Very briefly The cycle reveals all the charm and beauty of Italy, the customs of the southerners, tells about the labor movement at the beginning of the twentieth century and extraordinary life stories.
The epigraph to the cycle is a quote by G. H. Andersen: "There are no fairy tales better than those that life itself creates."
I
“In Naples, tram workers went on strike: a chain of empty cars stretched along the entire length of the Chiaia Riviera.” Soldiers appear and a man in a top hat threatens the striking conductors and carriage drivers. Then the protesters lie down on the rails. People on the streets follow their example and support them.
“Half an hour later, all over Naples, tram cars rushed with a screech and creak, winners stood on the platforms, grinning merrily.”
II
“In Genoa, on a small square in front of the station, a dense crowd of people gathered - workers predominate, but many well-dressed, well-fed people.” Everyone is waiting for the arrival of the hungry children of the Parma strikers. The owners do not give in, it is difficult for the workers, and they send the children here. The children are greeted with the Garibaldi anthem.
"Almost all the children are snatched up, they sit on the shoulders of adults." They are fed on the go, the children rejoice, the crowd rejoices, glorifies Italy and socialism.
III
“The city is festively bright and colorful, like a richly embroidered chasuble of a priest; in his passionate cries, trembling and groans, the singing of life sounds liturgically. People on the sidewalk getting ready for dinner. old man with long nose the parrot sees how drops of wine drip from the fiasco that the boy is carrying, like rubies, and shouts to him about it. The old man pours this wine, and a curly-haired girl passing by with her mother throws flower petals into the bowl, and they float, “like pink boats.” The gift of a child is a gift from God, the old man says and blesses the girl.
IV
“A calm blue lake in a deep frame of mountains, winged with eternal snow, a dark lace of gardens descends to the water in lush folds ... Near a pile of rubble sits a worker black as a beetle, he has a medal on his chest, his face is bold and affectionate.” He tells a passerby how he, Paolo, and his father worked - punched through the belly of the mountain to connect the two countries. The father died without finishing the work. Thirteen weeks after his death, people from both sides met. Paolo considers this day the best in his life: “they kissed the conquered mountain, they kissed the earth ... and I fell in love with her like a woman!” Near the grave of his father, he says: “People won. Done, father!
V
A young musician describes what the music he wants to write should be like. The boy goes to big city: “... the bloody flame of sunset has not yet died out over him ... here and there, like wounds, glass sparkles; the ruined, tormented city - the place of the tireless battle for happiness - bleeds ... "" And the night silently follows the boy, covering the distance from which he came out with a black mantle of oblivion. The boy, alone, small, calmly goes to the city. "The city lives and groans in the delirium of many-sided desires for happiness." What will happen to the boy?
VI
“The sea slumbers and breathes an opal mist, the bluish water glistens with steel, a strong smell sea salt pours thickly on the shore. There are two fishermen on the stones: an old man and a young "black-eyed dark man". The young man talks about a rich young American woman, whom he rode until the morning. They were silent during the walk. The old man remarks: True love... beats in the heart like lightning, and dumb like lightning. By morning, the young man wanted only one thing: to get her, at least for one night. “It's easier that way,” the old man remarks. “A little happiness is always more honest,” the young man replies.
VII
At a small station between Rome and Genoa, a one-eyed old man enters in a compartment. He talks about his life. He has thirteen sons and four daughters. He lost his eye when he was a child when a stone hit him. At 19, he met his love. The girl, like him, was very poor. But they got married, and kind people helped them all - from the barn, which became a home for the young, to the statue of the Madonna and dishes: “... there is no better fun than doing good to people, believe me, there is nothing more beautiful and more fun than this !"
VIII
Seeing a gray-haired man in his thirties, a friend of the narrator introduces him to the history of this man.
He is an ardent socialist. At meetings, he noticed a girl with whom they increasingly entered into an ideological confrontation. The girl was a devout Catholic, and her religion strongly opposes socialism. They tried to convince each other, to prove their case. And although the girl was touched by his fiery speeches about the liberation of man, she could not renounce God. Love came to them. But she refused to marry in the city hall, and he refused to get married in the church. Soon the girl fell ill with consumption. Before her death, she recognized with her mind that her beloved was right, but "the heart could not agree" with him.
Recently, a man married his student, and together they go to the grave of the deceased.
IX
"Let's glorify the woman - Mother, inexhaustible source all-conquering life!”
Timur-leng, nicknamed Tamerlane by the infidels, shed rivers of blood, avenging the death of his son Dzhigangir. Feasting, lame Timur asks his court poet Kermani how much he would give for him. Kermani names the price of Timur's belt and says that the khan himself is not worth a penny! “This is how the poet Kermani spoke with the king of kings, a man of evil and horror, and may the glory of the poet, the friend of truth, be for us forever higher than the glory of Timur.”
But now Mother comes to the king - a woman from Italian lands, from near Salerno, she is looking for her son, who is now with the khan. She demands to return it. “Everything beautiful in a person is from the rays of the sun and from Mother’s milk, that’s what saturates us with love for life!” And Timur orders messengers to be sent to all corners of the lands he conquered and to find the woman's son.
X
A gray-haired woman walks along a narrow path between the gardens. She is a widow, "her husband, a fisherman, went fishing shortly after the wedding and did not return, leaving her with a child under her heart." The child was born a freak: “his arms and legs were short, like the fins of a fish, his head was swollen into a huge ball ...” She worked tirelessly to feed him. And he just ate and mumbled. She was beautiful, many men were looking for her love, but the woman rejected everyone, fearing to give birth to a freak again.
One day the child got poisoned by something and died. After that, she became idle, like everyone else.
XI
The city is surrounded by a tight ring of enemies. People are exhausted by labor and hunger. A woman glimpses in the darkness, Marianne, the mother of the traitor who now leads the conquerors. Her heart is like a scale: it weighs the love for her native city and her son, but cannot understand what is easier, what is harder. In the dark, a woman thanks the Madonna for the fact that her son fell for native city and curses the womb of Marianne, which gave birth to a traitor. Marianne leaves the city and goes to her son's camp. Realizing that she cannot convince him to save the city, where every stone remembers him, Marianna kills her son, who fell asleep on her lap, and then pierces her heart with a knife.
XII
When Guido was sixteen years old, he went fishing in the sea with his forty-year-old father. The wind hit them four kilometers from the coast. The father felt that he would not return alive and passed on all his knowledge of the sea and fish to his son while they drifted on the raging waves. They held on to the barge for a long time. Finally, they were swiftly carried to the shore, the father crashed against the black edges of the rocks. Guido was also rather crumpled, but he remained alive. And now, having lived for sixty-seven years, Guido admires his father, who, feeling the approach of death, found the strength and time to convey to him everything that he considered important.
XIII
Giuseppe Chirotta and Luigi Mata are fighting. Giuseppe says that he recognized the sweetness of the caresses of his wife Luigi. Mata's wife cannot prove her innocence, and Luigi leaves her and leaves. Good old women take a woman under their care, and lead a liar to clean water: Chirotta said it out of spite. He is on trial for slander and shame for his own wife and children. The people decide that Giuseppe will pay the abandoned woman half of his earnings. Luigi, having learned about the innocence of his wife, asks her to return to him. And Chirrot, he writes a letter: if Giuseppe leaves the island for the mainland, Luigi and his three brothers will slaughter him: “Live without leaving the island until I tell you - you can!”
XIV
Over a decanter of wine, Giovanni, a big-headed, broad-shouldered guy, tells Vincenzo, a bony house painter with a dreamy smile, how he became a socialist and invites Vincenzo to write poems about it.
A company of Giovanni was sent to Bologna - the peasants were worried there. At first, the oppressed poured tiles, stones, and sticks on the soldiers. A doctor came to them with a very beautiful blonde, a noblewoman. She spoke to the doctor in French - Giovanni knew this language. The blonde condemned socialism and did not consider herself equal to people of "bad blood". Upon learning what she was talking about, the soldiers gradually went over to the side of the peasants. Soldiers with flowers were escorted from the village. The peasants could teach the blonde how to appreciate honest people.
“Yes, it is very suitable for a poem!” - answers the painter.
XV
A woman appears in the hotel garden: “This is an old woman, very tall, dark stern face, sternly furrowed eyebrows. Behind her is a hunchback with a square body. They are Dutch, brother and sister. sister was older brother for four years. She spent a lot of time with him since childhood. Then the hunchback began to show interest in building houses.
When the hunchback was 13 years old, his whole room was littered with drawings, bars, tools. All this rained down on her sister when she entered. One day my sister said, “You're doing it on purpose, freak! and slapped him on the cheek. The next time, the hunchback offered the girl to touch the rat trap, and she screamed wildly in pain. After that, she began to visit him not so often. "She was nineteen years old and already had a fiancé when her father and mother died at sea."
After the betrothal, the groom built a house. Once he persuaded a hunchback to go see him. When the two of them reached the upper tier of the scaffolding, they fell from there. The brother “only dislocated his leg and arm, smashed his face, and the groom broke his spine and cut his side.”
On the day of his coming of age, the hunchback announced that he would build a house outside the city for all the city freaks, then, perhaps, he would become a happy person. But the sister gave this building to the city for a psychiatric hospital, and her brother became the first patient. Seven years was enough to turn into an idiot. Seeing that “her enemy has been killed and will not rise again,” the sister took her brother into her care.
XVI
In the morning, a fat man, a man in gray whiskers, a red-haired round man with a paunch, and two ladies appear on deck: a young, plump, and an older, pointed-nosed one. They are discussing Italy: there is a lot of disgusting, disgusting coffee, and "everyone looks terribly like Jews." A man appears on deck, "in a hat of gray curly hair, with a big nose, cheerful eyes." Only a fat man answers his bow from Russians. Talking to the footman, this man praises the Russians. The fat man translates his words to his fellow citizens. The redhead remarks: “They are all amazingly ignorant in relation to us ...” - “You are praised, but you find that it is due to ignorance ...” - the fat man answers him.
The sideburner shares an idea with his compatriots: the peasants need to put up several dozen buckets of vodka at the expense of the treasury - they say they will get drunk and kill each other themselves.
“Glittering with copper, the steamer gently and quickly” approaches the shore.
XVII
A 50-year-old "faded" man sits at a table in a cafe. A broad-chested man with agate eyes, Tram, sits down next to him and greets the first, "Mr. Engineer." Trama is looking forward to the engineer's new car. It is clear from the conversation that Trama is a socialist and organizes riots. He notes that people now enjoy the achievements of famous ancestors. The older man, saying goodbye, advises Trama to study: "You would have developed an engineer with a good imagination."
XVIII
If a person does not find a piece of bread on native land, "driven by need", he leaves for the south of America. A woman, like a homeland, attracts to herself, so many people get married before leaving. The beautiful Emilia Bracco lives in the village of Saracena. The country boys dream of her, but she keeps her honor married woman. The old mother-in-law offends her daughter-in-law with suspicions, and one day Emilia kills the old woman with an ax in the forest: “It is better to be a murderer than to be known as shameless when she is honest,” she tells the carabinieri. Emilia is given four years in prison.
To her fellow villager Donato Gvarnachya, his mother writes about the connection between her daughter-in-law and her father. Donato returns to his homeland, and, having found out that this is true, shoots both his father and his wife. At the trial, Donato is acquitted.
Emily is released. A spark flares up between her and Donato, and now they themselves follow the path of criminal passion, destroying the ideals in whose name they shed their blood. They think about running across the ocean.
Upon learning of this, Emilia's mother in the church inflicts two blows on the head to the praying Donato with the letter V, which means vendetta. He remains alive, and the mother is horrified by this. “Soon this woman will be judged and, of course, they will be judged heavily, but what can a blow teach a person who considers himself entitled to strike and wound?”
XIX
"Old man Giovanni Tuba betrayed the earth for the sake of the sea in his early youth." As a boy, he was attracted to the blue eye of the sea. He went fishing on weekends. “Here he is hanging on the edge of a pinkish-gray rock, lowering his bronze legs; black, big as plums, his eyes sank into the transparent greenish water; through her liquid glass they see wonderful world better than all fairy tales."
But when he has passed eighty, he comes to live in his brother's hut. The brother's children and grandchildren are too hungry and poor to be kind. It is hard for the old man among people, and one evening he goes to the sea, prays, takes off his rags and enters the water.
XX
The ancient elder Ettore Cecco receives a postcard with the image of his sons - Arturo and Enrico. They were arrested for organizing a workers' strike. Cecco is illiterate, the inscription is in a language unknown to him. He feels uncomfortable. The wife of a familiar artist, who speaks English, answers the old man: they are in prison because they are socialists. "It's politics," she explains. With this postcard, the old man goes to the Russian signor, who is reputed to be honest and kind person, and he says that Checco is a happy father: "they are in prison for growing up as honest guys."
XXI
On the night of the birth of the Baby, all people rejoice. Children run around the square, scattering crackers. At the end of the Mass, a “motley lava crowd” of people flows from the church. The manger is being carried to the old church. Children rejoice and look at the figures: what has been added since last year? They sing pagan songs and songs with biblical story. “In the old temple, everything is ringing more and more children's laughter - The best music earth." People celebrate until dawn.
XXII
The main pride of the quarter of St. James is Nuncha, a vegetable seller, the best dancer and the first beauty. Foreigners offered her money, but she did not want to know strangers: Nuncha did not refuse only her own, but she never went against her desires: “you only have to do something reluctantly once, and you will lose respect for yourself forever.”
The day comes when Nunchi's daughter, Nina, is no longer inferior to her mother in beauty, but behaves modestly. "As a mother - she was proud of her daughter's beauty, as a woman - Nuncha could not help but envy her youth." Finally, Nina tells her mother that her turn has come. Enrico, who returned from Australia, likes Nina, and Nuncha plays with him, and this interferes with her daughter. Nuncha steps back from the man.
One day, Nina says to her dancing mother in front of everyone: "... this is beyond your years, it's time to spare your heart."
Nuncha offers her daughter a race: they will run three times to the fountain without rest. Mother easily defeats Nina. It's past midnight and Nuncha is still dancing. Before the last dance, she screams and falls dead.
XXIII
At night, an old fisherman and a young soldier, his nephew, are sitting on the seashore. The old man remarks to him that they loved well in the old days, and women were valued more. The fisherman tells the story of the Gagliardi family, now they bear the nickname of their grandfather - Senzamane (Armless). middle son, Carlone, was going to marry a smart girl Julia. But the Greek hunter was also in love with the girl. Not having achieved reciprocity, he decided to get her by deceit and presented everything to people as if he had discredited Julia. Carlone believed and hit the girl in the face. Later, having learned the truth, he killed the Greek and cut off his hand: “The hand that innocently struck my beloved offended me, I cut it off ... Now I want you, Giulia, to forgive me ...” Then Carlone married on Julia, and they lived to old age.
The fisherman's nephew thinks Carlone is a stupid savage. The old man replies: “Your life in a hundred years will also seem stupid ... If only someone remembers that you lived on earth ...”
XXIV
Mother and sister escort their son and brother to Rome. The young man is a socialist. He leaves his city because of the strike. His colleague Paolo promises to take care of the mother and sister of the exile and continue their work in the city. It won't disappear, Paolo assures. “He has a good mind, a strong heart, he himself knows how to love and easily makes others love him. And love for people is, after all, those wings on which a person rises above everything ... "
XXV
On an island under a rock, strong men in rags dine. A hook-nosed, gray-haired, middle-aged man tells the story of his youth.
Andrea Grasso came to their village as a beggar, but after a few years he became a rich man. He hired the poor and treated them cruelly. Once between Grasso and the narrator there was a skirmish. He asked this evil and greedy man to leave, and Grasso poked him with a knife, but not deeply. The guy kicked the offender with his foot, "like they beat pigs." The narrator was twice unfairly imprisoned for skirmishes with Grasso. The third time the narrator came to the church. Grasso saw his enemy and was paralyzed. Grasso died seven weeks later. “And people created some kind of fairy tale about me,” the man ends his story.
XXVI
"Pepe is about ten years old, he is fragile, thin, fast, like a lizard." Some lady instructs him to take her friend a basket of apples and promises soldo. Pepe returns to her only in the evening. When he was walking through the square, the boys began to bully him, and Pepe attacked them with beautiful fruits from the garden of the respected lady.
The boy's sister, "much older, but not smarter than him," gets a job as a servant in the home of a wealthy American. Upon learning that the owner has a lot of trousers, Pepe asks his sister to bring him one. The American who found them with cut trousers wants to call the police. But Pepe answers him: “... I wouldn’t do this if I had a lot of trousers, and you didn’t have a single pair! I would give you two, perhaps - three pairs even ... ”The American laughs, treats Pepe with chocolate and gives him a franc.
XXVII
"On the moonless night of Passionate Saturday... a woman in a black cloak walks slowly." The musicians are following her. This is the procession of the last sufferings of Christ. But here ahead flashes a reflection of red fire. The woman rushes forward. Two figures appear in the square in the light of torches: "the fair-haired, familiar figure of Christ, the other - in a blue tunic - John, the beloved disciple of Jesus." A woman approaches them and throws off her hood: this is the luminous Madonna. People praise her.
The old women, although they know that Christ is a carpenter from Pisacane street, John is a watchmaker, and the Madonna is a gold embroiderer, they pray and thank the Madonna for everything.
It's getting light. People go to churches. “And we will all rise from the dead, trampling down death by death.”
Studying the summary of the chapters of Gorky's novel "Mother", one can understand why this work was first published in the USA. The author published it only in 1907-1908, it had major changes regarding censorship. original without changes Russian readers were able to see after.
In contact with
History of creation
Although work on the work took place in the middle of 1906, the first sketches were made as early as 1903. By mid-October, Gorky moved from America closer to Russia and - to Italy, where he finishes the first edition. The history of the creation of the novel is connected with a close acquaintance of the author and Sormov workers. The material for the creation of the novel "Mother" was the actions taking place at the Sormovo plant in Nizhny Novgorod.
He witnessed the preparations for the May demonstration and the trial of its participants. Close communication with the labor collective of the enterprise in 1901–1902. allowed Gorky to collect material that served the basis for the creation of the novel, where the main character Pavel Vlasov and his friend Andrey Nakhodka are experiencing similar events.
Important! The author's attention is paid to the strength of the protesting oppressed class, called the proletariat. He displays his struggle in others early works. For example, the play "Petty Bourgeois", revealing the image of a working revolutionary or "Enemies", reflecting the events of the first Russian revolution.
Main character's family
The image of Pavel Vlasov in Gorky's novel "Mother" begins with a description of the hero at the age of 14. The protagonist's father's name was Mikhail, he was a factory locksmith, who was disliked by his colleagues. Rude, grumpy character, reflected in loved ones: the wife and child were periodically beaten. Before his death, having come home from work, he decided to teach his son a lesson, to drag his hair. Pavel grabbed a heavy hammer - the father was afraid to touch the young man. After the incident Mikhail became isolated, and when he died of a hernia, no one was sorry.
After that, Pavel continues to work at the factory. Suddenly he changes, on holidays he begins to go for walks, brings and reads forbidden literature. Mother explains her behavior desire to know the truth for which they can be sent to hard labor, put in jail.
Revolutionaries gather in the hero's house every Saturday. They read books, sing forbidden songs, characterize the state system, discuss the life of workers.
The mother understands that "socialist" is a terrible word, but she sympathizes with her son's comrades. Nilovna is only 40 years old, but the author describes her as an elderly woman, broken by a difficult hopeless life, a difficult fate.
Plot development
Maxim Gorky in the novel "Mother" revealed Nilovna's maternal love: she is getting closer to her son's friends, while relations with Pavel are getting better. Among the guests visiting the house, the author identifies several:
- Natasha is a young girl from rich family who left her parents and came to work as a teacher;
- Nikolai Ivanovich is a well-read, intelligent man, he can always find interesting topic and tell the workers;
- Sashenka - the daughter of a landowner who left the family for the sake of an idea;
- Andrei Nakhodka is a young man who grew up as an orphan.
The retelling of the summary of Gorky's novel "Mother" reveals the life of revolutionaries. Nilovna feels that Pavel and Sashenka love each other, however, for the good of the revolution, the youth refuses to start a family, as this may distract from an important matter. Andrey Nakhodka understands what mother's love: the mistress of the house treats him as if he were her own. Soon the Vlasovs invite him to live with them, and he agrees.
The promotion of the plot and the next presentation of the image of Pavel Mikhailovich Vlasov in Gorky's novel "Mother" begins with an episode called "swamp penny". Summary is as follows: the management of the factory imposes an additional charge on the already small wages of the workers. It will be intended for the habitation of swampy lands located near the walls of the enterprise. Main character decides to pay attention to this and writes a note in the city newspaper. The mother of the traitor is called to take the text to the editor. At this time, he himself leads a rally taking place at the plant. However, the director calms the crowd from the first word and sends everyone to their jobs. Paul understands that people do not trust him because of his young age. At night, the gendarmes take Pavel to prison.
Traitor's mother
What Gorky's work "Mother" is about becomes clear in the first chapters. Main issue is to reveal the image and spirit of the workers, fighting against the current government and requisitions. After reading the novel, the name of the protagonist's mother would hardly have been remembered if it were not for the subsequent events in which she is at the forefront of the plot of the novel. Gradually analyzing the meaning of the book chapter by chapter, the motivation for the actions of an elderly woman becomes clear: this is motherly love.
Immediately after the arrest, a friend of his son comes to Nilovna and asks for help. The fact is that a total of 50 people were arrested, but it is possible to prove non-involvement in the rally only by continuing distribution of leaflets. The mother of the traitor son agrees to carry the papers to the factory. She begins to deliver lunches to the factory for workers, which are prepared by a woman she knows, she takes advantage of the fact that the old woman is not searched. After some time, the main characters, Andrei Nakhodka and Pavel Vlasov, are released.
Attention! In Maxim Gorky's novel "Mother", the image of the main characters is depicted in such a way that after leaving prison they are not afraid, but continue to engage in underground activities.
Arrest again
Workers are preparing for the May Day holiday. It is planned to march through the streets of the city and deliver a speech on the factory square. Paul cannot think of anything but leading the procession, carrying in his hands the red banner of freedom.
However, the gendarmes and soldiers block the path of the demonstrators and disperse the procession. Many are behind bars, and Vlasov among them.
Nilovna was present at the arrest of her son, she saw everything. The one who wrote "Mother" understood perfectly well what was going on in maternal heart. Further development events is characterized by spontaneous and thoughtless actions of an elderly woman: she picks up a piece of the banner that her only son was carrying, and takes it home.
After the events described, the old woman is taken away by Nikolai Ivanovich (such conditions were agreed between him, Andrei and Pavel in advance). In a mother's heart a flame of desire burns a better life and simultaneous resentment for the fate of her son, so she leads active underground activity:
- distributes underground books, magazines;
- talking to people, listening to stories;
- convinces them to join.
Traveling around the province, Nilovna sees how poor the common people live, unable to enjoy the vast wealth of their native land. Coming back, the mother hurries to meet with Pavel. Friends worry about best friend, they are trying to arrange an escape, initiated by Sashenka. The hero refuses help, explaining his actions by the desire to make a speech before the court.
On trial
Maxim Gorky wrote about Pavel's trial as a sad picture of the past: the speeches of a lawyer, a judge, a prosecutor are perceived as one. The words of Pavel Vlasov sounded loud and bold. He did not say words of justification, the young man tried to explain to those who were, who they were - new age people. Although they are called rebels, they are socialists. The slogan consists of simple, understandable words:
- Power to the people!
- The means of production to the people!
- Labor is obligatory for all citizens!
The judge reacted negatively to the statements of the young revolutionary and passed a sentence: "All detainees are sent to a settlement in Siberia." The mother is skeptical about the sentence for her son, realizing the court's decision only after some time. Nilovna does not believe in the possibility of separation from the only Pavel for many years.
The problems of Gorky's novel "Mother" affect the last chapters of the work. The court delivers a verdict: the accused refer to the settlement. Sashenka is going to follow her lover, Nilovna plans to come if her son has grandchildren.
However, during the transportation of the printed judicial speech Paul in a nearby town an elderly woman recognizes in a glance young man familiar features.
He was present at the courthouse, next to the prison. The guy whispers to the watchman, he goes up to his mother, calls her a thief. The latter, in turn, calls the accusation a lie, handing out flyers with her son's speech to those around her. The gendarme who arrived in time grabs the woman by the throat, in response, a wheezing and exclamations of people who see this spectacle are heard.
Gradually following the chapters, the woman does not realize: from an ordinary mother, whose son is in prison, she has turned into the mother of a traitor. The summary of the plot of the work does not allow you to fully plunge into the cycle of problems that have swept over a simple Russian heroine. The problems of Gorky's novel "Mother" affect a wide range of popularity revolutionary ideas among the working class.
As a depicted subject, the author shows life ordinary person, becoming a person, able to think and reflect. The work is a socio-political book, pushing for the identification of a promising idea of the emergence of a stubborn struggle against the oppressive class.
Summary of Gorky's novel "Mother"
Analysis of the novel by Maxim Gorky "Mother"
Conclusion
Separately, it should be mentioned that the main characters of Gorky's novel "Mother" were invented after meeting with the revolutionaries, because of which the author had to emigrate to America. The meaning of the novel lies in the fact that the author writing for millions, he tried to make his works simple and understandable. But, despite this, after the novel was written and published, Gorky was not satisfied with his work, just like many others.
Fifteen thousand round tents are spread out in the valley in a wide fan, all of them are like tulips, and above each, hundreds of silk flags flutter like fresh flowers.
And in the middle of them - the tent of Gurugan-Timur - like a queen among her friends. It is about four corners, a hundred steps on the sides, three spears in height, its middle is on twelve golden columns the thickness of a man, on top of its blue dome, it is all of black, yellow, blue stripes of silk, five hundred red cords attached it to the ground so that it does not rise into the sky, four silver eagles are at its corners, and under the dome, in the middle of the tent, on a dais, is the fifth, invincible Timur-Gurugan himself, the king of kings.
Maksim Gorky
THE LEGEND ABOUT THE MOTHER AND TIMUR
From the cycle "Tales of Italy"
Let us glorify the woman - Mother, an inexhaustible source of all conquering life!
Here we will talk about the iron Timur-lenge, the lame leopard, about Sahib-i-Kirani - a happy conqueror, about Tamerlane, as the infidels called him, about a man who wanted to destroy the whole world.
For fifty years he walked the earth, his iron foot crushed cities and states, like an elephant's foot anthills, red rivers of blood flowed from his paths in all directions; he built tall towers from the bones of conquered peoples; he destroyed life, arguing in his strength with Death, he took revenge on her for taking his son Dzhigangir; scary man- he wanted to take away all the sacrifices from her - may she die of hunger and longing!
From the day his son Dzhigangir died and the people of Samarkand met the victor of the evil jetts dressed in black and blue, sprinkling dust and ashes on their heads, from that day until the hour of the meeting with Death in Otrar, where she overcame him, - thirty years Timur he never smiled - so he lived, closing his lips, bowing his head to no one, and his heart was closed to compassion for thirty years!
Let us glorify in the world a woman - Mother, a single force before which Death obediently bows! Here the truth will be told about the Mother, about how the servant and slave of Death, the iron Tamerlane, the bloody scourge of the earth, bowed before her.
This is how it was: Timur-bek was feasting in the beautiful valley of Kanigul, covered with clouds of roses and jasmine, in the valley, which the poets of Samarkand called "Love of Flowers" and from where you can see the blue minarets of the great city, the blue domes of mosques.
Fifteen thousand round tents are spread out in the valley in a wide fan, all of them are like tulips, and above each, hundreds of silk flags flutter like fresh flowers.
And in the middle of them - the tent of Gurugan-Timur - like a queen among her friends. It is about four corners, a hundred steps on the sides, three spears in height, its middle is on twelve golden columns the thickness of a man, on top of its blue dome, it is all of black, yellow, blue stripes of silk, five hundred red cords attached it to the ground so that it does not rise into the sky, four silver eagles are at its corners, and under the dome, in the middle of the tent, on a dais, is the fifth, invincible Timur-Gurugan himself, the king of kings.
He is wearing a wide robe of sky-colored silk, it is showered with grains of pearls - no more than five thousand large grains, yes! On his gray head white hat with a ruby on a sharp top, and sways, sways - this bloody eye sparkles, looking around the world ...
On the ground, on carpets that no longer exist, there are three hundred golden jugs of wine and everything that is needed for the feast of kings, musicians are sitting behind Timur, no one is next to him, at his feet are his blood, kings and princes, and chiefs of troops , and closest to him is the drunken Kermani-poet, the one who once, to the question of the destroyer of the world:
Kermani! How much would you give for me if I was being sold? - answered the sower of death and horror:
- Twenty-five askers.
- But this is the price of only my belt! Timur exclaimed in surprise.
- I only think about the belt, - answered Kermani, - only about the belt, because you yourself are not worth a penny!
This is how the poet Kermani spoke to the king of kings, a man of evil and horror, and may the glory of the poet, the friend of truth, be for us forever higher than the glory of Timur.
Let's glorify the poets who have one god - beautifully said, fearless word truth, that's who God is for them - forever!
And now, in the hour of fun, revelry, proud memories of battles and victories, in the noise of music and folk games in front of the king’s tent, where countless colorful jesters jumped, strongmen fought, rope dancers bent, making them think that there were no bones in their bodies, competing in the dexterity to kill, warriors fenced and there was a performance with elephants, which were painted red and green colors, making this some - terrible and funny - others, - at this hour of joy for Timur's people, drunk from fear of him, from pride in his glory, from fatigue of victories, and wine, and koumiss, - at this crazy hour, suddenly, through the noise Like lightning through a cloud, the cry of a woman, the proud cry of an eagle, flew to the ears of the victorious Bayazet-Sultan, a sound familiar and akin to his offended soul - offended by Death and therefore cruel to people and life.
He ordered to find out who was screaming there with a voice without joy, and they told him that some woman had appeared, she was covered in dust and tatters, she seemed crazy, spoke Arabic and demanded - she demanded! - to see him, the ruler of the three countries of the world.
Bring her! - said the king.
And there was a woman in front of him - barefoot, in shreds of clothes faded in the sun, her black hair was loose to cover bare chest, her face is like bronze, and her eyes are imperious, and the dark hand extended to Timur did not tremble.
Did you defeat Sultan Bayazet? she asked.
- Yes I. I have defeated many and him, and I am not yet tired of victories. What do you say about yourself, woman?
- Listen! - she said. - Whatever you do, you are only a person, and I am Mother! You serve death, I serve life. You are guilty before me, and now I have come to demand that you atone for your guilt - they told me that your motto is "Strength is in justice" - I do not believe this, but you must be fair to me, because I am Mother !
The king was wise enough to feel the power of their bold words, he said:
- Sit down and talk, I want to listen to you!
She sat down - as she found it convenient - in a close circle of kings, on a carpet, and this is what she said:
- I'm from near Salerno, it's far away, in Italy, you don't know where! My father is a fisherman, my husband is also, he was handsome as happy man- It was I who gave him happiness! And I also had a son - the most beautiful boy on earth ...
“Like my Jigangir,” the old warrior said quietly.
- The most beautiful and smart boy is my son! He was already six years old when Saracen pirates came ashore to us, they killed my father, husband and many more, and kidnapped the boy, and now I have been looking for him on earth for four years. Now you have it, I know it, because Bayazet's warriors captured the pirates, and you defeated Bayazet and took everything from him, you must know where my son is, you must give him to me!
Everyone laughed, and then the kings said - they always consider themselves wise!
- She is insane! - said the kings and friends of Timur, his princes and commanders, and everyone laughed.
Only Kermani looked at the woman seriously, and with great surprise Tamerlane.
- She is mad as a Mother! - quietly said the drunken poet Kermani; and the king, the enemy of the world, said:
- Woman! How did you come from this country, unknown to me, through the seas, rivers and mountains, through the forests? Why did animals and people - who are often more evil than the worst animals - not touch you, because you walked, even without weapons, the only friend of the defenseless, who does not betray them, as long as they have strength in their hands? I need to know all this in order to believe you and so that surprise before you does not prevent me from understanding you!
Let us glorify the woman - Mother, whose love knows no barriers, whose breast fed the whole world! Everything beautiful in a person - from the rays of the sun and from Mother's milk - that's what saturates us with love for life!
She said to Timur-Gurugan:
- I met only one sea, there were many islands and fishing boats on it, but if you are looking for your favorite, a fair wind blows. Rivers are easy to cross for those who were born and raised on the seashore. The mountains? I didn't see mountains.
Drunk Kermani said cheerfully:
- A mountain becomes a valley when you love!
- There were forests along the road, yes, it was! Boars, bears, lynxes and terrible bulls met, with their heads lowered to the ground, and leopards looked at me twice, with eyes like yours. But after all, every animal has a heart, I spoke to them, as to you, they believed that I was Mother, and they left, sighing, - they felt sorry for me! Don't you know that animals also love children and know how to fight for their life and freedom no worse than people?
Yes, woman! Timur said. - And often - I know - they love more, fight harder than people!
“People,” she continued, like a child, for every Mother is a hundred times a child in her soul, “people are always the children of their mothers,” she said, “after all, everyone has a Mother, every one of someone’s son, even you , old man, you know this - a woman gave birth, you can refuse God, but you will not refuse this, old man!
Yes, woman! exclaimed Kermani, the fearless poet. - So, - from a gathering of bulls - there will be no calves, without the sun flowers do not bloom, without love there is no happiness, without a woman there is no love, without a Mother - there is neither a poet nor a hero!
And the woman said:
- Give me my child, because I am a Mother and I love him!
Let's bow to the woman - she gave birth to Moses, Mohammed and the great prophet Jesus, who was put to death by the evil ones, but - as Sherifeddin said - he will rise again and come to judge the living and the dead, it will be in Damascus, in Damascus!
Let us worship the One who tirelessly gives birth to the great! Aristotle is Her son, and Firdusi, and sweet as honey, Saadi, and Omar Khayyam, like wine mixed with poison, Iskander and blind Homer are all Her children, they all drank Her milk, and She brought everyone into the world by the hand when they were no taller than a tulip - all the pride of the world - from Mothers!
And then the gray-haired destroyer of cities, the lame tiger Timur-Gurugan, thought, and was silent for a long time, and then said to everyone:
- Men tangri cooli Timur! I, the servant of God Timur, say what follows! Here - I have lived, for many years now, the earth is groaning under me, and for thirty years I have been destroying the harvest of death with this hand - in order to destroy it in order to avenge my son Dzhigangir, because she extinguished the sun of my heart! They fought with me for kingdoms and cities, but - no one, ever - for a man, and a man had no price in my eyes, and I did not know who he was and why on my way? It was I, Timur, who said to Bayazet, having defeated him: “O Bayazet, as you can see, states and people are nothing before God, look - he gives them to the power of people like us: you are crooked, I am lame!” So I said to him when they brought him to me in chains and he could not stand under their weight, so I said, looking at him in misfortune, and I felt life as bitter as wormwood, the grass of the ruins!
I, the servant of God Timur, say what follows! Here is a woman sitting in front of me, what darkness, and she aroused in my soul feelings unknown to me. She speaks to me as an equal, and she does not ask, but demands. And I see, I understood why this woman is so strong - she loves, and love helped her to know that her child is a spark of life, from which a flame can flare up for many centuries. Weren't all prophets children and heroes weak? Oh, Dzhigangir, the fire of my eyes, maybe you were destined to warm the earth, sow it with happiness - I watered it well with blood, and it became fat!
Again the scourge of the peoples thought for a long time and finally said:
I, the servant of God Timur, say what follows! Three hundred horsemen will immediately go to all the ends of my land, and let them find the son of this woman, and she will wait here, and I will wait with her, the same one who returns with a child on the saddle of his horse, he will be happy - says Timur! So, woman?
She brushed her black hair back from her face, smiled at him, and replied with a nod of her head:
Yes, king!
Then this terrible old man stood up and silently bowed to her, and the cheerful poet Kermani spoke, like a child, with great joy:
What is more beautiful than songs about flowers and stars?
Everyone will immediately say: songs about love!
What is more beautiful than the sun on a clear May afternoon?
And the lover will say: the one I love!
Oh, the stars in the midnight sky are beautiful - I know!
And the sun is beautiful on a clear summer afternoon - I know!
The eyes of my dear of all colors are more beautiful - I know!
And her smile is sweeter than the sun - I know!
But the most beautiful song of all has not yet been sung,
A song about the beginning of all beginnings in the world,
Song about the heart of the world, about the magic heart
The one whom we, people, call Mother!
And Timur-bek said to his poet:
Yes, Kermani! God was not mistaken in choosing your mouth to proclaim his wisdom!
- E! God himself is a good poet! - said the drunken Kermani.
And the woman smiled, and all the kings and princes, military leaders and all other children smiled, looking at her - Mother!
All this is true; all the words here are true, our mothers know about it, ask them and they will say:
Yes, all this is the eternal truth, we are stronger than death, we who continuously give the world sages, poets and heroes, we who sow in it everything that it is glorious for!
(Tashriflar: umumiy 2 867, bugungi 1)
Literature lesson in grade 8
based on "Tales of Italy" by M. Gorky
"Mother's Heart"
teacher of Russian language and literature
MBOU "Average comprehensive school No. 1 "Kemsky municipal district
Let's glorify the woman - Mother,
inexhaustible source
all-conquering life!
M. Gorky
All the pride of the world comes from mothers!
M. Gorky
The purpose of the lesson: the formation of expressive reading skills, the ability to navigate the text, draw conclusions and generalizations. Raising feelings of patriotism and courage, love for the world around and kindness, appreciation and gratitude to the older generation, an active life position.
Type of lesson: a lesson in the assimilation of new knowledge and the complex application of previously acquired knowledge.
Methods: search, observation, text analysis, expressive reading, matching different types art, conversation.
Equipment:
1. The texts of the fairy tales "The Feat of the Mother", "The Mother of the Traitor" for each student.
2. Presentation.
3. Recording "Ave Maria" by Schubert.
4. Literature notebooks with results homework: write out Gorky's statements about his mother from the texts of fairy tales and think about their content.
During the classes.
1. opening speech teachers.
In 1906, M. Gorky settled on Capri, a small island in the Gulf of Naples. From the mainland to Capri, a steamboat runs with rows of benches darkened from the sun, moisture, and time. After 3 hours of travel, he sticks to high steep mountains, in the hollow between which a small village nestled. On a narrow street there are small shops selling multi-colored beads, straw hats, vegetables, lemons, oranges.
Roses bloom all year round. Every small patch of stone, where there is a little earth and sand, is covered with evergreen vegetation ... Lemon groves, cypresses, palm trees ...
Especially a lot of different colors……. Vesuvius is smoking in the distance, the smell of fish and algae is coming from the sea. The songs of the fishermen are heard.
It was here that in 1911-1913 Gorky's Tales of Italy were born.
Why fairy tales? After all, the events depicted in them are quite real. It has long been proven that much of them is "drawn from nature", reflects the facts of reality.
“Tales about Italy” are preceded by the words of G. H. Andersen: “There are no fairy tales better than those that life itself creates.” Gorky fairy tales are stories that reveal the "fabulousness" in real life. The main theme is abrupt, sudden changes, unexpected rebirths. One of the researchers of Gorky's creativity, noting the features of the originality of "fairy tales ..." writes: "Created on a completely realistic basis," fairy tales "are imbued with that poetry of creation and struggle, that spirit of upsurge. Impulse and faith in the inevitable victory of happiness, which is so characteristic of Gorky.
In all the tales of the Italian cycle, especially in three of them, the theme of motherhood sounds very bright.
Why does the image of the Mother become the main one in his fairy tales? This question will be one of the main ones in today's lesson.
The theme of motherhood has always worried artists, poets and writers. The image of the mother as a symbol of eternal truth, beauty, life-affirmation is found in the works of the masters of antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance.
Leonardo da Vinci, Santi Raphael, Lucas Cranach... It is from their canvases that the gentle, sincere, strong faces of the Mother look at us.
2. Preliminary conversation on fairy tales.
The anthem of the Mother sounds quite naturally, from which the 9th tale begins: “Let us glorify the woman - the Mother, the inexhaustible source of all conquering Life!”. This beginning immediately introduces us to an atmosphere of high and big feelings. He brings in that lofty pathos that characterizes the tale as a whole. Not by chance. It is in this tale that the spelling of the word Mother with a capital letter is first encountered.
Why do you think?
(student answers)
Let's open notebooks and write down the topic of the lesson: "Mother's Heart" ("Tales of Italy" by M. Gorky). Write down also one of the epigraphs of today's lesson.
3. Analytical conversation according to a fairy tale.
Let's turn to the plot of the tale "The Feat of the Mother."
(short student retelling of the story)
Note. that the whole fairy tale is built on a familiar literary device found in other works of Gorky. What is this reception?
(student answers - opposition, antithesis)
Yes, already at the very beginning of the tale, 2 hostile tendencies are opposed - maternal creation and cruel destruction. Life and death.
Who are the representatives of these opposite principles?
(student answers)
Yes, Mother and Timur play the main role in the conflict.
4. Working with text, writing conclusions in a notebook.
Draw a two-column table in your notebook. Let's try to characterize two central characters this fairy tale.
Please note that the opposition of heroes is not only on the internal, but also on the external level.
Follow how Mother and Timur look?
How does she behave with him, how does she talk?
(Lame - the inferiority of the "happy" conqueror - the majesty of the Mother)
What opposes Mother Timur, his deadly power? ("What do you say about yourself, woman?")
(children's answers - the mission of serving life, requires justice, because she is the Mother and serves life).
What convinced Timur? What arguments of the Mother forced Timur to open his heart?
(Mother's Heart. Strength, wisdom, love contained in it).
The poetess L. Tatyanicheva has a wonderful poem (read by a trained student).
They tell me it's too much
I give love to children
What maternal anxiety
makes my life old...
Well, what can I answer them -
Hearts impassive as armor?
The love I gave to children
Makes me stronger.
Indeed, it was love for her son that gave the Mother so much strength that shocked even the ruler who had seen everything.
5. Working with a dictionary.
All fairy tales of M. Gorky are built on aphorisms, which express the main idea of the work.
What is an aphorism?
The meaning of the word Aphorism according to Ozhegov:
Aphorism - A short expressive saying containing a generalizing conclusion.
Let's analyze the aphorisms you wrote out in your notebook at home, and explain them. 1aphorism “Let us glorify the woman - Mother, an inexhaustible source of all conquering life. Let us glorify in the world the Woman-Mother, a single force before which Death obediently bows!”
2 aphorism “Without love there is no happiness, without a woman there is no love, without a mother there is neither a poet nor a hero. All the pride of the world comes from mothers!”
3 aphorism “Let's glorify the mother woman, whose love knows no barriers, whose breast fed the whole world! Everything beautiful in a person is from the rays of the sun and from the Mother's milk ... "
The tale ends with a chord that brings philosophical results developing theme: "We (Mothers) - stronger than death. We who continuously give the world sages, poets, heroes, we who sow in it everything for which it is glorious!
6. Analytical conversation on 11 tales "The mother of the traitor."
11 the tale begins with an aphorism: “You can talk about Mothers endlessly ...”
The lines following the aphorism depict a city that is in dire danger of destruction. The picture of the life of the besieged city is recreated very accurately. Landscape details give it special expressiveness.
Work with text. The moon is "a lost shield, beaten with blows of swords."
Against the backdrop of a suffering, bleeding city - Marianna, the mother of a traitor.
What unites her with all Mothers, with all other citizens?
What makes her related to the Mother from the previous tale?
(She loves her son very much. Until recently, she looked at her son with pride, as a precious gift to her homeland, as good power born to help people.)
What is new in the image of the Mother?
(Understanding the responsibility for the son’s betrayal. These mother’s thoughts are expressed in aphorisms: “I am a mother, I love him (son) and consider myself guilty that he has become like that”, “Mothers hate the weapon of attack, recognizing only that which protects life "")
What is the main climactic scene in the story?
(mother talking to son)
And again, Gorky's favorite device is opposition.
Mother (maternal creation) - Son (individual destruction).
Logical continuation of the dialogue between Mother and Timur.
7. Summing up the lesson.
The Mother convinced Timur of the omnipotent power of the Mother, who gave the world all its heroes.
In tale 11, having appeared to her son as “the embodiment of the misfortunes of the city”, the Mother argues with him about who can be considered a hero ...
“A hero is one who creates life in spite of death, who conquers death…”
- What did the mother do? ("Man - I did everything I could for the motherland. Mother - I stay with my son.")
Conclusion. The grief of a mother who has lost her son is immeasurable, this is a terrible punishment, but worse than this punishment is the betrayal of her son - such is the leitmotif of M. Gorky's fairy tale.
The wonderful Austrian composer Franz Schubert wrote a very beautiful vocal composition glorifying the Mother “Ave Maria”. Let's listen to her.
(Listening to a piece of music)
8. D. h. Write a miniature essay “The Image of the Mother in “Tales of Italy” by M. Gorky.
You can talk about Mothers endlessly. For several weeks now the city had been surrounded by a close ring of enemies clad in iron; bonfires were lit at night, and the fire looked from the black darkness at the walls of the city with many red eyes - they glowed with malevolent joy, and this lurking burning caused gloomy thoughts in the besieged city. From the walls they saw how the enemy's noose tightened more and more tightly, how their black shadows flickered around the lights; the neighing of well-fed horses was heard, the clatter of weapons, loud laughter could be heard, the cheerful songs of people confident of victory were heard - and what is more painful to hear than the laughter and songs of the enemy? All the streams that fed the city with water were thrown by the enemies with corpses, they burned the vineyards around the walls, trampled the fields, cut down the gardens - the city was open on all sides, and almost every day the cannons and muskets of the enemies showered it with iron and lead. Detachments of soldiers, exhausted by battles, half-starved, marched sullenly along the narrow streets of the city; the groans of the wounded, the cries of delirium, the prayers of women and the crying of children poured out from the windows of the houses. They spoke subduedly, in an undertone, and, stopping each other's speech in mid-sentence, listened intently to see if the enemies were attacking? Life became especially unbearable in the evening, when in the silence groans and cries sounded clearer and more abundant, when blue-black shadows crawled out of the gorges of distant mountains and, hiding the enemy camp, moved towards the half-broken walls, and above the black teeth of the mountains the moon appeared like a lost shield. beaten with swords. Without expecting help, exhausted by toil and hunger, losing hope every day, people looked in fear at this moon, the sharp teeth of the mountains, the black mouths of the gorges and at the noisy camp of enemies - everything reminded them of death, and not a single star shone consolingly for them. They were afraid to light fires in the houses, thick darkness flooded the streets, and in this darkness, like a fish in the depths of a river, a woman silently flashed, wrapped in a black cloak with her head. When people saw her, they asked each other:
- That's her? - She is!
And they hid in niches under the gates or, with their heads down, silently ran past her, and the patrol leaders warned her sternly: “Are you out on the street again, Monna Marianne?” Look, you can be killed, and no one will look for the culprit in this ... She straightened up, waited, but the patrol passed by, not daring or disdaining to raise a hand against her; armed men walked around her like a corpse, but she remained in the darkness and again quietly, alone, walked somewhere, going from street to street, mute and black, like the embodiment of the misfortunes of the city, and all around, pursuing her, sad sounds crept plaintively: groans , crying, prayers and gloomy talk of soldiers who have lost hope of victory. A citizen and mother, she thought about her son and homeland: at the head of the people who destroyed the city was her son, a cheerful and ruthless handsome man; Until recently, she looked at him with pride, as at her precious gift to her homeland, as at a good force born by her to help the people of the city - the nest where she herself was born, gave birth and brought him up. Hundreds of inextricable threads connected her heart with ancient stones, from which her ancestors built houses and laid the walls of the city, with the earth where the bones of her blood lay, with legends, songs and hopes of people - she lost the heart of the mother of the person closest to him and cried: it was like scales, but, weighing the love for her son and the city, she could not understand what was easier, what was harder. So she walked the streets at night, and many, not recognizing her, were frightened, took the black figure for the personification of death, close to everyone, and recognizing, they silently moved away from the mother of the traitor. But one day, in a deaf corner, near the city wall, she saw another woman: kneeling beside a corpse, motionless, like a piece of earth, she prayed, raising her mournful face to the stars, and on the wall, above her head, watchmen were quietly talking and gnashing weapons, brushing against the stones of the prongs. The traitor's mother asked: "Husband?" - Not. - Brother? - Son. The husband was killed thirteen days ago, and this one is today. And, rising from her knees, the mother of the murdered man meekly said: “Madonna sees everything, knows everything, and I thank her!” - For what? the first one asked, and she answered her: “Now that he honestly died fighting for his homeland, I can say that he aroused fear in me: frivolous, he loved too much fun life, and it was fearful that for this he would betray the city, as did the son of Marianna, the enemy of God and people, the leader of our enemies, curse him, and curse the womb that carried him! .. Covering her face, Marianne walked away, and in the morning the next day she appeared to the defenders of the city and said: “Either kill me because my son became your enemy, or open the gates for me, I will go to him ... They answered: “You are a man, and the homeland should be dear to you.” ; your son is as much an enemy to you as he is to each of us. - I am a mother, I love him and consider myself guilty of the fact that he is what he has become. Then they began to consult what to do with her, and decided: - By honor - we cannot kill you for the sin of your son, we know that you could not inspire him with this terrible sin, and we guess how you must suffer. But the city does not need you even as a hostage - your son does not care about you, we think that he has forgotten you, the devil, and - here is your punishment if you find that you deserve it! It seems to us worse than death!
- Yes! - she said. - This is scarier.
They opened the gates in front of her, let her out of the city and watched for a long time from the wall as she walked along her native land, thickly saturated with the blood shed by her son: she walked slowly, with great difficulty tearing her legs off this land, bowing to the corpses of the defenders of the city, disgustedly pushing away a broken weapon with their foot, mothers hate the weapon of attack, recognizing only that which protects life. She seemed to be carrying in her hands under a cloak a bowl full of moisture, and was afraid to spill it; moving away, it became smaller and smaller, and those who looked at it from the wall, it seemed as if despondency and hopelessness were moving away from them along with it. They saw how she stopped halfway and, throwing off the hood of her cloak, looked at the city for a long time, and there, in the camp of the enemies, they noticed her, alone in the middle of the field, and, slowly, carefully, black figures like her approached her. . They came up and asked who she was, where is going? “Your leader is my son,” she said, and not one of the soldiers doubted it. They walked beside her, speaking in praise of how smart and brave her son was, she listened to them, proudly raising her head, and was not surprised - her son should be like that! And here she is before the man whom she knew nine months before his birth, before the one whom she never felt outside her heart - in silk and velvet he is before her, and his weapon is in precious stones . Everything is as it should be; this is how she saw him many times in her dreams - rich, famous and loved. — Mother! he said, kissing her hands. - You came to me, so you understood me, and tomorrow I will take this damned city! “Where you were born,” she reminded him. Intoxicated by his exploits, maddened by the thirst for even greater glory, he told her with the impudent ardor of youth: - I was born in the world and for the world, to amaze him with surprise! I spared this city for your sake - it is like a thorn in my foot and prevents me from advancing to glory as quickly as I want it. But now - tomorrow - I will destroy the nest of stubborn ones! “Where every stone knows and remembers you as a child,” she said. “Stones are dumb unless a man makes them speak—let the mountains speak of me, that’s what I want!” But people? she asked. — Oh, yes, I remember them, mother! And I need them, because only in the memory of people are heroes immortal! She said: “A hero is one who creates life in spite of death, who conquers death...” “No! he objected. “The one who destroys is as glorious as the one who builds cities. Look - we do not know whether Aeneas or Romulus built Rome, but - the name of Alaric and other heroes who destroyed this city is known for sure. “Who survived all the names,” reminded the mother. So he spoke to her until sunset, she interrupted his crazy speeches less and less, and her proud head sank lower and lower. Mother creates, she protects, and talking about destruction in front of her means talking against her, but he did not know this and denied the meaning of her life. Mother is always against death; the hand that brings death into people's dwellings is hateful and hostile to Mothers - her son did not see this, blinded by the cold glare of glory that kills the heart. And he did not know that the Mother is a beast as smart, ruthless as fearless, when it comes to the life that she, the Mother, creates and protects. She sat bent over, and through the open cloth of the leader's rich tent she could see the city, where she first experienced the sweet trembling of conception and the painful convulsions of the birth of a child who now wants to destroy. The crimson rays of the sun poured blood over the walls and towers of the city, the windows of the windows gleamed ominously, the whole city seemed wounded, and through hundreds of wounds the red juice of life poured; time passed, and now the city began to turn black, like a corpse, and, like funeral candles, the stars lit up above it. She saw there, in the dark houses, where they were afraid to light a fire, so as not to attract the attention of enemies, in the streets full of darkness, the smell of corpses, the suppressed whispers of people awaiting death - she saw everything and everyone; familiar and dear stood close before her, silently awaiting her decision, and she felt like a mother to all the people of her city. Clouds were descending from the black peaks of the mountains into the valley and, as if winged horses, flew to the city, doomed to death. “Perhaps we will attack him at night,” her son said, “if the night is dark enough!” It is inconvenient to kill when the sun looks into the eyes and the glare of the weapon blinds them - there are always many wrong blows, ”he said, examining his sword. His mother told him: “Come here, lay your head on my chest, rest, remembering how cheerful and kind you were as a child and how everyone loved you ... He obeyed, lay down on her knees and closed his eyes, saying: “I love only glory and you, for the fact that you gave birth to me the way I am. - What about women? she asked, leaning over him. - There are a lot of them, they quickly get bored, like everything is too sweet. She asked him to last time: And you don't want to have children? - Why? To kill them? Someone like me will kill them, and it will hurt me, and then I will be old and weak to avenge them.
“You are beautiful, but barren as lightning,” she said with a sigh. He replied smiling: Yes, like lightning...
And dozed off on his mother's chest, like a child. Then she, covering him with her black cloak, stuck a knife into his heart, and he, shuddering, immediately died - after all, she knew very well where her son's heart was beating. And, throwing his corpse from her knees at the feet of the astonished guards, she said towards the city: - Man - I did everything I could for the motherland; Mother - I stay with my son! It's too late for me to give birth to another, nobody needs my life. And the same knife, still warm from his blood - her blood - she plunged with a firm hand into her chest and also correctly hit the heart - if it hurts, it is easy to hit it.
