Rasheed Bey was kind-hearted and generous in character but, like many of the people living in Syria, he did not look beyond things and saw only what was apparent. He did not listen to the song of his soul, but busied his affections with the songs produced by his surroundings. He was inclined to amuse himself with those tawdry things of the visible world that blind one to the secrets of life and that turn the soul away from apprehending the mysteries of being and toward the contemplation of temporal pleasures. He was one of those men who are in a hurry to show their love or hatred for people and things but then regret their haste after some time has passed, making them the butt of mockery and scorn, not forgiveness.

Such were the qualities and character of Rasheed Bey Nu’man that had led to his marrying Mistress Rose al-Hani before her soul had been bound to his under the shadow of the true love that makes married life a paradise.

I had been away from Beirut for a number of years, so when I returned I went to visit Rasheed. I found him sickly and pale. Ghosts of sorrows flickered in his features. The sorrowful looks that came from his eyes spoke silently of his bruised heart and the darkness within him. After looking around and seeing nothing to explain his emaciation and dejection, I asked him, “What has happened to you, sir? Where is the smile that used to shine on your face? Where has the happiness gone that was the constant companion of your youth? Has death come between you and a dear friend, or have the dark nights robbed you of the wealth which you gathered in the bright day? As a friend I ask you, what is this grief that has embraced your soul, this emaciation that rules your body?”

He gave me a regretful glance, for memory showed him images of days of beauty now veiled. In a voice whose trembling told of despair and hopelessness he said, “If a man loses a dear friend, he looks around and sees many friends come to console and comfort him. If a man loses his wealth, after a little thought he will realize that the delight that came from wealth will be restored by finding more. Thus he forgets his loss and is consoled. But if a man’s heart is deprived of peace, where will he find it again, how will he replace it?