Ruslan and Ludmila. Poem (1817 - 1820)

Prince Vladimir the sun is feasting in the grid with his sons and a crowd of friends, celebrating the wedding of his youngest daughter Lyudmila with Prince Ruslan. In honor of the newlyweds, the harpist Bayan sings. Only three guests are not happy with the happiness of Ruslan and Lyudmila, three knights do not listen to the prophetic singer. These are Ruslan's three rivals: the knight Rogdai, the braggart Farlaf and the Khazar Khan Ratmir.

The feast is over, and everyone disperses. The prince blesses the young, they are taken to the bedchamber, and the happy bridegroom is already looking forward to love delights. Suddenly there was a thunder, a flash of light, everything grew dark, and in the ensuing silence a strange voice was heard and someone soared and disappeared into the darkness. Ruslan, who has woken up, is looking for Lyudmila, but she is not there, she is "kidnapped by an unknown force."

Struck by the terrible news of the disappearance of his daughter, enraged at Ruslan, the Grand Duke appeals to the young knights with an appeal to go in search of Lyudmila and promises whoever finds and returns his daughter to give her as a wife in reproach to Ruslan, and in addition - half the kingdom. Rogdai, Ratmir, Farlaf and Ruslan himself instantly volunteer to go looking for Lyudmila and saddle their horses, promising the prince not to prolong the separation. They leave the palace and gallop along the banks of the Dnieper, and the old prince looks after them for a long time and his thought flies after them.

Knights ride together. Ruslan languishes with longing, Farlaf boasts of his future exploits in the name of Lyudmila, Ratmir dreams of her hugs, Rogdai is gloomy and silent. The day is drawing to a close, the horsemen drive up to the crossroads and decide to leave, each trusting his fate. Ruslan, devoted to gloomy thoughts, rides at a pace and suddenly sees a cave in front of him, in which a fire glows. The knight enters the cave and sees in it an old man with a gray beard and clear eyes, reading an ancient book in front of a lamp. The elder addresses Ruslan with a greeting and says that he has been waiting for him for a long time. He calms the young man, informing him that he will be able to regain Lyudmila, who was kidnapped by the terrible wizard Chernomor, a longtime beauty thief living in the northern mountains, where no one has yet been able to penetrate. But Ruslan is destined to find the home of Chernomor and defeat him in battle. The elder says that the future of Ruslan is in his own will. Delighted, Ruslan falls at the old man’s feet and kisses his hand, but suddenly a torment appears again on his face. The wise old man understands the cause of the young man’s sadness and reassures him, saying that Chernomor is a powerful magician, able to bring the stars from the sky, but powerless in the fight against inexorable time, and therefore his senile love is not terrible for Lyudmila. The elder persuades Ruslan to go to bed, but Ruslan languishes in anguish and is unable to fall asleep. He asks the elder to tell him who he is and how he got to this land. And the old man with a sad smile tells his wondrous story.

Born in the Finnish valleys, he was a peaceful and carefree shepherd in his homeland, but to his misfortune he fell in love with the beautiful, but hard-hearted and obstinate Naina. For six months he languished in love and finally opened up to Naina. But the proud beauty replied indifferently that she did not love the shepherd. Feeling disgusted with his usual life and occupations, the young man decided to leave his native fields and set off with a faithful squad on a brave voyage in search of battles in order to earn the love of proud Naina with swearing fame. He spent ten years in battles, but his heart, full of love for Naina, longed for a return. And so he returned to throw rich trophies at the feet of the arrogant beauty in the hope of her love, but again the indifferent maiden refused the hero. But this test did not stop the lover. He decided to try his luck with the help of magical powers, having learned powerful wisdom from the sorcerers living in his area, whose will everything is subject to. Having decided to attract Naina's love with the help of witchcraft, he spent imperceptible years studying with sorcerers and finally comprehended the terrible secret of nature, learned the secret of spells. But evil fate pursued him. Called by his sorcery, Naina appeared before him as a decrepit old woman, hunchbacked, gray-haired, with a shaking head. The horrified sorcerer learns from her that forty years have passed and today she turned seventy. To his horror, the sorcerer was convinced that his spells had worked and Naina loved him. With trepidation, he listened to the love confessions of a gray-haired, ugly old woman, and to top it off, he learned that she had become a sorceress. The shocked Finn ran away, and after him the curses of the old witch were heard, reproaching him for being unfaithful to his feelings.

Having fled from Naina, the Finn settled in this cave and lives in it in complete solitude. Finn predicts that Naina will also hate Ruslan, but he will be able to overcome this obstacle.

All night Ruslan listened to the stories of the elder, and in the morning, with a soul full of hope, gratefully hugging him goodbye and parting with the blessing of the wizard, he sets off in search of Lyudmila.

Meanwhile, Rogdai travels "between the forest deserts." He cherishes a terrible thought - to kill Ruslan and thereby free his way to Lyudmila's heart. He decisively turns his horse and gallops back.

Farlaf, having slept all morning, dined in the silence of the forest by the stream. Suddenly he noticed that a rider was rushing straight at him at full speed. Throwing away lunch, weapons, chain mail, the cowardly Farlaf jumps on his horse and flees without looking back. The rider rushes after him and urges him to stop, threatening to "rip off" his head. Farlaf's horse jumps over the moat, and Farlaf himself falls into the mud. Rogdai, who has flown up, is already ready to defeat the opponent, but he sees that this is not Ruslan, and in annoyance and anger he rides away.

Under the mountain, he meets a barely alive old woman, who points to the north with her stick and says that she will find the knight of her enemy there. Rogdai leaves, and the old woman approaches Farlaf, who is lying in the mud and shaking with fear, and advises him to return home, not to endanger himself anymore, because Lyudmila will be his anyway. Having said this, the old woman disappeared, and Farlaf follows her advice.

Meanwhile, Ruslan strives for his beloved, wondering about her fate. One evening he was passing over the river and heard the buzz of an arrow, the ringing of chain mail and the neighing of a horse. Someone shouted for him to stop. Looking back, Ruslan saw a horseman rushing towards him with a raised spear. Ruslan recognized him and shuddered with anger...

At the same time, Lyudmila, carried away from her wedding bed by the gloomy Chernomor, woke up in the morning, overwhelmed with vague horror. She was lying in a luxurious bed under a canopy, everything was like in the fairy tales of Scheherazade. Beautiful maidens in light clothes approached her and bowed. One skillfully braided her hair and decorated it with a pearl crown, another put an azure sundress on her and shod her, the third gave her a pearl belt. The invisible singer sang funny songs all this time. But all this did not cheer Lyudmila’s soul. Left alone, Lyudmila goes to the window and sees only snowy plains and the tops of gloomy mountains, everything is empty and dead all around, only a whirlwind rushes with a sad whistle, shaking the forest visible on the horizon. In despair, Lyudmila runs to the door, which opens by itself in front of her, and Lyudmila goes out into an amazing garden in which palm trees, laurel, cedars, and oranges grow, reflected in the mirror of the lakes. There is a spring fragrance all around and the voice of a Chinese nightingale can be heard. In the garden there are fountains and beautiful sculptures that seem alive. But Lyudmila is sad, and nothing makes her happy. She sits down on the grass, and suddenly a tent unfolds above her, and a sumptuous lunch appears in front of her. Beautiful music delights her ears. Intending to reject the treat, Lyudmila began to eat. As soon as she got up, the tent disappeared by itself, and Lyudmila again found herself alone and wandered in the garden until the evening. Lyudmila feels like she is falling asleep, and suddenly an unknown force lifts her up and gently carries her through the air on her bed. The three maidens appeared again and, having laid Lyudmila to rest, disappeared. Lyudmila lies in bed in fear and waits for something terrible. Suddenly there was a noise, the palace lit up, and Lyudmila saw a long row of blackamoors carrying a gray beard on pillows in pairs, behind which a hunchbacked dwarf with a shaved head, covered with a high cap, walked importantly. Lyudmila jumps up, grabs him by the cap, the dwarf gets scared, falls, gets entangled in his beard, and the araps carry him away, leaving his hat, to the sound of Lyudmila's squeal.

Meanwhile, Ruslan, overtaken by the knight, fights with him in a fierce battle. He tears the enemy from the saddle, lifts him up and throws him from the shore into the waves. This hero was none other than Rogdai, who found his death in the waters of the Dnieper.

A cold morning shines on the tops of the northern mountains. Chernomor lies in bed, and the slaves comb his beard and oil his mustache. Suddenly, a winged serpent flies through the window and turns into Naina. She welcomes Chernomor and informs him of the impending danger. Chernomor replies to Naina that he is not afraid of the knight as long as his beard is intact. Naina, turning into a snake, flies away again, and Chernomor again goes to Lyudmila's chambers, but cannot find her either in the palace or in the garden. Lyudmila is gone. Chernomor in anger sends slaves in search of the disappeared princess, threatening them with terrible punishments. Lyudmila did not run away anywhere, she just accidentally discovered the secret of the Black Sea invisibility cap and took advantage of its magical properties.

But what about Ruslan? Having defeated Rogdai, he went further and ended up on the battlefield with armor and weapons scattered around, and the bones of warriors turning yellow. Sadly, Ruslan looks around the battlefield and finds among the abandoned weapons for himself armor, a steel spear, but cannot find a sword. Ruslan is driving through the night steppe and notices a huge hill in the distance. Riding closer, by the light of the moon, he sees that this is not a hill, but a living head in a heroic helmet with feathers that shudder from her snoring. Ruslan tickled the nostrils of his head with a spear, she sneezed and woke up. The angry head threatens Ruslan, but, seeing that the knight is not frightened, he becomes angry and begins to blow on him with all his might. Unable to resist this whirlwind, Ruslan's horse flies far into the field, and his head laughs over the knight. Enraged by her ridicule, Ruslan throws a spear and pierces his head with a tongue. Taking advantage of the confusion of his head, Ruslan rushes to her and beats her on the cheek with a heavy mitten. The head shook, turned over and rolled. In the place where she stood, Ruslan sees a sword that fits him. He intends to cut off the head's nose and ears with this sword, but he hears her groan and spares. The prostrate head tells Ruslan his story. Once she was a brave giant knight, but to her misfortune she had a younger dwarf brother, the evil Chernomor, who envied her older brother. One day, Chernomor revealed the secret he found in the black books, that behind the eastern mountains in the basement there is a sword that is dangerous for both brothers. Chernomor persuaded his brother to go in search of this sword and, when he was found, he fraudulently took possession of it and cut off his brother's head, transferred it to this desert region and doomed it to guard the sword forever. The head offers Ruslan to take the sword and take revenge on the insidious Chernomor.

Khan Ratmir went south in search of Lyudmila and on the way he sees a castle on a rock, along the wall of which a singing maiden walks in the moonlight. With her song, she beckons the knight, he drives up, under the wall he is met by a crowd of red maidens who give the knight a luxurious reception.

And Ruslan spends this night near his head, and in the morning he goes on further searches. Autumn passes, and winter comes, but Ruslan stubbornly moves north, overcoming all obstacles.

Lyudmila, hidden from the eyes of the sorcerer with a magic hat, walks alone through the beautiful gardens and teases the servants of Chernomor. But the insidious Chernomor, having taken the form of a wounded Ruslan, lures Lyudmila into the net. He is ready to pick the fruit of love, but the sound of a horn is heard, and someone is calling him. Having put on an invisibility cap on Lyudmila, Chernomor flies towards the call.

Ruslan called the sorcerer to fight, he is waiting for him. But the insidious wizard, having become invisible, beats the knight on the helmet. Having contrived, Ruslan grabs Chernomor by the beard, and the wizard takes off with him under the clouds. For two days he carried the knight through the air and finally asked for mercy and carried Ruslan to Lyudmila. On the ground, Ruslan cuts off his beard with a sword and ties it to his helmet. But, having entered the possession of Chernomor, he does not see Lyudmila anywhere and, in anger, begins to destroy everything around with his sword. With an accidental blow, he knocks off the invisibility cap from Lyudmila's head and finds a bride. But Lyudmila sleeps soundly. At this moment, Ruslan hears the voice of the Finn, who advises him to go to Kyiv, where Lyudmila will wake up. Arriving on the way back to the head, Ruslan pleases her with a message about the victory over Chernomor.

On the bank of the river, Ruslan sees a poor fisherman and his beautiful young wife. He is surprised to recognize Ratmir in the fisherman. Ratmir says that he found his happiness and left the vain world. He says goodbye to Ruslan and wishes him happiness and love.

Meanwhile, Naina appears to Farlaf, who is waiting in the wings, and teaches how to destroy Ruslan. Creeping up to the sleeping Ruslan, Farlaf plunges his sword into his chest three times and hides with Lyudmila.

The murdered Ruslan lies in the field, and Farlaf with the sleeping Lyudmila strives for Kyiv. He enters the tower with Lyudmila in his arms, but Lyudmila does not wake up, and all attempts to wake her up are fruitless. And here a new misfortune falls on Kyiv: it is surrounded by the rebellious Pechenegs.

While Farlaf is going to Kyiv, the Finn comes to Ruslan with living and dead water. Having resurrected the knight, he tells him what happened and gives him a magic ring that will remove the spell from Lyudmila. Encouraged Ruslan rushes to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, the Pechenegs besiege the city, and at dawn a battle begins, which does not bring victory to anyone. And the next morning, among the hordes of Pechenegs, a rider in shining armor suddenly appears. He strikes right and left and puts the Pechenegs to flight. It was Ruslan. Having entered Kyiv, he goes to the tower, where Vladimir and Farlaf were near Lyudmila. seeing Ruslan, Farlaf falls to his knees, and Ruslan strives for Lyudmila and, touching her face with a ring, awakens her. Happy Vladimir, Lyudmila and Ruslan forgive Farlaf, who confessed everything, and Chernomor, deprived of magical powers, is accepted into the palace.

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Prisoner of the Caucasus. Poem (1821 - 1822)

In the village, where in the evening Circassians sit on the thresholds and talk about their battles, a rider appears, dragging a Russian captive on a lasso, who seems to have died from wounds. But at noon, the prisoner comes to his senses, remembers that with him, where he is, and discovers the shackles on his legs. He is a slave!

With a dream he flies to Russia, where he spent his youth and which he left for the sake of freedom. He dreamed of finding her in the Caucasus, but he found slavery. Now he wants only death.

At night, when the aul has calmed down, a young Circassian woman comes to the prisoner and brings him cool koumiss to quench his thirst. The maiden sits with the prisoner for a long time, crying and not being able to tell about her feelings.

For many days in a row the chained captive grazes the herd in the mountains, and every night a Circassian woman comes to him, brings koumiss, wine, honey and millet, shares a meal with him and sings songs of the mountains, teaches the prisoner his native language. She fell in love with the prisoner with her first love, but he is unable to reciprocate her, fearing to disturb the dream of forgotten love.

Gradually the prisoner got used to a dull life, melting longing in his soul. His eyes were entertained by the majestic mountains of the Caucasus and Elbrus in an icy crown. Often he found special joy in the storms that raged on the mountain slopes, not reaching the heights where he was.

His attention is drawn to the customs and customs of the highlanders, he likes the simplicity of their life, hospitality, militancy. He could spend hours admiring how the Circassians jigit, accustoming themselves to war; he liked their outfit, and the weapons that adorn the Circassian, and the horses, which are the main wealth of the Circassian warriors. He admires the military prowess of the Circassians and their formidable raids on the Cossack villages. In their homes, at the hearths, the Circassians are hospitable and welcome tired travelers caught in the mountains at night or by bad weather.

The prisoner also watches the warlike games of Chechen youths, admires their prowess and strength, he is not even embarrassed by their bloody amusements, when they cut off the heads of slaves in the heat of the game. Having experienced military pleasures himself, looking into the eyes of death, he hides the movements of his heart from the Circassians and strikes them with careless courage and equanimity. The Circassians are even proud of him as their prey.

The Circassian woman in love, having recognized the delights of the heart, persuades the captive to forget his homeland and freedom. She is ready to despise the will of her father and brother, who want to sell her unloved to another village, persuade them or commit suicide. She loves only the prisoner. But her words and caresses do not awaken the souls of the captive. He indulges in memories and one day, crying, opens his soul to her, he begs the Circassian woman to forget him, who became a victim of passions that deprived him of raptures and desires. He laments that he recognized her so late, when there is no longer hope and dreams and he is not able to answer her for her love, his soul is cold and insensitive, and another image lives in it, eternally sweet, but unattainable.

In response to the confessions of the captive, the Circassian woman reproaches him and says that he could, at least out of pity, deceive her inexperience. She asks him to be indulgent to her mental anguish. The prisoner answers her that their fates are similar, that he also did not know reciprocity in love and suffered alone. At dawn, sad and silent, they part, and from then on the captive spends time alone in dreams of freedom.

One day he hears a noise and sees that the Circassians are going on a raid. Only women, children and elders remain in the village. The captive dreams of escape, but the heavy chain and the deep river are insurmountable obstacles. And when it got dark, she came to the prisoner, holding a saw and a dagger in her hands. She cuts the chain herself. The excited young man invites her to run away with him, but the Circassian woman refuses, knowing that he loves another. She says goodbye to him, and the prisoner throws himself into the river and swims to the opposite bank. Suddenly he hears the sound of waves behind him and a distant groan. Having got out on the shore, he turns around and does not find the Circassian girl on the abandoned shore.

The prisoner understands what this splash and groan meant. He looks with a farewell glance at the abandoned aul, at the field where he pastured the herd, and goes to where the Russian bayonets flash and the advanced Cossacks call out.

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Bakhchisarai fountain. Poem (1821 - 1823)

The formidable Khan Giray sits in his palace, angry and sad. Why is Giray saddened, what is he thinking about? He does not think about the war with Russia, he is not afraid of the machinations of enemies, and his wives are faithful to him, they are guarded by a devoted and evil eunuch. The sad Giray goes to the abode of his wives, where the slaves sing a song in praise of the beautiful Zarema, the beauty of the harem. But Zarema herself, pale and sad, does not listen to praise and is sad because Girey has stopped loving her; he fell in love with young Maria, a recent inhabitant of the harem, who came here from her native Poland, where she was an adornment of her parents' house and an enviable bride for many rich nobles who were looking for her hand.

The Tatar hordes that poured into Poland destroyed the house of Mary’s father, and she herself became Girey’s slave. In captivity, Mary withers and finds joy only in prayer before the icon of the Blessed Virgin, near which an unquenchable lamp burns. And even Giray himself spares her peace and does not disturb her loneliness.

The sweet Crimean night comes, the palace falls silent, the harem sleeps, but only one of Giray’s wives does not sleep. She gets up and sneaks past the sleeping eunuch. So she opens the door and finds herself in a room where a lamp is burning in front of the face of the Most Pure Virgin and unbroken silence reigns. Something long forgotten stirred in Zarema’s chest. She sees the sleeping princess and kneels before her with a prayer. The awakened Maria asks Zarema why she was a late guest here. Zarema tells her her sad story. She doesn’t remember how she ended up in Girey’s palace, but she enjoyed his love undividedly until Maria appeared in the harem. Zarema begs Maria to return Girey's heart to her, his betrayal will kill her. She threatens Maria...

Having poured out her confessions, Zarema disappears, leaving Maria in confusion and in dreams of death, which is dearer to her than the fate of Giray's concubine.

Maria's wishes came true and she died, but Giray did not return to Zarema. He left the palace and again indulged in the joys of war, but even in battles Giray cannot forget the beautiful Mary. The harem is abandoned and forgotten by Giray, and Zarema is thrown into the abyss of water by the guards of the harem on the same night when Maria died. Returning to Bakhchisarai in the heat of the disastrous raid on the villages of Russia, Giray erected a fountain in memory of Mary, which the young virgins of Taurida, having learned this sad legend, called the fountain of tears.

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Gypsies. Poem (1824, published 1827)

The gypsy camp roams the steppes of Bessarabia. A gypsy family is preparing dinner by the fire, horses are grazing nearby, and a tame bear is lying behind the tent. Gradually everything falls silent and falls into a dream. Only in one tent does the old man not sleep, waiting for his daughter Zemfira, who has gone for a walk in the field. And then Zemfira appears along with a young man unfamiliar to the old man. Zemfira explains that she met him behind the barrow and invited him to the camp, that he is pursued by the law and wants to be a gypsy. His name is Aleko. The old man cordially invites the young man to stay as long as he wants, and says that he is ready to share bread and shelter with him.

In the morning, the old man wakes up Zemfira and Aleko, the camp wakes up and sets off on a journey with a picturesque crowd. The young man's heart shrinks from anguish at the sight of the deserted plain. But what does he yearn for? Zemfira wants to know this. A conversation ensues between them. Zemfira fears that he regrets the life he left, but Aleko reassures her and says that he left "the captivity of stuffy cities" without regret. In the life that he abandoned, there is no love, which means there is no fun, and now his desire is to always be with Zemfira. The old man, hearing their conversation, tells them an old legend about a poet who was once exiled by the king to these parts and languished in his soul for his homeland, despite the love and care of the locals. Aleko recognizes Ovid in the hero of this legend and is amazed at the vicissitudes of fate and the ephemeral nature of glory.

For two years Aleko has been wandering along with the camp, free, like the gypsies themselves, without regretting the abandonment. He leads the bear to the villages and thus earns his bread. Nothing bothers the peace of his soul, but one day he hears Zemfira singing a song that confuses him. In this song, Zemfira admits that she fell out of love with him. Aleko asks her to stop singing, but Zemfira continues, and then Aleko realizes that Zemfira is unfaithful to him. Zemfira confirms Aleko's worst assumptions.

At night, Zemfira wakes up her father and says that Aleko is crying and groaning in his sleep, calling her, but his love has become hateful to Zemfira, her heart asks for will. Aleko wakes up, and Zemfira goes to him. Aleko wants to know where Zemfira was. She replies that she was sitting with her father, because she could not bear the sight of Aleko's mental anguish that he experienced in his sleep. Aleko admits that he saw Zemfira's betrayal in a dream, but Zemfira persuades him not to believe crafty dreams.

The old gypsy asks Aleko not to be sad and assures him that longing will destroy him. Aleko admits that the reason for his sadness is Zemfira's indifference to him. The old man consoles Aleko, says that Zemfira is a child, that a woman's heart is loved jokingly, that no one is free to order a woman's heart to love one, how to order the moon to freeze in place. But Aleko, remembering the hours of love spent with Zemfira, is inconsolable. He laments that "Zemfira has cooled off," that "Zemfira is unfaithful." For edification, the old man tells Aleko about himself, about how young he was, how he loved the beautiful Mariula, and how he finally achieved reciprocity. But youth quickly passed, even faster - Mariula's love. Once she left with another camp, leaving her little daughter, this same Zemfira. And since then, "all the virgins of the world" have been disgusted with the old man. Aleko asks how the old man could not take revenge on the offenders, how could he not plunge a dagger into the heart of the kidnapper and unfaithful wife. The old man replies that nothing can hold love, nothing can be returned, "what was, will not be again." Aleko assures the old man that he himself is not like that, that he cannot give up his rights or even enjoy revenge.

Meanwhile, Zemfira is on a date with a young gypsy. They agree on a new date this night after the moon has set.

Aleko sleeps restlessly and, upon awakening, does not find Zemfira nearby. He gets up, leaves the tent, he is overcome by suspicion and fear, he wanders around the tent and sees a trail, barely noticeable in the starlight, leading beyond the mounds, and Aleko sets off along this trail. Suddenly he sees two shadows and hears the voices of two lovers who cannot part with each other. He recognizes Zemfira, who asks her lover to run away, but Aleko stabs him with a knife... Horrified, Zemfira says that she despises Aleko’s threats and curses him. Aleko kills her too.

Dawn found Aleko sitting behind a hill with a bloody knife in his hand. There are two corpses in front of him. The tribesmen say goodbye to the dead and dig graves for them. An old gypsy sits in thought. After the bodies of the lovers were interred, he approaches Aleko and says: "Leave us, proud man!" He says that the gypsies do not want to live next to a murderer, with a man who "only for himself" wants freedom.

The old man said this, and the camp soon moved off and disappeared into the distance of the steppe. Only one cart remained in the fatal field. Night fell, but no one built a fire in front of her and no one spent the night under her roof.

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Poltava. Poem (1828)

“Kochubey is rich and famous, // His meadows are boundless,” he owns many treasures, but Kochubey’s main wealth is his daughter Maria, who has no equal in all of Poltava. Mary is famous not only for her beauty, but everyone knows her meek disposition. Many suitors woo her, but Mary’s heart is unapproachable. And now Hetman Mazepa himself sends matchmakers after her. The hetman is already old, but feelings are boiling in him, not the changeable feelings of youth, but an even heat that does not cool down until his death.

Maria's parents are indignant, they are outraged by the elder's behavior, because Maria is the hetman's goddaughter. Maria's mother says that Mazepa is a wicked man and that marriage is out of the question. Hearing all this, Maria falls unconscious. Maria cannot come to her senses for two days, and on the third day she disappears. No one noticed how she disappeared, only one fisherman heard the clatter of a horse at night, and in the morning “the trace of eight horseshoes // Was visible in the dew of the meadows.” Soon the terrible news reached Kochubey that his daughter had fled to Mazepa. Only now did the old people understand the reason for their daughter’s mental turmoil. And Kochubey conceived a plan for revenge on the hetman.

“There was that troubled time, // When Russia was young, // Straining her strength in struggles, // She grew up with the genius of Peter.” In the fight against the Swedish king Charles XII, Rus' grew stronger. Ukraine was worried, there were many supporters of ancient liberty who demanded that the hetman break the treaty with Russia and become an ally of Charles, but Mazepa “seemed not to heed the rumor” and “remained // An obedient subject of Peter.”

The youth grumbled at the hetman, dreaming of uniting with Karl, “to break out <...> war // Against hated Moscow!” But no one knew the secret plans of the insidious and vengeful Mazepa. For a long time he had been hatching a plan of treason, without revealing it to anyone, but the offended Kochubey comprehended his secret thoughts and decided to take revenge for the insult to his home, revealing to Peter the plans of the traitor. Once Kochubey and Mazepa were friends and confided their feelings to each other, then Mazepa revealed his plans, but now there is a grudge between them that Kochubey cannot forgive. The spirit of revenge is also supported in him by his wife. Now we only need a reliable person, ready, without timidity, to lay Kochubey’s denunciation against the hetman at Peter’s feet.

Such a person was found among the Poltava Cossacks, once rejected by Maria, but still loving her even in her shame and hating her seducer. He sets off on his journey with Kochubey’s denunciation of the traitor hetman sewn into his hat. Mazepa, unaware of the terrible danger, weaves political intrigue, negotiating with the Jesuit envoy, outraged the Cossacks on the Don, raising Crimea, Poland and Turkey against Moscow. And in the midst of these insidious concerns, the Russian nobles sent him a denunciation of him, written in Poltava and left unheeded by Peter. Justifying himself to Peter and convincing him of his loyalty, Mazepa demands the execution of the informers, the execution of the father of his beloved, “... but the love of the father’s head will not redeem the daughter.” Maria selflessly loves Mazepa and despises rumors. Only sometimes she is overcome by sadness when thinking about her parents. But she still does not know what the whole of Ukraine already knows, a terrible secret is hidden from her. Mazepa is gloomy, and “his mind // Confused by cruel dreams.” Even Maria’s caresses are unable to dispel his terrible thoughts; he remains cold towards them. The offended Maria reproaches him, saying that for his sake she ruined her own happiness and disgraced herself. Mazepa tries to calm Maria down with words of love, but she accuses him of cunning and pretense. She is even jealous of a certain Dulskaya. Maria wants to know the reason for Mazepa’s coldness. And Mazepa reveals to her his plans for the uprising of Ukraine against the rule of Moscow. Mary is delighted and longs to see her lover with the royal crown on her head. She will remain faithful to him even in misfortune and will even go to the chopping block with him. And Mazepa subjects Maria to a terrible test: he asks who is more dear to her - her father or her husband? He tries to force her to give an unambiguous answer, puts her before a terrible choice: whose death will she prefer if she is destined to choose who to send to execution. And the desired answer was received.

"Quiet Ukrainian night". In the old castle in Belaya Tserkov, the chained Kochubey sits in a tower and awaits execution, which he is not afraid of - he is oppressed by shame, loss of honor. He was given by the king to be desecrated by the enemy, not being able to bequeath his revenge to the offender to anyone. The door of his dungeon opens, and the bloodthirsty Orlik enters. Mazepa knows that Kochubey hid the treasures, and Orlik came to find out where they were hidden. Kochubey replies that his honor, the honor of his daughter, were his treasures, but these treasures were taken away by torture and Mazepa, and the third treasure - holy revenge - he is preparing to take down to God, Orlik inquires where the money is hidden, but to no avail, and Kochubey is given into the hands of the executioner.

Maria, caressed by Mazepa, does not yet know about the terrible fate of her father, and Mazepa shudders at the thought of what will happen to her when everything is revealed. He repents that he deceived her, that he tried to harness "a horse and a quivering doe" into one cart. Leaving Mary sitting in ignorance, tormented by doubts, Mazepa leaves the palace.

At dawn, her mother crept into the chamber where Maria was sleeping and revealed the terrible news to her daughter. The mother cannot believe that her daughter knows nothing, she asks Maria to fall at Mazepa’s feet and beg him to spare her father. Unable to bear the mental anguish, Maria faints. A huge crowd has gathered at the execution site. The convicts Kochubey and Iskra were brought on a cart. The martyrs ascend to the scaffold, the executioner chops off their heads and, holding them by the forelocks, shows them to the crowd. When the execution site was already empty, two women came running, but, alas, they were too late.

Returning home after a terrible execution, Mazepa finds Mary's room empty. He sends the Cossacks in search, but all in vain: no one has seen Maria anywhere.

Mental sadness does not prevent the hetman from carrying out his political plans. Continuing relations with the Swedish king, Mazepa pretends to be mortally ill, but quickly gets up from his deathbed when Karl transfers military operations to Ukraine. Now Mazepa is leading regiments against Peter. Peter himself leads the squads to Poltava, and now the two armies stand against each other, ready for the morning battle. On the night before the battle, Mazepa talks with Orlik and talks about his disappointment in Karl, who does not seem to him a statesman who can compete with the autocratic giant. Orlik replies that it is not too late to go over to the side of Peter, but Mazepa rejects this proposal and reveals the reason for his hatred of the Russian Tsar. Once at a feast, in response to a boldly spoken word, Peter grabbed Mazepa by the mustache. For this insult, Mazepa swore revenge on Peter.

In the morning, the Battle of Poltava begins, in which military happiness serves the Russian troops. Encouraged by the appearance of Peter, the Russian regiments are pushing the Swedes. Mazepa silently watches the battle, and suddenly a shot is heard behind him. It was Voinarovsky who struck down a young Cossack who was rushing with a saber at Mazepa, who, dying, whispered the name of Mary.

The battle is over, Peter is feasting in his tent “and raises his cup of health for his teachers,” but Karl and Mazepa are not among the feasters. They ride on horseback to escape persecution. Suddenly, the farmstead, past which the fugitives are rushing, frightens Mazepa: he recognizes the place where he once feasted and from where he led Maria out into the steppe on a dark night. The fugitives spend the night in the steppe on the banks of the Dnieper, when suddenly someone calls out to Mazepa in the silence of the night. He opens his eyes and sees Maria. She is in rags, with loose hair, sparkling sunken eyes. Maria lost her mind. She does not recognize Mazepa, says that it is someone else, and hides in the darkness of the night. In the morning, Karl and Mazepa gallop further.

A hundred years have passed, and only Peter remained in history, but there was not even a memory of Mazepa and Mary.

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Bronze Horseman. Petersburg Tale Poem (1833)

“On the shore of the desert waves” of the Neva Peter stands and thinks about the city that will be built here and which will become Russia’s window to Europe. A hundred years have passed, and the city “from the darkness of the forests, from the swamps of blat // Ascended magnificently, proudly.” Peter's creation is beautiful, it is a triumph of harmony and light, replacing chaos and darkness.

November in St. Petersburg breathed cold, Neva was splashing and rustling. In the late evening, a minor official named Yevgeny returns home to his closet in a poor district of St. Petersburg, called Kolomna. Once his family was notable, but now even the memory of this has been erased, while Yevgeny himself is shy of noble people. He lies down, but cannot fall asleep, entertained by thoughts of his situation, that bridges were removed from the arriving river and that he would be separated from his lover, Paracha, who lives on the other bank, for two or three days. The idea of ​​Parasha gives rise to dreams of marriage and of a future happy and modest life with family, together with a loving and beloved wife and children. Finally, lulled by sweet thoughts, Eugene falls asleep.

“The darkness of the stormy night is thinning // And the pale day is already coming...” The coming day brings terrible misfortune. The Neva, unable to overcome the force of the wind that blocked its path into the bay, surged into the city and flooded it. The weather became more and more ferocious, and soon the whole of St. Petersburg was under water. The raging waves behave like soldiers of an enemy army that has taken the city by storm. The people see God's wrath in this and await execution. The Tsar, who ruled Russia that year, goes out onto the balcony of the palace and says that “Tsars cannot control the elements of God.”

At this time, on Petrovskaya Square, astride a marble statue of a lion at the porch of a new luxurious house, the motionless Yevgeny sits, not feeling how the wind tore off his hat, how the rising water wets his soles, how the rain whips into his face. He looks at the opposite bank of the Neva, where his beloved and her mother live in their poor house very close to the water. As if bewitched by gloomy thoughts, Eugene cannot budge, and with his back to him, towering over the elements, "the idol on a bronze horse stands with outstretched hand."

But finally the Neva entered the banks, the water slept, and Eugene, sinking in soul, hurries to the river, finds a boatman and crosses to the other side. He runs down the street and cannot recognize familiar places. Everything is destroyed by the flood, everything around looks like a battlefield, bodies are lying around. Eugene hurries to the place where the familiar house stood, but does not find it. He sees the willow growing at the gate, but the gate itself is not. Unable to endure the shock, Eugene burst out laughing, losing his mind.

The new day rising over St. Petersburg no longer finds traces of the previous destruction, everything is put in order, the city has begun to live its usual life. Only Eugene could not resist the shocks. He wanders around the city, full of gloomy thoughts, and the sound of a storm is constantly heard in his ears. So he spends a week, a month wandering, wandering, eating alms, sleeping on the pier. Angry children throw stones after him, and the coachman lashes with whips, but he seems not to notice any of this. He is still deafened by internal anxiety. One day, closer to autumn, in inclement weather, Evgeniy wakes up and vividly remembers last year's horror. He gets up, wanders hastily and suddenly sees a house, in front of the porch of which there are marble sculptures of lions with raised paws, and “above the fenced rock” a rider sits on a bronze horse with his arm outstretched. Eugene’s thoughts suddenly become clearer, he recognizes this place and the one “by whose fatal will // The city was founded under the sea...”. Eugene walks around the foot of the monument, looking wildly at the statue, he feels extraordinary excitement and anger and in anger threatens the monument, but suddenly it seemed to him that the face of the formidable king was turning to him, and in his eyes sparkling Gaev, and Eugene rushes away, hearing behind him heavy clatter of copper hooves. And all night the unfortunate man rushes around the city and it seems to him that the horseman with a heavy stomp is galloping after him everywhere. And from that time on, if he happened to walk across the square where the statue stood, he embarrassedly took off his cap in front of it and pressed his hand to his heart, as if asking forgiveness from the formidable idol.

A small deserted island is visible on the seashore, where fishermen sometimes moor. The flood brought here an empty dilapidated house, at the threshold of which they found the corpse of poor Eugene and immediately "buried for God's sake."

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Eugene Onegin. Novel in verse (1823 - 1831)

The young nobleman Eugene Onegin travels from St. Petersburg to the village to his dying rich uncle, annoyed at the impending boredom. Twenty-four-year-old Eugene was educated at home as a child, he was brought up by French tutors. He spoke French fluently, danced easily, knew a little Latin, in conversation he knew how to keep silent in time or flash an epigram - this was enough for the world to react favorably to him.

Onegin leads a life full of social fun and love adventures. Every day he receives several invitations for the evening, goes for a walk on the boulevard, then has lunch with a restaurateur, and from there goes to the theater. At home, Evgeniy spends a lot of time in front of the mirror behind the toilet. His office has all the fashionable decorations and accessories: perfumes, combs, files, scissors, brushes. “You can be a efficient person // And think about the beauty of your nails.” Onegin is in a hurry again - now to the ball. The holiday is in full swing, music is playing, “the legs of lovely ladies are flying”...

Returning from the ball, Eugene goes to bed early in the morning, when Petersburg is already waking up. "Tomorrow is the same as yesterday." But is Eugene happy? No, everything bored him: friends, beauties, light, spectacles. Like Byron's Childe Harold, he is gloomy and disappointed, Onegin, having locked himself at home, tries to read a lot, tries to write himself - but all to no avail. The blues takes over again.

After the death of his father, who lived in debt and eventually broke down, Onegin, not wanting to deal with litigation, gives family status to the creditors. He hopes to inherit his uncle's property. Indeed, when he came to a relative, Evgeni learns that he died, leaving his nephew with an estate, factories, forests and lands.

Eugene settles in the village - life has somehow changed. At first, the new position amuses him, but he soon becomes convinced that it is just as boring here as in St. Petersburg.

Easing the fate of the peasants, Eugene replaced the corvée with dues. Because of such innovations, as well as insufficient courtesy, Onegin was known among the neighbors as "the most dangerous eccentric."

At the same time, eighteen-year-old Vladimir Lensky, “an admirer of Kant and a poet,” returns from Germany to a neighboring estate. His soul has not yet been corrupted by the light, he believes in love, glory, the highest and mysterious goal of life. With sweet innocence, he sings of “something and the foggy distance” in sublime verse. A handsome man, an advantageous groom, Lensky does not want to embarrass himself either by marriage or even by participating in the everyday conversations of his neighbors.

Completely different people, Lensky and Onegin nevertheless converge and often spend time together. Eugene listens with a smile to Lensky's "young nonsense". Believing that over the years the delusions themselves will disappear, Onegin is in no hurry to disappoint the poet, the ardor of Lensky's feelings nevertheless arouses respect in him. Lensky tells a friend about his extraordinary love for Olga, whom he has known since childhood and whom he has long been predicted to be a bride.

Her eldest, Tatyana, is not at all like the ruddy, blond, always cheerful Olga. Thoughtful and sad, she prefers loneliness and reading foreign novels to noisy games.

The mother of Tatyana and Olga was once married against her will. In the village where she was taken, she cried at first, but then she got used to it, got used to it, and began to “autocratically” manage the household and her husband. Dmitry Larin sincerely loved his wife, trusting her in everything. The family revered ancient customs and rituals: they fasted during Lent and baked pancakes during Maslenitsa. Their life passed so calmly until the “simple and kind gentleman” died. Lensky visits Larin's grave. Life goes on, one generation is replaced by another. The time will come, “... our grandchildren in good time // will push us out of the world!”

One evening, Lensky is going to visit Larin. This pastime seems boring for Onegin, but then he decides to join his friend to look at the object of his love. On the way back, Eugene frankly shares his impressions: Olga, in his opinion, is mediocre, on the site of a young poet he would rather choose an older sister.

Meanwhile, the unexpected visit of friends gave rise to gossip about the future wedding of Eugene and Tatyana. Tatyana herself secretly thinks about Onegin: "The time has come, she fell in love." Immersed in reading novels, Tatyana imagines herself to be their heroine, and Onegin as a hero. At night, she cannot sleep and starts a conversation about love with the nanny. She tells how she was married at the age of thirteen, and cannot understand the young lady. Suddenly Tatyana asks for a pen and paper and starts writing a letter to Onegin. In him, trusting, obedient to the attraction of feelings, Tatyana is frank. She, in her sweet simplicity, does not know about the danger, does not observe the caution inherent in the "inaccessible" cold St. Petersburg beauties and cunning coquettes, luring fans into their networks. The letter was written in French, since the ladies at that time were much more accustomed to expressing themselves in this language. Tatyana believes that Yevgeny was "sent by God" to her, that she cannot entrust her fate to anyone else. She is waiting for Onegin's decision and answer.

In the morning, Tatyana, in excitement, asks nanny Filipevna to send a letter to her neighbor. An agonizing wait ensues. Lensky finally arrives, followed by Onegin. Tatyana quickly runs into the garden, where the maidservants sing while picking berries. Tatiana just can’t calm down, and suddenly Evgeniy appears in front of her...

The sincerity and simplicity of Tatiana's letter touched Onegin. Not wanting to deceive the gullible Tanya, Evgeniy turns to her with a “confession”: if he were looking for a calm family life, he would choose Tatyana as his girlfriend, but he is not created for bliss. Gradually, the “confession” becomes a “sermon”: Onegin advises Tatiana to restrain her feelings, otherwise her inexperience will lead her to disaster. The girl listens to him in tears. We have to admit that Onegin acted quite nobly towards Tanya, no matter how his enemies and friends honored him. In our lives we cannot rely on friends, family, or loved ones. What remains? "Love yourself..."

After an explanation with Onegin, Tatyana "fades, turns pale, goes out and is silent." Lensky and Olga, on the contrary, are cheerful. They are together all the time. Lensky decorates Holguin's album with drawings and elegies.

Meanwhile, Onegin indulges in a quiet village life: "walking, reading, deep sleep." The northern summer passes quickly, the boring autumn time comes, and after it - and frosts. On winter days, Onegin sits at home, Lensky comes to visit him. Friends drink wine, talk by the fireplace, and remember their neighbors. Lensky gives Yevgeny an invitation to Tatiana's name day, talking enthusiastically about Olga. The wedding is already scheduled, Lensky has no doubt that he is loved, so he is happy. His faith is naive, but is it better for someone in whom "experience has cooled the heart"?

Tatyana loves the Russian winter: sleigh rides, sunny frosty days and dark evenings. The holidays are coming. Fortune-telling, ancient legends, dreams and signs - Tatyana believes in all this. At night, she is going to tell fortunes, but she becomes scared. Tatyana goes to bed, taking off her silk belt. She has a strange dream.

She walks alone in the snow, a stream is rustling ahead, and there is a thin bridge above it. Suddenly a huge bear appears, which helps Tatyana cross to the other side, and then chases her. Tatyana tries to run, but falls exhausted. The bear brings her to some hut and disappears. Having come to her senses, Tatyana hears screams and noise, and through the silk in the door she sees incredible monsters, among them as the owner - Onegin! Suddenly the door opens with a breath of wind, and the whole gang of hellish ghosts, laughing wildly, approaches it. Hearing Onegin's menacing word, everyone disappears. Evgeny attracts Tatyana to him, but then Olga and Lensky appear. An argument breaks out. Onegin, dissatisfied with the uninvited guests, grabs a knife and kills Lensky. Darkness, scream... Tatyana wakes up and immediately tries to unravel the dream, leafing through Martyn Zadeki's dream book.

The name day is coming. Guests are coming: Pustyakov, Skotinins, Buyanov, Monsieur Triquet and other funny figures. The arrival of Onegin makes Tanya excited, and this annoys Eugene. He is indignant at Lensky, who called him here. After dinner, the ball begins. Onegin finds an excuse to take revenge on Lensky: he is kind to Olga, constantly dancing with her. Lensky is amazed. He wants to invite Olga to the next dance, but his fiancee has already given the floor to Onegin. Insulted, Lensky retires: only a duel can now decide his fate.

The next morning, Onegin receives a note from Lensky challenging him to a duel. The letter is brought by the second Zaretsky, a cynical but not stupid person, in the past a brawler, a card thief, an avid duelist who knew how to quarrel and reconcile friends. Now he is a peaceful landowner. Onegin accepts the challenge calmly, but in his heart he remains dissatisfied with himself: there was no need to joke so evilly about the love of a friend.

Lensky is looking forward to an answer, he is glad that Onegin did not avoid the duel. After some hesitation, Vladimir nevertheless goes to the Larins. Olga greets him cheerfully as if nothing had happened. Embarrassed, touched, happy Lensky is no longer jealous, but he is still obliged to save his beloved from the "corruptor". If Tatyana knew about everything, she might have prevented the upcoming duel. But both Onegin and Lensky remain silent.

In the evening, the young poet, in a lyrical fever, composes farewell verses. Lensky, who is a little dozing, is awakened by a neighbor. Eugene, having overslept, is late for the meeting. They have been waiting for him at the mill for a long time. Onegin introduces his servant Guillot as a second, which causes Zaretsky's displeasure.

As if in a nightmare, "enemies" cold-bloodedly prepare each other's death. They could reconcile, but they have to pay tribute to secular customs: a sincere impulse would be mistaken for cowardice. Finished preparations. Opponents on the team converge, aim - Eugene manages to shoot first. Lensky is killed. Onegin runs up, calls him - all in vain.

Perhaps eternal glory awaited the young poet, or perhaps an ordinary boring life. But be that as it may, the young dreamer is dead. Zaretsky takes the frozen corpse home.

Spring came. By the stream, in the shade of two pines, there is a simple monument: the poet Vladimir Lensky rests here. Once Larina's sisters often came here to mourn, now this place is forgotten by people.

After the death of Lensky, Olga did not cry for long - having fallen in love with the lancer, she got married, and soon left with him. Tatyana was left alone. She still thinks of Onegin, although she should have hated him for killing Lensky. Walking one evening, Tatyana comes to the deserted estate of Onegin. The housekeeper leads her into the house. Tatyana looks at the "fashionable cell" with emotion. Since then, she often comes here to read books from Evgeny's library. Tatyana carefully examines the marks in the margins, with their help she begins to understand more clearly the one whom she adored so much. Who is he: an angel or a demon, "isn't he a parody"?

Tatyana's mother is worried: her daughter refuses all suitors. Following the advice of her neighbors, she decides to go to Moscow, "to the fair of brides." Tatyana says goodbye to her beloved forests, meadows, to freedom, which she will have to exchange for the vanity of the world.

In winter, the Larins finally finish their noisy preparations, say goodbye to the servants, get into the cart and set off on a long journey. In Moscow they stay with their aged cousin Alina. All days are occupied with visits to numerous relatives. The girls surround Tanya, confide their heartfelt secrets to her, but she does not tell them anything about her love. Tatyana hears vulgar nonsense, indifferent speech, and gossip in social drawing rooms. In the meeting, amid the noise and roar of music, Tatyana is carried away in a dream to her village, to flowers and alleys, to memories of him. She doesn’t see anyone around, but some important general doesn’t take his eyes off her...

More than two years later, a lonely and silent Onegin appears at a social event in St. Petersburg. Once again he remains a stranger to society. People are ready to condemn everything strange and unusual; they can only handle mediocrity. And the one who, having got rid of unnecessary dreams, achieves fame, money and ranks in time, everyone recognizes as a “wonderful person.” But it’s sad to look at life as a ritual and obediently follow everyone. Onegin, having lived “without service, without a wife, without business” to the age of twenty-six, does not know what to do. He left the village, but he was also tired of traveling. And so, having returned, he finds himself “from the ship to the ball.” Everyone’s attention is attracted by the lady who appears, accompanied by an important general. Although she cannot be called beautiful, everything about her is sweet and simple, without the slightest bit of vulgarity. Eugene’s vague guesses are confirmed: this is the same Tatiana, now a princess. The prince introduces his friend Onegin to his wife. Evgeny is embarrassed, but Tatyana is completely calm.

The next day, having received an invitation from the prince, Onegin is looking forward to the evening in order to see Tatyana as soon as possible. But alone with her, he again feels awkward. Guests arrive. Onegin is occupied only by Tatyana. All people are like that: they are attracted only by the forbidden fruit. Not appreciating at the time the charm of the "gentle girl", Eugene falls in love with the impregnable and majestic "legislator" of high society. He relentlessly follows the princess, but cannot get attention from her. In desperation, he writes a passionate message to Tatyana, where he justifies himself for his former coldness and begs for reciprocity. But Onegin does not receive an answer either to this or to other letters. When they meet, Tatyana is cold and does not notice him. Onegin locks himself in his office and begins to read, but his thoughts constantly take him to the past.

One spring morning, Onegin leaves his imprisonment and goes to Tatyana. The princess is alone reading a letter and quietly crying. Now you can recognize her as the old poor Tanya. Onegin falls at her feet. After a long silence, Tatiana turns to Evgeniy: it is his turn to listen. He once rejected the love of a humble girl. Why pursue her now? Is it because she is rich and noble, that her shame would bring Onegin “tempting honor”? Tatyana is alien to the pomp and splendor of social life. She would be glad to give all this for a poor home, for the garden where she first met Onegin. But her fate is sealed. She had to give in to her mother’s pleas and get married. Tatyana admits that she loves Onegin. And yet he must leave her. “But I was given to another; I will be faithful to him forever” - with these words she leaves. Evgeny is amazed. Suddenly Tatyana's husband appears...

Author of the retelling: E. V. Novikova

Boris Godunov. Tragedy (1824 - 1825, published 1831)

February 20, 1598 It has already been a month since Boris Godunov shut himself up with his sister in a monastery, leaving “everything worldly” and refusing to accept the Moscow throne. The people explain Godunov’s refusal to be crowned king in the spirit necessary for Boris: “He is afraid of the radiance of the throne.” Godunov’s game is perfectly understood by the “crafty courtier” boyar Shuisky, shrewdly guessing the further development of events: “The people will howl and cry, // Boris will still wince a little, <...> And finally, by his grace, // he will humbly agree to accept the crown... “, otherwise “the blood of the baby prince was shed in vain,” for whose death Shuisky directly blames Boris.

Events are developing as Shuisky predicted. The people, "like waves, next to a row," fall to their knees and with "howl" and "cry" beg Boris to become king. Boris hesitates, then, interrupting his monastic seclusion, accepts "Great power (as he says in his throne speech) with fear and humility."

Four years have passed. Night. In the cell of the Chudov Monastery, Father Pimen is preparing to complete the chronicle with the “last legend.” The young monk Gregory, who was sleeping right there in Pimen’s cell, awakens. He complains about the monastic life that he has had to lead since adolescence, and envies Pimen’s cheerful “youth”: “You reflected the army of Lithuania under Shuisky, // You saw the court and luxury of John! Happy!” Exhorting the young monk (“I lived a long time and enjoyed a lot; // But from that time on I only know bliss, // How the Lord brought me to the monastery”), Pimen cites the example of kings John and Theodore, who sought peace “in the likeness of monastic labors.” . Gregory asks Pimen about the death of Demetrius the Tsarevich, the same age as the young monk - at that time Pimen was on obedience in Uglich, where God brought him to see an “evil deed,” “bloody sin.” The old man perceives the election of a regicide to the throne as a “terrible, unprecedented grief.” “With this sad story” he is going to complete his chronicle and transfer its further management to Gregory.

Gregory flees the monastery, declaring that he will be “tsar in Moscow.” The abbot of the Chudov Monastery reports this to the patriarch. The Patriarch gives the order to catch the fugitive and exile him to the Solovetsky Monastery for eternal settlement.

Royal chambers. The king enters after a “favorite conversation” with the sorcerer. He's gloomy. For the sixth year he reigned “calmly,” but possessing the Moscow throne did not make him happy. But Godunov’s thoughts and deeds were lofty: “I thought to calm my people in contentment, to calm them down in glory <...>, I opened their granaries, I scattered gold for them <...> I built them new dwellings... ". The stronger the disappointment that befell him: “Neither power nor life amuses me <...>, I have no happiness.” And yet, the source of the tsar’s severe mental crisis lies not only in his awareness of the futility of all his labors, but also in the torment of a bad conscience (“Yes, pitiful is he whose conscience is bad”).

Tavern on the Lithuanian border. Grigory Otrepiev, dressed in a worldly dress, sits at a table with the black tramps Misail and Varlam. He finds out from the hostess the way to Lithuania. The bailiffs enter. They are looking for Otrepiev, in their hands they have a royal decree with his signs. Gregory volunteers to read the decree and, reading it, replaces his signs with those of Misail. When the deception is revealed, he deftly slips out of the hands of the bewildered guards.

House of Vasily Shuisky. Among Shuisky's guests is Afanasy Pushkin. He has news from Krakow from Gavrila Pushkin’s nephew, which, after the guests leave, he shares with the owner: Dimitri, “a sovereign youth, killed by Boris’s mania, appeared at the court of the Polish king...”. Dimitri is “smart, friendly, dexterous, everyone likes him,” the king brought him closer to him and, “they say, he promised to help.” For Shuisky, this news is “important news! And if it reaches the people, then there will be a great storm.”

Royal chambers. Boris learns from Shuisky about the impostor who appeared in Krakow, and “that the king and the lords are for him.” Hearing that the impostor is impersonating Tsarevich Dimitri, Godunov begins to excitedly question Shuisky, who investigated this case in Uglich thirteen years ago. Calming Boris, Shuisky confirms that he saw the murdered prince, but among other things mentions the incorruptibility of his body - for three days Shuisky visited the corpse of Dimitri in the cathedral <...>, But the prince’s childish face was clear, // Both fresh and quiet as if sedated."

Krakow. In the house of Vishnevetsky, Grigory (now he is the Pretender) seduces his future supporters, promising each of them what he expects from the Pretender: he promises the Jesuit Chernikovsky to subjugate Rus' to the Vatican, promises freedom to the fugitive Cossacks, retribution to the disgraced servants of Boris.

In the castle of the voivode Mniszka in Sambir, where the Pretender stays for three days, he gets "trapped" by his lovely daughter Marina. Having fallen in love, he admits to her imposture, since he does not want to "share his mistress with the dead man." But Marina does not need the love of a runaway monk, all her thoughts are directed to the Moscow throne. Appreciating the "impudent deceit" of the Pretender, she insults him until his self-esteem awakens in him and he gives her a proud rebuff, calling himself Demetrius.

October 16, 1604. The impostor with his regiments approaches the Lithuanian border. He is tormented by the thought that he “called his enemies to Rus',” but immediately finds an excuse for himself: “But let my sin fall not on me - but on you, Boris the regicide!”

At a meeting of the Tsar's Duma, it is discussed that the Pretender has already laid siege to Chernigov. The Tsar gives Shchelkalov the order to send “decrees to the governors everywhere” so that “people […] are sent to serve.” But the most dangerous thing is that the rumor about the Pretender caused “anxiety and doubt”, “a rebellious whisper is wandering in the squares.” Shuisky personally volunteers to calm the people by revealing the “evil deception of the tramp.”

On December 21, 1604, the army of the Pretender defeated the Russian army near Novgorod-Seversky.

The square in front of the cathedral in Moscow. The mass in the cathedral has just ended, where anathema to Gregory was proclaimed, and now they are singing “eternal memory” to Tsarevich Demetrius. There is a crowd of people in the square, the holy fool Nikolka is sitting near the cathedral. The boys tease him and take away his money. The king comes out of the cathedral. Nikolka turns to him with the words: “Little children are offending Nikolka <...> Order them to be slaughtered, just as you stabbed the little prince.” And then, in response to the king’s request to pray for him, he throws after him: “No, no! You can’t pray for King Herod - the Mother of God doesn’t command.”

At Sevsk, the army of False Dmitry was “completely” defeated, but the catastrophic defeat by no means plunges the Pretender into despair. “Providence, of course, protects him,” sums up the Pretender’s comrade-in-arms Gavrila Pushkin. But this victory of the Russian troops is “vain.” “He again gathered the scattered army,” Boris says to Basmanov, “And he threatens us from the walls of Putivl.” Dissatisfied with the boyars, Boris wants to appoint the unborn, but intelligent and talented Basmanov as governor. But a few minutes after the conversation with Basmanov, the king “fell ill,” “He was sitting on the throne and suddenly fell - // Blood gushed from his lips and ears.”

The dying Boris asks him to be left alone with the prince. Fervently loving his son and blessing him to reign, Boris strives to take full responsibility for his deeds: “You will now reign by right. I, I alone will answer to God for everything...”

After the parting words of the king to his son, the patriarch, the boyars, the queen with the princess enter. Godunov takes an oath of the cross from Basmanov and the boyars to serve the feodor "with diligence and truth", after which the rite of tonsure is performed over the dying.

Bid. Basmanov, highly exalted by Theodore (he is "in command of the army"), talks with Gavrila Pushkin. He offers Basmanov, on behalf of Demetrius, "friendship" and "the first rank of him in the Muscovite kingdom," if the voivode gives "a prudent example to proclaim Demetrius the king." The thought of a possible betrayal terrifies Basmanov, and yet he begins to hesitate after Pushkin's words: "But do you know what we are strong in, Basmanov? Not with the army, no, not with the Polish help, But with the opinion; yes! with the opinion of the people."

Moscow. Pushkin on Execution Place addresses the “Moscow citizens” from Tsarevich Dimitri, to whom “Russia submitted,” and “Basmanov himself, with zealous repentance, swore in his regiments to him.” He calls on the people to kiss the cross to the “rightful ruler” and to beat the “forehead to the father and sovereign.” After him, a man rises to the pulpit, throwing a cry into the crowd: “People, people! To the Kremlin! To the royal chambers! // Go! Knit Boris’s puppy!” The people, supporting the cry, “rush in a crowd” with the words: “Knit! Drown! Long live Demetrius! // May the family of Boris Godunov perish!”

Kremlin. Boris's house is taken into custody. At the window are Boris's children - Fyodor and Ksenia. Remarks are heard from the crowd in which pity for the king’s children shows through: “poor children, like birds in a cage,” “the father was a villain, and the children are innocent.” The stronger is the moral shock of people when, after noise, a fight, and a woman’s squealing in the house, boyar Mosalsky appears on the porch with the message: “People! Maria Godunova and her son Theodore poisoned themselves with poison. We saw their dead corpses. (The people are silent in horror.) Why are you silent? Shout: long live Tsar Dimitri Ivanovich! The people are silent."

Author of the retelling: M. N. Serbul

Stingy knight. (Scenes from Chanston's tragicomedy: Thecovetousknight). Tragedy (1830)

The young knight Albert is about to appear at the tournament and asks his servant Ivan to show him the helmet. The helmet was pierced through in the last duel with the knight Delorge. It's impossible to put it on. The servant comforts Albert with the fact that he repaid Delorge in full, knocking him out of the saddle with a powerful blow, from which Albert's offender lay dead for a day and has hardly recovered so far. Albert says that the reason for his courage and strength was fury over the damaged helmet. The guilt of heroism is stinginess. Albert complains about poverty, embarrassment, which prevented him from taking off his helmet from a defeated enemy, says that he needs a new dress, that he alone is forced to sit at the ducal table in armor, while other knights flaunt in satin and velvet. But there is no money for clothes and weapons, and Albert's father - the old baron - is a miser. There is no money to buy a new horse, and Alber's permanent creditor, the Jew Solomon, according to Ivan, refuses to continue to believe in a debt without a mortgage. But the knight has nothing to pawn. The usurer does not succumb to any persuasion, and even the argument that Albert's father is old, will die soon and leave his son all his vast fortune, does not convince the lender.

At this time Solomon himself appears. Albert tries to beg him for a loan, but Solomon, although gently, nevertheless resolutely refuses to give money even on his word of honor. Albert, upset, does not believe that his father can survive him, but Solomon says that everything happens in life, that “our days are not numbered by us,” and the baron is strong and can live another thirty years. In despair, Albert says that in thirty years he will be fifty, and then he will hardly need the money. Solomon objects that money is needed at any age, only “a young man looks for nimble servants in it,” “an old man sees in them reliable friends.” Albert claims that his father himself serves money, like an Algerian slave, “like a chained dog.” He denies himself everything and lives worse than a beggar, and “the gold lies quietly in his chests.” Albert still hopes that someday it will serve him, Albert. Seeing Albert's despair and his readiness to do anything, Solomon hints at letting him know that his father's death can be hastened with the help of poison. At first, Albert does not understand these hints. But, having understood the matter, he wants to immediately hang Solomon on the castle gates. Solomon, realizing that the knight is not joking, wants to pay off, but Albert drives him away. Having come to his senses, he intends to send a servant for the moneylender to accept the money offered, but changes his mind because it seems to him that they will smell of poison. He demands to serve wine, but it turns out that there is not a drop of wine in the house. Cursing such a life, Albert decides to seek justice for his father from the Duke, who must force the old man to support his son, as befits a knight.

The baron goes down to his cellar, where he keeps chests of gold, in order to pour a handful of coins into the sixth chest, which is not yet full. Looking at his treasures, he recalls the legend of the king who ordered his soldiers to put down handfuls of earth, and as a result, a giant hill grew from which the king could look out over vast expanses. The baron likens his treasures, collected bit by bit, to this hill, which makes him the master of the whole world. He recalls the history of each coin, behind which there are tears and grief of people, poverty and death. It seems to him that if all the tears, blood and sweat shed for this money came out of the bowels of the earth now, then a flood would occur. He pours a handful of money into the chest, and then unlocks all the chests, puts lighted candles in front of them and admires the glitter of gold, feeling like the lord of a mighty power. But the idea that after his death an heir will come here and squander his wealth, infuriates the baron and indignantly. He believes that he has no right to this, that if he himself had amassed these treasures bit by bit with the hardest work, then, surely, he would not have thrown gold left and right.

In the palace, Albert complains to the duke about his father, and the duke promises to help the knight, to persuade the baron to support his son, as it should be. He hopes to awaken paternal feelings in the baron, because the baron was a friend of his grandfather and played with the duke when he was still a child.

The baron approaches the palace, and the duke asks Albert to bury himself in the next room while he talks with his father. The baron appears, the duke greets him and tries to evoke in him the memories of his youth. He wants the baron to appear at court, but the baron excuses himself with old age and infirmity, but promises that in case of war he will have the strength to draw his sword for his duke. The duke asks why he does not see the baron's son at court, to which the baron replies that the gloomy disposition of his son is an obstacle. The duke asks the baron to send his son to the palace and promises to accustom him to fun. He demands that the baron assign to his son an allowance befitting a knight. Gloomy, the baron says that his son is unworthy of the duke's care and attention, that "he is vicious", and refuses to comply with the duke's request. He says that he is angry with his son for plotting parricide. The duke threatens to put Albert on trial for this. The Baron reports that his son intends to rob him. Hearing these slanders, Albert bursts into the room and accuses his father of lying. The enraged Baron throws down the glove to his son. With the words "Thank you. Here is the first gift of his father" Albert accepts the baron's challenge. This incident plunges the duke into amazement and anger, he takes away the baron's glove from Albert and drives his father and son away from him. At this moment, with the words about the keys on his lips, the baron dies, and the duke complains about "a terrible age, terrible hearts."

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Mozart and Salieri. Tragedy (1830)

Composer Salieri sits in his room. He complains about the injustice of fate. Recalling his childhood years, he says that he was born with a love of high art, that, as a child, he cried involuntary and sweet tears at the sounds of a church organ. Having early rejected children's games and amusements, he selflessly devoted himself to the study of music. Disdaining everything that was alien to her, he overcame the difficulties of his first steps and early adversities. He mastered the craft of a musician to perfection, “to his fingers // Betrayed obedient, dry fluency // And loyalty to the ear.” Having killed the sounds, he dismantled the music, “trusted harmony with algebra.” Only then did he decide to create, to indulge in a creative dream, without thinking about fame. He often destroyed the fruits of many days of labor, born in tears of inspiration, finding them imperfect. But having comprehended music, he abandoned all his knowledge when the great Gluck discovered new secrets of art. And finally, when he reached a high degree in boundless art, glory smiled on him, he found a response to his consonances in the hearts of people. And Salieri peacefully enjoyed his fame, not envying anyone and not knowing this feeling at all. On the contrary, he enjoyed "the labors and successes of his friends." Salieri believes that no one had the right to call him a “despicable envious person.” Nowadays, Salieri’s soul is oppressed by the consciousness that he envies, painfully, deeply, Mozart. But more bitter than envy is the resentment at the injustice of fate, which gives a sacred gift not to an ascetic as a reward for long and painstaking labors, but to an “idle reveler”; harder than envy is the consciousness that this gift is not given as a reward for selfless love of art, but “illuminates the head of a madman.” . Salieri cannot understand this. In desperation, he pronounces the name of Mozart, and at that moment Mozart himself appears, to whom it seems that Salieri said his name because he noticed his approach, and he wanted to appear suddenly to treat Salieri with an “unexpected joke.” Walking to Salieri, Mozart heard the sounds of a violin in the tavern and saw a blind violinist playing a famous melody; this seemed interesting to Mozart. He brought this violinist with him and asks him to play something from Mozart. Ruthlessly out of tune, the violinist plays an aria from Don Juan. Mozart laughs merrily, but Salieri is serious and even reproaches Mozart. He doesn’t understand how Mozart can laugh at what seems to him a desecration of high art. Salieri drives the old man away, and Mozart gives him money and asks him to drink to his, Mozart’s, health.

It seems to Mozart that Salieri is not in a good mood now, and is going to come to him another time, but Salieri asks Mozart what he brought him. Mozart excuses himself, considering his new composition a trifle. He sketched it at night during insomnia, and it is not worth it to bother Salieri with it when he is in a bad mood. But Salieri asks Mozart to play this piece. Mozart tries to retell what he experienced when he composed and plays. Salieri is perplexed, how could Mozart, going to him with this, stop at a tavern and listen to a street musician. He says that Mozart is unworthy of himself, that his composition is unusual in depth, courage and harmony. He calls Mozart a god unaware of his divinity. Embarrassed, Mozart jokes that his deity is hungry. Salieri invites Mozart to dine together at the Golden Lion tavern. Mozart happily agrees, but wants to go home and warn his wife not to expect him for dinner.

Left alone, Salieri says that he is no longer able to resist the fate that has chosen him as its tool. He believes that he is called upon to stop Mozart, who by his behavior does not raise art, that it will fall again as soon as he disappears. Salieri believes that the living Mozart is a threat to art. Mozart in the eyes of Salieri is like a heavenly cherub that has flown into the world below to arouse wingless desire in people, the children of dust, and therefore it would be wiser if Mozart flies away again, and the sooner the better. Salieri takes out the poison bequeathed to him by his lover, Isora, the poison that he kept for eighteen years and never resorted to his help, although more than once life seemed unbearable to him. Never once did he use it to deal with the enemy, always prevailing over temptation. Now, Salieri believes, it's time to use the poison, and the gift of love should go into the cup of friendship.

In a separate room of the tavern, where there is a pianoforte, Salieri and Mozart are sitting. It seems to Salieri that Mozart is overcast, that he is upset about something. Mozart admits that he is worried about the Requiem, which he has been composing for three weeks now by order of some mysterious stranger. Mozart is haunted by the thought of this man who was in black, it seems to him that he follows him everywhere and even now sits in this room.

Salieri tries to reassure Mozart, saying that all these are childish fears. He remembers his friend Beaumarchais, who advised him to get rid of black thoughts with a bottle of champagne or reading The Marriage of Figaro. Mozart, knowing that Beaumarchais was a friend of Salieri, asks if it is true that he poisoned someone. Salieri replies that Beaumarchais was too funny “for such a craft,” and Mozart, objecting to him, says that Beaumarchais was a genius, like him and Salieri, “and genius and villainy are two incompatible things.” Mozart is convinced that Salieri shares his thoughts. And at that moment Salieri throws poison into Mozart's glass. Mozart raises a toast to the sons of harmony and to the union that binds them. Salieri tries to stop Mozart, but it is too late, he has already drunk the wine. Now Mozart intends to play his Requiem for Salieri. Listening to music, Salieri cries, but these are not tears of repentance, these are tears from the consciousness of duty performed. Mozart feels unwell and leaves the inn. Salieri, left alone, reflects on Mozart’s words about the incompatibility of genius and villainy; As an argument in his favor, he recalls the legend that Bonarotti sacrificed human life to art. But suddenly he is struck by the thought that this is just an invention of the “stupid, senseless crowd.”

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Stone guest. Tragedy (1830)

Don Juan and his servant Leporello are sitting at the gates of Madrit. They are going to wait here for the night, so that under its cover they can enter the city. The nonchalant Don Juan thinks he won't be recognized in town, but the sober Leporello is sarcastic about it. However, no danger can stop Don Juan. He is sure that the king, having learned about his unauthorized return from exile, will not execute him, that the king sent him into exile in order to save the family of the nobleman he killed from revenge. But he cannot stay in exile for a long time, and most of all he is dissatisfied with the women there, who seem to him like wax dolls.

Looking around, Don Guan recognizes the area. This is the Anthony Monastery, where he met his beloved Ineza, who turned out to have a jealous husband. Don Guan describes her features and sad gaze with poetic inspiration. Leporello reassures him that Don Guan had and will have more lovers. He is interested in who his master will be looking for in Madrid this time. Don Guan intends to look for Laura. While Don Guan is dreaming, a monk appears, who, seeing the visitors, wonders if they are the people of Dona Anna, who is about to come here to the grave of her husband, Commander de Solva, who was killed in a duel by the “unscrupulous, godless Don Guan,” as the monk calls him, not suspecting that he is talking to Don Guan himself. He says that the widow erected a monument to her husband and comes every day to pray for the repose of his soul. Don Guan finds this behavior of the widow strange, and he wonders if she is good. He asks permission to talk to her, but the monk replies that Dona Anna does not talk to men. And at this time Dona Anna appears, the Friar unlocks the grate, and she passes, so that Don Juan does not have time to look at her, but his imagination, which, according to Leporello, is “more agile than a painter,” is able to draw her portrait. Don Juan decides to meet Dona Anna, Leporello shames him for his blasphemy. As they talk, it gets dark, and the master and servant enter Madrid.

Guests dine in Laura's room and admire her talent and inspired acting. They ask Laura to sing. Even the gloomy Carlos seems to be touched by her singing, but upon learning that the words of this song were written by Don Juan, who was Laura's lover, Don Carlos calls him an atheist and a scoundrel. Enraged, Laura screams that she is now ordering her servants to kill Carlos, even that Spanish grandee. The fearless Don Carlos is ready, but the guests calm them down. Laura believes that the reason for Carlos's rude antics is that Don Juan killed Don Carlos' brother in a fair duel. Don Carlos admits he was wrong and they reconcile. Having sung one more song at the general request, Laura says goodbye to the guests, but asks Don Carlos to stay. She says that with his temperament he reminded her of Don Juan. Laura and Don Carlos are talking, and at this time there is a knock and someone calls Laura. Laura unlocks and Don Juan enters. Carlos, hearing this name, calls himself and demands an immediate duel. Despite Laura's protests, the grandees fight and Don Juan kills Don Carlos. Laura is confused, but, having learned that Don Juan had just secretly returned to Madrit and immediately rushed to her, she softens.

After killing Don Carlos, Don Juan, in monastic guise, hides in the Antoniev Monastery and, standing at the monument to the commander, thanks fate that she thus gave him the opportunity to see the lovely Don Anna every day. He intends to speak to her today and hopes that he will be able to attract her attention. Looking at the statue of the commander, Don Juan is ironic that here the victim is represented by a giant, although he was frail in life. Dona Anna enters and spots the monk. She asks for forgiveness that she prevented him from praying, to which the monk replies that it is he who is to blame before her, for he prevents her sadness from "flowing freely"; he admires her beauty and angelic meekness. Such speeches surprise and embarrass Dona Anna, and the monk unexpectedly admits that under this dress the nobleman Diego de Calvada, the victim of an unfortunate passion for her, is hiding. With ardent speeches, Don Juan persuades Don Anna not to persecute him, and the embarrassed Don Anna invites him to come to her house the next day, on condition that he be modest. Dona Anna leaves, and Don Juan demands that Leporello invite the statue of the Commander to tomorrow's date. It seems to the timid Leporello that the statue nods in response to this blasphemous proposal. Don Juan himself repeats his invitation, and the statue nods again. Startled, Don Juan and Leporello leave.

Dona Anna talks with Don Diego in her house. She admits that Don Alvar was not her chosen one, that her mother forced her into this marriage. Don Diego is jealous of the commander, who received true bliss in exchange for empty riches. Such speeches confuse Dona Anna. She is reproached by the thought of her late husband, who would never have accepted a lady in love if he had turned out to be a widower. Don Diego asks her not to torment his heart with eternal reminders of her husband, although he deserves to be executed. Dona Anna is interested in what exactly Don Diego has done to her, and in response to her persistent requests, Don Guan reveals to her his true name, the name of her husband’s murderer. Dona Anna is amazed and, under the influence of what happened, faints. Having come to her senses, she chases Don Guan away. Don Guan agrees that it is not in vain that rumor paints him as a villain, but assures that he was reborn after experiencing love for her. As a pledge of farewell before separation, he asks to give him a cold, peaceful kiss. Dona Anna kisses him, and Don Guan leaves, but immediately runs back in. Following him enters the statue of the commander who came to the call. The commander accuses Don Juan of cowardice, but he boldly extends his hand to shake hands with the stone statue, from which he dies with the name of Dona Anna on his lips.

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Feast in Time of Plague. (From Wilson's tragedy: The city of the plague). Tragedy (1830)

There is a set table outside, at which several young men and women are feasting. One of the feasters, a young man, turning to the chairman of the feast, recalls their mutual friend, the cheerful Jackson, whose jokes and witticisms amused everyone, enlivened the feast and dispersed the darkness that a ferocious plague now sends to the city. Jackson is dead, his chair at the table is empty, and the young man offers a drink in his memory. The Chairman agrees, but believes that drinking should be done in silence, and everyone drinks silently in memory of Jackson.

The chairman of the feast turns to a young woman named Mary and asks her to sing a dull and drawn-out song of her native Scotland, so that later she can turn to fun again. Mary sings about her native side, which flourished in contentment, until misfortune fell upon her and the side of fun and work turned into a land of death and sadness. The heroine of the song asks her darling not to touch her Jenny and leave her native village until the infection is gone, and vows not to leave her beloved Edmond even in heaven.

The chairman thanks Mary for the plaintive song and suggests that once upon a time her region was visited by the same plague as the one that is now decimating all living things here. Mary remembers how she sang in her parents' hut, how they loved to listen to their daughter... But suddenly the caustic and impudent Louise bursts into the conversation with the words that now such songs are not in fashion, although there are still simple souls ready to melt from women's tears and blindly believe them. Louise screams that she hates the yellowness of that Scottish hair. The chairman intervenes in the dispute, he calls on the feasters to listen to the sound of the wheels. A cart loaded with corpses approaches. The cart is driven by a black man. At the sight of this spectacle, Louise becomes ill, and the chairman asks Mary to throw water in her face to bring her to her senses. With her fainting, the chairman assures, Louise proved that “the gentle are weaker than the cruel.” Mary calms Louise down, and Louise, gradually coming to her senses, says that she dreamed of a black and white-eyed demon who called her to him, into his terrible cart, where the dead lay and babbled their “terrible, unknown speech.” Louise doesn’t know whether it was a dream or reality.

The young man explains to Louise that the black cart has the right to travel everywhere, and asks Walsingham to sing a song, but not a sad Scottish one, "but a violent, Bacchic song", instead of a Bacchic song, to stop disputes and "consequences of women's fainting", and the chairman instead of a Bacchic song sings a gloomy inspirational hymn in honor of the plague. In this hymn, praise is given to the plague, which can bestow an unknown ecstasy that a strong-willed person is able to feel in the face of threatening death, and this pleasure in battle is "immortality, perhaps, a guarantee!" Happy is he, sings the chairman, to whom it is given to feel this pleasure.

While Walsingam is singing, an old priest enters. He reproaches the feasters for their blasphemous feast, calling them atheists, the priest believes that with their feast they desecrate the "horror of sacred funerals", and with their delights "confuse the silence of the tombs." The feasters laugh at the gloomy words of the priest, and he conjures them with the Blood of the Savior to stop the monstrous feast if they wish to meet the souls of their departed loved ones in heaven and go home. The chairman objects to the priest that their homes are sad, and youth loves joy. The priest reproaches Walsingam and reminds him how only three weeks ago he hugged his mother's corpse on his knees "and wailed over her grave." He assures that now the poor woman is crying in heaven, looking at her feasting son. He orders Valsingam to follow him, but Valsingam refuses to do so, because he is kept here by despair and a terrible memory, as well as by the consciousness of his own lawlessness, he is kept here by the horror of the dead emptiness of his home, even the shadow of his mother is unable to take him away from here, and he asks the priest to leave. Many admire Walsingham's bold rebuke to the priest, who conjures the wicked with the pure spirit of Matilda. This name brings the chairman into mental confusion, he says that he sees her where his fallen spirit will no longer reach. A woman notices that Walsingam has gone mad and "raves about his buried wife." The priest persuades Walsingam to leave, but Walsingam, in the name of God, begs the priest to leave him and go away. Having invoked the Holy Name, the priest leaves, the feast continues, but Walsingam "remains in deep thought."

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

SHOT

The army regiment is stationed in the town ***. Life passes according to the routine of the army, and only the acquaintance of the officers with a certain man named Silvio, who lives in this place, dispels the boredom of the garrison. He is older than most of the officers of the regiment, sullen, has a tough temper and an evil tongue. There is some secret in his life that Silvio does not reveal to anyone. It is known that Silvio once served in a hussar regiment, but no one knows the reason for his resignation, as well as the reason for living in this outback. Neither his income nor his fortune is known, but he keeps an open table for the officers of the regiment, and at dinner champagne flows like water. For this, everyone is ready to forgive him. The mystery of Silvio's figure sets off his almost supernatural skill in pistol shooting. He does not take part in the conversations of officers about duels, and when asked if he had ever fought, he answers dryly that he did. Between themselves, the officers believe that some unfortunate victim of his inhuman art lies on the conscience of Silvio. One day, as usual, several officers gathered at Silvio's. Having drunk a lot, they started a card game and asked Silvio to sweep the bank. In the game, he was silent as usual and without a word corrected the mistakes of the punters in the records. One young officer, who had recently joined the regiment and did not know the habits of Silvio, it seemed that he was mistaken. Enraged by Silvio's silent obstinacy, the officer threw a shandal at his head. Silvio, pale with anger, asked the officer to leave. Everyone considered the duel inevitable and did not doubt its outcome, but Silvio did not call the officer, and this circumstance ruined his reputation in the eyes of the officers, but gradually everything went back to normal and the incident was forgotten. Only one officer, to whom Silvio sympathized more than others, could not come to terms with the idea that Silvio did not wash off the insult.

Once in the regimental office, where the mail came, Silvio received a package, the contents of which greatly excited him. He announced his unexpected departure to the assembled officers and invited everyone to a farewell dinner. Late in the evening, when everyone was leaving Silvio's house, the owner asked the most sympathetic officer to linger and revealed his secret to him.

Several years ago Silvio received a slap in the face, and his offender is still alive. This happened during the years of his service, when Silvio had a violent temper. He was the leader in the regiment and enjoyed this position until “a young man of a rich and noble family” joined the regiment. He was the most brilliantly lucky man, who was always fabulously lucky in everything. At first he tried to achieve Silvio’s friendship and affection, but, not succeeding in this, he moved away from him without regret. Silvio's championship wavered, and he began to hate this favorite of fortune. Once, at a ball held by a Polish landowner, they quarreled, and Silvio received a slap in the face from his enemy. At dawn there was a duel, to which the offender Silvio came with a cap full of ripe cherries. By lot, he got the first shot, having fired it and shot through Silvio’s cap, he stood calmly at the point of his pistol and happily feasted on the cherries, spitting out the seeds, which sometimes flew to his opponent. His indifference and equanimity infuriated Silvio, and he refused to shoot. His opponent indifferently said that Silvio would have the right to use his shot whenever he pleased. Soon Silvio retired and retired to this place, but not a day passed that he did not dream of revenge. And finally his time has come. They inform him “that a famous person will soon enter into a legal marriage with a young and beautiful girl.” And Silvio decided to see “whether he will accept death as indifferently before his wedding as he once waited for it behind the cherries!” The friends said goodbye and Silvio left.

A few years later, circumstances forced the officer to retire and settle in his poor village, where he was dying of boredom, until Count B *** came to the neighboring estate with his young wife. The narrator goes to visit them. The count and countess enchanted him with their secular appeal. On the wall of the living room, the narrator's attention is drawn to a picture shot through by "two bullets stuck one into the other." He praised the successful shot and said that he knew in his life a man whose skill in shooting was truly amazing. When asked by the count what the name of this shooter was, the narrator named Silvio. At this name, the count and countess were embarrassed. The count asks if Silvio told his friend about a strange story, and the narrator guesses that the count is the very old offender of his friend. It turns out that this story had a continuation, and the shot through picture is a kind of monument to their last meeting.

It happened five years ago in this very house where the count and countess spent their honeymoon. One day, the count was informed that a certain person was waiting for him, who did not want to give his name. Entering the living room, the count found Silvio there, whom he did not immediately recognize and who reminded him of the shot left behind him and said that he had come to unload his pistol. The Countess could come in any minute. The count was nervous and in a hurry, Silvio hesitated, and finally forced the count to draw lots again. And again the count got the first shot. Against all rules, he shot and shot through the picture hanging on the wall. At that moment, the frightened countess ran in. Her husband began to assure her that they were just joking with an old friend. But what happened was not too much of a joke. The countess was on the verge of fainting, and the enraged count shouted to Silvio to shoot, but Silvio replied that he would not do this, that he saw the main thing - the fear and confusion of the count, and that was enough for him. The rest is a matter of conscience of the count himself. He turned and walked towards the exit, but he stopped at the very door and, almost without aiming, fired and hit exactly in the place shot by the count in the picture. The narrator did not meet Silvio again, but heard that he died participating in the uprising of the Greeks led by Alexander Ypsilanti.

METHEL

In 1811, Gavrila Gavrilovich R. lived on his estate with his wife and daughter Masha. He was hospitable, and many took advantage of his hospitality, and some came for the sake of Marya Gavrilovna. But Marya Gavrilovna was in love with a poor army warrant officer named Vladimir, who was spending his vacation in his neighboring village. The young lovers, believing that the will of their parents was preventing their happiness, decided to do without a blessing, that is, to get married secretly, and then throw themselves at the feet of their parents, who, of course, would be touched by the constancy of the children, forgive and bless them. This plan belonged to Vladimir, but Marya Gavrilovna finally succumbed to his persuasion to escape. A sleigh was supposed to come for her to take her to the neighboring village of Zhadrino, in which it was decided to get married and where Vladimir was already supposed to be waiting for her.

On the evening appointed for the escape, Marya Gavrilovna was in great agitation, refused supper, citing a headache, and went to her room early. At the appointed time, she went out into the garden. On the road, Vladimir's coachman was waiting for her with a sleigh. A blizzard was raging outside.

Vladimir himself spent the whole day in trouble: he needed to persuade the priest, as well as find witnesses. Having settled these matters, he, driving himself in a small one-horse sleigh, went to Zhadrino, but as soon as he left the outskirts, a snowstorm arose, due to which Vladimir lost his way and wandered all night in search of a road. At dawn he had just reached Zhadrin and found the church locked.

And Marya Gavrilovna left her room in the morning, as if nothing had happened, and answered her parents’ questions about her well-being calmly, but in the evening she developed a severe fever. In a delirium, she repeated Vladimir’s name, talked about her secret, but her words were so incoherent that the mother understood nothing except that her daughter was in love with a neighboring landowner and that love must have been the cause of the illness. And the parents decided to give Masha to Vladimir. Vladimir responded to the invitation with a chaotic and unintelligible letter, in which he wrote that he would never set foot in their house and asked them to forget about him. A few days later he left for the army. This happened in 1812, and after some time his name was published among those who distinguished themselves and were wounded at Borodino. This news saddened Masha, and Gavrila Gavrilovich soon died, leaving her as his heir. Suitors circled around her, but she seemed to be faithful to Vladimir, who died in Moscow from his wounds.

"Meanwhile, the war with glory was over." The regiments were returning from abroad. A wounded hussar colonel Burmin appeared on Marya Gavrilovna's estate, who had come on vacation to his estate, which was located nearby. Marya Gavrilovna and Burmin felt that they liked each other, but something kept each from taking a decisive step. One day Burmin came on a visit and found Marya Gavrilovna in the garden. He announced to Marya Gavrilovna that he loved her, but could not become her husband, since he was already married, but did not know who his wife was, where she was or whether she lived. And he told her an amazing story about how at the beginning of 1812 he was traveling from vacation to his regiment and during a strong snowstorm he lost his way. Seeing a light in the distance, he headed towards it and drove into an open church, near which there were sleighs and people walking around impatiently. They acted as if they were waiting for him. A young lady was sitting in the church, with whom Burmin was placed in front of the lectern. He was motivated by unforgivable frivolity. When the wedding ceremony was over, the newlyweds were offered to kiss, and the girl, looking at Burmin, shouted “not him, not him,” and fell unconscious. Burmin left the church unhindered and left. And now he doesn’t know what happened to his wife, what her name is, and doesn’t even know where the wedding took place. The servant who was with him at the time died, so there is no way to find this woman.

“My God, my God!” said Marya Gavrilovna, grabbing his hand, “so it was you! And you don’t recognize me?” Burmin turned pale... and threw himself at her feet...

UNDERTAKER

Undertaker Adrian Prokhorov moves from Basmannaya Street to Nikitskaya Street to a house he has chosen for a long time, but he does not feel joy, as the novelty frightens him a little. But soon order is established in the new dwelling, a sign is attached above the gate, Adrian sits down at the window and orders the samovar to be served.

While drinking tea, he plunged into a sad thought, as he was naturally of a gloomy disposition. The worries of life confused him. The main concern was that the heirs of the rich merchant Tryukhina, who was dying on Razgulay, would remember him at the last minute, and not agree with the nearest contractor. While Adrian was indulging in these reflections, a neighbor, a German craftsman, paid a visit to him. He called himself the shoemaker Gottlieb Schulz, announced that he lived across the street, and invited Adrian to his place the next day on the occasion of his silver wedding. Accepting the invitation, Adrian offered Schultz tea. The neighbors chatted and quickly became friends.

At noon the next day, Adrian and his two daughters went to visit the shoemaker. Friends of Gottlieb Schultz, German craftsmen and their wives, gathered in the house. The feast began, the host proclaimed the health of his wife Louise, and then the health of his guests. Everyone drank a lot, the fun became noisier, when suddenly one of the guests, a fat baker, offered to drink to the health of those for whom they worked. And all the guests began to bow to each other, for everyone was each other’s clients: the tailor, the shoemaker, the baker... The baker Yurko invited Adrian to drink to the health of his dead. There was general laughter, which offended the undertaker.

We parted late. Adrian returned home drunk and angry. It seemed to him that the incident was a deliberate mockery of the Germans over his craft, which he considered no worse than others, because the undertaker is not the brother of the executioner. Adrian even decided that he would invite not his new acquaintances to the housewarming party, but those for whom he works. In response to this, his worker suggested that he cross himself. But Adrian liked the idea.

They woke up Adrian while it was still dark, as the clerk of the merchant Tryukhina rode up with the message that she had died that night. Adrian went to Razgulay, troubles and negotiations began with the relatives of the deceased. Having finished his business, he went home on foot in the evening. Approaching the house, he noticed that someone had opened his gate and entered it. While Adrian was wondering who it could be, another person approached. His face appeared to Adrian. acquaintances Entering the house, the undertaker saw that the room was full of dead people, illuminated by the moon shining through the window. With horror, the undertaker recognized them as his former clients. They greeted him, and one of them even tried to hug Adrian, but Prokhorov pushed him away, he fell and crumbled. The rest of the guests surrounded him with threats, and Adrian fell and fainted.

Opening his eyes in the morning, Adrian remembered yesterday's events. The worker said that the neighbors had come in to inquire about his health, but she did not wake him up. Adrian asked if they had come from the deceased Tryukhina, but the worker was surprised at the words about the death of the merchant's wife and said that the undertaker, as he returned from the shoemaker drunk and fell asleep, and slept until that very minute. It was only then that the undertaker realized that all the terrible events that had frightened him so much had happened in a dream, and he ordered the samovar to be set up and the daughters to be called.

STATION OFFICER

There are no people more unfortunate than stationmasters, for travelers certainly blame the stationmasters for all their troubles and seek to take out their anger on them about bad roads, unbearable weather, bad horses, and the like. And meanwhile, the caretakers are for the most part meek and unrequited people, "real martyrs of the fourteenth grade, protected by their rank only from beatings, and even then not always." The caretaker's life is full of worries and troubles, he does not see gratitude from anyone, on the contrary, he hears threats and screams and feels the pushes of angry guests. Meanwhile, "one can learn a lot of interesting and instructive things from their conversations."

In 1816, the narrator happened to be driving through the *** province, and on the way he was caught in the rain. At the station he hurried to change clothes and get some tea. The caretaker's daughter, a girl of about fourteen named Dunya, who amazed the narrator with her beauty, put the samovar on and set the table. While Dunya was busy, the traveler examined the decoration of the hut. On the wall he noticed pictures depicting the story of the prodigal son, on the windows there were geraniums, in the room there was a bed behind a colorful curtain. The traveler invited Samson Vyrin - that was the name of the caretaker - and his daughter to share a meal with him, and a relaxed atmosphere arose that was conducive to sympathy. The horses had already been supplied, but the traveler still did not want to part with his new acquaintances.

Several years passed, and again he had a chance to go along this road. He looked forward to meeting old friends. "Entering the room", he recognized the former situation, but "everything around showed dilapidation and neglect." Dunya was not in the house either. The aged caretaker was gloomy and taciturn, only a glass of punch stirred him, and the traveler heard the sad story of Dunya's disappearance. It happened three years ago. A young officer arrived at the station, who was in a hurry and was angry that the horses were not being served for a long time, but when he saw Dunya, he softened and even stayed for supper. When the horses arrived, the officer suddenly felt very unwell. The doctor who arrived found that he had a fever and prescribed complete rest. On the third day, the officer was already healthy and was about to leave. The day was Sunday, and he offered Dunya to take her to the church. The father allowed his daughter to go, not assuming anything bad, but nevertheless he was seized with anxiety, and he ran to the church. Mass was already over, the prayers dispersed, and from the words of the deacon, the caretaker learned that Dunya was not in the church. The coachman who returned in the evening, carrying the officer, said that Dunya had gone with him to the next station. The caretaker realized that the officer's illness was feigned, and he himself fell ill with a high fever. Having recovered, Samson begged for leave and went on foot to Petersburg, where, as he knew from the road, Captain Minsky was going. In St. Petersburg, he found Minsky and appeared to him. Minsky did not immediately recognize him, but upon learning, he began to assure Samson that he loved Dunya, would never leave her and would make her happy. He gave the caretaker money and escorted him out into the street.

Samson really wanted to see his daughter again. The case helped him. At Liteinaya he noticed Minsky in a smart droshky, which had stopped at the entrance of a three-story building. Minsky entered the house, and the caretaker learned from a conversation with the coachman that Dunya lives here, and entered the entrance. Once in the apartment, through the open door of the room he saw Minsky and his Dunya, beautifully dressed and vaguely looking at Minsky. Noticing her father, Dunya screamed and fell unconscious on the carpet. Enraged, Minsky pushed the old man onto the stairs, and he went home. And now for the third year he knows nothing about Dunya and is afraid that her fate is the same as the fate of many young fools.

After some time, the narrator again happened to pass through these places. The station no longer existed, and Samson "died a year ago." The boy, the son of a brewer who settled in Samson's hut, accompanied the narrator to Samson's grave and said that in the summer a beautiful lady with three barchats came and lay for a long time on the caretaker's grave, and the good lady gave him a nickel in silver.

YOUNG PEASANT WOMAN

In one of the remote provinces, on his Tugilov estate, lives a retired guardsman Ivan Petrovich Berestov, who has long been a widow and never travels anywhere. He takes care of the household and considers himself "the smartest man in the whole neighborhood," although he does not read anything except the Senate Gazette. Neighbors love him, although they consider him proud. Only his closest neighbor, Grigory Ivanovich Muromsky, does not get along with him. Muromsky started a house and household in the English manner on his estate Priluchino, while the conservative Berestov does not like innovations and criticizes his neighbor's Anglomania.

Berestov's son, Alexey, having completed his course at the university, comes to the village to visit his father. The district young ladies are interested in him, and most of all - Muromsky's daughter Liza, but Alexey remained cold to signs of attention, and everyone explained this with his secret love. Lisa's confidante, the serf girl Nastya, goes to Tugilovo to visit her acquaintances, the Berestovs, and Lisa asks her to take a good look at the young Berestov. Returning home, Nastya tells the young lady how young Berestov played burners with the courtyard girls and how he kissed the one he caught every time, how handsome, stately and rosy he was. Liza is overcome by the desire to see Alexei Berestov, but this cannot be done simply, and Liza comes up with the idea of ​​dressing up as a peasant. The next day she begins to implement the plan, orders a peasant dress to be sewn for herself and, having tried on the outfit, finds that it suits her very well. At dawn the next day, Lisa, dressed as a peasant, leaves the house and heads towards Tugilov. In the grove, a pointer dog rushes at her, barking; a young hunter arrives in time, calls the dog back and calms the girl down. Lisa plays her role perfectly, the young man volunteers to escort her and calls himself young Berestov’s valet, but Lisa recognizes him as Alexei himself and incriminates him. She passes herself off as the daughter of the Priluchinsky blacksmith Akulina. Alexei Berestov really likes the smart peasant woman, he wants to see her again and is going to visit her blacksmith father. The prospect of being caught frightens Lisa, and she invites the young man to meet the next day at the same place.

Returning home, Lisa almost repents that she made a rash promise to Berestov, but the fear that a determined young man will come to the blacksmith and find his daughter Akulina, a fat and pockmarked girl, is even more frightening. Inspired by a new acquaintance and Alex. Before the appointed time, he arrives at the meeting place and looks forward to Akulina, who appears in a depressed state and tries to convince Alexei that the acquaintance should be stopped. But Alexei, fascinated by the peasant woman, does not want this. Lisa takes his word that he will not look for her in the village and seek other meetings with her, except for those that she herself appoints. Their meetings continue for two months, until one circumstance almost destroyed this idyll. Having gone out for a ride, Muromsky meets old Berestov, hunting in these places. Thrown off by a runaway horse, Muromsky finds himself in Berestov's house. The fathers of the young people parted in mutual sympathy and with Berestov's promise to visit the Muromskys with Alexei. Upon learning of this, Lisa is dismayed, but together with Nastya, she develops a plan that, in her opinion, should save her from exposure. Having taken a promise from her father not to be surprised at anything, Liza goes out to the guests heavily bleached and frown, ridiculously combed and extravagantly dressed. Alexei does not recognize the simple and natural Akulina in this cutesy young lady.

The next day, Lisa rushes to the rendezvous point. She can’t wait to find out what impression the Priluchinsky young lady made on Alexei. But Aleksey says that the young lady, compared to her, is a freak of a freak. Meanwhile, the acquaintance of the old men Berestov and Muromsky develops into friendship, and they decide to marry the children. Alexey meets his father's message about this with a heartbeat. A romantic dream arises in his soul about marrying a simple peasant woman. He goes to the Muromskys to decisively explain himself to them. Entering the house, he meets Lizaveta Grigorievna and believes that this is his Akulina. The misunderstanding is resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Dubrovsky. Novel (1832, published 1841)

The rich and noble master Kiri-la Petrovich Troekurov lives in his estate Pokrovskoye. Knowing his tough temper, all the neighbors are afraid of him, except for the poor landowner Andrei Gavrilovich Dubrovsky, a retired lieutenant of the guard and former colleague of Troekurov. Both are widows. Dubrovsky has a son, Vladimir, who works in St. Petersburg, and Troekurov has a daughter, Masha, who lives with her father, and Troekurov often talks about his desire to marry his children.

An unexpected quarrel quarrels friends, and Dubrovsky's proud and independent behavior alienates them even more from each other. The autocratic and omnipotent Troekurov, in order to vent his irritation, decides to deprive the Dubrovsky estate and orders the assessor Shabashkin to find a "legal" way to this lawlessness. The judge's chimps fulfill Troekurov's wish, and Dubrovsky is summoned to the Zemstvo judge to decide the case.

In the judicial session, in the presence of litigants, a decision is read, executed by legal incidents, according to which the estate of Dubrovsky Kistenevka becomes the property of Troekurov, and a fit of insanity happens with Dubrovsky.

Dubrovsky's health is deteriorating, and the serf old woman Yegorovna, who followed him, writes a letter to Vladimir Dubrovsky in St. Petersburg with a notification of what had happened. Having received the letter, Vladimir Dubrovsky takes a vacation and goes home. The dear coachman tells him about the circumstances of the case. At home, he finds a sick and decrepit father.

Andrei Gavrilovich Dubrovsky is slowly dying. Troekurov, tormented by conscience, goes to make peace with Dubrovsky, who, at the sight of the enemy, is paralyzed. Vladimir orders to tell Troekurov to get out, and at that moment old Dubrovsky dies.

After Dubrovsky’s funeral, judicial officials and a police officer come to Kistenevka to bring Troekurov into ownership. Peasants refuse to obey and want to crack down on officials. Dubrovsky stops them.

At night, in the house, Dubrovsky finds the blacksmith Arkhip, who decided to kill the clerks, and dissuades him from this intention. He decides to leave the estate and orders all people to be taken out to set fire to the house. He sends Arkhip to unlock the doors so that the officials can leave the house, but Arkhip violates the master's order and locks the door. Dubrovsky sets fire to the house and quickly leaves the yard, and in the fire that has begun, the clerks die.

Dubrovsky is suspected of arson and murder of officials. Troekurov sends a report to the governor, and a new case is started. But here another event diverts the attention of everyone from Dubrovsky: robbers appeared in the province, who robbed all the landowners of the province, but did not touch only the possessions of Troekurov. Everyone is sure that the leader of the robbers is Dubrovsky.

For his illegitimate son Sasha, Troekurov writes a French teacher from Moscow, Monsieur Deforge, who is greatly impressed by the beauty of the seventeen-year-old Marya Kirilovna Troekurova, but she does not pay any attention to the hired teacher. Deforge is put to the test by being pushed into a room with a hungry bear (a common joke with guests at Troyekurov's house). The unabashed teacher kills the beast. His determination and courage make a great impression on Masha. Between them there is a friendly rapprochement, which becomes a source of love.

On the day of the temple feast, guests come to Troekurov's house. At dinner, they talk about Dubrovsky. One of the guests, a landowner named Anton Pafnutich Spitsyn, confesses that he once gave false evidence in court against Dubrovsky in favor of Kirila Petrovich. One lady reports that Dubrovsky dined with her a week ago, and tells the story that her the clerk, sent to the post office with a letter and 2000 rubles for her son, a guards officer, returned and said that he had been robbed by Dubrovsky, but was convicted of lying by a man who came to visit her and identified himself as a former colleague of her late husband. The summoned clerk says that Dubrovsky really stopped him on the way to the post office, but, having read the mother's letter to his son, he did not rob. The money was found in the chest of the clerk. The lady believes that the person who pretended to be a friend of her husband was Dubrovsky himself. But according to her descriptions, she had a man about 35 years old, and Troekurov knows for sure that Dubrovsky is 23 years old. This fact is also confirmed by the new police officer who is dining at Troekurov's.

The holiday in Troekurov's house ends with a ball, where the teacher also dances. After dinner, Anton Pafnutich, who has a large amount of money with him, expresses a desire to spend the night in the same room with Deforge, since he already knows about the courage of the Frenchman and hopes for his protection in the event of an attack by robbers. The teacher agrees to the request of Anton Pafnutich. At night, the landowner feels that someone is trying to take money from him, hidden in a bag on his chest. Opening his eyes, he sees that Deforge is standing over him with a pistol. The teacher informs Anton Pafnutich that he is Dubrovsky.

How did Dubrovsky get into Troekurov’s house under the guise of a teacher? At the post station he met a Frenchman on his way to see Troyekurov, gave him 10 thousand rubles, and received the teacher’s papers in return. With these documents, he came to Troekurov and settled in a house where everyone loved him and did not suspect who he really was. Finding himself in the same room with a man whom, not without reason, he could consider his enemy, Dubrovsky could not resist the temptation to take revenge. In the morning, Spitsyn leaves Troekurov’s house without saying a word about the night’s incident. Soon the rest of the guests left. Life in Pokrovsky goes on as usual. Marya Kirilovna feels love for Deforge and is annoyed with herself. Deforge treats her respectfully, and this calms her pride. But one day Deforge secretly gives her a note in which he asks for a date. At the appointed time, Masha arrives at the appointed place, and Deforge informs her that he is forced to leave soon, but before that he must tell her something important. Suddenly he reveals to Masha who he really is. Calming the frightened Masha, he says that he has forgiven her father. That it was she who saved Kirila Petrovich, that the house in which Marya Kirilovna lives is sacred to him. During Dubrovsky's confessions, a soft whistle is heard. Dubrovsky asks Masha to give him a promise that in case of misfortune she will resort to his help, and disappears. Returning to the house, Masha finds an alarm there, and her father informs her that Deforge, according to the police officer who arrived, is none other than Dubrovsky. The disappearance of the teacher confirms the truth of these words.

The following summer, Prince Vereisky returns from foreign lands to his estate Arbatov, located 30 versts from Pokrovsky. He pays a visit to Troekurov, and Masha amazes him with her beauty. Troekurov and his daughter pay a return visit. Vereisky gives them a wonderful reception.

Masha sits in her room and embroiders. A hand reaches out through the open window and puts a letter on her hoop, but at this time Masha is called to her father. She hides the letter and goes. She finds Vereisky with her father, and Kirila Petrovich informs her that the prince is wooing her. Masha freezes in surprise and turns pale, but her father does not pay attention to her tears.

In her room, Masha thinks with horror about marriage with Vereisky and believes that it is better to marry Dubrovsky. She suddenly remembers the letter and finds only one phrase in it: "In the evening at 10 o'clock in the same place."

During a night meeting, Dubrovsky persuades Masha to resort to his patronage. Masha hopes to touch her father's heart with prayers and requests. But if he turns out to be inexorable and forces her to marry, she invites Dubrovsky to come for her and promises to become his wife. In parting, Dubrovsky gives Masha a ring and says that if trouble happens, it will be enough for her to lower the ring into the hollow of the specified tree, then he will know what to do.

A wedding is being prepared, and Masha decides to act. She writes a letter to Vereisky, begging him to give up her hand. But it backfires. Upon learning of Masha's letter, Kirila Petrovich, furious, schedules the wedding for the next day. Masha with tears asks him not to pass her off as Vereisky, but Kirila Petrovich is implacable, and then Masha declares that she will resort to Dubrovsky's protection. Having locked Masha, Kirila Petrovich leaves, ordering her not to let her out of the room.

Sasha comes to the aid of Marya Kirilovna. Masha instructs him to take the ring to the hollow. Sasha carries out her instructions, but some ragged boy who sees this tries to take possession of the ring. A fight breaks out between the boys, the gardener comes to Sasha’s aid, and the boy is taken to the manor’s yard. Suddenly they meet Kirila Petrovich, and Sasha, under threats, tells him about the assignment that his wife gave him. Kirila Petrovich guesses about Masha’s relationship with Dubrovsky. He orders the caught boy to be locked up and sends for the police officer. The police officer and Troekurov agree on something and release the boy. He runs to Kistenevka, and from there secretly makes his way into the Kistenevka grove.

Preparations for the wedding are underway in Troekurov's house. Masha is taken to church, where her groom is waiting for her. The wedding begins. Masha's hopes for Dubrovsky's appearance evaporate. The young people are traveling to Arbatovo, when suddenly on a country road the carriage is surrounded by armed people, and a man in a half mask opens the doors. He tells Masha that she is free. Hearing that it is Dubrovsky, the prince shoots and wounds him. They seize the prince and intend to kill him, but Dubrovsky does not order them to touch him. Dubrovsky again tells Masha that she is free, but Masha replies that it is too late. Due to pain and excitement, Dubrovsky loses consciousness, and his accomplices take him away.

In the forest, a military fortification of a band of robbers, behind a small rampart - several huts. An old woman comes out of one hut and asks the guard, who is singing a robber song, to shut up, because the master is resting. Dubrovsky lies in the hut. All of a sudden, the camp is in turmoil. The robbers under the command of Dubrovsky occupy certain places for each. The guards who came running report that there are soldiers in the forest. A battle ensues, in which the victory is on the side of the robbers. A few days later, Dubrovsky gathers his associates and announces his intention to leave them. Dubrovsky disappears. Rumor has it that he fled abroad.

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Queen of Spades. Tale (1833)

“Once we were playing cards with the horse guard Narumov.” After the game, Tomsky told the amazing story of his grandmother, who knows the secret of three cards, allegedly revealed to her by the famous Saint Germain, which will certainly win if you bet on them in a row. After discussing this story, the players went home. This story seemed implausible to everyone, including Hermann, a young officer who had never played, but without stopping, followed the game until the morning.

Tomsky's grandmother, the old countess, sits in her dressing room, surrounded by maids. Her pupil is also here behind the hoop. Tomsky enters, he starts small talk with the countess, but quickly leaves. Lizaveta Ivanovna, the countess's pupil, left alone, looks out the window and sees a young officer, whose appearance makes her blush. She is distracted from this activity by the Countess, who gives the most contradictory orders and at the same time demands their immediate execution. Lizanka's life in the house of a wayward and selfish old woman is unbearable. She is literally to blame for everything that annoys the Countess. Endless nagging and whims irritated the proud girl, who was eagerly awaiting her deliverer. That is why the appearance of the young officer, whom she had seen for several days in a row standing on the street and looking at her window, made her blush. This young man was none other than Hermann. He was a man with strong passions and a fiery imagination, whom only strength of character saved from the delusions of youth. Tomsky's anecdote fired his imagination, and he wanted to know the secret of the three cards. This desire became an obsession, which involuntarily led him to the house of the old countess, in one of the windows of which he noticed Lizaveta Ivanovna. This minute became fatal.

Hermann begins to show signs of attention to Lisa in order to penetrate the countess's house. He secretly gives her a letter with a declaration of love. Lisa answers. Hermann in a new letter demands a meeting. He writes to Lizaveta Ivanovna every day and finally gets his way: Liza makes an appointment with him at the house at the time when her hostess is at the ball, and explains how to get into the house unnoticed. Barely waiting for the appointed time, Hermann enters the house and sneaks into the countess's office. After waiting for the countess to return, Hermann goes to her bedroom. He begins to beg the countess to reveal the secret of the three cards to him; seeing the resistance of the old woman, he begins to demand, turns to threats, and finally takes out a pistol. Seeing the gun, the old woman falls in fear from her chair and dies.

Returning with the countess from the ball, Lizaveta Ivanovna is afraid to meet Hermann in her room and even feels some relief when no one is in it. She indulges in reflections, when Hermann suddenly enters and announces the death of the old woman. Lisa learns that it is not her love that is Hermann's goal and that she has become the unwitting culprit in the death of the countess. Remorse torments her. At dawn, Hermann leaves the Countess's house.

Three days later, Hermann is present at the funeral of the Countess. At parting with the deceased, it seemed to him that the old woman looked at him mockingly. He spends the day in frustrated feelings, drinking a lot of wine and falling asleep soundly at home. Waking up late at night, he hears someone enter his room and recognizes the old countess. She reveals to him the secret of three cards, three, seven and ace, and demands that he marry Lizaveta Ivanovna, after which she disappears.

Three, seven and ace haunted Hermann's imagination. Unable to resist temptation, he goes to the company of the famous gambler Chekalinsky and bets a huge amount on three. His card wins. The next day he bet on seven, and again he won. The next evening, Hermann is again standing at the table. He placed a card, but instead of the expected ace, he had a queen of spades in his hand. It seems to him that the lady narrowed her eyes and grinned... The image on the card strikes him with its resemblance to the old countess.

Hermann has gone mad. Lizaveta Ivanovna got married.

Author of the retelling: E. L. Beznosov

Captain's daughter. Novel (1836)

The novel is based on the memoirs of fifty-year-old nobleman Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, written by him during the reign of Emperor Alexander and dedicated to the “Pugachevism,” in which seventeen-year-old officer Pyotr Grinev, due to a “strange combination of circumstances,” took an involuntary part.

Pyotr Andreevich recalls his childhood, the childhood of a noble undergrowth, with slight irony. His father Andrei Petrovich Grinev in his youth “served under Count Minich and retired as prime minister in 17.... Since then he lived in his Simbirsk village, where he married the girl Avdotya Vasilievna Yu., the daughter of a poor nobleman there.” . There were nine children in the Grinev family, but all of Petrusha’s brothers and sisters “died in infancy.” “Mother was still my belly,” recalls Grinev, “as I was already enrolled in the Semenovsky regiment as a sergeant.” From the age of five, Petrusha is looked after by the stirrup Savelich, who was granted him the title of uncle “for his sober behavior.” “Under his supervision, in my twelfth year, I learned Russian literacy and could very sensibly judge the properties of a greyhound dog.” Then a teacher appeared - the Frenchman Beaupré, who did not understand “the meaning of this word,” since in his homeland he was a hairdresser, and in Prussia he was a soldier. Young Grinev and the Frenchman Beaupre quickly got along, and although Beaupre was contractually obligated to teach Petrusha “French, German and all sciences,” he preferred to soon learn from his student “to chat in Russian.” Grinev's education ends with the expulsion of Beaupre, who was convicted of dissipation, drunkenness and neglect of the duties of a teacher.

Until the age of sixteen, Grinev lives “as a minor, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the yard boys.” In his seventeenth year, the father decides to send his son to serve, but not to St. Petersburg, but to the army to “sniff gunpowder” and “pull the strap.” He sends him to Orenburg, instructing him to serve faithfully “to whom you swear allegiance,” and to remember the proverb: “Take care of your dress again, but take care of your honor from a young age.” All the “brilliant hopes” of the young Grinev for a cheerful life in St. Petersburg were destroyed, and “boredom in the deaf and distant side” awaited ahead.

Approaching Orenburg, Grinev and Savelich fell into a snowstorm. A random person met on the road leads the wagon, lost in the snowstorm, to the edge. While the wagon was “quietly moving” towards housing, Pyotr Andreevich had a terrible dream, in which fifty-year-old Grinev sees something prophetic, connecting it with the “strange circumstances” of his future life. A man with a black beard is lying in Father Grinev’s bed, and mother, calling him Andrei Petrovich and “a planted father,” wants Petrusha to “kiss his hand” and ask for a blessing. A man swings an ax, the room fills with dead bodies; Grinev stumbles over them, slips in bloody puddles, but his “scary man” “calls out affectionately,” saying: “Don’t be afraid, come under my blessing.”

In gratitude for the rescue, Grinev gives the “counselor”, dressed too lightly, his hare coat and brings a glass of wine, for which he thanks him with a low bow: “Thank you, your honor! God reward you for your virtue.” The appearance of the “counselor” seemed “wonderful” to Grinev: “He was about forty years old, of average height, thin and broad-shouldered. Gray hair showed in his black beard; lively big eyes ran around. His face had a rather pleasant expression, but picaresque.”

The Belogorsk fortress, where Grinev was sent to serve from Orenburg, meets the young man not with formidable bastions, towers and ramparts, but turns out to be a village surrounded by a wooden fence. Instead of a brave garrison - disabled people who do not know where the left and where the right side is, instead of deadly artillery - an old cannon clogged with garbage.

The commandant of the fortress, Ivan Kuzmich Mironov, is an officer “from soldiers’ children”, an uneducated man, but honest and kind. His wife, Vasilisa Egorovna, completely manages it and looks at the affairs of the service as her own. Soon Grinev becomes “native” for the Mironovs, and he himself “imperceptibly <...> became attached to a good family.” In the Mironovs' daughter Masha, Grinev "found a prudent and sensitive girl."

The service does not burden Grinev, he became interested in reading books, practicing translations and writing poetry. At first, he becomes close to Lieutenant Shvabrin, the only person in the fortress who is close to Grinev in terms of education, age and occupation. But soon they quarrel - Shvabrin mockingly criticized the love "song" written by Grinev, and also allowed himself dirty hints about the "custom and custom" of Masha Mironova, to whom this song was dedicated. Later, in a conversation with Masha, Grinev will find out the reasons for the stubborn slander with which Shvabrin pursued her: the lieutenant wooed her, but was refused. "I do not like Alexei Ivanovich. He is very disgusting to me," Masha admits to Grinev. The quarrel is resolved by a duel and wounding Grinev.

Masha takes care of the wounded Grinev. Young people confess to each other "in a heartfelt inclination," and Grinev writes a letter to the priest, "begging for a parental blessing." But Masha is a dowry. The Mironovs "only have one girl Palashka," while the Grinevs have three hundred souls of peasants. The father forbids Grinev to marry and promises to transfer him from the Belogorsk fortress "somewhere far away" so that the "nonsense" will pass.

After this letter, life became unbearable for Grinev, he falls into gloomy thought, seeks solitude. "I was afraid either to go crazy, or to fall into debauchery." And only "unexpected incidents," writes Grinev, "which had an important influence on my whole life, suddenly gave my soul a strong and good shock."

At the beginning of October 1773, the commandant of the fortress received a secret message about the Don Cossack Emelyan Pugachev, who, posing as “the late Emperor Peter III,” “gathered a villainous gang, caused outrage in the Yaik villages and had already taken and destroyed several fortresses.” The commandant was asked to “take appropriate measures to repel the aforementioned villain and impostor.”

Soon everyone was talking about Pugachev. A Bashkir with “outrageous sheets” was captured in the fortress. But it was not possible to interrogate him - the Ubashkir’s tongue was torn out. Any day now, residents of the Belogorsk fortress are expecting an attack by Pugachev,

The rebels appear unexpectedly - the Mironovs did not even have time to send Masha to Orenburg. At the first attack, the fortress was taken. Residents greet the Pugachevites with bread and salt. The prisoners, among whom was Grinev, are taken to the square to swear allegiance to Pugachev. The first to die on the gallows is the commandant, who refused to swear allegiance to the "thief and impostor." Vasilisa Yegorovna falls dead under the blow of a saber. Death on the gallows awaits Grinev, but Pugachev pardons him. A little later, Grinev learns from Savelich "the reason for mercy" - the ataman of the robbers turned out to be the tramp who received from him, Grinev, a hare sheepskin coat.

In the evening, Grinev is invited to the “great sovereign.” “I have pardoned you for your virtue,” Pugachev says to Grinev, “<...> Do you promise to serve me with zeal?” But Grinev is a “natural nobleman” and “sworn allegiance to the Empress.” He cannot even promise Pugachev not to serve against him. “My head is in your power,” he says to Pugachev, “if you let me go, thank you, if you execute me, God will be your judge.”

Grinev's sincerity amazes Pugachev, and he releases the officer "on all four sides." Grinev decides to go to Orenburg for help - after all, Masha remained in the fortress in a strong fever, whom the priest passed off as her niece. He is especially worried that Shvabrin, who swore allegiance to Pugachev, was appointed commandant of the fortress.

But in Orenburg, Grinev was denied help, and a few days later the rebel troops surrounded the city. Long days of siege dragged on. Soon, by chance, a letter from Masha falls into Grinev's hands, from which he learns that Shvabrin is forcing her to marry him, threatening otherwise to extradite her to the Pugachevites. Again, Grinev turns to the military commandant for help, and is again refused.

Grinev and Savelich leave for the Belogorsk fortress, but they are captured by the rebels near Berdskaya Sloboda. And again, providence brings Grinev and Pugachev together, giving the officer a chance to fulfill his intention: having learned from Grinev the essence of the matter on which he is going to the Belogorsk fortress, Pugachev himself decides to free the orphan and punish the offender.

On the way to the fortress, a confidential conversation takes place between Pugachev and Grinev. Pugachev is clearly aware of his doom, expecting betrayal, first of all, on the part of his comrades, he knows that he will not expect "the grace of the empress" either. For Pugachev, as for an eagle from a Kalmyk fairy tale, which he tells Grinev with "wild inspiration", "rather than eating carrion for three hundred years, it is better to drink living blood once; and then what God will give!" Grinev draws a different moral conclusion from the tale, which surprises Pugacheva: "To live by murder and robbery means for me to peck at carrion."

In the Belogorsk fortress, Grinev, with the help of Pugachev, frees Masha. And although the enraged Shvabrin reveals the deception to Pugachev, he is full of generosity: "Execute, execute like this, favor, favor like that: such is my custom." Grinev and Pugachev part "friendly".

Grinev sends Masha as a bride to his parents, while he remains in the army out of "duty of honor". War "with robbers and savages" is "boring and petty." Grinev's observations are filled with bitterness: "God forbid to see a Russian rebellion, senseless and merciless."

The end of the military campaign coincides with the arrest of Grinev. Appearing before the court, he is calm in his confidence that he can be justified, but Shvabrin slanders him, exposing Grinev as a spy sent from Pugachev to Orenburg. Grinev is convicted, shame awaits him, exile to Siberia for an eternal settlement.

Grinev is saved from shame and exile by Masha, who goes to the queen to "beg for mercy." Walking through the garden of Tsarskoye Selo, Masha met a middle-aged lady. In this lady, everything "involuntarily attracted the heart and inspired confidence." Having learned who Masha was, she offered her help, and Masha sincerely told the lady the whole story. The lady turned out to be the empress, who pardoned Grinev in the same way that Pugachev had pardoned both Masha and Grinev in his time.

Author of the retelling: M. N. Serbul

<< Back: Alexander Alexandrovich Bestuzhev (Marlinsky) 1793-1837 (Roman and Olga. An old story (1823). Test. A story (1830). Armor. The story of a partisan officer (1832). Ammalat-bek. A Caucasian tale. A story (1831). The frigate "Nadezhda". A story (1832))

>> Forward: Evgeny Abramovich Baratynsky 1800-1844 (Eda. Poem (1824, published 1826)). Ball. Poem (1828). Gypsy. Poem (1831, revised 1842))

We recommend interesting articles Section Lecture notes, cheat sheets:

▪ Methods of teaching psychology. Lecture notes

▪ Business planning. Lecture notes

▪ History of culture. Crib

See other articles Section Lecture notes, cheat sheets.

Read and write useful comments on this article.

<< Back

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

The existence of an entropy rule for quantum entanglement has been proven 09.05.2024

Quantum mechanics continues to amaze us with its mysterious phenomena and unexpected discoveries. Recently, Bartosz Regula from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and Ludovico Lamy from the University of Amsterdam presented a new discovery that concerns quantum entanglement and its relation to entropy. Quantum entanglement plays an important role in modern quantum information science and technology. However, the complexity of its structure makes understanding and managing it challenging. Regulus and Lamy's discovery shows that quantum entanglement follows an entropy rule similar to that for classical systems. This discovery opens new perspectives in the field of quantum information science and technology, deepening our understanding of quantum entanglement and its connection to thermodynamics. The results of the study indicate the possibility of reversibility of entanglement transformations, which could greatly simplify their use in various quantum technologies. Opening a new rule ... >>

Mini air conditioner Sony Reon Pocket 5 09.05.2024

Summer is a time for relaxation and travel, but often the heat can turn this time into an unbearable torment. Meet a new product from Sony - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-air conditioner, which promises to make summer more comfortable for its users. Sony has introduced a unique device - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-conditioner, which provides body cooling on hot days. With it, users can enjoy coolness anytime, anywhere by simply wearing it around their neck. This mini air conditioner is equipped with automatic adjustment of operating modes, as well as temperature and humidity sensors. Thanks to innovative technologies, Reon Pocket 5 adjusts its operation depending on the user's activity and environmental conditions. Users can easily adjust the temperature using a dedicated mobile app connected via Bluetooth. Additionally, specially designed T-shirts and shorts are available for convenience, to which a mini air conditioner can be attached. The device can oh ... >>

Energy from space for Starship 08.05.2024

Producing solar energy in space is becoming more feasible with the advent of new technologies and the development of space programs. The head of the startup Virtus Solis shared his vision of using SpaceX's Starship to create orbital power plants capable of powering the Earth. Startup Virtus Solis has unveiled an ambitious project to create orbital power plants using SpaceX's Starship. This idea could significantly change the field of solar energy production, making it more accessible and cheaper. The core of the startup's plan is to reduce the cost of launching satellites into space using Starship. This technological breakthrough is expected to make solar energy production in space more competitive with traditional energy sources. Virtual Solis plans to build large photovoltaic panels in orbit, using Starship to deliver the necessary equipment. However, one of the key challenges ... >>

Random news from the Archive Created the highest rocket 18.08.2021 SpaceX engineers have successfully installed the second stage of the Starship SN20 spacecraft on the Super Heavy launch vehicle. This operation resulted in a structure 120 meters (394 ft) tall, taller than the Apollo Saturn V era rocket (362,9 ft) and taller than the future SLS rocket in its maximum Block 2 configuration (365,1 ft). In other words, SpaceX has managed to build the tallest rocket in history, which is designed to leave the surface of the Earth and send its cargo into outer space. The Super Heavy BN4 booster was installed on the launch pad on August 3, after installing all 29 Raptor jet engines on it. The upper and lower parts of the rocket have the same diameter (9 meters), and its height is 70 meters. Add to this another 50 meters of the Starship spacecraft, and we get a grandiose 120-meter structure, looking to the skies. SpaceX plans to launch a pair of Super Heavy BN4 - Starship SN20 later this year. The launch of the mission will take place according to the following scenario - the Super Heavy BN4 carrier will operate for 169 seconds before the second stage, Starship SN20, separates from it. After that, the spent launch vehicle will fall into the Gulf of Mexico approximately 30 kilometers from the launch site. The Starship spacecraft, meanwhile, will turn on its engines, enter Earth orbit for a short time, and re-enter the atmosphere. After descent, the spacecraft will splash down in the Pacific Ocean near the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Once fully completed, the Super Heavy BN4 launch vehicle will become the most powerful launch vehicle capable of lifting 150 tons of cargo into orbit. The rocket engines run on a mixture of cold liquid methane and liquid oxygen, the joint operation of all 29 engines during launch is capable of providing thrust with a force of 72 meganewtons.

Other interesting news:

▪ All Optical Switch

▪ Restarting the Large Hadron Collider

▪ Computer mouse will prevent stress

▪ Life on Mars

▪ Dual GPU Nvidia Tesla K80

News feed of science and technology, new electronics

 

Interesting materials of the Free Technical Library:

▪ site section Frequency synthesizers. Selection of articles

▪ Nylon article. History of invention and production

▪ article How many eyes does an eyeless big-eyed spider have? Detailed answer

▪ article Commemoration of World Day for Safety and Health at Work

▪ article Simple high-quality UMZCH. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

▪ article Boiler house pump control. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

Leave your comment on this article:

Name:


Email (optional):


A comment:

All languages ​​of this page

Arabic	Hebrew	Polish
Bengali	Hindi	Portuguese
Chinese	Italian	Spanish
English	Japanese	Turkish
French	Korean	Ukrainian
German	Malay	Vietnamese

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews

www.diagram.com.ua
2000-2024