A merchant in Baghdad sends his servant to the marketplace for provisions. Soon afterward, the servant comes home white and trembling and tells him that in the marketplace he was jostled by a woman, whom he recognized as Death, and she made a threatening gesture. Borrowing the merchant's horse, he flees at great speed to Samarra, a distance of about 75 miles (125 km), where he believes Death will not find him. The merchant then goes to the marketplace and finds Death, and asks why she made the threatening gesture. She replies, "That was not a threatening gesture, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra."
薩馬拉城之約 ——毛姆
譯：永遠(yuǎn)的麥克白
巴格達(dá)的一個(gè)商人派遣他的仆人到市場(chǎng)去采購(gòu)食物。
不久钦无，仆人回到家，渾身顫抖叙甸，告訴商人：“在那個(gè)集市上奢米，我被一個(gè)人推搡谤职，他身著黑袍，我知道他是死神晦闰。死神對(duì)我做了一個(gè)恐嚇的手勢(shì)，我知道我大限將至鳍怨，但我不相信命運(yùn)呻右，也不相信死神⌒”
仆人借著商人的馬声滥，迅速地逃到距離巴格達(dá)約75英里（125公里）的薩馬拉。這么遠(yuǎn)的距離侦香，仆人相信死神不會(huì)找到他落塑。
商人隨后來(lái)到集市，看見(jiàn)了仆人所說(shuō)的身著黑袍的死神罐韩。
商人問(wèn)死神：“你為什么要對(duì)我的仆人做出威脅的手勢(shì)憾赁？”
死神回答說(shuō)：“這不是一個(gè)威脅的手勢(shì)，這只是一個(gè)讓我驚喜的開(kāi)始伴逸。我很驚訝地看到你的仆人在巴格達(dá)缠沈；我做那個(gè)手勢(shì)的意思是：今晚我在薩馬拉等著他的到來(lái)〈砗”
