According to Vadim Vadimovich (the narrator and main character in VN隆炉s novel Look at the Harlequins!), spying had been his 隆掳clyst篓篓re de Tch篓娄khov隆卤 (a play on violon d隆炉Ingres, 隆掳a hobby隆卤) even before he married Iris Black (Vadim隆炉s first wife):
Brushing all my engagements aside, I surrendered again--after quite a few years of abstinence!--to the thrill of secret investigations. Spying had been my clyst篓篓re de Tch篓娄khov even before I married Iris Black whose later passion for working on an interminable detective tale had been sparked by this or that hint I must have dropped, like a passing bird's lustrous feather, in relation to my experience in the vast and misty field of the Service. In my little way I have been of some help to my betters. The tree, a blue-flowering ash, whose cortical wound I caught the two "diplomats," Tornikovski and Kalikakov, using for their correspondence, still stands, hardly scarred, on its hilltop above San Bernardino. But for structural economy I have omitted that entertaining strain from this story of love and prose. Its existence, however, helped me now to ward off--for a while, at least--the madness and anguish of hopeless regret. (5.1)
In a letter of October 22, 1896, to Suvorin Chekhov mentions gromadnye klistiry (huge clysters) that he made to a rich peasant whose bowel was blocked with kal (faeces):
搂拢搂茅搂脰搂芒搂脩 搂氓 搂脿搂脮搂脽搂脿搂脭搂脿 搂脪搂脿搂脭搂脩搂盲搂脿搂脭搂脿 搂脼搂氓搂脴搂脷搂脺搂脩 搂脵搂脩搂盲搂脺搂脽搂氓搂脻搂脿 搂脺搂脩搂脻搂脿搂脼 搂脺搂脷搂锚搂脺搂氓, 搂脷 搂脼搂铆 搂茫搂盲搂脩搂脫搂脷搂脻搂脷 搂脰搂脼搂氓 搂脭搂芒搂脿搂脼搂脩搂脮搂脽搂铆搂脰 搂脺搂脻搂脷搂茫搂盲搂脷搂芒搂铆. 搂掳搂脴搂脷搂脻.
In the same letter to Suvorin Chekhov speaks of the flop of the first performance of his play Chayka (隆掳The Seagull,隆卤 1896) in the Aleksandrinsky Theater and compares himself to a man who made a proposal and received a refusal:
搂脕 搂谩搂脿搂茫搂盲搂氓搂谩搂脷搂脻 搂盲搂脩搂脺 搂脴搂脰 搂芒搂脩搂脵搂氓搂脼搂脽搂脿 搂脷 搂莽搂脿搂脻搂脿搂脮搂脽搂脿, 搂脺搂脩搂脺 搂茅搂脰搂脻搂脿搂脫搂脰搂脺, 搂脺搂脿搂盲搂脿搂芒搂铆搂脹 搂茫搂脮搂脰搂脻搂脩搂脻 搂谩搂芒搂脰搂脮搂脻搂脿搂脴搂脰搂脽搂脷搂脰, 搂谩搂脿搂脻搂氓搂茅搂脷搂脻 搂脿搂盲搂脺搂脩搂脵 搂脷 搂脺搂脿搂盲搂脿搂芒搂脿搂脼搂氓 搂脽搂脷搂茅搂脰搂脭搂脿 搂脪搂脿搂脻搂卯搂锚搂脰 搂脽搂脰 搂脿搂茫搂盲搂脩搂脳搂盲搂茫搂帽, 搂脺搂脩搂脺 搂氓搂脰搂莽搂脩搂盲搂卯. 搂楼搂脩, 搂茫搂脩搂脼搂脿搂脻搂冒搂脪搂脷搂脰 搂脼搂脿搂脳 搂脪搂铆搂脻搂脿 搂氓搂帽搂脵搂脫搂脻搂脰搂脽搂脿, 搂脽搂脿 搂脫搂脰搂脮搂卯 搂茂搂盲搂脿 搂脽搂脰 搂茫 搂脽搂脰搂脪搂脩 搂茫搂脫搂脩搂脻搂脷搂脻搂脿搂茫搂卯; 搂帽 搂脿搂脴搂脷搂脮搂脩搂脻 搂脽搂脰搂氓搂茫搂谩搂脰搂莽搂脩 搂脷 搂氓搂脴搂脰 搂脪搂铆搂脻 搂谩搂脿搂脮搂脭搂脿搂盲搂脿搂脫搂脻搂脰搂脽 搂脺 搂脽搂脰搂脼搂氓, 搂脿 搂茅搂脳搂脼 搂脷 搂谩搂芒搂脰搂脮搂氓搂谩搂芒搂脰搂脴搂脮搂脩搂脻 搂拢搂脩搂茫 搂茫 搂谩搂脿搂脻搂脽搂脿搂冒 搂脷搂茫搂脺搂芒搂脰搂脽搂脽搂脿搂茫搂盲搂卯搂冒.
I acted as coldly and reasonably as a man who has made an offer, received a refusal, and has nothing left but to go. Yes, my vanity was stung, but you know it was not a bolt from the blue; I was expecting a failure, and was prepared for it, as I warned you with perfect sincerity beforehand.
One of the main characters in 隆掳The Seagull隆卤 is Nina Zarechnyi. Her name brings to mind Mme de Rechnoy (alias Nina Lecerf), Sebastian隆炉s mistress in VN隆炉s novel The Real Life of Sebastian Knight (1941). Describing his first meeting with Iris Black, Vadim mentions Nina Lecerf:
Ivor had gone to fetch my whisky. Iris and I stood on the terrace in the saintly dusk. I was lighting my pipe while Iris nudged the balustrade with her hip and pointed out with mermaid undulations--supposed to imitate waves--the shimmer of seaside lights in a parting of the india-ink hills. At that moment the telephone rang in the drawing room behind us, and she quickly turned around--but with admirable presence of mind transformed her dash into a nonchalant shawl dance. In the meantime Ivor had already skated phoneward across the parquetry to hear what Nina Lecerf or some other neighbor wanted. We liked to recall, Iris and I, in our later intimacy that revelation scene with Ivor bringing us drinks to toast her fairy-tale recovery and she, without minding his presence, putting her light hand on my knuckles: I stood gripping the balustrade in exaggerated resentment and was not prompt enough, poor dupe, to acknowledge her apology by a Continental hand kiss. (1.3)
In the first production of 隆掳The Seagull隆卤 Vera Komissarzhevskaya played Nina Zarechnyi. Na smert隆炉 Komissarzhevskoy (隆掳On the Death of Komissarzhevskaya,隆卤 1910) is a poem by Alexander Blok. In the Introduction to his poem Vozmezdie (隆掳Retribution,隆卤 1910-21) Blok mentions Komissarzhevskaya, Vrubel and Tolstoy (the tree great artists who died in 1910):
1910 搂脭搂脿搂脮 - 搂茂搂盲搂脿 搂茫搂脼搂脰搂芒搂盲搂卯 搂卢搂脿搂脼搂脷搂茫搂茫搂脩搂芒搂脴搂脰搂脫搂茫搂脺搂脿搂脹, 搂茫搂脼搂脰搂芒搂盲搂卯 搂拢搂芒搂氓搂脪搂脰搂脻搂帽 搂脷 搂茫搂脼搂脰搂芒搂盲搂卯 搂麓搂脿搂脻搂茫搂盲搂脿搂脭搂脿. 搂鲁 搂卢搂脿搂脼搂脷搂茫搂茫搂脩搂芒搂脴搂脰搂脫搂茫搂脺搂脿搂脹 搂氓搂脼搂脰搂芒搂脻搂脩 搂脻搂脷搂芒搂脷搂茅搂脰搂茫搂脺搂脩搂帽 搂脽搂脿搂盲搂脩 搂脽搂脩 搂茫搂猫搂脰搂脽搂脰; 搂茫 搂拢搂芒搂氓搂脪搂脰搂脻搂脰搂脼 - 搂脭搂芒搂脿搂脼搂脩搂脮搂脽搂铆搂脹 搂脻搂脷搂茅搂脽搂铆搂脹 搂脼搂脷搂芒 搂莽搂氓搂脮搂脿搂脴搂脽搂脷搂脺搂脩, 搂脪搂脰搂脵搂氓搂脼搂脽搂脿搂脰 搂氓搂谩搂脿搂芒搂茫搂盲搂脫搂脿, 搂脽搂脰搂脽搂脩搂茫搂铆搂盲搂脽搂脿搂茫搂盲搂卯 搂脷搂茫搂脺搂脩搂脽搂脷搂脹 - 搂脫搂谩搂脻搂脿搂盲搂卯 搂脮搂脿 搂谩搂脿搂脼搂脰搂锚搂脩搂盲搂脰搂脻搂卯搂茫搂盲搂脫搂脩. 搂鲁 搂麓搂脿搂脻搂茫搂盲搂铆搂脼 搂氓搂脼搂脰搂芒搂脻搂脩 搂茅搂脰搂脻搂脿搂脫搂脰搂茅搂脰搂茫搂脺搂脩搂帽 搂脽搂脰搂脴搂脽搂脿搂茫搂盲搂卯 篓C 搂脼搂氓搂脮搂芒搂脩搂帽 搂茅搂脰搂脻搂脿搂脫搂脰搂茅搂脽搂脿搂茫搂盲搂卯.
In Blok隆炉s 隆掳Retribution隆卤 the hero隆炉s father was nicknamed Demon. In Chapter Three of his poem Blok mentions Vrubel (the author of The Demon Seated and The Demon Downcast):
搂娄搂脭搂脿 搂脿搂谩搂氓搂茫搂盲搂脿搂锚搂脩搂脰搂盲 搂楼搂脰搂脼搂脿搂脽,
搂炉搂脩搂脮 搂脺搂脿搂脷搂脼 搂拢搂芒搂氓搂脪搂脰搂脻搂卯 搂脷搂脵搂脽搂脰搂脼搂脿搂脭...
搂娄搂脭搂脿 搂谩搂芒搂脿搂脵搂芒搂脰搂脽搂脷搂帽 搂脭搂脻搂氓搂脪搂脿搂脺搂脷,
搂炉搂脿 搂脷搂莽 搂脭搂脻搂氓搂锚搂脷搂盲 搂脽搂脿搂茅搂脽搂脩搂帽 搂盲搂卯搂脼搂脩,
搂陋 搂脫 搂茫搂脽搂脩搂莽 搂莽搂脿搂脻搂脿搂脮搂脽搂铆搂莽 搂脷 搂脴搂脰搂茫搂盲搂脿搂脺搂脷搂莽
搂掳搂脽 搂脫搂脷搂脮搂脷搂盲 "搂陇搂脿搂芒搂脰 搂脿搂盲 搂氓搂脼搂脩".
According to Vadim, his father (whose society nickname was Demon) was portrayed by Vrubel:
My father was a gambler and a rake. His society nickname was Demon. Vrubel has portrayed him with his vampire-pale cheeks, his diamond eyes, his black hair. What remained on the palette has been used by me, Vadim, son of Vadim, for touching up the father of the passionate siblings in the best of my English romaunts, Ardis (1970).
The scion of a princely family devoted to a gallery of a dozen Tsars, my father resided on the idyllic outskirts of history. His politics were of the casual, reactionary sort. He had a dazzling and complicated sensual life, but his culture was patchy and commonplace. He was born in 1865, married in 1896, and died in a pistol duel with a young Frenchman on October 22, 1898, after a card-table fracas at Deauville, some resort in gray Normandy. (2.5)
Chekhov is the author of Duel隆炉 (隆掳The Duel,隆卤 1891). Chekhov隆炉s letter to Suvorin in which he speaks of the flop of 隆掳The Seagull隆卤 is dated October 22, 1896. In a letter of Oct. 17, 1897, to Sobolevski Chekhov says that one of his neighbors in the Pension Russe in Nice turned out to be a spy:
搂篓搂脷搂脫搂氓 搂脫搂茫搂脳 搂脫 搂盲搂脿搂脼 搂脴搂脰 Pension Russe, 搂脫搂茫搂脳 搂盲搂脩搂脺 搂脴搂脰 搂盲搂脷搂莽搂脿 搂脷 搂脼搂脷搂芒搂脽搂脿, 搂脺搂脩搂脺 搂脷 搂谩搂芒搂脷 搂拢搂脩搂茫. 搂拢搂谩搂芒搂脿搂茅搂脰搂脼, 搂脪搂铆搂脻搂脩 搂脷 搂芒搂脰搂脫搂脿搂脻搂冒搂猫搂脷搂帽. 搂楼搂脿 搂脼搂脿搂脰搂脭搂脿 搂茫搂脫搂脰搂脮搂脰搂脽搂脷搂帽 搂脮搂脿搂锚搂脻搂脿, 搂茅搂盲搂脿 搂脴搂脷搂脫搂氓搂毛搂脷搂脰 搂脫 搂盲搂脿搂脼 搂脴搂脰 搂谩搂脩搂脽搂茫搂脷搂脿搂脽搂脰 搂锚搂谩搂脷搂脿搂脽 (搂脫搂脩搂芒搂锚搂脩搂脫搂茫搂脺搂脷搂脹 搂脼搂脿搂脻搂脿搂脮搂脿搂脹 搂茅搂脰搂脻搂脿搂脫搂脰搂脺 搂脿搂脺搂脩搂脵搂脩搂脻搂茫搂帽 搂盲搂脩搂脺搂脿搂脫搂铆搂脼 搂脫 搂脺搂脿搂脽搂猫搂脰 搂脺搂脿搂脽搂猫搂脿搂脫) 搂脷 搂脵搂脰搂脼搂茫搂脺搂脷搂脹 搂脽搂脩搂茅搂脩搂脻搂卯搂脽搂脷搂脺 搂谩搂脻搂脩搂盲搂帽搂盲 搂拢搂脰搂芒搂脰 搂楼搂脼搂脷搂盲搂芒搂脷搂脰搂脫搂脽搂脰 搂谩搂脿 9 搂忙搂芒搂脩搂脽搂脺搂脿搂脫 搂脫 搂脮搂脰搂脽搂卯; 搂帽 搂脴搂脰 搂谩搂脻搂脩搂茅搂氓 11. 搂庐搂脰搂脽搂帽 搂茂搂盲搂脿 搂脽搂脰搂脼搂脽搂脿搂脴搂脺搂脿 搂谩搂脿搂脺搂脿搂芒搂脿搂脪搂脷搂脻搂脿, 搂帽 搂茫搂盲搂脩搂脻 搂脪搂氓搂脽搂盲搂脿搂脫搂脩搂盲搂卯 搂脷 搂脼搂脽搂脰 搂茫搂脪搂脩搂脫搂脷搂脻搂脷 1 搂忙搂芒. 搂卤搂脻搂脩搂茅搂氓 搂盲搂脰搂谩搂脰搂芒搂卯 10.
Revolyutsiya (a revolution), as Chekhov calls a reduction of the rent, brings to mind the Bolshevist revolution mentioned by Vadim:
I was eighteen when the Bolshevist revolution struck--a strong and anomalous verb, I concede, used here solely for the sake of narrative rhythm. (1.2)
The Bolshevist coup took place on Oct. 25 (OS), 1917. It means that Vadim was born in the time span between Oct. 25, 1898, and Oct. 25, 1899. Therefore he simply could not have seen his father. But in the same chapter of LATH Vadim says that he did see his parents:
I saw my parents infrequently. They divorced and remarried and redivorced at such a rapid rate that had the custodians of my fortune been less alert, I might have been auctioned out finally to a pair of strangers of Swedish or Scottish descent, with sad bags under hungry eyes. An extraordinary grand-aunt, Baroness Bredow, born Tolstoy, amply replaced closer blood. As a child of seven or eight, already harboring the secrets of a confirmed madman, I seemed even to her (who also was far from normal) unduly sulky and indolent; actually, of course, I kept daydreaming in a most outrageous fashion.
"Stop moping!" she would cry: "Look at the harlequins!
"What harlequins? Where?"
"Oh, everywhere. All around you. Trees are harlequins, words are harlequins. So are situations and sums. Put two things together--jokes, images--and you get a triple harlequin. Come on! Play! Invent the world! Invent reality!"
I did. By Jove, I did. I invented my grand-aunt in honor of my first daydreams, and now, down the marble steps of memory's front porch, here she slowly comes, sideways, sideways, the poor lame lady, touching each step edge with the rubber tip of her black cane. (ibid.)
The name Bredow comes from bred (delirium; gibberish; nonsense). In Aldanov隆炉s novel Bred (隆掳Delirium,隆卤 1955) Shell (the main character) is a professional spy. In the opening line of his poem Smychok i struny (隆掳The Bow and the Strings隆卤) Innokentiy Annenski mentions tyazhyolyi, tyomnyi bred (隆掳heavy, dark delirium隆卤):
搂卢搂脩搂脺搂脿搂脹 搂盲搂帽搂脴搂脳搂脻搂铆搂脹, 搂盲搂脳搂脼搂脽搂铆搂脹 搂脪搂芒搂脰搂脮!
搂卢搂脩搂脺 搂茂搂盲搂脷 搂脫搂铆搂茫搂脷 搂脼搂氓搂盲搂脽搂脿-搂脻搂氓搂脽搂脽搂铆!
搂卢搂脩搂茫搂脩搂盲搂卯搂茫搂帽 搂茫搂脺搂芒搂脷搂谩搂脺搂脷 搂茫搂盲搂脿搂脻搂卯搂脺搂脿 搂脻搂脰搂盲
搂陋 搂脽搂脰 搂氓搂脵搂脽搂脩搂盲搂卯 搂谩搂芒搂脷 搂茫搂脫搂脰搂盲搂脰 搂茫搂盲搂芒搂氓搂脽搂铆!
搂卢搂脿搂脼搂氓 搂脴 搂脽搂脩搂茫 搂脽搂脩搂脮搂脿? 搂卢搂盲搂脿 搂脵搂脩搂脴搂脳搂脭
搂楼搂脫搂脩 搂脴搂脳搂脻搂盲搂铆搂莽 搂脻搂脷搂脺搂脩, 搂脮搂脫搂脩 搂氓搂脽搂铆搂脻搂铆搂莽...
搂陋 搂脫搂脮搂芒搂氓搂脭 搂谩搂脿搂茅搂氓搂脫搂茫搂盲搂脫搂脿搂脫搂脩搂脻 搂茫搂脼搂铆搂茅搂脿搂脺,
搂鹿搂盲搂脿 搂脺搂盲搂脿-搂盲搂脿 搂脫搂脵搂帽搂脻 搂脷 搂脺搂盲搂脿-搂盲搂脿 搂茫搂脻搂脷搂脻 搂脷搂莽.
"搂掳, 搂脺搂脩搂脺 搂脮搂脩搂脫搂脽搂脿! 搂鲁搂脺搂脫搂脿搂脵搂卯 搂茂搂盲搂氓 搂盲搂卯搂脼搂氓
搂鲁搂脺搂脩搂脴搂脷 搂脿搂脮搂脽搂脿: 搂盲搂铆 搂盲搂脩 搂脻搂脷, 搂盲搂脩 搂脻搂脷?"
搂陋 搂茫搂盲搂芒搂氓搂脽搂铆 搂脻搂脩搂茫搂盲搂脷搂脻搂脷搂茫搂卯 搂脺 搂脽搂脰搂脼搂氓,
搂漏搂脫搂脰搂脽搂帽, 搂脽搂脿, 搂脻搂脩搂茫搂盲搂帽搂茫搂卯, 搂盲搂芒搂脰搂谩搂脰搂盲搂脩搂脻搂脷.
"搂炉搂脰 搂谩搂芒搂脩搂脫搂脮搂脩 搂脻搂卯, 搂脪搂脿搂脻搂卯搂锚搂脰 搂脽搂脷搂脺搂脿搂脭搂脮搂脩
搂庐搂铆 搂脽搂脰 搂芒搂脩搂茫搂茫搂盲搂脩搂脽搂脰搂脼搂茫搂帽? 搂脮搂脿搂脫搂脿搂脻搂卯搂脽搂脿?.."
搂陋 搂茫搂脺搂芒搂脷搂谩搂脺搂脩 搂脿搂盲搂脫搂脰搂茅搂脩搂脻搂脩 搂脮搂脩,
搂炉搂脿 搂茫搂脰搂芒搂脮搂猫搂氓 搂茫搂脺搂芒搂脷搂谩搂脺搂脷 搂脪搂铆搂脻搂脿 搂脪搂脿搂脻搂卯搂脽搂脿.
搂鲁搂脼搂铆搂茅搂脿搂脺 搂脫搂茫搂脳 搂谩搂脿搂脽搂帽搂脻, 搂脿搂脽 搂脵搂脩搂盲搂脷搂莽,
搂隆 搂脫 搂茫搂脺搂芒搂脷搂谩搂脺搂脰 搂茂搂莽搂脿 搂脫搂茫搂脳 搂脮搂脰搂芒搂脴搂脩搂脻搂脿搂茫搂卯...
搂陋 搂脪搂铆搂脻搂脿 搂脼搂氓搂脺搂脿搂冒 搂脮搂脻搂帽 搂脽搂脷搂莽,
搂鹿搂盲搂脿 搂脻搂冒搂脮搂帽搂脼 搂脼搂氓搂脵搂铆搂脺搂脿搂脹 搂脺搂脩搂脵搂脩搂脻搂脿搂茫搂卯.
搂炉搂脿 搂茅搂脰搂脻搂脿搂脫搂脰搂脺 搂脽搂脰 搂谩搂脿搂脭搂脩搂茫搂脷搂脻
搂楼搂脿 搂氓搂盲搂芒搂脩 搂茫搂脫搂脰搂茅... 搂陋 搂茫搂盲搂芒搂氓搂脽搂铆 搂谩搂脰搂脻搂脷...
搂颅搂脷搂锚搂卯 搂茫搂脿搂脻搂脽搂猫搂脰 搂脷搂莽 搂脽搂脩搂锚搂脻搂脿 搂脪搂脰搂脵 搂茫搂脷搂脻
搂炉搂脩 搂茅搂脳搂芒搂脽搂脿搂脼 搂脪搂脩搂芒搂莽搂脩搂盲搂脰 搂谩搂脿搂茫搂盲搂脰搂脻搂脷.
What heavy, dark delirium!
What dim and moonlit heights!
To touch the violin for years
And not to know the strings by light!
Who needs us now? And who lit up
Two hollow, melancholy faces...
And suddenly the bow felt
Someone take them up, unite them.
"How long it's been! Amidst this gloom
Just tell me this: are you still the same?"
The strings caressed the bow,
Rang out, caressed it slightly trembling.
"Is it not true, that we will never more
Be parted. It's enough..."
Yes, replied the violin,
But pain was throbbing in her heart.
The bow discerned it and grew mute,
The echo still continued in the violin...
What was a torture to them both
The people heard as music.
But the violinist didn't snuff
The candles out 'til dawn...The strings sang on...
The sun found them worn out
On the black velvet of their bed.
隆掳To touch the violin for years and not to know the strings by light!隆卤 Vadim never finds out that the three of his three or four successive wives are the daughters of Count Starov (a diplomat who seems to be Vadim隆炉s real father). Skripka Rotshil隆炉da (隆掳Rothschild隆炉s Violin,隆卤 1894) is a story by Chekhov. Vadim隆炉s full name seems to be Prince Vadim Vadimovich Yablonski. One of Annenski隆炉s poems begins Pod yablon隆炉koy, pod vishneyu隆颅 (隆掳Under the apple tree, under the cherry tree隆卤). Chekhov is the author of Vishnyovyi sad (隆掳The Cherry Orchard,隆卤 1904).
Alexey Sklyarenko