One day in January a tall thin man with long white hair came into our courtyard. He was draped in a green cloak, torn in various places. He turned his face up to our balcony, spread his arms and began to speak with a resonant voice. I was frightened, but Mother explained that the man, a beggar, was reciting something.
‘Reciting?’ I didn’t know the word.
Mother explained what it meant, and I turned back to the beggar.
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