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小说: my name is red-我的名字叫红 字数: 每页4000字

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admire and respect the Chelebi; they honor his love; making a passing joke or 
two about it and letting life take its course。 But the Chelebi; who can’t control 
his incurable agony; begins to get drunk each night and sit at the doorstep of 
the  house  wherein  the  silver…skinned  beauty  lives  happily  with  her  husband; 
crying for hours on end like a child。 In the end this alarms the neighbors。 Each 
night as the lover cries in agony; they are able neither to beat him and drive 
him  away  nor  to  fort  him。  The  Chelebi;  as  suited  a  gentleman;  learns  to 
cry  inwardly  without  lashing  out  or  annoying  anybody。  But  gradually;  his 
hopeless grief works its way into the neighborhood; being the sorrow and 
grief of all; the residents lose their sense of well…being; and like the fountain 
which  flows  mournfully  in  the  square;  the  Chelebi  himself  became  a  font  of 
sorrow。  Initially;  the  talk  of  misery  spreads  throughout  the  neighborhood; 
being  in  turn  the  rumor  of  ill…fortune  and  later  the  certainty  of  doom。 
Some move away; some experience a spate of bad luck and some are unable to 
practice   their   craft;   because   they’ve   lost   the   will   to   work。   After   the 
neighborhood empties out; one day the lovelorn Chelebi also moves away with 
his  wife  and  children;  leaving  the  silver…skinned  beauty  and  her  husband  all 
alone。 This misfortune; of which they are the focus; douses the flames of their 
love and causes them to drift apart。 Though they live together for the rest of 
their lives; they’re never again able to be happy。 
 
 
I was on the verge of saying how much I liked this story because it showed 
the pitfulls of love and women; when for Heaven’s sake; I’d forgotten that I’d 
lost  my  capacity  to  reason。  Since  I’m  now  a  woman;  I’m  going  to  say 
something else entirely。 All right then; it’s something like this: 
384 
 
Oh; how wonderful love is! 
Now then; who are those strangers bursting through the door? 
 
 
   
385 
 
I AM CALLED “BUTTERFLY” 
 
I  saw  the  mob  and  knew  the  Erzurumis  had  begun  slaying  us  witty 
miniaturists。 
Black was also in the crowd watching the attack。 I saw him holding a dagger 
acpanied  by  a  group  of  odd…looking  men;  the  well…known  Esther  the 
clothier  and  other  women  carrying  cloth  sacks。  I  had  an  urge  to  flee  after 
seeing  the  establishment  cruelly  wrecked  and  the  coffeehouse…goers  beaten 
mercilessly as they tried to leave。 Later; another mob; perhaps the Janissaries; 
arrived。 The Erzurumis snuffed out their torches and fled。 
There was nobody at the dark entrance of the coffeehouse; and no one was 
looking。  I  walked  inside。  Everything  was  in  shambles。  I  stepped  on  the 
shattered cups; plates; glasses and bowls。 An oil lamp hanging from a nail high 
on the wall hadn’t died out during the turmoil but only illuminated the soot 
marks on the ceiling; leaving in darkness the floor strewn with the boards of 
wrecked wood benches; broken low tables and other debris。 
Stacking long cushions atop one another; I reached up and grabbed hold of 
the  oil  lamp。  Within  its  circle  of  light;  I  noticed  bodies  lying  on  the  floor。 
When I saw that one face was covered in blood; I turned away; and went to the 
next。  The  second  body  was  moaning;  and  upon  seeing  my  lamp;  made  a 
childlike noise。 
Someone else entered。 At first I was alarmed; though I could sense it was 
Black。  The  both  of  us  leaned  over  the  third  body  sprawled  on  the  floor。  As  I 
lowered the lamp to his head; we saw what we’d suspected: They’d killed the 
storyteller。 
There was no trace of blood on his face; which was made up like a woman’s; 
but his chin; brow and rouge…covered mouth were battered; and judging by his 
neck;  covered  in  bruises;  he’d  been  throttled。  His  hands  were  cast  backward 
over his head on either side。 It wasn’t difficult to figure out that one of them 
held the old man’s arms behind his back while the others beat him in the face 
before strangling him。 I wonder; had they said; “Cut out his tongue so he never 
again  slanders  his  Excellency  the  Preacher  Hoja  Effendi;”  and  then  set  about 
doing so? 
“Bring  the  lamp  here;”  said  Black。  Near  the  stove;  the  light  of  the  lamp 
struck  broken  coffee  grinders;  sieves;  scales  and  pieces  of  broken  coffee  cups 
lying in the mud of spilled coffee。 In the corner where the storyteller hung his 
pictures  each  night;  Black  was  searching  for  the  performer’s  props;  sash; 
386 
 
magician’s handkerchief and popping stick。 Black said he was after the pictures 
and held the lamp he’d taken from me to my face: Yes; of course I’d drawn 
two of them out of a sense of fraternity。 We could find nothing but the Persian 
skullcap that the deceased wore over his perfectly shaved head。 
Seeing no one else; we exited into the blackness of night through a narrow 
passageway  that  led  away  from  the  back  door。  During  the  raid  much  of  the 
crowd  and  the  artists  within  probably  escaped  through  this  door;  but  the 
knocked…over  planters  and  bags  of  coffee  strewn  everywhere  indicated  that 
there was a struggle here as well。 
The  fact  that  the  coffeehouse  was  raided  and  the  master  storyteller 
murdered; coupled with the terrifying blackness of night; brought Black and I 
closer together。 This was also what caused the silence between us。 We passed 
two more streets。 Black handed the lamp back to me; then he drew his dagger 
and pressed it to my throat。 
“We’re going to your house;” he said。 “I want to search it so I can put my 
mind at ease。” 
“It’s already been searched。” 
Rather than be offended by him; I had the urge to tease him。 Didn’t Black’s 
belief in the disgraceful rumors about me simply prove he was also jealous of 
me? He held the dagger without much confidence。 
My  house  was  opposite  the  direction  we  were  heading  along  the  road 
leading   away   from   the   coffeehouse。   We   tacked   right   and   left   down 
neighborhood  streets  and  passed  through  empty  gardens  that  bore  the 
depressing scent of damp and lonely trees as we traced a wide arc back toward 
my  house。  We’d  covered  more  than  half  the  route;  when  Black  stopped  and 
said: 
“For  two  days;  Master  Osman  and  I  examined  the  masterpieces  of  the 
legendary masters in the Treasury。” 
Much later; nearly screaming; I said; “After a certain age; even if a painter 
shares  a  worktable  with  Bihzad;  what  he  sees  may  please  his  eyes  and  bring 
contentment  and  excitement  to  his  soul;  but  it  won’t  enhance  his  talent; 
because one paints with the hand; not the eyes; and the hand at my age; let 
alone at Master Osman’s; does not easily learn new things。” 
Assured  my  beautiful  wife  was  waiting  for  me;  I  spoke  at  the  top  of  my 
voice to let her know I wasn’t alone so she might hide herself from Black—not 
that I took this pathetic dagger…wielding fool seriously。 
387 
 
We passed through the courtyard gate;  and I thought I saw the light of a 
lamp moving in the house; but thank God all was in darkness now。 It was such 
a  merciless  rape  of  my  privacy  for  this  knife…wielding  beast  to  force  his  way 
into  my  heavenly  home;  where  I  spent  my  days;  indeed  all  my  time;  seeking 
out and painting Allah’s memories until my eyes tired—whereupon I’d make 
love to my beloved; the most beautiful woman in the world—that I swore to 
take revenge upon him。 
Lowering the lamp; he examined my papers; a page I was in the midst of 
pleting—condemned  prisoners  pleading  to  the  Sultan  to  be  relieved  of 
their chains of debt and receiving His benevolence—my paints; my worktables; 
my knives; my reed…cutting boards; my brushes; everything around my writing 
table;  my  papers  again;  my  burnishing  stones;  my  penknives  and  the  spaces 
between  my  pen  and  paper  boxes;  he  looked  in  cabis;  chests;  beneath 
cushions; at one of my paper scissors; and beneath a soft red cushion and a 
carpet  before  going  back;  bringing  the  lamp  closer  and  closer  to  each  object 
and examining the same places once again。 As he said when he first drew his 
weapon; he wouldn’t search my entire house; only my atelier。 Indeed; couldn’t 
I conceal my wife—the only thing I wanted to hide—in the room from which 
she was now spying on us? 
“There’s a final picture that belonged to the book my Enishte was having 
made;” he said。 “Whoever killed him also stole that picture。” 
“It was different from the others;” I said immediately。 “Your Enishte; may 
he  rest  in  peace;  made  me  draw  a  tree  in  one  corner  of  the  page。  In  the 
background  somewhere…and  in  the  middle  of  the  page;  in  the  foreground; 
was  to  be  someone’s  picture;  probably  a  portrait  of  Our  Sultan。  That  space; 
quite large if I might add; was awaiting its picture。 Because the objects in the 
background  were  to  be  smaller;

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