hunter notes

Chapter 39 Singer (2)
"Choose one." Master Ye said to Blink.With a wink and a smug smile, he held his hat in both hands and began to shake it.In an instant, there was no sound in the room, except for the slight jingle of two copper coins colliding with each other.I looked around carefully: all the faces showed tense and expectant expressions, Mr. Ye also squinted his eyes, and even the farmer in a torn robe sitting next to me stretched his neck curiously .In the blink of an eye, he put his hand into the hat and took out the contractor's copper coin, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.Yakov blushed, and the contractor ran his hands through his hair.

"I have already said, you first," said the fool loudly. "Okay, okay, stop arguing!" Master Ye said seriously, "Let's start." At the same time, he nodded to the contractor. "Which song should I sing?" the contractor asked excitedly. "Sing what you like," replied Wink, "sing whatever comes to your mind." "Of course, sing what you like," Nikolai Ivanitch said slowly, He crossed his chest and echoed, "This can't be specified. Sing the song you like, as long as it is well sung, we will judge by conscience."

"Of course, in good conscience." The fool continued, licking the rim of his empty wine glass. "Brothers, let me clear my throat." The contractor said, touching the collar of his coat with his fingers.

"Well, well, don't delay—begin!" said Mr. Wild decisively, and bowed his head.

The contractor thought for a while, held his head up, and stepped forward.Yakov stared at him intently.

But, before I proceed to describe the contest, I do not think it superfluous to say a few words about each of the characters who appear in the story.The living conditions of some of them were known to me when I met them in the Anleju Hotel.About the situation of several other people, I found out later.Let's start with the fool.This man's real name was Yevgraf Ivanov.But everyone in the neighborhood called him Dope, a nickname he admitted to himself because it suited him so well.Indeed, this nickname could not be more suitable for him who is unattractive and flustered.He was a dissolute single domestic servant, deserted by his former master long ago, without a job, not a single cent's wages, yet he managed to drink every day at other people's money.He has many acquaintances, and these people buy him wine and tea, and they don't know why.In fact, not only did he fail to entertain the crowd, on the contrary, his boring chatter, embarrassing entanglements, fanatical movements and endless weird laughter made everyone feel disgusted.He can neither sing nor dance.Not only never uttered a wise word in all his life, but he never said a single useful word, and always babbled and babbled—what a fool!However, within 40 versts, there was no reception without his tall and thin figure shuttling among the guests-people were used to him like an inevitable disaster.Although people despise him, the only one who can subdue his arrogance is the wild master.

Blinking doesn't look like a fool at all.But the wink nickname also fits him well, even though he doesn't blink much more than others.Everyone knows that Russians are good at nicknames.Although I tried my best to find out the more detailed history of this person, in his past life, I think—and I guess many other people also think—that there are ambiguous aspects, that is, the so-called scholars are buried in the darkness of the unknown. place.All I know is that he worked as a coachman for an old and childless mistress, and then escaped with three horses entrusted to his care, disappeared for a whole year, and then probably realized the futility and joy of a wandering life. Unfortunately, he came back of his own accord—but already crippled—kowtowed to his mistress, redeemed his faults with several years of normative behavior, gradually gained the mistress’s favor, and finally fully obtained Gained her trust and became a housekeeper.After the death of the mistress, for some reason, he gained freedom and became a small market merchant, renting some melon fields from his neighbors, made a fortune, and now lives a free life.This was a man of deep experience and a cunning heart, neither malicious nor merciful, but a frugal man.This is an old Jianghu, famous for countless people, and good at using people.He is cautious and cunning like a fox, he is talkative like an old woman, but he never tells the truth and makes others tell; It is very difficult for him to pretend.I've never seen more sinister eyes than his sly little eyes.These eyes never simply look, but are always looking around and peeping.In the blink of an eye, sometimes he thinks about a very simple thing for several weeks, and sometimes he suddenly decides to do a very bold thing.He is a lucky man, he believes in his luck, he believes in omens.In short, he is a very superstitious person.People don't like him because he doesn't care about others, but people respect him.All his relatives are just one son, he dotes on this son very much, because this son has such a father's upbringing, he must have a bright future. "Little Wink looks a lot like his father." Now, on summer evenings, the old people were whispering about him as they sat on the bunkers and chatted.Everyone understands what this means, and there is no need to add anything.

There is already not much to say about Yakov the Turk and the contractor.Yakov was nicknamed the Turk because he was indeed born of a captured Turkish woman.He was an artist in soul, but a water-drawer in a merchant's paper mill in identity.As for the contractor, to be honest, I don't know his life experience, I just think he is a smart and capable small city businessman.But about Master Ye, I still need to talk about it in detail.

The first impression of this man is that of a rough, heavy, but irresistible force.His body was clumsy, what we call "brutal," but showed an indestructible health, and--strange to say--his bear-like body did not lack a special grace which This grace probably arose from his bland confidence in his own power.When we met for the first time, it was almost impossible to tell what class this Hercules belonged to: he was not like a domestic servant, a market merchant, a retired poor scribe, or a bankrupt man with few lands. The nobles of the world—hound hunters and fighters.He is totally a special character.Nobody knows at all where he came to our county from.It is said that he was born as a single-family landlord, and he used to hold a position somewhere, but no one knows for sure about this, and he can't investigate it—it is impossible to ask from him, because people who are more silent and darker than him There is no more.Nor can anyone say exactly what he did for a living.He neither practiced any trade nor went to anyone's house, and hardly associated with anyone, but he had money; not much money, but there was money.He wasn't humble—he wasn't humble at all—but he was serene.He lives as if he doesn't notice anyone around him, and never needs anyone.Lord Wild (that was his nickname; his real name was Polevtsov) was very powerful in the surrounding area, and although he had no power over anyone, and never even demanded obedience from casual contacts, people always It is to obey him willingly.People listen to his words, and his power often works.He hardly drank, and he didn't hang out with women, but he loved to sing.There are many mysteries about this person, as if there is a huge power secretly hidden in him, and he himself seems to know that once this power rises, once it bursts out, it will destroy himself and even everything it touches.If the man had not had such outbursts in his past life, if he had not been saved from destruction by experience, he would not have held himself so unrelentingly and strictly, then what I am saying is completely unreasonable. wrong.What struck me above all was the mixture in him of an innate ferocity and an innate nobility—a mixture I had never seen in anyone else.

Going on, the contractor stepped forward, half-closed his eyes, and began to sing in a very high falsetto.Although his voice is a little hoarse, it is very sweet and melodious; his singing is twirling and whirling, like a top, constantly moving from high pitch to low pitch, then back to high pitch, then maintaining high pitch, trying to prolong it, and then stopping , and then suddenly sang the previous tune with a bold and presumptuous voice.The twists and turns of his tunes are sometimes bold and sometimes laughable, and this singing method can give great pleasure to the insider.The Germans will be angry when they hear this.This is the Russian version of tenore di grazia, ténor légel.He sang a merry dance, and of the words of the melody, all I could hear from his endless ornamentation, additional consonants, and cries, were the following:

I am a young man who tills a small field; I am a young man who sows bright red flowers.

He sang, and everyone listened attentively.Apparently he felt that he was performing in front of an expert, so he really put all his strength into it.Indeed, people in our neighborhood are very good at singing, and it is no wonder that the village of Sergiyevsk on the Orel Avenue is famous all over Russia for its unique harmonious and melodious songs.The contractor sang for a long time, but it did not move his audience any unusually strongly, because he had no chorus to help him.Finally he sang a very successful turning point, which made the wild master smile. At this time, the fool was so excited that he couldn't help shouting, and everyone cheered up.Goofy and Wink began to sing softly along with the chorus, yelling occasionally: "Great! . . . work on, boy! . . . Yes, you dog!... The King of Hades wants to seduce your soul!" All the shouts were these words.Behind the counter Nikolai Ivanitch shook his head approvingly from side to side.At last the fool stamped his feet, took small steps on tiptoe, and shook his shoulders.As for Yakov, his eyes were like glowing coals, and his whole body was like a quivering leaf, smiling strangely.Only Master Ye's facial expression remained the same, and he stood motionless as usual, but his eyes staring at the contractor softened a little, although the corner of his mouth still had a contemptuous expression.Inspired by everyone's joyful expression, the contractor began whistling like a whirlwind, and began to increase his coloratura. He fiddled with his tongue like a warbler and beat a drum, and drummed his throat frantically. Finally, he was tired, his face was pale, and he was sweating. It filled his whole body, so he leaned back his whole body, and released the last long and continuous sound.The people in the audience burst into wild cheers in response to him.The fool ran up and took him by the neck, suffocating him with his long thin arms like sticks; Nikolai Ivanitch's plump, shiny face glowed Blushing, he seemed young; Yakov shouted like crazy: "It's too bad, it's too bad!" Even the peasant in the ragged robe sitting next to me couldn't help it, and beat him hard with his fist. Hitting the table, shouting, "Aha! That's great! Damn it, that's great!" and resolutely spat aside.

"Oh, man, smooth!" cried the fool, clinging to the exhausted contractor, "fluff, there's nothing to say! You win, buddy, you win! Congratulations—the wine's yours Yes! Yakov is not so good...I tell you, it is far away...you believe me!" So he hugged the contractor tightly again.

(End of this chapter)