TheMiddleEasternBazaarTheMiddleEasternbazaartakesyoubackhundreds---eventhousands---ofyears.TheoneIamthinkingofparticularlyisenteredbyaGothic-archedgatewayofagedbrickandstone.Youpassfromtheheatandglareofabig,opensquareintoacool,darkcavernwhichextendsasfarastheeyecansee,losingitselfintheshadowydistance.Littledonkeyswithharmoniouslytinklingbellsthreadtheirwayamongthethrongsofpeopleenteringandleavingthebazaar.Theroadwayisabouttwelvefeetwide,butitisnarrowedeveryfewyardsbylittlestallswheregoodsofeveryconceivablekindaresold.Thedinofthestall-holder;cryingtheirwares,ofdonkey-boysandportersclearingawayforthemselvesbyshoutingvigorously,andofwould-bepurchasersarguingandbargainingiscontinuousandmakesyoudizzy.中東的集市仿佛把你帶回到了幾百年、甚至幾千年前的時代。此時此刻顯現在我腦海中的這個中東集市，其入口處是一座古老的磚石結構的哥特式拱門。你首先要穿過一個赤日耀眼、灼熱逼人的大型露天廣場，然后走進一個涼爽、幽暗的洞穴。這市場一直向前延伸，一眼望不到盡頭，消失在遠處的陰影里。趕集的人們絡繹不絕地進出市場，一些掛著鈴鐺的小毛驢穿行于這熙熙攘攘的人群中，邊走邊發出和諧悅耳的叮當叮當的響聲。市場的路面約有十二英尺寬，但每隔幾碼遠就會因為設在路邊的小貨攤的擠占而變窄；那兒出售的貨物各種各樣，應有盡有。你一走進市場，就可以聽到攤販們的叫賣聲，趕毛驢的小伙計和腳夫們大著嗓門叫人讓道的吆喝聲，還有那些想買東西的人們與攤主討價還價的爭吵聲。各種各樣的噪聲此伏彼起，不絕于耳，簡直叫人頭暈。Thenasyoupenetratedeeperintothebazaar,thenoiseoftheentrancefadesaway,andyoucometothemutedcloth-market.Theearthenfloor,beatenhardbycountlessfeet,deadensthesoundoffootsteps,andthevaultedmud-brickwallsandroofhavehardlyanysoundstoecho.Theshop-keepersspeakinslow,measuredtones,andthebuyers,overwhelmedbythesepulchralatmosphere,followsuit.隨后，當往市場深處走去時，人口處的喧鬧聲漸漸消失，眼前便是清靜的布市了。這里的泥土地面，被無數雙腳板踩踏得硬邦邦的，人走在上面幾乎聽不到腳步聲了，而拱形的泥磚屋頂和墻壁也難得產生什么回音效果。布店的店主們一個個都是輕聲輕氣、慢條斯理的樣子；買布的顧客們在這種沉悶壓抑的氣氛感染下，自然而然地也學著店主們的榜樣，變得低聲細語起來。OneofthepeculiaritiesoftheEasternbazaaristhatshopkeepersdealinginthesamekindofgoodsdonotscatterthemselvesoverthebazaar,inordertoavoidcompetition,butcollectinthesamearea,sothatpurchaserscanknowwheretofindthem,andsothattheycanformacloselyknitguildagainstinjusticeorpersecution.Inthecloth-market,forinstance,allthesellersofmaterialforclothes,curtains,chaircoversandsoonlinetheroadwayonbothsides,eachopen-frontedshophavingatrestletrestletablefordisplayandshelvesforstorage.Bargainingistheorderofthecay,andveiledwomenmoveataleisurelypacefromshoptoshop,selecting,pricinganddoingalittlepreliminarybargainingbeforetheynarrowdowntheirchoiceandbeginthereallyseriousbusinessofbeatingthepricedown.中東集市的特點之一是經銷同類商品的店家，為避免相互間的競爭，不是分散在集市各處，而是都集中在一塊兒，這樣既便于讓買主知道上哪兒找他們，同時他們自己也可以緊密地聯合起來，結成同盟，以便保護自己不受欺侮和刁難。例如，在布市上，所有那1些賣衣料、窗簾布、椅套布等的商販都把貨攤一個接一個地排設在馬路兩邊，每一個店鋪門面前都擺有一張陳列商品的擱板桌和一些存放貨物的貨架。討價還價是人們習以為常的事。頭戴面紗的婦女們邁著悠閑的步子從一個店鋪逛到另一個店鋪，一邊挑選一邊問價；在她們縮小選擇范圍并開始正兒八經殺價之前，往往總要先同店主談論幾句，探探價底。Itisapointofhonourwiththecustomernottolettheshopkeeperguesswhatitisshereallylikesandwantsuntilthelastmoment.Ifhedoesguesscorrectly,hewillpricetheitemhigh,andyieldlittleinthebargaining.Theseller,ontheotherhand,makesapointofprotestingthatthepriceheischargingisdeprivinghimofallprofit,andthatheissacrificingthisbecauseofhispersonalregardforthecustomer.Bargainingcangoonthewholeday,orevenseveraldays,withthecustomercomingandgoingatintervals.對于顧客來說，至關重要的一點是，不到最后一刻是不能讓店主猜到她心里究竟中意哪樣東西、想買哪樣東西的。假如讓店主猜中了她所要買的

商品的話，他便會漫天要價，而且在還價過程中也很難作出讓步。而在賣主那一方來說，他必須竭盡全力地聲稱，他開出的價錢使他根本無利可圖，而他之所以愿意這樣做完全是出于他本人對顧客的敬重。顧客有時來了又去，去了又來，因此，像這樣討價還價的情形有可能持續一整天，甚至好幾天。Oneofthemostpicturesqueandimpressivepartsofthebazaaristhecopper-smiths'market.Asyouapproachit,atinklingandbangingandclashingbeginstoimpingeonyourear.Itgrowslouderandmoredistinct,untilyouroundacornerandseeafairylandofdancingflashes,astheburnishedcoppercatchesthelightofinnumerablelampsandbraziers.Ineachshopsittheapprentices–boysandyouths,someofthemincrediblyyoung–hammeringawayatcoppervesselsofallshapesandsizes,whiletheshop-ownerinstructs,andsometimestakesahandwithahammerhimself.Inthebackground,atinyapprenticeblowsabi-,charcoalfirewithahugeleatherbellowsworkedbyastringattachedtohisbigtoe--theredofthelivecoalsglowing,brightandthendimmingrhythmicallytothestrokesofthebellows.集市上最引人注目、給人印象最深刻的地方之一是銅器市場。你一走近這里，耳朵里便只聽得見金屬器皿互相碰擊時所發出的一陣陣砰砰啪啪、丁丁當當的響聲；走得越近，響聲便越來越大，越來越清晰。直待你走到拐角處一轉彎，眼前便出現了锃亮的銅器，它們映照著無數盞明燈和火盆，流光飛舞，有如仙境。每個銅匠鋪子里都有幾個徒工——他們都是一些男性青少年，其中有的年齡小得讓人難以置信——在那里不停地錘打著一些形狀各異、大小不一的銅器，而鋪子的老板則在一旁指點著，有時也親自操錘敲打幾下。鋪子的后邊，還有一個小不點兒的徒工在那里用一根拴在大腳趾上的繩子鼓動著一個巨大的皮風箱，煽著一大爐炭火——燃燒著的木炭隨著風箱的鼓動而有節奏地變得忽明忽暗。Hereyoucanfindbeautifulpotsandbowlsengravewithdelicateandintricatetraditionaldesigns,orthesimple,everydaykitchenwareusedinthiscountry,pleasinginform,butundecoratedandstrictlyfunctional.Elsewherethereisthecarpet-market,withitsprofusionofrichcolours,variedtexturesandregionaldesigns-someboldandsimple,othersunbelievablydetailedandyetharmonious.Thenthereisthespice-market,withitspungentandexoticsmells;andthefood-market,whereyoucanbuyeverythingyouneedforthemostsumptuousdinner,orsitinatinyrestaurantwithportersandapprenticesandeatyourhumblebreadandcheese.Thedye-market,thepottery-marketandthecarpenters'marketlieelsewhereinthemazeofvaultedstreetswhichhoneycombthisbazaar.Everyhereandthere,adoorwaygivesaglimpseofasunlitcourtyard,perhapsbeforeamosqueoracaravanserai,wherecamelsliedisdainfullychewingtheirhay,whilethegreatbalesofmerchandisetheyhavecarriedhundredsofmilesacrossthedesertliebesidethem.在這里，你會看到許多精美的鍋碗瓢盆，上面雕刻著各種精細復雜的傳統圖案，也能看到一些當地人日常使用的質樸無華的廚房用具，雖無花紋圖案，但造形美觀，經濟實用。再走一處便是地毯市場。這兒有各種質地的地毯，它們色彩斑炯，花紋圖案富有地方特色——有的簡單粗獷，有的精巧和諧得令人吃驚。再往前走便是香料市場，這里充滿各種濃烈的異香奇味；接下來是食品市場，在這里，你可以買到豪華酒宴上所需的任何山珍海味，也可以與徒工、腳夫一道坐進小飯館里去吃那不能登大雅之堂的面包和奶酪。集市里有棚頂的街巷縱橫交錯，有如一座迷宮，鱗次櫛比地坐落其間的有印染市場、陶器市場和木器市場。隨便走到哪兒，你都有可能透過某個門洞瞥見一個灑滿陽光的庭院，那也許是個清真寺的院子，也許是個商旅客棧的院子。在那兒，總會有幾頭駱駝旁若無人地臥著嚼草料，而在駱駝的身邊則總是堆放著它們穿越沙漠，從幾百英里以外的地方馱運而來的大捆大捆的貨物。Perhapsthemostunforgettablethinginthebazaar,apartfromitsgeneralatmosphere,istheplacewheretheymakelinseedoil.Itisavast,sombrecavernofaroom,somethirtyfeethighandsixtyfeetsquare,andsothickwiththedustofcenturiesthatthemudbrickwallsandvaultedroofareonlydimlyvisible.Inthiscavernarethreemassivestonewheels,eachwithahugepolethroughitscentreasanaxle.Thepoleisattachedattheoneendtoanuprightpost,aroundwhichitcanrevolve,andattheothertoablind-foldedcamel,whichwalksconstantlyinacircle,providingthemotivepowertoturnthestonewheel.Thisrevolvesinacircularstonechannel,intowhichanattendantfeedslinseed.Thestonewheelcrushesittoapulp,whichisthenpressedtoextracttheoil.ThecamelsarethelargestandfinestIhaveeverseen,andinsuperbcondition–muscular,massiveandstately.除了其給予人的總體印象外，集市中最令人難忘的地方恐怕要算是榨亞麻籽油的作坊了。那是一間約三十英尺高、六十英尺見方的屋子，空間闊大，但光線幽暗，猶如洞穴一般。其拱形屋頂及四面的泥磚墻壁因厚厚地覆蓋著數百年積下的灰塵而變得模糊難辨。屋內有三個大石磙，每個石磙上都有一根粗木桿從中心穿過，作為磙軸，磙軸的一端與一根立柱相連，使石磙可以繞立柱作旋轉運動，另一端則套在一頭蒙著眼罩的駱駝身上，通過駱駝不停地繞圈子走動來帶動石磙旋轉。石磙沿著一個環形石槽作圓周運動，石槽旁邊有一人專門負責往槽里裝亞麻籽。亞麻籽先由石磙碾成漿，然后再拿去榨油。油坊的駱駝是我見過的駱駝中最大最好的，而且體格健壯無比——肌肉發達，身軀偉岸，氣宇軒昂。Thepressingofthelinseedpulptoextracttheoilisdonebyavastramshackleapparatusofbeamsandropesandpulleyswhichtowerstothevaultedceilinganddwarfsthecamelsandtheirstonewheels.Themachineisoperatedbyoneman,whoshovelsthelinseedpulpintoasto