“Svetlana” Zhukovsky in brief summary
Once in the Epiphany Evening
Girls guessed:
For the gate a slipper,
Withdrawed from the foot, threw.
They tried to find out their destiny, their destiny. Among the girls only Svetlana is silent and sad, she does not sing, does not guess. Her dear is far away, and already a year from him there is no news. It’s hard for Svetlana to experience separation from her beloved.
Here in the face the table is covered with a white tablecloth, on it there is a mirror with a candle and two devices. Exactly at midnight in the mirror Svetlana will see her darling, her own destiny. With timidity, she sits down to the mirror, but it is dark in the mirror, only the candle flutters on the table. That’s midnight. Svetlana, frozen with fear, hears someone’s steps. She timidly looks in the mirror, and it seems to her that someone is standing behind her and whispers: “I’m behind you, my beauty!” Looked back – dear to her holding out
Let’s go! The priest is already waiting in the church… The
choir sings a song.
They go out to the gate, sit down in the sleigh, and the horses start galloping.
They ride the night steppe, a dull moon illuminates their path. The Svetlana’s bride suddenly fell silent, became pale and sad. A temple appears in the direction, a black coffin is seen through the open doors – the burial service of the deceased is performed. Svetlana is scared, but the groom is still taciturn, still pale and dull. The snowstorm rises, the crow races over the sleighs and croaks: “Sadness!” Suddenly there is a hut covered with snow. The horses fly up to her and… disappear together with the sleigh and the bridegroom.
Left alone, Svetlana decides to go into the hut. And in the hut – a table covered with a white tablecloth, and on the table – a coffin. Svetlana falls to her knees before the image of the Savior and prays, then, holding the cross in her hands, sits down in the corner, under the icons.
The blizzard subsided, the candle burning
Look, Svetlana… oh the creator!
Her dear friend is dead!
Oh!. ..and awakened.
Svetlana woke up in her own room, where she fell asleep, wondering. And now it’s dawn, and the rooster sings, meeting a new morning. But Svetlana is hard at heart from a terrible and, perhaps, prophetic dream. To dispel anguish, she sits at the window, looks at the road. And he sees: the sleigh rushes to the house,
Stately guest goes to the porch…
Who? … Svetlana’s Bridegroom.
A gloomy dream unfolded-the bridegroom came to Svetlana to lead her to the crown.
Here is the result of the ballad: believe in your destiny, believe in God, and misfortune will seem only a terrible dream.
ABOUT! do not know these terrible dreams
You, my Svetlana…