pia\u0163a satului, aga din Licovrisi bea rachiu \u015fi trage
din ciubuc. Afar\u0103 plou\u0103 domol, cu pic\u0103turi m\u0103runte
ee-i cad \u00een barb\u0103 sau i se lipesc de musta\u0163a groas\u0103,
c\u0103nit\u0103 proasp\u0103t cu vopsea neagr\u0103. Aga \u00ee\u015fi scoate
limba \u00eenfierb\u00eentat\u0103 de rachiu, le soarbe r\u0103coarea, \u015fi
se simte bine. La dreapta lui, \u00een picioare st\u0103 seizul,
o namil\u0103 de oriental, cu chipul fioros, cu privirile sa\u015fii
\u015fi cu o tr\u00eembi\u0163\u0103 \u00een mina; la st\u00eenga, cu picioarele \u00een-
cruci\u015fate sub el pe o pern\u0103 de catifea, sade un turcu-
le\u0163 frumos \u015fi rotofei, care aprinde ciubucul ag\u0103i \u015fi-i
umple ne\u00eencetat paharul cu rachiu,
Aga clipe\u015fte mahmur din och\u00eei-i somnoro\u015fi \u015fi se
bucur\u0103 de buna \u00eentocmire a vie\u0163ii omene\u015fti. Toate le-a
r\u00eenduit bine Allah, aici pe p\u0103m\u00eent, \u00ee\u015fi spune el \u00een
sinea lui; minunat lucru e aceast\u0103 lume din care nu
lipse\u015fte nimic: dac\u0103 \u0163i-e foame, ai p\u00eeine, friptur\u0103 ru-
menit\u0103 \u015fi pilaf cu scor\u0163i\u015foar\u0103; dac\u0103 \u0163i-e sete. ai ra-
chiul, dumnezeiasca licoare;. dac\u0103 te-apuc\u0103 mole\u015fa\u00eea,
Allah a f\u0103cut somnul, leacul cel mai bun contra mo-
\u0163\u0103ielii; dac\u0103 te \u00eenfurii, tot el \u0163i-a dat g\u00eerbaciul \u015fi spi-
n\u0103rile raialelor; dac\u0103 te prinde ur\u00eetu\u00ee, \u0163i-a dat ma-
\u2014 Mare me\u015fter este Allali! murmur\u0103 aga mi\u015fcat.
Mare \u015fi ne\u00eentrecut me\u015fter, cum nu se pomene\u015fte al-
tul! De unde i-o fi venit lui \u00een minte s\u0103 n\u0103scoceasc\u0103
rachiul \u015fi pe Iusufachi?
Dup\u0103 multele pahare de rachiu pe care 3e-a b\u0103ut,
ochii ag\u0103i se umplu de cucernicie \u015fi de lacrimi. Se
apleac\u0103 peste marginea ceardacului \u015fi-\u015fi admir\u0103 cu
m\u00eendrie supu\u015fii cre\u015ftini, care se plimb\u0103 \u00een sus \u015fi \u00een
jos prin pia\u0163\u0103; to\u0163i s\u00eent ra\u015fi proasp\u0103t, \u00eembr\u0103ca\u0163i de
s\u0103rb\u0103toare, cu br\u00eeuri late, ro\u015fii, cu \u015falvari scur\u0163i sp\u0103-
la\u0163i \u00een ajun \u015fi cu tuzluci alba\u015ftri. Unii poart\u0103 fes, al\u0163ii
turban, iar al\u0163ii au c\u0103ciuli de piele de miel. Cei mai
fuduli \u015fi-au pus la ureche c\u00eete un fir de busuioc sau?
c\u00eete o \u0163igar\u0103.
E a treia zi de Pa\u015fti \u015fi slujba la biseric\u0103 abia s-a
terminat. E o zi dulce, bl\u00eend\u0103, \u015fi plou\u0103 cu soare. Flo-
rile de l\u0103m\u00eei au \u00eenceput s\u0103-\u015fi r\u0103sp\u00eendeasc\u0103 mireasma
\u00een v\u0103zduh, arborii \u00eenmuguresc, iarba \u00eencol\u0163e\u015fte, Hris-
tos se \u00eentrupeaz\u0103 \u00een fiecare bulg\u0103ra\u015f de p\u0103m\u00eent. Cre\u015f-
tinii, se plimb\u0103 \u00een sus \u015fi \u00een jos prin pia\u0163\u0103; prietenii
se \u00eent\u00eelnesc pe drum, se s\u0103rut\u0103 unii cu al\u0163ii, \u00ee\u015fi spun
\u201eHristos a \u00eenviat", apoi intr\u0103 \u00een cafeneaua lui Cos-
tantis sau se a\u015faz\u0103 la mesele de sub platanul mare
din mijlocul pie\u0163ei, unde comand\u0103 narghilele \u015fi ca-
fele, \u015fi \u00eencing, pe \u00eendelete, taifasul molcom ca ploaia
\u2014 Uite, a\u015fa trebuie s\u0103 fie \u015fi \u00een rai, spune Haralam-
bos, paracliserul. Un soare pl\u0103cut, o ploaie domoal\u0103,
l\u0103m\u00eei \u00eenflori\u0163i, narghilele c\u00eete vrei \u015fi taifasuri, taifa-
suri, ce nu se mai sf\u00eer\u015fesc \u00een vecii vecilor!
\u00een cealalt\u0103 margine a pie\u0163ei, dincolo de platan, se
\u00eenal\u0163\u0103 biserica satului, R\u0103stignirea Domnului, cu dr\u0103-
g\u0103la\u015fa ei clopotni\u0163\u0103 v\u0103ruit\u0103 de cur\u00eend. U\u015fa de la in-
trare \u00eei e \u00eempodobit\u0103 ast\u0103zi cu ramuri de palmier \u015fi
de dafin. Jur \u00eemprejur se \u00een\u015fir\u0103 dughenele \u015fi atelie-
rele satului: \u015fel\u0103ria n\u0103zdr\u0103vanului. de Panaiolaros,
poreclit \u015fi "Ghipsofagul"; odat\u0103, cineva adusese \u00een
P statuet\u0103 de ghips a marelui Napoleon \u015fi el a
m\u00eencat-o; apoi a fost adus\u0103 o alt\u0103 statuet\u0103, a Iui
Kemal-Pa\u015fa, e care de asemem a m\u00eencat-o; iar la
urm\u0103, c\u00eend a ap\u0103rut \u00een sat o efigie cu chipuf lui Ve-
nizelos2 nu s-a l\u0103sat p\u00een\u0103 n-a m\u00eencat-o \u015fi pe aceea.
Al\u0103turi e frizeria \u201eErotocritos" a lui Antonis, av\u00eend
\u00een\u0103\u0163at\u0103 sus, deasupra u\u015fii, o tabl\u0103 pe care scrie cu li-
tere mari, ro\u015fii ca s\u00eengele: Se face \u015fi estrac\u0163ii de din\u0163i!
Mai \u00eencolo e m\u0103cel\u0103ria lui chir Dimitros, \u015fchiopul,
cu firma: La Irodiada. Avem c\u0103p\u0103\u0163\u00eeni proaspete. \u00cenfiecare s\u00eemb\u0103t\u0103 el taie e\u00eete un vi\u0163el; dar, \u00eenainte
a-l t\u0103ia, \u00eei aure\u015fte coarnele, \u00eei vopse\u015fte fruntea. \u00cei \u00een-
f\u0103\u015foar\u0103 g\u00eetul cu panglicu\u0163e ro\u015fii \u015fi-l plimb\u0103 prin tot
satul, \u015font\u00eec-\u015font\u00eec, l\u0103ud\u00eend cu glas tare, ca un telal,
calit\u0103\u0163ile vi\u0163elului. \u00cen fine, \u00een r\u00eend cu acestea, la col\u0163,
se afl\u0103 vestita cafenea a lui Costantis, lung\u0103, \u00eengust\u0103
\u015fi r\u0103coroas\u0103, care miroase pl\u0103cut a cafea \u015fi a tutun de
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