The old woman izergil the heart of Danko. Creative works in literature. Working with the text of a work of art
The legend of "Danko" by Gorky is an excerpt from the story "Old Woman Izergil", written in 1894. In this legend, the writer presented a selfless, altruistic hero who was guided by the principle "Live for the people."
For better preparation for a literature lesson in grade 7, we recommend reading the Danko summary online. You can test your knowledge with the test on our website.
main characters
Danko- a young handsome young man, strong and courageous, who did not spare his own life for the good of his people.
Other characters
People- Danko's compatriots, once strong and courageous, but under the influence of external forces have lost their nobility and fortitude.
Many years ago there lived "merry, strong and courageous people". On three sides, their settlement was surrounded by dense forests, and on the fourth, there was an endless steppe. Once the steppe brought them trouble: militant tribes appeared and drove these people deep into the forest. It was impossible to live here: the dense foliage of huge trees did not let in sunlight, and from the swamps "a stench rose, and people died from it one after another."
It became clear that it was urgent to leave the dangerous forest. The people faced a difficult choice: to return to the steppe, where "strong and evil enemies" were waiting for them, or to move forward, making their way through dense forest thickets. But the trees in the forest were so strong and powerful, as if they were made of the most durable stone. Their branches were so tightly intertwined with each other that people were surrounded day and night by a "ring of strong darkness." Getting out of this trap was not an easy task.
Still, they were brave people, and they could take risks and fight the enemies. However, they could not afford to perish, "because they had covenants, and if they died, the covenants would be lost with them from life." Trying to find a way out of this situation, people sat and thought about how to do the right thing, only “nothing - neither work nor women exhaust the bodies and souls of people in the same way that dreary thoughts exhaust them.” Soon people were weakened by the sorrowful thoughts that filled them. Fear arose in the tribe, and many were already ready to donate their will to the invaders, and "no one, frightened by death, was afraid of a slave life."
But then the young handsome Danko took the floor, who believed that "not to turn a stone from the path of thought." He suggested that his fellow tribesmen go through the forest towards the sun, because "everything in the world has an end." There was so much inner strength and "living fire" in his eyes that people believed him. They asked Danko to lead them through the forest and save them from certain death among the poisonous swamps. The road was very difficult, at every step the travelers were in danger: “the swamp opened its greedy rotten mouth, swallowing people”, the branches of the trees tore their bodies into blood. People walked and walked, but there was no end to this terrible forest. On the contrary, it became even thicker and darker. Exhausted travelers increasingly began to grumble at Danko, who led them to no one knows where, to certain death.
Once a thunderstorm broke out over the forest, and it became "so dark, as if all the nights had gathered in it at once." Giant trees creaked under the gusts of wind, lightning sparkled with blue flames, frightening people. It seemed that "something terrible, dark and cold" was looking at them from the darkness. The travelers finally lost heart. They, once strong and fearless, were ashamed to admit their own cowardice, and they began to blame Danko for all their troubles. People called their leader an insignificant, harmful person, because of whom they are forced to endure terrible hardships. Danko objected that only in him was the courage to lead forward, and the tribe followed him of their own free will. He reproached the people that they could not "keep their strength for a longer journey", and walked like a herd of sheep.
These words infuriated Danko's tribesmen even more, and calls were heard in the crowd to kill the fearless young man. Danko glanced at the people, and bitterly realized, "that they are like animals." But he still loved them, and sincerely wished well. A great desire arose in him to save his people, to do a great deed for them. Without much thought, Danko "torn his chest with his hands and tore out his heart from it and raised it high above his head." It burned so brightly that it would have eclipsed the sun. Even the deepest darkness parted before this "torch of great love for people."
Danko again led the tribe and confidently went forward, illuminating the path with his hot, sparkling heart. Fascinated by the unprecedented spectacle, people resignedly followed him. Soon the forest parted, revealing to the travelers an endless fertile steppe and a swift river. Glancing with a joyful look at the "free land", Danko laughed proudly, fell and died. Nobody noticed his death, and only one cautious person, seeing the still burning heart, crushed it with his foot, as if afraid of something...
Conclusion
In his work, the writer revealed one of the common problems modern society when weak, weak-willed people are not able to take a step towards a new life.
After getting acquainted with brief retelling"Danko" we recommend reading a fragment of the story "The Old Woman Izergil" in the full version.
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Retelling rating
Average rating: 4.6. Total ratings received: 134.
Only people lived on the earth in the old days, impenetrable forests surrounded the camps of these people on three sides, and on the fourth there was a steppe. They were cheerful, strong and courageous people. And then one day a difficult time came: other tribes came from somewhere and drove the former into the depths of the forest. There were swamps and darkness, because the forest was old, and its branches were so densely intertwined that it was impossible to see the sky through them, and the rays of the sun could hardly make their way to the swamps through dense foliage. But when its rays fell on the water of the swamps, the stench rose, and people died from it one after another. Then the wives and children of this tribe began to cry, and the fathers thought and fell into anguish. It was necessary to leave this forest, and for this there were two roads: one - back - there were strong and evil enemies, the other - forward, giant trees stood there, tightly hugging each other with mighty branches, lowering their knotty roots deep into the tenacious silt swamps.
These stone trees stood silent and motionless during the day in the gray twilight and moved even more densely around people in the evenings when the fires lit up. And always, day and night, there was a ring of strong darkness around those people, it was definitely going to crush them, and they got used to the expanse of the steppe. And it was even more terrible when the wind beat on the tops of the trees and the whole forest hummed dully, as if threatening and singing a funeral song to those people. These were all the same strong people, and they could go to fight to the death with those who once defeated them, but they could not die in battles, because they had covenants, and if they died, then the covenants would disappear with them from life. And so they sat and thought in the long nights, under the muffled noise of the forest, in the poisonous stench of the swamp. They sat, and the shadows from the fires jumped around them in a silent dance, and it seemed to everyone that these were not shadows dancing, but the evil spirits of the forest and swamp were triumphant ... People sat and thought. But nothing - neither work nor women exhaust the bodies and souls of people in the same way that dreary thoughts exhaust them. And people weakened from thoughts ... Fear was born among them, fettered their strong hands, horror gave birth to women crying over the corpses of those who died from the stench and over the fate of the living, chained by fear, - and cowardly words began to be heard in the forest, at first timid and quiet, and then louder and louder ... They already wanted to go to the enemy and offer him their will as a gift, and no one, frightened by death, was afraid of a slave life ... But then Danko appeared and saved everyone alone. [...]
Danko is one of those people, a handsome young man. Beautiful - always bold. And so he says to them, his comrades:
- Do not turn a stone out of the way with a thought. Whoever does nothing, nothing will happen to him. Why do we waste energy on thought and longing? Get up, let's go into the forest and go through it, because it has an end - everything in the world has an end! Let's go! Well! Hey!..
They looked at him and saw that he was the best of all, because in his eyes a lot of strength and living fire shone.
- Lead us! they said.
Then he led… [...]
Danko led them. Everyone followed him together - they believed in him. It has been a difficult journey! It was dark, and at every step the swamp opened its greedy rotten mouth, swallowing people, and the trees blocked the road like a mighty wall. Their branches intertwined with each other; like snakes, roots stretched everywhere, and each step cost a lot of sweat and blood to those people. They walked for a long time ... The forest became thicker, there was less and less strength! And so they began to grumble at Danko, saying that in vain he, young and inexperienced, led them somewhere. And he walked ahead of them and was cheerful and clear.
But one day a thunderstorm struck over the forest, the trees whispered muffledly, menacingly. And then it became so dark in the forest, as if all the nights had gathered in it at once, how many there had been in the world since the time he was born. Little people walked among the big trees and in the terrible noise of lightning, they walked, and, swaying, the giant trees creaked and hummed angry songs, and the lightning, flying over the tops of the forest, illuminated it for a minute with a blue, cold fire and disappeared just as quickly, as they appeared, scaring people. And the trees, illuminated by the cold fire of lightning, seemed alive, stretching around the people who were leaving the captivity of darkness, clumsy, long arms, weaving them into a dense net, trying to stop people. And from the darkness of the branches, something terrible, dark and cold looked at the walking ones. It was a difficult journey, and the people, weary of it, lost heart. But they were ashamed to admit their impotence, and so in anger and anger they fell upon Danko, the man who was walking ahead of them. And they began to reproach him for his inability to manage them - that's how!
They stopped and under the triumphant noise of the forest, among the trembling darkness, tired and angry, began to judge Danko.
“You,” they said, “are insignificant and harmful man for us! You led us and tired us, and for this you will perish!
- You said: “Lead!” - and I led! - Shouted Danko, standing against them with his chest. - I have the courage to lead, that's why I led you! And you? What have you done to help yourself? You just walked and did not know how to save strength for a longer path! You just walked, walked like a flock of sheep!
But these words infuriated them even more.
- You will die! You will die! they roared.
And the forest hummed and hummed, echoing their cries, and lightning tore the darkness to shreds. Danko looked at those for whom he had toiled, and saw that they were like animals. Many people stood around him, but their nobility was not on their faces, and it was impossible for him to expect mercy from them. Then indignation boiled up in his heart, but it went out of pity for people. He loved people and thought that maybe without him they would perish. And then his heart flared up with the fire of a desire to save them, to lead them to an easy path, and then the rays of that mighty fire flashed in his eyes ... the wolves, expecting that he would fight them, and began to surround him more densely, so that it would be easier for them to grab and kill Danko. And he already understood their thought, which is why his heart burned even brighter, for this thought of theirs gave birth to melancholy in him.
And the forest kept singing its gloomy song, and the thunder rumbled, and the rain poured down ...
What will I do for people?! Danko shouted louder than thunder.
And suddenly he tore his chest with his hands and tore out his heart from it and raised it high above his head.
It burned as brightly as the sun, and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest fell silent, illuminated by this torch of great love for people, and the darkness scattered from its light and there, deep in the forest, trembling, fell into the rotten mouth of the swamp. The people, amazed, became like stones.
- Let's go! Danko shouted and rushed forward to his place, holding his burning heart high and illuminating the way for people.
They rushed after him, fascinated. Then the forest rustled again, shaking its peaks in surprise, but its noise was drowned out by the clatter of running people. Everyone ran quickly and boldly, carried away by the wonderful sight of a burning heart. And now they were dying, but they were dying without complaints and tears. But Danko was still ahead, and his heart was burning, burning!
And then suddenly the forest parted before him, parted and remained behind, dense and dumb, and Danko and all those people immediately plunged into the sea sunlight and clean air washed by the rain. There was a thunderstorm - there, behind them, over the forest, and here the sun was shining, the steppe was sighing, the grass was shining in the diamonds of the rain and the river was sparkling with gold ... Danko's chest
The proud daredevil Danko cast a glance ahead of himself at the expanse of the steppe, - he threw a joyful glance at the free land and laughed proudly. And then he fell and died.
People, joyful and full of hope, did not notice his death and did not see that his brave heart was still burning next to the corpse of Danko. Only one cautious person noticed this and, being afraid of something, stepped on a proud heart with his foot ... And now it, crumbling into sparks, died out ...
For me, Danko's act is certainly courageous and thoughtful, because in our time it is very rare to find a real Hero (with a capital letter!). After all, not all people are able to take on such responsibility as Danko took. This young man can really be called a hero, leading many people who trust him. However, the act with the heart struck me, I did not expect such a turn of events.
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"Cautious person"... In my opinion, a "cautious person" is someone who always does not want to do or is afraid to do something superfluous or more. He takes the easy way so as not to make a mistake. And, unfortunately, there are more such people.
I think that in our world it would not hurt to have more such valiant people as Danko. Let there be few of them, but they will serve as a prototype for still timid and timid young people and girls.I believe that Danko acted as real man!
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People would have remained to live in the forest and perish, if not for this brave man, a hero. Danko led them, despite the evil intentions on their part. The man loved them, was ready to do anything to save them. And these people behaved like little spoiled children. The climax of the story surprised me. I did not think that Danko would rip out his heart. He did it for the people, lit the way with his heart. Brought them out of the forest - saved their lives. I think he died, realizing that he coped with the task and fell asleep forever with a calm soul. All the people were happy about it. that they got out, but it’s unlikely that at least one thanked Danko for this, because they didn’t even notice how the hero died ... I don’t understand why the “Cautious Man” behaved like that. He decided to just forget his savior? Or scared? If I met a person. resembling Danko, I would definitely shake his hand. Such people, heroes, need to be known by sight, and not to trample on all the memories of them, like simple dirt. The same thing happened to Danko's heart...I think that Danko acted nobly, he knew how to love people. His attitude towards people is worthy of emulation. Love is not the only virtue that Danko had. That is why his heart burned so brightly - this is how the author speaks of love. He also believed that he would succeed in what he had planned. Without faith, his love and deed would be fruitless.
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The author also raises the theme of the ungrateful, capricious crowd in the legend, because people, having fallen into the thickest darkness of the forest and swamp swamps, attacked Danko with reproaches and threats. They called him "an insignificant and harmful person", they decided to kill him. However, the young man forgave the people for their anger and unfair reproaches. He pulled out of his chest a heart that burned with a bright fire of love for these same people, and lit the way for them: “It (the heart) burned as brightly as the sun, and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest fell silent, lit by this torch of great love for people ... »
For me, Danko's act is a feat. I believe that people like Danko should be in modern world they will serve as a good example for other people.(The work of Nikita Savelyev)
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To me, Danko's act, of course, seemed courageous and courageous. He was a man of extraordinary courage and courage, who managed to lead the people. And even when hope seemed to have faded away, Danko was not afraid of death and tore his heart out of his chest. As for the man who crushed his heart, then, in my opinion, this act is nothing more than a fright of the courage of the noblest heart of Danko.
In the modern world, people like Danko are, of course, needed. There are very few such people who force others to follow them.For me, Danko's act is something amazing, inspiring. Indeed, in our time there are no such people left ... Ready to sacrifice for the common good. And there are a great many "cautious people" in our world.
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I think that the "cautious person" was afraid of something new, not like everyone else. I think that this man was afraid of change, he was afraid of Danko himself.
And, of course, in our world there is a critical shortage of such people. Many are ready to lead society, but not for their own good, but for their own benefit. Danko tore out his heart, not in order to light the way for himself, and save himself. He did it for others. Not many people today are capable of that.From Alexandra Prokaeva
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It seems to me that Danko's act is worthy of respect, because not every person in our insidious world could do this, only out of pure love for people! This man was unusually brave and managed to lead so many people. When, it seemed, hope faded Danko tore his heart out of his chest in order to prove his love and devotion! But ungrateful people took this not as a feat, but as a miracle. They would not follow him and would not listen to him without making him so amazing, but at that At the same time, a risky step! I think the "cautious person" was afraid of Danko. He was afraid of the danger posed by Danka's still living heart. This person did not want other people to be affected by this act.
It seems to me that Danko's act is worthy of respect. For me, he is a hero. I would like to see such people in our time ... to love disinterestedly and try for the good of society !!!Danko's act is certainly heroic, and in my opinion people like him are now very lacking. He was able to lead desperate people, and even their anger and anger could not overshadow that desire, that goal to help them, for the sake of which Danko led them. Danko sacrificed himself for these people. He
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ripped the heart out of his chest in order to dispel the fear that was born in the hearts and minds of this tribe. What is a "careful" person? Such a person is afraid and does not trust people like Danko. And Danko is a man of honor. He took on this no easy task, and he completed it no matter what.Danko's act was courageous, he acted like a man. Everyone in the forest would simply have died if not for Danko. He was not afraid of death. I was very impressed with this move. A cautious man shaving to do something not careful, that is, he goes straight, only along his safe path. Of course, in our time, such people are very much needed, but unfortunately, the more centuries, the less such people.
Reply DeleteI think that Danko's act is very brave, strong and heroic. Not everyone can make a sacrifice to save other people and become a hero. I treat him with respect. As for the person who has destroyed the heart, he is afraid of a saving deed. Danko is a person who knows how to keep promises made to himself. Set a goal and achieve it at any cost.
Reply DeleteI believe that Danko's act was noble, courageous and brave. This act is worthy of a real man. In our time, there are few such strong and brave people. Such people are the ideals of modern society. A cautious man was afraid of the power that comes from Danko's heart. He acted vilely and horribly by stepping on that heart. I believe that people like Danko are sorely lacking in the modern world.
Reply DeleteDanko acted like a true patriot of his people, like a person who did not lose heart in a difficult moment, who retained optimism and hope for salvation, like a person who instilled this hope in the hearts of the people around him, sacrificing himself for the common good. In my opinion, this is a noble deed.
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To achieve the goal, Danko and his people made a lot of efforts. Overcoming the difficult path was most difficult for the people, who were weakened by thoughts. "Cautious person" is a typical representative of this people. He was afraid of further difficulties, so he simply "stepped on his proud heart with his foot ...".
I believe that people like Danko are simply necessary in the modern world, as they would be able to open new horizons, overcome all obstacles, lead people, be responsible for their actions, in general, be leaders and patriots. Otherwise, society will not progress without leaders and patriots.(The work of Tanya Mokeeva)
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I really like this hero. Danko is brave and courageous as is his act. After all, despite the fact that people in the middle of the way went berserk and wanted to kill him, Danko's desire to help these people and get them out of this terrible forest soared even more. people on Danko.Danko's act is brave and courageous. Not every person will agree to this. He has a chalk to love and appreciate people. Despite the fact that people in the middle of the path went berserk and wanted to kill him, Danko even more soared the desire to help these people and get them out of this terrible forest. He believed in people, he believed in himself. After all, Danko sacrifices his heart for the sake of the people.
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In this work, people protesting against Danko are clearly expressed. They were afraid of unnecessary dangers. They sat "idle," doing nothing to save them.
For me, "cautious people" are those people who want to avoid trouble and trouble. Nowadays, there are a lot of “cautious people”, this is very bad. Nowadays, people lack such qualities as courage, courage and love for people, which Danko has.From Ivan Shatsky.
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Danko showed the highest degree of heroism and love for people. This hero is worthy of memory and admiration. He sacrificed the dearest - his own life. Danko tore out his heart from his chest in order to illuminate the dark path for people in an impenetrable dense forest. He saved people.
People like Danko are very much needed in the modern world to remind people of the power of kindness and love.1) I believe that Danko committed a very selfless and brave act. He led the people, but people were afraid of the dangerous path and began to blame the only one who tried to save them for all the troubles. They were afraid of any difficulties and tried to kill him, finding in him the culprit of all problems. But Danko still loved people, he felt sorry for them, and he sacrificed his life for people like them. Not everyone would be able to sacrifice themselves, not only for the sake of those who considered him their enemy, but even for the sake of a loved one.
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2) I believe that this cautious person crushed Danko's heart because it made people fearless in the face of any difficulties. Danko was the only person who could lead the people and he could do it thanks to his heart, but the cautious man no longer wanted such long journeys and with his act crossed out any attempt at the moral improvement of their people.
3) People like Danko will always be needed by society. There are only a few such people, and there are millions of times more people like this people. And the further, the worse. Now you will not find a person who is able not only to overcome all difficulties, but also to help others overcome them, even at the cost of their own lives.From Alena Dementieva.
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I think that Danko is a man with a capital letter. He was able to awaken in people faith in himself. Even when people took up arms against him, he did not lose faith not in himself, not in people. He is the only one who could put the inhabitants on Right way and help them fight for the life they want. Danko is a person who can help people and will do everything so that people do not give up and stop believing in themselves.
It seems to me that the "cautious person" was afraid of the power that came from this heart. And so that suddenly, that did not work out, he decided to step on him, so that this power would not pass to another person. People like Danko are extremely lacking in the modern world, who could help people and be morally strong in order to direct people on the right path. He can overcome all the hardships and difficulties that come his way.I believe that Danko made the right, responsible and very brave act. Not every person is able to give his life for the sake of others. Even when people went berserk and tried to kill Danko, he did not give up and continued to lead these people, I can’t imagine how strong Danko was not only spiritually, but also physically.
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It seems to me that this man was afraid that there was such a powerful force in his heart that it could be transferred to other people. As for the modern world, there are very few people like Danko left in our world, the same brave, responsible and loving people who do not look at all adversity, ready to sacrifice everything they have to save other lives.From Arina Korzhikova.
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I believe that Danko made a very bold and courageous act, because only he was not afraid to go through a dense forest and sacrifice himself to save other people. Danko did not expect gratitude from people and with his kind heart lit the way for them.
The "cautious man" was afraid for his life and did not risk it, which is why many people died in that swamp.
Of course, in our time there are people like Danko, only there are very few of them compared to "cautious people." Indeed, in our time, almost every person is afraid to say something superfluous, inappropriate, and take the first step towards something good and bright.I believe that Danko committed an act that only a real person is capable of. Only a real, courageous person is able to sacrifice himself for the sake of other people. Danko did this act, first of all, not for himself and not for his glory, but for the sake of his honor and for the sake of people.
The "cautious person" at that moment did not think about people, he thought about himself. If he had thought at that moment not about himself, then many people would have survived.With all my heart I want our time to be a large number of people capable of such an act as Danko. To my great regret, I am sure that every third person in our time is a cautious person.
Reply DeleteFrom Yana Matrosova.
For me, Danko's act is a real feat. I think that Danko is a brave and courageous young man, because not everyone will be able to lead a huge number of people, taking responsibility for their lives, to sacrifice himself for the sake of people whom he didn’t really know, and not demanding anything in return. Far few are capable of such an act, sometimes it seems that there are simply no such people left in the modern world. Such a person as Danko is rare in our time. The hero has a passionate love for others, which helped him bring people to the goal, no matter what, he completed the work he had begun to the end, did not leave these people alone, helpless in this terrible forest, he loved people and nothing could interrupt this faith in people and in love in their hearts. It was his immense love for people that gave Danko fresh strength and energy.
And "Cautious Man" is the exact opposite of Danko. This man, first of all, was afraid for his life, he did not care about the others, he acted only in his own interests, trying to survive in this cruel world, albeit not by honest means.
I think that in our world it would not hurt to have more such brave and valiant people like Danko so that they can set an example for the future generation. Reply Delete(The work of Vasya Lvov)
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Danko's act is very noble, because he understood what they could expect. After long wanderings through the forest, people stopped believing in Danko with every step. Because they could only blame him, and they themselves were afraid to go without a person who was sure that they would get out. But when he noticed that the spirit of the people had weakened and they were ready to pounce on him, Danko looked at them sadly, which made his eyes shine even brighter, and people began to think that Danko was angry with them for treason, and thought that he will resist them to the last. But something else happened, Danko tore his chest with his own hands and tore out his heart, showing his courage and desire to save them. Danko led them through a dark, terrible forest. And soon they got out of it. When they entered the clearing, Danko was glad that he was able to fulfill his duty, his desire to save those people. But as it turned out, in fact, people were not worthy of the help of Danko, who saved their lives from death. One cautious person noticed the proud heart of Danko and this person stepped on him in fear, he no longer wanted difficult paths and by doing so, the cautious person deprived his people of the opportunity to improve in the spiritual aspect. People were cruel to Danko, they did not try to help him, they tried to save only themselves and such people are unlikely to be able to help anyone. But people like Danko deserve much more than to die for those who do not deserve it! Such people will always be needed by our cowardly and irresponsible society.Vlad Klepikov. Composition on the topic "The Legend of Danko".
Danko lives in a tribe whose members are cheerful, strong and brave people. They live in a good place, where the nature is beautiful, not knowing the troubles and sorrows. Once foreign tribes came and drove this tribe into the depths of the forest. Hard times are coming for the Danko tribe. People are dying one after another, wives and children are crying, fathers have thought and fell into anguish. They were in an impossible situation. And then one day Danko appeared - strong, brave, both in body and soul. And he sought to save them. And he believed that there were wonderful places ahead where their tribe could settle. He told them that it was useless to waste energy on thought and longing. No wonder they say that water will not flow under a lying stone. He told them: "Everything in the world has an end. Let's go. Well. Gey.
And people believed in the young hero and followed him. The path was very difficult. And people, having gone through a lot of wilds, having lost many fellow tribesmen and not seeing the result, began to lose faith and hope for a good future. And then they decided to kill their leader because he could not lead them out of the forest, because he was young and inexperienced and in vain took up this matter. But Danko, despite the fact that people are ungrateful, still decides to save them. And finally, he brought people out of the forest and brought them to a free land, His tribe continued to live, and Danko himself died. People passed him and ran forward towards the sun and light, forgetting about Danko. Danko is definitely a hero. I really liked the legend of Danko, but I still consider it unfair. First of all, I was surprised by the ingratitude of the people who wanted to kill Danko first, and later, when Danko died, who passed by him. Reply Delete
I was always inspired by Danko... Maybe because I had such a childhood, such books, and such ideals in society... For me, Danko's act is certainly a feat, because he did not expect people to acknowledge or thank him. No matter how grandiloquent it may sound, he loved people and did not think that he was performing a feat or self-sacrifice. He saw no other way out for his people and did not know how to help in any other way.
And the "cautious person" ... he also does not know how to live otherwise: carefully, no matter what happens, it's better to have a bird in your hand ... And then, next to people like Danko, it's not easy: you have to comply. What if someone, seeing Danko's burning heart, will raise it (both literally and figuratively: pick up the baton)? Then again - a difficult path, struggle, the need to reach out, to conform ...
At any time there are people like Danko, and "cautious" people. The first is always very few, and the second - a lot. But it is Danko, Prometheus who move humanity forward. Not every feat is as bright, undoubted as the feat of Danko. Staying true to yourself, your principles, conscience is also a feat, it also moves forward both you and the one who is next to you at this moment.
I heard these stories near Akkerman, in Bessarabia, on the seashore.
One evening, after finishing the day’s grape harvest, the party of Moldavians with whom I worked went to the seashore, and I and the old woman Izergil remained under a thick shadow. vines and, lying on the ground, were silent, watching the silhouettes of those people who went to the sea melt in the blue haze of the night.
They walked and sang and laughed; men - bronze, with lush, black mustaches and thick curls to the shoulders, in short jackets and wide trousers; women and girls are cheerful, flexible, with dark blue eyes, also bronze. Their hair, silk and black, was loose, the wind, warm and light, playing with them, jingled with the coins woven into them. The wind flowed in a wide, even wave, but sometimes it seemed to jump over something invisible and, giving rise to a strong gust, fluttered the women's hair into fantastic manes that billowed around their heads. It made women strange and fabulous. They moved farther and farther away from us, and the night and fantasy dressed them more and more beautifully.
Someone was playing the violin… the girl sang in a soft contralto, laughter was heard…
The air was saturated with the pungent smell of the sea and the greasy fumes of the earth, shortly before evening, abundantly moistened with rain. Even now fragments of clouds roamed the sky, lush, of strange shapes and colors, here - soft, like puffs of smoke, gray and ash-blue, there - sharp, like fragments of rocks, dull black or brown. Between them, dark blue patches of sky, adorned with golden flecks of stars, gleamed affectionately. All this - sounds and smells, clouds and people - was strangely beautiful and sad, it seemed like the beginning of a wonderful fairy tale. And everything, as it were, stopped in its growth, died; the noise of voices died away, receding into mournful sighs.
Why didn't you go with them? - Nodding her head, asked the old woman Izergil.
Time had bent her in half, her once black eyes were dull and watery. Her dry voice sounded strange, it crunched like an old woman talking with her bones.
“I don’t want to,” I told her.
- U! .. you, Russians, will be born old men. Everyone is gloomy, like demons ... Our girls are afraid of you ... But you are young and strong ...
The moon has risen. Her disk was large, blood-red, she seemed to have emerged from the bowels of this steppe, which in its lifetime had swallowed so much human meat and drank blood, which is probably why it became so fat and generous. Lacy shadows from the foliage fell on us, the old woman and I were covered with them, like a net. Across the steppe, to our left, the shadows of the clouds, saturated with the blue glow of the moon, floated, they became more transparent and brighter.
Look, Larra is coming!
I looked where the old woman was pointing with her trembling hand with crooked fingers, and I saw: shadows floated there, there were many of them, and one of them, darker and thicker than the others, swam faster and lower than the sisters - she fell from a patch of cloud, which swam closer to the ground than the others, and faster than them.
- Nobody's there! - I said.
“You are more blind than me, old woman. Look - out, dark, running through the steppe!
I looked again and again saw nothing but a shadow.
- It's a shadow! Why are you calling her Larra?
- Because it's him. He has already become like a shadow now - it's time! He lives for thousands of years, the sun dried up his body, blood and bones, and the wind pulverized them. This is what God can do to a man for pride! ..
- Tell me how it was! I asked the old woman, feeling ahead of me one of the glorious tales composed in the steppes. And she told me this story.
“Many thousands of years have passed since this happened. Far beyond the sea, at sunrise, there is a country of a large river, in that country every tree leaf and stalk of grass gives as much shade as a person needs to hide in it from the sun, cruelly hot there.
What a generous land in that country!
A powerful tribe of people lived there, they grazed herds and spent their strength and courage on hunting for animals, feasted after the hunt, sang songs and played with girls.
Once, during a feast, one of them, black-haired and tender as night, was carried away by an eagle descending from the sky. The arrows fired at him by the men fell miserably back to the ground. Then they went to look for the girl, but they did not find her. And they forgot about it, as they forget about everything on earth.
The old woman sighed and nodded. Her raspy voice sounded like it had been murmuring through all the forgotten ages, embodied in her chest as shadows of memories. The sea quietly echoed the beginning of one of the ancient legends that may have been created on its shores.
“But twenty years later she herself came, exhausted, withered, and with her was a young man, handsome and strong, as she herself was twenty years ago. And when they asked her where she was, she said that the eagle carried her to the mountains and lived with her there as with his wife. Here is his son, but the father is gone; when he began to weaken, he rose for the last time high into the sky and, folding his wings, fell heavily from there onto the sharp ledges of the mountain, crashed to death on them ...
Everyone looked with surprise at the son of an eagle and saw that he was no better than them, only his eyes were cold and proud, like those of the king of birds. And they talked to him, and he answered if he wanted, or was silent, and when the oldest tribes came, he spoke to them as to his equals. This offended them, and they, calling him an unfinished arrow with an unsharpened tip, told him that they were honored, they were obeyed by thousands like him, and thousands twice his age. And he, boldly looking at them, answered that there were no others like him; and if everyone honors them, he does not want to do this. Oh! .. then they were completely angry. They got angry and said:
He has no place among us! Let him go where he wants.
He laughed and went where he pleased, to one beautiful girl who gazed at him intently; He went to her and went up to her and hugged her. And she was the daughter of one of the elders who condemned him. And although he was handsome, she pushed him away because she was afraid of her father. She pushed him away, and went away, and he hit her and, when she fell, stood with his foot on her chest, so that blood splashed from her mouth to the sky, the girl, sighing, coiled like a snake and died.
Everyone who saw this was shackled with fear - for the first time in their presence a woman was killed like this. And for a long time everyone was silent, looking at her, lying with open eyes and a bloody mouth, and at him, who stood alone against everyone, next to her, and was proud, did not lower his head, as if calling punishment on her. Then, when they came to their senses, they grabbed him, tied him up and left him like that, finding that killing him right now was too easy and would not satisfy them.
The night grew and grew stronger, filled with strange, quiet sounds. Gophers whistled sadly in the steppe, the glassy chatter of grasshoppers trembled in the foliage of grapes, the foliage sighed and whispered, the full disk of the moon, formerly blood-red, turned pale, moving away from the earth, turned pale and poured more and more abundantly on the steppe a bluish haze ...
“And so they gathered to come up with an execution worthy of a crime ... They wanted to tear it apart with horses - and this seemed not enough to them; they thought of shooting everyone with an arrow at him, but they also rejected this; they offered to burn him, but the smoke of the fire would not allow him to see his torment; offered a lot - and did not find anything good enough to please everyone. And his mother knelt before them and was silent, finding neither tears nor words to beg for mercy. They talked for a long time, and then one wise man said, after thinking for a long time:
Let's ask him why he did it? They asked him about it. He said:
- Untie me! I won't say bound! And when they untied him, he asked:
- What you need? - He asked as if they were slaves ...
“You heard…” said the sage.
Why should I explain my actions to you?
- To be understood by us. You, proud, listen! You will die anyway... Let us understand what you have done. We remain alive, and it is useful for us to know more than we know ...
“Okay, I’ll tell you, although I may be misunderstanding what happened myself. I killed her because, it seems to me, she pushed me away ... And I needed her.
But she's not yours! they told him.
Do you only use yours? I see that each person has only speech, hands and feet ... and he owns animals, women, the earth ... and much more ...
He was told that for everything that a person takes, he pays with himself: with his mind and strength, sometimes with his life. And he replied that he wanted to keep himself whole.
We talked with him for a long time and finally saw that he considers himself the first on earth and sees nothing but himself. Everyone even became scared when they realized what kind of loneliness he doomed himself to. He had no tribe, no mother, no livestock, no wife, and he didn't want any of that.
When people saw this, they again began to judge how to punish him. But now they did not speak for long, - he, the wise one, who did not interfere with their judgment, spoke himself:
- Stop! There is a punishment. This is a terrible punishment; you won't invent something like that in a thousand years! His punishment is in himself! Let him go, let him be free. Here is his punishment!
And then something great happened. Thunder struck from heaven, although there were no clouds on them. It was the powers of heaven that confirmed the speech of the wise. Everyone bowed and dispersed. And this young man, who now received the name Larra, which means: outcast, thrown out, the young man laughed loudly after the people who abandoned him, laughed, remaining alone, free, like his father. But his father was not a man... But this one was a man. And so he began to live, free as a bird. He came to the tribe and stole cattle, girls - whatever he wanted. They shot at him, but the arrows could not pierce his body, covered with an invisible cover of the highest punishment. He was agile, predatory, strong, cruel and did not meet people face to face. Only saw him from afar. And for a long time, alone, he hovered around people, for a long time - more than a dozen years. But one day he came close to people and when they rushed at him, he did not budge and did not show in any way that he would defend himself. Then one of the people guessed and shouted loudly:
- Don't touch him. He wants to die!
And everyone stopped, not wanting to alleviate the fate of the one who did evil to them, not wanting to kill him. They stopped and laughed at him. And he trembled, hearing this laughter, and kept looking for something on his chest, clutching at it with his hands. And suddenly he rushed at the people, lifting a stone. But they, evading his blows, did not inflict a single one on him, and when he, tired, with a sad cry, fell to the ground, they stepped aside and watched him. So he stood up and, raising a knife lost by someone in the fight against him, hit himself in the chest with it. But the knife broke - they hit it like a stone. And again he fell to the ground and beat his head against it for a long time. But the ground pulled away from him, deepening from the blows of his head.
He can't die! people said happily. And they left, leaving him. He lay face up and saw - high in the sky with black dots, mighty eagles swam. There was so much longing in his eyes that one could poison all the people of the world with it. So, from that time on, he was left alone, free, waiting for death. And now he walks, walks everywhere ... You see, he has already become like a shadow and will be like that forever! He doesn't understand people's speech, their actions, nothing. And he is looking for everything, walking, walking ... He has no life, and death does not smile at him. And there is no place for him among people ... That's how a man was struck for pride!
The old woman sighed, fell silent, and her head, sinking to her chest, swayed strangely several times.
I looked at her. The old woman was overcome by sleep, it seemed to me. And for some reason, I felt terribly sorry for her. She ended the story in such a sublime, threatening tone, and yet in this tone there was a timid, slavish note.
They sang on the shore, they sang strangely. First, a contralto rang out - he sang two or three notes, and another voice rang out, starting the song all over again, and the first one kept pouring ahead of him ... - the third, fourth, fifth entered the song in the same order. And suddenly the same song, again at first, was sung by a choir of male voices.
Each voice of the women sounded completely separate, they all seemed like multi-colored streams and, as if rolling down the ledges from somewhere above, jumping and ringing, merging into a thick wave of male voices that smoothly flowed upwards, they drowned in it, burst out of it, drowned it out and again one by one they soared, pure and strong, high into the air.
-II-
“Have you heard that they sang like that anywhere else?” Izergil asked, raising her head and smiling with her toothless mouth.
- Didn't hear it. Never heard...
And you won't hear. We love to sing. Only handsome men can sing well, handsome men who love to live. We love to live. Look, aren't those who sing there tired during the day? They worked from sunrise to sunset, the moon rose, and already they are singing! Those who do not know how to live would go to bed. Those for whom life is sweet, here they sing.
“But health…” I began.
- Health is always enough for life. Health! Wouldn't you, if you had money, spend it? Health is the same gold. Do you know what I did when I was young? I wove carpets from sunrise to sunset, almost never getting up. I, like a sunbeam, was alive, and now I had to sit motionless, like a stone. And I sat until it happened that all my bones cracked. And when the night came, I ran to the one I loved, to kiss him. And so I ran for three months, while there was love; spent all the nights of that time with him. And that's how long she lived - enough blood! And how much she loved! How many kisses took and gave! ..
I looked into her face. Her black eyes were still dull, they were not revived by the memory. The moon illuminated her dry, chapped lips, her pointed chin with gray hair he also has a wrinkled nose, curved like an owl's beak. There were black pits where her cheeks had been, and in one of them lay a strand of ash-gray hair that had fallen out from under the red rag that was wrapped around her head. The skin on the face, neck and arms is all cut with wrinkles, and with every movement of the old Izergil one could expect that this dry skin would tear all over, fall apart in pieces and a naked skeleton with dull black eyes would stand before me.
She began to speak again in her crackling voice:
- I lived with my mother near Falchi, on the very bank of the Byrlad; and I was fifteen years old when he came to our farm. He was so tall, flexible, black-moustached, cheerful. He sits in the boat and he shouts so loudly to us through the windows:
"Hey, do you have any wine... and something to eat for me?"
I looked out the window through the branches of the ash trees and I see: the river is all blue from the moon, and he, in a white shirt and a wide sash with the ends loose on the side, is standing with one foot in the boat and the other on the shore. And sways and sings something. He saw me, he says:
“What a beauty lives here! .. But I didn’t know about it!”
As if he already knew all the beauties before me! I gave him wine and boiled pork... And four days later I gave him all of myself... We all rode with him in the boat at night. He will come and whistle softly like a gopher, and I will jump out like a fish out the window onto the river. And we’re going ... He was a fisherman from the Prut, and then, when my mother found out about everything and beat me, he persuaded me to go with him to Dobrudzha and further, to the Danube girls. But I didn’t like him then - he only sings and kisses, nothing more! It was already boring. At that time, the Hutsuls walked in a gang in those places, and they had kind people here ... So for those, it was fun. Another waits, waits for her Carpathian fellow, thinks that he is already in prison or killed somewhere in a fight - and suddenly he alone, or with two or three comrades, will fall to her as if from heaven. Gifts were brought by the rich - after all, it was easy for them to get everything! And he feasts with her, and boasts of her before his comrades. And she loves it. I asked one friend who had a Hutsul to show me them... What was her name? I forgot how ... I began to forget everything now. A lot of time has passed since then, you will forget everything! She introduced me to a young man. He was good ... He was red, all red - both mustaches and curls! Fire head. And he was so sad, sometimes affectionate, and sometimes, like a beast, he roared and fought. Once he hit me in the face ... And I, like a cat, jumped up on his chest and dug my teeth into his cheek ... From that time on, he had a hole in his cheek, and he loved it when I kissed her ...
Where did the fisherman go? I asked.
- A fisherman? And he ... here ... He stuck to them, to the Hutsuls. At first he persuaded me and threatened to throw me into the water, and then - nothing, stuck to them and brought another one ... They both hung them together - both the fisherman and this Hutsul. I went to watch them being hung. It was in Dobruja. The fisherman went to the execution pale and wept, and the Hutsul smoked his pipe. He goes to himself and smokes, hands in his pockets, one mustache rests on his shoulder, and the other hangs down on his chest. He saw me, took out his phone and shouted:
"Goodbye!.."
I felt sorry for him for a whole year. Eh! .. It was already with them then, how they wanted to go to the Carpathians to themselves. At parting, they went to visit one Romanian, and there they were caught. Only two, but a few were killed, and the rest left ... Still, the Romanian was paid after ... The farm was burned down and the mill, and all the bread. Became a beggar.
- Did you do that? I randomly asked.
- The Hutsuls had many friends, I was not alone ... Who was their best friend, he celebrated their commemoration ...
The song on the seashore had already ceased, and now only the sound of the sea waves echoed the old woman - a thoughtful, rebellious noise was a glorious second story about a rebellious life. The night became softer and softer, and more and more of the blue radiance of the moon was born in it, and the indefinite sounds of the bustling life of its invisible inhabitants became quieter, drowned out by the growing rustle of the waves ... for the wind increased.
- And then I loved the Turk. He was in the harem, in Scutari. She lived for a whole week, - nothing ... But it became boring ... - all women, women ... He had eight of them ... They eat, sleep and chat stupid words all day ... Or swear, cluck like chickens ... He was no longer young, this Turk. Almost gray-haired and so important, rich. He spoke - like a lord ... His eyes were black ... Straight eyes ... They look straight into the soul. He loved to pray very much. I saw him in Bucuresti ... He walks around the market like a king, and looks so important, important. I smiled at him. That evening I was seized on the street and brought to him. He sold sandalwood and palm trees, and came to Bucuresti to buy something. "Are you coming to me?" - He speaks.
"Oh yes, I'll go!"
- "Good!"
And I went. He was rich, this Turk. And he already had a son - a little black boy, so flexible ... He was sixteen years old. With him, I ran away from the Turk ... I ran away to Bulgaria, to Lom Palanka ... There, a Bulgarian woman stabbed me in the chest for her fiancé or for her husband - I don’t remember anymore.
I was sick for a long time in a monastery alone. Convent. One girl, a Pole, looked after me ... and a brother, also a nun, went to her from another monastery - near Artser-Palanka, I remember ... Such ... like a worm, he writhed before me ... And when I recovered, I left with him ... to Poland.
- Wait! .. And where is the little Turk?
- Boy? He's dead boy. From homesickness or from love ... but it began to dry, like a fragile tree that had too much sun ... everything dried up ... I remember, it lies, all already transparent and bluish, like an ice floe, but love still burns in it ... And everyone asks to bend over and kiss him ... I loved him and, I remember, kissed a lot ... Then he became completely ill - he almost did not move. He lies and so plaintively, like a beggar of alms, asks me to lie next to him and warm him. I went to bed. You lie down with him ... he will immediately light up all over. Once I woke up, and he was already cold ... dead ... I cried over him. Who will say? Maybe it was me who killed him. I was twice his age then. And she was so strong, juicy ... and he - what? .. A boy! ..
She sighed and - for the first time I saw it with her - crossed herself three times, whispering something with dry lips.
- Well, you went to Poland ... - I prompted her.
- Yes ... with that little Pole. He was funny and mean. When he needed a woman, he fawned over me like a cat and hot honey flowed from his tongue, and when he didn’t want me, he snapped me with words like a whip. Once, somehow, we were walking along the river bank, and now he said a proud, insulting word to me. O! Oh!.. I got angry! I boiled like tar! I took him in my arms and, like a child - he was small - lifted him up, squeezing his sides so that he turned blue all over. And so I swung it and threw it from the bank into the river. He shouted. He screamed so funny. I looked at him from above, and he was floundering there, in the water. I left then. And I didn't see him again. I was happy about it: I never met after those whom I once loved. These are bad meetings, all the same, as if with the dead.
The old woman paused, sighing. I imagined people resurrected by her. Here is a fiery-red, mustachioed Hutsul going to die, calmly smoking his pipe. He must have been cold Blue eyes who looked at everything intently and firmly. Next to him is a black-moustached fisherman from the Prut; cries, not wanting to die, and on his face, pale with death anguish, cheerful eyes have dimmed, and a mustache, moistened with tears, sadly drooped at the corners of a twisted mouth. Here he is, an old, important Turk, probably a fatalist and a despot, and next to him is his son, a pale and fragile flower of the East, poisoned by kisses. And here is the conceited Pole, gallant and cruel, eloquent and cold... And all of them are only pale shadows, and the one they kissed sits next to me, alive, but withered by time, without a body, without blood, with a heart without desires, with eyes without fire - also almost a shadow.
She continued.
– It became difficult for me in Poland. There live cold and deceitful people. I did not know their snake language. Everyone is hissing... What are they hissing about? It was God who gave them such a snake tongue because they are deceitful. I was walking then, not knowing where, and I saw how they were going to rebel with you Russians. I reached the city of Bochnia. A Jew alone bought me; I didn't buy it for myself, but to trade me. I agreed to this. To live, one must be able to do something. I didn't know how to do anything and paid for it myself. But then I thought that if I got a little money to return to my place on Byrlad, I would break the chains, no matter how strong they were. And I lived there. Rich lords came to me and feasted with me. It cost them dearly. They fought because of me, they went bankrupt. One sought me out for a long time, and once he did this: he came, and the servant followed him with a sack. Here the pan took that bag in his hands and overturned it over my head. The gold coins hit me on the head and I enjoyed listening to them ring as they fell to the floor. But I still kicked out the pan. He had such a fat, damp face, and his belly was like a big pillow. He looked like a well-fed pig. Yes, I drove him out, although he said that he had sold all his lands, and houses, and horses, in order to shower me with gold. I then loved one worthy pan with a chopped face. His whole face was chopped off crosswise by the sabers of the Turks, with whom he had recently fought for the Greeks. Here is a man!.. What are the Greeks to him if he is a Pole? And he went and fought with them against their enemies. They cut him down, one of his eyes bled out from the blows, and two fingers on his left hand were also cut off ... What are the Greeks to him if he is a Pole? And here's the thing: he loved exploits. And when a person loves feats, he always knows how to do them and finds where it is possible. In life, you know, there is always a place for exploits. And those who do not find them for themselves are simply lazy or cowards or do not understand life, because if people understood life, everyone would want to leave behind their shadow in it. And then life would not devour people without a trace ... Oh, this one, chopped, was good man! He was ready to go to the ends of the earth to do anything. Yours must have killed him during the riot. And why did you go to beat the Magyars? Well, well, shut up! ..
And, ordering me to be silent, old Izergil suddenly fell silent herself, thought.
– I also knew a Hungarian. He once left me - it was in the winter - and only in the spring, when the snow melted, they found him in a field with a bullet in his head. That's how! You see, the love of people destroys no less than the plague; if you count - no less ... What did I say? About Poland… Yes, I played my last game there. I met a gentleman ... He was handsome! Like hell. I was already old, oh, old! Was I four decades old? Perhaps that was what happened ... And he was also proud and spoiled by us women. He became dear to me ... yes. He wanted to immediately so-so take me, but I did not give in. I have never been a slave, no one's. And I had already finished with the Jew, I gave him a lot of money ... And already I lived in Krakow. Then I had everything: horses, and gold, and servants ... He walked to me, a proud demon, and kept wanting me to throw myself into his hands. We argued with him ... I even, - I remember, - became stupefied from this. It dragged on for a long time ... I took what was mine: he begged me on his knees ... But as soon as he took it, he left it. Then I realized that I had become old ... Oh, it was not sweet for me! That's not sweet! .. I loved him, this devil ... and he, meeting with me, laughed ... he was vile! And he laughed at me to others, and I knew it. Well, I was bitter, I must say! But he was here, close, and I still admired him. And as he left to fight with you Russians, I felt sick. I broke myself, but I could not break ... And I decided to go after him. He was near Warsaw, in the forest.
But when I arrived, I found out that yours had already beaten them ... and that he was a prisoner, not far in the village.
“So,” I thought, “I won’t see him again!”
And I wanted to see. Well, she began to try to see ... She dressed as a beggar, lame, and went, tied her face, to the village where he was. Cossacks and soldiers are everywhere... it cost me dearly to be there! I found out where the Poles are sitting, and I see that it is difficult to get there. And I needed it. And at night I crawled to the place where they were. I crawl through the garden between the ridges and see: the sentry is standing on my road ... And I can already hear - the Poles sing and speak loudly. They sing one song ... to the mother of God ... And he sings there ... My Arkadek. It became bitter for me, as I thought that they used to crawl after me ... but here it is, the time has come - and I crawled like a snake on the ground after a man and, maybe, I’m crawling to my death. And this sentry is already listening, arched forward. Well, what about me? I got up from the ground and walked towards him. I have no knife, nothing but hands and tongue. I regret not taking a knife. I whisper:
"Wait a minute!.."
And he, this soldier, has already put a bayonet to my throat. I whisper to him:
“Don’t if, wait, listen, if you have a soul! I can’t give you anything, but I ask you…”
He lowered his gun and also whispered to me:
"Go away, grandma! gone! What do you want?"
I told him that my son was locked up here...
“You understand, soldier, son! You're somebody's son too, right? So look at me - I have the same as you, and there he is! Let me see him, maybe he will die soon... and maybe you will be killed tomorrow... will your mother cry for you? And it will be hard for you to die without looking at her, your mother? It's hard for my son too. Have pity on yourself and him, and me - mother! .. "
Oh, how long have I been talking to him! It was raining and wet us. The wind howled and roared, and pushed me in the back, then in the chest. I stood and swayed in front of this stone soldier ... And he kept saying:
And every time I heard his cold word, the desire to see that Arkadek flared up in me even hotter ... I spoke and measured the soldier with my eyes - he was small, dry and kept coughing. And so I fell on the ground in front of him and, embracing his knees, all begging him with ardent words, threw the soldier to the ground. He fell into the mud. Then I quickly turned his face to the ground and pressed his head into a puddle so that he would not scream. He did not scream, but only floundered, trying to throw me off his back. I pushed his head deeper into the dirt with both hands. He suffocated ... Then I rushed to the barn, where the Poles sang.
“Arcadek!..” I whispered through the cracks in the walls. They are quick-witted, these Poles - and, having heard me, they did not stop singing! Here are his eyes against mine.
"Can you get out of here?" - "Yes, through the floor!" - he said. "Well, go ahead." And then four of them crawled out from under this barn: three and my Arkadek.
"Where are the sentries?" asked Arkadek.
"There lies! .."
And they went quietly, quietly, bending to the ground. It was raining, the wind howled loudly. We left the village and walked silently through the forest for a long time. They went so fast. Arkadek held my hand, and his hand was hot and trembling.
Oh! .. I felt so good with him while he was silent. These were the last minutes - good minutes of my greedy life. But then we went to the meadow and stopped. They thanked me all four. Oh, how long and hard they told me something! I listened and looked at my pan. What will he do to me? And so he hugged me and said so importantly ... I don’t remember what he said, but it turned out that now, in gratitude for the fact that I took him away, he would love me ... And he knelt before me, smiling, and said to me:
"My queen!"
What a deceitful dog it was!.. Well, then I gave him a kick with my foot and would have hit him in the face, but he recoiled and jumped up. Terrible and pale, he stands before me ... Those three are also standing, all gloomy. And everyone is silent. I looked at them... I then became - I remember - only very bored, and such laziness attacked me ... I told them:
"Go!"
They, the dogs, asked me:
"Will you return there, point our way?"
That's how vile! Well, they left anyway. Then I went too ... And the next day yours took me, but they soon let me go. Then I saw that it was time for me to start a nest, it would live like a cuckoo! I have become heavy, and the wings have weakened, and the feathers have faded ... It's time, it's time! Then I went to Galicia, and from there to Dobruja. And I have been living here for almost three decades. I had a husband, a Moldavian; died a year ago. And I live here! I live alone... No, not alone, but with those over there.
The old woman waved her hand towards the sea. Everything was quiet there. Sometimes a short, deceptive sound was born and died immediately.
- They love me. I tell them a lot of things. They need it. Everyone is still young ... And I feel good with them. I look and think:
“Here I am, there was a time, I was the same ... Only then, in my time, there was more strength and fire in a person, and therefore life was more fun and better ... Yes! ..”
She fell silent. I felt sad next to her. She was dozing, shaking her head, and quietly whispering something ... maybe she was praying.
A cloud was rising from the sea - black, heavy, harsh outlines, similar to a mountain range. She crawled into the steppe. From its top shreds of clouds broke off, rushed ahead of it and extinguished the stars one by one. The sea was noisy. Not far from us, in the vines, they kissed, whispered and sighed. Deep in the steppe, a dog howled... The air irritated the nerves with a strange smell that tickled the nostrils. Thick flocks of shadows fell to the ground from the clouds and crawled along it, crawled, disappeared, appeared again ... In place of the moon, only a muddy opal spot remained, sometimes it was completely covered by a gray patch of cloud. And in the distance of the steppe, now already black and terrible, as if hiding, hiding something in itself, small blue lights flashed. Here and there they appeared for a moment and went out, as if several people, scattered across the steppe far from each other, were looking for something in it, lighting matches, which the wind immediately extinguished. They were very strange blue flames that hinted at something fabulous.
Do you see sparks? Izergil asked me.
Are those blue ones over there? - pointing to the steppe, I said.
- Blue? Yes, it's them ... So, let's go! Well, well ... I don’t see them anymore. I can't see much now.
Where are these sparks from? I asked the old woman. I had heard something before about the origin of these sparks, but I wanted to hear how old Izergil would tell about the same.
- These sparks are from the burning heart of Danko. There was a heart in the world that once burst into flames ... And these sparks from it. I'll tell you about it... Also an old fairy tale... Old, everything is old! Do you see how much there is in the old days? .. And now there is nothing like that - no deeds, no people, no fairy tales such as in the old days ... Why? .. Well, tell me! You won't tell... What do you know? What do you all know, young ones? Ehe-he!.. If you looked vigilantly into the old days - there you will find all the answers ... But you don’t look and don’t know how to live because ... I don’t see life? Oh, I see everything, even though my eyes are bad! And I see that people do not live, but everyone tries on, tries on and puts their whole life on it. And when they rob themselves, having wasted time, they will begin to cry at fate. What is fate here? Everyone is his own destiny! I see all sorts of people now, but there are no strong ones! Where are they?.. And there are fewer and fewer handsome men.
The old woman thought about where strong and beautiful people had gone from life, and, thinking, she looked around the dark steppe, as if looking for an answer in it.
I waited for her story and was silent, afraid that if I asked her about anything, she would again be distracted.
And so she began the story.
-III-
“In the old days, only people lived on the earth, impenetrable forests surrounded the camps of these people on three sides, and on the fourth there was a steppe. They were cheerful, strong and courageous people. And then one day a difficult time came, other tribes appeared from somewhere and drove the former into the depths of the forest.
There were swamps and darkness, because the forest was old, and its branches were so densely intertwined that it was impossible to see the sky through them, and the rays of the sun could hardly make their way to the swamps through dense foliage. But when its rays fell on the water of the swamps, the stench rose, and people died from it one after another. Then the wives and children of this tribe began to cry, and the fathers thought and fell into anguish. It was necessary to leave this forest, and for this there were two roads: one - back - there were strong and evil enemies, the other - forward - giant trees stood there, tightly hugging each other with mighty branches, lowering their knotted roots deep into the tenacious swamp silt. These stone trees stood silent and motionless during the day in the gray twilight and moved even more densely around people in the evenings when the fires lit up. And always, day and night, there was a ring of strong darkness around those people, it was definitely going to crush them, and they got used to the expanse of the steppe. And it was even more terrible when the wind beat on the tops of the trees and the whole forest hummed dully, as if threatening and singing a funeral song to those people. They were still strong people, and they could have gone to fight to the death with those who once defeated them, but they could not die in battles, because they had covenants, and if they died, they would be lost with them from lives and covenants. And so they sat and thought in the long nights, under the muffled noise of the forest, in the poisonous stench of the swamp. They sat, and the shadows from the fires jumped around them in a silent dance, and it seemed to everyone that these were not shadows dancing, but the evil spirits of the forest and swamp were triumphant ... People sat and thought. But nothing - neither work nor women exhaust the bodies and souls of people as exhausting dreary thoughts. And people weakened from thoughts ... Fear was born among them, fettered their strong hands, horror gave birth to women crying over the corpses of those who died from the stench and over the fate of the living, chained by fear, - and cowardly words began to be heard in the forest, at first timid and quiet, and then louder and louder. and louder ... They already wanted to go to the enemy and bring him their will as a gift, and no one, frightened by death, was afraid of a slave life ... But then Danko appeared and saved everyone alone.
The old woman, obviously, often talked about Danko's burning heart. She spoke in a melodious voice, and her voice, creaky and deaf, clearly pictured before me the sound of the forest, among which the unfortunate, driven people were dying from the poisonous breath of the swamp ...
“Danko is one of those people, a handsome young man. The beautiful are always bold. And so he says to them, his comrades:
- Do not turn a stone out of the way with a thought. Whoever does nothing, nothing will happen to him. Why do we waste energy on thought and longing? Get up, let's go to the forest and go through it, because it has an end - everything in the world has an end! Let's go! Well! Hey!..
They looked at him and saw that he was the best of all, because in his eyes a lot of strength and living fire shone.
- Lead us! they said.
Then he took…”
The old woman paused and looked out into the steppe, where darkness was thickening. The sparks of Danko's burning heart flashed somewhere far away and seemed like blue airy flowers, blooming only for a moment.
“Danko led them. Everyone followed him together - they believed in him. It has been a difficult journey! It was dark, and at every step the swamp opened its greedy rotten mouth, swallowing people, and the trees blocked the road like a mighty wall. Their branches intertwined with each other; like snakes, roots stretched everywhere, and each step cost a lot of sweat and blood to those people. They walked for a long time ... The forest became thicker, there was less and less strength! And so they began to grumble at Danko, saying that in vain he, young and inexperienced, led them somewhere. And he walked ahead of them and was cheerful and clear.
But one day a thunderstorm struck over the forest, the trees whispered muffledly, menacingly. And then it became so dark in the forest, as if all the nights had gathered in it at once, how many there had been in the world since the time he was born. Little people walked among the big trees and in the terrible noise of lightning, they walked, and, swaying, the giant trees creaked and hummed angry songs, and the lightning, flying over the tops of the forest, illuminated it for a minute with a blue, cold fire and disappeared just as quickly, as they appeared, scaring people. And the trees, illuminated by the cold fire of lightning, seemed alive, stretching around the people who were leaving the captivity of darkness, clumsy, long arms, weaving them into a dense net, trying to stop people. And from the darkness of the branches, something terrible, dark and cold looked at the walking ones. It was a difficult journey, and the people, weary of it, lost heart. But they were ashamed to admit their impotence, and so in anger and anger they fell upon Danko, the man who was walking ahead of them. And they began to reproach him for his inability to manage them - that's how!
They stopped and under the triumphant noise of the forest, among the trembling darkness, tired and angry, began to judge Danko.
“You,” they said, “are an insignificant and harmful person for us!” You led us and tired us, and for this you will perish!
- You said:
"Lead!"
- and I led! Danko shouted, standing against them with his chest. “I have the courage to lead, that’s why I led you!” And you? What have you done to help yourself? You just walked and did not know how to save strength for a longer path! You just walked, walked like a flock of sheep!
But these words infuriated them even more.
- You will die! You will die! they roared. And the forest hummed and hummed, echoing their cries, and lightning tore the darkness to shreds. Danko looked at those for whom he had toiled, and saw that they were like animals. Many people stood around him, but their nobility was not on their faces, and it was impossible for him to expect mercy from them. Then indignation boiled up in his heart, but it went out of pity for people. He loved people and thought that maybe without him they would perish. And then his heart flared up with the fire of a desire to save them, to lead them to an easy path, and then the rays of that mighty fire flashed in his eyes ... the wolves, expecting that he would fight them, and began to surround him more densely, so that it would be easier for them to grab and kill Danko. And he already understood their thought, which is why his heart burned even brighter, for this thought of theirs gave birth to melancholy in him.
And the forest kept singing its gloomy song, and the thunder rumbled, and the rain poured down ...
What will I do for people? Danko shouted louder than thunder.
And suddenly he tore his chest with his hands and tore out his heart from it and raised it high above his head.
It burned as brightly as the sun, and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest fell silent, illuminated by this torch of great love for people, and the darkness scattered from its light and there, deep in the forest, trembling, fell into the rotten mouth of the swamp. The people, amazed, became like stones.
- Let's go! Danko shouted and rushed forward to his place, holding his burning heart high and lighting the way for people with it.
They rushed after him, fascinated. Then the forest rustled again, shaking its peaks in surprise, but its noise was drowned out by the clatter of running people. Everyone ran quickly and boldly, carried away by the wonderful sight of a burning heart.
And now they were dying, but they were dying without complaints and tears. But Danko was still ahead, and his heart was burning, burning!
And then suddenly the forest parted before him, parted and remained behind, dense and dumb, and Danko and all those people immediately plunged into a sea of sunlight and clean air, washed by rain. There was a thunderstorm - there, behind them, over the forest, and here the sun was shining, the steppe was sighing, the grass was shining in the diamonds of the rain and the river was sparkling with gold ... Danko's chest
The proud daredevil Danko cast a glance ahead of himself at the expanse of the steppe, - he threw a joyful glance at the free land and laughed proudly. And then he fell and died.
People, joyful and full of hope, did not notice his death and did not see that his brave heart was still burning next to the corpse of Danko. Only one cautious person noticed this and, being afraid of something, stepped on the proud heart with his foot ... And now it, crumbling into sparks, died out ... "
- That's where they come from, the blue sparks of the steppe that appear before a thunderstorm!
Now, when the old woman finished her beautiful fairy tale, it became terribly quiet in the steppe, as if she was also struck by the strength of the daredevil Danko, who burned his heart for people and died without asking them for anything in return for himself. The old woman was dozing. I looked at her and thought:
“How many more fairy tales and memories remain in her memory?”
And I thought about the great burning heart of Danko and about the human fantasy that created so many beautiful and powerful legends.
The wind blew and exposed from under the rags the dry chest of the old woman Izergil, who fell asleep more and more soundly. I covered her old body and myself lay down on the ground beside her. The steppe was quiet and dark. Clouds kept creeping across the sky, slowly, dully... The sea was muffled and mournful.
Traces of a more advanced civilization have been found in Russia:
Giant time!
Heard the legend that once
Our country was inhabited by giants.
As if they lived a strange fate:
They were ready to work and to fight.
***
From lack of bread and meat
They raved about Marx, Victory and Mars,
Snowy taiga, gloomy Arctic,
Bright stars over Baikonur,
A hot flame, a bottomless abyss ...
They built mines, dams and blast furnaces.
***
And they erred, and they won.
They were waiting for guests from an unimaginable distance.
Through the cannonade of bloody slaughter
Rushed to collapse into tall grasses,
In the blackened snow, in the water and in the clay ...
They raised their scarlet flag over Berlin.
We walked from the collective farm onion beds
To the Olympics, Afghanistan, detente.
***
Went through patterns and stencils
Went, dragging the planet behind them,
A good story was written with blood.
Even their mistakes were gigantic.
They believed, cherishing faith in the heart,
In the infallibility of speeches from the Mausoleum,
They knew that their sickle and hammer were right,
They knew that the world was only temporarily split,
What is not forever pain and sorrow ...
***
But they shrank. Alas, they were crushed ...
Their descendants hide timidly
In the musty silence of cabinet boxes,
They think in a standard way, they don’t rave in the distance,
Reduce lifelessly with a debit credit,
Small dreams, rarely think ...
They have nothing left of their ancestors.
Maxim Gorky's romantic story "Old Woman Izergil" was written in 1894. The composition of the work is “a story within a story”. The narration is conducted on behalf of the author and the heroine of the story, the old woman Izergil. The three parts are subordinated to a common idea: thinking about true value human life, the meaning of life, human freedom.
The story "Old Woman Izergil" is studied in the 11th grade literature course. As an acquaintance with the works of Gorky's early work, you can read a summary of the "Old Woman Izergil" chapter by chapter.
main characters
Old Isergil- an elderly woman, the author's interlocutor. He tells about the history of his life, the legends about Danko and Larra. He believes that "everyone is his own destiny."
Larra is the son of a woman and an eagle. Despised people. Punished by people with immortality and loneliness.
Danko- young man loving people, "the best of all". He saved people at the cost of his own life, lighting their way out of the forest with a heart torn from his chest.
Other characters
Narrator– retold the stories he heard, worked with the Moldovans at the grape harvest.
Chapter 1
The stories that the author tells his readers, he heard in Bessarabia, working together with the Moldovans at the grape harvest. One evening, having finished working, all the workers went to the sea, and only the author and an elderly woman named Izergil remained to rest in the shade of the grapes.
Evening came, the shadows of the clouds floated across the steppe, and Izergil, pointing to one of the shadows, called her Larra, and told the author an ancient legend.
In one country, where the land is generous and beautiful, a human tribe lived happily. People hunted, grazed herds, rested, sang and had fun. Once, during a feast, an eagle carried off one of the girls. She returned only twenty years later and brought with her a handsome and stately young man. It turned out that all the past years, the stolen tribeswoman lived with an eagle in the mountains, and the young man is their son. When the eagle began to grow old, he rushed from a height onto the rocks and died, and the woman decided to return home.
The son of the king of birds outwardly did not differ from people, only "the eyes were cold and proud." He spoke disrespectfully to the elders, and looked down on other people at all, saying that "there are no more like him."
The elders got angry and ordered him to go wherever he wanted - he had no place in the tribe. The young man approached the daughter of one of them and hugged her. But she, fearing her father's wrath, pushed him away. The eagle's son hit the girl, she fell and died. The young man was seized and tied up. The tribesmen thought for a long time what punishment to choose for him. After listening to the sage, people realized that “the punishment is in himself” and simply let the young man go.
The hero began to be called Larra - "outcast". Larra lived for many years, freely living near the tribe: he stole cattle, stole girls. The arrows of people did not take him, covered with an "invisible cover of the highest punishment." But one day Larra approached the tribe, making it clear to people that he would not defend himself. Some of the people guessed that Larra wanted to die - and no one began to attack him, not wanting to alleviate his plight.
Seeing that he would not die at the hands of people, the young man wanted to kill himself with a knife, but he broke. The ground, against which Larra was beating his head, was leaving from under him. Convinced that the son of an eagle could not die, the people of the tribe rejoiced and went away. Since then, left completely alone, the proud young man wanders the world, no longer understanding the language of people and not knowing what he is looking for. "He has no life, and death does not smile on him." So the man was punished for his exorbitant pride.
Wonderful singing reached the interlocutors from the shore.
Chapter 2
The old woman Izergil said that only those who are in love with life can sing so beautifully. She "had enough blood" to live to her age precisely because love was the essence of her life. Izergil told the author about her youth. Before him passed one after another the images of the beloved old woman Izergil.
A fisherman from the Prut, the first love of the heroine. Hutsul hanged by the authorities for robbery. A wealthy Turk, with whose sixteen-year-old son Izergil fled from the harem "out of boredom" to Bulgaria. Little Pole monk, "funny and vile" hurtful words the heroine picked it up and threw it into the river. “A worthy pan with a hacked face”, who loved exploits (for the sake of him, Izergil refused the love of a man who showered her with gold coins). A Hungarian who left Izergil (he was found in a field with a shot through his head). Arkadek, a handsome gentry, saved by the heroine from captivity, the last love of forty-year-old Izergil.
A woman told her interlocutor about different minutes of her “greedy life”. The time has come when she realized - it's time to start a family. Having left for Moldova, she got married and has been living here for about thirty years. By the time the author met her, her husband had been dead for about a year, and she lived with Moldovans - grape pickers. They need her, she's good with them.
The woman finished the story. The interlocutors sat watching the night steppe. In the distance, blue lights, like sparks, were visible. Asking if the author sees them, Izergil said that these are the sparks of Danko's "burning heart", and began to tell another ancient legend.
Chapter 3
In ancient times, proud, cheerful, fearless people lived in the steppe. Their camps were surrounded on three sides by wild forests. One day, alien tribes came to the land of people and forced them into the depths of the old impenetrable forest, where there were swamps and eternal darkness. From the stench rising from the swamp, people who were accustomed to the expanses of the steppe died one after another.
Strong and brave, they could go to fight with enemies, "but they could not die in battles, because they had covenants, and if they died, then the covenants would disappear with them from life." People sat and thought about what to do - but from painful thoughts they weakened in spirit and fear settled in their hearts. They were ready to surrender to the enemy, but their comrade Danko "saved all alone." Danko turned to the people, urging them to go through the forest - after all, the forest had to end somewhere. So much living fire was in the eyes of the young man that people believed and went with him.
The path was long and difficult, people had less and less strength and faith in Danko. Once, during a severe thunderstorm, people despaired. But they could not admit their weakness, instead they accused Danko of inability to lead them out of the forest. Like wild animals, they were ready to rush at him and kill him. The young man took pity on them, realizing that without him the tribesmen would die. His heart burned with a desire to save people - because he loved them. Danko pulled his heart out of his chest and raised it high above his head - it blazed brighter than the sun itself. The hero went on and on, illuminating the road with the “torch of great love for people”. Suddenly the forest ended - in front of the people was the expanse of the steppe. With joy, Danko looked at the free land - and died.
People did not pay attention to the death of the young man, they did not see the heart, which was still burning near the body of the hero. Only one person noticed the heart, and, fearing something, stepped on it with his foot. The proud heart, splashing sparks around, died out. Since then, those blue lights that the author saw have appeared in the steppe.
The old woman Izergil finished the story. Everything around calmed down, and it seemed to the author that even the steppe was enchanted by the nobility of the brave Danko, who did not expect a reward for the heart burned for the sake of people.
conclusions
Like any classic work, Gorky's story leads the reader to reflect on the most important questions: why does a person live, how should he live and what principles of life should he follow, what is freedom. The retelling of "Old Woman Izergil" gives an idea of the plot, idea, characters of the work. reading full text story will allow the reader to plunge into the bright and expressive world of Gorky's heroes.
Story test
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Retelling rating
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