There’s now an armistice: we eat and drink
Together. Often on our outer posts
We chat with Frenchmen; and we drink our wódka32
Together—now hurrah! and cannons sound!
A Russian proverb says: ‘With whom I fight,
I love him.’—‘Love your wife like to your soul,
And beat her like your szuba.’33 I say we
Shall have a war. For Major Plut’s arrived;
The adjutant of staff came yesterday,
With orders to prepare to march. We march;
’Tis either on the Turks, or on the French.
That Bonaparte! perhaps he may out-trump us;
Without Suwarow. In our regiment they
Tell how as we were marching on the trench,
That Bonaparte used sorceries:34 well then,
Suwarow, too, used magic; so it was
A sorcery pitted against sorcery.
One day in fight—wherever was he gone?
They sought for Bonaparte; he had changed himself
Into a fox, and so Suwarow turned
Himself into a greyhound; Bonaparte
Again did change himself into a cat.
So on to tear each other with their claws!
Suwarow changed into an ass. Now you
Shall see what later came to Bonaparte.”
Rykow broke off, and ate: then came a servant
In with the fourth course, and the side doors oped,
And a new person entered, young and fair.
Her sudden coming, stature, and her beauty
And dress turned every eye: all welcomed her;
It seemed, excepting Thaddeus, all knew her.
A slender shape was hers, and beautiful;
And gown of a rich stuff, a rosy silk,
The neck cut low, lace collar, and short sleeves.
She twirled within her hand a fan—for pastime,
Since ’twas not hot—she waved the gilded fan,
And scattered round a plenteous rain of sparks.
Her locks were wreathed in twisted braids and curls,
With rosy ribbons intertwined; among them
A brilliant, nearly hidden from the eye,
Shone like a star among a comet’s tresses.
It was a gala dress, and not a few
Whispered it was too fine for country life,
And for a working day. The eye perceived not
Her little feet, although the robe was short
For very fast she ran, or rather glided,
Like those small figures, which upon the feast
Of the Three Kings boys push along on skates.
She ran, and with light court’sy welcomed each,
Endeavouring to reach her destined place.
’Twas hard, for chairs were placed not for the guests;
Upon four benches in four rows they sat.
The row must either move, or bench be crossed.
She glided cleverly between two benches,
And then between those sitting and the table
She spun around most like a billiard-ball.
In running past, she touched our young man close,
Her flounce entangling over some one’s knee.
She slipped a little, and in this divergence
She leaned upon the arm of Thaddeus.
She courteously asked pardon, and sat down
Between him and his uncle, but ate nought.
She only fanned herself, and twirled the fan;
Now set to rights her Flanders lace, and now
With the light touching of her hand caressed
Her curls of hair, and knots of ribbons bright.
’Twas just four minutes this distraction reigned,
And meanwhile at the table’s further end,
First stilly murmurs were; at length began
A half-aloud discourse; the men related
To-day’s chase. The Assessor with the Regent35
Contested obstinately, ever louder,
The quarrel of a certain crop-tailed greyhound,
In whose possession the Pan Regent gloried,
And held that he to-day had seized the hare.
But the Assessor proved in his despite
This glory ’longed unto his greyhound Sokol.36
They asked of others sentence; so all round
Took either Kusy’s37 part, or that of Sokol,
As connoisseurs, or else as witnesses.
At the other end the Judge to his new neighbour
Said in a whisper: “I am very sorry;
We had to sit down, ’twas impossible
To put the supper off to any later.
The guests were hungry; they’ve been far afield.”
This said, he with the Chamberlain discoursed
Of politics, in low tones, o’er the goblet.
While thus both table-sides were occupied,
Thaddeus gazed long upon the fair unknown.
He recollected now at the first glance
Upon the place he from the first had guessed
Whose seat it was to be; he blushed, and now
His heart with unaccustomed violence beat.
So all his secret riddles thus were solved!
So thus it was appointed, at his side
Should sit that loveliness in twilight seen!
’Twas true she now appeared of larger growth—
In full dress, dress both magnifies and lessens.
But why had one short locks and golden bright,
The other wreaths of long and raven braids?
That bright hue from the sunbeams was derived;
The sunset renders all things crimson bright.
He had not see her face, she fled too soon;
But thought evolves by guessing a fair face.
He thought she surely must have had black eyes,
A pale face, lips as red as cherries twin,
Since here he saw such eyes, and lips and cheeks.
In age perhaps was greatest difference;
The gardening nymph had seemed a little maid;
This lady was a woman grown in years.
But youth for beauty’s birth certificate
Doth never ask; all women to young men
Seem young, to boys each beauty doth appear
Of their own age, and to the innocent
Will every one beloved appear a maid.
Though Thaddeus numbered well-nigh twenty years,
And had from childhood dwelt in Wilna’s town,
He had a priest as tutor, who restrained him,
In strictest bonds of ancient discipline.
But Thaddeus from his parents had derived
A pure heart, lively spirit, innocent soul;
But yet of wilfulness had not a little.
He made a plan, at last he would enjoy
His long forbidden freedom, in the country.
He knew himself right handsome, strong and young;
Vigour and health he owned as heritage
His name Soplica;3839 the Soplicas all
As well is known are valiant, stout and strong;
First-rate as soldiers, but less skilled in learning.
Nor from his fathers Thaddeus was degenerate;
He rode on horse right well, walked far on foot.
Although not dull, in study little versed,
Though spared his uncle for his training nought.
For he preferred to shoot, or wield the sabre.
He knew they meant to fit him for the wars;
That so his father’s testament ordained.
He longed unceasing for the drum while yet
In school. But all at once his uncle changed
Those first intentions, ordered him to come
Homeward, and marry and to take up farming.
He promised he would give him to begin
A little village,40 later all
