reminiscences of tolstoy-第1部分

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Reminiscences　of　Tolstoy

by　Ilya　Tolstoy　＇his　son＇

　TRANSLATED　BY　GEORGE　CALDERON



IN　one　of　his　letters　to　his　great…aunt；　Alexandra　Andreyevna　Tolstoy；　my　father　gives　the　following　description　of　his　children：


The　eldest　＇Sergei＇　is　fair…haired　and　good…looking；　there　is　something　weak　and　patient　in　his　expression；　and　very　gentle。　　His　laugh　is　not　infectious；　but　when　he　cries；　I　can　hardly　refrain　from　crying；　too。　　Every　one　says　he　is　like　my　eldest　brother。

I　am　afraid　to　believe　it。　　It　is　too　good　to　be　true。　　My　brother's　chief　characteristic　was　neither　egotism　nor　self…　renunciation；　but　a　strict　mean　between　the　two。　　He　never　sacrificed　himself　for　any　one　else；　but　not　only　always　avoided　injuring　others；　but　also　interfering　with　them。　　He　kept　his　happiness　and　his　sufferings　entirely　to　himself。

Ilya；　the　third；　has　never　been　ill　in　his　life；　broad…boned；　white　and　pink；　radiant；　bad　at　lessons。　　Is　always　thinking　about　what　he　is　told　not　to　think　about。　　Invents　his　own　games。　　Hot…tempered　and　violent；　wants　to　fight　at　once；　but　is　also　tender…hearted　and　very　sensitive。　　Sensuous；　fond　of　eating　and　lying　still　doing　nothing。

Tanya　＇Tatyana＇　is　eight　years　old。　　Every　one　says　that　she　is　like　Sonya；　and　I　believe　them；　although　I　am　pleased　about　that；　too；　I　believe　it　only　because　it　is　obvious。　If　she　had　been　Adam's　eldest　daughter　and　he　had　had　no　other　children　afterward；　she　would　have　passed　a　wretched　childhood。　The　greatest　pleasure　that　she　has　is　to　look　after　children。

The　fourth　is　Lyoff。　　Handsome；　dexterous；　good　memory；　graceful。　　Any　clothes　fit　him　as　if　they　had　been　made　for　him。　Everything　that　others　do；　he　does　very　skilfully　and　well。　　Does　not　understand　much　yet。

The　fifth；　Masha　＇Mary＇　is　two　years　old；　the　one　whose　birth　nearly　cost　Sonya　her　life。　　A　weak　and　sickly　child。　　Body　white　as　milk；　curly　white　hair；　big；　queer　blue　eyes；　queer　by　reason　of　their　deep；　serious　expression。　　Very　intelligent　and　ugly。　　She　will　be　one　of　the　riddles；　she　will　suffer；　she　will　seek　and　find　nothing；　will　always　be　seeking　what　is　least　attainable。

The　sixth；　Peter；　is　a　giant；　a　huge；　delightful　baby　in　a　mob…cap；　turns　out　his　elbows；　strives　eagerly　after　something。　My　wife　falls　into　an　ecstasy　of　agitation　and　emotion　when　she　holds　him　in　her　arms；　but　I　am　completely　at　a　loss　to　understand。　　I　know　that　he　has　a　great　store　of　physical　energy；　but　whether　there　is　any　purpose　for　which　the　store　is　wanted　I　do　not　know。　　That　is　why　I　do　not　care　for　children　under　two　or　three；　I　don't　understand。


This　letter　was　written　in　1872；　when　I　was　six　years　old。　My　recollections　date　from　about　that　time。　　I　can　remember　a　few　things　before。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　FAMILY　LIFE　IN　THE　COUNTRY

FROM　my　earliest　childhood　until　the　family　moved　into　Moscow　that　was　in　1881all　my　life　was　spent；　almost　without　a　break；　at　Yasnaya　Polyana。

This　is　how　we　live。　　The　chief　personage　in　the　house　is　my　mother。　　She　settles　everything。　　She　interviews　Nikolai；　the　cook；　and　orders　dinner；　she　sends　us　out　for　walks；　makes　our　shirts；　is　always　nursing　some　baby　at　the　breast；　all　day　long　she　is　bustling　about　the　house　with　hurried　steps。　　One　can　be　naughty　with　her；　though　she　is　sometimes　angry　and　punishes　us。

She　knows　more　about　everything　than　anybody　else。　　She　knows　that　one　must　wash　every　day；　that　one　must　eat　soup　at　dinner；　that　one　must　talk　French；　learn　not　to　crawl　about　on　all　fours；　not　to　put　one's　elbows　on　the　table；　and　if　she　says　that　one　is　not　to　go　out　walking　because　it　is　just　going　to　rain；　she　is　sure　to　be　right；　and　one　must　do　as　she　says。

Papa　is　the　cleverest　man　in　the　world。　　He　always　knows　everything。　　There　is　no　being　naughty　with　HIM。　　When　he　is　up　in　his　study　〃working；〃　one　is　not　allowed　to　make　a　noise；　and　nobody　may　go　into　his　room。　　What　he　does　when　he　is　at　〃work；〃　none　of　us　know。　　Later　on；　when　I　had　learned　to　read；　I　was　told　that　papa　was　a　〃writer。〃

This　was　how　I　learned。　　I　was　very　pleased　with　some　lines　of　poetry　one　day；　and　asked　my　mother　who　wrote　them。　　She　told　me　they　were　written　by　Pushkin；　and　Pushkin　was　a　great　writer。　I　was　vexed　at　my　father　not　being　one；　too。　　Then　my　mother　said　that　my　father　was　also　a　well…known　writer；　and　I　was　very　glad　indeed。

At　the　dinner…table　papa　sits　opposite　mama　and　has　his　own　round　silver　spoon。　　When　old　Natalia　Petrovna；　who　lives　on　the　floor　below　with　great…aunt　Tatyana　Alexandrovna；　pours　herself　out　a　glass　of　kvass；　he　picks　it　up　and　drinks　it　right　off；　then　says；　〃Oh；　I'm　so　sorry；　Natalia　Petrovna；　I　made　a　mistake！〃　　We　all　laugh　delightedly；　and　it　seems　odd　that　papa　is　not　in　the　least　afraid　of　Natalia　Petrovna。　　When　there　is　jelly　for　pudding；　papa　says　it　is　good　for　gluing　paper　boxes；　we　run　off　to　get　some　paper；　and　papa　makes　it　into　boxes。　　Mama　is　angry；　but　he　is　not　afraid　of　her　either。　　We　have　the　gayest　times　imaginable　with　him　now　and　then。　　He　can　ride　a　horse　better　and　run　faster　than　anybody　else；　and　there　is　no　one　in　the　world　so　strong　as　he　is。

He　hardly　ever　punishes　us；　but　when　he　looks　me　in　the　eyes　he　knows　everything　that　I　think；　and　I　am　frightened。　　You　can　tell　stories　to　mama；　but　not　to　papa；　because　he　will　see　through　you　at　once。　　So　nobody　ever　tries。

Besides　papa　and　mama；　there　was　also　Aunt　Tatyana　Alexandrovna　Yergolsky。　　In　her　room　she　had　a　big　eikon　with　a　silver　mount。　　We　were　very　much　afraid　of　this　eikon；　because　it　was　very　old　and　black。

When　I　was　six；　I　remember　my　father　teaching　the　village　children。　　They　had　their　lessons　in　〃the　other　house；〃　＇1＇　where　Alexey　Stepanytch；　the　bailiff；　lived；　and　sometimes　on　the　ground　floor　of　the　house　we　lived　in。

＇1＇　The　name　we　gave　to　the　stone　annex。


There　were　a　great　number　of　village　children　who　used　to　come。　　When　they　came；　the　front　hall　smelled　of　sheepskin　jackets；　they　were　taught　by　papa　and　Seryozha　and　Tanya　and　Uncle　Kostya　all　at　once。　　Lesson…time　was　very　gay　and　lively。

The　children　did　exactly　as　they　pleased；　sat　where　they　liked；　ran　about　from　place　to　place；　and　answered　questions　not　one　by　one；　but　all　together；　interrupting　one　another；　and　helping　one　another　to　recall　what　they　had　read。　　If　one　left　out　a　bit；　up　jumped　another　and　then　another；　and　the　story　or　sum　was　reconstructed　by　the　united　efforts　of　the　whole　class。

What　pleased　my　father　most　about　his　pupils　was　the　picturesqueness　and　originality　of　their　language。　　He　never　wanted　a　literal　repetition　of　bookish　expressions；　and　particularly　encouraged　every　one　to　speak　〃out　of　his　own　head。〃　I　remember　how　once　he　stopped　a　boy　who　was　running　into　the　next　room。

〃Where　are　YOU　off　to？〃　he　asked。

〃To　uncle；　to　bite　off　a　piece　of　chalk。〃　＇2＇

＇2＇　The　instinct　for　lime；　necessary　to　feed　their　bones；　drives　Russian　children　to　nibble　pieces　of　chalk　or　the　whitewash　off　the　wall。　　In　this　case　the　boy　was　running　to　one　of　the　grown…ups　in　the　house；　and　whom　he　called　uncle；　as　Russian　children　call　everybody　uncle　or　aunt；　to　get　a　piece　of　the　chalk　that　he　had　for　writing　on　the　blackboard。　us；〃　he　said　to　some　one　when　the　boy　was　gone。　　Which　of　us　would　have　expressed　himself　like　that？　　You　see；　he　did　not　say　to　〃get〃　or　to　〃break　off；〃　but　to　〃bite　off；〃　which　was　right；　because　they　did　literally　〃bite〃　off　the　chalk　from　the　lump　with　their　teeth；　and　not　break　it　off。


〃Cut　along；　cut　along！　　It's　not　for　us　to　teach　them；　but　for　them　to　teach




　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　SERVANTS　IN　THE　HOUSE

WHEN　my　father　married　and　brought　home　his　young　and　inexperienced　bride；　Sofya　Andreyevna；　to　Yasnaya　Polyana；　Nikolai　Mikhailovitch　Rumyantsef　was　already　established　as　cook。　　Before　my　father's　marriage　he　had　a　salary　of　five　rubles　a　month；　but　when　my　mother　arrived；　she　raised　him　to　six；　at　which　rate　he　continued　the　rest　of　his　days；　that　is；　till　somewhere　about　the　end　of　the　eighties。　　He　was　succeeded　in　the　kitchen　by　his　son；　Semyon　Nikolayevitch；　my　mother's　godson；　and　this　worthy　and　beloved　man；　companion　of　my　childish　games；　still　lives　with　us　to　this　day。　　Under　my　mother's　supervision　he　prepared　my　father's　vegetarian　diet　with　affectionate　zeal；　and　without　him　my　father　would　very　likely　never　have　lived　to　the　ripe　old　age　he　did。

Agafya　Mikhailovna　was　an　old　woman　who　lived　at　first　in　the　kitchen　of　〃the　other　house〃　and　afterward　on　the　home　farm。　　Tall　and　thin；　with　big；　thoroughbred　eyes；　and　long；　straight　hair；　like　a　witch；　turning　gray；　she　was　rather　terrifying；　but　more　than　anything　else　she　was　queer。

Once　upon　a　time　long　ago　she　had　been　housemaid　to　my　great…grandmother；　Countess　Pelageya　Nikolayevna　Tolstoy；　my　father's　grandmother；　nee　Princess　Gortchakova。　　She　was　fond　of　telling　about　her　young　days。　　She　would　say：


I　was　very　handsome。　　When　there　were　gentlefolks　visiting　at　the　big　house；　the　countess　would　call　me；　'Gachette　＇Agafya＇；　femme　de　chambre；　apportez…moi　un　mouchoir！'　Then　I　would　say；　　'Toute　suite；　Madame　la　Comtesse！'　　And　every　one　would　be　staring　at　me；　and　couldn't　take　their　eyes　off。　　When　I　crossed　over　to　the　annex；　there　they　were　watching　to　catch　me　on　the　way。　　Many　a　time　have　I　tricked　themran　round　the　other　way　and　jumped　over　the　ditch。　　I　never　liked　that　sort　of　thing　any　time。　　A　maid　I　was；　a　maid　I　am。


After　my　grandmother's　death；　Agafya　Mikhailovna　was　sent　on　to　the　home　farm　for　some　reason　or　other；　and　minded　the　sheep。　　She　got　so　fond　of　sheep　that　all　her　days　after　she　never　would　touch　mutton。

After　the　sheep；　she　had　an　affection　for　dogs；　and　that　is　the　only　period　of　her　life　that　I　remember　her　in。

There　was　nothing　in　the　world　she　cared　about　but　dogs。　　She　lived　with　them　in　horrible　dirt　and　smells；　and　gave　up　her　whole　mind　and　soul　to　them。　　We　always　had　setters；　harriers；　and　borzois；　and　the　whole　kennel；　often　very　numerous；　was　under　Agafya　Mikhailovna's　management；　with　some　boy　or　other　to　help　her；　usually　one　as　clumsy　and　stupid　as　could　be　found。

There　are　many　interesting　recollections　bound　up　with　the　memory　of　this　inte