Chapter 1713: Duel Maniac Pushkin
Who is this "Dueling Maniac"? Of course, it's Pushkin, known as the "Sun of Russian Poetry" and the "Father of Russian Literature."
Everyone who knows Pushkin knows that he died in a duel, but what most people don’t know is that Pushkin actually experienced more than thirty duels from the age of seventeen until his death.
Many people wonder why a literary figure like Pushkin would engage in duels for no reason. In fact, during the Tsarist era of Pushkin's life, dueling was the highest form of etiquette for resolving disputes between upper-class Russian men. Only nobles of comparable status were allowed to duel. Pushkin was known for his love of dueling, engaging in any dispute.
Men of letters are all like this. To put it nicely, it's "literary integrity," to put it bluntly, it's stubbornness. And from an outsider's perspective, Pushkin's duel looks like a clever trick.
Pushkin was born into an aristocratic family. His father was an officer in the Imperial Guard. Pushkin also achieved fame at a young age, showing his literary talent from an early age and becoming a well-known figure in aristocratic circles. At the age of fifteen, his poems were published in the "European Bulletin". By the age of seventeen, he had published his first collection of poems. At eighteen, he wrote the influential "Ode to Freedom". He was a true "other people's child"!
His first duel was when he was seventeen years old. He was competing with his uncle Hannibal for a girl at a dance party. Because he could not win the girl over his uncle, Pushkin was so angry that he directly challenged him to a duel.
Of course, the duel did not go on: family members intervened and the matter was finally dropped.
But it was this incident that made Pushkin fall in love with "duel", and from then on he would drag others to a duel whenever there was a little dispute.
In fact, although Pushkin seems very courageous, he is also being a bit clever.
Why do you say that?
At that time, dueling was considered a noble ritual, so dueling required proper manners. One person threw their glove at the other, inviting them to a duel. The two duelists first decided who would draw their guns first, deciding who would draw first. Then, they would take turns shooting at each other. Dodging when the other person drew their gun was illegal; doing so was considered a coward and a failure.
Then the question arises: Pushkin was born into a noble family and was extremely famous and prestigious in the aristocratic circle. If he was really shot to death, he would face revenge from the Pushkin family and the consequence of being unable to survive in the aristocratic circle in the future.
Although they all claimed that duels were sacred and family members were forbidden to interfere, who could stand by and watch their son die in vain? Even ordinary people knew that 'blood debts must be paid with blood,' let alone aristocratic families?
This made things awkward: Pushkin was always challenging people to duels, and if he didn't duel, he'd be laughed at as a coward. If he didn't dare to shoot during a duel, he'd also be laughed at as a coward. But if he did duel, the consequences of killing him would also be quite serious. What should he do?
So at that time, Pushkin's duel basically went like this:
Pushkin: "I want to duel with you!"
Passerby A: "I accept!"
Pushkin: "I am a brave man, I let you shoot first!"
Passerby A: "No, I'm braver than you. Let you shoot first!"
After arguing for a long time, the two decided who would shoot first and who would shoot later, and then they each fired a shot but neither hit the target.
Pushkin: "I shot you where you were dodging, but I didn't expect you to dodge my gun. Although I have a dispute with you, I have to admit that you are a brave man. You have earned my respect and friendship."
Passerby A: "What a coincidence! I thought so too! Why don't we put down our weapons and go have a drink?"
Pushkin: "Yes, yes, I'll buy you the drink."
Passerby A: "No, no, no, this wine is mine..."
Bystander A: "Look how brave they are. They are not afraid of bullets. There are brave people on both sides."
Observer B: "Pushkin, I want to bear your child."
Bystander C: "I want one too..."
Look, the bloody duel ended in a win-win situation! Plus, sometimes there were peacemakers who directly persuaded both sides to compromise... Although Pushkin fought more than 30 duels, he actually never took a bullet.
Until he met Dantes, who did not play by the rules.
At that time, Pushkin married Natalia, who was known as "the most beautiful woman in Russia". It is impossible to comment on their love life, but at least their sex life was very harmonious, and they had five children in six years.
However, because Natalie is so beautiful, she still has no shortage of suitors even after giving birth to so many children. One of them is named George Charles Dantes.
Dantes was a French nobleman who had fallen on hard times. He had fled to Russia when the Bourbon dynasty was overthrown. Because of his good looks and eloquence, he was favored by the aristocratic women of St. Petersburg's upper class. The aristocratic world at the time was quite small, and Dantes, through sheer force of will, became Pushkin's brother-in-law—he married Natalia's sister.
But he was not satisfied with this, and he set his sights on Natalia, ready to take both sisters in. Well, basically, the aristocratic circle at that time was so chaotic.
Actually, it’s almost the same now.
Then, as a professional gigolo, he quickly got Natalia, making it known to the entire Russian upper class. His adoptive father was the Dutch ambassador to Russia, and he even wrote an anonymous letter to insult Pushkin. So Pushkin threw out the white gloves again.
Dantes, however, played by surprise: he shot Pushkin in the stomach, and Pushkin, who then fired, shot Dantes in the shoulder. When Dantes tried to fire a second shot, the Dutch, who were responsible for the impartiality of the duel, didn't allow him to fire a second shot (according to dueling rules, the person who fired the second shot could fire twice), and so Pushkin died in the duel.
But it can be said that there is no winner in this duel.
After Pushkin's death, Dantes did not have an easy time either. He was demoted to a commoner and expelled from Russia. He returned to France with his wife, Pushkin's sister-in-law, to spend the rest of his life. After Pushkin's wife Natalia died, she found an honest man to take over. To this day, they are both regarded as Russia's "historical criminals" and are despised by people.
"Hmm?" Xiao Peng suddenly blinked and said, "The poem he's reciting now was turned into a song by a band in our country. I really like that song."
Kashin's eyes rolled. "Boss, can you sing it in Russian? I want to know how musicians in your country adapt Pushkin's works."
Xiao Peng smiled and said, "What's so difficult about that?" Then he started singing: "If life deceives you, don't cry sadly. In the days of loneliness and melancholy, believe that this winter will pass away..."
The lyrics of New Pants' "If Life Deceives You" are basically Pushkin's poem of the same name. Just rap, no pressure.
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