Three Novels of Ancient Egypt

by Naguib Mahfouz

  “A laughable accusation, indeed!”

  “Indeed! But given the behavior of the Herdsmen, from where does he get the courage to challenge us? He's a truly daring young man, Latu. His behavior with us proves that ten years of the Herdsmen's stifling rule has not been enough to root out the anger from those of noble spirit.”

  They resumed their course until a loud clamor attracted their attention. Looking to the right, they saw a large building with a small entranceway and narrow openings in its upper wall, and groups of people entering and leaving. The youth asked his companion, “What is this building?”

  Latu replied, “An inn.”

  “Let's take a look.”

  Latu smiled and said, “Let us do so.”

  5

  They entered the inn together and found themselves in a large space — with high — walls from — whose ceiling hung a dust-covered lamp, and in the middle of which jars had been placed surrounded by a wall two cubits tall and one thick, on which earthenware cups were arranged in rows and around which sat the drinkers. Inside the enclosure stood the innkeeper, filling cups for those around him, or sending them with a young serving boy to those sitting on the floor in the corners. Every time he raised his head from his jars, one of the drinkers would assail him with some joke or pleasantry, only to be rebuffed with coarse language, insults, and abuse. The two men looked around the place and Isfmis decided to shove his way into the crowd near the server, so he took his companion by the hand and shouldered his way toward the wall until he reached it, amidst stares of astonishment and annoyance. Feeling a little tired, he said to the tavern-keeper affably, “My good man, would you be able to provide us with a couple of chairs?”

  The annoyance of those around increased at his tone and the strangeness of his request, while the tavern-keeper replied without bothering to look at them, “Sorry, prince. The patrons of my establishment are drawn exclusively from those who favor Mother Earth as a seat!”

  The assembled drunks laughed at Isfmis and his companion and one of them came up to them, a short man with a coarse face and neck and a huge belly. He bowed to them mockingly and said, his speech slurred with drink, “Gentlemen, allow me to offer you my belly to sit on!”

  Isfmis realized his mistake and the harm it had done him and his companion, and to make it good said, “We gratefully accept your offer, but how will you drink your vintage wine without your belly?”

  The youth's reply pleased the drunks and one of them called out to the fat man, “Answer, Tuna, answer! How can you drink your cups if you give your belly away to the gentlemen?”

  The man frowned in thought and scratched his head in bewilderment, his lower lip hanging down like a piece of bloody liver. Then his bloodshot eyes lit up as though he had found a happy solution and he said, “I'll drink it predigested!”

  The men laughed and Isfinis, — who liked the answer, told him soothingly, “I'll forgo the kind offer of your mighty belly, — which was created to be a wineskin, and not a seat.”

  Then Isfinis looked at the tavern-keeper and said to him, “My good man, fill three cups, two for us and one for our witty friend Tuna!”

  The man filled the cups and presented them to Isfinis. Tuna seized his and emptied it into his mouth at one go, unable to believe his luck. Then he wiped his mouth with his palm and said to Isfinis, “You're certainly a rich man, noble sir!”

  Isfinis replied smilingly, “Praise God for his blessings!”

  Tuna said, “But you're Egyptians, from the look of you!”

  “You have keen eyes! Is there any contradiction between being Egyptians and being rich?”

  “Certainly, unless you're in the rulers’ good graces.”

  Here another interjected, “People like that imitate their masters and don't mix with the likes of us!”

  Isfmis's face darkened and the image of the youth who had angrily shouted “Herdsmen's slave!” at him a while before came back to him. He said, “We are Egyptians from Nubia and have only recently arrived in Egypt.”

  Silence fell, the word “Nubia” ringing strangely in the men's ears. However, they were all drunk and the wine-chatter could not get a purchase on their minds, and they were incapable of pulling their thoughts together. One of the men looked at the men's two cups, which they had not yet touched, and said with a heavy tongue, “Why don't you drink, may the Lord bless you with the wine of Paradise?”

  Latu replied, “We drink rarely, and when we drink, we drink slowly.”

  Tuna said, “That's the way! What's the point in running away from a happy life? Me, on the other hand, I'm fed up with my work, I'm even fed up with my family and children, and I'm sickest of all with myself, so all I want is never to take the cup away from these lips!”

  A drunk clapped in pleasure at what Tuna had said and shook his head in delight, saying, “This inn is the refuge of those — who have no hope, of those — who proffer trays of food — while they are hungry, — who — weave luxurious garments while they are naked, and who play the buffoon at the celebrations of their overlords, though their hearts and spirits are broken.”

  A third man said, “Listen, men of Nubia! A drinker is never happy until his legs give way, for all he wants to do is lose consciousness. Take me, for example: every night I have to be carried home to my hut!”

  Isfmis recollected himself and realized that he was among the most wretched of humanity. “Are you fishermen?” heaskedthem.

  Tuna replied, “All of us are fishermen.”

  The innkeeper shrugged his shoulders contemptuously and said, without looking up from his work, “Not me — I'm a tavern-keeper, sir!”

  Tuna guffawed, then pointed with a thick finger at a short, thin, fine-boned man with wide, bright eyes. He said, “If you want to be precise, this man's a thief.”

  Isfmis looked at the man curiously and the man felt embarrassed and tried to reassure him by saying, “Don't worry, sir! I never steal anything in this quarter!”

  Tuna commented, “He means that as there's nothing worth stealing in our quarter, he keeps company with us like anybody else and practices his art in the suburbs of Thebes, where there's money everywhere and everyone's well-off.”

  The thief himself was drunk and said apologetically, “I'm not a thief, sir. I'm just someone who roams around, east and west, wherever his feet carry him. And if I stumble on a lost goose or chicken in my path, I guide it to a safe place, usually my hut!”

  “And do you eat it?”

  “God forbid, sir! Good food gives me stomach poisoning! I just sell it to anyone who'll buy.”

  “Aren't you afraid of the constables?”

  “I'm very afraid of them, sir, because the only ones allowed to steal in this country are the rich and the rulers!”

  Tuna added his word to that of the thief, saying, “The rule in Egypt is that the rich steal from the poor, but the poor are not allowed to steal from the rich.”

  As he spoke his eyes — were focused greedily on the two full cups and he changed the course of the conversation by saying accusingly, “Why do you leave your cups untouched, just waiting to stir up trouble among the drinkers?”

  Isfmis smiled and said affably, “They're yours, Tuna!”

  His mouth watered and he seized the cups in his thick hands, directing warning looks at those around him. Then he emptied them into his belly one after the other and sighed contentedly. Isfmis grasped the meaning of the man's threat and ordered as much beer and wine as they wanted for those nearby. Everyone drank and raised a happy clamor and started talking and singing and laughing. Hardship and poverty were written on the faces of all, but at that moment they appeared happy, laughing and giving no thought to the morrow. Isfmis threw himself into the spirit of things gaily enough, though his low spirits would revisit him from time to time. They had been with the men quite some time when a man came into the inn who appeared to be one of them, and greeted them with a wave and ordered a cup of beer. Then he said to those around him in a tone that gave
nothing away, “They have arrested the Lady Ebana and taken her to the court.”

  Most of the men were too befuddled with drink to pay him any attention but others asked, “And why is that?”

  “They say that a high-ranking officer of the Herdsmen crossed her path on the Nile shore and wanted to take her as one of his women. She resisted and pushed him away.”

  Many of the men yelled angrily and Isfmis asked him, “And what will the court do to her?”

  The man stared at him unbelievingly and said, “It will sentence her to pay a fine that she cannot afford in order to give her no way out. Then it will order her to be flogged and thrown into prison.”

  Isfmis's face changed and he turned pale and said to the man, “Can you show us how to get to the court?”

  Tuna stammered, “It will do you more good to drink, because whoever defends this woman will anger the high-ranking officer and expose himself to who knows what punishment!”

  The man — who had spread the news asked him, “Are you a stranger, sir?”

  “Yes,” Isfinis replied. “And I want to attend this trial.”

  “I'll be your guide to the court if you wish.”

  As they left the inn, Latu bent over his ear and whispered, “Take care not to get involved in anything that will spoil our delicate mission!”

  Isfinis did not answer, but turned on his heel and followed the man.

  6

  The court was crammed with petitioners, plaintiffs, and witnesses and the seats in the hall were filled with people of every class. In the place of honor sat judges with flowing beards and white faces, a figurine of Thamy, the goddess of justice, dangling on the chest of their chief. The two colleagues took seats close to one another and Latu whispered to Isfinis, “They imitate the externals of our system.”

  They scrutinized the faces and realized that most of those present were Hyksos. The judges summoned the accused, interrogated them rapidly, and issued their sentences fast and mercilessly. Cries of complaint and lamentation arose from the naked victims with their copper-colored bodies and brown faces. Lady Ebana's turn came and the usher called, “Lady Ebana!”

  The two men looked apprehensively and saw a lady approach the dais with measured steps, her bearing displaying dignity and sorrow, her features full of beauty despite her being close to forty years in age. A Hyksos man, dressed in fine clothes, followed her, bowed respectfully to the judge, and said, “Honorable Lord Judge, I am the agent of Commander Rukh — whom this woman attacked — and I am called Khumm. I shall represent his lordship before the court.”

  The judge nodded his head in agreement, astonishing Latu and Isfinis. The judge said, “What does your master accuse this woman of?”

  The man replied with distaste and irritation, “My master says that he met this woman this morning and wished to add her to his harem, but she refused ungratefully and rejected him with an impudence that he considered an attack on his honor as a soldier.”

  The man's statement set off a clamor of indignation among those present and people put their heads together, whispering disapprovingly. The judge made a gesture toward the people with his staff of office and they fell silent. Then he said, “What say you, woman?”

  The woman had maintained her calm, as though despair of fair treatment had absolved her of any susceptibility to fear. She said quietly, “This man's statement is inaccurate.”

  The judge angrily rebuked her, saying, “Take care that you do not say anything that might touch the dignity of the honorable complainant, for your crime will then be twice as bad! Tell your story and leave the judgment to us!”

  The woman's face reddened in embarrassment and she said, still maintaining her calm, “I was on my way to the fishermen's quarter when a carriage barred my way and an officer got down and told me to get in, without delay and without any previous acquaintance. I was terrified and wanted to get away from him, but he took hold of my hand and told me that he was doing me an honor by adding me to his women. I told him that I refused his offer, but he scoffed at me and told me that when a woman makes a show of refusal she really means, ‘Yes.’ “

  The judge gestured to her to stop speaking, as though it pained him to hear her mention details that might detract from the officer's dignity. Then he asked her, “Answer! Did you assault him or not?”

  “Certainly not, sir! I insisted on refusing and tried to slip from his grasp, but I did not attack him either with my hand or my tongue, and any number of people from the quarter can attest to that.”

  “You mean the fishermen?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “The testimony of such people is not accepted in this sacred place.”

  The woman fell silent and a look of perplexity and confusion appeared in her eyes. The judge asked her, “Is that all you have to say?”

  “Yes, sir. And I swear that I did not harm him by word or deed.”

  “The one who brings a complaint against you is a great personage, a commander of Pharaoh's guard, and his words are true until proven otherwise.”

  “And how am I to prove otherwise, when the court refuses to hear my witnesses?”

  The judge said angrily, “Fishermen do not enter this place, unless brought here as suspects!”

  The man turned away from her and leant toward his colleagues to discuss their opinions. Then he sat upright once more and said, directing his words to Lady Ebana, “Woman, the commander intended to do you a favor and you rewarded him very badly. The court gives you a choice between paying fifty pieces of gold or prison for three years, with a flogging.”

  The public listened attentively to the sentence and satisfaction showed on all their faces, except for that of one, who shouted in a voice full of emotion, as though unable to control himself, “Lord Judge! The woman is wronged and innocent. Let her go! Pardon her, for she is wronged!”

  The judge, however, grew furious and fixed the owner of the voice with a look that silenced him, while people stared at him from every side. Isfmis recognized him and said to his companion in amazement, “It's the youth who was angry when we spoke to him and accused us of being Herdsmen's slaves.”

  Isfmis was enraged and full of pain. He went on and said, “I will not let that imbecile of a judge throw that lady in prison!”

  Latu said anxiously, “Your mission is more important than taking the part of a wronged woman. Be careful that what you do does not turn against us!”

  But Isfmis paid no attention to his companion. He waited until he heard the judge ask the woman, “Will you pay the sum required?”

  Then he rose, and said in a beautiful, sweet-toned voice, “Yes, Lord Judge!”

  All heads turned toward him to examine the bold and generous man — who had come forward to save the woman at the last moment and the — woman looked at him in astonishment, as did the youth who had defended her with his tears and plea. The commander's agent flashed a fiery and threatening glance at him but the youth paid no attention and went up to the judges’ dais with his tall, slender figure and captivating, comely face and handed the required fine over to the court.

  The judge pondered in confusion, asking himself, “Where did this peasant get the gold, and where did he get such courage?” But there was nothing for it and he turned to the woman and said, “Woman, you are free. Let the fate from which you so narrowly escaped be a lesson to you!”

  7

  They left the court together, Latu, Isfmis, the Lady Ebana, and the unknown youth. As they were leaving, the woman looked at Isfmis and said in a voice he could barely hear, “Sir, your chivalry has saved me from the shades of the dungeon. I must therefore consider myself your slave by virtue of the favor you have done me and you have placed me under an obligation I can never repay.”

  The youth seized Isfmis's hand and kissed it, his eyes brimming with tears, and said in a trembling voice, “The Lord pardon my earlier poor opinion of you and grant you the best of reward for what you have done for us by saving my mother from the depths of prison and
the pain of flogging!”

  Isfmis was overcome by emotion and said gently, “You owe me nothing. You suffered the most horrible injustice, my lady, and injustice, though it may affect only one, pains all the just. All I did was to get angry and give vent to my anger — so there is no debt and nothing to repay.”

  This speech did not convince the Lady Ebana, who continued to be overcome with emotion, stammering in her confusion, and saying, “What a noble deed! How far beyond description and how far above praise!”

  Her son was not less affected. Seeing Isfmis looking at him,

  he said apologetically, “When we met I thought you were creatures of the Herdsmen because of how rich you seemed to be. Now it turns out that you are two generous Egyptians from I know not — where. I swear I shall not leave you until you have been kind enough to visit our small hut, so that we can drink a cup of beer together to celebrate our being honored with your acquaintance. What do you say?”

  The invitation delighted Isfmis, who wanted to mix with his fellow countrymen, and who was attracted to the youth by his verve and good looks. He said, “We accept your invitation with the greatest of pleasure.”

  The youth was overjoyed, as was his mother, but she said, “You must excuse us, for you will not find our hut appropriate to your high status.”

  Latu said deftly, “With hosts such as yourselves we shall want for nothing, and besides, we are traders, used to the discomforts of life and the hardships of the road.”

  They continued in their path, united in feelings of affection, as though they had been friends for years. As they walked, Isfmis said to Ebana's son, “What should we call you, my friend? My name is Isfmis, and my companion is called Latu.”

  The youth bowed his head respectfully and said, “Call me Ahmose.”

  Isfmis felt as though someone had called to him and he looked curiously at the youth.

  After half an hour, they reached the hut. It was plain, like a fisherman's hut, and consisted of an outer courtyard and two small interconnecting rooms. However, despite the plainness of its furnishings and its poverty, it was clean and well arranged. Ahmose and his two guests sat in the courtyard, opening the door wide so that the breeze from the Nile and the sight of the river might be unimpeded. Ebana went off straightaway to prepare the drinks and they remained silent for a while, exchanging glances. Then Ahmose said hesitantly, “It is strange to see Egyptians looking so distinguished. How is it that the Herdsmen have left you to get rich when you are not their creatures?”