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第50章

my name is red-我的名字叫红-第50章

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secret symmetry of the colors; which the miniaturist could only convey with 
total  resignation  to  his  art;  and  to  the  mysterious  light  infusing  the  entire 
painting;  the  careful  observer  would  immediately  see  that  the  secret  behind 
these  illustrations  is  that  they’re  created  by  love  itself。  It’s  as  if  a  light  were 
emanating from the lovers; from the very depths of the illustration。 And when 
Black and I embraced; well…being flooded the world in the very same manner。 
163 
 
Thank God I’ve seen enough of life to know that such well…being never lasts 
for long。 Black sweetly took my large breasts into his hands。 This felt good and; 
forgetting all; I longed for him to suck on my nipples。 But he couldn’t quite 
manage it; because he wasn’t all that sure of what he was doing; though his 
uncertainty  didn’t  prevent  him  from  wanting  more。  Gradually;  fear  and 
embarrassment  came  between  us  the  longer  we  embraced。  But  when  he 
grabbed  my  thighs  to  pull  me  close;  pressing  his  large  hardened  manliness 
against my stomach; I liked it at first; I was curious。 I wasn’t embarrassed。 I 
told myself that an embrace such as we’d had would naturally lead to another 
such as this。 And though I turned my head away; I couldn’t take my widening 
eyes off its size。 
Later  still;  when  he  abruptly  tried  to  force  me  to  perform  that  vulgar  act 
that even Kipchak women and concubines who tell stories at the public baths 
wouldn’t do; I froze in astonishment and indecision。 
“Don’t furrow your brow; my dear;” he begged。 
I  stood  up;  pushed  him  away  and  began  shouting  at  him  without  paying 
the slightest mind to his disappointment。 
 
 
   
164 
 
I AM CALLED BLACK 
 
Within  the  darkness  of  the  house  of  the  Hanged  Jew;  Shekure  furrowed  her 
brow and began raving that I might easily stick the monstrosity I held in my 
hands  into  the  mouths  of  Circassian  girls  I’d  met  in  Tiflis;  Kipchak  harlots; 
poor  brides  sold  at  inns;  Turkmen  and  Persian  widows;  mon  prostitutes 
whose numbers were increasing in Istanbul; lecherous Mingerians; coquettish 
Abkhazians; Armenian shrews; Genoese and Syrian hags; thespians passing as 
women and insatiable boys; but it would not go into hers。 She angrily accused 
me  of  having  lost  all  sense  of  decorum  and  self…control  by  sleeping  with  all 
manner  of  cheap;  pathetic  riffraff—from  Persia  to  Baghdad  and  from  the 
alleyways  of  small  hot  Arabian  towns  to  the  shores  of  the  Caspian—and  of 
having  forgotten  that  some  women  still  took  pains  to  maintain  their  honor。 
All my words of love; she charged; were insincere。 
I  respectfully  listened  to  my  beloved’s  outburst;  which  caused  the  guilty 
member in my hand to fade; and though I was thoroughly embarrassed by the 
situation  and  the  rejection  I  was  suffering;  two  things  pleased  me:  1。  that  I 
refrained from lowering myself to match Shekure’s wrath with a response of 
similar  hue;  as  I  often  had  reacted  viciously  to  other  women  in  similar 
situations;  and  2。  that  I  discovered  Shekure’s  particular  awareness  of  my 
travels; proof that she’d thought of me much more than I’d assumed。 
Seeing how downcast I’d bee at being unable to carry out my desires; 
she’d already begun to pity me。 
“If you truly loved me; passionately and obsessively;” she said as if trying to 
excuse herself; “you’d try to control yourself like a gentleman。 You wouldn’t 
try to offend the honor of the woman toward whom you entertained serious 
intentions。 You’re not the only man who’s making motions to marry me。 Did 
anyone see you on your way here?” 
“Nay。” 
As if she heard someone walking in the dark and snow…covered garden; she 
turned  her  sweet  face;  which  for  twelve  years  I  hadn’t  been  able  to  recall; 
toward  the  door  and  gave  me  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her  profile。  When  we 
heard a momentary clattering; we both waited in silence; but nobody entered。 
I recalled how even when she was only twelve; Shekure had aroused in me an 
odd feeling because she knew more than I did。 
“The ghost of the Hanged Jew haunts this place;” she said。 
165 
 
“Do you ever e here?” 
“Jinns;  phantoms;  the  living  dead…they  e  with  the  wind;  possess 
objects  and  make  sounds  out  of  silence。  Everything  speaks。  I  don’t  have  to 
e all the way here。 I can hear them。” 
“Shevket brought me here to show me the dead cat; but it was gone。” 
“I understand you told him that you killed his father。” 
“Not exactly。 Is that the way my words were twisted? Not that I killed his 
father; rather that I’d like to bee his father。” 
“Why did you say that you’d killed his father?” 
“He’d asked me first if I’d ever killed a man。 I told him the truth; that I’d 
killed two men。” 
“In order to boast?” 
“To  boast;  and  to  impress  a  child  whose  mother  I  love;  because  I  realized 
that  this  mother  forted  those  two  little  brigands  by  exaggerating  the 
wartime  heroics  of  their  father  and  by  showing  off  the  remnants  of  his 
plunder in the house。” 
“Go on boasting then! They don’t like you。” 
“Shevket doesn’t like me; but Orhan does;” I said; in the prideful glow of 
having caught my beloved’s error。 “Yet; I shall bee father to them both。” 
We  shuddered  anxiously  and  trembled  in  the  half…light  as  though  the 
shadow  of  some  nonexistent  thing  had  passed  between  us。  I  pulled  myself 
together and saw that Shekure was crying with tiny sobs。 
“My  ill…fated  husband  has  a  brother  named  Hasan。  As  I  waited  for  my 
husband’s return; I lived two years in the same house with him and my father…
in…law。 He fell in love with me。 Lately; he’s suspicious of what might be going 
on。 He’s furious imagining that I might marry somebody else; you perhaps。 He 
sent  word  declaring  that  he  wants  to  take  me  back  to  their  house  by  force。 
They say that since I’m not a widow in the eyes of the judge; they’re going to 
force me back there in the name of my husband。 They might raid our house at 
any time。 My father doesn’t want me to be declared a widow by verdict of the 
judge either。 If I am granted a divorce; he thinks I’ll find myself a new husband 
and abandon him。 By returning home with my children; I brought him great 
happiness in the loneliness he suffered after the death of my mother。 Would 
you agree to live with us?” 
“How do you mean?” 
166 
 
“If we were wed; would you live with my father; together with us?” 
“I don’t know。” 
“Think  about  this  as  soon  as  possible。  You  don’t  have  much  time;  believe 
me。 My father senses that some evil is ing our way; and I think he’s right。 
If Hasan and his men raid our home with a handful of Janissaries and bring 
my  father  before  the  judge;  would  you  testify  that  you’d  in  fact  seen  my 
husband’s corpse? You’ve recently e from Persia; they would believe you。” 
“I would testify; but I wasn’t the one who killed him。” 
“All right; then。 Together with another witness; in order that I be declared a 
widow; would you testify before the judge that you saw my husband’s bloody 
corpse on the battlefield in Persia?” 
“I didn’t actually see it; my dear; but for your sake I would testify so。” 
“Do you love my children?” 
“I do。” 
“Tell me; what is it about them that you love?” 
“I   love   Shevket’s   strength;   decisiveness;   honesty;   intelligence   and 
stubbornness;”  I  said。  “And  I  love  Orhan’s  sensitive  and  delicate  demeanor 
and his astuteness。 I love the fact that they’re your children。” 
My  black…eyed  beloved  smiled  slightly  and  shed  a  few  tears。  Then;  in  the 
calculated fluster of a woman hoping to acplish a lot in a short time; she 
changed the subject: 
“My  father’s  book  ought  to  be  pleted  and  presented  to  Our  Sultan。 
This book is the source of the bad luck that plagues us。” 
“What devilry has plagued us besides the murder of E

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