المساعد الشخصي الرقمي

مشاهدة النسخة كاملة : the nechlace



manal232
02-02-2008, 06:58 PM
THE NECKLACE
BY GUY de MAUPASSANT
SHE WAS ONE OF THOSE PRETTY AND CHARMING GIRLS BORN, as though fate had blundered over her, into a family of artisans. She had no marriage portion, no expectations, no means of getting known, understood, loved, and wedded by a man of wealth and distinction; and she let herself be married off to a little clerk in the Ministry of Education. Her tastes were simple because she had never been able to afford any other, but she was as unhappy as though she had married beneath her; for women have no caste or class, their beauty, grace, and charm serving them for birth or family. their natural delicacy, their instinctive elegance, their nimbleness of wit, are their only mark of rank, and put the slum girl on a level with the highest lady in the land.

She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury. She suffered from the poorness of her house, from its mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains. All these things, of which other women of her class would not even have been aware, tormented and insulted her. The sight of the little Breton girl who came to do the work in her little house aroused heart-broken regrets and hopeless dreams in her mind. She imagined silent antechambers, heavy with Oriental tapestries, lit by torches in lofty bronze sockets, with two tall footmen in knee-breeches sleeping in large arm-chairs, overcome by the heavy warmth of the stove. She imagined vast saloons hung with antique silks, exquisite pieces of furniture supporting priceless ornaments, and small, charming, perfumed rooms, created just for little parties of intimate friends, men who were famous and sought after, whose homage roused every other woman's envious longings.

When she sat down for dinner at the round table covered with a three-days-old cloth, opposite her husband, who took the cover off the soup-tureen, exclaiming delightedly: "Aha! Scotch broth! What could be better?" she imagined delicate meals, gleaming silver, tapestries peopling the walls with folk of a past age and strange birds in faery forests; she imagined delicate food served in marvellous dishes,
murmured gallantries, listened to with an inscrutable smile as one trifled with the rosy flesh of trout or wings of asparagus chicken.

She had no clothes, no jewels, nothing. And these were the only things she loved; she felt that she was made for them. She had longed so eagerly to charm, to be desired, to be wildly attractive and sought after.

She had a rich friend, an old school friend whom she refused to visit, because she suffered so keenly when she returned home. She would weep whole days, with grief, regret, despair, and misery.

***

One evening her husband came home with an exultant air, holding a large envelope in his hand.

" Here's something for you," he said.

Swiftly she tore the paper and drew out a printed card on which were these words:

"The Minister of Education and Madame Ramponneau request the pleasure of the company of Monsieur and Madame Loisel at the Ministry on the evening of Monday, January the 18th."

Instead of being delighted, as her-husband hoped, she flung the invitation petulantly across the table, murmuring:

"What do you want me to do with this?"

"Why, darling, I thought you'd be pleased. You never go out, and this is a great occasion. I had tremendous trouble to get it. Every one wants one; it's very select, and very few go to the clerks. You'll see all the really big people there."

She looked at him out of furious eyes, and said impatiently: "And what do you suppose I am to wear at such an affair?"

He had not thought about it; he stammered:

"Why, the dress you go to the theatre in. It looks very nice, to me...."

He stopped, stupefied and utterly at a loss when he saw that his wife was beginning to cry. Two large tears ran slowly down from the corners of her eyes towards the corners of her mouth.

"What's the matter with you? What's the matter with you?" he faltered.

But with a violent effort she overcame her grief and replied in a calm voice, wiping her wet cheeks:

"Nothing. Only I haven't a dress and so I can't go to this party. Give your invitation to some friend of yours whose wife will be turned out better than I shall."

He was heart-broken.

"Look here, Mathilde," he persisted. :What would be the cost of a suitable dress, which you could use on other occasions as well, something very simple?"

She thought for several seconds, reckoning up prices and also wondering for how large a sum she could ask without bringing upon herself an immediate refusal and an exclamation of horror from the careful-minded clerk.

At last she replied with some hesitation:

"I don't know exactly, but I think I could do it on four hundred francs."

He grew slightly pale, for this was exactly the amount he had been saving for a gun, intending to get a little shooting next summer on the plain of Nanterre with some friends who went lark-shooting there on Sundays.

Nevertheless he said: "Very well. I'll give you four hundred francs. But try and get a really nice dress with the money."

The day of the party drew near, and Madame Loisel seemed sad, uneasy and anxious. Her dress was ready, however. One evening her husband said to her:

"What's the matter with you? You've been very odd for the last three days."

"I'm utterly miserable at not having any jewels, not a single stone, to wear," she replied. "I shall look absolutely no one. I would almost rather not go to the party."

"Wear flowers," he said. "They're very smart at this time of the year. For ten francs you could get two or three gorgeous roses."

She was not convinced.

"No . . . there's nothing so humiliating as looking poor in the middle of a lot of rich women."

"How stupid you are!" exclaimed her husband. "Go and see Madame Forestier and ask her to lend you some jewels. You know her quite well enough for that."

She uttered a cry of delight.

"That's true. I never thought of it."

Next day she went to see her friend and told her her trouble.

Madame Forestier went to her dressing-table, took up a large box, brought it to Madame Loisel, opened it, and said:

"Choose, my dear."

First she saw some bracelets, then a pearl necklace, then a Venetian cross in gold and gems, of exquisite workmanship. She tried the effect of the jewels before the mirror, hesitating, unable to make up her mind to leave them, to give them up. She kept on asking:

"Haven't you anything else?"

"Yes. Look for yourself. I don't know what you would like best."

Suddenly she discovered, in a black satin case, a superb diamond necklace; her heart began to beat covetousIy. Her hands trembled as she lifted it. She fastened it round her neck, upon her high dress, and remained in ecstasy at sight of herself.

Then, with hesitation, she asked in anguish:

"Could you lend me this, just this alone?"

"Yes, of course."

She flung herself on her friend's breast, embraced her frenziedly, and went away with her treasure. The day of the party arrived. Madame Loisel was a success. She was the prettiest woman present, elegant, graceful, smiling, and quite above herself with happiness. All the men stared at her, inquired her name, and asked to be introduced to her. All the Under-Secretaries of State were eager to waltz with her. The Minister noticed her.

She danced madly, ecstatically, drunk with pleasure, with no thought for anything, in the triumph of her beauty, in the pride of her success, in a cloud of happiness made up of this universal homage and admiration, of the desires she had aroused, of the completeness of a victory so dear to her feminine heart.

She left about four o'clock in the morning. Since midnight her husband had been dozing in a deserted little room, in company with three other men whose wives were having a good time. He threw over her shoulders the garments he had brought for them to go home in, modest everyday clothes, whose poverty clashed with the beauty of the ball-dress. She was conscious of this and was anxious to hurry away, so that she should not be noticed by the other women putting on their costly furs.

Loisel restrained her.

"Wait a little. You'll catch cold in the open. I'm going to fetch a cab."

But she did not listen to him and rapidly descended-the staircase. When they were out in the street they could not find a cab; they began to look for one, shouting at the drivers whom they saw passing in the distance.

They walked down towards the Seine, desperate and shivering. At last they found on the quay one of those old nightprowling carriages which are only to be seen in Paris after dark, as though they were ashamed of their shabbiness in the daylight.

It brought them to their door in the Rue des Martyrs, and sadly they walked up to their own apartment. It was the end, for her. As for him, he was thinking that he must be at the office at ten.

She took off the garments in which she had wrapped her shoulders, so as to see herself in all her glory before the mirror. But suddenly she uttered a cry. The necklace was no longer round her neck!

"What's the matter with you?" asked her husband, already half undressed.

She turned towards him in the utmost distress.

"I . . . I . . . I've no longer got Madame Forestier's necklace. . . ."

He started with astonishment.

"What! . . . Impossible!"

They searched in the folds of her dress, in the folds of the coat, in the pockets, everywhere. They could not find it.

"Are you sure that you still had it on when you came away from the ball?" he asked.

"Yes, I touched it in the hall at the Ministry."

"But if you had lost it in the street, we should have heard it fall."

"Yes. Probably we should. Did you take the number of the cab?"

"No. You didn't notice it, did you?"

"No."

They stared at one another, dumbfounded. At last Loisel put on his clothes again.

"I'll go over all the ground we walked," he said, "and see if I can't find it."

And he went out. She remained in her evening clothes, lacking strength to get into bed, huddled on a chair, without volition or power of thought.

Her husband returned about seven. He had found nothing.

He went to the police station, to the newspapers, to offer a reward, to the cab companies, everywhere that a ray of hope impelled him.

She waited all day long, in the same state of bewilderment at this fearful catastrophe.

Loisel came home at night, his face lined and pale; he had discovered nothing.

"You must write to your friend," he said, "and tell her that you've broken the clasp of her necklace and are getting it mended. That will give us time to look about us."

She wrote at his dictation.

***

By the end of a week they had lost all hope.

Loisel, who had aged five years, declared:

"We must see about replacing the diamonds."

Next day they took the box which had held the necklace and went to the jewellers whose name was inside. He consulted his books.

"It was not I who sold this necklace, Madame; I must have merely supplied the clasp."

Then they went from jeweller to jeweller, searching for another necklace like the first, consulting their memories, both ill with remorse and anguish of mind.

In a shop at the Palais-Royal they found a string of diamonds which seemed to them exactly like the one they were looking for. It was worth forty thousand francs. They were allowed to have it for thirty-six thousand.

They begged the jeweller not tO sell it for three days. And they arranged matters on the understanding that it would be taken back for thirty-four thousand francs, if the first one were found before the end of February.

Loisel possessed eighteen thousand francs left to him by his father. He intended to borrow the rest.

He did borrow it, getting a thousand from one man, five hundred from another, five Louis here, three louis there. He gave notes of hand, entered into ruinous agreements, did business with usurers and the whole tribe of money-lenders. He mortgaged the whole remaining years of his existence, risked his signature without even knowing it he could honour it, and, appalled at the agonising face of the future, at the black misery about to fall upon him, at the prospect of every possible physical privation and moral torture, he went to get the new necklace and put down upon the jeweller's counter thirty-six thousand francs.

When Madame Loisel took back the necklace to Madame Forester, the latter said to her in a chilly voice:

"You ought to have brought it back sooner; I might have needed it."

She did not, as her friend had feared, open the case. If she had noticed the substitution, what would she have thought? What would she have said? Would she not have taken her for a thief?

***

Madame Loisel came to know the ghastly life of abject poverty. From the very first she played her part heroically. This fearful debt must be paid off. She would pay it. The servant was dismissed. They changed their flat; they took a garret under the roof.

She came to know the heavy work of the house, the hateful duties of the kitchen. She washed the plates, wearing out her pink nails on the coarse pottery and the bottoms of pans. She washed the dirty linen, the shirts and dish-cloths, and hung them out to dry on a string; every morning she took the dustbin down into the street and carried up the water, stopping on each landing to get her breath. And, clad like a poor woman, she went to the fruiterer, to the grocer, to the butcher, a basket on her arm, haggling, insulted, fighting for every wretched halfpenny of her money.

Every month notes had to be paid off, others renewed, time gained.

Her husband worked in the evenings at putting straight a merchant's accounts, and often at night he did copying at twopence-halfpenny a page.

And this life lasted ten years.

At the end of ten years everything was paid off, everything, the usurer's charges and the accumulation of superimposed interest.

Madame Loisel looked old now. She had become like all the other strong, hard, coarse women of poor households. Her hair was badly done, her skirts were awry, her hands were red. She spoke in a shrill voice, and the water slopped all over the floor when she scrubbed it. But sometimes, when her husband was at the office, she sat down by the window and thought of that evening long ago, of the ball at which she had been so beautiful and so much admired.

What would have happened if she had never lost those jewels. Who knows? Who knows? How strange life is, how fickle! How little is needed to ruin or to save!

One Sunday, as she had gone for a walk along the Champs-Elysees to freshen herself after the labours of the week, she caught sight suddenly of a woman who was taking a child out for a walk. It was Madame Forestier, still young, still beautiful, still attractive.

Madame Loisel was conscious of some emotion. Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that she had paid, she would tell her all. Why not?

She went up to her.

"Good morning, Jeanne."

The other did not recognise her, and was surprised at being thus familiarly addressed by a poor woman.

"But . . . Madame . . ." she stammered. "I don't know . . . you must be making a mistake."

"No . . . I am Mathilde Loisel."

Her friend uttered a cry.

"Oh! . . . my poor Mathilde, how you have changed! . . ."

"Yes, I've had some hard times since I saw you last; and many sorrows . . . and all on your account."

"On my account! . . . How was that?"

"You remember the diamond necklace you lent me for the ball at the Ministry?"

"Yes. Well?"

"Well, I lost it."

"How could you? Why, you brought it back."

"I brought you another one just like it. And for the last ten years we have been paying for it. You realise it wasn't easy for us; we had no money. . . . Well, it's paid for at last, and I'm glad indeed."

Madame Forestier had halted.

"You say you bought a diamond necklace to replace mine?"

"Yes. You hadn't noticed it? They were very much alike."

And she smiled in proud and innocent happiness.

Madame Forestier, deeply moved, took her two hands.

"Oh, my poor Mathilde! But mine was imitation. It was worth at the very most five hundred francs! . . . "

manal232
02-02-2008, 07:00 PM
الـعِــــــــــــــقْـد

للكاتب جاي دي ماوباسانت

لقد ولدت مثل أولائك البنات الجميلات والفاتنات, لكن كأن الحظ قد تخطاها حيث ولدت في عائلة من الحرفيين، لم يكن عندها نصيب من الزواج، لا توقعات حيث لا وسائل يمكن أن تعرف بواسطتها حتى تستطيع أن تتزوج من رجل ثري ومميز. لقد تزوجت من كاتب صغير في وزارة التعليم ، لكنها غير سعيدة بهذا الزواج كأنها تزوجت من هو اقل منها شأنا. بالنسبة للنساء اللائي ليس لهن طائفة أو طبقة اجتماعية فان جمالهن وفتنتهن الطبيعية ورشاقتهن الفطرية، وذكائهن الموهوب، كل هذه الصفات هي علامتهن الوحيدة لبلوغ المرتبة والمكانة. وهي تضع بنت الحي الفقير في مستوى أعلى سيدة على وجه الأرض


عانت وبشكل كبير من الإحساس بأنها ولدت للدعة والترف، عانت من فقر منزلهم ومن حيطانه المتوسطة، الكراسي المتهرئة، والستائر القبيحة، كل هذه الأشياء، اجل ... والتي لا تهتم بها النساء من طبقتها، أما هي فقد عذبتها وأشعرتها بالمهانة. البنت البرتونية الصغيرة والتي جاءت لتعمل في منزلها
الصغير أصيبت بفاجعة الأسف والأحلام البائسة في عقلها. تخيلت أن هنالك غرف استقبال هادئة ذات ستائر شرقية من قماش ثقيل، مضاءة بمصابيح ذات قوابس برونزية راقية، مع اثنان من الخدم طوال القامة في سراويل تصل إلى أسفل ركبهم وينامون مسترخين على كراسي جلوس فاخرة ويغلب عليهم دفء الموقد. تخيلت صالونات واسعة يزينها الحرير والقطع الأثرية، قطع الأثاث الرائعة مدعمة بالحلي الثمينة، الغرف الصغيرة الساحرة والمعطرة والمخصصة للأصدقاء المقربين مثل المشاهير الذين تتم دعوتهم والذين تثير هيبتهم شوق وحسد أي امرأة.

عندما جلست لتتناول وجبة العشاء حول الطاولة المستديرة والمغطاة بقطعة قماش لم يتم تغييرها منذ ثلاث أيام، مقابلة لزوجها والذي قام برفع الغطاء عن وعاء الحساء وصاح . ها. حساء اسكتلندي . ماذا يمكن أن يكون أفضل من ذلك؟. تخيلت وجبات شهية، الفضة اللامعة والحيطان التي تزينها الأقمشة الجميلة والتي تحكي الماضي والطيور الغريبة في غابات الجنية. تخيلت الطعام الشهي يقدم في الأطباق الرائعة.
الدندنة بالفروسية والشجاعة، تستمع إليها وهي تبتسم ابتسامة غامضة كأنها تعبث بلحم السمك المرقط أو أجنحة الدجاج الهليون.
ليس لديها ملابس، ولا مجوهرات. لا شئ. وهذه هي الأشياء التي تحبها وهي تشعر بأنها خلقت لتغتني هذه الأشياء. لذلك اندفعت بلهفة إلى الجمال والفتنة لكي تكون مرغوبة، لكي تكون أكثر جاذبية ومطلوبة.


لها صديقة ثرية. صديقة من زمن المدرسة وقد رفضت أن تدعوها لزيارتها، لأنها عانت بشدة عندما عادت من عندها، بكت لأيام، بحزن وأسف، يأس وبؤس


في إحدى الأمسيات عاد زوجها مبتهجا وهو يحمل مظروفا كبيرا في يده.

قال لها: هذا شئ يخصك.

بسرعة مزقت الورقة وأخرجت منها كرتا مطبوعا يحوي الكلمات الآتية:-

السيد/ وزير التعليم والسيدة/ راميونيو يسرهم دعوة السيد والسيدة / لويسيل في الوزارة، في مساء يوم الاثنين الثامن عشر من شهر يناير.

بدلا من أن تسر كما تمنى زوجها، قذفت الدعوة على الطاولة بشكل وقح وهي متذمرة.

ما ذا تريدني أن افعل بهذه ؟

لماذا يا عزيزتي. اعتقدت انك سوف تسرين. لأنك لم تخرجي أبدا. وهذه مناسبة عظيمة. عانيت كثيرا في الحصول عليها. الكل يريد أن يحظى بواحدة مثلها. وقد تم الاختيار بعناية ، وقلة هم الذين تم اختيارهم وذهبوا إلى الكتبة لاستلامها سوف ترين هناك كبار الشخصيات.

نظرت إليه نظرة غاضبة، وقالت بنفاد صبر. ما ذا تفترض أن البس في مثل هذه المناسبة؟

لم يفكر في ذلك أبدا. لقد تلعثم

لماذا ؟ البسي الذي لبسته للمسرح. انه يبدو لي جميلا.

وقف مذهولا وارتبك تماما عندما رأى زوجته قد بدأت تبكي,,,
دمعتان كبيرتان سالتا من زوايا عينيها إلى زوايا فمها.

ما المسالة؟ ما المسالة؟ تلعثم

لكنها بعد جهد جهيد سيطرت على حزنها وأجابت في صوت هادئ وهي تمسح خدودها المبللة.
لا شئ. كل ما في الحكاية ما عندي ملابس ولذلك لا يمكن أن اذهب إلى الحفل، أعطي هذه الدعوة إلى أي واحد من أصدقائك والذي يمكن أن تخرج زوجته في زى أحسن مني.

انفطر قلبه.

انظري ماتيلدا- واستمر. ما هي تكلفة اللبس المناسب؟ والذي يمكن لبسه في مثل هذه المناسبات. شئ مبسط جدا؟

فكرت لعدة ثواني ، قدرت الأسعار وسألت نفسها كم هو المبلغ الذي يجب أن تطلبه دون أن يرفض طلبها في الحال ويقابل بالاستهجان والتعجب من ذلك الكاتب شديد الحرص.

أخيرا ردت بدون أي تردد.

لا اعلم بالضبط، لكن تقريبا اقدره بأربعمائة فرنك.

صار باهتا بعض الشئ. لان هذا المبلغ هو بالضبط ما كان يدخره لشراء البندقية، والتي كان ينوي أن يصطاد بها في الصيف القادم في (سهل ناتيري) مع بعض أصدقائه الذين يذهبون للصيد كل يوم احد.

على الرغم من هذا. قال: جيد سوف أعطيك الأربعمائة فرنك.

لكن حاولي أن تشتري أحسن لبس بهذا المبلغ.

اقترب يوم الحفل. لكن السيدة لويسيل تبدو حزينة، مضطربة، قلقة بالرغم من إن لبسها جاهز. في إحدى الأمسيات قال لها زوجها:

ما المسالة؟ لقد اصبحتي منعزلة في الأيام الثلاث الماضية؛


قالت أنا بائسة جدا، وليس لدي مجوهرات ولا حتى قطعة واحدة لكي البسها. سوف أبدو نكرة. أنا سوف لن اذهب إلى الحفل.

قال لها: البسي ورود إنها جميلة جدا وخاصة في هذه الأيام من السنة، ويمكنك شراء ثلاث وردات رائعات بعشرة فرنكات.

لم تقتنع.

لا . ليس هنالك إذلال أكثر من الظهور فقيرة وسط الكثير من النساء الثريات.

أنتي غبية. صاح زوجها. اذهبي إلى السيدة فوريستر واطلبي منها أن تعيرك بعضا من مجوهراتها وأنتي تعرفينها جيدا في مثل هذه الأمور.

صاحت بفرخ.
هذه حقيقة. لم أفكر في ذلك.

في اليوم التالي. ذهبت إلى صديقتها وأخبرتها بمشكلتها.

سارت السيدة فوريستر نحو طاولة لبسها ورفعت صندوقا كبيرا وأحضرته للسيدة لوسيل وقالت لها:

"اختاري يا صديقتي العزيزة"

في الأول رأت بعض الأساور ، ثم عقدا من اللؤلؤ ثم صليبا فينيسيا من الذهب ومرصع بالجواهر. رائع الصنع. حاولت الاختيار بتأثير الحلي نفسها قبل النظر في المرآة. ترددت غير قادرة على أن تتركها.
أو تسلمهم. وظلت تسال:-

هل عندك شئ آخر؟

نعم انظري بنفسك لا ادري ماذا تريدين أحسن من ذلك.
فجأة اكتشفت أن هنالك عقدا رائعا من الماس في علبة حريرية سوداء. الطمع رفع ضربات قلبها، ارتعشت أياديها عندما رفعته لتربطه حول عنقها. فوق لباسها العالي، وظلت منتشية وهي تنظر إلى نفسها .

ثم وبتردد سالت وكأنها تعاني كربا.

هل يمكن أن تسلفيني هذا، هذا فقط؟

اجل، طبعا.
عانقت صديقتها. عانقتها بحرارة. وذهبت وهي تحمل كنزها . جاء يوم الحفل نجحت السيدة لوسيل. كانت أجمل امرأة بين الحضور. رشيقة. رائعة. مبتسمة تغمرها السعادة. كل الرجال حدقوا فيها. سألوا من اسمها وطلبوا أن يتم تعريفهم عليها. كل وكلاء الوزارات كانوا متلهفين للرقص معها رقصة الفالز. الوزير لاحظها.



رقصت بجنون . بنشوة وثملت بالفرح بدون التفكير في أي شئ غير انتصار جمالها، الفخر بالنجاح الذي حققته، الإعجاب والولاء الذي لاقته من الجميع ومن الرغبة التي حققتها وكان ذلك النصر المحبب إلى قلبها الرقيق

غادرت الحفل عند الساعة الرابعة صباحا ومنذ منتصف الليل كان زوجها يغفو في غرفة جرداء وبرفقته ثلاث رجال آخرون والذين تمضي زوجاتهم أجمل اللحظات. وضع على كتفها الملابس التي احضرها لها لكي تعود بها إلى المنزل. ملابسها المعتادة التي تلبسها كل يوم والتي يشتبك فقرها مع ذلك الجمال وهي خجلة من ذلك وقلقة وأرادت أن تعدو لكي تذهب بعيدا.
حتى لا ترى بهذه الملابس وهي وسط النساء اللائي يلبسن الفراء الغالية الثمن.


لوسيل . كتمتها.

انتظري قليلا. سوف تصابي بالبرد . سوف اجلب سيارة أجرة.

لكنها لم تستمع إليه وبسرعة نزلت الدرج. عندما خرجوا إلى الطريق لم يجدوا سيارة أجرة. بداوا يبحثون عن واحدة وينادون على السائقين الذين يرونهم يمرون من أمامهم.


ساروا في اتجاه الشبكة. فاقدي الأمل ومرتعشين. في النهاية وجدوا عند الرصيف واحدة من تلك العربات التي تطوف ليلا والتي لا ترى إلا في باريس بعد المغيب . كما لو أنهم كانوا خجلين من ملابسهم الرثة إذا طلع النهار.

أوصلتهم العربة حتى باب بيتهم في ريودي مارتيرز(جادة الشهداء) وساروا بحزن حتى دخلوا شقتهم. إنها النهاية. بالنسبة لها أما بالنسبة له فهو يعتقد بأنه يجب أن يكون في المكتب عند الساعة العاشرة.

خلعت الملابس التي كانت تلفها على كتفها حتى تتمكن من رؤية نفسها في المرآة وهي في مجدها. لكن فجأة، بدأت تبكي.

ما ذا بك؟ سألها زوجها وهو شبه عاري.

التفتت إليه وهي في قمة الضيق.

أنا . أنا. فقدت عقد السيدة فوريستر.
بدا مندهشا

ماذا؟ مستحيل.

بحثوا في طيات ملابسها. في طيات المعطف. في الجيوب وفي كل مكان لكنهم لم يجدوه.

سألها : هل أنتي متأكدة بأنه كان معك عندما بارحتي مكان الرقص؟


نعم . لقد لمسته عندما كنت في الصالة في الوزارة.

لكن. إذا ضاع عندما كنا في الطريق. كان يجب أن نسمعه وهو يسقط.

نعم بالتأكيد. هل أخذت رقم لوحة العربة؟
لا. لم ألاحظه. هل لاحظته؟

لا.

حدق كل منهم في الآخر. مصعوقين. وأخيرا لبس السيد لوسيل ملابسه مرة أخرى.
قال لها: سوف اذهب لأبحث عنه في كل المنطقة التي سرناها مشيا على الأقدام عسى أن أجده.

ذهب. ظلت في ملابسها التي عادت بها من الحفل. خائرة القوى. لم تستطع
الرقاد على السرير. جلست على الكرسي ، فاقدة الإرادة والقدرة على التفكير.

عاد زوجها عند الساعة السابعة. لكنه لم يجد أي شئ.

لقد ذهب إلى قسم الشرطة. الصحف. رصد جائزة للشركة المالكة لعربة الأجرة. ذهب إلى أي مكان لاحت فيه بادرة أمل.

انتظرت اليوم بكامله. في نفس حالة الحيرة من هذه الكارثة المخيفة.

عاد السيد لوسيل ليلا. وجهه مخطوف وشاحب ولكنه لم يكتشف أي شئ.


قال لها : يجب أن تكتبي إلى صديقتك وتقولي لها إن مشبك العقد قد انكسر وأخذناه إلى التصليح. هذا سوف يعطينا مزيدا من الوقت لكي نبحث عنه.

كتبت ما أملاه عليها زوجها.



في نهاية الأسبوع فقدت الأمل.

صرح السيد لوسيل والذي كبر خمسة سنوات في هذه المحنة.

يجب أن ننظر في إمكانية استبدال الماس .

في اليوم التالي حملوا الصندوق الذي كان يحوي العقد وذهبوا به إلى الجواهرجي. والذي كان اسمه مكتوبا داخل الصندوق. راجع كل أوراقه.

لست أنا من باع هذا العقد يا سيدتي لكن على ما يبدو أنا الذي بعتهم المشبك.

تنقلوا من جواهرجي إلى آخر بحثا عن عقد آخر يشبه ذلك العقد، معتمدين على ذاكرتهم. كليهما يعاني من الندم واضطراب الذاكرة.

في احد المحلات في (بالايس-رويال) وجدوا عقودا كثيرة من الماس والتي بدت لهم كأنها تشبه العقد الذي يبحثون عنه بالضبط. وقيمته أربعون ألف فرنك، ويمكن أن يعطيهم إياه مقابل ستة وثلاثون ألف فرنك.

طلبوا من الجواهرجي أن لايبيع هذا العقد لمدة ثلاثة أيام واتفقوا معه على أن يعيدوه مقابل أربعة وثلاثون ألف في حال وجدوا العقد المفقود قبل نهاية شهر فبراير.

السيد لويسل يمتلك ثمانية عشر ألفا تركها له والده ونوى أن يستدين باقي المبلغ.


لقد استدان باقي المبلغ. اخذ ألفا من احدهم وخمسمائة من آخر. خمسة لويس هنا وثلاثة من هناك. أعطى مكتوبا. دخل في اتفاقيات مدمرة. دخل في أعمال مع مرابين وكل وسائل الحصول على المال. رهن كل سنوات عمره. خاطر بتوقيعه دون أن يعرف أنهم صادقون أو غير ذلك.
روع حتى في مستقبله. البؤس سوف يخيم عليه قريبا .وهو في كل مشاهد الحرمان الجسدي والتعذيب الأخلاقي، ذهب لكي يحضر العقد الجديد ووضع على طاولة الجواهرجي مبلغ ستة وثلاثون ألف فرنك.


عندما ذهبت السيدة لوسيل إلى السيدة فوريستر لكي تعيد إليها عقدها، قالت الأخيرة بصوت بارد.

لقد عماتي طيبا إذ اعدتيه سريعا. لأني ربما احتاجه قريبا.

لكنها كصديقة لم تخف ولم تفتح الصندوق. إذا لاحظت العقد البديل ماذا سوف تعتقد؟ ماذا تقول؟ هل سوف تمسكها كلصة؟.



عرفت السيدة لوسيل معني حياة الفقر وفظاعتها.
منذ الوهلة الأولى أدت دورها بشكل بطولي. هذا الدين الذي يجب أن يسدد. سوف تدفعه. طردت الخادم. غيروا سكنهم واستبدلوه بغرفة على السطح.

تعرفت على العمل الشاق في المنزل. الواجبات البغيضة للمطبخ. غسلت الأطباق وتكسرت أظافرها من غسل الأواني الفخارية الخشنة وقعور المقالي. غسلت الملابس الكتانية المتسخة. غسلت القمصان وأغطية المائدة وعلقتهم في الخارج على حبل الغسيل حتى يجفو. في كل صباح تأخذ صندوق القمامة لتضعه على الطريق وتحمل الماء عندما تصعد وتقف على العتبات لتلتقط أنفاسها وهي تلهث في ثياب بالية مثل أي امرأة فقيرة. ذهبت إلى بائع الفواكه. ذهبت إلى البقال والى الجزار وسلة التسوق تتدلى من زراعها. تساوم، تهان تقاتل من اجل اقل مقدار من النقود.

كمبيالات يجب أن تسدد وبعضها يجدد. لكسب الزمن

عمل زوجها في الأمسيات في تعديل الحسابات وكان في الليل يقوم بعملية النسخ بمعدل بنسان الى نصف بنس للصفحة الواحدة.

استمرت هذه الحياة لمدة عشرة سنوات.

بعد انقضاء العشرة سنين تم تسديد كل الديون وفوائدها والفوائد التراكمية.

الآن تبدو السيدة لوسيل كبيرة مثلها مثل.....
نساء الأحياء الفقيرة. قوية . صلبة. خشنة. لم يعد شعرها مرتبا. وتنورتها مائلة. أياديها محمرة. تتكلم بصوت حاد . المياه مسكوبة في جميع أنحاء الأرضية عندما كانت تمسحها. لكن في بعض الأحيان عندما يكون زوجها في المكتب
كانت تجلس بالقرب من النافذة وتفكر في ذلك المساء (اليوم الذي فقدت فيه العقد) عندما كانت في صالة الرقص والتي كانت فيها جميلة جدا ومحترمة جدا.

ما ذا كان سوف يحدث إذا لم تفقد العقد؟ من يعلم؟ من يعلم؟ كم هي الحياة غريبة ومتقلبة وكم هو قليل ما يحتاجه الإنسان ليدمر أو ليحيى في أمان.

في يوم من أيام الآحاد عندما كانت تسير على طول الشانزلزيه لترفه عن نفسها بعد الجهد والعمل المضني خلال الأسبوع . فجأة وقع بصرها على امرأة وهي تمسك بيد طفل في نزهة على الأقدام. إنها السيدة فوريستور. ما زالت صغيرة وما زالت جميلة.

السيدة لويسيل اعترتها بعض المشاعر. هل يجب ان تتحدث معها؟ نعم؛ بالتأكيد وهي الآن قد دفعت كل الديون التي كانت عليها. يجب أن تخبرها. لماذا لا تخبرها؟

ذهبت إليها.
" صباح الخير، جيني.

الاخري لم تتعرف عليها ولقد تفاجأت بهذه المرأة في هذا الزى الفقير.

لكن - يا سيدة. أجابت. أنا لا أعرفك، لا بد انك تقصدي أحدا غيري.

لا. أنا ماتيلدا لويسيل.

صديقتها بدأت تبكي.

أوه. عزيزتي ماتيلدا. كم أنتي فقيرة. لقد تغيرتي.

نعم. مرت علي أوقات عصيبة منذ آخر مرة تقابلنا فيها . وكله بسببك.


بسببي أنا. كيف ذلك؟

هل تتذكرين عقد الماس الذي اعرتيني إياه لحفلة الرقص التي أقيمت في الوزارة؟

نعم. أتذكر.

حسنا. لقد فقدته.
كيف ذلك؟ ولماذا؟ لقد ارجعتيه إلي.
لقد اشتريت واحدا آخر يشبهه. وفي العشرة سنين الماضية كنا ندفع ثمنه. وحقيقة لم يكن سهل علينا. ليس لدينا أموال. اجل. دفعناها كلها. وأنا بالتأكيد مسرورة جدا.

انزعجت السيدة فوريستر.

قلتي إنكم اشتريتم عقد ماس بدلا عن عقدي؟

نعم.. لم تلاحظي ذلك؟ كلها متشابهة.

وابتسمت بفخر وسعادة بريئة.
تحركت السيدة فوريستر ومسكتها من أياديها برفق.

أوه ماتيلدا المسكينة. لكن عقدي كان تقليد وليس أصلي ولا يكلف أكثر من خمسمائة فرنك.

manal232
02-02-2008, 07:03 PM
Plot Summary By Michael J. Cummings...© 2006
.......Even though Mathilde is pretty and quite charming, she has none of the advantages of upper-class girls: a dowry, a distinguished family name, an entree into society, and all the little fineries that women covet. Consequently, she accepts a match made for her with a clerk, Monsieur Loisel, in the Department of Education.
.......Her home is common and plain, with well-worn furniture. The young girl from Brittany who does the housework is a constant reminder to Mathilde of her own commoner status. But she dreams of having more: tapestries, bronze lamps, footmen to serve her, parlors with silk fabrics, perfumed rooms, silver dinnerware, exotic food, jewelry, the latest fashions.
.......One evening, her husband presents her an envelope containing a special surprise. He is sure it will please her. Inside the envelope she finds a card inviting her and her husband to a social affair as guests of the Minister of Education, Georges Rampouneau, and his wife at the palace of the Ministry of Education.
.......But Mathilde is not at all pleased, for she has nothing to wear. When her husband asks her what it would cost to buy her suitable attire, she says 400 francs–the exact amount he has set aside to buy a gun to shoot larks at Nanterre with friends. However, he agrees to provide the money, and she buys a gown. When the day of the fête draws near, Loisel notices that Mathilde is downcast and inquires into the cause of her low spirits. She tells him she has no jewels to wear. As a result, others at the party will look down on her as a commoner. But her spirits brighten when Monsieur Loisel suggest that she borrow jewels from her friend, Madame Jeanne Forestier.
.......Wasting no time, Mathilde visits her friend the following day. Madame Forestier, only too willing to cooperate, opens a box and tells Mathilde to choose. Inside are glittering jewels. She chooses a diamond necklace so beautiful that it quickens her heartbeat.
.......At the party, Mathilde is the center of attention. Handsome men of high station ask who she is and line up to dance with her. Not until 4 a.m. do the Loisels leave the palace. On their way out, Mathilde’s husband puts a wrap on her shoulders–an article of clothing from her common, everyday wardrobe. To avoid being seen in it, she hurries out against her husband’s wishes. He wants to wait for a cab to arrive. Out in the cold, they search for transportation, wandering toward the Seine. In time, they find a cab, and it takes them to their home on Rue des Martyrs. In her bedroom, Mathilde stands before a mirror and removes her wrap to gaze upon the woman who has enchanted so many men. Then she notices to her horror that the necklace is missing. She and her husband search through their belongings but cannot find it. After they conclude that the necklace must have come off in the cab, Monsieur Loisel goes out to search for the cab . He returns at 7 a.m. after failing to find it. Visits to the police and the cab company, as well as other measures, also leave them empty-handed.
.......At her husband’s suggestion, Mathilde writes to Madame Forestier, telling her that the necklace clasp has broken and that it is being repaired. This ploy will buy time. Next, they decide that their only recourse is to replace the necklace. Going from jeweler to jeweler, they search for a facsimile. They find one in a shop in the Palais Royal. The price: 36,000 francs. To raise the money, Loisel uses all of his savings and borrows the rest, writing promissory notes and signing his name on numerous documents. Then the Loisels buy the replacement, and Mathilde takes it in a case to Madame Forestier. The latter expresses annoyance that it was returned late, then takes the case without opening it to check its contents.
.......Thereafter, the Loisels scrimp and save to pay their debt. After they dismiss their housemaid, Mathilde does the work herself, washing dishes and linen, taking out the garbage, and performing other menial labors. She also wears common clothes and haggles at the market. Monsieur Loisel moonlights as a bookkeeper and copyist.
.......Ten years later, they are out of debt. They have paid back every borrowed franc and sou. By this time, Mathilde is fully a commoner, with rough hands, plain clothes, and disheveled hair. And she looks older than her years. Occasionally, she thinks back to the day when she wore the necklace and when so many men admired her. What would have happened if she had never lost the necklace?
.......One day Sunday on the Champs Elysées, she encounters Madame Forestier walking with a child. When Mathilde addresses her, her friend does not recognize her–so haggard does Mathilde look. After Mathilde identifies herself, she decides to tell Madame Forestier everything. What could be the harm? After all, she has paid for the necklace, working ten long years at honest, humble labor to fulfill her obligation. Madame Forestier then holds Mathilde’s hands and says, “Oh, my poor Mathilde. But mine was false. At most, it was worth five hundred francs!”

manal232
02-02-2008, 07:04 PM
Setting
The action takes place in Paris, France, in the second half of the 19th Century. Specific locales include the residence of the Loisels, the home of Madame Jeanne Forestier, the palace of the Ministry of Education, Paris shops, and the streets of Paris, including the Rue des Martyrs and the Champs Elysées.




Characters Mathilde: Pretty


young woman born into a common, middle-class family. She yearns for the wealth, privileges, and fashions of highborn young ladies.
Monsieur Loisel: Government clerk whom Mathilde marries.
Madame Jeanne Forestier: Friend of Mathilde. She allows Mathilde to borrow a necklace to wear to a gala social event.
Housemaid: Girl from Brittany who does the Loisels' housework. Her presence reminds Mathilde of her own commoner status.
Jeweler: Dealer who provides a replacement necklace.
Monsieur and Madame Georges Rampouneau: Minister of Education and his wife, who invite the Loisels to a party.
Child With Madame Forestier: See Number 5 under "Unanswered Questions" for information about this character.
.

manal232
02-02-2008, 07:05 PM
Type of Work
“The Necklace,” published in 1881, is a short story–among the finest surprise-ending stories in any language. It is a compact, neat little package with just the right amount of character and plot development and nary a wasted word. It is one of many of Maupassant’s short stories that earned him recognition as a master of the genre.
Style
In "The Necklace," Maupassant makes every word count, each one contributing to the overall effectiveness of the story. He provides only minimal details to further the plot and describe the important characters. The result: a simple, easy-to-understand story that moves smoothly and swiftly from beginning to end. Details that he leaves out allow the reader to interpret the events and the characters in his or her own way. One may compare "The Necklace" to a painting with subtle shades of meaning. Maupassant himself remains aloof from his characters, passing no judgments on them, neither praising nor condemning them. For example, it is up to the reader to decide whether Mathilde is victim of bad luck (or fate) or of her own warped perception of the world as a place where success and recognition result from wealth and status.

manal232
02-02-2008, 07:07 PM
Climax
The climax of a literary work, such as a short story or a novel, can be defined as (1) the turning point at which the conflict begins to resolve itself for better or worse, or as (2) the final and most exciting event in a series of events. The climax of "The Necklace" occurs, according to the first definition, when Mathilde discovers that she has lost the necklace. According to the second definition, the climax occurs at the end of the story, when Madame Forestier informs Mathilde that the lost necklace was a fake.

Themes

False Values
People should evaluate themselves and others on who they are intrinsically (that is, on their character and moral fiber), not on what they possess or where they stand in society. Mathilde Loisel learns this lesson the hard way. Related to this theme are the following motifs:
Appearances are deceiving. Mathilde Loisel believed the necklace genuine the moment she saw it. Likewise, she believed that all the people at the party were real, genuine human beings because of their social standing and their possessions. The necklace, of course, was a fake. And, Maupassant implies, so were the people at the party who judge Mathilde on her outward appearance.
Honesty, humility, and hard work are what shape character, not the clothes or jewels that a person wears or the high station into which he or she is born.

ناقد
18-06-2008, 08:17 PM
تناول متسلسل و موفق للقصة... و رغم ان القصة قصيرة، إلا انها كبيرة بمجمل القيم التي تحملها...
اشكرك منال
و يعطيك العافية

witboy86
05-07-2008, 03:12 AM
Good job mate i appreciate your effort

it is really nice especially the commentaries

keep going

postgraduate
13-09-2008, 11:24 PM
It is really beautiful .Thanks

Try To Reach
14-09-2008, 05:19 AM
بارك الله فيكِ اختي

جهد مشكور

احسنتِ

^_^