Part 25 (2/2)
With father and mother And sisters-in-law he Now left me alone: Not a soul was among them To love or to s.h.i.+eld me, But many to scold....
Well, you know yourselves, friends, How quarrels arise In the homes of the peasants.
A young married sister Of Philip's one day Came to visit her parents.
She found she had holes In her boots, and it vexed her.
Then Philip said, ”Wife, Fetch some boots for my sister.”
And I did not answer At once: I was lifting A large wooden tub, So, of course, couldn't speak.
But Philip was angry With me, and he waited Until I had hoisted The tub to the oven Then struck me a blow With his fist, on my temple....
Again Philip struck me ...
And again Philip struck me ...
Well, that is the story.
'Tis surely not fitting For wives to sit counting The blows of their husbands, But then I had promised To keep nothing back.'”
A baby is born to her, and her life becomes more and more of a burden to her: one friend alone of Philip's relatives, an old man called Savyeli, has pity on her. Savyeli has been branded as a convict for burying a German alive. She relates now the story of his life and more particularly the account of his crime:
”'”He (the German) started to nag us, Quite coolly and slowly, Without heat or hurry; For that was his way.
And we, tired and hungry, Stood listening in silence.
He kicked the wet earth With his boot while he scolded, Not far from the edge Of the pit. I stood near him, And happened to give him A push with my shoulder: Then somehow a second And third pushed him gently....
We spoke not a word, Gave no sign to each other, But silently, slowly, Drew closer together, And edging the German Respectfully forward, We brought him at last To the brink of the hollow ...
He tumbled in headlong!
'A ladder,' he bellows: Nine shovels reply.
'Heave-to'--the words fell From my lips on the instant, The word to which people Work gaily in Russia: 'Heave-to,' and 'Heave-to,'
And we laboured so bravely That soon not a trace Of the pit was remaining, The earth was as smooth As before we had touched it: And then we stopped short And we looked at each other.”'”
Matrna gets Savyeli to look after her infant Djma, and while she is away the pigs attacked and killed him. The country police as the custom is in Russia threatened to hold an inquest unless they were bribed: this Matrna could not afford.
”'”My G.o.d, give me patience, And let me not strangle The wicked blasphemer!”
I looked at the doctor And shuddered in terror; Before him lay lancets, Sharp scissors and knives.
I conquered myself, For I knew why they lay there.
I answered him trembling, ”I loved little Djma, I would not have harmed him.”
”And did you not poison him, Give him some powder?”'”
They refuse to listen to her piteous cries:
”'They have lifted the napkin Which covered my baby: His little white body With scissors and lancets They worry and torture ...
The room has grown darker, I'm struggling and screaming, You butchers! You fiends!
Oh, hear me, just G.o.d!
May thy curse fall and strike them!
Ordain that their garments May rot on their bodies!
Their eyes be struck blind, And their brains scorch in madness!
Their wives be unfaithful, Their children be crippled!...
The pope lit his pipe And sat watching the doctor.
He said, 'You are rending A heart with a knife.'
I started up wildly: I knew that the doctor Was piercing the heart Of my little dead baby.”
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