“TURNING OVER COTTONS”
AN OSSETINE VILLAGE
The newspaper boom of the revolution has done much harm; it has given English people a false idea of Russia. That notion of Russia as a place of anarchists6 and gendarmes7, secret societies, spies, plots, prisons is ridiculous. As after the Slaves War the Romans lined the way home by poles on which the heads of the conquered were fixed8, so to the ordinary outsider appears the boundary line of Russia—a palisade of heads on poles. In truth, it is only fenced in by passport officers, unless the outworks of lies in the European press must be counted. Behind the fence, however, stands, not what so many imagine—cossacks, cannon9, prisons—but an extraordinarily10 fertile, fruitful country, and a people happy enough to be unaware11 of their happiness or unhappiness. I have spoken to peasants from all parts of the country, and I have not found one who had a word to say against the Tsar, or who felt any grievance12 against his country’s governors.
There are a hundred millions of peasants who swear by God and the Tsar, and who believe implicitly13 in both God and Tsar, a hundred million strong, healthy peasants, not yet taught to read or write, not yet 264democratised and given a vote, not yet crammed14 to death in manufacturing towns. These are Europe’s unspent capital, her little store of unspoiled men set against a rainy day, the solid wall between China and the West.
It was with these thoughts uppermost in my mind that I came away from one of the July fairs at Vladikavkaz. Such revelations of the bounty15 of Nature in the abundance of food, and in strong limbs to be nourished by it, I scarcely expect to see easily again. This fair took place at one end of the great military road that traverses the Caucasus, and connects Tiflis and the Persian marches with Rostof and the North. In a great open square, paved unevenly16 with cobbles, the stalls are set up. At one end are five open forges, where horses are strapped17 in and shod. Behind these, about a hundred sheep and lambs struggle together, whilst a shepherd milks the ewes into a bucket. At another end of the “bazaar” there is a covered place for cotton goods, and there the Georgian girl buys her kerchief, and the peasant woman turns over all manner of brilliant printed cotton. Between the sheep and the drapery, for a full hundred yards, stand carts and barrows, or, it may be, merely sacks and baskets, full of cucumbers and tomatoes. The cucumbers are piled up on the carts like loads of stones for road-making. The vendors18 stand beside them and shout their prices. The customers fumble19 about and pick out the best they can 265find of the stock. Behind or below the stalls the rotten ones lie yellow and soft under the burning sun, and hens come in and peck at them. Several thousand have to be sold before afternoon; more than half will not be disposed of before they are spoiled by the sun. Picture the peasants outbidding one another, fat and perspiring20 in the heat. Ten for three-halfpence is the highest price, ten for a halfpenny the lowest. By two o’clock in the afternoon one will be able to buy forty for a penny, just to clear. Meanwhile children are dancing about, eating them as one would bananas in England, munching21 them as if they were large pears, and in a way that would have brought bewilderment to the mind of Sairey Gamp, who so clearly loved a “cowcumber.” A fortnight ago a single cucumber cost twopence—assuredly the tide has risen.
Scarcely less in evidence than the luscious22 green of cucumbers is the reposing23 yellow and scarlet24 of the tomatoes—golden apples they call them. These also must be disposed of; they go for a penny a pound, and the baskets of many traffickers are adorned25 by the purchase of them. Behind the cucumber row is the potato market, where, for sixpence, you may buy two stone of new potatoes. With these are a long array of stalls with vegetables and fruit, everything super-abundant, and at surprising prices. Raspberries and apricots go at twopence a pound, peaches at fourpence, cherries and plums at a penny, gooseberries at a halfpenny, 266blackberries at three-halfpence, and all this fruit in at the same time. Strawberries came suddenly at the beginning of June, and as suddenly disappeared; the summer progresses at quick pace here. New-laid eggs are sold at this fair at a farthing each, cheese at threepence a pound, butter at tenpence, bacon at fourpence and fivepence a pound. Herrings and river fish, sun-dried and cured, are sold ten on a string for twopence halfpenny; live green crayfish, ten for threepence. At shops near by, mutton is sold at threepence halfpenny, and lamb at fourpence halfpenny a pound; beef at threepence.
The fair is, however, a poor people’s market. The richer get their things at the shops, but it is difficult to persuade a peasant to buy at a shop when he can get what he wants at a fair. From time immemorial the country people have met and bargained at fairs, so that it is now in the blood. Hence it is that Russia is the country of fairs, having as its greatest object of that kind the fair of Nizhni Novgorod, that stupendous revival26 of the old times. The difficulty of buying at a fair is no obstacle; the crowds of people, the mountebanks among them, the stalls without scales, the haphazard27 bargains, and chance of bad money, are more alluring28 than deterrent29. Potatoes are sold by the pailful, cucumbers by the ten, fish by the string, bacon and cheese by the piece, and mutton mostly by the sheep. One needs to be a connoisseur30, a ready calculator and 267eye-measurer, if one is going to acquit31 oneself honourably32 in the eyes of the fair bargain-drivers. No one ever takes anything at the price offered; everyone chaffers and bargains for at least five minutes before settling yes or no. Then nothing bought is wrapped up. One has to bring one’s own paper with one, or one may buy earthenware33 pots or rush-baskets, and put together the things that may touch without harm. A pound of meat without paper puts the unprovided purchaser in a dilemma34. At the fair there is no dividing line between tradesmen and buying people. Whoever wishes may go and take his place, or he may take no place, and simply hawk35 his things about through the crowd. There are men hawking36 old clothes, old boots, iced beer and ices. At ten o’clock in the morning the scene is one of the utmost liveliness. Peasants are standing37 round the ice-cream men and smacking38 their lips; would-be purchasers of mutton are standing among the sheep, weighing them and feeling them with their hands in primitive39 fashion; at the back of the forges meal and flour sellers, white from head to foot, are shovelling40 their goods into the measures of gossips; girls are raking over the cottons; the cucumber sellers are shouting; and those who have finished their buying are moving off with carts and barrows, sacks or baskets, as the case may be, and not infrequently one may see a man with a sack of potatoes in one hand and a fat sheep under the other arm.
268Later in the summer this became a Melon Fair, and later still a Grape Fair. The melons were piled on the ground and resembled heaps of cannon balls, reminding me forcibly of the trophies41 of 1812 preserved in the Kremlin at Moscow. There were acres of the large melon, that one known as the arbuse, dark, swarthy green without, blood crimson42 within. This is a national fruit. It keeps well, and will be on every peasant’s table at Christmas. The deacon at Lisitchansk ate half a melon at every meal when I was there last Christmas. In August they are as plentiful43 as apples, and sell for a halfpenny or a farthing apiece. There are so many of them that they overflow44 the towns and the villages; one imagines them rolling away and filling up all the ditches if a wind came in the night. Then their colour is a delight, and it is very pleasant to see the chubby45 children munching big red chunks46 of it.
Wagons47 of grapes, cartloads of honey, in such terms did the season express itself as it grew older. Grapes were two pounds a penny, and honey threepence a pound! And this also was the season of chilis, which were bought in great quantities for pickling. Then vegetable marrows48 and beetroots overflowed49 the plain—beetroots too sweet for English palates. Tomatoes were eventually sold by the bucketful. Peaches came and were sold at a penny a pound, and apples at prices that it seems absurd to mention. I said to Alimka one morning, “Let’s buy twopennyworth of apples,” and 269we received so many that we had to return home and empty our basket before we could make any more purchases. I should only have bought a farthing’s worth. Then a very interesting feature of the fairs were the rosy50 cherry apples, no bigger than cherries, and very hard, but making a jam that is beautiful and delicious.
It was pleasant to note the preparations for the winter. Stores were being laid in which would not be exhausted51 even in the spring. The miller52 was making jam in the yard three times a week; even the Tatar woman below, whom Ali befriends, was taking immense stock of cheap fruit, boiling it for jam or nalivka, infusion53 of fruit, or drying it for comp?te. Even the koutia, which will be eaten on Christmas Eve, was being prepared now. In the yards of all the houses, in the fields about the cottages, cooking and curing and pickling was going forward. Brine was prepared for the cucumbers and the fish, syrup54 for the jam—Russian housewives always make their jam by preparing a syrup first. Apples cut into squares, wild plums and apricots, were drying on the roofs; chains of onions three yards long, chains of dried mushrooms and baranka biscuits were being hung up on the walls. All day one smelt55 the savoury odours of food fresh cooked, all day one saw little urchin56 children like Alimka and Fatima running in and out of doors with tit-bits that they had stolen, or that an indulgent mother had dealt out. The flies 270buzzed about the doors and windows as if in quest of paradise.
Such is the picture of life in connection with the fairs; the picture is somewhat inadequate2, but I hope it may serve to show the feeling there was of abundance. It was an exhilarating element in the atmosphere, and together with the impression of immense mountains and deep wide skies allowed one to live in the large things of life. And Russia is the land of a few large things as opposed to England, a land of many small ones. No disparagement57 to my native land! Russia is neither greater nor less than England, but it is different.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
inadequately
|
|
| ad.不够地；不够好地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
inadequate
|
|
| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
superfluous
|
|
| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
autocracy
|
|
| n.独裁政治，独裁政府 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
wares
|
|
| n. 货物, 商品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
anarchists
|
|
| 无政府主义者( anarchist的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
gendarmes
|
|
| n.宪兵，警官( gendarme的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
extraordinarily
|
|
| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
unaware
|
|
| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
grievance
|
|
| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
implicitly
|
|
| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
crammed
|
|
| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
bounty
|
|
| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
unevenly
|
|
| adv.不均匀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
strapped
|
|
| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
vendors
|
|
| n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
fumble
|
|
| vi.笨拙地用手摸、弄、接等，摸索 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
perspiring
|
|
| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
munching
|
|
| v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
luscious
|
|
| adj.美味的；芬芳的；肉感的，引与性欲的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
reposing
|
|
| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
adorned
|
|
| [计]被修饰的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
revival
|
|
| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
haphazard
|
|
| adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
alluring
|
|
| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
deterrent
|
|
| n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
connoisseur
|
|
| n.鉴赏家，行家，内行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
acquit
|
|
| vt.宣判无罪；(oneself)使(自己)表现出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
honourably
|
|
| adv.可尊敬地，光荣地，体面地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
earthenware
|
|
| n.土器，陶器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
dilemma
|
|
| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
hawk
|
|
| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
hawking
|
|
| 利用鹰行猎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
smacking
|
|
| 活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
primitive
|
|
| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
shovelling
|
|
| v.铲子( shovel的现在分词 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
trophies
|
|
| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
crimson
|
|
| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
plentiful
|
|
| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
overflow
|
|
| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
chubby
|
|
| adj.丰满的，圆胖的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
chunks
|
|
| 厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
wagons
|
|
| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
marrows
|
|
| n.骨髓（marrow的复数形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
49
overflowed
|
|
| 溢出的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
rosy
|
|
| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
miller
|
|
| n.磨坊主 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
infusion
|
|
| n.灌输 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
syrup
|
|
| n.糖浆，糖水 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
smelt
|
|
| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
urchin
|
|
| n.顽童；海胆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
disparagement
|
|
| n.轻视，轻蔑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |