Svatopluk Čech

“ We were just entering the great Gulf of Sevastopol, which, with one or two other indentations, is cut out of the solid rock.
The hills on all sides, and the space of level land, gleamed brightly now under the mid-day sun, showed the ruins of those fortifications that had once been so formidable. Walls, redoubts, towers, houses. Across the Gulf the remains of the gigantic dock stared back at us from long rows of empty windows. Right beside upon a declivity, beside the ruins of numberless houses, stood the Russian Church, rejoicing in its imposing outlook. ”

“ Brings to the wealthy child the Christmas tree,
Ladened with gifts, and lights, the poor man’s child,
In his poor room, says sadly, “Naught for me?”
Naught but the flowers on his frost-bound pane.
Is this the love of neighbor, like one’s self?
Oh, Christ of God, Thy Kingdom is not yet,
We are not ruled by love, but filthy pelf.
Oh, that Thy kingdom, nearer to our earth,
Thy starry kingdom, would draw near in love,
And teach our human hearts to know and feel
The blessedness of helping man above,
The degradation that makes life a hell. ”

“ You, sure, forgetting there of apes the land is,
Had cried: “Lo! Pricop, one of thy prime dandies!”
As to ape lady lionesses say,
Who’d paint the lily or their charms pourtray?
Those gorgeous silks, those “parures” so transcendent,
The subtle movement of those fine, dusk hands,
When, like a love-net, many a fan resplendent
Its wavering curves and chequered ribs expands,
And listening to the soft and bird-like cluttering
You think of other fair ones’ half-lisped kisses
By moonlit Moldau, or the foreign spluttering
Of malapropos by raw school-girl misses. ”

“ When the carriage stopped in the passageway, where all the inmates of the castle greeted the noble visitors with reverential bows, the nobleman in black fixed his sleepy eyes upon old Foltyn, who stood in the foreground, an endless devotion mirrored in the honest blue eyes, a dejected expression on the wrinkled face and with the patrimonial drum at his side. For a moment his lordship stared at this interesting piece of ancestral inheritance. Then the noble muscles of the dull, pale face relaxed, and his lordship gave vent to a hearty laugh. ”

“ But no! 'Twas not a mere illusion of my o'eryearning dream.
I know that the morning star of those better days will yet gleam;
That the greater part of that vision’s splendor will be fulfilled,
Though from my aged neck to shake the yoke, I shall not be willed.
My silvery gray head will bow unto the dust of a slave;
Slaves too will cast the handful of earth to my fetters in my grave.
But, you, O younger comrades, ere your course shall know time no more,
You shall ascend with happy tread upon freedom's sunny shore.
Then may the rude fist with whip around about in darkness reign. ”

“ The world is different from what the priests and your simple-minded parents have painted it for you. I will make you happy. Whatever you wish, you will get—beautiful clothes, jewels, money—all. I will make your father a butler, steward, maybe even something higher. You will be in the city yourself. Now, my little dove, don’t be ashamed, lift up your lovely eyes. God knows I never saw more beautiful ones!”
Foltýn stood as if thunderstruck. ”

“ Among the meadows green, where only burn
The dew’s bright jewels, that on the flowers lie.
Be praised . . Be worshipped . . How else can we express
In human speech the soul’s outpouring thought,
That emanates from the horizon’s light excess
The morning air, with the scent of meadows fraught,
The blooming merigolds that paint the waters gold,
The songs of nightingales whose straining throats unfold
A greeting to the sun, while they soar to heights unsought. ”

“ Above the palms the frighted parrot flies,
A tulip of the clouds, and vibrates there
Its Iris plumes: from leafy covert lair
An ape has sprung and down its tree trunk stair
Slid lightning-like to earth: behind him follow,
One, two, three, four: whole packs in full cry hollow;
Now from the brakes of pleated leaves is spilling
A perfect cloud of these wild apish swarms,
Down the lianas jerked, as if distilling
A waterfall of fawn-furred pygmy forms.
Each to the chests and packing cases scampers,
Rends the portmanteau-straps and tugs the hampers. ”

“ To be sure her icy heart melted in the warm glow of ducats, but Alfred's had frozen. No longer is he interested in that beautiful picture framed in smoke. His love is now framed in solid gold. He does not love his wife, nor she him, yet what matters that? Before the world they are all that they should be, and privately—foolish is he who lets old-fashioned ideas interfere with his pleasures!
That Alfred has no character, is an open secret, every one knows it, and can read it on his brow. ”

“ The steward hunted up various keys and day-books and charged the blame for all the disorder on the head of Beruška, who, suspecting nothing, was just then in the office, rubbing perfumed oil on his blond hair. Old Foltýn stood erect in the driveway with his drum swung from his shoulder, every muscle in his face twitching violently as he extended his hand with the drumstick in the direction of the approaching carriage as if, like Joshua of old, he execrated it, commanding it to tarry in the village until all was in readiness. ”

“ I am a professor in Munich. With my wife and nephew I am on my way to the Crimea for practical study.”
He said these words in a tone just touched with irony. I meditated for a moment as just how best to classify the dry example of professorship.
“For geological study?”
“No—Callobiotic.”
I looked at him amazed. My glance met his. It rested calmly upon my face.
“The sound of this word means nothing to you, am I not correct? It is a new science. It has not yet been properly introduced. I hope to perform a service to humanity by introducing it to you.” ”

“ Hanuman! thy grief I share it,
But give ear to what I’m saying,
Times shall come we long have dreamed of
Chafing at their long delaying.
When at last we’ll leave behind us
Strife of tongues and wars shall cease,
And one common language bind us
In the golden chains of peace.
All shall then be one in feeling,
One in acting, one in thinking,
From one single fount of wisdom
Thirsty souls shall then be drinking;
Hanuman then e’en thine apes shall,
Too, mature to freedom’s ray,
And no fable then, perhaps, shall
Be my wild fantastic lay. ”

“ Yes, gold is the god of our century; the heavens proclaim its glory above that of the moon, the dollar is more beautiful than the stars. On earth all rulers bow before gold; in divers shapes and under various names we worship it. Some call it religion; others love; many call it law, and still others speak of it as wicked Mammon; but one and all, they pay it honor. For gold we preach; shed blood on the battle-field; sacrifice ourselves for our country; love humanity; work with hands and brain ”

“ Chilled by man’s selfishness, as cold as stone?
Should I return then with a youthful heart
To love-stirred yearning, though I understand
That the aura that gives love its gilded part
Is just a trinket from a story land?
What I called heaven turns to earth once more
Heavenly manna is only the bread of yore,
That saintly love to which young dreams give birth
Holds its airy throne high up above the earth. ”

“ For this purpose it is no use at all to go fussing about in the clubs and riding the high horse of politics. We must descend among the people, address them with tongue of fire, point out to them their eternal safeguards, their ancient rights, their language, their literature, their science, inspire them for these things with energetic, fiery winged words . . . Well, wouldn’t you like to contribute your talent towards this object?” The poet was pleasantly surprised. ”

“ Morn till nightfall along
Life's deserted main.
Scarce felt my nape at length
Youthful power and strength,
Yoke of steel was firmly
Bound about my neck:
Taught to bow my head low,
Kisses did I bestow
On the lash that smote me:
Brow beat earth at heck.
I, a weakly slave, grew
'Mongst my brother serfs true;
Chains for jewels clinked just
At each sister's side;
And where'er my gaze dwelt
Anger, shame, pain I felt,
As with heads bowed to dust
Slaves dwelt nation wide. ”

“ Not only I, but the rest of the passengers upon the upper deck—looked with pleasure at the extremely pretty young woman who was approaching. With envy in my voice I whispered to Walter:
“You are living neither a play nor an epic, but instead a love song.”
She was following her steamer rug which hung from the arm of a tall, handsome youth. In the youth there was that commingling of timidity and boldness which distinguishes the students of German universities. ”

“ Old Foltýn was fairly numbed with joyous surprise when Marianka, with the great news, returned to him. Even in his dreams he would not have thought that his daughter would be chosen by fate to become the glittering pendant to that footman of whose relationship the entire Foltýn family boasted. Instantly he forgot the incident of the drum, his gait became sturdier and his eyes glowed like a youth’s.
Several days passed. The baroness continued enthusiastic about the delights of country life and devoted herself with great eagerness to the education of Marietta as a lady’s maid. ”

“ Slavish hands with earth will cover, these old chains of endless toil
But you younger friends, before you end your life’s uncertain course
You’ll alight with feet unshackled yon, on freedom’s sunny shores.
In the darkness that surrounds you let the whips and fists hold sway,
Cherish faithfully within you promise of a brighter day,
All your thoughts should be united in one firm determined whole,
All your strengths should be collected to attain the final goal. ”

“ How Hanuman depict in fitting manner
That mighty change in all things, high and low,
Wherewith, great Peter’s compeer, at a blow
O’er Apedom thou didst hoist fair culture’s banner!
How deftly wert thou skilled to use the stores
The ship’s broad shoulders brought thee to thy shores;
Those side scenes, costumes and a hundred trifles,
Of which is built our real world’s scenic rival’s:
With these thou hadst in thy still forest grove meant
To found a world, of well bred apes the sure hope,
Whose polish fine and cultivated movement
Should more than run abreast with that of Europe. ”

“ Aaron buys everything: Worn-out clothes; maidens' purity; old umbrellas; honor; hair; genius—Aaron buys the whole world. Why not buy character? Character, in these days, is a rare article. There are many, many people with no character—"
Alfred gazed with horror at the speaker. The last rays of the setting sun stole in and added to the Jew's repulsiveness. The bag in his hand grew fiery red, the ragged hair and beard changed into golden threads, gold sparkled in the folds of his garment, played over his wrinkled face—even his eyes shone like two ducats. ”

“ Evidently something chained the hot-headed youth to the uncle which he would not confide to any human ear. After a moment I said, looking him directly in the eye:
“And how does Frau Walter get on with her husband's hobbies?”
He looked at me shyly and blushed. I did not look away.
“With patience,” he replied slowly. “Of course, like all women, she tries to get her own way, and sometimes she succeeds. But of course anyone can see that to a sympathetic person like her, that cold, pedantic treatment is not particularly pleasant.”
“Frau Walter is a woman to be worshiped,” I answered. ”

“ Nowhere custodian with whip, nor sleek the slaveholder now;
Nowhere glistens the savage soldier's lance and spear, nor appear
The white folds of the Brahman's robe hypocritically near;
Nowhere is writ in colors diverse the mark of caste,
'Tis the happy native land of brothers equal and free at last.
Peacefully in those throngs are mingled diverse speech and color,
The beggar does not wind in rags, nor wastes his wealth the idler ”

“ Thus has the soul of Palestine from childhood days
Embraced us with its hundreds of varied chains
And slowly changed our beings and our ways,
Giving its imprint to our dreams and brains.
The Jewish tribe can proudly raise its head
Above all those who would besmear its birth
For with its soul, it slowly overspread
All men and slowly reached all points on Earth. ”

“ The grace and softness of each supple motion,
In every one it wakens warm devotion
Whose natural sense of beauty’s not abortive.
Its use for life on trees can’t be denied,
’Tis sanctioned, too, by countless generations.
Sires, grandsires, gloried in this train’s gyrations:
’Twas Hanuman the Mighty’s joy and pride
E’en fairest stars through night’s autumnal trail
In lines of glittering light a sparkling tail:
And this choice decoration—we’re to flout it
Merely because mankind is now without it? ”

“ For a moment the bystanders in bewilderment looked from his lordship to old Foltyn and back again; then each for himself decided that loyalty demanded blind following of the noble example, and all began to laugh, the steward and his wife rather nervously; the happy-go-lucky Beruska and the fat footman with all their hearts. Even her ladyship smiled lightly, and very charmingly. ”

“ Every style of architecture is represented; English, Swiss, Gothic, Byzantine, Moorish, Arabic, Tartar. Above appears beautiful Alupta and now—now—
The dining room bell rings and—despite the verses of Byron about it—I hear nothing, I see nothing, not even the lovely woman who is standing beside me, I am staring with astonished eyes at the scene before me. Like the beautiful princess in the fairy tale the coast of Ialta—fair as Paradise, richly green as the emerald—breathes upon me its intoxication. I stand motionless on deck, the warm, inspiring wind of the South blowing about me ”

“ Purge your whole essence from all human scoria.”
Under his guidance on the following day,
The true ape style of life resumed its sway,
O’er boughs and vines they wreathed their wood gymnastic;
The foot so long in boots benumbed and strained,
Once more it quick prehensile touch regained;
To unperverted ape-grins jowls grew plastic;
In perfect discords all the wood went squealing,
And shewed its grinning teeth from floor to ceiling,
Nay, tails were luted on with gum or mastic
To prove them perfect apes in form and feeling. ”

“ On two sides of this covered lower deck there extended—just as in the people's room in a mill—high benches, upon which reclined a strange assortment of men and women of different races and religions. Upon a faded rug here sits, with his legs crossed, a grave mussulman; his face expresses peace and happiness. He has procured space enough in which to enjoy himself, to place his nargileh and his yellow slippers with the curving toes. Some tall fellows whose faces do not arouse confidence, lie restlessly beside him. ”

“ The baron chided the footman for his superfluous flesh, and ordered him out into the fields for a walk. The steward and his wife behind locked doors were counting and sorting stores of preserved fruits.
In this idyllic, peaceful hour it happened to strike Foltyn’s old head that his Marie was tarrying rather unnecessarily in her ladyship’s rooms. He put the thought away, but it came back again and again, with greater force.
“What is she doing there so late?” he muttered under his moustaches. “Her ladyship is not there to be keeping her.” ”

“ To have a folk just like the folk they copied,
And here the prince gave without stint or stop aid.
His realm in all had human regulations,
Ay, e’en a Constitution’s delectations,
He gave his apes the right, as Europe teaches,
In halls of delegates to make fine speeches,
Here deputies take thought about new taxes,
Bright flower of empire these, in peace and quiet:
Some, perhaps oppose: the Government relaxes:
And all refer the question to the Diet. ”