[Pg 25]
The run, which lasts from one morning to the next, is naturally not very entertaining. The broad expanse of snowy plain, relieved only by snow-breaks and frozen swamps, at every two miles a few wretched half-Asiatic huts, and occasionally the dark profile of a forest, no more to be seen, and a sea of unintelligible8 Slavic sounds, no more to be heard. The feeling of loneliness grows upon one, and the impression becomes constantly stronger that Russia is a world for itself.
But there is an end to everything, even to a railroad journey without books, without papers, and without conversation. At the dawn of the clear, wintry day one may already distinguish the signs of a great city. A station with magnificent buildings and a well-cared-for park stretching almost to the tracks claims our attention after the many unimpressive sights of the long road. We decipher the name "Gatschina," and understand why there is such a strong police force on the platform. This is the Winter Palace. Scarcely an hour later the gilded9 cupolas stand out bright above the snow; the brakes are put on; we are in St. Petersburg.
It cannot be said that the city appears in a favorable light when viewed from the railroad. The not over-elegant two-horse vehicle which takes us and our baggage rattles10 over miserable11 pavements, dirty from the melting snow, through broad, endless suburban12 streets. The houses on either side are of only one story, built mostly of wood, their[Pg 26] poverty-stricken appearance being intensified13 here and there by three-storied barracks. Liquor-shops, little second-hand14 stores, wooden huts, with putrid15 garbage, follow one another in a variety by no means pleasing. The passers-by, ill-clad, with the inevitable16 rubber shoes, shuffle17 along the slushy sidewalks; trucks with two or sometimes three horses, their necks bent18 under the brightly painted Russian "duga" (wooden yoke), a truly Gorki atmosphere in its entirety. One can scarcely believe that he is entering one of the most brilliant cities of the continent. The endless rows of stores with their two-storied sheds, which one passes on the way to the centre of the city, but slightly improve one's first impression, for even they are far removed from the splendor19 of the capital.
We finally reach the hotel to which our mail has been addressed. It is an enormous structure, more than two hundred metres long. Yet it has no room for us. It is filled to overflowing20. It is impossible to crowd in one more soul. We again take our carriage. We drive from one hotel to another, growing constantly more modest in our demands for lodging21. But our efforts are vain. Everything is occupied to the very gables.
We were careless in coming to St. Petersburg in January. This is the time of congresses, of business, of carnivals23. All the provincial24 officials are here to render their annual reports to their ministries25. Naturally, they bring with them their families, who wish[Pg 27] to make their important purchases here and to taste of the social season. Congresses and conferences are held here not in the summer and vacation months as with us, but shortly before the "butter-week," really a carnival22, the pleasure of which one may wish to take this opportunity to test. Medical, teachers', and insurance congresses are held here at the same time. Foreign merchants come here to complete their transactions. But the great city of St. Petersburg is not adapted for foreign guests.
The instincts of self-defence awake at the time of need. We do not intend to camp to-night under the bridge arch. We make great efforts and by the evening have secured a room, in spite of the "absolute impossibility," in that large and only comfortable hotel in St. Petersburg, which we shared with a friendly mouse, but which was free from other objectionable tenants26. Even the little mouse was deprived in a base manner of its life and liberty the very next night. Once provided with board and lodging, we decided27 to become acquainted with the better side of St. Petersburg. What does a stranger usually do in the evening when he visits a strange city? He goes to some theatre.
There are plenty of hotel porters and agents to provide for the wishes of the guests. "Hello, agent; get me tickets for the Imperial Theatre"—where a ballet of Tschaikowski's is to be presented to-night by first-class talent. The theatre programme, obligingly provided with a French translation, informs us[Pg 28] that among others, Kscheschinska will do herself the honor to play the leading r?le. "But, honored sir, that is quite impossible; first, because this is the carnival time; second, because most of the seats are already subscribed28 for; and third, because Kscheschinska dances to-night"—a sly closing of the left eye accompanies the mention of the name—"and neither the Emperor nor the court will be absent from the theatre. Unless you pay twenty to thirty rubles to a speculator you will hardly get into the theatre."
Since my passion for the ballet or for Kscheschinska does not attain29 the proportions of a twenty-ruble investment, I find it preferable to devote the evening to the always interesting and fruitful hotel studies. What seething30 life in the numberless corridors, dining-halls, and vestibules of the fashionable St. Petersburg Hotel! Governors in generals' gold-braided uniforms, covered with so many orders and medals that it makes one curious to find out about all the deeds of heroism31 for which they were bestowed32; chamberlains with refined elegance33 in their gala dress, hiding the "beau restes" of the one-sided Adonis; tall, agile34, dark-eyed Circassians with the indispensable cartridge-pouch on the breast region of their long coats, with the dagger35 hanging in its massive gold sheath from the tightly drawn36 belt; Cossacks with fur caps a foot high, made of white or black Angora skins, placed on their bristly heads; a nimble Chinese man, or maid, servant, with long pigtail, whose sex it is impossible to distinguish; a[Pg 29] whole troop of dark-eyed Khivanese squatting37 on their prayer-rugs before the apartment of their khan, passing the nargile from hand to hand, and exchanging witticisms38 about the passing Europeans; beardless Tatar waiters shuffling39 by in their flat-soled shoes—a mixture of Europe and Asia such as may hardly be seen at once in any other part of the world. The west European merchants and other travellers, who throng40 the hotel, are scarcely noted41 among the exotic appearances. In this hotel, as elsewhere throughout St. Petersburg, the European, the civilian42, is seemingly merely tolerated. The city belongs to the functionaries43, soldiers, officials, and chamberlains, to the Cossacks, Circassians, and, above all others, to the police. More intimate acquaintance reveals that a goodly portion of the uniformed persons in St. Petersburg are ordinary students, technologists, professors, etc., and that these uniformed persons do not equally represent the state. On the contrary, the fight of the state, or, to be more precise, of the police, against the free professions, would not be so bitter if the members of the latter were not entitled to wear uniforms. As it is, they also may appear to the common people as representatives of the Czar's authority.
We slept through the night. Kind fate had decreed for us snow and cold in succession to the disagreeable thaw44, and we availed ourselves of the clear weather to become acquainted with the bright side of St. Petersburg. And, first of all, the snow![Pg 30] It changes the entire appearance of the city as if by a magic wand. The narrow, open carriages where two persons can accommodate themselves only with difficulty, especially when wrapped in fur coats, have disappeared. Their places have been taken by small, low sleighs without backs. The "izwozchik" (driver) in his blue, plaited Tatar fur coat and multicolored sash, with fur-trimmed plush cap on his head, sits almost in the passenger's lap. Yet there is compensation for the meagre dimensions of the sleigh. The small, rugged45 horses speed along like arrows through the straight streets, hastened on by the caressing46 words or the exclamations47 of the bearded driver. Horse, driver, and sleigh are very essential figures in the St. Petersburg street scenes. We at home cannot at all realize how much driving is done in St. Petersburg. The distances are enormous; streets five or six kilometres long are not unusual. There are almost no streetcar lines, thanks to the selfishness of the town representatives, composed of St. Petersburg house-owners, who do not care to see a reduction in rents in the central portion of the town. The average city inhabitant readily parts with the thirty, forty, or fifty kopeks demanded by the "izwozchik," and thus everything is rushed along in an unending race. The "pravo" (right) or "hei beregis!" (look out!), which the drivers bawl48 to one another or to the pedestrians49, resounds50 through the streets, but they are not very effectual. One must open his[Pg 31] eyes more than his ears if he wishes to escape injury in the streets of St. Petersburg. The constant racing51 often results in four or five rows of speeding conveyances52 attempting to pass one another. The drivers with their bearded, apostle faces, which appear lamblike when they good-naturedly invite you to enter their conveyances, are like wild men when they let loose. Their Cossack nature then asserts itself. On and always on, and let the poor pedestrian take care of his bones. And however much the little horse may pant and the flakes53 of foam54 may fly from its sides, "his excellency," "the count," "his highness" (the izwozchik is extremely generous with his titles), will surely add a few kopeks when the driver has been very smart; and so the little horse must run until the passenger, unaccustomed to such driving, loses his breath.
But the Russian barbarian55 conception of wealth and fashion is to have his driver race even when out for a pleasure drive, as if it were a question of life or death. The numberless private turnouts, distinguished56 by their greater elegance, their splendid horses, harness, liveries, and carriages, have no less speed than the hackney-coachman, but the reverse, at a still greater speed, thanks to the elasticity57 of their high-stepping Arab trotters. And now imagine twenty-five thousand such vehicles simultaneously58 in racing motion, with here and there a jingling59 "troika," its two outer horses galloping60 madly and the middle horse trotting61 furiously; imagine, at the[Pg 32] same time, the bright colors of the four-cornered plush caps on the heads of the stylish62 drivers, the gay-colored rugs on the "troikas," the blue and green nets on the galloping horses of the private sleighs, the glitter of the gold and silver harness, the scarlet63 coats of the court coachmen and lackeys64, everything rushing along on a crisp winter day, over the glimmering65, freshly fallen snow, between the mighty66 fa?ades of imposing67 structures, flanked by an almost unbroken chain of tall policeman and gendarmes68, and you have the picture of the heart of St. Petersburg at the time of social activity. Splendor, riches, wildness are all caricatured into magnificence as if calculated to impress and to frighten. Woe69 to him here who is not of the masters!
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1
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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buffet
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| n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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soot
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| n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟 | |
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8
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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10
rattles
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| （使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧 | |
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11
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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suburban
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| adj.城郊的，在郊区的 | |
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13
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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15
putrid
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| adj.腐臭的；有毒的；已腐烂的；卑劣的 | |
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16
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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17
shuffle
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| n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走 | |
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18
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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21
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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carnivals
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| 狂欢节( carnival的名词复数 )； 嘉年华会； 激动人心的事物的组合； 五彩缤纷的颜色组合 | |
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provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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ministries
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| （政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期 | |
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26
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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subscribed
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| v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意 | |
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29
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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37
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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38
witticisms
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| n.妙语，俏皮话( witticism的名词复数 ) | |
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shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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40
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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41
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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42
civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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43
functionaries
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| n.公职人员，官员( functionary的名词复数 ) | |
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44
thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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45
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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46
caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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47
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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48
bawl
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| v.大喊大叫，大声地喊，咆哮 | |
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49
pedestrians
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| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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50
resounds
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的第三人称单数 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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51
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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conveyances
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| n.传送( conveyance的名词复数 )；运送；表达；运输工具 | |
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53
flakes
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| 小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人 | |
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54
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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56
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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57
elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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59
jingling
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| 叮当声 | |
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60
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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61
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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62
stylish
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| adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的 | |
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63
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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lackeys
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| n.听差( lackey的名词复数 )；男仆（通常穿制服）；卑躬屈膝的人；被待为奴仆的人 | |
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65
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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66
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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67
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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68
gendarmes
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| n.宪兵，警官( gendarme的名词复数 ) | |
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69
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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