Nikolai Gogol - May Night, or the Drowned Woman. Read online the book “May Night, or the Drowned Woman III”

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Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol

MAY NIGHT, OR THE DROWNED WOMAN

A sonorous song flowed like a river through the streets of the village***. There was a time when, tired of the day's labors and worries, boys and girls noisily gathered in a circle, in the brilliance of a clear evening, to pour out their fun into sounds that were always inseparable from despondency. And the evening, always thoughtful, dreamily embraced the blue sky, transforming everything into uncertainty and distance. It’s already twilight; but the songs did not stop. With a bandura in his hands, the young Cossack Levko, the son of the village mayor, who had escaped from the singers, was making his way. The Cossack is wearing a Reshetilov hat. The Kozak walks down the street, strums the strings with his hand and dances along. So he stopped quietly in front of the door of the hut, lined with low cherry trees. Whose house is this? Whose door is this? After a short silence, he began to play and sang:

The sun is low, the evening is bright,
Come out before me, my dear!

“No, apparently my clear-eyed beauty is fast asleep! - said the Cossack, finishing the song and approaching the window. - Galyu, Galya! Are you sleeping, or don’t you want to come out to me? You're probably afraid that no one will see us, or maybe you don't want to show your white face in the cold! Don't be afraid: there is no one. The evening was warm. But if anyone showed up, I would cover you with a scroll, wrap my belt around you, cover you with my hands - and no one would see us. But even if there is a hint of cold, I will press you closer to my heart, warm you with kisses, and put my hat on your little white feet. My heart, my fish, my necklace! look out for a moment. Stick your white hand through the window... No, you are not sleeping, proud maiden! - he said louder and in a voice in which he expresses himself ashamed of instant humiliation. - You love to mock me; Goodbye!" Here he turned away, put his hat on one side and proudly walked away from the window, quietly plucking the strings of the bandura. The wooden handle at the door began to spin at that moment: the door swung open with a creak, and a girl at the time of the seventeenth spring, entwined in twilight, timidly looking around and not letting go wooden handle, stepped over the threshold. In the semi-clear darkness, clear eyes glowed welcomingly, like stars; The red coral monastery shone, and even the blush that bashfully flared on her cheeks could not hide from the eagle eyes of the young woman. “How impatient you are,” she told him in a low voice. - I’m already angry! Why did you choose such a time: a crowd of people is wandering around the streets every now and then... I’m trembling all over...”

Oh, don’t tremble, my little red kalinka! Hold me tighter! - the boy said, hugging her, throwing away the bandura hanging on a long belt around his neck, and sitting down with her at the door of the hut. - You know that it’s bittersweet for me not to see you for an hour.

“Do you know what I’m thinking,” the girl interrupted, thoughtfully turning her eyes to him. “It’s as if something is whispering in my ear that we won’t see each other so often in the future.” Your people are not kind: the girls all look so enviously, and the boys... I even notice that my mother has recently begun to look after me more sternly. I admit, I had more fun with strangers. - Some movement of melancholy was expressed on her face at the last words.

I’ve only been away from my dear one for two months and I’m already missing her! Maybe you're tired of me too?

“Oh, I’m not tired of you,” she said, grinning. - I love you, black-browed Cossack! I love that you have brown eyes, and the way you look at them, it’s as if my soul smiles: it’s both fun and good for her; that you blink your black mustache affably; that you walk down the street, sing and play the bandura, and it’s a pleasure to listen to you.

Oh my Galya! - the boy cried out, kissing and pressing her tighter to his chest.

Wait! That's it, Levko! Tell me in advance, have you spoken to your father?

What? - he said, as if waking up. “Yes, that I want to get married, and you want to marry me,” he said. - But somehow this word sounded sadly in his mouth: he spoke.

What are you going to do with it? The old devil, as usual, pretended to be deaf: he couldn’t hear anything and still scolded me for wandering around God knows where and hanging out with the lads in the streets. But don’t worry, my Galya! Here's the Cossack's word that I will persuade him.

Yes, you just have to say the word, Levko, and everything will be your way. I know this from myself: sometimes I wouldn’t listen to you, but if you say a word, I involuntarily do what you want. Look, look! - she continued, laying her head on his shoulder and raising her eyes upward, where the warm Ukrainian sky was immensely blue, hung from below by the curly branches of the cherry trees standing in front of them. - Look: there are stars flashing far away: one, another, a third, a fourth, a fifth... Isn’t it true, these are the angels of God who opened the windows of their bright houses in the sky and are looking at us? Yes, Levko? After all, they are the ones looking at our land? What if people had wings like birds - they could fly there, high, high... Wow, scary! Not a single oak tree will reach the sky. But they say, however, that there is somewhere, in some distant land, a tree whose top makes noise in the sky itself, and God descends along it to earth at night before the bright holiday.

No, Galyu; God has a long ladder from heaven to earth. It is placed before the bright resurrection by the holy archangels; and as soon as God steps on the first step, all the unclean spirits will fly headlong and fall into the inferno in heaps, and therefore not a single one on Christ’s holiday evil spirit does not happen on earth.

How quietly the water sways, like a child in a cradle! - continued Hanna, pointing to the pond, gloomily surrounded by a dark maple forest and mourned by willows, drowning their plaintive branches in it. Like a powerless old man, he held the distant, dark sky in his cold embrace, showering with icy kisses the fiery stars that dimly floated in the warm night air, as if anticipating the imminent appearance of the brilliant king of the night. Near the forest, on the mountain, an old man was dozing with the shutters closed. wooden house; moss and wild grass covered its roof; curly apple trees grew in front of his windows; the forest, hugging him with its shadow, cast a wild gloom on him; a walnut grove lay at its foot and rolled down to the pond.

“I remember, as if in a dream,” said Hanna, without taking her eyes off him, “long, long ago, when I was still little and lived with my mother, they told me something terrible about this house. Levko, you probably know, tell me!..

God bless him, my beauty! You never know what women and stupid people won’t tell. You will only worry yourself, you will become afraid and you will not sleep peacefully.

For those who are interested in the mystical theme and work of Gogol, reading the work “May Night, or the Drowned Woman” in its entirety is a must. In the writer’s works, the dark force is extremely popular and often appears in an unusual light. It is no longer a terrifying and invincible power. In the works of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, evil has to put up with a person and even help him. The collection “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” itself, which includes this story, makes everyone plunge into the world of Ukrainian mythology and folklore. There is laughter, lyrics, and nightmares that are intertwined in intricate plots. “May Night, or the Drowned Woman” itself was written in 1829-1830. This work became the brightest part of the entire collection.

Main story line Gogol's books - the story of a young guy Levko and a girl Ganna. Young lovers try to resist the harsh world of adults who cannot understand and accept their tremulous feelings. The girl's mother does not believe in the reliability of her future son-in-law. And the guy’s father even looks at Hanna himself, competing with his own son. One of the key characters is the mermaid, a frequent guest of Ukrainian folk works. She promises to help the young man in the fight for his love. In a dream, Levko meets this mythical hero. Waking up, he receives an order from the commissioner, according to which he is obliged to marry a girl. It is impossible to describe the happiness that lovers feel from such an outcome. This joyful ending to the story makes every reader believe in miracles.

The unusualness of Gogol’s story “May Night, or the Drowned Woman” is in the loss of clarity and boundaries between the real and fictional world. In addition, the writer hints that people in love should be ready to do anything in order to find happiness. Even if it's a deal with the devil himself. Fortunately, it is in this story that the evil spirit appears in the kindest light, giving the young people the opportunity to get married free of charge. Gogol’s incredible style with which he describes Ukrainian nature makes you read the lines of this work. Using many epithets, he refers to both the month and the village, as if they were living people. Natural phenomena appear in character dialogues. This creation can easily be considered one of the most poetic in the collection. You can download the book for free or read “May Night, or the Drowned Woman” online on our website.

You know his enemy is his dad! to begin, as soon as people are baptized, they will murmuring, murmuring, chasing after the hare, but still there is no time to sneak; Whenever the devil was going to eat, then twirl his tail - that’s how he flew out of the sky.
[Devil knows! Baptized people will start doing something, they will suffer, they will be tormented, like hounds chasing a hare, but it will all be of no use; Where the devil gets in the way, wag your tail - you never know where it will come from, as if from the sky.]

I. Ganna

The sun is low, the evening is bright,
Come out before me, my dear!

“No, apparently my clear-eyed beauty is fast asleep!” - said the Cossack, finishing the song and approaching the window. - Galyu, Galya! Are you sleeping, or don’t you want to come out to me? You're probably afraid that no one will see us, or maybe you don't want to show your white face in the cold! Don't be afraid: there is no one. The evening was warm. But if anyone showed up, I would cover you with a scroll, wrap my belt around you, cover you with my hands - and no one would see us. But even if there is a hint of cold, I will press you closer to my heart, warm you with kisses, and put my hat on your little white feet. My heart, my fish, my necklace! look out for a moment. Stick your white hand through the window... No, you are not sleeping, proud maiden! – he said louder and in a voice in which he expresses himself ashamed of instant humiliation. - You love to mock me; Goodbye!" Here he turned away, put his hat on one side and proudly walked away from the window, quietly plucking the strings of the bandura. At that moment, the wooden handle on the door began to spin: the door swung open with a creak, and the girl, at the time of the seventeenth spring, wrapped in twilight, timidly looking around and not letting go of the wooden handle, stepped over the threshold. In the semi-clear darkness, clear eyes glowed welcomingly, like stars; The red coral monastery shone, and even the blush that bashfully flared on her cheeks could not hide from the eagle eyes of the young woman.

May Night, or the Drowned Woman. Feature film based on the work of N.V. Gogol (1952)

“How impatient you are,” she told him in a low voice. - I’m already angry! Why did you choose such a time: a crowd of people is wandering around the streets every now and then... I’m trembling all over...”

- Oh, don’t tremble, my red little girl! Hold me tighter! - the boy said, hugging her, throwing away the bandura hanging on a long belt around his neck, and sitting down with her at the door of the hut. “You know that it’s sad for me not to see you for an hour.”

“Do you know what I’m thinking,” the girl interrupted, thoughtfully turning her eyes to him. “It’s as if something is whispering in my ear that we won’t see each other so often in the future.” Your people are not kind: the girls all look so enviously, and the boys... I even notice that my mother has recently begun to look after me more sternly. I admit, I had more fun with strangers. “Some kind of movement of melancholy was expressed on her face at the last words.

Gogol. May Night, or the Drowned Woman. Audiobook

“I’ve only been away from my dear one for two months and I already miss her!” Maybe you're tired of me too?

- Oh, my Galya! - the boy cried out, kissing and pressing her tighter to his chest.

- Wait! That's enough, Levko! Tell me in advance, have you spoken to your father?

- What? - he said, as if waking up. “Yes, that I want to get married, and you want to marry me,” he said. - But somehow this word sounded sadly in his mouth: he spoke.

- What?

-What are you going to do with him? The old devil, as usual, pretended to be deaf: he couldn’t hear anything and still scolded me for wandering around God knows where and hanging out with the lads in the streets. But don’t worry, my Galya! Here's the Cossack's word that I will persuade him.

- Yes, you just have to say the word, Levko, and everything will be your way. I know this from myself: sometimes I wouldn’t listen to you, but if you say a word, I involuntarily do what you want. Look, look! - she continued, laying her head on his shoulder and raising her eyes upward, where the warm Ukrainian sky was immensely blue, hung from below by the curly branches of the cherry trees standing in front of them. - Look: there are stars flashing far away: one, another, a third, a fourth, a fifth... Isn’t it true, these are the angels of God who opened the windows of their bright houses in the sky and are looking at us? Yes, Levko? After all, they are the ones looking at our land? What if people had wings like birds - they could fly there, high, high... Wow, scary! Not a single oak tree will reach the sky. But they say, however, that there is somewhere, in some distant land, a tree whose top makes noise in the sky itself, and God descends along it to earth at night before the bright holiday.

- No, Galyu; God has a long ladder from heaven to earth. It is placed before the bright resurrection by the holy archangels; and as soon as God steps on the first step, all the unclean spirits will fly headlong and fall into the inferno in heaps, and that is why on Christ’s holiday there is not a single evil spirit on earth.

– How quietly the water sways, like a child in a cradle! - continued Hanna, pointing to the pond, gloomily surrounded by a dark maple forest and mourned by willows, drowning their plaintive branches in it. Like a powerless old man, he held the distant, dark sky in his cold embrace, showering with icy kisses the fiery stars that dimly floated in the warm night air, as if anticipating the imminent appearance of the brilliant king of the night. Near the forest, on the mountain, an old wooden house was dozing with its shutters closed; moss and wild grass covered its roof; curly apple trees grew in front of his windows; the forest, hugging him with its shadow, cast a wild gloom on him; a walnut grove lay at its foot and rolled down to the pond.

- God bless him, my beauty! You never know what women and stupid people won’t tell. You will only worry yourself, you will become afraid and you will not sleep peacefully.

- Tell me, tell me, dear, black-browed boy! - she said, pressing her face to his cheek and hugging him. - No! You obviously don’t love me, you have another girl. I will not be afraid; I will sleep peacefully at night. Now I won’t sleep if you don’t tell me. I will begin to suffer and think... Tell me, Levko!..

“Apparently, what people say is true, that girls have a devil who incites their curiosity.” Well, listen. For a long time, my dear, a centurion lived in this house. The centurion had a daughter, a bright lady, white as snow, like your face. Sotnikov’s wife died long ago; The centurion decided to marry someone else. “Will you undead me in the old way, dad, when you take another wife?” - “I will, my daughter; I will press you to my heart even more tightly than before! I will, my daughter; I’ll start giving earrings and monists even more brightly!” - The centurion brought his young wife to new house mine. The young wife was good. The young wife was rosy and fair; she just looked at her stepdaughter so terribly that she screamed when she saw her, and the stern stepmother would not have said a word all day. Night came: the centurion went with his young wife to his bedchamber; The white lady also locked herself in her little room. She felt bitter; started crying. She looks like a scary black cat is sneaking towards her; the fur on it is burning, and the iron claws are knocking on the floor. In fright, she jumped onto the bench: the cat was behind her. She jumped onto the bed: the cat went there, and suddenly rushed to her neck and strangled her. With a scream, she tore her away from herself and threw her on the floor; the scary cat is sneaking around again. Melancholy took her. My father's saber hung on the wall. She grabbed it and slammed across the floor - the paw with iron claws bounced off, and the cat disappeared with a squeal into a dark corner. The whole day the young wife did not leave her room; On the third day she came out with a bandaged hand. The poor lady guessed that her stepmother was a witch and that she cut off her hand. On the fourth day, the centurion ordered his daughter to carry water, sweep the hut like a simple peasant, and not show up in the master’s chambers. It was hard for the poor thing; there’s nothing to do: she began to fulfill her father’s will. On the fifth day, the centurion kicked his barefoot daughter out of the house and did not give her a piece of bread for the journey. Then the lady just began to sob, covering her white face with her hands: “You have ruined your own daughter, daddy! The witch has destroyed your sinful soul! God forgive you; but it’s clear to me, the unfortunate one, that He doesn’t order me to live in this world!..” And there, do you see... - Then Levko turned to Hanna, pointing his finger at the house. - Look here: there, further from the house, is the highest bank! From this shore the lady threw herself into the water, and from that time on she was no longer in the world...

- And the witch? – Ganna timidly interrupted, fixing her teary eyes on him.

- Witch? The old women invented that from that time on, all the drowned women went out into the master's garden on a moonlit night to bask in the month; and the centurion's daughter became the leader over them. One night she saw her stepmother near the pond, attacked her and dragged her into the water screaming. But the witch was found here too: she turned under the water into one of the drowned women and through this she escaped from the whip made of green reeds, with which the drowned women wanted to beat her. Trust the women! They also say that the lady gathers together the drowned women every night and looks into each one’s face one by one, trying to find out which of them is the witch; but I still haven’t found out. And if he comes across one of the people, he immediately forces him to guess, otherwise he threatens to drown him in the water. Here, my Galya, as the old people say!.. The current gentleman wants to build a winery in that place and sent a distiller here specifically for that purpose... But I hear talking. These are our people returning from singing. Goodbye Galya! Sleep well; don’t think about these women’s inventions! - Having said this, he hugged her tighter, kissed her and left.

- Goodbye, Levko! - said Hanna, thoughtfully fixing her eyes on the dark forest.

At this time, a huge fiery moon began to majestically be cut out of the earth. Another half of it was underground; and the whole world was already filled with some kind of solemn light. The pond was touched by sparks. The shadows from the trees began to stand out clearly on the dark greenery.

- Goodbye, Hanna! – came her words behind her, accompanied by a kiss.

- You've returned! - she said, looking around; but, seeing an unfamiliar boy in front of her, she turned to the side.

- Goodbye, Hanna! - it was heard again, and again someone kissed her on the cheek.

- Here the difficult one brought another one! – she said with her heart.

- Goodbye, dear Hanna!

- And the third one!

- Goodbye! Goodbye! goodbye Ganna! - and kisses covered her from all sides.

- There’s a whole bunch of them here! - Hanna shouted, breaking away from the crowd of boys, vying with each other to hug her. - “How can they not get tired of kissing incessantly! Soon, by God, it will be impossible to appear on the street!

Following these words, the door slammed shut, and all that was heard was the iron bolt sliding shut with a squeal.

II. Head

Do you know Ukrainian night? Oh, you don’t know Ukrainian night! Take a closer look at it. The moon is looking down from the middle of the sky. The vast vault of heaven opened up and spread even more vastly. It burns and breathes. The earth is all in a silver light; and the wonderful air is cool and sultry, and full of bliss, and moves with an ocean of fragrances. Divine night! Charming night! The forests, full of darkness, became motionless and inspired, and cast a huge shadow from themselves. These ponds are quiet and peaceful; the cold and darkness of their waters are gloomily enclosed in the dark green walls of the gardens. The virgin thickets of bird cherry and cherry timidly stretched out their roots into the spring cold and occasionally babble with their leaves, as if angry and indignant, when the beautiful anemone - the night wind, creeping up instantly, kisses them. The entire landscape is asleep. And above everything is breathing; everything is wonderful, everything is solemn. But the soul is both immense and wonderful, and crowds of silver visions harmoniously appear in its depths. Divine night! Charming night! And suddenly everything came to life: forests, ponds, and steppes. The majestic thunder of the Ukrainian nightingale rains down, and it seems that even a month has listened to it in the middle of the sky... As if enchanted, the village is dozing on a hill. Crowds of huts shine even whiter and even better during the month; Their low walls are cut out of the darkness even more dazzlingly. The songs fell silent. Everything is quiet. Godly people are already asleep. Here and there only narrow windows glow. Before the thresholds of some huts, a belated family makes its late dinner.

- Yes, hopak is not danced like that! That's why I see that everything is not going well. What is this godfather telling?.. Oh, well: gop trawl! gop trawl! gop, gop, gop! - This is how a middle-aged man who had been out for a walk talked to himself while dancing along the street. - By God, that’s not how hopak is danced! Why should I lie? By God it's not like that! Oh, well: gop trawl! gop trawl! gop, gop, gop!

- Look, the man has gone crazy! It would be good if he was some kind of lad, otherwise an old boar is dancing down the street at night to make the children laugh! - cried an elderly woman passing by, carrying straw in her hand. - Go to your hut! It's time to sleep long ago!

- I will go! - the man said, stopping. - I will go. I won't look at any head. What does he think Didko would have tired of his father that he is a head, that he pours on people in the cold cold water, and raised his nose! Well, head, head. I am my own head. Here, God kill me! God kill me, I'm my own head. This is what, and not just that... - he continued, approaching the first hut he came across, and stopped in front of the window, sliding his fingers along the glass and trying to find the wooden handle. - Baba, open it! Baba, hurry up, they tell you, open the door! It's time for the Cossack to sleep!

-Where are you going, Kalenik? You're in someone else's house! - the girls shouted, laughing, behind him, tossing and turning with cheerful songs. - Shall I show you your house?

- Show me, dear young ladies!

- Young girls? Do you hear,” one of them picked up, “what a polite Kalenik!” For this he needs to show the house... but no, dance first!

– Dance?.. oh, you intricate girls! - Kalenik said drawlingly, laughing and shaking his finger and stumbling because his legs could not stay in one place. -Will you let me kiss you? I’ll kiss everyone, everyone!.. – and with indirect steps he started to run after them. The girls started shouting and began to mix; but then, having gained courage, they ran to the other side, seeing that Kalenik was not too quick on his feet.

- There's your house! - they shouted to him, leaving and pointing to a hut, much larger than the others, which belonged to the village head. Kalenik obediently wandered in that direction, beginning to scold his head again.

But who is this leader who has aroused such unfavorable rumors and speeches about himself? Oh, this head is an important person in the village. By the time Kalenik reaches the end of his journey, we, no doubt, will have time to say something about him. The whole village, seeing him, takes up their hats; and the girls, the youngest ones, give good afternoon. Which of the boys would not want to be the head! The head has free entry into all tavlinkas; and the burly man stands respectfully, having taken off his hat, the entire time the head puts its thick and rough fingers into his snuff-box. In a secular gathering or community, despite the fact that its power is limited to a few votes, the head always prevails and, almost of his own free will, sends out whomever he pleases to level and smooth the road, or dig ditches. The head is gloomy, stern in appearance and does not like to talk much. A long time ago, a very long time ago, when the great Empress Catherine of blessed memory traveled to the Crimea, he was chosen to accompany him; He held this position for two whole days and was even honored to sit on the box with the Tsarina’s coachman. And from that very time on, he learned to lower his head thoughtfully and importantly, stroke his long, curled mustache and cast a hawk-like glance from under his brows. And from that time on, no matter what they talked to him about, his head always knew how to turn the conversation to how he carried the queen and sat on the box of the royal carriage. The head sometimes likes to pretend to be deaf, especially if it hears something it doesn’t want to hear. The head cannot stand ostentation: he always wears a scroll of black homemade cloth, girdles himself with a colored woolen belt, and no one has ever seen him in another suit, except perhaps for the time of the queen’s passage to the Crimea, when he was wearing a blue Cossack zhupan. But hardly anyone in the whole village could remember this time; and he keeps the zhupan in a chest under lock and key. Widows' Head; but his sister-in-law lives in his house, who cooks lunch and dinner, washes the benches, whitewashes the hut, spins his shirts and manages the whole house. They say in the village that she is not related to him at all; but we have already seen that the head has many ill-wishers who are happy to spread all sorts of slander. However, perhaps the reason for this was also the fact that the sister-in-law always did not like it if his head went into a field dotted with reapers, or to a Cossack who had a young daughter. The head is crooked; but his lonely eye is a villain and can see a pretty villager far away. Not before, however, he points it at the pretty face until he takes a good look to see if his sister-in-law is looking from where. But we have already said almost everything we need about the head; and the drunken Kalenik had not yet reached half the road and for a long time continued to regal his head with all the choice words that could only fall into his lazily and incoherently turning tongue.

III. An unexpected opponent. CONSPIRACY

- No, guys, no, I don’t want to! What a riot this is! How can you not get tired of hanging out? Even without that, we have already become known as, God knows, what kind of brawlers we are. Better go to bed! - This is what Levko said to his riotous comrades, who persuaded him to commit new pranks. - Goodbye, brothers! Good night to you!” and walked away from them down the street with quick steps.

“Is my clear-eyed Hanna sleeping? - he thought, approaching the familiar house with cherry trees. In the midst of the silence, a quiet conversation was heard. Levko stopped. A shirt turned white between the trees... “What does this mean?” - he thought and, creeping closer, hid behind a tree. In the light of the moon, the face of the girl standing in front of him shone... It's Hanna! But who is this A tall man, standing with his back to him? He looked around in vain: the shadow covered him from head to toe. In front only it was slightly illuminated; but the slightest step forward by Levka already exposed him to the trouble of being open. Quietly leaning against the tree, he decided to stay where he was. The girl pronounced his name clearly.

- Levko? Levko is still a sucker! – the tall man spoke hoarsely and in a low voice. “If I ever meet him at your place, I’ll rip him out by the forelock...

“I would like to know what kind of scoundrel this is that boasts of tearing my forelock!” – Levko said quietly and stretched out his neck, trying not to utter a single word. But the stranger continued so quietly that it was impossible to hear anything.

- Aren `t you ashamed! - Hanna said at the end of his speech. - You are lying; you're lying to me; You do not love me; I will never believe that you love me!

“I know,” the tall man continued, “Levko told you a lot of nonsense and turned your head.” (Here it seemed to the boy that the stranger’s voice was not entirely unfamiliar, and as if he had heard it before.) But I will let Levka know me! - the stranger continued in the same way, - he thinks that I don’t see all his tricks. He, son of a dog, will try what kind of fists I have.

At this word Levko could no longer contain his anger. Approaching three steps towards him, he swung with all his strength to give a three-hit blow, from which the stranger, despite his apparent strength, would perhaps not have stood still; but at that time the light fell on his face, and Levko was dumbfounded when he saw that his father was standing in front of him. An involuntary shaking of his head and a light whistle through his teeth alone expressed his amazement. There was a rustling sound to the side; Hanna hurriedly ran into the hut, slamming the door behind her.

- Goodbye, Hanna! - one of the boys shouted at that time, creeping up and hugging his head; and jumped back in horror when he met the hard mustache.

- Goodbye, beauty! - cried the other; but this time he flew headlong from a heavy push of his head.

- Goodbye, goodbye, Hanna! - several boys shouted, hanging on his neck.

- Get lost, you damned brats! - the head shouted, fighting back and stamping his feet on them. - What kind of Ganna am I to you? Follow your fathers to the gallows, you damn children! They came like flies to honey! I'll give you Ganna!..

- Head! Head! it's the head! - the boys shouted and ran in all directions.

- Oh, dad! - said Levko, waking up from his amazement and looking after the head as it left with curses. - That's the kind of pranks you get up to! nice! And I wonder and change my mind, what does it mean that he keeps pretending to be deaf when you start talking about the matter. Wait, you old devil, you will know how to hang around under the windows of young girls, you will know how to beat off other people’s brides! Hey guys! here! here! - he shouted, waving his hand towards the boys, who were again gathering in a heap, - come here! I exhorted you to go to sleep; but now I’ve changed my mind and am ready, even for the whole night, to walk with you myself.

- What a deal! - said the broad-shouldered and portly young man, who was considered the first reveler and rake in the village. “Everything seems sick to me when you can’t walk around in order and set things up.” Everything seems to be missing something. It was as if he had lost his hat or cradle; in a word, not a Cossack and that’s all.

-Are you willing to have a good headache today?

- Head!

- Yes, my head. What was he really up to! He is governed by us, as if he were some kind of hetman. Not only does he push around as if he were his own servants, he also approaches our girls. After all, I think there isn’t a pretty girl in the whole village that people wouldn’t be drawn to.

- What kind of slaves are we, guys? Are we not of the same kind as he? We, thank God, are free Cossacks! Let's show him, boys, that we are free Cossacks!

- We'll show you! - the boys shouted. - Yes, if you have a head, then you won’t miss a clerk!

- We won’t forget the clerk! And, as if on purpose, I formed a nice song about my head in my mind. “Come on, I’ll teach you it,” Levko continued, striking the strings of the bandura with his hand. - Yes, listen: change your clothes, whoever you are!

- Go for a walk, Cossack head! - said the burly rake, kicking him in the leg and clapping his hands. - What a luxury! What a will! When you start to get angry, it feels like you are remembering long ago. Love, freely at heart; and the soul is as if in heaven. Hey guys! Hey, go for a walk!..

And the crowd noisily rushed through the streets. And the pious old women, awakened by the cry, raised their windows and crossed themselves with sleepy hands, saying: “Well, now the boys are walking!”

IV. The boys are walking

Only one hut was still glowing at the end of the street. This is the home of the head. The head had long since finished his dinner and, no doubt, would have fallen asleep long ago; but at that time he had a guest, a distiller, sent to build a distillery by a landowner who had small area lands between free Cossacks. Right under the canopy, in a place of honor, sat a guest - a short, plump little man, with small, ever-laughing eyes, in which, it seemed, was written the pleasure with which he smoked his short cradle, constantly spitting and pressing his finger on the one that crawled out of it. tobacco turned into ash. Clouds of smoke quickly grew above him, covering him in a bluish fog. It seemed as if a wide chimney from some distillery, bored with sitting on its roof, decided to take a walk and decorously sat down at the table in the head’s hut. A short, thick mustache stuck out under his nose; but they flickered so vaguely through the tobacco atmosphere that they seemed like a mouse that the distiller had caught and held in his mouth, undermining the monopoly of the barn cat. The head, like the owner, sat in only a shirt and linen trousers. His eagle eye, like the evening sun, began to squint and fade little by little. At the end of the table, smoking a cradle, was one of the village tens who made up the head’s team, sitting in a scroll out of respect for the owner.

“Are you thinking soon,” said the head, turning to the distiller and putting a cross on his yawning mouth, “to set up your distillery?”

- When God helps, then in the fall, maybe we’ll smoke. On Pokrov, I bet that the gentleman will write German pretzels with his feet along the way. - Upon uttering these words, the distiller’s eyes disappeared; instead of them, rays stretched to the very ears; the whole body began to shake with laughter, and the cheerful lips left the smoking cradle for a moment.

“God willing,” said the head, expressing something like a smile on his face. – Now, thank God, there are not many Vinnytsia. But in the old days, when I accompanied the queen along the Pereyaslavl road, the still deceased Bezborodko...

- Well, matchmaker, I remembered the time! At that time, from Kremenchug to Romen there were not even two vinnitsa. And now...Have you heard what the damned Germans came up with? Soon, they say, they will smoke not with wood, like all honest Christians, but with some kind of damn steam. - Saying these words, the distiller looked thoughtfully at the table and at his hands spread on it. - How is it a ferry - by God, I don’t know!

- What fools, God forgive me, these Germans! - said the head. - I would batog them, dog children! Have you ever heard of it being possible to boil something with steam? That’s why you can’t bring a spoonful of borscht to your mouth without frying your lips, instead of a young pig...

“And you, matchmaker,” responded the sister-in-law, who was sitting on the couch, her legs tucked under her, “you will, all this time, live with us without a wife!”

- Why do I need it? It would be a different matter if there was something good.

- As if she’s not good? - asked the head, fixing his eyes on him.

- How good are you! Stará yak bis. Kharya is all wrinkled, like an empty wallet. - And the distiller’s low structure began to shake again from loud laughter.

At this time something began to fumble behind the door; the door opened, and the man, without taking off his hat, stepped over the threshold and stood, as if in thought, in the middle of the hut, with his mouth open and looking around the ceiling. It was our acquaintance, Kalenik.

- Well, I’ve come home! - he said, sitting down on a bench by the door and not paying any attention to those present. - See how the enemy son Satan has stretched out the road! You go, you go, and there is no end! It was as if someone had broken his legs. Get a sheepskin coat there, woman, and send it to me. I won’t come to your stove, by God, I won’t come: my legs hurt! Get him, there he lies, near the corner; Just be careful not to knock over the pot of grated tobacco. Or no, don't touch, don't touch! You may be drunk today... Let me get it myself.

Kalenik rose a little, but an irresistible force chained him to the bench.

“I love you for this,” said the head, “I came to someone else’s house and rules like at home!” Send him out as best he can!..

- Leave it, matchmaker, to rest! - said the distiller, holding his hand. - This useful person; If there were more people like that, our winery would do well... - However, it was not good nature that forced these words. Vinokur believed all the signs, and immediately driving away a man who had already sat down on the bench meant inviting trouble for him.

“Somehow, old age will come!..” Kalenik grumbled, lying down on the bench. “It would be nice to say I’m drunk, but no, I’m not drunk.” By God, I'm not drunk! Why should I lie? I'm ready to announce this even to my own head. What's my head? May he die, son of a dog! I spit on him! May the one-eyed devil be run over by a cart! That he douses people in the cold...

- Hey! “The pig got into the hut and put its paws on the table,” said the head, angrily rising from his place; but at that moment a heavy stone, breaking the window into pieces, flew at his feet. The head stopped. “If I knew,” he said, picking up a stone, “what kind of hanged man threw it, I would teach him how to throw!” What mischief! - he continued, examining it on his hand with a flaming gaze. - So that he would choke on this stone...

- Stop, stop! God save you, matchmaker! - the distiller picked up, turning pale. - God forbid you, both in this and in this world, to bless someone with such a scolding!

- Here a defender has been found! Let him disappear!..

- Don’t even think about it, matchmaker! You don’t know, right, what happened to my late mother-in-law?

- With your mother-in-law?

- Yes, with my mother-in-law. In the evening, maybe a little earlier than now, they sat down to have dinner: the late mother-in-law, the late father-in-law, a hired man, a hired woman, and about five children. The mother-in-law poured some dumplings from a large cauldron into a bowl so that they would not be so hot. After work, everyone was hungry and did not want to wait until they caught a cold. They hung the dumplings on long wooden matches and began to eat. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man, of what kind he is, God knows, asks to be allowed to join the meal. How not to feed a hungry person! They gave him a match too. Only the guest hides the dumplings like a cow hides hay. While they ate one at a time and lowered the matches after the others, the bottom was smooth, like a master's platform. The mother-in-law poured more; thinks the guest is full and will clean less. Nothing happened. The braiding became even better! and emptied the other one! “And may you choke on these dumplings!” - thought the hungry mother-in-law; when suddenly he choked and fell. They rushed to him - and the spirit was gone. I hanged myself.

“That’s just what he, the damned glutton, needs!” - said the head.

“It would have been so, but it didn’t turn out that way: from that time on, my mother-in-law had no peace.” It’s just night and the dead man is dragging along. He sits astride the pipe, damn it, and holds a dumpling in his teeth. During the day everything is calm, and there is no rumor about him; but as soon as he starts trying it on, look at the roof, he’s already straddled the pipe, son of a dog...

- And dumplings in your teeth?

- And a dumpling in your teeth.

- Wonderful, matchmaker! I heard something similar about the deceased... - Here the head stopped. The noise and stomping of dancers was heard under the window. At first, the strings of the bandura sounded quietly, and a voice joined them. The strings rattled louder; Several voices began to join in, and the song began to rustle like a whirlwind:

Guys, have you heard?
Are our heads not strong?
At the crooked head
They settled firmly in my head.
Hit your head, cooper.
You are steel hoops!
Sprinkle your head, cooper.
Batogami, batogami!

Our head is gray and crooked,
Old as a devil; what a fool!
Whimsical and lustful:
Hugging to the girls... Fool, fool!
And you should go to the boys!
You should go to the house,
By the mustache, and by the neck!
For chuprina! for chuprina!

- Nice song, matchmaker! - said the distiller, tilting his head a little to one side and turning to the head, dumbfounded with surprise at the sight of such audacity. - Nice! it’s only bad that the head is remembered in not entirely decent words...” And again he put his hands on the table with some kind of sweet tenderness in his eyes, preparing to listen more, because under the window there was laughter and shouts: “again! again!" However, a discerning eye would have seen immediately that it was not amazement that kept the head in one place for a long time. So only an old, experienced cat sometimes allows an inexperienced mouse to run around his tail; and meanwhile he quickly creates a plan to cut off her path to his hole. The solitary eye of the head was still fixed on the window, and already the hand, having given a sign to the foreman, was holding onto the wooden handle of the door, and suddenly a cry arose in the street... Vinokur, who added curiosity to his many virtues, quickly filled his cradle with tobacco, ran out into the street ; but the naughty ones had already fled.

“No, you won’t escape me!” - the head shouted, dragging by the hand a man in a black sheepskin coat turned upside down. Vinokur, taking advantage of the time, ran up to look this troublemaker in the face; but he stepped back timidly when he saw his long beard and terribly painted face. - No, you won't escape me! - the head shouted, continuing to drag his captive straight into the hallway, who, without offering any resistance, calmly followed him, as if into his own hut.

- Karpo, open the closet! - said the head to the tenth. – We’ll put him in a dark closet! And there we’ll wake up the clerk, gather the guards, catch all these brawlers, and today we’ll bring a resolution to all of them!

Desyatsky rattled the small padlock in the entryway and opened the closet. At this very time, the prisoner, taking advantage of the darkness of the entryway, suddenly broke out of his hands with extraordinary force.

- Where? - the head shouted, grabbing the collar even tighter.

- Will not help! It won't help, brother! Squeal at yourself, even the devil, not just a woman, you won’t fool me!” and pushed him into the dark closet so that the poor prisoner groaned, falling to the floor, and, accompanied by the tenth, went to the clerk’s hut, and after them, like a steamship, the distiller began to smoke.

All three of them walked in thought, with their heads down, and suddenly, at a turn into a dark alley, they cried out at once in strong blow on their foreheads, and the same scream echoed back to them. The head, narrowing its eye, saw with amazement the clerk with two tens.

- And I’m coming to you, Mr. Clerk.

- And I am at your mercy, sir.

- Miracles have begun, Mr. Clerk.

- Wonderful things, sir.

- The boys are mad! They are rampaging through the streets in droves. Your grace is called such words... in a word, it’s a shame to say; a drunken Muscovite will be afraid to throw them away with his wicked tongue. - (All this was accompanied by a thin clerk, in motley trousers and a vest the color of wine yeast, by stretching his neck forward and immediately bringing it back to its previous state.) - I took a little nap, the damned urchins woke me up from bed with their strange songs and knocking! I wanted to properly rein them in, but while I put on trousers and a vest, they all ran away wherever they could. The most important one, however, did not dodge us. He is now singing in the hut where the convicts are kept. My soul was burning to recognize this bird, but its face was smeared with soot, like the devil who forges nails for sinners.

- How is he dressed, Mr. Clerk?

- In a black sheepskin coat, turned inside out, son of a dog, sir.

“Aren’t you lying, Mr. Clerk?” What if this brat is now sitting in my closet?

- No, sir. You yourself, let it be said not out of anger, sinned a little.

- Let's fire! we'll watch it! - They brought the fire, opened the door, and the head gasped in surprise when he saw his sister-in-law in front of him.

“Tell me, please,” she approached him with these words, “have you gone crazy yet?” Was there even a drop of brain in your one-eyed head when you pushed me into a dark closet; I’m lucky that I didn’t hit my head on the iron hook. Didn't I scream to you that it was me? The damned bear grabbed him with his iron paws and pushed him! May the devils push you in the next world!..

She took the last words out the door and into the street, where she had gone for some reason of her own.

- Yes, I see it’s you! - said the head, waking up. “What do you say, Mr. Clerk, isn’t this damned scoundrel?”

- Rogue, sir.

“Isn’t it time for us to give all these rakes a good education and force them to do their job?”

- It’s long overdue, long overdue, sir.

- They, fools, took it for themselves... What the hell? I thought I thought my sister-in-law was screaming in the street; They, fools, got it into their heads that I was their equal. They think that some brother of theirs, a simple Cossack!.. - The slight cough that followed and the squinting of his eyes around made it possible to guess that the head was preparing to talk about something important. - In a thousand... of these damned names of years, for the life of me I cannot pronounce; well, the year, the then commissioner Ledachiy The order was given to choose from among the Cossacks the one who would be the smartest of all. ABOUT! - This is about!" the head said, raising his finger up, “the smartest of all!” as a guide to the queen. I then…

- What can I say! Everyone already knows this, sir. Everyone knows how you earned the royal affection. Admit it now, my truth has come out; Did you feel a little sinful when you said that you caught this urchin in an inside-out sheepskin coat?

- And as for this devil in an inside-out sheepskin coat, then, as an example to others, put him in shackles and punish him approximately. Let them know what power means! From whom was the head placed, if not from the king? Then we’ll get to the other lads: I haven’t forgotten how the damned urchins drove a herd of pigs into the garden, which had eaten too much of my cabbage and cucumbers; I haven’t forgotten how the damn children refused to thresh my belly; I haven’t forgotten... But they failed, I definitely need to find out what kind of scoundrel she is in an inside-out sheepskin coat.

- This is apparently an agile bird! - said the distiller, whose cheeks, during this entire conversation, were continuously charged with smoke, like a siege cannon, and his lips, leaving a short cradle, threw out a whole cloudy fountain. – It’s not bad to keep such a person near the winery, just in case; or even better, hang it on the top of an oak tree instead of a chandelier. - Such a joke seemed not entirely stupid to the distiller, and he immediately decided, without waiting for the approval of others, to reward himself with a hoarse laugh.

At this time they began to approach a small hut that had almost fallen to the ground; the curiosity of our travelers increased. Everyone crowded at the door. The clerk took out the key and rattled it near the lock; but this one was from his chest! Impatience increased. Sticking his hand in, he began to fumble and scold him, not finding him. "Here!" - he said finally, bending down and taking it out from the depths of the large pocket with which his colorful trousers were equipped. At this word, the hearts of our heroes seemed to merge into one, and this huge heart beat so hard that its uneven beat was not muffled even by the rattling lock. The doors opened, and... the head became pale as a sheet; the distiller felt the cold, and his hair seemed to want to fly to the sky; horror appeared in the clerk's face; The tens were rooted to the ground and were not able to close their open mouths: their sister-in-law stood in front of them.

Astonished as they were, she, however, came to her senses a little and made a movement to approach them.

- Stop! - the head shouted in a wild voice and slammed the door behind her. - Gentlemen! it's Satan! - he continued. - Fire! more alive than fire! I will not regret the government hut! Light it, light it, so that there won’t be any damn bones left on the ground!” The sister-in-law screamed in horror, hearing the menacing definition behind the door.

- What are you talking about, brothers! - said the distiller, - thank God, your hair is almost covered with snow, but you still haven’t gained any sense: a simple fire won’t set a witch on fire! Only fire from a cradle can ignite a werewolf. Wait, I'll sort everything out now!

Having said this, he poured the hot ash from the tube into a bunch of straw and began to fan it. Despair at this time gave spirit to the poor sister-in-law, she loudly began to beg and dissuade them.

- Wait, brothers! Why accumulate sin in vain; “maybe it’s not Satan,” said the clerk. - If it, that is, the very one that sits there, agrees to take upon itself sign of the cross, then this is a sure sign that it’s not the devil.

The proposal has been approved.

- Forget me, Satan! - the clerk continued, pressing his lips to the hole in the door, - if you don’t move from your place, we will open the door.”

The door opened.

- Cross yourself! - said the head, looking back, as if choosing a safe place in case of a retreat.

The sister-in-law crossed herself.

- What the hell! That's right, it's my sister-in-law!

- What evil spirit dragged you, godfather, into this kennel?

And the sister-in-law, sobbing, told how the boys grabbed her in an armful on the street and, despite resistance, lowered her into the wide window of the hut and nailed her shuttered. The clerk looked: the hinges of the wide shutter had been torn off, and it was only nailed down at the top with a wooden beam.

- Welcome, one-eyed Satan! - she cried, going to the head, which backed away a little and still continued to measure it with his eye. “I know your intention: you wanted, you were glad to have the opportunity to burn me, so that you would be more free to pursue girls, so that there would be no one to see how the gray-haired grandfather fools around.” Do you think I don’t know what you and Hanna were talking about this evening? ABOUT! I know everything. It's hard to fool me, not even your stupid head. I endure for a long time, but don’t be angry afterwards...

Having said this, she showed her fist and quickly left, leaving her head dumbfounded. “No, Satan has seriously interfered here,” he thought, scratching the top of his head.

- Caught! - the tens who entered at that time cried out.

- Who was caught? - asked the head.

- The devil in an inside-out sheepskin coat.

- Serve it! - the head shouted, grabbing the hands of the prisoner he brought. “Are you crazy: this is drunken Kalenik.”

-What an abyss! was in our hands, sir! - answered the tens. “The damned guys surrounded us in the alley, started dancing, tugging, sticking out their tongues, tearing them out of hands... to hell with you!.. And how we got this crow instead of him, God only knows!

“By my authority and that of all the laity, the command is given,” said the head, “to catch this robber at this very moment; and in this way, bring everyone you find on the street to me for punishment!..

- Have mercy, sir! - some shouted, bowing at their feet. - You should have seen what hari: God kill us, and were born and baptized - you have never seen such vile faces. How long before they sin, sir, they will frighten a good man so much that after that not a single woman will undertake to cause a commotion.

- I'll give you a commotion! What do you? don't want to obey? You're holding their hand, right? Are you rebels? What is this?.. What is this?.. You are starting robberies!.. You... I will inform the Commissioner! This very hour! hear, now. Run, fly like a bird! May I... May you...

Everyone ran away.

V. Drowned Woman

Not worrying about anything, not caring about the chases sent out, the culprit of all this mess slowly approached the old house and pond. There is no need, I think, to say that it was Levko. His black sheepskin coat was unbuttoned. He held the hat in his hand. Sweat poured off him. The maple forest, facing the moon, looked majestic and gloomy. The motionless pond breathed freshness on the tired pedestrian and forced him to rest on the shore. Everything was quiet; in the deep thicket of the forest only the rumbles of the nightingale could be heard. An irresistible sleep quickly began to close his eyes; tired limbs were ready to forget and go numb; my head was bowing... “No, I’ll fall asleep here!” - he said, rising to his feet and rubbing his eyes. He looked around: the night seemed even more brilliant before him. Some strange, intoxicating radiance mixed with the shine of the month. He had never seen anything like this before. A silver mist fell over the area. The smell of blossoming apple trees and night flowers flowed throughout the entire earth. He looked in amazement at the still waters of the pond: the old manor house, having turned down, was visible in it, clean and in some clear grandeur. Instead of gloomy shutters, there were cheerful glass windows and doors. Gilding flashed through the clean glass. And then it seemed as if a window had opened. Holding his breath, without flinching and without taking his eyes off the pond, he seemed to have moved into the depths of it and sees: in front of him a white elbow stuck out of the window, then a friendly head with sparkling eyes, quietly shining through the dark blond waves of hair, looked out and leaned on elbow. And he sees: she shakes her head slightly, she waves, she grins... His heart began to beat at once... The water trembled, and the window closed again. He quietly walked away from the pond and looked at the house: the gloomy shutters were open; the glass shone during the month. “That’s how little you need to rely on people’s talk,” he thought to himself. – Brand new house; the colors are alive, as if it was painted today. Someone lives here,” and he silently came closer, but everything was quiet in him. The brilliant songs of the nightingales echoed loudly and sonorously, and when they seemed to die in languor and bliss, the rustling and crackling of grasshoppers or the hum of a swamp bird was heard, hitting the wide water mirror with its slippery nose, Levko felt some kind of sweet silence and expanse in his heart. Having tuned the bandura, he began to play and sang:

Oh, you little little ones, my little little ones,
And you, the dawn is clear!
Oh, wander around the courtyard there,
The girl is red.

The window quietly opened, and the same head that he had seen reflected in the pond looked out, listening carefully to the song. Her long eyelashes were half lowered over her eyes. She was all pale, like a sheet, like the shine of the moon; but how wonderful, how beautiful! She laughed!.. Levko shuddered.

“Sing me, young Cossack, some song!” – she said quietly, tilting her head to the side and lowering her very thick eyelashes.

- What song should I sing for you, my bright lady?

Tears quietly rolled down her pale face. “Boy,” she said, and something inexplicably touching was heard in her speech.

- Boy, find me my stepmother! I won't spare anything for you. I will reward you. I will reward you richly and luxuriously! I have sleeves embroidered with silk, corals, necklaces. I will give you a belt studded with pearls. I have gold... Boy, find me my stepmother! She is a terrible witch: she gave me no peace in this world. She tormented me; forced me to work like a simple peasant. Look at my face: she brought the color out of my cheeks with her unclean spells. Look at my white neck: they don’t wash off! they don't wash off! they will never be washed off, these blue stains from her iron claws. Look at my white legs: they walked a lot; They walked not only on carpets, but on hot sand, on damp ground, and on thorny thorns; and at my eyes, look at my eyes: they are not looking from tears... Find her, boy, find me my stepmother!..”

“I’m ready to do anything for you, my lady!” - he said in heartfelt excitement, - but how can I, where can I find her?

- Look, look! - she said quickly, “she’s here!” she plays on the shore in a round dance between my girls and warms herself during the month. But she is crafty and cunning. She took on the appearance of a drowned woman; but I know, but I hear that she is here. It’s hard for me, I feel stuffy from her. I cannot swim through it easily and freely, like a fish. I'm drowning and falling to the bottom like a key. Find her, boy!

Levko looked at the shore: in the thin silver fog, light, like shadows, girls flashed in shirts white, like a meadow covered with lilies of the valley; golden necklaces, monists, ducats shone on their necks; but they were pale; their body seemed to be sculpted from transparent clouds and seemed to glow right through during the silver moon. The round dance, playing, moved closer to him. Voices were heard.

- Let's play crow, let's play crow! - everyone rustled, like riverside reeds touched in the quiet hour of twilight by the airy lips of the wind.

-Who should be a raven?

They cast lots and one girl emerged from the crowd. Levko began to look at her. Her face, dress, everything on her is the same as on others. It was only noticeable that she was reluctant to play this role. The crowd stretched out in a line and quickly ran across from the attacks of the predatory enemy.

- No, I don’t want to be a raven! - said the girl, exhausted from fatigue. “I feel sorry for taking away the poor mother’s chickens!”

“You are not a witch!” – thought Levko.

-Who will be the raven? The girls were going to cast lots again.

- I will be a raven! – one of the middle people volunteered.

Levko began to peer intently into her face. She quickly and boldly chased the line and rushed in all directions to catch her prey. Then Levko began to notice that her body did not glow as much as the others: something black was visible inside it. Suddenly a cry was heard: a raven rushed at one of the string and grabbed her, and Levka felt as if her claws had come out and an evil joy flashed on her face.

- Witch! - he said, suddenly pointing his finger at her and turning towards the house.

The lady laughed, and the girls, screaming, took away the raven who represented them.

- What should I reward you with, boy? I know you don’t need gold: you love Hanna; but your stern father prevents you from marrying her. He won't be in the way now; take it, give him this note...

The white hand reached out, her face somehow wonderfully lit up and shone... With incomprehensible trepidation and a painful beating of his heart, he grabbed the note and... woke up.

VI. Awakening

- Was it really me who was sleeping? – Levko said to himself, getting up from a small hillock. - So alive, as if in reality!.. Wonderful, wonderful! - he repeated, looking around.

The moon, standing over his head, showed midnight; there is silence everywhere; a chill wafted from the pond; stood over him sadly dilapidated house with closed shutters; moss and wild weeds showed that people had left it long ago. Here he straightened his hand, which had been convulsively clenched during his sleep, and cried out in amazement when he felt a note in it. “Oh, if only I knew how to read and write!” - he thought, turning it around in front of him on all sides. At that moment, a noise was heard behind him.

- Don't be afraid, grab him straight away! Why did you chicken out? there are ten of us. I bet it’s a man and not a devil!” - this is how the head shouted to his companions, and Levko saw himself grabbed by several hands, some of which were trembling with fear. - Take off your scary face, buddy! Stop fooling people! - said the head, grabbing him by the collar, and was dumbfounded, bulging his eyes at him. - Levko, son! – he cried, retreating in surprise and dropping his hands. - It's you, son of a dog! look, demonic birth! I think what a rogue this is, what a twisted devil this is building things! And this, it turns out, is all you, uncooked jelly down your dad’s throat, deigning to start robberies in the streets, composing songs!.. Hey, hey, hey, Levko! What is this? It looks like your back is itching! Knit it!

- Wait, dad! I’ve been ordered to give you this note,” said Levko.

- No time for notes now, my dear! Knit it!

- Wait, sir! - said the clerk, unfolding the note, - the Commissar’s hand!

- Commissioner?

- Commissioner? - the tens repeated mechanically.

“Commissioner? wonderful! even more incomprehensible! – Levko thought to himself.

- Read, read! - said the head, - what does the commissioner write there?

- Let's listen to what the commissioner writes! - said the distiller, holding the cradle in his teeth and turning off the fire.

– An order to the head, Evtukh Makogonenko. It has come to our attention that you, old fool, instead of collecting your previous arrears and maintaining order in the village, have become stupid and are creating dirty tricks...

- Here, by God! - the head interrupted, - I don’t hear anything!

The clerk began again:

– An order to the head, Evtukh Makogonenko. It has come to our attention that you, old fool...

- Stop, stop! no need! - the head shouted, - although I didn’t hear, I know that the main thing here is not yet. Read on!

“And as a result, I order you this very hour to marry your son, Levka Makogonenko, to a Cossack woman from your village, Ganna Petrychenkova, and also to repair the bridges on the main road and not to give philistine horses to the ship’s soldiers without my knowledge, even if they were coming straight from treasury chamber. If, upon my arrival, I find this order of mine not carried out, then you alone will be held accountable. Commissioner, retired lieutenant Kozma Derkach-Drishpanovsky".

- That's what! - said the head, mouth agape. - Do you hear, do you hear: they will ask for everything right from the head, and therefore obey! obey unquestioningly! not that, I apologize... And you! - he continued, turning to Levko, - as a result of the order of the commissar, although it’s amazing to me how it came to him, I’m getting married; just try the whips first! You know the one that hangs on my wall near the pokut? I'll update it tomorrow... Where did you get this note?

Levko, despite the amazement that arose from such an unexpected turn in his case, had the prudence to prepare a different answer in his mind and conceal the real truth of how the note was obtained.

“I was out,” he said, “yesterday evening, back in town, and I met the commissar getting out of the chaise.” Having learned that I was from our village, he gave me this note and ordered me to tell you in words, dad, that he would stop by for lunch on his way back.

- Did he say that?

- Said.

- Do you hear? - said the head with an important posture, turning to his companions. - The Commissioner himself will come to our brother, that is, to me, for lunch. ABOUT! - Then the head raised his finger up and brought his head into a position as if she was listening to something. - Commissioner, do you hear, the commissioner is coming to dinner with me! What do you think, Mr. clerk, and you, matchmaker, this is not an entirely empty honor! Is not it?

“As far as I can remember,” the clerk picked up, “not a single head treated the commissar to dinner.”

- Not every head is a match for the head! – said the head with a smug look. His mouth twisted, and something like a heavy, hoarse laugh, more like the hum of distant thunder, sounded in his mouth. “What do you think, Mr. Clerk, we should give an order for an eminent guest to bring at least a chicken, well, linen, something else from each hut... Eh?”

- It would be necessary, it would be necessary, sir!

- When is the wedding, dad? – asked Levko.

- A wedding? I would give you a wedding!.. Well, yes, for an eminent guest... tomorrow the priest will marry you. To hell with you! Let the commissioner see what serviceability means! Well, guys, now go to bed! Go home!.. Today’s incident reminded me of the time when I... - At these words, the head cast its usual important and significant look from under its brows.

- Well, now the head will go to tell how he carried the queen! - said Levko and with quick steps and joyfully hurried to the familiar hut, surrounded by low cherry trees. “God grant you the kingdom of heaven, kind and beautiful lady,” he thought to himself. - May the holy angels smile upon you forever in the next world! I won’t tell anyone about the miracle that happened that night; I’ll pass it on to you alone, Galya. You alone will believe me and pray with me for the repose of the soul of the unfortunate drowned woman!

Then he approached the hut: the window was unlocked; the rays of the month passed through him and fell on Hannah sleeping in front of him; her head rested on her hand; cheeks were quietly burning; the lips moved, vaguely pronouncing his name. “Sleep, my beauty! Dream about everything that is best in the world; but even that will not be better than our awakening!” Having crossed her, he closed the window and quietly left. And after a few minutes everyone in the village fell asleep; Only one month floated just as brilliantly and wonderfully in the vast deserts of the luxurious Ukrainian sky. It was breathing just as solemnly in the heights, and the night, the divine night, was majestically burning out. The earth was just as beautiful, in a wondrous silver shine; but no one reveled in them: everything fell asleep. From time to time the silence was only broken by the barking of dogs, and for a long time the still drunk Kalenik wandered through the sleepy streets, looking for his hut.

Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife, and they had three daughters. All three are beautiful, but the youngest is the most beautiful.
One day he and his friends went swimming, and the girls began to look at their sisters.
- Why don’t you still have a tattoo? “All three of you are such beauties, but if you get a tattoo, you will become even more beautiful,” the friends said.
- Who will make it for us?
- There is one old woman who is an expert in this matter. True, she lives very far away. But people go to her...
And the three sisters began to ask their parents to allow them to go to the old woman and get a tattoo.
- Dear father and mother, today on the river the girls, seeing that we didn’t have a tattoo, advised us to go to an old woman who does it very well. True, she lives far away. But there are three of us.
And the parents agreed.
The next day, early in the morning, the three sisters, each taking a large basket in their hands, went to the field to buy cassava, sweet potatoes and groundnuts.
Having filled their baskets, the sisters returned home, then from all this they prepared food for themselves for the road and set off.
They walked and walked all day. We saw a hut, and at the entrance to it an old woman was sitting with a pipe in her mouth - she had only one eye, one ear, one arm, one leg.
“Grandma,” the younger sister turned to her, “we came to you to get a tattoo.” They say you are a great expert in this matter.
- Of course, I know how to make a tattoo, but there is another old woman, who lives even further away, she does tattoos much better than me. I’ll take you to her, otherwise you won’t find her yourself. Just make me something to eat first.
The older sisters seemed not to have heard the old woman’s last words, but the younger sister happily fulfilled her wish - she prepared a delicious meal. The old woman ate and said:
- Now, granddaughters, let's go.
They walked for a very long time. Finally they came to a hut, near which sat another old sorceress, also with one ear, one eye, one arm and one leg. The first old woman said:
- These girls came to you so that you could give them a beautiful tattoo. Look how beautiful they are! And the youngest... You just can’t take your eyes off her! When you give them a tattoo, don’t forget that it is the most beautiful of all.
And indeed, the second old woman turned out to be a mistress, a real sorceress. All three sisters became even more beautiful than they were. Bizarre designs adorned their faces, chests, stomachs and
hips. And the youngest became such that her beauty now simply blinded her eyes.
The sisters went home. The youngest walked in front, the elders walked behind. Whoever they met on the way, everyone exclaimed:
- What a wonderful tattoo! But this girl who is walking in front, look, look, is the most beautiful of all!
The two older sisters were simply bursting with envy. Since the youngest walked ahead and could not hear what the older sisters were talking about, the elders, taking advantage of this, agreed to throw her into the river when they crossed the hanging bridge.
As soon as the younger sister stepped foot on the hanging bridge, the sisters began to swing it. And when the girl reached the middle, they shook the bridge so much that she fell into the river and disappeared under the water.
Parents, seeing their daughters with such beautiful tattoos, were very happy. But the mother asked: “Where is the youngest?”, to which the older sisters replied:
“She’s so pleased with her tattoo that she stayed on the road to show off to people.”
It's already evening. But the youngest daughter is still missing. The mother became worried. Why didn't they come together? Where is her favorite - the youngest? Didn't she tell the elders to keep an eye on her?
- Yes, she probably went to some friend’s house to show off and be proud. While we were walking together, she was bragging about everything! Well, what could we do? They tried to persuade her, they persuaded her: let's go home, let's go home! - and she would never...
Night has come. Then morning came. And the youngest daughter is gone. Then father and mother went in search. In their native village, no one saw their youngest daughter. They walked and walked and finally reached the old woman's hut.
- I had your three daughters, I did. It was I who took them to the old woman, an expert in tattooing. And what a wonderful tattoo she gave them! And the youngest one is especially beautiful! Your kind youngest daughter, kind, even prepared food for me, took pity on the old woman: after all, I have one eye, one ear, one arm, one leg. I ordered your elders to take care of the youngest on the way. But I saw terrible envy on their faces. Envy and malice filled their hearts. It was they who destroyed her, I know it was them,” said the old woman.
The inconsolable parents returned home, dressed in mourning and mourned their daughter for a long time. Damn that tattoo!
Many years later. But in fairy tales time passes very quickly. One day a woodcutter went into the forest. He walked along the river bank, saw a large tree - takula, hit him with an ax once, hit him a second time and suddenly heard a plaintive voice:
Who's there, who's there, Who's knocking?
Lumberjack with an axe?
You're the one knocking
Lumberjack with an axe?
We were three sisters
Woodcutter with an ax
I was the most beautiful
Woodcutter with an ax
My sisters were angry with me
Woodcutter with an ax
They threw me into the water
Woodcutter with an ax
And the crocodile told me,
Woodcutter with an ax
Will you become my wife?
Woodcutter with an ax
You will give me children,
Lumberjack with an axe!
Say hello to your family,
Woodcutter with an ax
Say hello to your father
Woodcutter with an ax
Say hello to mom
Woodcutter with an ax
Say hello to your sisters
Woodcutter with an ax
Bow to them from me
Lumberjack with an axe!
The woodcutter froze in horror. What is this? Maybe a merman? Maybe an evil spirit? And again he hit the tree with the ax. And again the mysterious voice repeated just as sadly:
Who's there, who's there,
Who's knocking?
Lumberjack with an axe?
Throwing away the axe, the woodcutter ran home.
- What happened to you? - asked his wife. “You don’t have a face, has something happened?”
- Leave me alone! Dont touch me! - the woodcutter shouted angrily and threw himself face down on the mat.
The next morning he returned to his old place, picked up an ax on the ground and began again to chop down the takula tree. He hit once, hit again, and again the plaintive voice was heard:

"No! This is, of course, not a person!” - thought the woodcutter. And he immediately returned home. My wife was very surprised. Usually my husband worked in the forest from morning to evening, but suddenly the second day empty handed returns before he can leave.
- Hey, what's wrong with you? Maybe you're sick? Tell!
But the husband lay silently on the mat, without raising his head.
Morning came again, the woodcutter got up and went into the forest. He decided to try cutting down another tree. He hit once, hit him a second time - and again the plaintive voice was heard:
Who's there, who's there, Who's knocking? Lumberjack with an axe?
The woodcutter ran home and this time told his wife everything.
- And you didn’t see who was crying?
- And-and-them! I looked into the water, looked around, looked behind the trees... I don’t know who it could be! Maybe a merman. Or maybe an evil spirit. In general, I won’t go there anymore to cut down trees!
- How will we live? Before you brought several logs, but now not a single one. Let's go together and see who's crying.
And early in the morning the woodcutter and his wife went into the forest.
-Where did you chop?
- First I chopped here, and then here, and then over there.
- And every time you heard a plaintive voice?
- Every time - as soon as I hit the tree for the second time with an ax...
- Come on, try it. Hit harder!
- Bang! Bang! - the blows of the ax were heard. And immediately a sad voice sounded:
Who's there, who's there, Who's knocking? Lumberjack with an axe?
- Let's get out of here quickly! I know who's crying! This is the youngest daughter of our neighbors, who was killed by her sisters! - exclaimed the woodcutter's wife.
The woodcutter and his wife ran to the village and told about
to all the parents of the unfortunate girl. And the four of them went to the river bank.
The woodcutter swung his ax, hit the tree, and everyone heard a plaintive voice:
Who's knocking?
Who's there, who's there,
Lumberjack with an axe? You're the one knocking
Lumberjack with an axe? We were three sisters
Woodcutter with an axe, I was the most beautiful of all,
Woodcutter with an ax
My sisters were angry with me
Woodcutter with an ax
They threw me into the water
Woodcutter with an ax
And the crocodile told me,
Woodcutter with an ax
Will you become my wife?
Woodcutter with an ax
You will give me children,
Lumberjack with an axe!
Say hello to your family,
Woodcutter with an ax
Say hello to your father
Woodcutter with an ax
Say hello to mom
Woodcutter with an ax
Say hello to your sisters
Woodcutter with an ax
Bow to them from me
Lumberjack with an axe!
The unfortunate parents heard the voice of their youngest daughter, ran up to the very shore and saw her in clear water. She sat on the sandy bottom, and three shells adorned her forehead, and three more adorned her temples. She sat and cried bitterly, wiping her eyes with her hands. Then the parents called their fishermen friends, they boarded their boats, cast their nets and pulled the girl out of the water. oskazkah.ru - website
The girl was solemnly brought into her native village. They put it in their hut. Fires were lit, several bulls were slaughtered, and a great celebration began.
Old, experienced sorcerers came from all over the world to bring the girl back to life. They conjured and conjured, and she began to smile first, then talk. Only the shells from the forehead did not disappear, as if they had grown in. Everything, Kaza-
Hopefully it would end well. The girl came to life, but for some reason she was afraid to leave the house. And the wise old men also said that she should never carry water or pound anything in a mortar. But one day, when her parents were not at home, the youngest daughter put maize in a large mortar and, taking a pestle in her hands, began to pound, chanting:
I'll pound the corn
I'll mix it with sand

The parents returned home, and the youngest daughter was sad and
tells them:
- What did I do wrong? Why are you keeping me here? It's been two months since I've been at home!
And then screams of horror were heard from all sides. People were shouting because the river had overflowed its banks and the waves were already approaching the village.
Soon the hut where the youngest daughter stood began to flood, and the girl kept pounding corn and singing:
I'll pound the corn
I'll mix it with sand
Let the water come to wet the corn!
And then, when the walls of the hut were washed away by water, a water god appeared in the form of a crocodile and said:
- So that your parents can never steal you away again, we will take them with us. They will be better underwater. There they will not have to languish from work, they will only admire their grandchildren.
And the youngest daughter agreed.
And her sisters were given to be eaten by crocodiles as punishment.

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“May Night, or the Drowned Woman” is one of the most fabulous and enchanting stories by N.V. Gogol from his collection “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.” Beautiful illustrations by artist Olga Ionaitis, imbued with the spirit of Ukrainian folklore, create a unique flavor of a fairy tale. Undoubtedly, both adults and children will have great pleasure by re-reading this romantic work.

I. Ganna 1

II. Head 2

III. An unexpected opponent. Conspiracy 3

IV. Guys walking 4

V. Drowned Woman 6

VI. Awakening 7

Footnotes 7

Nikolay Gogol
May Night, or the Drowned Woman

The enemy of your father knows! Whenever people start timid, they start murmuring, murmuring, chasing after the hare, but still there’s no time for shmigu; Whenever the devil gets caught up, then twirl his tail - that's how he got out of the sky .

I. Ganna

A sonorous song flowed like a river through the streets of the village ***. There was a time when boys and girls, tired of the day's labors and worries, noisily gathered in a circle, in the brilliance of a clear evening, to pour out their fun into sounds that were always inseparable from despondency. And the thoughtful evening dreamily embraced the blue sky, turning everything into uncertainty and distance. It’s already twilight; but the songs did not stop. With a bandura in his hands, the young Cossack Levko, the son of the village mayor, who had escaped from the singers, was making his way. The Cossack is wearing a Reshetilov hat. The Cossack walks down the street, strums the strings with his hand and dances. So he stopped quietly in front of the door of the hut, lined with low cherry trees. Whose house is this? Whose door is this? After a short silence, he began to play and sang:

The sun is low, the evening is near,
Come before me, my dear!

“No, apparently my clear-eyed beauty is fast asleep!” - said the Cossack, finishing the song and approaching the window. - Galyu! Galya! Are you sleeping or don’t you want to come out to me? You're probably afraid that no one will see us, or maybe you don't want to show your white face in the cold! Don't be afraid: there is no one. The evening was warm. But if anyone showed up, I would cover you with a scroll, wrap my belt around you, cover you with my hands - and no one would see us. But even if there is a hint of cold, I will press you closer to my heart, warm you with kisses, and put my hat on your little white feet. My heart, my fish, my necklace! look out for a moment. Stick your white hand through the window... No, you are not sleeping, proud maiden! – he said louder and in a voice in which he expresses himself ashamed of instant humiliation. - You like to mock me, goodbye!

Then he turned away, put his hat on one side and proudly walked away from the window, quietly plucking the strings of the bandura. At that moment, the wooden handle on the door began to spin: the door swung open with a creak, and the girl, at the time of the seventeenth spring, wrapped in twilight, timidly looking around and not letting go of the wooden handle, stepped over the threshold. In the semi-clear darkness, clear eyes glowed welcomingly, like stars; the red coral monisto shone; and even the blush that bashfully flared on her cheeks could not hide from the eagle eyes of the little girl.

– Do you know what I think? – the girl interrupted, thoughtfully looking at him with her eyes. “It’s as if something is whispering in my ear that we won’t see each other so often in the future.” Your people are not kind: the girls always look so enviously, and the boys... I even notice that my mother has recently begun to look after me more sternly. I admit, I had more fun with strangers.

A certain movement of melancholy was expressed on her face at the last words.

“I’ve only been away from my dear one for two months and I already miss her!” Maybe you're tired of me too?

“Oh, I’m not tired of you,” she said, grinning. - I love you, black-browed Cossack! Because I love that you have brown eyes, and the way you look at them, it’s as if my soul smiles: it’s fun and good for her; that you blink your black mustache affably; that you walk down the street, sing and play the bandura, and it’s a pleasure to listen to you.

- Oh my Galya! – the boy cried out, kissing and pressing her tighter to his chest.

- Wait! That's enough, Levko! Tell me in advance, have you spoken to your father?

- What? - he said, as if waking up. “That I want to get married, and you want to marry me,” he said.

But somehow this word “said” sounded sadly in his mouth.

- What?

-What are you going to do with him? The old horseradish, as usual, pretended to be deaf: he didn’t hear anything and also scolded him for wandering around God knows where, hanging out and playing pranks with the lads in the streets. But don’t worry, my Galya! Here's the Cossack's word that I will persuade him.

- Yes, you just have to say the word, Levko, and everything will be your way. I know this from myself: sometimes I wouldn’t listen to you, but if you say a word, I involuntarily do what you want. Look, look! - she continued, laying her head on his shoulder and raising her eyes upward, where the warm Ukrainian sky was immensely blue, hung from below by the curly branches of the cherry trees standing in front of them. - Look, there are stars flashing far away: one, another, third, fourth, fifth... Isn’t it true, these are the angels of God who opened the windows of their bright houses in the sky and are looking at us? Yes, Levko? After all, they are the ones looking at our land? What if people had wings like birds - they could fly there, high, high... Wow, scary! Not a single oak tree will reach the sky. But they say, however, there is somewhere, in some distant land, a tree whose top makes noise in the sky itself, and God descends along it to earth at night before the bright holiday.

- No, Galyu; God has a long ladder from heaven to earth. She is placed in front of Happy Sunday holy archangels; and as soon as God steps on the first step, all the unclean spirits will fly headlong and fall into the inferno in heaps, and that is why on Christ’s holiday there is not a single evil spirit on earth.

Like a powerless old man, he held the distant, dark sky in his cold embrace, showering with icy kisses the fiery stars that floated dimly in the warm night air, as if anticipating the imminent appearance of the brilliant king of the night. Near the forest, on the mountain, an old wooden house was dozing with its shutters closed; moss and wild grass covered its roof; curly apple trees grew in front of his windows; the forest, hugging him with its shadow, cast a wild gloom on him; a walnut grove lay at its foot and rolled down to the pond.

Sections

Nikolai Gogol - May Night, or the Drowned Woman. Read online the book “May Night, or the Drowned Woman III”

I. Ganna

II. Head

III. An unexpected opponent. CONSPIRACY

IV. The boys are walking

V. Drowned Woman

VI. Awakening

Nikolay Gogol May Night, or the Drowned Woman

I. Ganna

Nikolay Gogol
May Night, or the Drowned Woman