Makar Chudra

Makar Chudra (painted in late 1950s)
artist: A. Epanshina
(http://www.kholui.net/gallery/M000/27814/)
no copyright infringement intended

go about and see the world, and when you have seen enough, lie down and die - and that's all

That's the philosophy of old Makar Chudra. When he starts to tell a story, you're in danger. Because this story goes into another one, and the chain is endless. And you forget about anything, and don't see anything around anymore, and seamlessly you entered  a space that's neither sky nor earth, it's in between, or rather beyond, and you get robbed by the beauty of Rada, who died long time before, killed, as she was too proud, but time have no meaning now to you, anymore, and you hear the sound of a violin handed by a gipsy, Zobar, the one who killed Rada, and was then killed by old Danila. Time has no more meaning to you, space exists no more, and slowly you realize what fate means, and, as the stories of old Makar Chudra go on, you understand that the only wisdom is this: go about and see the world, and when you have seen enough, lie down and die - and that's all.


It was Gorky's first short story, he published it in 1892. A movie was made by Emil Loteanu, in 1976, but I've already told you about it (Tabor is Returning).


Here is the text of the story:

https://archive.org/details/storiesofsteppe00gork

(Maxim Gorky)