- Summary
- Pushkin
- Arab of Peter the Great
Among the young people sent abroad by Peter I to get an education was his godson. His name was Ibrahim. After graduating from military school, with the rank of captain, he took part in the war with Spain and was wounded. In Paris he was received as a hero. Despite his skin color, he was invited to many houses of the French aristocracy. Like any young man of his age, he plunged into secular entertainment. At one of the receptions, Ibrahim met Countess Leonora. Mutual passion led to her having a black child. To hide the secret of the birth of this child, they replaced him with a baby purchased from a poor woman, and his son Ibrahim was taken to the province.
Ibrahim felt that the countess's love was short-lived. And then he decides to return to Russia. The sovereign himself met him not far from St. Petersburg. All the way to the city they talked on various topics, and Peter was pleased with his knowledge.
After a stormy life in Paris, the monotonous days in Russia seemed strange to Ibrahim. But, plunging headlong into business, the sadness and boredom passed. He watched Peter’s activities with admiration and tried to help him in everything.
On one of these days, his friend Korsakov returned to Russia from Paris. He brought Ibrahim a letter from the countess, full of sadness, reproaches and assurances of eternal love. But his friend dispelled all his hopes by telling him that the countess had found herself a new comforter. For Ibrahim, this news was a heavy blow.
At the assembly in the Winter Palace, Ibrahim met Gavrilo Afanasyevich Rzhevsky. A rich boyar had a seventeen-year-old daughter, Natalya, and dreamed of finding her a rich and high-class groom. Peter I decided to marry her to Ibrahim. He explained to his godson the reason for this act: Ibrahim needs to become related to the Russian boyars, then he will not be treated as a stranger.
The boyar did not dare to refuse the sovereign and agreed to this marriage. Natalya Gavrilovna took this news hard and was ill for a long time. In her delirium, she called Valerian, an orphan who was raised in a boyar’s house and then went to join the Streltsy. Gavrila Afanasyevich realized that his daughter was in love with the orphan, but did not change his decision. For two weeks, while Natalya was ill, Ibrahim charmed all the boyar’s household with his intelligence, good manners and manners. And Ibrahim himself decided that if there was no love between them, then at least there would definitely be mutual respect and understanding.
And late in the evening, a mysterious guest came to the small room of the boyar’s house, where the captive Swede was studying music.
The novel teaches you to be faithful to your duty to your homeland and to your own conscience to the end.
You can use this text for a reader's diary
Pushkin. All works
- Arab of Peter the Great
- Peasant young lady
- Bakhchisarai fountain
- Boris Godunov
- Robber brothers
- Shot
- Gavriliada
- Count Nulin
- Undertaker
- House in Kolomna
- Dubrovsky
- Dubrovsky by chapters
- Eugene Onegin
- Evgeny Onegin by chapters
- Groom
- Pugachev's story
- Prisoner of the Caucasus
- Stone Guest
- Captain's daughter
- Kirdjali
- Little tragedies
- Bear
- Bronze Horseman
- Blizzard
- Mozart and Salieri
- Song about Prophetic Oleg
- Queen of Spades
- Queen of Spades by chapter
- Feast in Time of Plague
- Belkin's stories
- Poltava
- Mermaid
- Ruslan and Ludmila
- The Tale of the Golden Cockerel
- The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights
- The Tale of the Priest and his Worker Balda
- The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish
- The Tale of Tsar Saltan
- Stingy Knight
- Stationmaster
- Lukomorye has a green oak
- Gypsies
Brief summary of the novel “Arap of Peter the Great”
A brave young man, sent abroad to study, easily adopts the morals of the French elite. With his knowledge, courtesy, and nobility, Ibrahim conquers his inner circle. Entering all the houses of Paris, the young man, even having experienced disappointment in love and being drawn into a scandalous story, retains his dignity.
At Peter's request, the royal godson and pupil returns to Russia. Warmly greeted by the sovereign, trying to assuage disappointment in love and fidelity, the young man is completely immersed in the activity proposed to him by the king at the shipyard.
Realizing that the pupil was accepted in the world only due to his close position to him, Tsar Peter Alekseevich decided to marry the Arab. Noticing that at one of the balls Ibrahim danced a lot with the daughter of a boyar from the ancient Russian family of Rzhevsky, Gavrila Afanasyevich, the sovereign himself went to woo his godson.
The boyar could not refuse the sovereign and agreed to his daughter’s wedding. However, the girl was not ready for such a turn of her fate. Natalya Gavrilovna, who grew up without a mother, was raised in the old-fashioned way, surrounded by mothers and nannies, did not know how to read and write, and sewed with gold. According to established traditions, this was enough to make a good match for someone.
Gavrila Afanasyevich was forced to allow his daughter to learn to dance, deviating from the accepted guidelines. Therefore, the girl often appeared at balls and assemblies organized by Peter, becoming the best dancer. Many young people would consider it an honor to take her as a wife.
But the heart of Rzhevsky’s daughter was occupied. The news of the wedding with the Arab shocked Natalya. She got sick…
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Moor of Peter the Great (Pushkin A. S., 1827)
Chapter V
<I'll get you a wife
Or I won’t be a miller.
Ablesimov, in the opera Melnik.>
Half an hour later the door opened and Peter came out. With an important bow of his head he responded to the triple bow of Prince Lykov, Tatyana Afanasyevna and Natasha, and went straight to the hall. The owner handed him his red sheepskin coat, escorted him to the sleigh, and on the porch thanked him for the honor. Peter left.
Returning to the dining room, Gavrila Afanasyevich seemed very preoccupied. He angrily ordered the servants to quickly clear the table, sent Natasha to her room and, announcing to his sister and father-in-law that he needed to talk to them, he led them to the bedchamber, where he usually rested after dinner. The old prince lay down on the oak bed, Tatyana Afanasyevna sat down on an old damask chair, pulling a small stool under her feet; Gavrila Afanasyevich locked all the doors, sat down on the bed at the feet of Prince Lykov, and began the following conversation in a low voice:
“It’s not for nothing that the sovereign came to me; guess what he deigned to talk to me about?
“How do we know, brother-father,” said Tatyana Afanasyevna.
“Did the king order you to be in charge of any province?” - said the father-in-law. - It is high time. Ali offered to be at the embassy? What? after all, noble people - not only clerks - are sent to foreign sovereigns.
“No,” answered the son-in-law, frowning. “I am a man of the old breed, our service is not needed now, although perhaps an Orthodox Russian nobleman is worth the current newcomers, pancake makers and infidels, but this article is special.”
“So what, brother,” said Tatyana Afanasyevna, “did he deign to talk to you for so long?” Has some misfortune happened to you? Lord forbid and have mercy!
“No problem, no problem, but I admit, I was lost in thought.”
- What is it, brother? what's the matter?
— The case about Natasha: the tsar came to woo her.
“Thank God,” said Tatyana Afanasyevna, crossing herself. - A girl of marriageable age, and like the matchmaker, like the groom - God grant love and advice, and there is a lot of honor. Who is the king marrying her to?
“Hm,” Gavrila Afanasyevich grunted, “for whom?” something, for whom.
- And for whom? - repeated Prince Lykov, who was already beginning to doze.
“Guess,” said Gavrila Afanasyevich.
“Brother father,” answered the old woman, “how can we guess?” You never know there are suitors at court: everyone is happy to marry your Natasha. Dolgoruky, or what?
- No, not Dolgoruky.
- And God bless him: painfully arrogant. Shein, Troekurov?
- No, neither one nor the other.
“Yes, I don’t like them either: carminatives, too much of the German spirit.” Well, Miloslavskaya?
- No, not him.
- And God be with him: rich, but stupid. What? Yeletsky? Lviv? No? is it really Raguzinsky? Your will: I won’t put my mind to it. But who is the king marrying Natasha to?
- For the Arab Ibrahim.
The old woman gasped and clasped her hands. Prince Lykov raised his head from the pillows and repeated in amazement: for the Arab Ibrahim!
“Brother-father,” said the old woman in a tearful voice, “don’t destroy your dear child, don’t let Natasha fall into the claws of the black devil.”
“But how,” objected Gavrila Afanasyevich, “can I refuse the sovereign, who promises us his mercy for this, me and our entire family?”
“How,” exclaimed the old prince, whose sleep had completely passed, “Natasha, my granddaughter, should be married off to a purchased blackamoor!”
“He is not of an ordinary family,” said Gavrila Afanasyevich, “he is the son of an Arab Saltan.” The Basurmans took him prisoner and sold him in Constantinople, and our envoy rescued him and presented him to the king. The elder brother of the Arab came to Russia with a noble ransom and.....
“Father, Gavrila Afanasyevich,” the old woman interrupted, “we heard the fairy tale about Bova Korolevich and Er.<uslan> Laz.<arevich”. Tell us better how you responded to the sovereign to his matchmaking.
“I said that his power is with us, and our servant’s business is to obey him in everything.”
At that moment there was a noise outside the door. Gavrila Afanasyevich went to open it, but feeling resistance, he pushed it hard, the door opened - and they saw Natasha, unconscious, prostrate on the bloody floor.
Her heart sank when the sovereign locked himself in with her father. Some premonition whispered to her that the matter concerned her, and when Gavrila Afanasyevich sent her away, announcing that he had to tell her aunt and grandfather, she could not resist the attraction of female curiosity, quietly crept through the inner chambers to the doors of the bedchamber and did not miss a single one word from the whole terrible conversation; when she heard her father’s last words, the poor girl fainted and, falling, broke her head on the forged chest where her dowry was kept.
People came running; They lifted Natasha, carried her into her little room and laid her on the bed. After a while she woke up, opened her eyes, but did not recognize either her father or her aunt. A strong fever appeared, she kept repeating in delirium about the royal blackamoor, about the wedding - and suddenly she screamed in a plaintive and shrill voice: “Valerian, dear Valerian, my life! save me: here they are, here they are!..” Tatyana Afanasyevna looked with concern at her brother, who turned pale, bit his lips and silently left the room. He returned to the old prince, who, unable to climb the stairs, remained below. “What Natasha?” - he asked. “It’s bad,” answered the distressed father, “worse than I thought: she’s unconsciously raving about Valerian.”
-Who is this Valerian? - asked the alarmed old man. - Is it really that orphan, the son of a Streltsy, who was brought up in your house?
“He himself,” answered Gavrila Afanasyevich, “to my misfortune, his father saved my life during a riot, and the devil thought of me to accept the damned wolf cub into my house.” When, two years ago, at his request, they enlisted him in the regiment, Natasha, saying goodbye to him, burst into tears, and he stood as if petrified. This seemed suspicious to me, and I told my sister about it. But since then Natasha has not mentioned him, and there has been neither a rumor nor a breath about him. I thought she had forgotten him; but apparently not. “It’s decided: she will marry an arap.”
Prince Lykov did not contradict: it would be in vain. He went home; Tatyana Afanasyevna stayed at Natasha’s bedside; Gavrila Afanasyevich, having sent for the doctor, locked himself in his room, and everything in his house became quiet and sad.
The unexpected matchmaking surprised Ibrahim, at least as much as it surprised Gavrila Afanasyevich. This is how it happened: Peter, doing business with Ibrahim, said to him: “I notice, brother, that you are depressed; speak directly: what do you lack?” Ibrahim assured the sovereign that he was pleased with his participation and did not wish for anything better. “Good,” said the sovereign, “if you are bored for no reason, then I know how to cheer you up.”
At the end of the work, Peter asked Ibrahim: “Do you like the girl with whom you danced the minavet at the last assembly?” “She, sir, is very sweet and seems to be a modest and kind girl.” - “Then I’ll introduce you to her briefly. Do you want to marry her? - Me, sir?... “Listen, Ibrahim, you are a lonely man, without family or tribe, a stranger to everyone except me. If I die today, what will happen to you tomorrow, my poor blackamoor? You need to settle in while there is still time; find support in new connections, enter into an alliance with the Russian boyars.” “Sir, I am happy with the patronage and favors of your Majesty. God forbid that I should not outlive my king and benefactor, I wish for nothing more; but even if he meant to get married, would the young girl and her relatives agree? my appearance... - “Your appearance! what nonsense! why aren't you great? A young girl must obey the will of her parents, but let’s see what old Gavrila Rzhevsky will say when I myself become your matchmaker?” At these words, the sovereign ordered the sleigh to be brought in and left Ibrahim, immersed in deep thoughts.
"Marry!" - thought the African, “why not? Am I really destined to spend my life alone and not know the best pleasures and most sacred duties of man, just because I was born under <**> degrees? I can’t hope to be loved: a childish objection! Can you trust love? Does it really exist in a woman’s frivolous heart? Having abandoned sweet delusions for a century, I chose other seductions - more significant ones. The Emperor is right: I must ensure my future destiny. A wedding with young Rzhevskaya will join me to the proud Russian nobility, and I will cease to be a stranger in my new fatherland. I will not demand love from my wife, I will be content with her fidelity, and I will acquire friendship through constant tenderness, trust and condescension.”
Ibrahim, as usual, wanted to get down to business, but his imagination was too distracted. He left the papers and went to wander along the Neva embankment. Suddenly he heard Peter's voice; looked around and saw the sovereign, who, having let go of the sleigh, was following him with a cheerful look. “It’s all over, brother,” said Peter, taking him by the arm: “I have wooed you.” Tomorrow go to your father-in-law; but look, you are making fun of his boyar arrogance; leave the sleigh at the gate; walk across the yard; talk to him about his merits, about his nobility - and he will be swooning over you. And now,” he continued, shaking his club, “take me to the rogue Danilych, with whom I need to talk to each other about his new pranks.”
Ibrahim, having sincerely thanked Peter for his fatherly concern for him, brought him to the magnificent chambers of Prince Menshikov and returned home.
