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my name is red-我的名字叫红-第138章

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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;  as  in  the  European  style;  he  wanted  me  to 
make the tree smaller。 As the picture developed; it gave the impression of being 
a view of this world from a window; nothing like an illustration at all。 It was 
then I prehended that in a picture made with the perspectival methods of 
the Franks; the borders and gilding took the place of a window frame。” 
“Elegant Effendi was responsible for the borders and the gilding。” 
“If that’s what you’re asking; I already told you I didn’t murder him。” 
“A  murderer  never  admits  to  his  crime;”  he  said  quickly;  then  asked  me 
what I was doing at the coffeehouse during the raid。 
He placed the oil lamp just beside the cushion upon which I was seated; in 
a way that would illuminate my face along with my papers and the pages I was 
388 
 
illuminating。  He  himself  was  scurrying  about  the  room  like  a  shadow  in  the 
dark。 
Besides  telling  him  what  I’ve  told  you;  that  I  actually  was  an  infrequent 
visitor to the coffeehouse and just happened to be passing by; I also repeated 
that I made two of the pictures which were hung on the wall there—although 
I actually disapproved of the goings…on at the coffeehouse。 “Because;” I added; 
“the  art  of  painting  only  ends  up  condemning  and  punishing  itself  when  it 
derives  its  strength  from  the  desire  to  condemn  and  punish  the  evils  of  life 
rather than from the painter’s own skill; love of his art and desire to embrace 
Allah…regardless of whether it’s the preacher from Erzurum or Satan himself 
that’s  denounced。  More  importantly;  if  that  coffeehouse  crowd  hadn’t 
targeted the Erzurumis; it might not have been raided tonight。” 
“Even so; you would go there;” said the wretch。 
“Yes;  because  I  enjoyed  myself  there。”  Had  he  an  inkling  of  how  honest  I 
was being? I added; “Despite knowing how ugly and wrong something is; we 
descendants of Adam might still derive considerable pleasure from it。 And I’m 
embarrassed  to  say  I  was  also  entertained  by  those  cheap  illustrations;  the 
mimicry and those stories about Satan; the gold coin and the dog; which the 
storyteller told crudely without meter or rhyme。” 
“Even so; why would you even step foot in that den of unbelievers?” 
“Fine then;” I said resigning myself to an inner voice; “at times there’s also 
a worm of doubt that gnaws at me: Ever since I was openly recognized as the 
most  talented  and  most  proficient  among  the  masters  of  the  workshop;  not 
only by Master Osman; but by Our Sultan as well; I began to be so terrified of 
the envy of the others that I tried; if only at times; to go where they went; to 
befriend  them  and  to  resemble  them  so  they  wouldn’t  turn  on  me  in  a 
sudden fit of vengeance。 Do you understand? And since they’ve begun labeling 
me  an  ”Erzurumi;“  I’ve  been  going  to  that  den  of  vile  unbelievers  so  others 
might discount this rumor。” 
“Master Osman said you o
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