Serebryakov. In the morning, look for Batyushkov in the library. I think we have one.

Elena Andreyevna, eh?

Serebryakov. Look for Batyushkov in the morning. I remember he was with us.

A. P. Chekhov. "Uncle Vanya"

My destiny gave birth to a crocodile

You're here on your own...

Vl. Solovyov. "Panikadila is burning in the sky..."

In the recently published work of I. Z. Serman, a very non - trivial subtext of one of the fragments of Chekhov's vaudeville "The Bear" was revealed-the tragedy of A. K. Tolstoy "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich" (see: Serman I. Z. One of Chekhov's unidentified parodies // Tynyanov collection. Issue 10, Moscow, 1998, pp. 139-142). An equally unexpected subtext to another fragment of Chekhov's play will be offered in the following note.

Let us first quote the famous monologue of Chekhov's landowner Smirnov, dedicated to exposing female guile: "That's enough! Black eyes, passionate eyes, scarlet lips, dimples on the cheeks, the moon, a whisper, a timid breath - for all this, madam, I will not give a copper penny now! (...) You will look at another poetic creation: muslin, ether, demigodess, a million delights, and you will look into the soul - an ordinary crocodile!" (Chekhov A. P. Poln. sobr. soch. i pis'mov: V 30 t. M., 1978. Vol. 11. P. 303).

Easily recognizable quotes from the romance "Black Eyes" and the poem by Afanasy Fet " Whisper. Timid breathing..."side by side here with a slightly more carefully disguised reminiscence from the "Lucky Man" by Konstantin Batyushkov:

Our heart is a dark storehouse:

Quiet, peaceful view from above;

But go to the bottom... it's terrible!

The crocodile is lying on it!

page 37

It turns out that the landowner Smirnov is not at all such a" monster, bear, bourbon " as he wants to appear. His most prosaic line turns out to be a quote from the soulful lyricist Konstantin Batyushkov.

Permanent link to this publication: