Rebirth - (High School Part) (Revised Edition)

Author: (Russian) Leo Tolstoy
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1979-04-01
Features: Although hundreds of thousands of people are crowded into a small place, and they do their utmost to destroy the land they live on, leaving it in ruins; although they pound stones into the ground, making it impossible for any plant to grow; although they clear away every sprout of grass that emerges; although the smoke from burning coal and oil fills the air; although the trees are cut down and the animals driven away, spring is still spring even in such a city. The sun warms the earth, and grass springs back to life in all places where it has not been rooted out—not only on the lawns of the shaded paths, but even pushing through the cracks in the paving stones, covering everything in green. Birch, poplar, and rowan trees release their sticky, fragrant leaves, and linden trees swell with buds about to burst open. Crows, sparrows, and doves, like every spring, are joyfully building their nests. Flies bask in the sunlight, buzzing along the walls. Plants, birds, insects, and children are all in high spirits. Only humans, adult men and women, deceive themselves and others endlessly, tormenting themselves and others. People consider sacred and important not this spring morning, nor the beauty of the world bestowed by God for the benefit of all, the beauty that brings peace, harmony, and love; but rather the various methods they have devised to rule over others. Therefore, the people in the provincial prison office consider sacred and important not the spring blessings and joy shared by all animals and humans, but rather the numbered official document they received the day before, bearing an official seal and specifying the case. It requires that by nine a.m. on April 28, three prisoners being held and interrogated—one man and two women—be sent to the court for trial. Among the two women, one is the main culprit and must be transported separately. Thus, at eight a.m. on April 28, following that order, the warden entered the dim and foul corridor of the women's prison. Accompanying him was a woman with a weary face, gray-streaked curls, wearing a uniform with a golden sash on her cuffs and a blue-edged belt at her waist. She was a female guard. "Are you here to pick up Maslova?" she asked, walking with the on-duty warden to a cell door in the corridor. The warden jingled the iron lock, opened the door, and at once a smell more foul than the corridor filled the air. He bellowed, "Maslova, come for your hearing!" Then he closed the door and waited. Even the courtyard of the prison was filled with fresh country air, invigorating, carried into the city by the wind. Yet the air in the corridor was thick with typhoid germs, filled with the stench of feces, tar, and rot, making newcomers immediately feel weak and depressed. Though the female guard was accustomed to the foul air, stepping in from the courtyard still left her with such a feeling. As soon as she entered the corridor, she suddenly felt tired and sleepy. Inside the cell, there was a flurry of activity—the sound of women's voices and the clatter of bare feet. "Hurry up, Maslova, be quick!" the warden shouted through the cell door. After about two minutes, a young woman of short stature but rather full-chested emerged from the cell, turned around quickly, and stood beside the warden. She wore a white shirt and skirt underneath a gray prison uniform. Her feet were clad in burlap socks and prison cotton shoes, and her head was wrapped in a white kerchief, deliberately letting a few strands of curly black hair slip out. Her entire face bore the pale, ghostly hue typical of those long imprisoned, reminiscent of the tender sprouts of potatoes in a cellar. Her short, broad hands and the full, white neck exposed from the thick collar of her uniform were the same color. Against the backdrop of her pale, lifeless face, her eyes seemed particularly dark and bright. P5-7