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my name is red-我的名字叫红-第102章

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I carefully read the last three words of this beautiful note thrice as if staring 
at  three  wondrous  red  roses  in  a  garden。  I  leaned  over  the  page  that  Master 
Osman was scrutinizing; magnifying lens in hand。 I straightaway noticed that 
the shapes whose ink had bled were horses sketched in a single motion as the 
old masters would do to accustom the hand。 
Master  Osman;  who  read  Shekure’s  note  without  ment;  voiced  a 
question: “Who drew this?” He then answered himself; “Of course; the same 
miniaturist who drew the late Enishte’s horse。” 
Could he be so certain? Moreover; we weren’t at all sure who’d drawn the 
horse  for  the  book。  We  removed  the  horse  from  among  the  nine  pages  and 
began to examine it。 
It was a handsome; simple; chestnut horse that you couldn’t take your eyes 
off of。 Was I being truthful when I said this? I had plenty of time to look at 
this  horse  with  my  Enishte;  and  later;  when  I  was  left  alone  with  these 
illustrations; but I hadn’t given it much thought then。 It was a beautiful; but 
ordinary  horse:  It  was  so  ordinary  that  we  weren’t  even  able  to  determine 
who’d drawn it。 It wasn’t a true chestnut; but more bay…colored; there was a 
faint  hint  of  red  in  its  coat  as  well。  It  was  a  horse  that  I’d  seen  so  often  in 
other  books  and  other  illustrations  that  I  knew  it’d  been  drawn  by  rote 
without the miniaturist’s stopping to give it any consideration at all。 
We  stared  at  the  horse  this  way  until  we  discovered  it  concealed  a  secret。 
Now;  however;  I  could  see  a  beauty  in  the  horse  that  shimmered  like  heat 
rising before my eyes and within it a force that roused a zest for life; learning 
and  embracing  the  world。  I  asked  myself;  “Who’s  the  miniaturist  with  the 
magic touch that depicted this horse the way Allah would see it?” as if having 
forgotten  suddenly  that  he  was  also  nothing  but  a  base  murderer。  The  horse 
stood before me as if it were a real horse; but somewhere in my mind I also 
knew  it  was  an  illustration;  being  caught  between  these  two  thoughts  was 
enchanting and aroused in me a sense of wholeness and perfection。 
For  a  time;  we  pared  the  blurred  horses  drawn  for  practice  with  the 
horse made for my Enishte’s book; determining finally that they’d been made 
by  the  same  hand。  The  proud  stances  of  those  strong  and  elegant  studs 
bespoke  stillness  rather  than  motion。  I  was  in  awe  of  the  horse  of  Enishte’s 
book。 
289 
 
“This is such a spectacular horse;” I said; “it gives one the urge to pull out a 
piece of paper and copy it; and then to draw every last thing。” 
“The greatest pliment you can pay a painter is to say that his work has 
stimulated your own enthusiasm to illustrate;” said Master Osman。 “But now 
let’s  forget  about  his  talent  and  try  to  uncover  this  devil’s  identity。  Had 
Enishte  Effendi;  may  he  rest  in  peace;  ever  mentioned  the  kind  of  story  this 
picture was meant to acpany?” 
“No。 According to him; this was one of the horses that lived in the lands 
that our powerful Sultan rules。 It is a handsome horse: a horse of the Ottoman 
line。 It is a symbol that would demonstrate to the Veian Doge Our Sultan’s 
wealth  and  the  regions  under  his  control。  But  on  the  other  hand;  as  with 
everything the Veian masters depict; this horse was also to be more lifelike 
than a horse born of God’s vision; more like a horse that lived in a particular 
stable with a particular groom in Istanbul so that the Veian Doge might say 
to himself; ”Just as the Ottoman miniaturists have e to see the world like 
us; so have the Ottomans themselves e to resemble us;“ in turn; accepting 
Our  Sultan’s  power  and  friendship。  For  if  you  begin  to  draw  a  horse 
differently; you begin to see the world differently。 Despite its peculiarities; this 
horse was rendered in the manner of the old masters。” 
The more we deliberated over the horse; the more beautiful and precious it 
became  in  my  eyes。  His  mouth  was  slightly  open;  his  tongue  visible  from 
between his teeth。 His eyes shone bright。 His legs were strong and elegant。 Did 
a  painting  bee  legendary  for  what  it  was  or  for  what  was  said  about  it? 
Master Osman was ever so slowly moving the magnifying lens over the animal。 
“What  is  it  that  this  horse  is  trying  to  convey?”  I  said  with  naive 
enthusiasm。  “Why  does  this  horse  exist?  Why  this  horse!  What  about  this 
horse? Why does this horse excite me?” 
“The  pictures  as  well  as  the  books  missioned  by  sultans;  shahs  and 
pashas  proclaim  their  power;”  said  Master  Osman。  “The  patrons  find  these 
works beautiful; with their extensive gold leaf and lavish expenditures of labor 
and  eyesight  because  they  are  proof  of  the  ruler’s  wealth。  An  illustration’s 
beauty is significant because it is proof that a miniaturist’s talent is rare and 
expensive  just  like  the  gold  used  in  the  picture’s  creation。  Others  find  the 
picture of a horse beautiful because it resembles a horse; is a horse of God’s 
vision or is a purely imaginary horse; the effect of verisimilitude is attributed 
to talent。 As for us; beauty in illustration begins with subtlety and profusion of 
meaning。  Of  course;  to  discover  that  this  horse  reveals  not  merely  itself;  but 
290 
 
the  hand  of  the  murderer;  the  mark  of  that  devil;  this  would  augment  the 
meaning of the picture。 Then there’s finding out that it’s not the image of the 
horse; but the horse itself that’s beautiful; that is; seeing the illustration of the 
horse not as an illustration; but as a true horse。” 
“If  you  looked  at  this  illustration  as  if  you  were  looking  at  a  horse;  what 
would you see there?” 
“Looking at the size of this horse; I could say that this wasn’t a pony but; 
judging from the length and curve of its neck; a good racehorse and that the 
flatness of its back would make it suitable for long trips。 From its delicate legs 
we might infer that it was agile and clever like an Arabian; but its body is too 
long and large to be one。 The elegance of its legs suggests what the Bukharan 
scholar  Fadlan  said  of  worthy  horses  in  his  Book  of  Equines;  that  were  it  to 
happen upon a river it’d easily jump it without being startled and spooked。 I 
know by heart the wonderful things written about the choicest horses in the 
Book of Equines translated so beautifully by our royal veterinarian Fuyuzi; and I 
can tell you that every word applies to the chestnut horse before us: A good 
horse  should  have  a  pretty  face  and  the  eyes  of  a  gazelle;  its  ears  should  be 
straight as reeds with a good distance between them; a good horse should have 
small  teeth;  a  rounded  forehead  and  slight  eyebrows;  it  should  be  tall;  long…
haired; have a short waist; small nose; small shoulders and a broad flat back; it 
should  be  full…thighed;  long…necked;  broadchest
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