“The Legend” Sologub in short summary
Part one. Drops of blood
The eyes of the fiery serpent are falling on the river Skoroden and the naked virgins bathing there. They are the sisters Elisaveta and Elena, the daughters of the rich landowner Rameyev. They are discussing with curiosity the appearance in the city of the privat-docent, doctor of chemistry Georgi Sergeevich Trirodov: no one knows where his condition comes from, what happens at the estate, why does he need a school for children. Girls decide to pass by a mysterious manor, they move over a narrow bridge across a ravine and stop at the gate. Suddenly a pale boy comes out of the bushes with clear, too calm, as if lifeless eyes. Opening the gate, it disappears. Far away on the lawn, dozens of children sing and dance under the guidance of a girl with golden braids – Nadezhda Veshezerova. She explains: “People built cities to get away from the beast, and they became brutal and wild, now we are going from the city to the forest… We must kill
About the house of Trirodov is notorious. They say that it is inhabited by ghosts coming from graves, that’s why they call it the Navy’s yard, and the path leading to Krutitsa cemetery is called Navyi trail. The son of the owner Kirsch notices the girls and leads them to his father in the greenhouse. Examining the strange plants and back streets of the house, Elizabeth and Elena find themselves in a magical room with a mirror, looking at which instantly grow old. Trirody calms them down, gives an elixir that returns youth: “This is the property of this place.” Horror and rapture live here together. ” In the house of the Rameevs there is a student Petr Matov, unrequitedly in love with Elisaveta. He is an opponent of the “autocracy of the proletariat,” and the girl says to him: “My love is an uprising.” Elisabeth sympathizes with the arguments of the young worker Shchemilov, who calls her to perform on May Day. A visiting agitator is hiding in the house of Trirodov. Colonel Zherbenev, the organizer of the Black Hundreds, considers the privat-docent
Ivan’s night is approaching. Kirsch with the eyes of a quiet angel goes with his father along the Navy path. Dead men pass by, they talk about navy affairs. Do not sleep quiet children. One of them, Grisha, delineates around the Trirodovs a circle from the charms of the spirits – even Kirsi’s mother can not overcome the traits. Elisaveta and Schemilov make their way to the clearing, where three hundred people listen to the agitator. The girl hardly recognizes the disguised Trirodov, but she joyfully act in front of him, and the voice is filled with strength. Cossacks flew, Trirodov rescues Elizabeth, hiding in a ravine.
Between them arises passionate love. In the evenings, Elisabeth looks at her sultry, naked body in the mirror. O great fire of blossoming flesh! Once walking in the woods, she was overtaken by two guys who tore off her clothes, tended to the ground. Suddenly the quiet boys came running, drove them to sleep, lashed out the fellows. In forgetting, Queen Ortruda imagined… Trirod is explained in love, and Elizabeth is ready to be his slave, to be a thing in his hands.
Trirodov possesses a hypnotic power, he is able to resurrect from the dead, as happened with the boy Egorka, who was unnecessary for the mother, cut with rods and buried in a lethargic sleep. Quiet children dig it out, and Egorka with them settles in Trirodov. His school is visited by police officers, director of public schools Dulebov, inspector Shabalov, vice-governor. They are unhappy with the fact that children and teachers are of little value, free, barefoot. “This is pornography,” the commission concludes, “the school will be closed immediately.”
And Elizabeth is languid with sultry dreams. It seems to her that she is experiencing a parallel life, the joyful and sorrowful path of the Queen Ortruda in the forest is being seen…
Part two. Queen Ortruda
Ortruda was born to reign in a happy Mediterranean land. She received an excellent Hellenic upbringing, loved the beauty of nature and a naked body. On the day of sixteen she was crowned. On the eve of Ortruda fell in love with Prince Tankred, a blue-eyed Teutonic youth. The charm was mutual, and at the end of the celebrations an engagement was held. In this union, the laws of sweet love and the harsh demands of the supreme policy of the dynasty and the bourgeois government of the kingdom of the United Islands were happily combined. A year later they were married. Prince Tankred was enrolled in the Guard, but his reactionary views, love adventures and big debts made him an unpopular person. His weaknesses are enjoyed by aristocrats who are planning to dissolve parliament and declare King Tankred. Ordruda’s gloomy signs frighten him:
All his experiences Ortruda shares only with Afra, a young lady of the court. Their sympathy gradually turns into a dark jealous passion. Afra hates Tankred, and Ortruda does not let her go to Philippe Meccio, who is in love with Afra. Once they stopped in a mountain village and met a poor teacher Aldonsa. She told me about her friend, who calls her Dulcinea. Afra realizes that it’s Tankred, but Ortruda still gulliblely hears the Dragon’s deceitful words, how sometimes the prince seems. He develops plans to build a huge fleet, seize colonies, unite under his power all the Latin countries of the Old and New Worlds. Secretly from the queen conspiracy matures, politicians demand changes. Doctor Meccio agitates for the socialist system. First Minister Victor Aorena argues, that modern man is too individualistic to realize dreams of a just society. Clashes are coming. The marshal shows Ortruda a secret passage from the palace to the sea, the key of which is the secret name of the queen “Aramint”. In the dungeon she is accompanied by the young son of Marshal Astolf, who fell in love with the queen. Their relationship has kindled the zeal of Afra, she alone experiences the torments of love and hatred. Some kind of dark, evil force comes from the queen – in vain she descends into the dungeon and prays to her imaginary Lightworker, she is doomed… Carl Reimers, in love with her, is hanged by Aldons, Astolph, who killed Margarita by order, rushes from steep cliffs. Her thoughts about death became familiar to her. Cardinal condemns Ortruda for offending morality behavior. “The people will judge me,” the queen replies.
Doctor Meccio, trying to break the tender union of Afra and Ortruda, immerses his girlfriend in a hypnotic dream, betrays him for the deceased and takes him away from the castle. The news of Afra’s death deprives the queen of the will to live. It ascends to the volcano as a source of fiery death, thrice casts a spell over it, but in vain. The catastrophe is imminent. The city is dying. In the clubs of the bloody mist, Queen Ortruda suffocates.
Part Three. Smoke and ashes
The tragic events in the kingdom of the United Islands make Trirodov think about many things. He writes out island newspapers, learns Spanish, reflects on the role of the individual in history, where the crowd destroys, the person creates, the society preserves. Georgy Sergeyevich comes to the idea of becoming the king of the United Islands. Elizabeth is surprised and does not believe in the success of the case, but Trirodov sends a letter to the first minister, Loreno, about nominating himself for the vacant seat of the king. Loredo, in annoyance, orders that this message be printed in the Government Index. Busy people do not pay attention to it, but the opposition is interested in a stranger.
At night, the specter of his first wife, Lilith Lilith, comes to Trirodov and comforts him. And in the afternoon George Sergeyevich admires the naked beauty of Elizabeth. They decide to move to the blessed land of Oile. Silently climb the tower. There on the mahogany table are bottles with multi-colored liquids. Trirodov merges them into the cup, they drink from it in turn and wake up on the ground Oile under the clear Mair. Earthly life grows dull in memory. Fresh and sweet new impressions of life. Is it really necessary to return to the evil earthly life? Destroy it? Or a desperate effort to change the will?
Trirodov and his disciples visit the holy monastery. In the monastery, the actor Island and his accomplices kidnap the icon, cut into chips and burn. There is a quarrel, and all perish in a dense forest hut. Not far from the estate of Trirodov an attempt is made to the police captain and vice-governor. Suspicion lies with the privat-docent. Black-Hundred pogroms are being prepared in the city, robberies and arsons have become more frequent.
Georgi Sergeevich is depressed by the closure of the school and seeks help from the Marquis of Telyatnikov. His Grace, a member of the State Council, the adjutant general was 160 years old, of whom he served for almost 150 years as tsar and fatherland. A handsome, old-fashioned old man, quite preserved for his age, he used Bulgarian curdled milk and sperm. In Trirodov he asked for the elixir of youth. In honor of the marquis was given a ball-masquerade, which, along with the city nobility invited and dead, shrouded in smell of decay guests. In the midst of the fun of excessive zeal, the Marquis of Telyatnikov crumbles. In this incident, Trirodov is accused.
The popularity of Trirodov in the foreign press is growing. Prince Tankred is concerned about agitating for the Russian impostor. The Social Democrats of the kingdom begin correspondence with the applicant about possible reforms. Their deputation arrives in Skorodozh for an exchange of views. After their departure the police arrange a search, but Trirodov with the help of a green ball makes the police feel like bedbugs.
In the summer, Trirodov and Elisaveta are crowned in the church of the village of Prosyanye Polyany. A sudden storm foreshadows a stormy future for them. The day of the election of the king is appointed. Everything is ready for the flight: children, teachers, friends gather in the greenhouse. Here are quiet children. Outside, the pogroms approach, it’s impossible to delay, and Trirodov gives the command to take off. A huge glowing nucleus rushes noiselessly upwards.
In the United Islands, a convention is being convened to elect the king. There is a vote: of 421 deputies, 412 voted for the Russian candidate. King George I was elected! But his fate remains unknown. The turmoil is growing, Prince Tankred tries unsuccessfully to escape. Evil soldiers kill him and throw him out of the window.
In the morning on the coast of the United Islands falls a huge, magnificent crystal ball, similar to the planet. King George I enters the land of his new fatherland…
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