“Sulamith” Kuprin in brief summary
The main characters of the story are the king of Persia Solomon and his beloved Sulamith. The story consists of twelve parts.
The first part depicts before the reader Persia during the reign of Solomon, tells of Solomon and his deeds. The king was about forty-five years old, when the fame of him, his wisdom and beauty, the splendor of his life spread far beyond his country. The king was very rich and generous, so much so that the silver in his days was not valued more than a simple stone. And for those who surrounded the king and shore his peace, Solomon did not regret anything – the shields of his five bodyguards were covered with gold plates.
The second part of the story tells the reader about what kind of women the Great Tsar loved. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, and besides that there were countless slaves and dancers. Among them were the white-faced, the black-eyed, and the tall, and stocky, and rounded, and slender-all fascinated by
But for what did the tsar himself love the women? It was said that the king had marble skin, his lips were exactly a bright scarlet ribbon, his hair was black and wavy, and his hands were so tender, warm and beautiful that with one touch the king healed headaches, cramps and black sadness. God made King Solomon able to understand the languages of animals and birds, to understand the cause of human actions – bad and good, why a great number of people came to him, asking for the court, advice, help, resolution of the dispute. Such was King Solomon, and so his historians painted those days.
On the southern slope of the Baal-Gamon mountain, the king had a vineyard, where the king loved to seclude himself during the hours of great contemplation. So it was this time: the king ordered at the dawn to take himself
In the sixth part of the story, the author paints before the reader the languor of Sulamith, waiting for her lover’s night. In the evening she sold to the jeweler her only decoration – festive silver earrings to the jeweler, and bought from the seller incense for the money she received from myrrh. Sulamith, this beautiful thirteen-year-old girl, wanted her body to smell the sweetness of myrrh when he was touched by her lover. For a long time she lay on her bed, waiting until she heard footsteps. When Sulamith looked out, there was no one near the house. In fear and hope the girl ran to the vineyards, in which she met the one in the morning, whom she had already loved with all her heart. When she reached the vineyards, there was no limit to her happiness: the king waited for her and held out his hands to her. Their lips merge into a kiss, and after a while the king asks, Does she regret it? Sulamith with a smile of embarrassment and happiness answers him: My brothers set me to guard the vineyard, and I did not save my vineyard. On this night, Solomon confesses to the girl that he is a king. In the morning, Sulamith is brought to the palace, bathed in the pool with fragrant water, her beautiful body is dressed in the lightest Egyptian fabrics, and her hair is wrapped in pearls.
Seven days and six nights they enjoy each other’s love. Seven days the king’s face lights up joy and he showered Sulamith with jewels from head to foot. At this time in the temple of Isis, a great secretion takes place. Once the Mother of the Gods of Isis lost her husband, Osiris. He was stolen by the evil Seth, hid in a coffin, and then, when Isis found a body, again stole it and, tearing it into fourteen parts, scattered throughout the world. Thirteen parts were found by the goddess Isis, except for one – the sacred phallus. Priests lash themselves with whips, tear their skin and tear their mouths in frenzied ecstasy, while one of them, a tall and lean old man with a cry of delight, makes some movement and throws an obliterated piece of meat to the feet of the goddess. Silence reigns instantly. Sacrifice is complete. And the queen Astis, the high priestess of the temple, conceives at this time a black matter. Since, as the king grew cold towards her, black hatred settled in her heart, and now, when she learned that the most beautiful Solomon spends days and nights with a certain Sulamith, she conceived evil. Astis beckons to Eliab, the head of the royal guard. She knows that he has a long passion for her and promises him to become king over her if he kills Sulamith. Without words, Eliab comes out of the temple. He goes to the palace of Solomon and hides at the door of the royal bedroom. On this seventh night, Sulamith can not enjoy from the bottom of his heart the love of Solomon. The girl’s soul is full of sorrow, she tells the king that somewhere near her death. Suddenly, a rustling sound, and Sulamith jumped up from the bed, suddenly turns out to be pierced with a sword. Eliab escapes, but Solomon orders to grab him and kill him. On the same day, Solomon demands that Astis be sent to Egypt and the queen, to not see her again in Persia. The king himself sits to the deep evening shadows near the body of Sulamith, and no one knows what thoughts he is visited…
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