I AM CALLED “STORK”
I AM CALLED “STORK” (第1/3页)
AtaboutthetimeofmiddayprayerIheardaknockatthedoor.ItwasBlackfromlongago,fromourchildhood.Weembraced.HewaschillandIinvitedhiminside.Ididn’tevenaskhowhe’dfoundhiswaytothehouse.HisEnishtemusthavesenthimtoquestionmeaboutElegantEffendi’sabsenceandhiswhereabouts.Notonlythat,healsobroughtwordfromMasterOsman.“Allowmetoaskyouaquestion,”hesaid.“AccordingtoMasterOsman,”time“separatesatrueminiaturistfromothers:Thetimeoftheillustration.”Whatweremythoughts?Listenclosely.
PaintingandTimeLongago,asiscommonknowledge,theillustratorsofourIslamicrealm,including,forexample,theoldArabmasters,perceivingtheworldthewayFrankishinfidelsdotoday,wouldregardeverythinganddepictitfromthelevelofavagabond,muttorclerkatworkinhisshop.Unawareoftoday’sperspectival
techniques,ofwhichtheFrankishmastershaughtilyboast,theirworldremaineddullandlimited,restrictedtothesimpleperspectiveofthemuttortheshopclerk.Thenagreateventcametopassandourentireworldofillustrationchanged.Letmebeginhere.
ThreeStoriesonPaintingandTimeALIFThreehundredfiftyyearsago,whenBaghdadfelltotheMongolsandwasmercilesslyplunderedonacolddayinthemonthofSafar,IbnShakirwasthemostrenownedandproficientcalligrapherandscribenotonlyofthewholeArabworldbutofallIslamdom;despitehisyouth,hehadtranscribedtwenty-twovolumes,mostofwhichwereKoransandcouldbefoundintheworld-famouslibrariesofBaghdad.IbnShakirbelievedthesebookswouldlastuntiltheendoftheworld,and,therefore,livedwithadeepandinfinitenotionoftime.He’dtoiledheroicallyallthroughthenightbyflickeringcandlelightonthelastofthoselegendarybooks,whichareunknowntoustodaybecauseinthespanofafewdays,theywereonebyornup,shredded,burnedandtossedintotheTigrisRiverbythesoldiersoftheMongolKhanHulagu.JustasthemasterArabcalligraphers,commitedtothenotionoftheendlesspersistenceoftraditionandbooks,hadforfivecenturiesbeeninthehabitofrestingtheireyesasaprecautionagainstblindnessbyturningtheirbackstotherisingsunandlookingtowardthewesternhorizon,IbnShakirascendedtheminaretoftheCaliphetMosqueinthecoolnessofmorning,andfromthebalconywherethemuezzincalledthefaithfultoprayer,witnessedallthatwouldendafive-centuries-longtraditionofscribalart.First,hesawHulagu’spitilesssoldiersenterBaghdad,andyetheremainedwherehewasatoptheminaret.Hewatchedtheplunderanddestructionoftheentirecity,theslaughterofhundredsofthousandsofpeople,thekillingofthelastoftheCaliphsofIslamwho’druledBaghdadforhalfamillennium,therapeofwomen,theburningoflibrariesandthedestructionoftensofthousandsofvolumesastheywerethrownintotheTigris.Twodayslater,amidthestenchofcorpsesandcriesofdeath,hewatchedtheflowingwatersoftheTigris,turnedredfromtheinkbleedingoutofthebooks,andhethoughtabouthowallthosevolumeshe’dtranscribedinbeautifulscript,thosebooksthatwerenowgone,hadn’tintheleastservedtostopthishorrifyingmassacreanddevastation,andinturn,hesworenevertowriteagain.Furthermore,hewasstruckwiththedesiretoexpresshispainandthedisasterhe’dwitnessedthroughpainting,whichuntilthatday,he’dbelittledanddeemedanaffronttoAllah;andso,makinguseofthepaperhealwayscarriedwithhim,hedepictedwhathesawfromthetopoftheminaret.Weowethehappymiracleofthethree-hundred-yearrenaissanceinIslamicillustrationfollowingtheMongolinvasiontothatelementwhichdistinguisheditfromtheartistryofpagansandChristians;thatis,tothetrulyagonizingdepictionoftheworldfromanelevatedGodlikepositionattainedbydrawingnoneotherthanahorizonline.Weowethisrenaissancetothehorizonline,andalsotoIbnShakir’sgoingnorthafterthemassacrehewitnessed—inthedirectiontheMongolarmieshadcomefrom—carryingwithhimhispaintingsandtheambitionforillustrationinhisheart;inbrief,weowemuchtohislearningthepaintingtechniquesoftheChinesemasters.Thereby,itisevidentthatthenotionofendlesstimethathadrestedintheheartsofArabcalligrapher-scribesforfivehundredyearswouldfinallymanifestitselfnotinwriting,butinpainting.TheproofofthisresidesinthefactthattheillustrationsinmanuscriptsandvolumesthathadbeentornapartandvanishedhavepassedintootherbooksandothervolumestosurviveforeverintheirrevelationofAllah’sworldlyrealm.
BAOnceuponatime,notsoverylongagoyetnotsorecently,everythingimitatedeverythingelse,andthus,ifnotforaginganddeath,manwould’veneverbeenthewiseraboutthepassageoftime.Yes,whentheworldlyrealmwasrepeatedlypresentedthroughthesamestoriesandpictures,asiftimedidnotflow,FahirShah’ssmallarmyroutedSelahattinKhan’ssoldiers—asSalimofSamarkand’sconciseHistoryattests.AfterthevictorousFahirShahcapturedSelahattinKhanandtorturedhimtodeath,hisfirsttaskinassertinghissovereignty,accordingtocustom,wastovisitthelibraryandtheharemofthevanquishedkhan.Inthelibrary,thelateSelahattinKhan’sexperiencedbinderpulledapartthedeadshah’sbooks,andrearrangingthepages,begantoassemblenewvolumes.Hiscalligraphersreplacedtheepithetof“AlwaysVictoriousSelahattinKhan”withthatof“VictoriousFahirShah”andhisminiaturistsse
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