登陆注册
5215100000072

第72章

The monk from Obdorsk, having been directed to the apiary by the beekeeper, who was also a very silent and surly monk, went to the corner where Father Ferapont's cell stood."Maybe he will speak as you are a stranger and maybe you'll get nothing out of him," the beekeeper had warned him.The monk, as he related afterwards, approached in the utmost apprehension.It was rather late in the evening.Father Ferapont was sitting at the door of his cell on a low bench.A huge old elm was lightly rustling overhead.There was an evening freshness in the air.The monk from Obdorsk bowed down before the saint and asked his blessing.

"Do you want me to bow down to you, monk?" said Father Ferapont.

"Get up!"

The monk got up.

"Blessing, be blessed! Sit beside me.Where have you come from?"What most struck the poor monk was the fact that in spite of his strict fasting and great age, Father Ferapont still looked a vigorous old man.He was tall, held himself erect, and had a thin, but fresh and healthy face.There was no doubt he still had considerable strength.He was of athletic build.In spite of his great age he was not even quite grey, and still had very thick hair and a full beard, both of which had once been black.His eyes were grey, large and luminous, but strikingly prominent.He spoke with a broad accent.He was dressed in a peasant's long reddish coat of coarse convict cloth (as it used to be called) and had a stout rope round his waist.His throat and chest were bare.Beneath his coat, his shirt of the coarsest linen showed almost black with dirt, not having been changed for months.They said that he wore irons weighing thirty pounds under his coat.His stockingless feet were thrust in old slippers almost dropping to pieces.

"From the little Obdorsk monastery, from St.Sylvester," the monk answered humbly, whilst his keen and inquisitive, but rather frightened little eyes kept watch on the hermit.

"I have been at your Sylvester's.I used to stay there.Is Sylvester well?"The monk hesitated.

"You are a senseless lot! How do you keep the fasts?""Our dietary is according to the ancient conventual rules.

During Lent there are no meals provided for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.For Tuesday and Thursday we have white bread, stewed fruit with honey, wild berries, or salt cabbage and whole meal stirabout.On Saturday white cabbage soup, noodles with peas, kasha, all with hemp oil.On weekdays we have dried fish and kasha with the cabbage soup.

From Monday till Saturday evening, six whole days in Holy Week, nothing is cooked, and we have only bread and water, and that sparingly; if possible not taking food every day, just the same as is ordered for first week in Lent.On Good Friday nothing is eaten.In the same way on the Saturday we have to fast till three o'clock, and then take a little bread and water and drink a single cup of wine.

On Holy Thursday we drink wine and have something cooked without oil or not cooked at all, inasmuch as the Laodicean council lays down for Holy Thursday: "It is unseemly by remitting the fast on the Holy Thursday to dishonour the whole of Lent!" This is how we keep the fast.But what is that compared with you, holy Father," added the monk, growing more confident, "for all the year round, even at Easter, you take nothing but bread and water, and what we should eat in two days lasts you full seven.It's truly marvellous- your great abstinence.""And mushrooms?" asked Father Ferapont, suddenly.

"Mushrooms?" repeated the surprised monk.

"Yes.I can give up their bread, not needing it at all, and go away into the forest and live there on the mushrooms or the berries, but they can't give up their bread here, wherefore they are in bondage to the devil.Nowadays the unclean deny that there is need of such fasting.Haughty and unclean is their judgment.""Och, true," sighed the monk.

"And have you seen devils among them?" asked Ferapont.

"Among them? Among whom?" asked the monk, timidly.

"I went to the Father Superior on Trinity Sunday last year, Ihaven't been since.I saw a devil sitting on one man's chest hiding under his cassock, only his horns poked out; another had one peeping out of his pocket with such sharp eyes, he was afraid of me; another settled in the unclean belly of one, another was hanging round a man's neck, and so he was carrying him about without seeing him.""You- can see spirits?" the monk inquired.

"I tell you I can see, I can see through them.When I was coming out from the Superior's I saw one hiding from me behind the door, and a big one, a yard and a half or more high, with a thick long grey tail, and the tip of his tail was in the crack of the door and I was quick and slammed the door, pinching his tail in it.He squealed and began to struggle, and I made the sign of the cross over him three times.And he died on the spot like a crushed spider.He must have rotted there in the corner and be stinking, but they don't see, they don't smell it.It's a year since I have been there.I reveal it to you, as you are a stranger.""Your words are terrible! But, holy and blessed father," said the monk, growing bolder and bolder, "is it true, as they noise abroad even to distant lands about you, that you are in continual communication with the Holy Ghost?""He does fly down at times."

"How does he fly down? In what form?"

"As a bird."

"The Holy Ghost in the form of a dove?"

"There's the Holy Ghost and there's the Holy Spirit.The Holy Spirit can appear as other birds- sometimes as a swallow, sometimes a goldfinch and sometimes as a blue-tit.""How do you know him from an ordinary tit?""He speaks."

"How does he speak, in what language?"

"Human language."

"And what does he tell you?"

"Why, to-day he told me that a fool would visit me and would ask me unseemly questions.You want to know too much, monk.""Terrible are your words, most holy and blessed Father," the monk shook his head.But there was a doubtful look in his frightened little eyes.

"Do you see this tree?" asked Father Ferapont, after a pause.

"I do, blessed Father."

同类推荐
  • 白云象林本真禅师语录

    白云象林本真禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大方广佛华严经修慈分

    大方广佛华严经修慈分

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 六十种曲杀狗记

    六十种曲杀狗记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 日闻录

    日闻录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 云安公主下降奉诏作

    云安公主下降奉诏作

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 新与旧·长河(沈从文小说全集)

    新与旧·长河(沈从文小说全集)

    该卷本收录《新与旧》《主妇集》《长河》三个子集。《新与旧》是沈从文的中篇小说集,1936年由上海良友图书印刷公司首次出版,体现了在那个神秘血腥的湘西世界里,新时代的变迁,旧时代的烙印,通过一个沉重的故事展现一个新旧交错的纷纭时代。
  • 西洋棋子

    西洋棋子

    锦城最近发生了一件趣事。有人门户网站上发了一个帖子,内容如下:标题:一千万游戏币悬赏西洋棋子,截止期1月17日早上8点赏金:一千万游戏币,游戏种类任选。任务:请帮我去偷一样东西。众所周知,国际象棋一共有三十六枚棋子,在下如今指明要锦城香積古董店老板随身带的那副国际象棋白棋中的王。不论以任何方式偷到这枚棋子并交予本人,即算完成任务,立刻交付赏金。本人诚心实意,绝非玩笑。境外担保凭证影印文件如下。望大家积极参与。如果这副西洋棋是稀世珍宝,那有人想要也在情理之中。
  • 男色狠勾人之霸皇

    男色狠勾人之霸皇

    总结:这是一个经历三世心里阴暗扭曲,喜怒无常的女人与一群男人相爱相杀的故事。正文简介:第一世,她只是二十一世纪一个普普通通的宅女,没什么远大志向,只图眼下安稳,偶尔花痴,偶尔做做白日梦。第二世,她成了凤鸣王朝的女皇啦,只可惜是个傀儡女皇。其实就这样也不错,有吃有喝,工作也不用做,安安心心当个米虫,即使有性命危险。可是她千不该万不该爱上一个不属于她的男子,以致于最后痛不欲生,生不如死!直至一杯毒酒夺了她的性命……她以为死后可以永远解脱了,谁料她竟重生了。呵呵,这样也好,以后她谁也不爱,只爱她自己。小剧场:一日,美男来了。美男:陛下,请你娶我!或者,你嫁我也行。女皇:行。美男:真的吗?有些飘飘然,幸福来得如此快……女皇:只要你愿意以后任我肆意打你、骂你、玩你,甚至———杀了你,我就娶你。美男:啥?懵了。背后一群美男:他不愿意,我愿意!女皇:那就算了。溜之大吉……ps:一对一简介无力,请转正文。
  • 兰亭序杀局(全三册)

    兰亭序杀局(全三册)

    《兰亭序》究竟隐藏着什么惊天秘密?唐太宗李世民为何必欲得之而后快?《兰亭序》真迹因何绝迹人间?此书会告诉你答案!陈坤、马伯庸、史航、流潋紫联袂推荐。已被知名影视公司购入版权,国内一线演员内定出演主人公。
  • 前几年的那些人和事

    前几年的那些人和事

    李二和穿越了,这个穿越的故事中,李二和的前世妻子离他而去,他失去了前世相濡以沫的妻子,可爱的一双儿女。尽管他是世界首富,可是这样的穿越有个鸟用,结果醒来却是场春梦。穿越历程才刚刚开始
  • 你爱我不爱

    你爱我不爱

    死人复活了,这不是一个笑话,而是真的。破天荒的一次谎言隐瞒很诡秘的故事,到底是谁在搞鬼?是杜怡芬,还是王颜,还是曾劝。这一切都太过神秘了。死人还会生孩子,天啊!这一切真的是魂断楼兰的恶梦?
  • 特种兵王1:利剑出鞘

    特种兵王1:利剑出鞘

    军区大院长大的孟军,被自己老爸逼着参加军校选拔考试,以优异成绩去军校学习提高,在军校期间凭借良好的身体反应,过硬的军事素质,不断挑战自我。在各种训练、演习的过程中,他英勇无畏,智谋过人,和战友一起不断推陈出新,出其不意地取得演习的良好分数,也逐渐转变了以前太过桀骜不驯的心态,有着“军中小霸王”混号的他,很快地成长为一名优秀的军官,带领小团队出色地完成战斗任务。
  • 二重记忆

    二重记忆

    ?唐恩笑眯眯凑到他面前:“明昊彦,我都23岁了可是一次恋爱都没有谈过,照这个情况下去恐怕30岁都还是老样子,我想了很久,要不我嫁给你吧,这样我就再也不会被鬼欺负了。”?明昊彦一口凉水喷出:“你是真的想嫁给我,还是只是单纯的想要我庇护?”?她一改往日的高冷和傲娇,抱着他的胳膊巴结道:“我只是单纯的想嫁给你然后要你庇护,便宜了别人还不如便宜你。”?明昊彦:“???”——这是一个女警察和驱魔者的故事,没有最狗血,只有更狗血
  • 快穿之女王保卫战

    快穿之女王保卫战

    (女主对男主无感情,没有爱情戏,相当于无男主)这是一个毒舌女主(天道)守护主角的故事,作者简介废,详情看正文,欢迎小可爱入坑~敢问天道是何物?锦颜答曰:神。敢问天道公不公?锦颜答曰:公。敢问天道好说话不?锦颜答曰:好。主角甲:屁!天天说话刺我的是谁?主角乙:不理我的是谁?主角丙:撕我衣服的是谁?主角丁:好像有什么不对啊……
  • 走进电学世界(物理知识知道点)

    走进电学世界(物理知识知道点)

    《物理知识知道点:走进电学世界》是一本介绍各种电学现象和电学知识的科普书籍,书中用语浅显易懂,内容上突出了趣味性和科普性,图文并茂,更有助于引导广大青少年朋友爱上电学科学,进入电学世界,研究和发现新的科学知识。