obvious enough; it’s not the Stock Exchange’s fault, but rather what they did for themselves. The first resorted to speculation in his buying and selling, relying on advice from one of two fortune-tellers: one a Sudanese woman using seashells, the other a European with bits of paper. The second one heard a lunatic whom he trusted yelling in the street “Go away, Zayd!” At that particular moment, he was wavering between buying and selling. Taking those words as an omen, he rushed in his carriage to the broker and told him to buy twenty thousand qanṭars. The broker tried to counsel against it, but he refused to accept the advice; all the broker’s attempts to prevent a loss were rebuffed. Prices fell, and the idiot had to swallow his curses as he lost all his money. The third relied entirely on what the newspapers had to say. None of the three treated things seriously or took their brokers’ advice. Those brokers are the people with the best information on speculation; they’re the best informed about its ups and downs.
Rich Man You may have just given me an expert argument and skillful proof, but you should know that I can’t regard speculation on the Stock Exchange as anything but a very risky venture.
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السمسار أما المخاطرة فهي مع الإنسان في كل حركة ومن حاول أن يحترس من الأخطار فلا يخرج من بيته على أنه فيه معرض للخطر أيضًا وإني مقنعك من نفسك : قلت لي الآن ان لديك من زراعتك ثلاثة آلاف قنطار من ستمائة فدان زرعتها قطنًا في هذه السنة وهذه القناطير مخزونة عندك تتربص لها صعود الأسعار غير مبال بما يلحقها من نقص الوزن وما يتهددها من الأخطار كالسرقة والحريق فإذا كنت تنتظر الزيادة والصعود في أثمان ثلاثة آلاف قنطار فما أولاك أن تنتظرها في أرباح ثلاثين ألفًا في الكونتراتات وما اشتريت أرضًا وما أنفقت على حرث وما خشيت تلف زرع وما بذلت ماء وجهك رجاء ري وما دخلت في قضايا ومنازعات ومشاكل مع الجيران والحكام وما تخوفت الآفات سماوية كانت أو أرضية بل هو ربح عفوا صفوا ولا رأسمال له سوى أربعة حروف تخطها يدك في امضائك.
الغني مهما أقمت لي من الأدلة والبراهين فإني أجد نفسي غير مطمئنة إلى الدخول في هذا الباب
Broker But man takes risks in everything he does. Anyone who tries to protect himself from danger will never leave his house, even though it too can be exposed to risks. But let me try to convince you on the basis of your own situation. You’ve just told me that your yield this year is three thousand qanṭars from six hundred feddans of land. This year you’ve planted cotton, and the qanṭars are being stored in your house in anticipation of a rise in prices. You haven’t taken into account the fact that cotton loses weight, nor the threat of other hazards such as theft or fire. If you were waiting with your three thousand qanṭars till prices rise, wouldn’t it be better to wait for the profits from thirty thousand “contracts”? You wouldn’t have to buy land, spend money on ploughing, or worry about crop damage and all the bother about irrigation. You’d never need to get embroiled in legal actions and disputes or problems with neighbors and government officials. You’d have no fears of disaster, whether earthly or heavenly. Instead it’s all clear profit. The only capital involved is the four letters which you write as your signature.
Rich Man No matter how many arguments you advance, I’m still wary of getting involved in the matter.
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السمسار أنا لا أكلفك أمرًا عظيمًا ولكنني أدعوك إلى نفعك وما عليك إلا أن تجرب فتشتري الفين من الكونتراتات فتضيفها إلى ثلاثة آلافك وتنتظر في الكل صعود الأسعار والضامن لك في الربح أن لا تخرج عن إشارتي ونصيحتي. وجملة القول أن الفرق في سرعة الربح بين ما يشتغل به الناس من التجارة والزراعة والصناعة وبين أشغال البورصة كالفرق ما بين السفر على ظهور الجمال والطيران على جناح البخار أو ما بين الصعود على الدرج لطبقة عالية والصعود في المصعدة أو ما بين استنساخ الكتب وطبعها. وأنت المخير بعد ذلك في ما ترضاه لنفسك لنمو ثروتك.
الغني وكيف حال الأسعار اليوم؟
السمسار كما كانت بالأنس وهي فرصة للشراء.
الغني خذ لي الآن ألف قنطار.
Broker I’m not going to involve you in anything major; I’m only suggesting something to your advantage. All you have to do is to experiment by purchasing two thousand contracts. You can add them to your own three thousand, and then wait for the rise in prices for all of it. As long as you accept my advice, I can guarantee you a profit. To sum it all up, the difference in speedy profits between people who work on the one hand in commerce, agriculture, and industry, and on the other in the Stock Market is like the difference between traveling by camel and flying on the wings of steam, between climbing stairs to an upper story and taking the elevator, or between two copies of the same book, one handwritten, the other printed. This being so, it’s up to you to choose as you please.
Rich Man How are prices faring today?
Broker Exactly as they were yesterday, a golden opportunity to buy.
Rich Man Then take a thousand qanṭars.
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قال عيسى بن هاشم: وهنا تركنا العصفور قد وقع في الفخ وحولنا السمع إلى ما لا يزال دائرًا بين صاحب القضية وتبيع المحامي:
التبيع فإذا تبعت رأيي ووافقتني عليه فلا ترفع قضيتك
