Episode Details

The Fables of Ivan Krylov — Episode Twelve

Five fables by Ivan Krylov (1769–1844), in new English verse translations made for this show, read aloud over a gentle instrumental bed.

The Fire and the Diamond (Пожар и Алмаз, Book IV, No. 10) — Born of a single spark, the Fire spreads over the rooftops at midnight and mocks the lost Diamond glimmering in the dust of the road: who can even see you, beside my blaze? The Diamond's quiet answer is the whole fable — it harms no one, and its light annoys only envy.

Fish Dances (Рыбьи пляски, Book VII, No. 25) — Tired of complaints against judges, the powerful, and the rich, the Lion inspects his own domains — and finds a peasant frying fish. The "elders of the water people," the peasant assures him, are dancing for joy at the royal visit; the fish, meanwhile, are thrashing in the pan. One of Krylov's sharpest satires, in the autograph text the censors never let him print.

The Flowers (Цветы, Book IV, No. 12) — In a rich man's window, artificial flowers in painted porcelain pots sway beside living ones — until a drizzle begins, and the taffeta blooms beg Jupiter to stop the rain. Zeus ignores them; the living flowers open fresher than ever, and the false ones are thrown into the yard like rubbish. True talents, Krylov closes, do not fear the rain.

The Fly and the Bee (Муха и Пчела, Book VII, No. 10) — Rocking on a stem in the spring garden, the Fly pities the Bee her toil: balls, weddings, porcelain dishes, crystal glasses — that is a life! The Bee has heard the other half of the story — how the Fly is frowned at, and driven out in shame. The Fly's reply is immortal: chase me out of the window, and I'll fly in at another.

The Fly and the Travelers (Муха и Дорожные, Book III, No. 17) — A coach-and-four sticks fast in the sand on a July noon; the horses are spent, the family crawls out, and a Fly appoints herself to the rescue — buzzing, darting, sitting on the coachman's box — while the horses, step by step, do all the work. Her farewell speech, and Krylov's three-line moral, are for busy people everywhere.

Krylov Fables.

Intermission: "The Longest Night by the River 2" — instrumental.

KacheliTV — Russian classics, read aloud.