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my name is red-我的名字叫红-第30章

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contentment  with  the  thought  “What  if  others  e  to  know  such  bliss?” 
Jihan Shah sensed at once that if the virtuoso miniaturist made another copy; 
or  even  a  better  version;  it  would  be  for  his  archenemy  Tall  Hasan。  Thus;  in 
order to prevent anyone besides himself from owning this magnificent book; 
Jihan Shah decided to have the master miniaturist Sheikh Ali killed after he’d 
pleted  the  book。  But  a  good…hearted  Circassian  beauty  in  his  harem 
advised  him  that  blinding  the  master  miniaturist  would  suffice。  Jihan  Shah 
forthwith  adopted  this  clever  idea;  which  he  passed  on  to  his  circle  of 
sycophants; until it ultimately reached the ears of Sheikh Ali。 Even so; Sheikh 
Ali  didn’t  leave  the  book  half  finished  and  flee  Tabriz  as  other;  mediocre 
illustrators  might’ve  done。  He  didn’t  resort  to  games  like  slowing  down  the 
progress of the manuscript or making inferior illustrations so it wouldn’t be 
“perfect”  and  thereby  forestalling  his  imminent  blinding。  Indeed;  he  worked 
with even more ardor and conviction。 In the house where he lived alone; he’d 
begin  working  after  the  morning  prayers  and  continue  illustrating  the  same 
horses; cypresses; lovers; dragons and handsome princes by candlelight in the 
middle of the night again and again until bitter tears streamed from his eyes。 
Much of the time; he’d gaze for days at an illustration by one of the great old 
masters of Herat as he made an exact copy on another sheet。 In the end; he 
pleted  the  book  for  Jihan  Shah  the  Blacksheep;  and  as  the  master 
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miniaturist  had  expected;  he  was  at  first  praised  and  showered  with  gold 
pieces;  before  being  blinded  with  a  sharp  plume  needle  used  to  affix  turban 
plumes。 Before his pain had even subsided; Sheikh Ali left Herat and went to 
join Tall Hasan the Whitesheep。 “Yes; indeed; I am blind;” he explained to Tall 
Hasan;  “yet  I  remember  each  of  the  splendors  of  the  manuscript  I’ve 
illuminated for the last eleven years; down to each mark of the pen and each 
stroke  of  the  brush;  and  my  hand  can  draw  it  again  from  memory。  My 
Excellency; I could illustrate the greatest manuscript of all time for you。 Since 
my eyes will no longer be distracted by the filth of this world; I’ll be able to 
depict all the glories of Allah from memory; in their purest form。” Tall Hasan 
believed the great master miniaturist; and the master miniaturist; keeping his 
promise; illustrated from memory the most magnificent of books for the ruler 
of  the  Whitesheep。  Everyone  knew  the  spiritual  power  provided  by  the  new 
book  was  what  lay  behind  Tall  Hasan’s  subsequent  defeat  of  the  Blacksheep 
and the victorious Khan’s execution of Jihan Shah during a raid near Bing?l。 
This magnificent book; along with the one Sheikh Ali Tabrizi made for the late 
Jihan Shah; entered Our Sultan’s treasury in Istanbul when the ever…victorious 
Tall Hasan was defeated at the Battle of Otlukbeli by Sultan Mehmet Khan the 
Conqueror; may he rest in peace。 Those who can truly see; know。 
 
BA 
Since  the  Denizen  of  Paradise;  Sultan  Süleyman  Khan  the  Lawgiver;  favored 
calligraphers  over  illustrators;  unfortunate  miniaturists  of  the  day  would 
recount  the  present  story  as  an  example  of  how  illustrating  surpasses 
calligraphy。 However; as anyone who pays close attention will realize; this tale 
is actually about blindness and memory。 After the death of Tamerlane; Ruler of 
the World; his sons and grandchildren set to attacking and mercilessly battling 
one another。 In the event that one of them succeeded in conquering another’s 
city; his first action was to mint his own coins and have a sermon read at the 
mosque。 His second act as victor was to pull apart the books that had e 
into  his  possession;  a  new  dedication  would  be  written;  boasting  of  the 
conqueror  as  the  new  “ruler  of  the  world;”  a  new  colophon  added;  and  it 
would  all  be  bound  together  again  so  that  those  who  laid  eyes  on  the 
conqueror’s  book  would  believe  that  he  truly  was  a  world  ruler。  When 
Abdüllatif;  the  son  of  Tamerlane’s  grandson  Ulu?  Bey;  captured  Herat;  he 
mobilized his miniaturists; calligraphers and binders with such haste; and so 
pressured them to make a book in honor of his father; a connoisseur of book 
arts;  that  as  volumes  were  in  the  midst  of  being  unbound  and  the  scripted 
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pages  destroyed  and  burned;  the  corresponding  pictures  became  mixed  up。 
Since it did not befit the honor of Ulu? Bey for his son to arrange and bind 
albums  without  a  care  for  which  picture  belonged  to  which  story;  he 
assembled  all  the  miniaturists  in  Herat  and  requested  that  they  recount  the 
stories so as to put the illustrations in proper order。 From each miniaturist’s 
mouth;  however;  came  a  different  account;  and  so  the  correct  order  of  the 
plates  was  confused  all  the  more。  Thereupon;  the  oldest  surviving  head 
miniaturist was sought out。 He was a man who’d extinguished the light of his 
eyes  in  painstaking  labor  on  the  books  of  all  the  shahs  and  princes  who’d 
ruled over Herat for the last fifty… four years。 A great motion ensued when 
the men realized that the old master now peering at the pictures was indeed 
blind。 Some laughed。 The elderly master requested that an intelligent boy; who 
had  not  yet  reached  the  age  of  seven  and  who  couldn’t  read  or  write;  be 
brought  forward。  Such  a  child  was  found  and  taken  to  him。  The  old 
miniaturist  placed  a  number  of  illustrations  before  him。  “Describe  what  you 
see;”  he  instructed。  As  the  boy  described  the  pictures;  the  old  miniaturist; 
raising his blind eyes to the sky; listened carefully and responded: “Alexander 
cradling  the  dying  Darius  from  Firdusi’s  Book  of  Kings…  the  account  of  the 
teacher  who  falls  in  love  with  his  handsome  student  from  Sadi’s  Rosegarden 
…the  contest  of  doctors  from  Nizami’s  Treasury  of  Secrets…”  The  other 
miniaturists;  vexed  by  their  elderly  and  blind  colleague;  said;  “We  could’ve 
told you that as well。 These are the best…known scenes from the most famous 
stories。”  In  turn;  the  aged  and  blind  miniaturist  placed  the  most  difficult 
illustrations  before  the  child  and  again  listened  intently。  “Hürmüz  poisoning 
the calligraphers one by one from Firdusi’s Book of Kings;” he said; again facing 
the sky。 “A cheap rendition of the terrible account of the cuckold who catches 
his wife and her lover in a pear tree; from Rumi’s Masnawi;” he said。 In this 
fashion;  relying  on  the  boy’s  descriptions;  he  identified  all  of  the  pictures; 
none  of  which  he  could  see;  and  thereby  succeeded  in  having  the  books 
properly bound together again。 When Ulu? Bey entered Herat with his army; 
he  asked  the  old  miniaturist  by  what  secret  he;  a  blind  m
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