Once upon a distant time, people made love by giving up some part of their bodies to their lovers. Everyone possessed¹ leather bags into which their mates placed some part of their bodies as they made love. A fingernail or strand²（线，串） of hair, an eyelash（睫毛） or a bit of skin were commonly exchanged.

 

But it was not uncommon³ to hear of fingers or ears or a whole arm or leg being slipped into a bag in moments of great love or great passion. There were even a few stories of lovers who actually climbed into the leather bags and disappeared, literally⁴ swept away by their emotions.

 

The donated body parts sometimes rejuvenated⁵ miraculously⁶, the handicap（妨碍，不利条件） evoked⁷ by their love. Of course, those who climbed into the leather bags of another never emerged again. It was commonly thought that such people were reborn, perhaps as a family member of their lovers .

 

In those days the phrases "giving yourself to your lover" and "making sacrifices for love" were taken quit e literally.

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