflective silence.
He picked out a leek, stroked it with his fingers, put i t in his
mouth with relish, smacked his lips and said:
-That's why we're alone and have to go a long time wi thou t
anybody to talk to.
- What need is there for you to talk when you 're always
singi ng?
Humaam looked at him trustingly and said:
- It seems to me that this loneliness gets you down sometimes.
- I'll always fi nd a reason to be gloomy, whether it's
loneliness or something else.
Silence fell, broken by the smacking of lips. Far away
appeared a group going back from the jebel towards Otouf,
singing a song, one leading and the others chanti ng the
responses. Humaam said:
- This part of the desert is in our district. If we went off to
the north or south, the ch ances arc we'd never return.
Qadri roared wi th laughter and said:
- You'd find plenty of people to the north and south who'd
love to kill me, but you wouldn't find one who dared take me
on.
59
Children of Gebelaawi
Humaam spoke, looking at the sheep:
- Nobody can say you 're not brave; but don't forget that
we're protected by our grandfather's name and our u ncle's
frightfu l reputation, in spi te of our quarrel with him.
Qadri frowned his disagreement, but did not contradict
this. His eye settled on the Great House visible far off to the
west as a huge shape, its features i ndisti nct.
- That house! I've never seen anything like i t, with the
desert on all sides, near to streets and alleys fp.mous for
quarrelling and bullying, owned by a man you can't deny is a
tyrant, this grandfather who's never seen his grandchildren
though they live a stone's throw from him.
Humaam looked towards the house and said:
- Our father never mentions him without respect and
admiration.
- And our uncle never mentions him without cursing him.
Humaam said uneasily:
- He is our grandfather, anyway.
- And what's the use of that, you baby? Our father strains
along behind his barrow, and our mother slaves all day and
half the night, and we go out with the sheep, barefoot
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