Повести Белкина / The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin. Александр Пушкин

a deep impression upon me. The hero of it I never saw again. It is said that Silvio commanded a detachment of Insurgents during the revolt under Alexander Ypsilanti[15], and that he was killed in the battle of Skulyani.

      The Snowstorm

      Horses dash across the slopes,

      Trampling snow deep-drifted …

      By the wayside stands a church,

      Lonely cross uplifted.

      * * *

      Suddenly a snowstorm flings

      Tufted flakes about us,

      O’er the sledge with whistling wing

      Flies a crow to flout us.

      Weird his cry, foreboding grief!

      Gathering their forces,

      Manes upraised, toward the dark

      Peer the speeding horses …

Zhukovsky[16]

      Toward the end of the year 1811, a memorable period for us, the good Gavrila Gavrilovich R – was living on his estate of Nenaradovo. He was celebrated throughout the district for his hospitality and kind-heartedness. The neighbors were constantly visiting him: some to eat and drink; some to play “Boston” at five kopecks[17] with his wife, Praskovya Petrovna; and some to look at their daughter, Marya Gavrilovna, a pale, slender girl of seventeen. She was considered wealthy, and many desired her for themselves or for their sons.

      Marya Gavrilovna had been brought up on French novels, and consequently was in love. The object of her choice was a poor sub-lieutenant, who was then on leave of absence in his village.

      It need scarcely be mentioned that the young man returned her passion with equal ardor, and that the parents of his beloved one, observing their mutual inclination, forbade their daughter to think of him, and gave him a worse reception than if he were a retired assessor[18].

      Our lovers corresponded with each other and daily saw each other alone in the little pine wood or near the old chapel. There they exchanged vows of eternal love, lamented their cruel fate, and formed various plans. Corresponding and conversing in this way, they arrived quite naturally at the following conclusion:

      If we cannot exist without each other, and the will of hard-hearted parents stands in the way of our happiness, why cannot we do without their consent?

      Примечания

      1

      The Minor – a comedy by D. Fonvizin, a Russian writer of the 18th century

      2

      née – (French) born with the name

      3

      steward – (old use) a man who is employed to look after a house and lands

      4

      corvée – (French) an obligation imposed on inhabitants of a district to perform services as repair of reads, bridges, etc. for little or no remuneration

Примечания

1

The Minor – a comedy by D. Fonvizin, a Russian writer of the 18th century

2

née – (French) born with the name

3

steward – (old use) a man who is employed to look after a house and lands

4

corvée – (French) an obligation imposed on inhabitants of a district to perform services as repair of reads, bridges, etc. for little or no remuneration

5

Follows an anecdote, which we do not give, deeming it superfluous; we assure the reader, however, that it contains nothing prejudicial to the memory of Ivan Petrovich Belkin

6

Indeed, in Mr. Belkin’s manuscript, there is an inscription, in the author’s hand, over each tale: “Heard by me from such-and-such a person” (follow rank or title and initials of name and surname). We quote for the curious student: The Postmaster was told to him by Titular Counsellor A.G.N.; The Shot by Lieutenant I.L.P.; The Undertaker by B.V., shop-assistant; The Snowstorm and Mistress into Maid by Miss K.I.T.

7

Baratynsky – a Russian poet of the 19th century

8

Hussars – soldiers of light cavalry

9

faro – (cards) a gambling game in which players bet on cards as they are drawn from the dealer’s box (var. of Pharaoh)

10

Burtzov, an officer of the Hussars, notorious for his drinking powers and escapades (TRANSLATOR’S NOTE)

11

Denis Davydov, author, 1781–1839 (TRANSLATOR’S NOTE)

12

liaison – (French) a sexual relationship between a man and woman not married to each other

13

verst – old Russian measure of distance equivalent to 3500 feet or 0.6629 miles or 1.067 kilometres

14

memento – (Latin) a small object which reminds one of something

15

Alexander Ypsilanti – (1792–1828), Greek patriot and revolutionary leader

16

Zhukovsky – a Russian poet of the 18th century

17

kopecks – a kopeck is one hundredth of a ruble (Russian money)

18

assessor – a person whose job is to calculate the value of property or the amount of income or taxes

15

Alexander Ypsilanti – (1792–1828), Greek patriot and revolutionary leader

16

Zhukovsky – a Russian poet of the 18th century

17

kopecks – a kopeck is one hundredth of a ruble (Russian money)

18

assessor – a person whose job is to calculate the value of property or the amount of income or taxes