In his speeches, Gamal ‘Abd al-Nasser presented one side of the story of the post-revolutionary Middle Eastern state. In his short story, “Tigers on the
Tenth Day," Syrian writer Zakaria Tamer presents another.
The jungles had journeyed far from the tiger imprisoned in his cage, yet he was unable to forget them. He would stare angrily at men who gathered round his cage, their eyes regarding him with curiosity and without fear.
One of them would talk to him, in a voice that was quiet and yet had a commanding ring about it: If you really want to learn my profession, the profession of being a trainer, you must not for an instant forget that the stomach of your adversary is your first target, and you will see that the profession is both hard and easy at one and the same time.
'Look now at this tiger. He is a fierce and haughty tiger, exceedingly proud of his freedom, his strength and his courage, but he will change and become as gentle, mild and obedient as a small child. Watch what will occur between him who possesses food and him who does not, and learn.'
The men promptly said that they would be devoted students of the profession of animal training, and the trainer smiled delightedly, then addressed the tiger, enquiring of him in a sarcastic tone: 'And how is our dear guest?'
'Bring me what I eat,' said the tiger, 'for my mealtime has come.'
With feigned surprise the trainer said: 'Are you ordering me about when you are my prisoner? What an amusing tiger you are! You must realize that I am the only one here who has the right to issue orders.'
'No one gives orders to tigers,' said the tiger.
'But now you're not a tiger,' said the trainer. 'In the jungles you're a tiger, but now you're in a cage, you're just a slave who obeys orders and does what I want.'
'I shan't be anyone's slave,' said the tiger impetuously.
'You're compelled to obey me because it is I who possess the food,' said the trainer.
'I don't want your food,' said the tiger.
'Then go hungry as you wish,' said the trainer, 'for I shall not force you to do what you don't want to.'
And, addressing his pupils, he added: 'You will see how he will change, for a head held high does not gratify a hungry stomach.'
The tiger went hungry and remembered sadly the days when he would rush about, as free as the wind in pursuit of his prey.
On the second day the trainer and his pupils stood around the tiger's cage and the trainer said: 'Aren't you hungry? You're for certain so hungry it's a pain and a torture to you. Say you're hungry and you'll get what meat you want.'
The tiger remained silent, so the trainer said to him: 'Do what I say and don't be stupid. Admit you're hungry and you'll eat your fill immediately.'
'I'm hungry,' said the tiger.
The trainer laughed and said to his pupils: 'Here he is, he's fallen into a trap from which he won't escape.'
He gave orders and the tiger got a lot of meat.
On the third day, the trainer said to the tiger: 'If you want to have any food today, carry out what I ask of you.'
'I shall not obey you,' said the tiger.
'Don't be so hasty, for what I ask is very simple. You are now pacing up and down your cage; when I say to you: “Stop”, you must stop.'
'That's really a trivial request,' said the tiger to himself, 'and it's not worth my being stubborn and going hungry.'
In a stern, commanding tone the trainer called out: 'Stop.'
The tiger immediately froze and the trainer said in a joyful voice, 'Well done.'
The tiger was pleased and ate greedily. Meanwhile, the trainer was saying to his pupils: 'After some days he'll become a paper tiger.'
On the fourth day the tiger said to the trainer: 'I'm hungry, so ask of me to stand still.'
The trainer said to his pupils: 'He has now begun to like my orders.'
Then, directing his words to the tiger, he said: 'You won't eat today unless you imitate the mewing of a cat.'
The tiger suppressed his anger and said to himself: 'I'll amuse myself with imitating the mewing of a cat.'
He imitated the mewing of a cat, but the trainer frowned and said disapprovingly: “Your imitation's no good. Do you count roaring as mewing?'
So the tiger again imitated the mewing of a cat, but the trainer continued to glower and said scornfully: 'Shut up. Shut up. Your imitation is still no good. I shall leave you today to practise mewing and tomorrow I shall examine you. If you are successful you'll eat; if you're not successful you won't eat.'
The trainer moved away from the tiger's cage, walking with slow steps and followed by his pupils who were whispering among themselves and laughing. The tiger called imploringly to the jungles, but they were far distant.
On the fifth day the trainer said to the tiger: 'Come on, if you successfully imitate the mewing of a cat you'll get a large piece of fresh meat.'
The tiger imitated the mewing of a cat and the trainer clapped in applause and said joyfully: 'You're great — you mew like a cat in February,' and he threw him a large piece of meat.
On the sixth day the trainer no sooner came near the tiger than he quickly gave an imitation of a cat mewing. The trainer, however, remained silent, frowning.
'There, I've imitated a cat mewing,' said the tiger.
'Imitate the braying of a donkey,' said the trainer.
'I, the tiger who is feared by the animals of the jungles, imitate a donkey?' said the tiger indignantly. 'I'd die rather than carry out what you ask.'
The trainer moved away from the tiger's cage without uttering a word. On the seventh day he came towards the tiger's cage, with smiling face. 'Don't you want to eat?' he said to the tiger.
'I want to eat,' said the tiger.
Said the trainer: 'The meat you'll eat has a price — bray like a donkey and you'll get food.'
The tiger endeavoured to remember the jungles but failed. With closed eyes he burst forth braying. 'Your braying isn'ta success', said the trainer, 'but out of pity for you I'll give you a piece of meat.'
On the eighth day the trainer said to the tiger: 'I'll deliver a speech; when I've finished, you must clap in acclaim.'
So the trainer began to deliver his speech.'Compatriots', he said, 'we have previously on numerous occasions propounded our stand in relation to issues affecting our destiny, and this resolute and unequivocal stand will not change whatever hostile forces may conspire against us. With faith we shall triumph.'
'I didn't understand what you said,' said the tiger.
'It's for you to admire everything I say and to clap in acclaim,' said the trainer.
'Forgive me,' said the tiger. 'I'm ignorant and illiterate. What you say is wonderful and I shall, as you would like, clap.'
The tiger clapped and the trainer said: 'l don't like hypocrisy and hypocrites — as a punishment you will today be deprived of food.'
On the ninth day the trainer came along carrying a bundle of grass and threw it down to the tiger. 'Eat,' he said.
'What's this?' said the tiger.'I'm a carnivore.'
'From today,'said the trainer, 'you'll eat nothing but grass.'
When the tiger's hunger became unbearable he tried to eat the grass, but he was shocked by its taste and moved away from it in disgust. However, the tiger returned to it and very gradually began to find its taste pleasant.
On the tenth day the trainer, the pupils, the tiger and the cage disappeared: The tiger became a citizen and the cage a city.
Zakaria Tamer, Tigers on the Tenth Day and Other Stories, trans. Denys Johnson-Davies (London: Quartet Books, 1985), pp. 13-17.