A Sultan in Palermo

by Tariq Ali

  There are so many things I wanted to discuss with you in Palermo, but we became so absorbed in each other that there was no time for lofty discussions. I wanted to ask what you thought of the poetry of Ibn Hamdis. I’m really angry with myself for never asking you. My husband—but you probably know this—belongs to the same family and we have all his poems in the library and some of them in very fine editions. You see, I’m even beginning to use your language! Some of them I find too sentimental. He was not ‘banished from paradise’. He left. I mean, if he was going to miss Siqilliya so much, why did he go in the first place and then why not come back and re-live the pleasures of his youth? His brothers stayed. The family estate is intact. So his memories of Siqilliya do not excite me, though you try saying that to a Siracusan. Can you imagine my husband, who has calmly accepted that we are lovers and that you are the father of the son who will inherit his estates, who has never spoken a harsh word to me, became red with anger when I told him that Ibn Hamdis was not a very good poet compared to Ibn Quzman, Ibn Hazm and Abu Nuwas. He shouted, called me ignorant and left the room like a mountain on fire. Later he came and apologised. A few days after this occurred, I found a poem by Ibn Hamdis that really made me laugh. I wanted you to laugh with me, but you were not here. Read the words aloud to yourself and imagine both of us inside your silk tunic:

  A cloistered nun unlocked her convent,

  and we were her night visitors.

  The fragrance of a liquor brought us to her,

  one that revealed to your nose her secrets ...

  I placed my silver on her scale,

  and from the jug she poured her gold.

  We offered betrothal to four of her daughters,

  so that pleasure might deflower their innocence.

  I want to know what you think about this and his Siqilliyan poems.

  Muhammad, last night I was told an awful story and could not sleep. My husband came to see if I needed anything and with him was his awful sister who you and I spoke of once before. She is very tall with a large cucumber of a nose, breasts the size of water-melons and a loud, grating voice and I’ve always wanted to suggest to her that she join a band of wandering hermaphrodites and enjoy life. She came in, looked at my son on my breast and said, ‘Praise be to Allah for this miracle.’ It was on the edge of my tongue to say, ‘Praise be to Muhammad’ but I restrained myself. Then I began to feel a pain in my insides and I screamed at her to leave my chamber. The maid rushed in from next door, but it was nothing. My husband came back later to apologise for his sister. I said she was a serpent nourished by Satan. And then he sat down and told me this story, which horrified me:

  ‘She is my half-sister, Balkis, and please understand she has had a hard life. My parents did not get on with each other and my mother must have been in a state of permanent sadness. When I was eight years old my father left Siracusa and went to live in Noto for six months. My mother was far from heartbroken, as you can imagine. She committed an indiscretion with a cousin and became pregnant. When my father returned he asked whose child it was but she did not speak. He never spoke to her again. That child was my sister who you hate so much. She was not treated well in our household. I don’t think my father even spoke her name. Not once. As a result, she became our mother’s favourite. This annoyed the rest of us and we were all unpleasant to her. When many years later my father left for Palermo to conduct some business, my mother’s cousin who had fathered my half-sister returned to the house. My half-sister was seventeen years old. One night in a drunken frenzy the cousin forced himself on his daughter. She became pregnant. My mother had her lover thrown out of the house. As I remember, he was actually stoned. My brothers and I lived in that large house but had no idea what had taken place till later. They tell me herbal concoctions were used to get rid of the child and they succeeded, but she never recovered. When I heard the story from a cousin, I confronted my mother. She wept and admitted it was true. She blamed my father’s coldness and cruelty and I’m sure there is some truth in that, but I always recall my father as dark visaged, tall, dignified and simple in his tastes. In any event, after learning of this tragedy, I went out of my way to be nice to my half-sister. Like you, my brothers cannot bear the sight of her, which is unjust. She is our only sister. I don’t expect you to like her, but try and understand. She’s perfectly harmless.’

  Muhammad, my dearest and closest, isn’t that upsetting. The problem is that the woman is malicious and evil and I still hate her. I try and imagine what you would say in this situation.

  It would probably start with my kind and considerate husband....

  Muhammad, your son was born on the day the Sultan died. We have named him Hamdis ibn Aziz. This should ensure he never writes poetry. My breasts are overflowing. If your throat aches again come to me.

  Balkis

  Reading her letter agitated him and he began to rub both hands on the silk tunic. That evening he declined both food and the hammam, but Mayya assumed he was deep in his work and did not wish to be disturbed. He retired early to his bedchamber and began to pace furiously. Till then he had thought that his passion for her would gently fade and they would see each other once, perhaps twice a year. Now it suddenly struck him that it was his heart that would not tolerate such long absences.

  Perhaps he would return to Siracusa with the Amir after the Sultan’s funeral. The more he thought about it, the better this idea seemed. Elinore, Mayya and Afdal could come as well. He would go and see his grandsons near Noto, perhaps visit the village where the Trusted One had performed miracles and, above all, Balkis would not be far away. The thought improved his spirits, but still he would not take off the tunic and when, late that night, there was an urgent knock on the door he was still dressed.

  Ibn Fityan apologised for waking him up, but he wanted him to know that an incident had taken place in the gardens that evening. The young son of a Baron from Messina, barely twenty years old himself but accompanied by two or three older soldiers, had gone in search of young boys in the gardens. They were about to dishonour a boy when they found themselves surrounded by fifty men carrying short daggers and axes. The Franks fought fiercely and decapitated one opponent, but they were badly outnumbered and were overwhelmed. They were executed on the spot and the bodies were taken away and thrown into the sea.

  ‘Why is this considered serious enough to wake me early in the morning?’

  ‘When the son did not return, the Baron went in search of him. Naturally he didn’t find him and he has demanded that unless the qadi produces his son, he will take hostages from the city back to Messina.’

  ‘Intolerable and unacceptable.’

  ‘They want you to tell William that if this were to happen the city would explode and delay his coronation indefinitely.’

  ‘I will speak with him after the funeral. Ibn Fityan, was this ambush carefully prepared?’

  ‘It would appear so.’

  ‘Is there any possibility that someone might reveal the truth?’

  ‘Nobody knows who organised and carried out this attack. It is a secret organisation and they are all sworn to secrecy.’

  ‘Remarkable.’

  ‘Would you like me to help you undress?’

  Idrisi looked at himself and laughed.

  ‘I think I can manage. Peace be upon you.’

  Wide awake and alert, Idrisi undressed and made his ablutions. He began to compose a reply to Balkis in his head, but it was only half finished when he fell fast asleep. He was woken by Ibn Fityan to prepare himself for the funeral.

  The cathedral was filled and a few people had gathered on the streets, but the spectre of the martyred Philip hung over the proceedings. The Archbishop of Palermo, who conducted the obsequies, appeared to be so delighted with his role that he almost forget that it was supposed to be a sad occasion. William paid his father a glowing tribute, with more than a few of the phrases he had heard the previous day from Idrisi. Later, the new ruler summoned his old tutor to the palace. A wa
ke had been organised and the great hall that had witnessed the humiliation of Philip was now lavish with food and wine.

  Idrisi was present for one reason alone: in detaching William from the clutches of fawning courtiers, he informed him of the situation in the old city. The young man was greatly angered at the thought of his coronation being subverted because of baronial excesses and summoned the Archbishop. The prelate, delighted at being singled out at such a distinguished gathering, nodded sagely and disappeared to do his ruler’s bidding. ‘Tell the qadi he need not worry any longer. And, Master Idrisi, I have discovered it was the Amir of Catania who farted on both occasions. Remarkable man.’

  * Plato

  SIXTEEN

  Spring in Siracusa. Good and bad poetry. Fathers and sons.

  THERE CAN BE FEW delights in the world as pleasant as a Siracusan spring. The fragrance of the lemon, orange, apricot, almond and peach blossoms pervade the city, enriched by the moist, salty sea breezes. On the hills outside the city the age-old, laboriously cultivated plantations of olive trees are being carefully inspected for the damage caused by the winter storms and lightning. The sun radiates a welcome warmth and the air is fresh, not mournful and lazy, as in summer.

  And all this is greatly enhanced when a person is in love. Since his arrival from Palermo a month ago, Idrisi and Balkis had revelled in each other’s company. There was nothing furtive in their behaviour, but were it not for the fact that they went riding openly and were sometimes accompanied by the Amir himself, there would have been an incessant wagging of tongues. The palace eunuchs and a few loyal serving women were aware that Balkis often spent the night in Idrisi’s room and, while they talked to each other, they ensured the secret remained confined to the palace.

  One glorious fresh morning, before the sun had dried the earth, she insisted they discard their sandals and walk to bathe their feet in dew, on the leaves and grass. It was one of his cures for persistent headaches and he asked if she was feeling well.

  ‘I read a bad poem by Ibn Harridis this morning while you were still asleep and it gave me a headache.’

  He smiled. ‘Balkis, you are unfair to the poet. There are some unbearable poems, but he has also written some very fine verses. You must not punish him because Aziz belongs to the same family.’

  ‘You cannot imagine the praise they reserve for him. It’s as if no other poet had existed. Aziz is more restrained, but even he insisted on naming our son Hamdis. Why are you laughing?’

  ‘I shouldn’t encourage you, but I suddenly remember a quatrain written by Ibn Hamid, one of my childhood friends from Noto.’

  ‘You never mentioned him before.’

  ‘Too many painful memories. We quarrelled before he left. He accused me of being a creature of the Sultan. I miss him greatly now and ...’

  ‘The quatrain?’

  ‘Let me try and remember. A minor poet from Noto, well-known frequenter of bars and brothels, is visiting Siracusa to sample his favourite male prostitute. He runs into Ibn Hamdis. The great poet is agitated and his clothes are ruffled. The visitor from Noto inquires politely as to the cause and a brief exchange between the two is abruptly brought to an end:

  “I have been robbed! The thieves have ruined me!”

  “I sympathise, I share your grief.”

  “They stole a batch of my own poetry!”

  “I sympathise—with the poor thief.”’

  She laughed unrestrainedly.

  ‘My headache has gone. Your cure has worked.’

  Idrisi had come prepared for a long stay, accompanied by Elinore, Ibn Thawdor, and three hundred books considered necessary for his still uncompleted work. Mayya had promised to come later when Afdal was slightly older. Idrisi’s day was carefully organised. He spent five hours in the palace library where he was surprised to find a few manuscripts by authors previously unknown to him. He was impatient with any book that contained superstitions and presented them as scientific knowledge. And there were many of these he had angrily thrust aside during the course of his work.

  The rest of the day was spent in Balkis’s company. They could talk and laugh together for hours. She accepted his balanced critique of Ibn Hamdis and phrased her own remarks more carefully, but her basic view of the poet remained unaltered, although they agreed never to discuss the matter with the poet’s descendant.

  Elinore had begged him to let her marry as soon as possible. He had observed the young couple on the boat journey and was convinced that they were destined for each other. He asked them both whether they were happy to be married in the absence of her mother and his parents and was told that both parties had recommended this course of action. The Amir took charge of the matter and on a beautiful Sunday morning, Elinore bint Muhammad and Ibn Thawdor were married by a Bishop at a quiet ceremony in the old Byzantine church. They were assigned a set of rooms in the palace and at the feast that evening, Ibn Thawdor played the flute to mark his own wedding.

  Several weeks later a messenger arrived from Noto with a letter from Sakina, his oldest daughter, informing Idrisi that her mother had died peacefully a few days earlier. The rest of the family had gathered, with the exception of Walid, and she pleaded with Idrisi to return to the estate and decide what should be done. It was not a decision for her or anyone else.

  ‘I will have to go,’ he told Balkis. ‘I was quite content to die without seeing my house again, but Allah has willed otherwise. It is strange, but I feel nothing for the departed woman. Nothing.’

  ‘Take Elinore and Ibn Thawdor with you. You enjoy their company and she should see the house where her father was born. If I did not have to carry out the five obligatory breast-feedings for Hamdis, I would have accompanied you as well, just in case the dust on the journey gave you a sore throat.’

  They left early one morning in a large covered cart drawn by two horses and with a retinue of four armed retainers. A new path had been opened to reduce the time it took to reach Noto. The reasons for this were military, but everyone benefited and the traders had been especially pleased. As they passed an ancient viaduct he insisted they break the journey. He had seen it from afar on previous visits and now he had an opportunity to observe its structure more closely.

  ‘I agree to stop,’ said Elinore, ‘provided we are spared a lecture on ancient Rome.’

  Idrisi smiled and ignored the remark, but to punish her he took Ibn Thawdor with him and improved the boy’s understanding of the ancient world. As they resumed their journey a silence fell. They were all thinking of what lay ahead.

  Idrisi had not seen his oldest son, Uthman, for almost twenty years and the thought of the boy pained him. As a physician, he could try and cure pain and stomach disorders and fevers and snake-bites, but he had no idea what caused mental suffering or why his oldest child had been born with a disordered mind. There was no blemish on his body. He had been as normal as any other child except that he was slow to speak. This had not worried him unduly till the boy was five and barely spoke. He did learn eventually, but it became obvious that he was different from the rest. He preferred to be alone. He would talk to the farm animals at length and could be seen laughing with them, but when a human approached he would rush and hide in a barn or behind a tree or crouch in the open and imagine that nobody could see him.

  Not wishing Elinore to be taken by surprise, Idrisi told her the entire story. Her only response was to hold his hand tightly. She had been wondering how the family would receive her and Ibn Thawdor. Perhaps it had been a mistake to come with her father.

  The sun was still up as they entered the estate on the outskirts of Noto. The large house stood at the top of the exposed hill. It was built on two levels around a courtyard bordered by a row of orange trees. Behind the house were peasant houses built on the slope and near them a tiny domed mosque.

  Below the house, on either side of the path, were gently sloping terraces, first cultivated by his grandfather. Fruits of every variety were flanked by mulberry for the silkworms. Vegetable
s and wheat were grown in the flat fields nearby. The sight pleased him. Sakina’s mother must have been a good administrator—something he could not quite believe—but there was nobody else who could have watched over everything, once he had left and made it clear he had no intention of returning.

  He saw Khalid riding towards them, waving. Idrisi waved back. The boy has lost a mother and a grandmother in the space of a year. A growing boy needs a woman in the household. Umar should marry again.

  ‘Jiddu, Jiddu,’ the boy was shouting, as he got closer. He abandoned the horse he had been riding bare-backed and boarded the cart, embracing his grandfather and managing a broad smile as he was introduced to his new aunt and Ibn Thawdor. How he had grown over the last six months. A beard and moustache were sprouting on his face. Elinore hoped her father would not refer to them and embarrass Khalid, but was disappointed.

  ‘I’m glad to see a beard on the way. Have you decided whether you want to grow it long or short?’

  ‘I do not want to grow it at all, Jiddu. No beard. No moustache.’

  ‘Unthinkable, boy. Unthinkable. Everyone in our family has grown one or the other. I shall speak with your father. We shall see what he has to say on this subject.’

  ‘The Trusted One says that these things do not matter at all.’

  ‘Then why does he grow a beard?’

  ‘Because he’s too lazy to shave it off. He’s looking forward to seeing you again.’

  ‘Is he here?’

  ‘Yes, of course. He came with us. He and Abu have become very close friends.’

  There goes my estate, thought Idrisi.

  The rest of them, too, had sighted him and were waiting to receive him. Sakina kissed his hands and he hugged and kissed her head. Her husband was present as well with the twins. He embraced Abu Khalid with special warmth. They were all introduced to the newly wed couple. Sakina, having lost a sister, was anxious to please the new one. She took Elinore and Ibn Thawdor to their rooms. Idrisi looked around him.