Sarah by Marek Halter Read Free Book Online Page A

you.”
    â€œUnless a soothsayer advises him to hurry up and make children.”
    To that, there could be no reply. They said nothing more while Sililli finished with her hair.

    THE next day, as soon as there was sufficient light, the house filled with noise as the servants completed the preparations for the first of the seven banquets A bamboo dais had been erected in the big central courtyard, where the bride and bridegroom and their closest relatives would sit, looking down on the rest of the guests spread around the courtyard: women to the left, men to the right. Mats, carpets, cushions, and little wicker seats were put out for them, and low tables were set up, bearing arrangements of flower petals and branches of myrtle and bay, as well as goblets of water scented with orange and lemon. Cane canopies were stretched between the terraces so that the area where the banquet was to take place would remain cool even during the hottest part of the day.
    The statues of the ancestors were carried from the temple and placed in an arcade leading to the men’s courtyard. There the altars were carefully reconstructed, and made fragrant with food and scents. Ichbi Sum-Usur himself supervised the arrangement of the rare potted plants from Magan and Meluhha, and the placing, here and there in the courtyard, of kittens on leashes, doves in cages, and snakes in baskets to entertain and impress the guests.
    Finally, dishes by the dozen were brought out, plates of cakes, baskets full of loaves of barley or wheat bread. Jars of wine and beer were opened.
    When the sun was at its highest, Kiddin came to fetch Sarai. Sililli cried out when she saw him. His oiled and curled hair was held in place by a finely woven ribbon. A line of kohl emphasized the whiteness of his eyes. The ceremonial toga he wore, although it lacked the silver tassels, was at least as magnificent as his father’s. He was as resplendent as a god, so much so that he could have been taken for the bridegroom.
    He seized Sarai’s hand and they crossed the women’s courtyard. She heard the excited chuckles of the handmaids, who had stopped their work to wonder at the beauty of their young master.
    Kiddin did not let go of his sister’s hand until they reached the dais. She climbed it and sat down on a little sculpted seat, surrounded by her aunts.
    Old Egime gave her a thorough inspection. But Sililli had done her work to perfection, and Egime could find no fault with it. Sarai’s hair was so perfect, it could pass for a diadem held in place by silver clasps. Every fold of her tunic was at it should be. The woolen belt woven for the occasion emphasized the tininess of her waist. For this first banquet, the Presentation, she wore no makeup except for a fine layer of kaolin, which gave her face the pallor of a full moon. The lack of adornment, the delicacy of her features, and the slightness of her figure all made her look more strange than beautiful.
    Sarai sat stiffly on her little seat, looking straight ahead of her, waiting for the sun to reach its zenith and the first guests to come through the double door of the palace.
    There were more than a hundred of them. The whole of Ichbi Sum-Usur’s large family had been invited. Some came from Eridu, from Larsa, and even Uruk. Ichbi Sum-Usur had obtained safe-conducts from King Shu-Sin so that they could travel to Ur. This favor was the finest gift the sovereign could give his faithful servant. Sarai’s father was blushing with pride.
    The guests advanced along the aisle between the tables, the seats, and the cushions, and crossed the courtyard to the dais. There, they each greeted Ichbi Sum-Usur and his eldest with many fine words and much laughter before plunging their hands into a bronze basin. The water in it was scented with a mixture of benzoin, amber, and myrtle. The guests sprinkled their faces and their bare shoulders and armpits, left or right depending on whether they were men or