Qovoq devona deganimiz o‘rta yosh, siyrak soqol, qotma, kun issig‘lig‘ig‘a qarshi o‘chakishkandek boshig‘a eski telpak, egniga paxtasidan boshqasi to‘zib ketkan guppi chopon kiyib, yangi bo‘z belboqni besh-olti aylandirib bog‘lag‘an va unga besh-oltita chilim qovoqdan tortib to suvqovoq, nosqovoq va tomosha qovoqlarg‘acha osqan; qovoqlarning og‘irlig‘idan arang harakat qiladirg‘an o‘z zamonasining mashhur bir devonasi edi.

The person dubbed Mad the Gourd was a wizened middle-aged man with a wispy beard hanging from his chin, wearing an old fur hat riddled with holes despite the burning sun and a threadbare quilted robe with cotton stuffing escaping from each tear. A new cotton sash wrapped several times around his waist carried five or six gourds — gourds for water, gourds for tobacco, and gourds used as flutes. His legs seemed to bow under their weight