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my name is red-我的名字叫红-第145章

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Even here in the lodge; they were loath to separate from one another。 
“We can safely take refuge here for days。” 
“We worry;” Black said; “that the person we should fear is perhaps in our 
very midst。” 
“I; too; grow anxious;” I said。 “For I have heard such rumors as well。” 
There  were  rumors;  spreading  from  the  officers  of  the  Imperial  Guard  to 
the division of miniaturists; claiming that the mystery about the murderer of 
Elegant Effendi and late Enishte was solved: He was one of us who’d labored 
over that book。 
Black inquired as to how many pictures I’d drawn for Enishte’s book。 
“The  first  one  I  made  was  Satan。  It  was  of  the  variety  of  underground 
demon mon to the old masters in the workshops of the Whitesheep。 The 
storyteller  and  I  were  of  the  same  Sufi  path;  that’s  why  I  made  the  two 
dervishes。 I was the one who suggested to Enishte that he include them in his 
book; convincing him that there was a special place for these dervishes in the 
lands of the Ottomans。” 
“Is that all?” asked Black。 
When I told him; “Yes; that’s all;” he went to the door with the superior air 
of a master who caught an apprentice stealing; he brought in a roll of paper 
untouched by the rain; and placed it before us three artists like a mother cat 
bringing a wounded bird to her kittens。 
I  recognized  the  pages  while  they  were  still  under  his  arm:  They  were  the 
illustrations I’d rescued from the coffeehouse during the raid。 I didn’t deign to 
ask  how  these  men  had  entered  my  house  and  located  them。  Nevertheless; 
406 
 
Butterfly; Stork and I each placidly owned up to the pictures we made for the 
storyteller; may he rest in peace。 Afterward; only the horse; an exquisite horse; 
remained unclaimed off to the side; its head lowered。 Believe me; I didn’t even 
realize that a horse had been drawn。 
“You  weren’t  the  one  who  made  this  horse?”  said  Black  like  a  teacher 
holding a switch。 
“I wasn’t;” I said。 
“What about the one in my Enishte’s book?” 
“I didn’t make that one either。” 
“Based on the style of the horse; however; it’s been determined that you’re 
the one who drew it;” he said。 “Furthermore; it was Master Osman who came 
to this conclusion。” 
“But I have no style whatsoever;” I said。 “I’m not saying this out of pride to 
counter the latest tastes。 Neither am I saying so to prove my innocence。 For 
me; having a style would be worse than being a murderer。” 
“You have a distinct quality that distinguishes you from the old masters and 
the others;” said Black。 
I smiled at him。 He started to relate things that I’m sure you all know by 
now。  I  listened  intently  to  how  Our  Sultan;  in  consultation  with  the  Head 
Treasurer; sought a solution to the murders; to the matter of Master Osman’s 
three days; to the “courtesan method;” to the peculiarity in the noses of the 
horses and to Black’s miraculous admittance to the Royal Private Quarters for 
the sake of actually examining those superlative books。 There are moments in 
all our lives when we realize; even as  we experience them; that we are living 
through  events  we  will  never  forget;  even  long  afterward。  A  melancholy  rain 
was  falling。  As  if  upset  by  the  rain;  Butterfly  mournfully  gripped  his  dagger。 
Olive;  the  backside  of  whose  armor  was  white  with  flour;  was  courageously 
forging into the heart of the dervish lodge; lamp in hand。 These master artists; 
whose  shadows  roamed  the  walls  like  ghosts;  were  my  brethren;  and  how  I 
loved them! I was delighted to be a miniaturist。 
“Could you appreciate your good fortune as you gazed at the great works of 
the  old  masters  for  days  on  end  with  Master  Osman  at  your  side?”  I  asked 
Black。 “Did he kiss you? Did he caress your handsome face? Did he hold your 
hand? Were you awed by his talent and knowledge?” 
“There among the great works of the old masters he showed me how you 
had a style;” said Black。 “He taught me how the hidden fault of  ”style‘ isn’t 
407 
 
something  the  artist  selects  of  his  own  volition;  but  is  determined  by  the 
artist’s past and his forgotten memories。 He also showed me how these secret 
faults; weaknesses and defects; at one time such a source of shame they were 
concealed so we wouldn’t be estranged from the old masters; will henceforth 
emerge  to  be  praised  as  “personal  characteristics’  or  ”style;“  because  the 
European  masters  have  spread  them  over  the  world。  Henceforth;  thanks  to 
fools  who  take  pride  in  their  own  shortings;  the  world  will  be  a  more 
colorful and more stupid and; of course; a much more imperfect place。” 
The fact that Black confidently believed in what he said proved that he was 
one of the new breed of fools。 
“Was  Master  Osman  able  to  explain  why;  for  years;  I  drew  hundreds  of 
horses with regular nostrils in Our Sultan’s books?” I asked。 
“It was due to the love and beatings he gave all of you in your childhood。 
Because  he  was  both  father  and  beloved  to  you  all;  he  doesn’t  see  that  he 
associates all of you with himself and each of you with the others。 He didn’t 
want  you  each  to  have  a  style  of  your  own;  he  wanted  the  royal  atelier  as  a 
whole to have a style。 Because of the awesome shadow he cast over all of you; 
you  forgot  what  came  from  within;  the  imperfections;  the  elements  and 
differences  that  fell  outside  the  confines  of  standard  forms。  Only  when  you 
painted for other books and other pages; which Master Osman’s eyes would 
never see; did you draw the horse that had lain within you all those years。” 
“My mother; may she rest in peace; was more intelligent than my father;” I 
said。 “One night I was at home; in tears; determined never again to return to 
the  workshop  because  I  was  daunted  not  only  by  Master  Osman’s  beatings; 
but  by  those  of  the  other  harsh  and  irritable  masters  and  by  those  of  the 
division  head  who  always  intimidated  us  with  a  ruler。  In  consolation;  my 
dearly departed mother advised me that there were two types of people in the 
world: those who were cowed and crushed by their childhood beatings; forever 
downtrodden; she said; because the beatings had the desired effect of killing 
the inner devils; and those fortunate ones for whom the beatings frightened 
and tamed the devil within without killing him off。 Though the latter group 
would never forget these painful childhood memories—she’d warned me not 
to tell this to anybody—the beatings would in time enable them to develop 
cunning;  to  fathom  the  unknown;  to  make  friends;  to  identify  enemies;  to 
sense  plots  being  hatched  behind  their  backs  and;  let  me  hasten  to  add;  to 
paint better than anyone else。 Because I wasn’t able to draw the branches of a 
tree  harmoniously;  Master  Osman  would  slap  me  so  hard  that;  amid  bitter 
tears; forests would burgeon before me。 After angrily striking me in the head 
408 
 
beca
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