My name is red

A great European master miniaturist and another great master artist are walking through a Frank meadow discussing virtuosity and art. As they stroll, a forest comes into view before them. The more expert of the two says to the other: "Painting in the new style demands such talent that if you depicted one of the trees in this forest, a man who looked upon that painting could come here, and if he so desired, correctly select that tree from among the others."
I thank Allah that I, the humble tree before you, have not been drawn with such intent. And not because I fear that if I'd been thus depicted all the dogs in Istanbul would assume I was a real tree and piss on me: I don't want to be a tree, I want to be its meaning.

Ohran Pamuk;

"My name is red"

Crepúsculo

É quando um espelho, no quarto,
se enfastia;
Quando a noite se destaca
da cortina;
Quando a carne tem o travo
da saliva,
e a saliva sabe a carne
dissolvida;
Quando a força de vontade
ressuscita;
Quando o pé sobre o sapato
se equilibra...
E quando às sete da tarde
morre o dia
- que dentro de nossas almas se ilumina,
com luz lívida, a palavra
despedida.

David Mourão-Ferreira