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Shmelev Lord. Ice House for Christmas

Summer of the Lord
Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev

“The Summer of the Lord” can rightfully be called one of the peaks of the late work of Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev (1873-1950). Page after page opens to the reader amazing world a simple Russian person, whose whole life is imbued with the spirit of Christ, sanctified by the Holy Church, warmed by a warm, childlike, simple and deep faith.

"The Summer of the Lord" (1927–1948) is the most famous work author. It was published in full in Paris in 1948 (YMCA-PRESS). Consists of three parts: “Holidays”, “Joys”, “Sorrows”. "Holidays" was published separately in 1993 in Belgrade.

Turning to his childhood years, Shmelev captures in the novel the worldview of a child who accepted God into his heart. The peasant and merchant environment appears in the book not as a wild “dark kingdom”, but as a holistic and organic world, full of moral health, internal culture, love and humanity. Shmelev is far from romantic stylization or sentimentality. He depicts the true way of Russian life of not so long ago, without glossing over the rough and cruel sides of this life, its “sorrows.” However, for a pure child’s soul, existence reveals itself, first of all, with its bright, joyful side. In "The Summer of the Lord" the church-religious layer of people's life is extremely fully and deeply recreated. Meaning and beauty Orthodox holidays, rituals, customs that remain unchanged from century to century, are revealed so brightly and talentedly that the novel has become a true encyclopedia of Russian life Orthodox man. Shmelev’s language is organically connected with all the richness and diversity of living folk speech; it reflects the very soul of Russia. I.A. Ilyin noted that what is depicted in Shmelev’s novel is not what “was and passed,” but what “is and will remain... This is the very spiritual fabric of believing Russia. This is the spirit of our people." Shmelev created " piece of art national and metaphysical significance,” capturing “the sources of our national spiritual strength.”

Ilyin I. A. “On darkness and enlightenment”

Ivan Shmelev

SUMMER OF THE LORD

Two feelings are wonderfully close to us -
The heart finds food in them -
Love for the native ashes,
Love for fathers' coffins.

A.S. Pushkin

Dedicated to Natalya Nikolaevna and Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin

HOLIDAYS

Lent

Clean Monday

I wake up from the harsh light in the room: some kind of bare light, cold, boring. Yes, today is Lent. The pink curtains with hunters and ducks had already been taken down when I was sleeping, and that’s why the room was so bare and boring. Today is Clean Monday and everything in our house is being cleaned. Gray weather, thaw. It's dripping outside the window - like crying. Our old carpenter, “panelman” Gorkin, said yesterday that when Maslenitsa goes away, he will cry. So she started crying - drip... drip... drip... Here she is! I look at the torn paper flowers, the gilded Maslenitsa gingerbread - the toy brought yesterday from the baths: there are no bears, no slides - the joy is gone. And something joyful is stirring in the heart: everything is new now, different. Now “the soul will begin,” Gorkin said yesterday, “the soul must be prepared.” Fast, fast, prepare for the Bright Day.

Call Kosoy to come to me! - I hear my father scream, angry.

Father did not leave on business: today is a special day, strict, - the father rarely shouts. Something important has happened. But he forgave him for drunkenness, forgave him all his sins: yesterday was the day of forgiveness. And Vasil-Vasilich forgave us all, and said so in the dining room on his knees - “I forgive everyone!” Why is the father screaming?

The door opens and Gorkin enters with a shining copper basin. Oh, smoke Maslenitsa! There is a hot brick and mint in a basin, and vinegar is poured over them. My old nanny Domnushka follows Gorkin and waters him, hissing in the basin, and sour steam rises - sacred. I can hear it now, from afar. Sacred... - that's what Gorkin calls it. He walks around the corners and quietly shakes his pelvis. And the home-worker sways.

Get up, my dear, don’t be affectionate... - he tells me affectionately, sticking his basin under the canopy. - Where do you have her here, Maslenitsa fat woman... we will drive her out. Post came - I'll bite off the wolf's tail. We’ll go with you to the Lenten market, the Vasilievsky singers will sing - “my soul, my soul” - you’ll listen to it.

An unforgettable, sacred smell. This smells like Lent. And Gorkin is very special, it’s also like he’s sacred. Even before daylight he went to the bathhouse, took a steam bath, put on everything clean - today is clean Monday! - only the old Cossack boy: today they will put on all the most shabby, so “according to the law it is necessary.” It’s a sin to laugh, and you have to oil your head like Gorkin. Now he eats without butter, and, according to the law, his head is needed “for prayer.” The radiance comes from him, from his gray beard, completely silver, from his combed head. I know he is a saint. There are such people-pleasers. And the face is pink, like a cherub, from purity. I know that he dried himself black crackers with salt, and throughout Lent he will drink tea with them - “for sugar.”

Why is daddy so angry...at Vasil-Vasilich?

Ah, sins... - Gorkin says with a sigh. - It’s also hard to break, now everything is strict, fasting. Well, they get angry. And you hold on, think about your soul. It's a time like this last days they came... according to the law! Read - “Lord the Master of my life.” This will be fun.

The rooms are quiet and deserted, smelling of a sacred smell. In the hallway, in front of the reddish icon of the Crucifixion, very old, from the late great-grandmother, who followed the old faith, they lit a Lenten, bare glass, lamp, and now it will burn unquenchably until Easter. When my father lights the lamp - on Saturdays he lights all the lamps himself - he always hums pleasantly and sadly: “We worship Your Cross, Master,” and I sing after him, wonderful:

And holy... Your Resurrection

Sla-a-vim!

Joyful things beat and shine in my soul to the point of tears, from these words. And I see, behind the string of days of Lent, Holy Sunday, in the lights. Joyful prayer! She shines with a gentle countenance in these sad days of Lent.

It begins to seem to me that now the old life is ending, and I need to prepare for the life that will be... where? Somewhere in heaven. You need to cleanse your soul of all sins, and therefore everything around is different. And something special is near us, invisible and terrible. Gorkin told me that now it’s “like the soul parting with the body.” They are on guard to catch the soul, and the soul trembles and cries - “woe is me, accursed me!” This is how it is now read in the Ifimons.

Because they feel that the end is approaching for them, Christ will rise again! That’s why fasting was given, so that I could stick to church more and wait for the Bright Day. And don’t even think about it, you know. Don't think about earthly things! And everyone will start calling: remember... remember!.. - he leaves so nicely.

The windows in the house are open, and you can hear the bell crying and calling - remember... remember... This is a pitiful bell, crying for a sinful soul. It's called Lenten gospel. The curtains have been removed from the windows, and things will be fine now until Easter. In the living room, gray covers are put on the furniture, the lamps are tied into cocoons, and even the only painting, “The Beauty at the Feast,” is covered with a sheet.

The Eminence advised this. He shook his head sadly and whispered: “a sinful and seductive picture!” But my father really likes it - so chic! Also covered is a printed picture, which my father calls for some reason “Prianishnikovskaya”, of an old sexton dancing, and an old woman beating him with a broom. The Reverend liked this very much, he even laughed. Everyone at home is very strict, wearing shabby dresses with patches, and I was ordered to wear a jacket with torn elbows. The carpets have been removed, you can now roll deftly on the parquet floors, but it’s scary, Lent: if you roll, you’ll break your leg. There’s not a crumb anywhere from “Maslenitsa”, not even a breath left. Even the jellied sturgeon was given to the kitchen yesterday. The most common plates remained in the buffet, with brown spots and chips - Lenten ones. In the hallway there are bowls of yellow pickled cucumbers, with dill umbrellas stuck into them, and chopped sour cabbage, thickly sprinkled with anise - such a delight. I grab it in pinches and it crunches! And I promise myself not to fast throughout Lent. Why eat something that destroys the soul, if everything is already delicious? They will cook compote, make potato cutlets with prunes and sear, peas, poppy seed bread with beautiful curls of sugar poppy seeds, pink bagels, “crosses” on Krestopoklonnaya... frozen cranberries with sugar, jellied nuts, candied almonds, soaked peas, bagels and cod cakes, jug raisins, rowan pastille, lean sugar - lemon, raspberry, with oranges inside, halva... And fried buckwheat with onions, wash down with kvass! And Lenten pies with milk mushrooms, and buckwheat pancakes with onions on Saturdays... and kutia with marmalade on the first Saturday, some kind of “kolivo”! And almond milk with white jelly, and cranberry jelly with vanilla, and... the great kulebyaka for the Annunciation, with elm, with sturgeon! And kalya, extraordinary kalya, with pieces of blue caviar, with pickled cucumbers... and pickled apples on Sundays, and melted, sweet-sweet “Ryazan”... and “sinners”, with hemp oil, with a crispy crust, with a warm emptiness inside!. Is it really possible that the place where everyone leaves this life will be so lean! And why is everyone so boring? After all, everything is different, and there is much, so much joy. Today they will deliver the first ice and start filling the cellars - the whole yard will be filled up. Let's go to the "Lenten market", where there is a groan, a great mushroom market, where I have never been... I start to jump for joy, but they stop me:

Post, don't you dare! Wait, you'll break your leg.

I'm getting scared. I look at the Crucifixion. The Son of God is suffering! But how did God... how did He allow it?..

I feel this great secret- _God_.

In the office, the father screams, bangs his fist and stomps. On such and such a day! This is him on Vasil-Vasilich. I just forgave you yesterday. I am afraid to enter the office, he will certainly kick me out, “in the heat of the moment,” and I hide behind the door. Through the crack I see Vasil-Vasilich’s broad back, his red neck and the back of his head. The folds on the neck play like an accordion, the back staggers, and the huge fists are thrown back, as if they are driving someone away - evil spirit? He must still be “drunk” even now.

Drunk face! - the father shouts, banging his fist on the table on which piles of money are bouncing with a clink. - And you’re drunk now?! On such and such a great day! I sin with you, with the devils, forgive me, Lord! The audience was almost killed at the skating rink?! Where was the idiot clerk? I lost the bag of proceeds... for three hundred rubles! Thank you, old cab driver, he still remembers bringing God... forgot at his feet?! Out to the village, crew!..

Not in one eye, come on... I went to the bathhouse and took a steam bath... It’s a clean Monday, sir... everyone has been in the bathhouse since five o’clock, as it should be... - Vasil-Vasilich reports, bending down and keeps pushing someone away - then from behind. - Count... everything in full, sir... my master's property... does not sink in fire, does not burn in water, sir... purely, completely...

Almost mutilated the audience! Drunk, driving downhill? A note to me from the policeman from Presnya... What does this smell like? Report what happened.

For a thousand revenue, sir, do the math. The tickets will prove everything is intact. And so it was. True, I made a mistake through the police officer... for the sake of the master's antires. By nightfall the drunks piled in - roll! Let's roll up the butter! Well, they rolled off the dilijan and shouted - it’s worse! Eight of us sat down, but Anton Kudryavy couldn’t skate, he was tired from lunch, he kept skating... well, after drinking a little...

And you, sober?

Like a piece of glass, I just took the policeman for a ride on a sled, he was fresh... And they took me prisoner! And so, sir. Butchers came at me from Taganka... they came to the mountains with pancakes and bags... They liked me very much...

I liked your drunk face! Well, lie...

They took me by force to the dilijan, Antoshka drove us... But they held me across, they didn’t allow me to give orders. Fly them from the mountains... God forbid... I see that we are going to disappear... I shout - Antosha, cut with your heels, hold me back! He began to hold back with his heels, cut... and fell off the handle, under the dilizhan, and the dilizhan turned over three times all the way, in this place... it burned me like a fist, sir... And there, fools, without my eyes... another dilizhan was released with drunks. Parsley Deaf led... well, also a little oily for the wires, not at all solid... It hit us, eight people! There was contrition, but God saved us, they hit us in the bottom, pierced us, but the people were only scattered... And there the third one was being driven away, Vaska took up his own business, but halfway up the mountain he knocked everyone down, one of them got his leg caught, a fallen boot, thank you, saved him from breaking. Otherwise, we would all have been beaten... we were lying on the ice, on the move... Well, the quarterly clerk began to frighten us, write a report, but the quarterly clerk forbade him, there was no murder! Well, I took the clerk to the restaurant, and the newspaper guy here threatened to print your name... and I ordered him to give him some hodgepodge... and they drank, sir! For the master's antiresu, sir. And the policeman ordered the mountains to be closed at nine o’clock, according to the law, for Lent, so that it would be quiet and noble... all the fun, so that there would be silence.

How are Antoshka and Glukhim lying?

They were already steaming in the bathhouse, safe. Ivan Ivanovich Fershal looked and ordered some grated horseradish under the back of the head. They're already asking for cabbage. I was scared, both of us were lying unconscious yesterday from... a concussion, sir! And I sorted everything out, went home, yes... I hurt my head on the Dilijan, my memory disappeared... I forgot one bag of change, sir... but your family has known your cab for forty years!

Go... - the father says in a fallen voice. - I’m upset for such a day... Govey is here with you!.. Wait... There are no outfits today, you’ll order to take the snow from the barns... twenty carts of ice should be driven from the Moscow River after lunch, according to a special outfit, you’ll give three kopecks each. Fraudsters! Yesterday I asked for forgiveness, but didn’t say a word about the scandal! Get out of sight.

Vasil-Vasilich sees me, looks sleepily and points with his hands, as if he wants to say: “Well, no way!” I feel sorry for him and ashamed of my father: on such and such a great day, it’s a sin!

I stand there for a long time and don’t dare to go in? I creak the door. Father, in a gray robe, boring - I see his frowning eyebrows - is counting money. He counts quickly and puts them in columns. The entire table is in silver and copper. And mullioned windows. Abacuses are tapped, coppers are clinked, and silver rings loudly.

What do you need? - he asks sternly. - Don't interfere. Take a prayer book and read it. Ah, scammers... You have no business selling elephants, learn your prayers!

He was so upset by everything that he didn’t even pinch his cheek.

The world presented in the novel is seen through the eyes of the boy Ivushka. Action is limited church year(from Easter to Easter). The way of life, mood, and state of mind of people are closely connected with each of the holidays. The name of the parts of the work is determined by the view of what is happening, the emotional mood created by what the boy sees (Holidays, Joys, Sorrows).

Holidays

The boy wakes up on the morning of Maundy Monday, Lent. The room seems dull and gloomy to him. There are no gingerbreads, no toys, only one thing remains - cleansing the soul. Everything around is filled with the sound of bells, similar to the words “remember”, “remember”.

Winter is coming to an end, the March drops are ringing, and therefore Lent no longer seems so scary. The remains of winter in the form of blocks of ice are hidden in deep cellars so that they freeze well all year. Vanya looks at the mirrored bluish-green blocks, and it seems to him that winter itself is being hidden in the ground. Everyone goes to the Lenten market, which has everything! Traders offer cranberries, cloudberries, blueberries, “golden cucumbers” in brine, Antonovka, cloudberries, gooseberries, and sbiten. A honey row filled with different varieties of honey seems absolutely incredible to the boy. After such splendor, the road home, to the sound of the “remember” bell, seems quiet and sad.

Everyone is waiting for the Annunciation. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a lark begins to sing. Poultry keeper Solodovkin brought him exactly a year ago and, as a bet, promised that he would start singing in a year. Nightingales are bathing - this means that real spring has come. The boy's father is busy with siskins, larks, and thrushes.

At dawn, Vanya is awakened by someone's voices, he goes out and sees his father (Sergei Ivanovich), Gorkin (father's assistant), Vasil-Vasilich (clerk) and Deniska (carpenter), animated and dirty: they have just returned from the river, where barges were driven to the shore.

Preparations are underway for Easter. The puddle in the yard bothers everyone. Only Ivushka treats her as a beloved friend, because she sees how the sky, clouds, and house are reflected in her. People prepare illuminations, bake Easter cakes, paint eggs - all for the glory of the Savior. Father's hands smell of fragrant holy Athos oil. And a terrible misfortune - eggshells from eggs are floating in a puddle, but Easter has not yet begun (that is, the fast has not ended). Gorkin is very worried. In the end, they find the blasphemer - Deniska. Vanya also repents of his sin - he ate the ham ahead of time.

Easter is coming. The earth is not visible from under the colored color that covers it. eggshells. Vanya looks through the golden crystal egg (a gift from Gorkin) - and everything seems golden to him: people, the sky, the roofs, and even the ringing of bells.

In the morning - Iveron icon Mother of God sends blessings to the house.

Ascension is taking place with Christ's ladders (cookies in the shape of steps, which, according to legend, cannot be broken when eating, otherwise you will not climb the ladder to heaven). The “name day of the earth” is coming - Trinity. Ivushka looks at the icon, which depicts three Saints sitting under a tree with staves, and in front of the icon there are apples on the table. Pets go to the forest for birch branches and flowers. The church seems to little Willow like a blooming garden, and the Lord, resting under the birch tree, seems completely at home, at home.

On Yablochny Spas people shake apple trees and pick apples. Little Ivushka’s feelings are intertwined with the memories of an adult (the author):

“And now, not yet in your native country, when you meet an invisible apple, similar in smell to a pear, you squeeze it in your palm, close your eyes, and in a sweetish and juicy spirit you remember it as if it were alive, - small garden, which once seemed huge, the best of all the gardens in the world, has now disappeared without a trace...”

The six-week fast and the first frosts pass unnoticed, and the holiday of the Nativity of Christ begins. “You want me, dear boy, to tell you about Christmas porridge. ...As if I were like you. Do you know Snelsok? Here it - rarely, falls out - and melts. And here, when it falls down, the light would not be seen for three days!...” A few days before Christmas, Christmas trees are installed in the square, and there is brisk trade. There are rows of pigs, chicken, and goose, selling rolls, sbitni, kutya, vzvar... The house smells of a Christmas tree, polished floors, meat pies, fatty cabbage soup with pork, goose and pig with porridge...

After Christmastide comes Epiphany. People put crosses on barns, on barns, on stables, on doors. A large ice hole is set up on the Moscow River for Epiphany. Vasil-Vasilich argues with the German doctor Ledovik Karlych over who will outlast whom in the ice hole. Vasil Vasilich holds out for almost three minutes. It turns out that he outwitted the German by rubbing himself with goose fat in advance.

Soon the sun will warm up the puddles again, icicles will begin to drip, tubs of dough will begin to “breathe,” pancakes will bake... Maslenitsa is coming. People turn on the lights, ride with ice mountains, fasting. The last day remains - Forgiveness Sunday, during which everyone traditionally asks each other for forgiveness for offenses. The next day comes Lent - and again the sad ringing, terrible silence...

Joy

Father sends Gorkin to the Moscow River, to the icebreaker, to restore order: Vasil Vasilich has taken to drinking, but the matter is not working. It turns out that the workers were celebrating Deniskin’s birthday. But when they get to work later, they make up for everything.

Petrovka (light fast of Peter and Paul) begins, in honor of the very first apostles, martyrs: the pagans crucified Peter on the cross, and cut off the head of the Apostle Paul with a sword so that he would not teach people Christ's word. Everyone is preparing for the Procession of the Cross: the Savior Not Made by Hands will go from the Kremlin to the Donskoy Monastery, and the Most Pure One will come out to meet him (procession with banners). Vasil Vasilyich and Gorkin go to the bathhouse to cleanse themselves, since the next day they will have to carry banners. The procession begins. Gorkin carries a golden banner, symbolizing the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Nearby, Vasil-Vasklich carries an old banner that looks like a star - this is the Nativity of Christ. The innkeeper Mitriev carries St. Sergius. “The banners ring and cling: from the Savior in Nalivki, from Maron the Wonderworker...”

Some time passes” and everyone begins to say that the Intercession is coming soon. Gorkin explains that at the Intercession the Lady will say to the Lord: “So winter has come,” everyone has worked hard, stocked up... bless them, Lord, to rest,” the fierce winter will be over, My Protection will be over them.” Begins strict fast, you can only eat mushroom pie, soup, rice cutlets. But at this time, cucumbers are pickled. They prepare tubs and barrels, boil water to fill with brine, and settle. Fun work is going on, it smells of green freshness. Cucumbers are splashing in a trough in the sun. Finally, a prayer is read over the cucumbers - and they sleep in tubs, this “quiet sacrifice of joy.” And here comes another joy - chopping cabbage. There are as many as twenty cartloads of cabbage, the whole yard is littered with it, it’s too much to chop. But they put it in tubs, sprinkle it with salt, and whisper a prayer. The third greatest joy is getting the Antonovka wet. This is a favorite activity at home. Everyone eats apples, the whole house is saturated with the apple smell, which will not disappear for a long time. Ivushka dreams: “And with what joy I will find the “happiness” that has rolled under the closet, becoming more spiritual and even Antonov’s! Hired workers go home (since there is no work) to spend the winter.

After the Intercession comes autumn, “name day time”: in the fall the name day of Ivushka, father, mother, Gorkin. The owner's name day is celebrated especially. Everyone thinks long and hard about gifts and bakes pies as a sign of special respect. The servants can’t come up with anything, suddenly Ondreike, a carpenter, comes up with the idea that he needs to make a pretzel that no one has ever seen and solemnly present it to the birthday boy. Vasil-Vasilich goes to the city, to the pastry chef Filippov, to place an order. A lot of people gather for name days. “A huge, ruddy pretzel seems to float above everyone. So wonderful, unprecedented, delicious, delicious.” From above you can see the sugary words: “To the good master.” The father wipes his eyes with a handkerchief: the gift surprised and pleased him. The assembled guests are surprised by the ceremonial dinner: aspic, sauces, turkeys with hazel grouse, stuffed capons, pheasants, cranberry jelly, wild boar fillet, candy Kremlin. At the end of the day, the nightingale (which the peasant Solodovkin once gave to his father) begins to sing, as if spring has come.

Gorkin's name day is celebrated on Michaelmas Day. Ivushka did not have time to prepare a gift. The boy is crying, huddled in his father's room. His father shames him, then takes out a scarlet morocco wallet, puts money in it and gives it to Ivushka so that he can give Gorkin a gift from the two of them.

Christmas is approaching, the lamps are glowing. All-night service is underway. In the church, Ivushka sees the cave where the Savior was born, a manger for shepherds, and little sheep...

The father planned to build an ice house, but no one knows how to make it. My father read Lazhechnikov’s book “ Ice house“, but it only talks about how, during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, ice figures were made from living people. Finally, Denis and Ondryushka figure out the principle: you must first put up a base of pillars fastened with screws, and then place snow and ice blocks on top.

On November 23, Ivushka is sent to congratulate his godfather on Angel's Day. Ivushka does not like to visit her godfather: the godfather orders Gorkin to be fed in the kitchen, and his son tears off the pretzel lace on Ivushka’s new jacket. The boy is only happy when he returns home.

The Veneration of the Cross begins (“Christ comes out to suffer”). The house is filled with strange premonitions. Father sees a big rotten fish in a dream, Gorkin sees a cross on a grave... Ivushka is afraid of bad omens and tries to find out from Gorkin: will anyone die? Gorkin calms him down. But mother crosses herself and says that a snake flower has bloomed, which blooms once every thirty years, claims that this is not good.

Soon Pelageya Ivanovna, her father’s aunt, dies.

Shit is coming. Domnushka, Ivushka’s nanny, sews a “bag for sins” for the boy, with which he will go to repent.

After Palm Sunday comes Easter. Terrible news spreads - the owner was killed by a horse.

Sorrow

The father is seriously ill. He tells how he drove and rejoiced at the cuckoo, fresh birch groves, and sparrows. The horse was young, not yet broken in, and when his father whipped it with a whip, it bolted and bolted.

It’s sad at home, all thoughts return to my father’s illness. But a miracle happens - the father gets better, he goes to the bathhouse, “to wash off the disease from himself, to splash himself with living water.” The bathhouse helps: my father stops feeling sick and dizzy. Everyone goes for a ride, to see Moscow. The father, with tears in his eyes, reads: “A wonderful city, an ancient city!..” Sonechka continues her father’s favorite lines: “When churches and bell towers, gardens, palaces are a semicircle...” Everyone is filled with pride for Great Rus'.

My father starts working again, going to construction sites. When he arrived, he wrapped his head in a wet towel (for headaches). One day at a construction site he becomes ill, Gorkin brings him home. My father is getting worse. On Trinity Sunday, a bouquet of blooming rose hips, lilies of the valley and peonies is placed in his vase. The father dresses like a holiday and has dinner with everyone. “But the snake color has already “thrown out” its sting.” Doctors visit the house, but all their efforts are in vain. The father confesses, receives communion, blesses the children. The Intercession comes again, the cabbage is chopped again, but there is no joy anymore. Soon the father dies. Everyone at home is dressed in black, everything around seems to turn black. They carry out the coffin, and the boy does not understand who is in it - the Lord or the father. It's raining, the wind is ruffling the leaves on the wreath. Ivushka says goodbye to daddy. And you can hear: “...Holy... Immortal... Po-mi-i-luy na-a-as...”

The narration in the novel (some writers call this work an autobiographical story) is told on behalf of the boy Vanya, who is about seven years old. Thus, the reader perceives all events through the eyes of a child. In addition to Vanya, the main characters of the work “The Summer of the Lord” are the following characters.

Vanya's father is Sergei Ivanovich. This is a zealous and kind owner who runs his affairs regularly, helps the poor, and does a lot for the benefit of the city. The sudden illness and death of the father has a huge impact negative impact on the main character, force him into such early age think about eternal values.

Mikhail Pankratovich Gorkin used to work as a carpenter, and is now the boy’s spiritual mentor. Everyone loves this person for his kindness and devotion to home. Sergei Ivanovich himself calls Mikhail Pankratovich Gorka in a friendly manner, and does not skimp on his good words, gives gifts.

Vasily Vasilyevich, nicknamed Kosoy, serves as the senior clerk in the house. He is distinguished by hard work, good health, the ability to quickly solve problems and devotion to the owner. The love of alcohol is the only serious flaw of Vasil-Vasilich, as his household calls him.

Holidays

Vanya wakes up in his father's house in Zamoskvoretsk. This morning it's already in full swing there is a general cleaning, which is always done on Clean Monday. Mikhail Pankratovich Gorkin enters the boy’s room with a copper basin. He begins to smoke Maslenitsa with various incense. He does this, as always, diligently and carefully.

Great Lent begins. Winter is slowly giving up its rights, the street is already damp from the drops that loudly announce themselves from the Moscow rooftops. Snow gives way to thawed patches, and blocks of ice find shelter in hollows and cellars.

Former carpenter Gorkin takes care of Vanya with fatherly care, helping him to understand the essence of Orthodox holidays, rituals and Russian folk traditions, goes to church with the child. On the ephimon, the boy stands at the lectern for the first time and listens to the singers. He is scared by the thought that all people will die. Vanya would really like for everyone to die on the same day and then be resurrected safely.

Vanya and Gorkin go to the Lenten market. There are seemingly invisible goods: blueberries, cloudberries, cranberries, mushrooms, cucumbers in brine. There are an incredible number of different varieties of honey in the honey aisle. On the road, Mikhail Pankratovich tells the boy about Moscow, its history, and teaches his ward to love his native place.

Everyone in the house is looking forward to the Annunciation. This is a very important Christian holiday, without which other celebrations could not have happened. In the middle of the night on Annunciation, a lark suddenly began to sing. It was brought into the house exactly a year ago by poultry keeper Solodovkin. He then promised that in exactly one year the lark would sing. And so it happened. According to an old Russian custom, birds are released into the wild every spring.

Lent is gradually coming to an end, and a pre-holiday mood reigns in the house and city. All the streets have been cleared of snow, Vanya’s father, together with the workers, is preparing the illumination in the church. The floors in the house were polished, lamps were installed, eggs were painted and placed in special baskets. They are so pleasing to the eye.

On Easter, bells ring in the morning and tables are set in the courtyard. All workers sit down for a festive dinner with the owner's family. Gorkin gives Vanya a crystal golden egg, through which it is so funny to look at this world. Everything now seems golden: the people, the garden, the roof, even the ringing of the bells.

A few days after Easter, the icon of the Queen of Heaven is brought to Sergei Ivanovich. She is solemnly brought into the house, they walk around all the rooms with her, as well as the yard with barns and sheds.

On Ascension, it is customary to make special cookies in the shape of steps - Christ's ladders. Everyone eats it carefully, because there is a sign that if you break the cookie, you won’t get to heaven using the ladder.

Trinity - especially beautiful holiday, which excites the boy’s imagination. Vanya goes with Mikhail Pankratovich to pick up flowers and birch trees. The church on this day seems like a blooming garden. It’s just as elegant in the house, where birch trees are installed near each icon. And the whole yard has been covered with grass since the morning.

On Apple Spas, apples are picked in the garden. Then Gorkin and Vanya go to the merchant Krapivkin to sell the “harvest”. Mikhail Pankratovich tells the boy that sin came to earth through this fruit. In the church, apples are sprinkled and blessed; there are a lot of them here, just like people on this holiday.

After the six-week winter fast comes the Great Holiday - Christmas. A few days before this glorious event, Christmas trees are put up in the city, chickens, geese, pork, rolls, sbitny, kutya, meat pies and many other mouth-watering dishes are briskly sold. And at home, as usual, it smells like a Christmas tree.

At Christmas, “different” people come into the house from the back door. They were clearly not dressed for the weather - in light coats and blouses. Covered for the poor festive table, and the owner makes a toast. Sergei Ivanovich sincerely congratulates all guests on Christmas and treats them.

On Christmastide, Vanya got a sore throat, so his parents don’t take him to the theater with them. The boy and other people are entertained in the kitchen by Mikhail Pankratovich. He tells fortunes to everyone in the “circle of King Solomon.” Vanya notices that Gorkin is being cunning. The carpenter reads sayings of his choice, taking advantage of the fact that many workers in the house are not trained to read and write.

On Epiphany, the water in the Moscow River is blessed, and many swim in the ice hole. Vasil-Vasilich makes a bet with a German: who can stay in the icy water longer. A soldier joins them. Vasilich defeats both opponents, holding out in the ice hole for almost three minutes. True, he did this with the help of a cunning trick, smearing his body with fat.

Maslenitsa is coming, and pancakes are being baked in every home. People joyfully and cheerfully ride down the ice slides and fast. On the last day of Maslenitsa, which is called Forgiveness Sunday, everyone apologizes to each other, asks for forgiveness for insults and rash actions. Tomorrow Lent will begin again with a sad ringing and alarming silence.

Joy

Father sends Vanya and Mikhail Pankratovich to the icebreaker. It is necessary to restore order there, since Vasilich went on a drinking binge. However, the fake workers did an excellent job without their leader, although they also celebrated Deniskin’s birthday.

Peter's fast has arrived. It is the lightest of all four, and also summer. The surrounding area is full of greenery, fruits and berries. Gorkin tells Vanya that the first apostles, whose names were Peter and Paul, suffered martyrdom. Therefore, out of great respect for them, the people fast.

Then Mikhail Pankratovich, Vanya, the maid Masha and the seamstress Glasha go to the river to rinse the clothes. Denis, who lives at the portomoy, fell in love with Masha. He asks Gorkin to help in his relationship with the girl.

A religious procession is planned for the Feast of the Don Icon, for which they are carefully and solemnly preparing. Gorkin and Vasil-Vasilich have to carry banners, so they cleanse their bodies in the bathhouse.

During the procession, Mikhail Pankratovich carries a golden banner, which symbolizes the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Vasil-Vasilich comes with a banner that looks like a star. She is a symbol of the Nativity of Christ.

While waiting for the Intercession, Vasilich notes that this is a very important day. The earth will be covered with snow. Pickling cucumbers, cabbage, and apples is in full swing in the house. After all, winter is just around the corner. On this day, Vanya’s sister Ksyusha is born, and Masha and Denis get married.

Another an important event– Sergei Ivanovich’s name day. The owner accepts many congratulations, pies are brought to him from all over Moscow, and the workers make a huge pretzel in honor of the birthday boy, on which is written: “To the good owner.” Even the bishop himself arrives at the house to congratulate Sergei Ivanovich.

After the Intercession, hired workers go home, since there is practically no work left in the house.

Mikhail Pankratovich celebrates his name day on Michaelmas Day. Vanya is very upset that he did not have time to prepare a gift for his beloved mentor. The boy is helped out by his father, who puts money from himself and his son into a morocco wallet. In addition, Sergei Ivanovich generously gifts Gorkin expensive things, for kindness and devotion.

A lot of snow fell on Filippovka and frost hit. The rivers were frozen, and the roads hardened and became comfortable for driving.

Christmas is approaching. A characteristic feature of this holiday is that livestock from all over Russia is brought to Horse Square. Vanya and Gorkin make purchases for the holiday, and in the house they clean sofas, armchairs, carpets with snow, and put up lamps.

On Christmas Eve, the house is perfectly clean, but there is no time to have a hearty dinner yet. You can only indulge in seagulls with poppy horseshoes. After the service in the church, we decided to go to Gorkin and broke our fast there.

In the Zoological Garden, Vanya’s father decided to build an “ice house”, for which he began to bring Christmas trees, lanterns and many other things there. No one really knows how to build an “ice house,” so they build it according to their own understanding. But the house came out great, as if from a beautiful fairy tale. In the evening its walls glow different colors. Muscovites thank Sergei Ivanovich for this miracle.

During the Week of the Cross, cookies in the shape of a cross are baked in the house. The raspberries in it resemble carnations. This happened in Sergei Ivanovich’s family from his great-grandmother Ustinya. Maryushka is in charge of preparing the cookies, and she does the work with a prayer on her lips.

Many bad omens occur during this time. Sergei Ivanovich and Gorkin are having bad dreams, and a snake flower has begun to bloom, which is capable of this only once every twenty to thirty years. Mother considers this a very bad omen. Soon, my father's aunt Pelageya Ivanovna dies.

During Lent, Vanya fasts for the first time; instead of sweets, he eats only dry bread. Mikhail Pankratovich takes the boy to the bathhouse, and then to the church for repentance. Vanya, with tears in his eyes, tells Father Victor about his childhood sins. After repentance and the priest’s instruction, the child’s soul becomes very light.

IN Palm Sunday Everyone in the house is waiting for the old coal miner to finally bring the willow. Gorkin is especially sad about this, because he cannot imagine how one can celebrate a holiday without a willow tree in the house.

One worker is sent to search for the coal miner. It turns out that the shaft of the sleigh broke, and the old man ended up in a ravine. The coal miner is freed, and the beautiful willow is safely delivered to the house.

Mikhail Pankratovich says that on this day God raised Lazarus. This means that everyone will have eternal life, we must rejoice.

On Easter people rejoice and the bells ring. The janitor Grishka, who missed work, is doused with cold water. However, he is not offended, he only grins in response. Easter is late this year, so the first swallows have already arrived from warm countries.

The bad omens begin again. Bushui howls all night, and Repolov suddenly begins to sing.

Mikhail Pankratovich explains to Vanya why the week when the dead are remembered is called Radunitsa. It’s just that at this time all people go to the graves of their relatives and friends. They say to the departed: “Rejoice, we will all rise again soon.”

On the way from the cemetery, Mikhail Pankratovich and Vanya stop at a tavern to drink tea. Here they hear the terrible news that Sergei Ivanovich was killed by a horse. However, at home it turns out that Vanya’s father is alive, only in a very serious condition. He lies with a broken head and is delirious.

Sorrow

One after another, visitors come to the house. Everyone prays for the owner’s health and wishes him get well soon. After some time, Sergei Ivanovich gets better, but he cannot work yet. Vasil-Vasilich is in charge of managing the farm.

According to the father, everything happened as follows. Sergei Ivanovich rode a young, unbroken horse and enjoyed the beauty of nature. When he whipped the mare with his whip, she suddenly rushed and ran as fast as she could, and then threw her owner to the ground. Sergei Ivanovich fell unsuccessfully and hit his head hard.

When the owner recovered a little from his illness, he went to the baths to douse himself with living water. After this, he began to feel much better, which made his family and friends very happy.

Father takes Vanya on a trip around Moscow. Mikhail Pankratovich also travels with them. On Vorobyovka, Sergei Ivanovich admires Mother Moscow, its greatness and beauty for a long time.

The father gradually returns to his previous activities and begins to inspect construction sites. But on one of these trips he becomes ill and the owner almost falls from the scaffolding. Vasilich brings Sergei Ivanovich home, and it becomes clear to everyone that the disease has returned.

On Trinity Sunday, Sergei Ivanovich dresses smartly and goes to the table to have lunch with everyone. But there is no joy in the house; relatives assume that the disease will not leave the owner.

This is what happens. One day Sergei Ivanovich becomes very ill, he does not even leave his room. Doctors give no hope for recovery. They say that an operation is needed, but medicine has not yet reached the technical capabilities for such a complex procedure. After opening the head, nine out of ten patients die.

Miraculous icons and other church attributes also do not help, Sergei Ivanovich is not getting better. All that remains is to trust in the will of God.

On the Transfiguration of the Savior, everyone brings blessed apples to the house. Mikhail Pankratovich sadly remembers how he used to love to exchange apples with his “daddy.” Tears roll down his gray beard.

After the Assumption, cucumbers are pickled in the house, as usual. But there is no joy anymore, no one sings songs. Sergei Ivanovich becomes very ill, he does not eat anything. On the day of Ivan the Theologian, mother decides that it is time to take the children to their father for a blessing. However, Sergei Ivanovich says that he no longer sees anything. The mother brings each child to the father and helps bless the children.

The next day, the rite of Unction is performed in the house. Vanya feels very sorry for his father, he cries all the time. Mikhail Pankratovich tries by all means to console the child, saying that we will all meet again if God wills.

Sergei Ivanovich's last birthday is coming. Gifts and congratulations are brought into the house from everywhere. However, this time universal love does not bring joy to the birthday boy and his relatives. Gorkin explains to Vanya that everyone wants to finally show respect to the owner of the house, because he is still alive.

The boy clings to every little hope for his father's recovery. When he drinks some almond milk, Vanya thinks that maybe everything will work out. With this thought he falls asleep and has a beautiful dream.

Waking up, the boy realizes that something terrible has happened. The house is hung with mirrors. Gorkin takes Vanya to the coffin to say goodbye to his father. Vanya becomes ill. When the boy comes to his senses, Mikhail Pankratovich reports that Vanya slept for the whole day.

The boy cannot go to his father's funeral. He is very weak, his legs can’t support him. Vanya is wrapped in a blanket and brought to the window so that he can last time looked at my father. The boy sees a huge number of people who came to see off Sergei Ivanovich on his last journey. Vanya is baptized and says goodbye to his father.

The author dedicated his work to I. A. Ilyin and his wife, who, like him, ended up in exile. The friendship of the two great Russian thinkers began with correspondence. They were united by their love for their homeland. In all the hardships and hardships, they were warmed by thoughts of a future, revived Russia. And yours main task they believed - to educate Russian children of emigrants in the spirit of Russian culture.

For whom is the “Summer of the Lord”?

The novel is not just for children. The summary of “The Summer of the Lord” begins with the chapter “Holidays,” which Shmelev wanted to remind everyone who was cut off from the Russian land, from their roots. He wrote that their stay abroad was a great test. So, from longing for his native country and nostalgia, from stories to his godson to the support of his compatriots, Ivan Sergeevich walked to the “Summer of the Lord.”

The string of holidays, the order of worship, the decoration of the church, pious customs, the religious meaning of each holiday and everyday details - Shmelev told about everything in “The Year of the Lord.” Reading the summary, you will notice that the second part of “Joy” and the third “Sorrow” are of a more personal, private nature. When collecting individual stories into a book, Shmelev did not include chapters that had a political overtones. As you know, the plot in them is autobiographical.

When processing newspaper versions of stories, Shmelev removes the “knowledge” of the adult narrator, leaving only premonitions and predictions, random slips of the tongue and signs. “Sorrows” were almost never published in newspapers. Probably, the author did not want to make public the most personal and bitter things - the fight against the disease, prayers and hopes for healing, preparation for death and the death of his father. Is the whole book really permeated with grief and sadness?

What did Shmelev want to say in “The Summer of the Lord”?

The story is told from the perspective of the main character Vanya. He is not yet seven years old. Vanya feels gentle world and admires him: a “joyful prayer” is read in church, everyone thinks about “apples”, the morning is “chilly.” The boy lives with a feeling of delight. His father's illness and death make him grieve. Coping with grief and finding new meaning in life he is helped by the teachings of the old man Gorkin and his religious education.

Holidays. Lent

Vanya woke up from a harsh, cold light. There are no pink curtains in the room. It’s boring in the room, but “something joyful is stirring in my soul” - now something new will begin. Gorkin said that “the soul must be prepared” for the Bright Day. Mikhail Pankratovich enters the room with a shining copper basin, from which sour steam rises - to smoke Maslenitsa. Sacred smell. This is what Lent smells like. As can be seen from summary“The Summer of the Lord”, Gorkin is always next to Vanya. He helps the boy understand the meaning of Orthodox rituals.

On Efimon the temple is deserted and quiet. Vanya is worried. This is his first stand. Gorkin explained to the boy what “ikh-fimons” were, placed Vanya at the lectern and ordered him to listen. The singers say: “The end is approaching.” And the boy becomes afraid that everyone will die. He thinks how nice it would be to all die on the same day and be resurrected at the same time. The service is over. They are going home.

The first spring evening, the drops are ringing loudly, rooks are circling in the sky. “Now it’s spring,” says Mikhail Pankratovich. Even in the summary of “The Summer of the Lord,” it is impossible not to note that Gorkin is an expert in folk traditions and accepts, he generously shares them with Vanya. As he falls asleep, the boy listens to the spring drip-drip rustling outside the window.

In the morning the boy opened his eyes and was blinded by the light. The curtains were removed from his crib. There is a lot of “Lenten” laundry in the house. Gorkin and Vanya go to the Lenten market. The road is winter, but still strong. They are driving near the Kremlin. Mikhail Pankratovich talks about Moscow.

Annunciation

Tomorrow great holiday- Annunciation. Without him, there would be no Christian holidays. Tomorrow the post ends. A lark began to sing in my father's study. A year was silent and began to sing. Just before the holiday, Gorkin and Vasilich noted, he started singing - for prosperity. The merchant Solodovkin brings the birds, and according to custom, they are released into the sky all together - both owners and workers. Nice custom. A small but memorable detail for reader's diary. “The Summer of the Lord,” a brief summary of which is described in this article, talks about many interesting traditions of the Russia that Shmelev loved.

The post is coming to an end. They are preparing for the great holiday. The pavement is cleared of snow and ice - “to the last stone”, shops and bakeries are festively decorated. Father and workers are preparing illumination in the parish church and in the Kremlin. The shroud is taken out in the church. Vanya became sad - the Savior died. But joy immediately beats in the heart - tomorrow he will rise again. The floors in the house were polished, crimson lamps were placed in baskets painted eggs. Holy Saturday. Gorkin and Vanya go to church. Now is the procession of the Cross. Rockets soar into the sky with a hiss and crumble into multi-colored apples. The bells are ringing - Easter is red.

The tables are set in the courtyard. They sit down for a festive lunch together with the workers - this was the custom from my grandfather. Everyone is celebrating Christ. Vanya looks at the yard through the crystal, golden egg that Gorkin gave him in the morning. The people are golden, the barns are golden, the garden and the roof are all golden.

With Fomina's week new workers come. The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God should be brought into the house. The yard is cleaned up - they cover the puddle and the dirty frame of the garbage pit with boards, cover the manure heaps with matting, tidy up all the boxes and barrels in the corners of the yard. They brought the icon of the Queen of Heaven. Everyone prays, the Intercessor is solemnly brought into the house, they walk around the work bedrooms, barns, sheds with livestock, and the entire yard.

Trinity

They baked dough ladders for Ascension. We ate it carefully so as not to break it. Whoever breaks “Christ’s ladder” will not ascend to heaven. Vanya goes with Gorkin to Vorobyovka for birch trees, and for flowers - to Cheryomushki with his father. Today is Trinity. There are birch trees in all corners of the house and near the icons. The yard is covered with grass. Smartly dressed, with bouquets of flowers, everyone goes to the service. The church is all in flowers, as if it were a sacred garden, “the auspicious summer of the Lord.”

“Apple Saved” - a summary of this chapter begins with picking apples in the garden. They will bless and sprinkle the apples. “Sin came through them. The snake deceived Adam and Eve with an apple,” says Gorkin. The church is full of people. There are baskets of apples on the pulpit. And above our heads, little bundles of apples and mallows keep flowing and flowing.

Christmas and “lunch for different people”

Winter is frosty and snowy. People come to the house. They always came at Christmas. Bitterly cold, and they are in coats and blouses. They come through the back door. They jump around the stove, blowing their blue fists. On the second day of Christmas, a dinner “for different people” is held in the house. The table is covered with a festive tablecloth, and the dishes are placed in front. Sergei Ivanovich enters, wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and invites them to the table.

Today is Christmastide. Vanya has a sore throat, and his father and mother leave for the theater without him. The rest gather at the table. Gorkin guesses in King Solomon's circle - who will get what. Vanya noticed Gorkin’s cunning, but remains silent, since Mikhail Pankratovich reads the most suitable and instructive for everyone.

In the Moscow River, the water is blessed and many people swim in the ice hole. Vasilich arranged a competition with a German to see who could stay in the ice hole longer. A soldier volunteered to compete with them. They are cunning: the German rubs himself with pork fat, Vasilich - with goose fat, the soldier - without any tricks. Vasilich wins.

Everyone bakes pancakes on Maslenitsa. The bishop is supposed to come to the house, and a cook is invited to prepare the festive dinner. On Saturday they go skiing from the mountains, and before the start of Lent, on Sunday, they must ask each other for forgiveness.

Joy. Name day

The customer needs to deliver ice, but Vasilich drinks. Vanya and Gorkin go to the icebreaker to “restore order.” But the workers did everything conscientiously.

Here is the “Apostolic” fast - that’s what Petrovsky is also called. It's summery and light. “The very first apostles Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom. That's why we fast. Out of respect,” Mikhail Pankratovich tells the boy. Soon he tells him to get ready to go to the dacha. Vanya knows that they are going to the river to rinse the clothes.

They are collecting shavings in the yard - preparing for the Procession of the Cross. There will be a lot of people. What if some mischievous person throws a match? So they clean it up and put up barrels of water. The road is sprinkled with sand and grass so that it is inaudible, as if through the air.

Vasilich said that Intercession is an important day. Things will “stop” and the ground will be covered with snow. There is a strict fast in the house during Ivan Lent. The house is crowded - tubs are steaming and water is boiling for the fill. They will pickle the cucumbers and wet the Antonovka. Carpenters who are off work are also here - they will chop cabbage. So the Intercession has come. “Winter is not scary now,” Vanya thinks. “We have everything in stock.”

Autumn is the most birthday time in the house. On the occasion of Sergei Ivanovich’s name day, everyone gathers in the house and thinks “what to present to the owner.” We decided to order a huge pretzel, “never seen before.” They baked a noble pretzel, and on it in sugar letters: “To the Good Master.” While the pretzel was being carried, Vasilich started ringing the bell. The name day was a great success.

Ice House for Christmas

Michaelmas. This day is Gorkin's name day. Vanya's father presents him with expensive gifts. Gorkin throws up his hands and says, and his voice trembles: “Why should I do this?” They answer: “You are good, Pankratych. That's why."

Winter, as it “took hold” from Michaelmas, never let go. Snow fell on Filippovka by a yard. The rivers stood up, the road became good and smooth. Christmas trees, flags, and colorful lanterns are being brought from the yard to the Zoological Garden, where my father decided to build an “ice house.” They don’t take Vanya there. They gave him a task as a consolation - to “spank” tickets for skiing from the mountains.

As you will see, the carts have reached Horse Square - Christmas is coming. “Livestock is brought from all over Russia” - geese, piglets, frozen pigs. Vanya and Gorkin also went shopping for the holiday. In the house they clean carpets, armchairs and sofas with snow, polish the vestments on the icons until they shine, and put up Christmas lamps. On Christmas Eve, the house sparkles, but there is no lunch - only tea, with fish and poppy horseshoes. The whole house went to the all-night vigil - the church was shining, all the chandeliers were on fire. After the service we went to Gorkin, he had a wheat kutya, warmed up with a “shrine” and began to listen about the divine.

Work is in full swing in the Zoological Garden, where the ice house is being built. But Vanya is not taken there. They sent us to congratulate Kashin, Vanya’s godfather, on Angel’s Day. He doesn’t love him, he says Kashin’s eyes are like “an ogre’s.” But there's nothing to be done. Godfather - must be respected. Vanya and Gorkin went to see the ice house. Crystal castle, as if in a fairy tale. Rockets soared into the sky. The walls of the palace glow blue, green, and red. The ice house turned out just like a miracle. Sergei Ivanovich - glory throughout Moscow. There was no profit, but I made everyone happy.

Week of the Cross

In the house they bake “crosses” - crumbly cookies, and where the crossbar of the cross is, there are raspberries - as if nailed down with nails. This was the custom from great-grandmother Ustinya - as a consolation for fasting. Maryushka makes “crosses” with prayer. Week of the Cross- sacred, strict fasting. There are many bad omens in the house: Gorkin and his father have bad dreams. The “snake blossom” has bloomed. The Right Reverend gave this flower to my grandfather. Grandfather died that year. It blooms rarely - once every twenty to thirty years. Mother crosses herself: “Save us, Lord.”

Everyone is fasting. Vanya is fasting for the first time. He doesn’t eat sweets, only dry foods. Gorkin takes him to the bathhouse to “wash away his sins.” On Friday before supper we must ask everyone for forgiveness and repent in church. For some reason, tears came to my eyes when Vanya told Father Victor about his sins: he envied the crow’s foot, condemned big belly Protodeacon. The father read the instruction to the boy that it is a sin to envy and judge. My soul felt lighter and lighter. After communion, everyone congratulates Vanya.

Holidays are repeated in the novel, because that is why I. S. Shmelev called it “The Summer of the Lord.” A summary of the chapters shows that the actions in the novel take place in a circle, following the cycle Orthodox calendar. It turns out to be a kind of circle - the summer of the Lord.

Palm Sunday

Tomorrow is Palm Saturday, and the old coal miner has no luck and no willow. Gorkin gasps: “How can we live without willow?” They sent Anton. He met an old man - he was sitting in a ravine, crying - the shaft of the sleigh had broken. Anton rescued them. A rich, cherry-fluffy willow was brought into the house, the willows on it were large, about the size of a nut. Gorkin says that on this day the Lord raised Lazarus. Eternal life means everyone will have it. So we are happy.

Easter is rejoicing outside the window - the bells are ringing. Everyone is returning from service. The janitor Grishka was doused with cold water for not being on duty. He grins: “Well, I’ll submit, brothers. I will submit. Just let me take off my jacket.”

This year Easter is late - it took over Yegoryev's day. The first swallows have arrived. Vanya listened to the old shepherd playing the horn. Then the shepherd's worker, a young guy, came up and took the horn from him - and such a pitiful, iridescent trill spread out that it ached his heart. I would have listened anyway. There are more bad omens this week. And Bushui howled, howled so badly. Gorkin said that a dog howls for bad luck.

Vanya was woken up by the chirping and murmur. Repolov sang it. Today is a “departed holiday,” as Gorkin says. They will go to the graves and say to the deceased: “Rejoice, we will all rise again soon.” That's why Radunitsa. We bowed to the graves and went home. On the way we stopped at a tavern to drink tea. The brick makers came in and began to say that a horse had killed a man. Gorkin began asking questions, and they even told him his last name. Vanya's father. “That’s Bushui, just as I sensed it,” Gorkin said and began to cry. We arrived home, Vasilich said that the owner was alive, but we couldn’t go to him - they covered his head with ice, he was delirious.

Sorrow. Father's illness

One by one, the guests arrive. They come from all over Moscow, both poor and rich. Everyone is praying for the health of Sergei Ivanovich. Father is much better. He can’t manage things yet, everything is on Vasil Vasilich. When it got better, my father went to the baths to splash himself with cold, “living” water. This is how it is supposed to “wash away the disease.” After the baths, my father really began to feel much better. Everyone greets him and is happy that he is “alive and well.”

Father takes Vanya for a walk around Moscow. What a joy! And Gorkin is with them. They are going to Vorobyovka. The father looks at the city for a long, long time and his lips whisper: “This is Mother Moscow.” After the “living water” my father felt better. I started going to construction sites. One day he felt bad - he almost fell from the scaffolding. Vasilich brought him home. Everyone in the house was depressed. Vanya heard Mikhail Pankratovich tell Vasilich that “the disease has returned.” We went to church on Trinity Sunday. But there was no joy.

The novel is written in a simple, folk style. And they are so juicy and desirable in the context of such a folk, Russian novel as “The Summer of the Lord.” A summary (by chapter) cannot convey that true light and secrets of the Russian soul, as the author does, playing with “irregularities” and “distortions” that cannot be translated into another language.

It’s been two days since my father felt better. I even had lunch with everyone at the table. On the third day he didn’t even leave the office - he felt bad. They brought various miracle-working icons, oil from the relics - but my father was no better. Well-known doctors came and said that an operation had to be done and the head had to be opened. Our science has not yet reached this point. Out of ten, nine die. All that remains is to pray and trust in the will of God.

Here is the Transfiguration of the Savior. Everyone brings blessed apples to their father. Mikhail Pankratovich also came. “We used to exchange apples with daddy,” Gorkin recalls, sobbing. And tears roll down his white beard.

Funeral

After the Assumption, cucumbers were pickled as always. They just didn’t sing songs - my father was really bad. Doesn't eat anything. On the day of Ivan the Theologian, the mother gathered all the children and took them to their father’s bedroom: “The children are here. Bless them, Serezhenka.” The father said, barely audibly, that he couldn’t see. The mother brings the children, the father puts his hand on each head and blesses.

On Pokrov they chopped cabbage. It's a fun time. But everyone knew that now was no time for fun - the owner was very bad. The next day my father was given unction - his relatives arrived and the priests gathered. They serve slowly. Vanya is crying, Gorkin strokes the child’s head: “Don’t cry, honey. God willing, we’ll all meet again.”

People are bringing pies from everywhere and sending congratulations. Father's birthday. Everything is mixed up. Such grief, but they bring pies into the house. Gorkin says that there is nothing wrong with that, because Sergei Ivanovich is still alive. So they carry it - to show respect, and finally to please. My father drank some almond milk. Vanya rejoices: “Maybe it will get better? God has a lot of everything.” And falls asleep. He has a joyful dream. In the morning, Vanya is woken up by Gorkin: “Get up, remember your father.” The boy realizes that something terrible has happened.

The mirrors in the house are hung. That's how it's supposed to be. The children are led into the hall, to the coffin, to say goodbye to their father. Vanya is getting sick. When the boy came to his senses, Gorkin was sitting next to him. He told Vanya that he slept for a day. Today my father is being buried. Vanya can’t walk, his legs are weak and can’t hold him up. They wrap him in a blanket and take him to the window to say goodbye to his father. The boy sees how many people came to see his father off. He crosses himself and whispers - says goodbye...

The author seems to be saying that there is no need to be afraid of death. And if he survived the death of his father, then the loss of Russia is not so terrible. Because it is impossible to lose the “incorruptible”. It is impossible to destroy an ideal. This is exactly what Shmelev shows in his book. He depicts not just the ethnographic shell of Russia, but people who piously keep Tradition and know the Holy Scriptures. This is what distinguishes Ivan Sergeevich’s book from other novels of his compatriots-emigrants. His Russia is indestructible just like the human soul.

Even from the summary of “The Summer of the Lord” it is clear that the book is connected with the life of Russia. And in the funeral scene, when the author writes that this is farewell to his home, to everything that happened, the reader understands that this is also farewell to Russia.