I AM CALLED “STORK”
I AM CALLED “STORK” (第2/3页)
taboutreplacingthelateSelahattinKhan—masterfullyportrayedonthemostbeautifulofmanuscriptpages—whowas,asofthatmoment,startingtofadefrompeople’smemories,withtheportraitoftheyoungerFahirShah.Uponenteringtheharem,FahirShahhadnodifficultyinlocatingthemostbeautifulwomanthere,yetinsteadofforcinghimselfuponher,becausehewasarefinedmanversedinbooksandartistry,andresolvingtowinherheart,heengagedherinconversation.Consequently,NerimanSultan,thelateSelahattinKhan’sbelleofbeauties,histeary-eyedwife,madebutonerequestofFahirShah:thattheillustrationofherhusbandinaversionoftheromanceLeylaandMejnun,whereinLeylawasdepictedasNerimanSultanandMejnunasSelahattinKhan,notbealtered.Inatleastthisonepage,shemaintained,theimmortalitythatherhusbandhadtriedtoattainovertheyearsthroughbooksshouldnotbedenied.ThevictoriousFahirShahbravelygrantedthissimplerequestandhismastersofthebookleftthatonepicturealone.Thereby,NerimanandFahirimmediatelymadeloveandwithinashortperiod,forgettingthehorrorsofthepast,cametotrulyloveeachother.Still,FahirShahcouldnotforgetthatpictureinLeylaandMejnun.Nay,itwasn’tjealousythatmadehimuneasyorthathiswifewasportrayedwithheroldhusband.Whatgnawedathimwasthis:Sincehewasn’tpaintedintheoldlegendinthatsplendidbook,hewouldn’tbeabletojointheranksoftheimmortalswithhiswife.ThiswormofdoubtateatFahirShahforfiveyears,andattheendofablissfulnightofcopiouslovemakingwithNeriman,candlestickinhand,heenteredthelibrarylikeacommonthief,openedthevolumeofLeylaandMejnun,andinplaceofthefaceofNeriman’slatehusband,drewhisown.Likemanykhanswhohadaloveforillustratingandpainting,however,hewasanamateurartistandcouldn’tportrayhimselfverywell.Inthemorning,whenhislibrarianopenedthebookonasuspicionoftamperingandbeheldanotherfigureinplaceofthelateSelahattinKhan,nexttoNeriman-facedLeyla,ratherthanidentifyingitasFahirShah,heannouncedthatitwasFahirShah’sarchenemy,theyoungandhandsomeAbdullahShah.ThisgossipprovokedFahirShah’ssoldiersandemboldenedAbdullahShah,theyoungandaggressivenewruleroftheneighboringcountry,who,subsequently,inhisfirstcampaign,defeated,capturedandkilledFahirShah,establishedhisownsovereigntyoverhisenemy’slibraryandharemandbecamethenewhusbandoftheeternallybeautifulNerimanSultan.
DJIMTheminiaturistsofIstanbulrecountthelegendofTallMehmet—knownasMuhammadKhorasaniinPersia—mostlyasanexampleoflonglifeandblindness.However,thelegendofTallMehmetis
essentiallyaparableofpaintingandtime.Theprimarydistinctionofthismaster,who,havingbegunhisapprenticeshipattheageofnine,illustratedformoreorless110yearswithoutgoingblind,washislackofdistinction.I’mnotbeingwittyhere,butexpressingmysincereadmiration.TallMehmetdreweverything,aseveryoneelsedid,inthestyleofthegreatmastersofold,butevenmoreso,andforthisreason,hewasthegreatestofallmasters.Hishumblenessandcompletedevotiontoillustrationandpainting,whichhedeemedaservicetoAllah,sethimaboveboththedisputeswithinthebook-artsworkshopswhereheworkedandtheambitiontobecomeheadminiaturist,thoughhewasofappropriateageandtalent.Asaminiaturist,for110years,hepatientlyrenderedeverytrivialdetail:grassdrawntofilluptheedgesofthepage,thousandsofleaves,curlywispingclouds,horsemanesofshortrepetitivestrokes,brickwalls,never-endingwallornamentationandtheslant-eyed,delicate-chinnedtensofthousandsoffacesthatwereeachanimitationofoneanother.TallMehmetwasquitecontentandreservedandheneverpresumedtodistinguishhimselforinsistedaboutstyleorindividuality.Heconsideredwhicheverkhan’sorprince’sworkshophehappenedtobeworkinginatthetimehishouseandregardedhimselfasbutafixtureinthathome.Askhansandshahsstrangledoneanotherandminiaturistsmovedfromcitytocitylikethewomenoftheharemtoassembleundertheauspicesofnewmasters,thestyleofthenewbook-artsworkshopwouldfirstbedefinedintheleavesTallMehmetdrew,inhisgrass,inthecurvesofhisrocksandinthehiddencontoursofhisownpatience.Whenhewaseightyyearsold,peopleforgotthathewasmortalandbegantobelievethathelivedwithinthelegendsheillustrated.Perhapsforthisreason,somemaintainedthatheexistedoutsidetimeandwouldnevergrowoldanddie.Therewerethosewhoattributedhisnotgoingblind—despitelivingwithoutahomeofhisown,sleepingintheroomsortentswhichconstitutedminiaturists’workshopsandspendingmostofhistimestaringatmanuscriptpages—tothemiracleoftimehavingceasedtoflowforhim.Someclaimedthathewasactuallyblind,andnolongerhadanyneedtoseesincehepaintedfrommemory.Attheageof119,thislegendarymasterwho’dnevermarriedandhadneverevenmadelove,mettheflesh-and-bloodidealofthebeautifulslant-eyed,sharp-chinned,moon-facedboyhe’ddepictedforacentury:apart-Chinesepart-Croatiansixteen-year-oldapprenticeinShahTahmasp’sminiaturists’workshop,withwhomquiteabruptlyandunderstandably,hefellinlove.Inordertoseducethisboy-apprenticeofunimaginablebeauty,asatrueloverwoulddo,heschemedandjoinedinpowerstrugglesbetweenminiaturists;hegavehimselfovertolying,deceptio
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