Kom El Nour by Abbas Helmy II

Description

On a brief visit to the village of Kom El Nour in Mit Ghamr, where I found a treasure buried amidst the silt and the tangled branches, I sat catching my breath from the intense heat. I had come seeking the stories of heroes from those who preserve and cherish them. I had come to ask for the tale of Abu Zayd al-Hilali, or Princess Dhat al-Himma, or Baybars, and perhaps even Saladin. I returned with a story, and a heart filled with longing. Hajj Abdullah Hilal, in his nineties… Yes, he is illiterate, but he knows the poetry of a hundred years or more and possesses a treasure trove of stories. They say that one who reaches ninety knows everything, or nothing; remembers or forgets; is liberated or imprisoned; clings to hopes or succumbs to the passage of time. He tells his stories with the skill of one performing heart surgery, his breath catching as if he were dying or nearly so. You cannot leave his company without being overcome with emotion.