How can beauty save the world if it only does what requires sacrifice?
The anthem in honor of Caecilia and the moving spider on the gray dress made an indelible impression on Varys. Throughout breakfast, a young, pretty elf, who did not recognize our dean, screwed up his eyes at me, mentally giggling from time to time.
After the meal, Ti brought Rannkarr to my room. He looked around with interest: spacious, clean, calm. Pastel colors, which were enlivened only by a couple of bright strokes - two bright vases with fresh flowers standing on a chest of drawers and a bedside table. Varys squinted at a bouquet of purple star-shaped onion balls interspersed with scarlet, silky poppies, set off by openwork sprigs of white mountain starflower. It was evident that he remembers where he had already seen such a combination? Yes, yes, sir, right there...
Sean opened a portal.
Now we had to transfer to the last of the created teleports, to the area already in the possession of the father of the goldilocks Vericiel.
While Arden was talking to the commander of the patrol, Rannkarr looked around with interest - he had never been in this part of the country. Needless to say, I lost a little. Cold gray sharp-toothed rocks, black winter forest, snow-covered wastelands... A sharp wind picked up ice pellets and threw them in the face of anyone who dared to look north.
Lord Roon "Nal took care of protecting his borders - the patrols were well equipped and fully staffed. But there were so many monsters from the mountains, starving for the winter cold, that the elves simply could not cope. called “stone dogs.” And a couple of days ago, patrolmen noticed two trolls in the distance.
Well, have you flown? All day ahead… Let's see who catches more? Tian winked. - Cousin, are you ready?
And he turned into a handsome Storm, to whom Ar immediately flew up on the scruff of the neck. Not tired of flirting with gentlemen, Nara was already dancing with impatience: “May I?”
I turned to Varys - I wanted to look at his face the moment he saw Nargiel for the first time - and became a dragon.
Lord Rannkarr blinked his eyes in shock, nearly losing his balance... but he kept his feet.
I won! - Gloom rumbled in my head, with whom we argued whether the dean would stay on his feet or not.
What a beautiful girl! Varys sighed reverently, looking at Naru. - When?
Autumn, I smiled.
But Aroel... why aren't you together yet? - in a voice sounded amazement.
Because we are raising a dragon. But, as you know, Varys, this is a very big secret.
The brunette, who approached my neck and gently, as if asking for permission, touched the scarlet scales, thought. And then he laughed...
That's the twist! Everyone thinks that it is you who is raising the dragon, and therefore you wait and do not marry. But in fact ... Gracefully, you will not say anything! But how can this be? He doesn't…
Nara snorted.
We just really wanted to be together. That's all and it turned out!
How else can you explain it?
Let's fly, Varis... We've got to go!
What could be better than free hunting? Four gigantic dragons, carried by the wind, circled over the mountains, swooping down from time to time, unmistakably finding their target.
A couple of cousins were in the lead. I barely had time to snatch the second troll from under their noses! The offended Nara said that she was better and that their result should be divided by two! That's right, I did not bother with chess, otherwise there would be no peace at all.
Thunderclap easily joined our mental conversation - he was interested in the mountains, and the creatures that lived here, and our company. We talked about the caves and the teleport, adding that we are going to return here in the summer and explore the passages leading into the depths of the ridge. Varys promised to lend an ancient tome of Legends of the Northern Mountains that he had in his possession. Ar became interested - there was no such thing in the Vladyka's library.
Trophies Ar asked us to drag us to the clearing to the patrol station - apparently, this was another move in sorting out relations with the proud father of the restive Verisiel. The elves blinked their eyes in stupefaction as the carcasses of slain gargoyles and trolls, wolfdogs with broken spines, and even one stone giant fell from the sky. I barely made it to the last one, but I was terribly proud of myself.
But stone dogs - gray armored squat creatures with crocodile muzzles, growing lower than a stool - turned out to be a terrible headache. To lure them out of the crevices, Gloom pretended to be a wounded wyvern. Which could not take off, but hissed and retreated ... until the dogs that pecked at the meaty bait crawled out of their shelters ... Each individual animal seemed not scary, but there were so many of them that the scree, where Sean began to briskly back away, was covered with a sea of gray backs. And really attack! And what to do with them? Do not choke one at a time? Magic doesn't really work on them!
They covered it with a dome so that they would not run away, and for almost two hours they exterminated the gray evil spirits. It was not a hunt, but some kind of slaughter. But it was necessary to do so. Nara snorted in agreement and grabbed another creature across her back…
By evening, there was no one left in the control net for ten leagues around except aurochs and gophers, but we flapped our wings so that we fell asleep from fatigue on the fly. The patrol had a week to sand our trophies. Even dogs will not be wasted - the hard shells of creatures immune to magic made excellent armor and shields.
Already in the dark, having said goodbye to the patrolmen, they flew off a few leagues further to the west - it was more comfortable to spend the night in their close circle.
The meat of a deer hissed on the fire, which the thrifty Sean had caught earlier in the day. We all sat together on a wide bed. It's good to be a dragon - your own transport. No one needs to be saddled, unsaddled, rubbed, fed, treated, bandaged, guarded. Varis asked how it happened that we trusted him, but I continue to hide my beauty from Shaorran.
I told without concealment the whole story of a difficult relationship with Ter-Sherrant. And about Sharn with his love potion and an attempt to kidnap me, forcing me into marriage. And about Sharid's conspiracy. And about the ambiguous behavior of the Wise One. And about the fact that Shao met me earlier than Arden or Sean, but did not bother himself with the problems of a fifteen-year-old pigali - he helped, waved his wing and was like that. And, finally, about the fact that it seems to me that the Lord of Heaven has plans for me and his son.
What do you yourself think about the alliance with Shaorran?
Well, it would be just a union, nothing more. Shao is a great guy - smart, noble, handsome. But he does not love me - he is interested in me only as a challenge to his charm, because I am in no hurry to fall into his arms. And I don't love him. But this does not change the fact that they may try to marry us. And the first thing to do for this is to remove my fiancé or deprive him of the opportunity to raise a dragon, - I explained the situation as I understood it myself.
Tianu, on whose shoulder I was leaning, pulled me closer and kissed me gently on the cheek.
You have a very informal relationship, - the dean raised an eyebrow.
Which we do not demonstrate to everyone, - I smiled.
And yet I don’t understand who Aroel is… There is only one non-dragon in your company, and it’s known for sure that he is a born one hundred percent elf… Born…” the dean repeated thoughtfully.
Clever one!
Varys, everything will be revealed very soon, and I promise you will be the first to know. And you will be invited to our wedding.
So you've changed your mind? Sean's brown eyes flashed.
No! I snapped. Until I find out, I'm not going anywhere!
Don't know what? Varys asked curiously. - Maybe I can help? I do have a lot of teaching experience!
Arden's expression became indescribable.
Sean bit down on the sleeve of his robe and turned away. The mage's shoulders were shaking with laughter.
We had a great two weeks. At the end of the first decade of February, Varis, sincerely regretting that he had to return, said goodbye to us. On the way, we dropped by Lana - it was time to pick up Galaren and Mirika.
The thin brunette was unrecognizable - her cheeks turned pink, her eyes shone. Seeing me, that is, Narinel, Mirika was delighted and almost threw herself on my neck. She was embarrassed, stopping at the last moment, and then I took the last step and hugged her myself.
The girl not only blossomed - she had a confidence that was not there before. Straight posture, elegantly laconic hand gestures, proud stance of a small black-haired head with a firm chin, turned shoulders - now she looked like a well-mannered young lady from a good family. And all this in just over a month!
Nord and Lana also praised her. Nord for the fact that Mirika found an approach to young Ariel, who, unlike the calm dad and mom, had a violent temper, and to the most restive horses. At the same time, the guards, who crowded in this house day and night, the girl kept in strictness.
Can you imagine? Looks him straight in the eye and says: “Do you know that I don’t have a dowry at all?” And so - no, no! Severe is our Mirika! Moreover, I can argue for a monthly salary, this Lars is like, like, and even come to woo. She grabbed him.
I sympathize with Lars, - I smiled, - but my protégé is not for him. Mirika has five years of study ahead of her, and then I have my own plans for her.
Bring it to us again, we will be happy!
Lana made sure to update Mirika's wardrobe. True, it was not without quirks. The girl flatly refused to buy new outfits with money from the purse, which I left for her maintenance. But she agreed to accept her old dresses from Lana, turning them over and sewing them on. As a result, just as I once had to spend a lot of energy to patch up the blue rag that Mirika arrived at the Academy in, so now Lana had to pick with a needle for two weeks so as not to hurt Mirika's pride. No, some problems with these inferiority complexes!
Things went smoothly with magic - Mirika meditated six to eight times a day, her source became noticeably brighter, and her reserve grew. Shields, both mental and on the body, also became noticeably stronger. She stubbornly, for several hours a day, worked out those spells that she knew and learned new ones. Her only disappointment was that she was never able to see the princess.
Only three days left before the start of the new semester, I rubbing my hands as I sat down to draw up a new curriculum for the Red and White Towers. I decided that I wanted to listen to the continuation of the course of physics with Argharrn, transmutation with Reist, chemistry with Kadorr. Of course, necromancy, all magics, both defensive and attacking, in both towers ... and also “Culture and Language of the Vikings” and “Legislation of the Piedmont People” postponed in September until better times. And - grimaced - orc at Takata.
Before interfering with my plans for Aru, I added up the number of study hours, divided by the number of days in the semester, scratched my head - something again comes out a lot! - I figured out a couple of items that could be taken externally, and only then went to the guys.
Arden was busy holding a meeting on the communication amulet. He raised his eyes, conveyed to me greetings from the Duke of Sargail, whom his daughter-in-law made happy in December with a healthy grandson and heir, and again switched to a businesslike tone. I knew what he was up to - picking worthy, politically powerful lords for the Council. My future advice. And all candidates should become known no later than the onset of summer.
Sean stuck his nose into another scroll from the necromancer's library. I suspect that he was not interested in the personality of the black magician, but purely in the content of the manuscript. But I was not going to interfere - the strangest ideas and quirks of ter Dale brought rich practical results.
Tianu has not yet returned from the elven embassy - although the intelligence network was well established, and the grateful guilds flourished under our wing, giggling surreptitiously after the Lord Regent, who wondered where almost half of the past receipts to the treasury had gone, all the same, there are files and papers there was above the roof.
Shao was not in Larran - it seemed that the bronze dragon was sulking because I disappeared for a month, it was not clear where, over and over again refusing to take him with me. Well, maybe it's for the best. It would be worse if he thought that I was responding to his advances... and then suddenly I would be married to two elves at once!
I kept in touch with Arshissa. The dragons with the elven mages combing Ter-Sharrant have almost completed their flight. So far, three altars have been found. The Lord of Heaven quietly placed a portal and observers near each one. As soon as everyone is searched - and this will happen no later than in a week - then we will slam them!
Sitting at the table, Varys twirled a large ruby in his fingers.
Here, I wrote it down!
At the light wall opposite, a picture of mountains rushing below appeared, a flickering of some gray winged goats below - gargoyles? Then the panorama was obscured by a toothy red muzzle. Nara? The muzzle blinked a bulging eye with a vertical pupil and passed into a neck... a long neck... then a scarlet side... a flicker of wings... and then a tail began. Which dragged on and on. I had a desire to count the spikes and tell fortunes on them - "loves - does not love." When I finally finished, it turned out that the gargoyles were almost there. Then there were some jerks, gray limbs flying in different directions, circling the sky and earth at such a pace that in a minute I could not say, under the fear of marrying Uncle Firdann, in which direction the horizon is and in general, are we looking up or down? The scarlet tail flickered again. I looked back at Varys, who was obscenely pleased with himself.
The red muzzle appeared again, clattering its jaws and trying to spit out a torn gray wing stuck between its teeth ... and at that moment the door swung open and Shaorran entered the office.
"Varis, stop!" I mentally screamed.
Either Rannkarr himself figured out what to do, or my squeal helped ... But the haze disappeared. As if it wasn't. All that was left was Shao, stunned and blinking his eyes, staring at the empty white wall.
Oh what will happen now!
What was it? The dragon gave us a demanding look.
Hello to you too, Shao! Where are you from? I cheerfully tried to turn the fire on myself.
Hi Narinel! I just saw an illusion where there was a scarlet dragon. What is this?
My memories of hunting in the Northern Mountains, Varys answered without lying. This lady is my friend.
Lady like that. With a gargoyle in his mouth. Fine. But the truth and the lady, and the girlfriend, and the hunt, and the mountains. And the fact that these are memories. Tell Varys about the crystal, Shao would have insisted on looking at it again... And so, with a couple of short phrases, the dean translated what had happened into just a private conversation of magicians about the old days.
Shao sighed, his shoulders relaxed. But why do I feel guilty again?
After signing the syllabus with Varis, we quickly made our way out of the office. I didn't worry - the dean wouldn't extradite us. He will tell something about the fact that the lady is not from these places and is forced to hide her abilities from relatives, which is why she took his word not to tell anyone about her ... and this will also be pure truth.
In the White Tower, where we went to get a second visa, the news awaited us - Alvius ter Grasin, nicknamed the Black, suddenly fell ill. Now one of his deputies, who has temporarily moved to the dean's office, has taken over all the affairs. Namely, Lord ter Aldo. We had to sign the curricula with him.
There was no excitement in the reception area like last time - it seems that soap for baths and sheets for dormitories were purchased immediately a year in advance. We said hello to the same dark-haired girl who heroically held the defense here in September. She lifted her sad face and, recognizing Ar, smiled.
Good afternoon - politely greeted my fiancé. - Does your head hurt again? Help?
The assistant dean looked at us with wet eyes and sniffled.
You won't help here.
Why? What happened? Arden asked sympathetically.
Lord Grasin... It was so sudden... - the girl sobbed.
Rylda! Who's there? Let them come! came a voice from the office.
Nodding to a frustrated Rilda, we went inside and bowed. I looked around imperceptibly. I also switched to magical vision and, I don’t know why, activated the recording sapphire inserted in the center of my headband. Then the stone can be removed and replaced with a new, clean one. The white clay slope in Tianu's garden allowed us to create crystals to record in unlimited quantities. The only thing is that it was a slow and painstaking business, like embroidery. But we are already used to sculpting rubies and sapphires at our leisure. There was a large wooden bowl on the desk in the office, where we put what we had created in passing. But another problem began to emerge - the books are on the shelves, and the titles are written on the bindings. How to mark gems? How to distinguish recorded from clean? And, finally, if they are mixed up, you will sleep until you take it apart again!
So what is there? Spacious calm space. On the walls, sheathed in dark oak panels, hang several landscapes darkened with time and some framed diplomas. The ceiling is high and pure white. On the floor there is a carpet that muffles footsteps, dark green, like old spruce needles, in color. Massive - six cubits in length - oak desk. In front of him are a pair of chairs for visitors with upholstered seats to match the carpet. Behind him is a high-backed chair with Lord Aldo sitting in it.
The mage hasn't changed much since we met last spring. Open benevolent face, high forehead, straight nose, light blue eyes. Only her dark brown hair was a few fingers longer, now falling below her shoulders. If it weren't for the strange case of the magic mark, I would have liked it.
We bowed. Arden took a few steps forward.
We would like to sign our curricula.
Let me see, - the lord held out a well-groomed hand with neat nails.
I automatically noted the White Tower alumni ring on my finger. However, commemorative rings were worn by eight out of ten people, so that did not mean anything.
Arden reached across the table, handing over the papers. Fingers touched for a second. Aldo took our papers, went through them quickly, stamped the visa, and returned the plans back to Aru.
There were no elves in my memory.
My fiancee has a share of human blood,” Arden explained amiably. - And I myself use the opportunity to study different types of magic, at least in theory. Well, I accompany Silvernarinel. It is not good for a lady of the royal house to walk alone. Thank you, we won't waste any more of your time.
Goodbye. Yes, in the fall semester, I teach a special course "Magical and immune to magic creatures." I'll be glad to see you both.
Lord Aldo caught my eye and smiled politely.
Be sure to sign up, - we nodded.
No sooner had they left the door than Ter Aldo summoned Rylda to him with some papers. Looks like there was a lot to do before the start of the semester.
We walked around the corner, I looked around and dragged Ar into the first empty auditorium.
Belle! What are you?
I want to examine you with magical vision. Just in case. Stay still! Well Ar, stop it! Then kiss ... Now? Well, a little bit... That's it, stop! Here I will examine you, and kiss where you want! Where to?! No!
We stopped, breathing heavily and looking eye to eye. I was sure that Dawn's departure was a matter of weeks. And I was waiting for this and at the same time I was afraid. My suitors - I saw it for sure - were also on edge.
She shook her head and started looking around. From the hand that ter Aldo touched. Here's something I didn't like. There was something deliberate in that gesture ... Eh-h ... I don’t see anything. What if we compare two hands? It seems that the right one is a little colder and the aura is paler. And why? Maybe just from the fact that he came into contact with another magician? Or is there something more here?
Ar, I'm not sure, but let's get Sean. Your hands are slightly different, but it shouldn't be like that!
If you're worried, let's do it, - the blond looked at me seriously. - And then the three of us will go to ter Barraksh. We couldn’t talk with the secretary, but I don’t like this sudden illness for some reason ...
Sean rushed through the teleporter in the park. Ar twisted his hand and sniffed it. I really thought - lick or not? - when the magician said:
Congratulations, our defense helped again. They wanted to plant something on you. Maybe a follower. Or maybe a pest. Or maybe they just wanted to test what kind of elf you are so strange ... Now you can’t make out!
I have a recording of the conversation in magical vision! I intervened.
Great! Let's see at home! Sean was startled.
I contacted Varis. We return to him. Rector Borden will be waiting for us there,” said Ar.
This time we locked the door of the study behind us. Let the free academic spirit wander somewhere else for now, while we have a meeting here.
Ar immediately took the bull by the horns.
What happened to the Dean of the White Tower?
Looks like a heart attack,” Borden said. - It happened the day before yesterday. Quite suddenly. It seemed to me that Alvius was healthier than Varys and me combined.
Can you take us to his house? The pretext for the visit will be that the elves are the best healers, - Ar's voice did not suggest the possibility of refusal.
It was already watched by healers from the elven faculty. The reasons were not found, they only added strength and prescribed bed rest for at least a week.
Healers of the wrong class - Ar was cruel.
Are you better?
Undoubtedly.
Borden stared at the cocky Lord Nellao. He turned his gaze to Sean - he enjoyed authority at the Academy, albeit somewhat peculiar. Ter Dale nodded. Standing next to me, I nodded too. Ar is definitely the best. And Ti, whom we had already called from Larran, was about to appear.
Varys, lock the office and come with us. There is a feeling that we will need you, - Ar ordered.
Now it was not the student who spoke to the dean, but the Lord. Even Shaorran had never acted like that. The difference was that Shao was the crown prince, while Arden had actually ruled for several decades. Making decisions, giving orders, taking responsibility. And the steel in his voice was not bravado.
The house of Alvius ter Grasin, called the Black, stood on the edge of the academic park and in no way justified the gloomy nickname of its owner. A tiled old gray stone two-story mansion with an attic, bay windows and a small, overgrown garden that looks like it once had a rose garden. Around the perimeter there is an openwork cast-iron grate. Cute.
And now let's see with magical vision ... Aha, there is a protective canopy. But I would have already broken through this without sneezing. Still, dragon magic and human magic are two big differences. Only those who do not have a magical gift at all are able to lump them together.
We flew up to the house invisible. Arden and I insisted on this in unison. The last ten years of my life have made me a complete paranoid, and Ar also lived by the principle - never give too much information about yourself if it can be avoided. For it is impossible to control who uses it and how.
As we flew, Varys again told us that he was ready to vouch for Lord Grasin - he was not the one we were looking for. However, we were already almost sure of it.
Borden landed on the porch, threw off the veil of invisibility, and pressed his hand, with his signet, to the large brass plate on the side of the jamb. The doors creaked slightly as they opened inward. The rector pushed them, opening them to their full extent, entering himself and letting the invisible us into the hallway.
Alviy! It's me. Came to see you! - the rector's voice rolled around the house.
From somewhere above came a barely audible:
Get up here!
Varys, I asked softly, did you know Lord Grasin's wife? How did she look?
No, I haven't found her yet. But I know what it looked like. Yes, look for yourself - a portrait hangs in the living room! Varys nodded his head towards the ajar door, past which we floated without touching the floor.
I tugged at Ar's sleeve and poked my head into the gap. She glanced around the room ... and stopped at a portrait hanging over the fireplace, which depicted a fragile red-haired girl with a heart-shaped face and huge blue eyes. Phew! Nothing to do with me! And on the lute, which the girl in the portrait held in her hands, I also do not play.
Ar nodded, agreeing with my conclusions.
We backed away from the door, and Tian and Sean stuck their noses in there. I would like to see everything with my own eyes - it's interesting!
Lord Alvius, pale as death, lay on the bed. Dark, almost black hair with a couple of strands of gray at the temples scattered over the pillow. The nose seemed unnaturally sharp. Two days of stubble darkened on the chin. White hands with thin fingers lay on top of the blanket. Hollow nails shone blue - with the heart of the lord was clearly not all right.
Sit down, friend! Bloodless lips smiled at Borden, a hand patted the edge of the bed.
Hello! I see you are feeling better, - the rector tried to speak with optimism, which he clearly did not experience. - I brought an interesting company with me. They promise to put you on your feet!
And where are they? - the hazel eye of the ailing dean flashed with restrained interest.
Don't you see? Borden asked.
It seemed that the rector was a little offended that our illusions and the invisibility spell were too tough for him.
I don't see it," Lord Grasin accommodatingly agreed.
Yes, they are here ... - the rector sighed.
At his nod, we dropped invisibility. At the sight of the three elves, Sean in a black mantle to the toes, and Rannkarr almost hidden by our backs, Alviy's eyebrows went up. Still would! Here you consider yourself a cool magician, you are lying at home on your bed ... and suddenly it turns out that a whole herd is walking around, but you cannot see it point-blank! Not very nice.
Noticing Varys, Grasin was delighted.
Well, if Varis brought this company, then everything is in order, - and immediately got upset: - Oh! There's a lovely young lady here... And I'm unshaven!
Well, it's easy! - Varys sat down on the bed with a friend, ran his hand over his cheeks and chin, and the stubble disappeared. However, the bluish tint of sunken cheeks also did not please the eye.
Alviy! Be patient, let them look at you! Believe me, you won't find them better! - Borden got up and went to the window, letting us in to the patient.
Arden did the diagnostics first. Nothing in particular… just the heart is working at its maximum load… and at the same time it can’t even cope with giving enough oxygen to the body lying on the bed. Tianu joined the inspection...
“Look, some kind of nonsense with both the lungs and the heart. With such a pulse, he must run along the ceiling! And he can't raise his arms! Let's take a look at the molecular level - Sean, Belle, come to us! - called Tiana on a closed wave.
I stared at the dean with magical vision. More specifically, his chest. There was some kind of irregularity there ... I don’t understand! Now, if he came under the gaze of a basilisk, the aura in this place could be like this. Well, what kind of nonsense comes into your head? - there is no partial petrification, and even coming from within. Can not be? What if it's a transmutation? Assuming our necromancer owns it? It's human magic! And Arden is still too inexperienced to see...
Friends closely followed the course of my thoughts.
But how to look inside to see what is there with the heart and lungs? Not to cut the already slightly alive Lord Grasin?
“Oh, I can do it! It's easy, I'll teach you later! Kind of like focusing magical vision on objects at different distances,” Sean casually waved his hand.
He leaned over Alvius, and we froze around like statues: now we looked through Sean's eyes, learning what and how he did.
“Wow, how interesting! - in the voice of the magician sounded the delight of a naturalist who discovered a green two-headed mutant rat in his chamber pot. - Belle, you hit the bull's-eye! About a tenth of the carbon atoms in the lungs and heart are replaced by silicon! As a result, the muscles cannot contract well, and the lungs are not able to properly supply the body with oxygen. Oh, how must all this whine! And as soon as he gets out of bed, he will collapse in a swoon!
Borden and Varys, tired of staring at the silent us, sat down in the chairs by the window. Smart! They understand that if we are silent, it means that we are busy.
"So? - I asked, - can we slowly return everything back? There’s trouble here, of course… By the way, the petrification spell won’t help?”
"Why won't it help? And the energy of the four of us will be enough for our eyes even without your diamond!”
We straightened up. We looked at Ara, let him speak.
So, yes, - began the Lord. We have found the cause of the illness.
Heart failure? said Lord Grasin despondently from the bed.
And he told us exactly what we found. The faces of the academic authorities stretched out like the muzzles of Sivka and Burka: they could not have imagined such a thing!
By the way, - Ar looked at Borden, - have you been feeling bad lately? I'm talking about a sudden dizziness, a brief moment of weakness...
It was two days ago. I decided that I ate something wrong ... An attack of nausea, then it passed.
And it could, if not for our protection, go into a heart attack ... - Ar narrowed his eyes at him. - Okay, we'll talk about it later. Now we need to help Lord Grasin.
You can?
Well, we are magicians, - Tianu smiled.
I did not rush to the cutting edge - the work was to be jewelry, I did not have such a skill yet. Sean rolled up his sleeve to his shoulder. We stood at the back, placing our palms on our bare skin. Varys and Borden nodded as they understood what we were about to do.
Sean started with one lung. He outlined it and carefully, without going beyond the borders, began to weave a spell. It interfered with the fact that the lung deflated and swelled to the beat of the patient's strained breathing. Sean looked closely, caught the pace and snapped his fingers, triggering the magic at the moment when the volume of the lung matched the contour outlined. I felt ter Dale drawing power from me...
It was unusually interesting to look through his eyes at how a scattering of alien red dots gradually gave way to calm blue, merging with the background. Finally, Sean sighed.
There is one! You understand how and what? I'm tired. So you do the second, and we insure!
Now rolled up Tian's sleeve.
Can we see? - not weathered Borden with Varisom.
The ailing patient, who turned a little pink, also perked up:
What about me? It's interesting!
The last argument was clear to Sean. There was no talk of letting strangers into the minds of Tiana or one of us, but Ar undertook to project the illusion of what was happening at the foot of the bed so that it would be convenient for the lying Alvius to see what was happening.
Everything was easier the second time around. Lord Grasin even helped Tian by holding his breath at the right moment.
Finally, the last orange light in the second lung went out. Slightly pale, Ti moved away from the bed and, shaking his hands, sank into an armchair.
Well, how did it get easier? the rector asked the patient.
Not that word! And the chest hurts much less!
Alvius stirred, as if about to demonstrate how much better he was.
Varys looked at Ar. On me. And smiled. I realized that the conclusion was made, and the correct one. But the dean will not voice it. Wait until we explain ourselves, and with all the details.
“Aha! I threw a funny thought at him. - We OK now with Shao in one group? A real flower garden!
Varys chuckled, earning the rector's surprised look.
An hour later the job was done. Sean set the heart of the Black Dean of the White Tower in order, and Ar, along the way, rummaged a little in the thoughts of Alvius, and now we knew for sure that he knew nothing about the necromancer. He also didn't remember what happened before he got sick. He was sitting, sorting through the financial reports of the three buildings of the hostel ... everything seemed to be not all right in one, because the linen and furniture were eating there like mice with termites ... and then his head was spinning, and he woke up already here, in his bed, surrounded by elves-healers .
Magic attack followed by memory erasure, Tianu shrugged.
And an attempt at a magical attack on Lord Barraksha, the remnants of the breakdown are still visible in the aura! Sean pointed.
Also, during the offensive magic exam, one of the magicians of the White Tower tried to kill my fiancé, - I remembered, clinging to Aru.
And today, Lord Aldo, who occupied the dean's office, tried to attach some kind of spell to me when we came to sign the curricula, - summed up Ar. - Interesting picture, huh?
Aldo? This is impossible! I've known him for a hundred years! Ter Grasin was surprised. You must have misunderstood something! Can't be!
We do not blame him, there is not enough information for this, - Arden calmly replied. - But the fact that not everything is in order in the White Tower is a fact.
Hmm… - Sean cleared his throat. - Actually, it looks like the conversation will be long. And I'm always hungry after magic! Is there food in this house?
Sean, as always, saw the root. My stomach also let me down - when was breakfast! Ti, after witchcraft, probably also wants to eat, and Ar rests on a sense of duty and pride of the crown prince ... And the ex-sick, after two days on the verge of a heart attack, resembled the teaching aids of our beloved necromancer, Lord Pyrod. Hmm... There is bread with meat in the bag. Reserved for Shaorran. But this OK us all on one tooth!
I'm afraid there are no supplies in the house, - Lord Grasin sighed guiltily. - There is nothing in the kitchen at all, except for brewing taira ... When I was healthy, I usually ate in the dining room. And now they visit me twice a day and feed me.
Clear. So let's share sandwiches. Everything is better than nothing.
Tee and Varys went into the kitchen to brew taira, while Ar and I sat together in one of the chairs next to the bed. I took our food out of my bag. It’s good that we are used to taking food with us based on three dragon appetites. The sight of thick slices of bread, between which were even thicker pieces of roasted boar, interleaved with sprigs of dill and spicy elven mirilla, made everyone salivate, including the rector.
Somehow I imagined elven meals in a different way ... - Borden shook his head.
Limyra nectar from golden thimbles, right? Ar chuckled, raising an eyebrow. Well, we're also dragons...
After a snack, they moved on to a long story, introducing Lord Grasin into the course of events. About the first altar found, the necromancer, the guild of assassins, the traces that led us to the Academy, the demolition of altars throughout the Empire in December... Alvius, already healed, almost had a heart attack again - he had such cockroaches at the faculty!
We got the following.
By depriving the black magician of most sources of magical energy, we destroyed his plans to take over the Empire by force. Whatever he planned - widespread cataclysms or the transfer of an army of orcs to the center of the country next spring - now it was all covered with a copper basin. And then there were the options...
It is clear that the altars were destroyed by magicians. And where is the only gathering of magicians in the country? That's right, the Academy. Even if at first our enemy took the bait - the "league of necromancers of the North", then a couple of months should have been enough to find out that no one had heard of any league. It turned out that the necromancer had a grudge against the Academy. Dragon size! And to take the academic authorities forward with their feet, having arranged nonsense, quarrel and a mess among the magicians, is not a bad revenge.
The second option is if the necromancer personally gains something from death or a protracted illness on the verge of death of the rector and dean. Most likely, this is a jump up the career ladder. And there were about a dozen such people in the White Tower, including three assistants of Alvius the Black. Moreover, they were all on the list of suspects Borden.
The third option is that this story has nothing to do with the necromancer at all, but is a personal revenge of one of the magicians who considered himself infringed by the academic authorities. For example, they cut the quota for graduate students or wrapped up an article in the Academic Bulletin - the brains of pure science theorists are not arranged quite the same as those of other mortals, and the most insignificant incident could become a motive. For example, someone has done something, and now he is afraid that he will be asked from the Academy, and is trying to sweep the trash under the carpet.
And the question also arose - how is the unhealthy interest of the elusive type, who ate me with his eyes, connected with the black magician? Today I was closely watching ter Aldo, but I didn’t notice much attention to myself. Normal polite friendliness, nothing more. He hardly looked at me.
Having twisted the options this way and that, we decided to stop at the second one, as the most probable and at the same time the most promising in terms of investigation. Borden estimated that in a couple of days he could compile a list for us of those who would benefit from a change in leadership. With notes on what exactly they will get from this.
Having finished the discussion, we made Alviy the Cherny swear that he would not tell anyone about what he had heard. The Dean of the White Tower was still unable to maintain mental shields, and I knew that Ti had taken advantage of this and touched Grasin's mind, reinforcing the oath with the installations that helped her to maintain. Not particularly correct... but it was about the fate of the Empire, my life and the lives of my loved ones. And Ti did not meddle in personal memories.
Finally, an amulet that gives mental protection was hung on the dean of the White Tower, produced by the company “Shawn plus Belle - Madness in the Service of Society”, our shield was put up, treated again and, with a sigh, began to say goodbye. We agreed that the dean would be ill for a couple more days, just so that no one connected his recovery with the visit of the rector. And then we recommended that he walk slowly and grab his heart every five steps - let the attacker rub his hands. This will give us the time we need to investigate.
Borden thanked us warmly, kissed my hand again, and set off on business. Varys stayed with Alvius - the dragon was going to help a fellow dean and organize the delivery of food, firewood, fresh linen and everything else necessary for a normal life in the house.
Leaving the mansion, we again put on invisibility and took it off only in the park.
And, without going even a dozen steps, they ran into a hungry Shaorran diving down from the sky.
He greeted the guys, and then his golden hawk eyes fixed on me:
Narinel, do you have sandwiches?
Alas, Shao! You are late. The rector took them away and ate them!
Beauty as a weapon can be used for different purposes. I think that Dostoevsky spoke about such beauty, which elevates, makes a person better. I saw, was amazed and repented of all sins. I immediately began to speak and act better ... It can be the beauty of nature, from which you even cry. It can be the beauty of a work of art, the same book, performance or statue ... But also the beauty of a woman, in general, a person. Cases are described when a bandit sees a child or a girl and stops the massacre. He begins to help them, shows his best qualities. Beauty can elevate, that in itself is beautiful.
But beauty can also be destroyed. If the beauty of some thing prompted the desire to steal, to do something bad. Such beauty can be confusing. There was a normal person, but then he fell in love, began to show himself "cool". Or even stole something to impress. And yet people can consciously use their beauty to knock others down, use them for their own bad purposes. Or they make beautiful packaging for sweets, and they are immediately terribly harmful. Or just a beautiful product, and there dyes are inedible.
In general, beauty will, of course, save the world, but for this it must be so ... Such as to amaze and uplift. It's not just fashionable. Not just something pretty or even base, but something with an inner light. If about beautiful people, then they should have a beautiful, first of all, soul. If about works of art, then there must be a good idea of the creator. And nature is always sublime.
And there, with beautiful content, a harmonious shell is also needed. Not that he is so holy, but so dirty and nasty. It's not that the idea is good, but the picture is painted carelessly ... Everything should be in harmony, then beauty will save.
Sample 2
In my opinion, the topic of the essay is very interesting and there is something to think about. To begin with, I partly agree with the statement that beauty will save the world. I'll try to explain why.
Beauty is a deep concept. Someone understands beauty, only by external qualities. For example, a guy saw a girl with a pleasant appearance. She has expressive eyes, shiny long hair, a slender figure. How beautiful, the guy will think and fall in love with her. And the other guy will give his heart to an ordinary girl who dresses modestly, does not have bright and attractive facial features. But he will love her for the beauty of her soul.
Here are two beauties that are different from each other, but have the same name. I also understand beauty under actions. There are some really beautiful things. For example, a couple is sitting in a cafe, the girl wants to leave, but her young man behaves unworthily, grabs her by the hands and does not let her get up from the table. Then an outside guy comes to the rescue, who stands up for the girl and saves her from the insolent. Nice deed? Do you agree? I think we agree.
There are other beautiful things too. Imagine a situation where you are watching such a picture. You are walking in the park and watching a romantic marriage proposal. The guy gives a chic bouquet to his beloved, music plays, many balloons fly up, he gets down on one knee and hears the long-awaited "yes". This is also very beautiful.
I believe that beauty intersects with many concepts. There are beautiful people, beautiful buildings, beautiful deeds, beautiful words, beautiful soul and much more. Our whole life is made up of such beauty. Therefore, it is important to strive for the beauty of your actions.
I believe that loyalty is also beauty. Be faithful to the end, never let a person down, live with dignity and honor. Isn't it beautiful? Don't limit yourself to the concept of beauty as something visual. It is much deeper and is reflected in every person.
Each of us is beautiful in his own way, and guided by beauty, you can do many good deeds that will benefit society and make the world kinder and better. Therefore, beauty can save the world if you apply it in the right direction and do not forget to properly manage it. Give people your beauty and you will certainly receive a lot of joy and gratitude.
Composition reasoning Beauty will save the world
Many people say that beauty will save the world. But, each person understands this expression in his own way.
I think that the world can be saved not just by beautiful people, such as modern models or movie actresses. They are, of course, very attractive. But, they will not be able to make all the people of our planet happy. We watch movies, and we become happier and more fun. And, in countries where there is not even electricity, such simple entertainment is not available.
Beauty surrounds modern man everywhere, but he does not notice it. Adults are always in a hurry to work or on other important matters. They have no time to turn around and look at the beautiful blue sky. People pay attention to nature only when it starts to rain or strong wind. But, then they do not consider her beautiful, but quite the contrary.
Young people and children think that real beauty is a new super trendy mobile phone. They constantly look only at beautiful images on the screen, and do not want to see what is happening in the real world at all. Children can admire beautiful photos of kittens and dogs on the Internet, but indifferently pass by a hungry homeless animal. If people wanted not only to see, but also to create beauty themselves, the world would become kinder.
Why are there wars all over the world? Because people do not see the beauty of the world around them, and do not protect it at all. They are unimpressed by the majestic natural scenery and ruthlessly drop bombs on them. Soldiers are not touched by the smile of a small child, they do not respect the wrinkles of old people, and they shoot at them without the slightest regret.
Evil has settled in the hearts of people, which does not allow beauty to penetrate into a person. Less and less adults and children go to museums to enjoy beautiful paintings and other works of art.
At night, little children are less and less likely to read fairy tales about beauty and kindness, more and more often they are shown cartoons with ugly characters that do not teach anything good. What kind of parent will grow out of such a baby? Will he teach to appreciate the beauty of his child?
But what to do in such a difficult situation?
If every person on the planet stops for a moment and tries to see at least something beautiful around him, he will not be able to harm either another person or wildlife.
I am sure that beauty will save the world, but only if people are willing to put in the effort.
5, 6, 8, 9, 10 grade
Some interesting essays
- Composition based on the painting by Sanya Malikov Plastova Grade 6
The outstanding Russian figure, artist and creator Arkady Alexandrovich Plastov loved in his works to depict the people of his fellow villagers, the landscapes that enveloped his village.
- Composition based on the painting by Aivazovsky Sea. Moonlight night grade 9 (description)
The play of light in this work is striking in its unique beauty. A fabulous night sea with a green tint and a half-lit sky with a bright moon are pleasing to the eye.
- Composition based on the painting by Boyarynya Morozova Surikov Grade 7
The canvas depicts a real event that took place in November 1671, when, by order of the tsar, the boyar Theodosius Morozov
- Heroes of Green's Scarlet Sails
Thoughts about writing this story came to Green's mind when he saw a toy sailing boat in the store. The work was published in 1923 as a separate book.
Each person answers this question in his own way, since it is impossible to give an exact definition for it. Everyone thinks and feels differently, so the manifestation of love is also individual for everyone.
Fedor Dostoevsky. Engraving by Vladimir Favorsky. 1929 State Tretyakov Gallery / DIOMEDIA
"Beauty will save the world"
“Is it true, Prince [Mishkin], that you once said that the world would be saved by “beauty”? Gentlemen, - he [Ippolit] shouted loudly to everyone, - the prince claims that beauty will save the world! And I say that he has such playful thoughts because he is now in love. Gentlemen, the prince is in love; just now, as soon as he entered, I was convinced of this. Don't blush, prince, I'll feel sorry for you. What beauty will save the world? Kolya told me this... Are you a zealous Christian? Kolya says you call yourself a Christian.
The prince examined him attentively and did not answer him."Idiot" (1868)
The phrase about the beauty that will save the world is said by a minor character - a consumptive young man Hippolyte. He asks if Prince Myshkin really said so, and, having received no answer, he begins to develop this thesis. But the protagonist of the novel in such formulations does not talk about beauty and only once clarifies about Nastasya Filippovna whether she is kind: “Oh, if only she were good! Everything would be saved!”
In the context of The Idiot, it is customary to speak first of all about the power of inner beauty - this is how the writer himself suggested interpreting this phrase. While working on the novel, he wrote to the poet and censor Apollon Maikov that he set himself the goal of creating an ideal image of a "quite a wonderful person", referring to Prince Myshkin. At the same time, in the drafts of the novel there is the following entry: “The world will be saved by beauty. Two examples of beauty, ”after which the author discusses the beauty of Nastasya Filippovna. For Dostoevsky, therefore, it is important to evaluate the saving power of both the inner, spiritual beauty of a person and his appearance. In the plot of The Idiot, however, we find a negative answer: the beauty of Nastasya Filippovna, like the purity of Prince Myshkin, does not make the life of other characters better and does not prevent tragedy.
Later, in the novel "The Brothers Karamazov", the characters will again talk about the power of beauty. Brother Mitya no longer doubts her saving power: he knows and feels that beauty can make the world a better place. But in his own understanding, it also has destructive power. And the hero will be tormented because he does not understand exactly where the border between good and evil lies.
"Am I a trembling creature, or do I have the right"
“And not money, the main thing, I needed, Sonya, when I killed; money was needed not so much as something else ... I know all this now ... Understand me: maybe, following the same path, I would never repeat the murders again. I had to find out something else, something else pushed me under the arms: I had to find out then, and find out as soon as possible, whether I was a louse, like everyone else, or a man? Will I be able to cross or not! Do I dare to bend down and take it or not? Am I a trembling creature or right I have…”
"Crime and Punishment" (1866)
For the first time, Raskolnikov speaks of a “trembling creature” after meeting with a tradesman who calls him a “murderer”. The hero is frightened and plunges into reasoning about how some “Napoleon” would react in his place - a representative of the highest human “category”, who can calmly commit a crime for the sake of his goal or whim: “Right, right.” prophet, when he puts a good-r-roy battery somewhere across the street and blows on the right and the guilty, without even deigning to explain himself! Obey, trembling creature, and - do not wish, therefore - this is none of your business! .. ”Raskolnikov most likely borrowed this image from Pushkin’s poem “Imitation of the Koran”, where the 93rd sura is freely stated:
Be of good cheer, despise deceit,
Follow the path of righteousness,
Love the orphans and my Quran
Preach to the trembling creature.
In the original text of the sura, the addressees of the sermon should not be “creatures”, but people who should be told about the blessings that Allah can bestow “Therefore do not oppress the orphan! And do not drive the one who asks! And proclaim the mercy of your Lord" (Qur'an 93:9-11).. Raskolnikov deliberately mixes the image from "Imitations of the Koran" and episodes from the biography of Napoleon. Of course, not the prophet Mohammed, but the French commander put "a good battery across the street." So he crushed the royalist uprising in 1795. For Raskolnikov, they are both great people, and each of them, in his opinion, had the right to achieve their goals by any means. Everything that Napoleon did could be implemented by Mahomet and any other representative of the highest "class".
The last mention of the "trembling creature" in "Crime and Punishment" is the very damned question of Raskolnikov "Am I a trembling creature or have the right to ...". He utters this phrase at the end of a long explanation with Sonya Marmeladova, finally not justifying himself with noble impulses and difficult circumstances, but bluntly stating that he killed for himself in order to understand which “category” he belongs to. Thus ends his last monologue; after hundreds and thousands of words, he finally got to the bottom of it. The significance of this phrase is given not only by the biting wording, but also by what happens next with the hero. After that, Raskolnikov no longer makes long speeches: Dostoevsky leaves him only short remarks. Readers will learn about Raskolnikov's inner experiences, which will eventually lead him with a confession to Sen-naya Square and to the police station, from the author's explanations. The hero himself will not tell about anything else - after all, he has already asked the main question.
"Will the light fail, or should I not drink tea"
“... In fact, I need, you know what: so that you fail, that's what! I need peace. Yes, I'm in favor of not being disturbed, I'll sell the whole world right now for a penny. Will the light fail, or should I not drink tea? I will say that the light will fail, but that I always drink tea. Did you know this or not? Well, I now know that I am a bastard, a scoundrel, a selfish, lazy person.
"Notes from the Underground" (1864)
This is part of the monologue of the nameless hero of Notes from the Underground, which he says to a prostitute who unexpectedly came to his house. The phrase about tea sounds like proof of the insignificance and selfishness of the underground man. These words have an interesting historical context. Tea as a measure of prosperity first appears in Dostoevsky's Poor People. Here is how the hero of the novel Makar Devushkin talks about his financial situation:
“And my apartment costs me seven rubles in banknotes, and a table of five rubles: here are twenty-four and a half, and before that I paid exactly thirty, but denied myself a lot; He didn't always drink tea, but now he's paid for tea and sugar. It is, you know, my dear, not to drink tea is somehow ashamed; there are enough people here, and it’s a shame.”
Dostoevsky himself experienced similar experiences in his youth. In 1839 he wrote from St. Petersburg to his father in the village:
"What; without drinking tea, you will not die of hunger! I'll live somehow!<…>The camp life of each pupil of military educational institutions requires at least 40 rubles. money.<…>In this sum, I do not include such needs as, for example, to have tea, sugar, and so on. This is already necessary, and necessary, not out of propriety alone, but out of necessity. When you get wet in damp weather in the rain in a linen tent, or in such weather, when you come home from school tired, cold, you can get sick without tea; what happened to me last year on a hike. But still, respecting your need, I will not drink tea.
Tea in tsarist Russia was a really expensive product. It was transported directly from China along the only overland route, and this route is for-------- small for about a year. Due to transportation costs, as well as huge customs duties, tea in Central Russia cost several times more than in Europe. According to the Vedomosti of the St. Petersburg City Police, in 1845, in the Chinese tea shop of the merchant Piskarev, prices per pound (0.45 kilograms) of the product ranged from 5 to 6.5 rubles in banknotes, and the cost of green tea reached 50 rubles. At the same time, for 6-7 rubles you could buy a pound of first-class beef. In 1850, Otechestvennye Zapiski wrote that the annual consumption of tea in Russia is 8 million pounds - however, it is impossible to calculate how much per person, since this product was popular mainly in cities and among upper class people.
“If there is no God, then everything is allowed”
“... He ended with the assertion that for every private person, for example, as if we are now, who does not believe either in God or in his immortality, the moral law of nature must immediately change into the complete opposite of the former, religious one, and that egoism is even evil --- action should not only be allowed to a person, but even recognized as necessary, the most reasonable and almost the noblest outcome in his position.
The Brothers Karamazov (1880)
The most important words in Dostoevsky are usually not spoken by the main characters. So, Porfiry Petrovich is the first to speak about the theory of dividing humanity into two categories in Crime and Punishment, and only then Ras-kol-nikov; Ippolit asks the question of the saving power of beauty in The Idiot, and Pyotr Aleksandrovich Miusov, a relative of the Karamazovs, notes that God and the salvation promised to him are the only guarantor of people's observance of moral laws. Miusov refers to his brother Ivan, and only then other characters discuss this provocative theory, arguing about whether Karamazov could have invented it. Brother Mitya considers it interesting, the seminarian Raki-tin is vile, the meek Alyosha is false. But the phrase "If there is no God, then everything is allowed" in the novel, no one pronounces. This "quote" will later be constructed from various replicas by literary critics and readers.
Five years before the publication of The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky was already trying to fantasize about what humanity would do without God. The hero of the novel "The Teenager" (1875), Andrei Petrovich Versilov, argued that clear evidence of the absence of a higher power and the impossibility of immortality, on the contrary, will make people love and appreciate each other more, because there is no one to love more. This imperceptibly slipped remark in the next novel grows into a theory, and that, in turn, into a test in practice. Exhausted by God-borches-skim ideas, brother Ivan waives moral laws and allows the murder of his father. Unable to bear the consequences, he almost goes insane. Allowing himself everything, Ivan does not stop believing in God - his theory does not work, because even to himself he could not prove it.
“Masha is on the table. Will I see Masha?
Love a person as yourself according to the commandment of Christ, it is impossible. The law of personality on earth binds. I hinders. Only Christ could, but Christ was an ideal from the ages, to which man aspires and, according to the law of nature, man must strive.
From a notebook (1864)
Masha, or Maria Dmitrievna, nee Constant, and by the first husband of Isaev, the first wife of Dostoevsky. They married in 1857 in the Siberian city of Kuznetsk, and then moved to Central Russia. On April 15, 1864, Maria Dmitrievna died of consumption. In recent years, the couple lived separately and spoke little. Maria Dmitrievna is in Vladimir, and Fedor Mikhailovich is in St. Petersburg. He was absorbed in the publication of magazines, where, among other things, he published the texts of his mistress, the aspiring writer Apollinaria Suslova. The illness and death of his wife hit him hard. A few hours after her death, Dostoevsky recorded in a notebook his thoughts about love, marriage and the goals of human development. Briefly, their essence is as follows. The ideal to strive for is Christ, the only one who could sacrifice himself for others. Man is selfish and unable to love his neighbor as himself. Nevertheless, heaven on earth is possible: with proper spiritual work, each new generation will be better than the previous one. Having reached the highest stage of development, people will refuse marriages, because they contradict the ideal of Christ. A family union is a selfish isolation of a couple, and in a world where people are ready to give up their personal interests for the sake of others, this is not necessary and impossible. And besides, since the ideal state of mankind will be reached only at the last stage of development, it will be possible to stop multiplying.
“Masha is lying on the table…” is an intimate diary entry, not a thoughtful writer's manifesto. But it is precisely in this text that ideas are outlined that Dostoevsky would later develop in his novels. The selfish attachment of a person to his "I" will be reflected in the individualistic theory of Raskolnikov, and the unattainability of the ideal - in Prince Myshkin, who was called "Prince Christ" in drafts, as an example of self-sacrifice and humility.
"Constantinople - sooner or later, should be ours"
“Pre-Petrine Russia was active and strong, although it was slowly taking shape politically; she worked out a unity for herself and was preparing to consolidate her outskirts; she understood to herself that she carries within herself a precious value that is not found anywhere else - Orthodoxy, that she is the custodian of Christ's truth, but already the true truth, the real Christ's image, obscured in all other faiths and in all other on-ro-dah.<…>And this unity is not for capture, not for violence, not for the destruction of Slavic personalities in front of the Russian colossus, but in order to recreate them and put them in proper relation to Europe and to humanity, to give them, finally, the opportunity to calm down and rest - after their countless centuries of suffering ...<…>Of course, and for the same purpose, Constantinople - sooner or later, should be ours ... "
"A Writer's Diary" (June 1876)
In 1875-1876, the Russian and foreign press was flooded with ideas about the capture of Constantinople. At this time in the territory of Porto Ottoman Porta, or Porta, Another name for the Ottoman Empire. one after another, uprisings of the Slavic peoples broke out, which the Turkish authorities brutally suppressed. It was going to war. Everyone was waiting for Russia to come out in defense of the Balkan states: they predicted victory for it, and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. And, of course, everyone was worried about the question of who in this case would get the ancient Byzantine capital. Various options were discussed: that Constantinople would become an international city, that it would be occupied by the Greeks, or that it would be part of the Russian Empire. The last option did not suit Europe at all, but it was very popular with Russian conservatives, who saw it primarily as a political benefit.
Vol-no-vali these questions and Dostoevsky. Having entered into a controversy, he immediately accused all the participants in the dispute of being wrong. In The Writer's Diary, from the summer of 1876 until the spring of 1877, he continually returns to the Eastern Question. Unlike the conservatives, he believed that Russia sincerely wants to protect fellow believers, free them from the oppression of the Muslims, and therefore, as an Orthodox power, has the exclusive right to Constantinople. “We, Russia, are really necessary and inevitable both for all of Eastern Christianity and for the whole fate of the future Orthodoxy on earth, for its unity,” writes Dostoevsky in his Diary for March 1877. The writer was convinced of the special Christian mission of Russia. Even earlier, he developed this idea in The Possessed. One of the heroes of this novel, Shatov, was convinced that the Russian people are God-bearing people. The same idea will be devoted to the famous, published in the Writer's Diary in 1880.
beauty will save the world
beauty will save the world
From the novel The Idiot (1868) by F. M. Dostoevsky (1821 - 1881).
As a rule, it is understood literally: contrary to the author's interpretation of the concept of "beauty".
In the novel (part 3, ch. V), these words are spoken by an 18-year-old youth, Ippolit Terentyev, referring to the words of Prince Myshkin transmitted to him by Nikolai Ivolgin and ironically over the latter: “It’s true, prince, that you once said that the world will be saved by“ beauty "? Gentlemen, - he shouted loudly to everyone, - the prince claims that beauty will save the world! And I say that he has such playful thoughts because he is now in love.
Gentlemen, the prince is in love; just now, as soon as he entered, I was convinced of this. Don't blush, prince, I'll feel sorry for you. What beauty will save the world? Kolya told me this... Are you a zealous Christian? Kolya says that you call yourself a Christian.
The prince examined him attentively and did not answer him.
F. M. Dostoevsky was far from strictly aesthetic judgments - he wrote about spiritual beauty, about the beauty of the soul. This corresponds to the main idea of the novel - to create the image of a "positively beautiful person". Therefore, in his drafts, the author calls Myshkin "Prince Christ", thereby reminding himself that Prince Myshkin should be as similar as possible to Christ - kindness, philanthropy, meekness, a complete lack of selfishness, the ability to sympathize with human misfortunes and misfortunes. Therefore, the “beauty” that the prince (and F. M. Dostoevsky himself) speaks of is the sum of the moral qualities of a “positively beautiful person”.
Such a purely personal interpretation of beauty is characteristic of the writer. He believed that "people can be beautiful and happy" not only in the afterlife. They can be like this and "without losing the ability to live on earth." To do this, they must agree with the idea that Evil “cannot be the normal state of people”, that everyone is able to get rid of it. And then, when people will be guided by the best that is in their soul, memory and intentions (Good), then they will be truly beautiful. And the world will be saved, and it is precisely such “beauty” (that is, the best that is in people) that will save it.
Of course, this will not happen overnight - spiritual work, trials and even suffering are needed, after which a person renounces Evil and turns to Good, begins to appreciate it. The writer speaks of this in many of his works, including in the novel The Idiot. For example (Part 1, Chapter VII):
“For some time, the general, silently and with a certain tinge of disdain, examined the portrait of Nastasya Filippovna, which she held in front of her in her outstretched hand, extremely and effectively moving away from her eyes.
Yes, she's good," she finally said, "very good indeed. I saw her twice, only from a distance. So you appreciate such and such beauty? she suddenly turned to the prince.
Yes ... such ... - answered the prince with some effort.
That is, exactly like this?
Exactly this.
For what?
There is a lot of suffering in this face ... - the prince said, as if involuntarily, as if speaking to himself, and not answering a question.
You, however, may be delusional, ”the general’s wife decided and with an arrogant gesture threw the portrait on the table about herself.”
The writer in his interpretation of beauty acts as a like-minded German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), who spoke about the “moral law within us”, that “beauty is a symbol
ox of moral good. F. M. Dostoevsky develops the same idea in his other works. So, if in the novel “The Idiot” he writes that beauty will save the world, then in the novel “Demons” (1872) he logically concludes that “ugliness (malice, indifference, selfishness. - Comp.) will kill ... "
Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003 .
See what "Beauty will save the world" is in other dictionaries:
- (beautiful), in the concepts of Holy Rus', divine harmony, inherent in nature, man, some things and images. Beauty expresses the divine essence of the world. Its source is in God Himself, His integrity and perfection. "Beauty ... ... Russian history
BEAUTY Russian Philosophy: Dictionary
beauty- one of the central concepts of Russian. philosophical and aesthetic thought. The word K. comes from the Proto-Slavic beauty. The adjective red in Proto-Slavonic and Old Russian. languages meant beautiful, beautiful, bright (hence, for example, Red ... ... Russian Philosophy. Encyclopedia
Artistic the direction prevailing in the app. European culture in room 60 early. 70s 19th century (originally in literature, then in other forms of art depicting, musical, theatrical) and soon included other cultural phenomena philosophy, ... ... Encyclopedia of cultural studies
An aesthetic category that characterizes phenomena that have the highest aesthetic perfection. In the history of thought, the specificity of P. was realized gradually, through its correlation with other kinds of values, utilitarian (benefit), cognitive (truth), ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Fedor Mikhailovich, Russian writer, thinker, publicist. Started in the 40s. lit. way in line with the "natural school" as a successor to Gogol and an admirer of Belinsky, D. at the same time absorbed into ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
- (from the Greek. aisthetikos feeling, sensual) philosophy. a discipline that studies the nature of the whole variety of expressive forms of the surrounding world, their structure and modification. E. is focused on identifying universals in sensory perception ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Vladimir Sergeevich (born January 16, 1853, Moscow - died July 31, 1900, ibid.) - the largest Russian. religious philosopher, poet, publicist, son of S. M. Solovyov, rector of the Moscow University and author of the 29-volume "History of Russia from ancient times" (1851 - 1879) ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
An activity that generates new values, ideas, the person himself as a creator. In modern scientific literature devoted to this problem, there is an obvious desire to explore specific types of technology (in science, technology, art), its ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Valentina Sazonova Sazonova Valentina Grigoryevna Date of birth: March 19, 1955 (1955 03 19) Place of birth: Chervone ... Wikipedia
Books
- Beauty will save the world Grade 4 Album of artistic tasks in fine arts, Ashikova S. 4th grade". It expands and deepens the material of the textbook for grade 4 (author S. G. Ashikova) .. Contents ...
- Beauty will save the world. Album of artistic tasks in the visual arts. 4th grade. GEF, Ashikova Svetlana Gennadievna. The main task of the album of artistic tasks Beauty will save the world, grade 4, to help children see and love the world around them and its colors. The album is unusual in that it contains another…
There is some impracticality in the very concept of beauty. Indeed, in today's rational times, more utilitarian values often come to the fore: power, prosperity, material well-being. For beauty, sometimes there is no place at all. And only truly romantic natures seek harmony in aesthetic pleasures. Beauty has entered culture for a long time, but from epoch to epoch the content of this concept has changed, moving away from material objects and acquiring the features of spirituality. Archaeologists still find during excavations of ancient settlements stylized images of primitive beauties, distinguished by the splendor of forms and simplicity of images. During the Renaissance, the standards of beauty changed, being reflected in the artistic canvases of eminent painters who struck the imagination of contemporaries. Today, ideas about human beauty are formed under the influence of mass culture, which imposes rigid canons of beauty and ugliness in art. Times go by, beauty invitingly looks at viewers from TV screens and computers, but does it save the world? Sometimes one gets the impression that the glossy beauty that has become familiar to a greater extent does not so much keep the world in harmony as it requires more and more new victims. When Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky put into the mouth of one of the heroes of the novel The Idiot the words that beauty would save the world, he, of course, did not mean physical beauty. The great Russian writer, apparently, was also far from abstract aesthetic discussions about beauty, since Dostoevsky was always interested in beauty, the spiritual, moral component of the human soul. That beauty, which, according to the writer's idea, should lead the world to salvation, is more related to religious values. So Prince Myshkin, in his qualities, is very reminiscent of the textbook image of Christ, full of meekness, philanthropy and kindness. The hero of Dostoevsky's novel cannot in any way be reproached for selfishness, and the prince's ability to sympathize with human grief often goes beyond the boundaries of understanding on the part of a simple man in the street. According to Dostoevsky, it is this image that embodies that spiritual beauty, which in essence is the totality of the moral properties of a positive and beautiful person. There is no point in arguing with the author, since this would have to question the value system of a very large number of people who hold similar views on the means of saving the world. One can only add that no beauty - neither physical nor spiritual - is able to transform this world if it is not supported by real deeds. Good-heartedness turns into virtue only when it is active and accompanied by no less beautiful deeds. It is this beauty that saves the world.
