For those who have never been to Belgium and have heard about this country no more than what is heard from domestic TV, it does not stand apart - just think, another little girl with ambition. What are at least the recent caricature scandals worth? By the way, one of the first comics in the history of comics (sorry for the pun), which depicted Soviet power in blue-black colors, was called "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets", and was created just in Belgium, so the practice of drawing obscene polit-no- once-incorrect pictures in the Belgians, one might say, in the blood.
Ghent is insanely beautiful, even surreal.
But it is worth digging a little deeper, and you understand: a little one, but not a simple one. Are there many other countries in the world in which the internal border, dividing the state in two, is almost as strong as the external ones? Only North and South Korea come to mind, but there the situation is diametrically opposite - one nation divided into two states. In Belgium, on the other hand, two nations have to cohabitate, and both of them are not too enthusiastic about such a neighborhood. To the north is Flanders. To the south is Wallonia. And the differences between them are almost more than the similarities.
Jacob van Artevelde was an ambiguous person, as evidenced by the combination of his nicknames - the Wise Man and the Ghent Brewer
Flanders is inhabited by the Flemings, who speak the Dutch language (although, according to the locals, they are terribly offended by this, and prefer to call their language Flemish). Flemish life and cuisine are quite close to Dutch, although they have their own quite recognizable Belgian flavor. However, they are not too enthusiastic about the idea of unification with the Netherlands. As one elderly Flemish woman told me, “we were already together, and we didn’t like it.” In Flanders, the Flemings are considered better than the Walloons.
In appearance and in Ghent they are very different, but these towers performed the same functions.
Wallonia is inhabited by the Walloons, who speak French (although there is also a Walloon language, interest in it has almost died out). Walloon life and cuisine are close to French… Well, you already know about the Belgian flavor. Almost every second Walloon is in favor of unification with France. In Wallonia, the Walloons are considered better than the Flemings.
The neighborhood of Befroy with a cathedral of almost the same height allows you to look at it from a different angle.
In Flanders and in Wallonia they brew different, but equally incomparable beer.
It is clear that the balance in such a difficult situation is almost impossible to maintain. Therefore, both the political and economic preponderance in Belgium is now completely on the side of Flanders. The region, which is home to much of Belgium's tourism, education, finance and hi-tech, is the object of envy or at least ill will from its southern neighbors. It was not always like this: a hundred years ago, Wallonia reigned supreme in Belgium, in which the coal mining industry and heavy industry were concentrated - areas that were in great demand in the era of wars, which was the 20th century for all of Europe.
Unlike Bruges, in Ghent this time I still climbed the Befroy. Elevators are, of course, unsportsmanlike, but they are fast and not so tiring. And the city opens, as in the palm of your hand.
Can the Flemings be blamed for the fact that, having seized upon real power in a country where even in the last century their native language was not recognized, they allow some excesses? Can the Walloons be blamed for the fact that, having failed to rebuild in time and having come to an economic decline, they dream of living in France? Probably not. We would like to deal with our national problems.
Looking at the excavations from above, you immediately forgive the fences erected in the very center and constantly climbing into the frame
Coming to Belgium as a tourist, this situation is not noticed - or at least it is not evident. There are no torchlight processions and graffiti “Beat the Fleming!” on the streets; French-language literature is not burned on the squares of Bruges. But if you talk to the locals, some tension is felt. And, of course, moving from Flanders to Wallonia, you understand the colossal difference between these two regions and their cities. It's like you're in another country.
As in Bruges, walks along the rivers and canals of Ghent are very popular among tourists. Yes, these two cities have a lot in common.
I took these photos in Ghent, the last Flemish city on our route. This is a major port (like), a training center (like), a popular tourist city (like). It is full of sights and has its own charm, without which sights are useless. Ghent is insanely beautiful. All I can say bad about Ghent is that they sold me a terrible croissant in a cafe here. This is the only fly in the ointment in a barrel of fragrant honey. If you are in Flanders, don't miss it.
A farewell look at Ghent and Flanders.
After Ghent, we moved towards Liege, in northeastern Wallonia. Photos of Liege and the thoughts that he inspired me, I will post in the next issue. Don't be discouraged!
Belgium is falling apart: the Flemings are tired of living side by side with the Walloons. This is not surprising: after all, for many years Flanders, where they speak the Dutch language, and French-speaking Wallonia are united only by the monarchy. The economic situation of the regions does not allow them to forget about ethnic and cultural contradictions.
Belgium is, in fact, not quite a natural formation. It is made up of completely different parts that have never had anything in common - no language, no culture, no economy. The Dutch and the French tried to get along for more than a century. But it was hard for them to do so. Flanders, which for a long time was in the position of a poor relative, was a backward peasant region. She survived largely due to subsidies from Wallonia, where industry developed. The Flemish region was a kind of kitchen garden, an agricultural appendage of Wallonia, where the industrial revolution unfolded in the 19th century. It was in Wallonia that coal was mined, steel was produced, and railways were built. In political and cultural life, the superiority of the developed French-speaking region was also palpable.
This situation persisted until the 60s of the last century, when Flanders took a sharp step forward and took the position of an economic fairway. Now Wallonia has become the lagging region, says Yury Rubinsky, head of the Center for French Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
"After the Second World War, Flanders made a breakthrough. The development of Flanders led to the fact that it became richer than the traditionally dominant Wallonia. And now it was no longer the Walloons who considered the Flemings freeloaders, but vice versa. The Flemings say: they are the economic heart and future of the country. In As a result, the Flemings and the Walloons have diverged so much that the same parties are Flemish, there are Walloons. The most difficult problem is Brussels, where different areas belong to the Flemings and Walloons. And it is quite difficult to manage this city."
Catalonia: a long road to freedomCatalonia can become independent after the November 9 referendum. The Catalans have been fighting for secession from Spain for 300 years. Madrid is doing everything to keep the rebellious province. After all, Catalonia gives the Spanish budget a fifth of all revenues.But the two regions are ruled by one monarch - perhaps it is the crown that still keeps the country from disintegration. A prominent role in this was played by King Albert II, who for many years, until his abdication, acted as an arbiter. But after the economic situation changed, it became more and more difficult to do this. Indeed, in political and cultural life, Wallonia continues to rule the ball, which, according to the Flemings, no longer has any reason for this. This state of affairs has again exposed long-standing contradictions. In Flanders, extreme right-wing nationalist movements have gained extraordinary popularity, which put forward a separatist and anti-immigrant program.
However, if Flanders expects from its own independence the beginning of a new life - both political and economic, then for Belgium this may well be a mortal blow. Wallonia is unlikely to be able to continue its existence as a full-fledged state, Alexander Tevdoi-Burmuli, Associate Professor of the Department of European Integration at MGIMO, believes:
"Flanders itself does not plan to join any other country if it secedes. But it is not clear what will happen to Wallonia, which has never been a self-sufficient entity. If there is nationalism in Flanders, then there is practically none in Wallonia. And therefore it can be assumed that if Belgium will fall apart, Wallonia will be attracted to some country, first of all, here we can talk about France.
The independence of one region of Belgium may entail the reconfiguration of the entire European space. But it is unlikely that anyone in Europe, except for Flanders, of course, wants such changes. Therefore, most likely, everyone who can influence this situation will prevent the country from disintegrating. Abdicating the throne, Albert II called on his subjects to unity. His son Philip, the new king, promised to continue his father's work and preserve Belgium as a single state. Will it succeed?
The IAA "Lev Gumilyov Center" begins publishing the most interesting works on the analysis of systemic ethno-political conflicts of our time. Today we present to you the work performed based on the materials of the WORKSHOPCON project group at TNU. V. I. Vernadsky.
The Belgian ethnic conflict is a Wallen-Flemish confrontation that arose on the basis of the linguistic factor in the middle of the 19th century.
So, giving a brief description of this conflict, firstly, it is necessary to note the coexistence of two large ethnic groups on the territory of the Belgian state: the Dutch-speaking Flemings and the French-speaking Walloons. The Walloons are an ethnic group with a total population of 4 million 100 thousand people. The Flemings are the people of the Germanic language group, the descendants of the Franks, Saxons and Frisians. The total number is 7 million 230 thousand.
At the time of Belgium's independence (1830), French was the only official language, although, as at the present time, the Flemings outnumbered the Walloons. The natural reaction to this linguistic “distortion” was that already in 1847 the Flemish cultural movement arose, demanding the linguistic equality of the Flemish and French languages. The result of the activities of which was to amend the constitution: in 1963, bilingualism was officially enshrined in Belgium.
Subsequently, the political system was also reformed: within the framework of the state, two types of subjects of the federation were formed - cultural communities (Flemish, Walloon and German) and economic regions (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels).
However, the situation in Belgium is not limited to a linguistic confrontation between the North (Flanders) and the South (Wallonia). The presence of an imbalance in socio-economic development can also be considered a factor that enhances the potential for conflict. Until the middle of the twentieth century. Wallonia actually "fed" Flanders, providing the lion's share of the national product of Belgium. After World War II, North and South changed roles. Flanders has become the locomotive of the country's economy, and Wallonia has been swept by a wave of unemployment. As a result, discontent on the part of the Flemish population intensified, thereby catalyzing separatist sentiments.
Thus, today the situation is such that Belgium, torn apart by Flemish nationalism, is on the verge of collapse.
"The Belgian Problem". Chronology.
1830 - Declaration of Independence of Belgium.
1847 - the emergence of the Flemish cultural movement, demanding the linguistic equality of the Flemish and French languages, "extolling the Flemish past and its glorious historical traditions."
1898 - a law was passed confirming the principle of "bilingualism" (but not the equality of languages).
1920-1930s - ratification of a number of laws establishing the equality of the Flemish and French languages.
? 20th century - "demographic birth boom" in the north, contributing to an increase in the proportion of Flemings in the population structure of Belgium.
50-60s XX century - the strengthening of the Flemish segment in the economic complex of the country.
1968 - Louvain Crisis: A crisis between two dissenting population groups that almost led to the disintegration of the country. The reason was the language conflict: the politicians could not agree on what should be taught at the University of Louvain. The conflict was brought to a halt through subsequent constitutional reforms.
1970 - the first revision of the country's constitution. It legislated the existence of three communities: Flemish, Francophone and German-speaking (all three languages became state) and three regions: Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels. However, the boundaries of these regions have not been defined.
1971 - communities received broad cultural rights. At the first stage, the communities received cultural autonomy. However, the competence of the regions in the economic sphere turned out to be insignificant. Most importantly, the leadership of Flanders, already established in the field of economics, was not consolidated in the political field.
1980 - The constitution was revised a second time. Flanders and Wallonia received the status of autonomy. Additional amendments to the constitution slightly expanded the financial and legislative powers of the regions. This was followed by the creation of two regional assemblies, formed from the existing members of the national parliament from the constituencies in the respective regions.
1989 - Brussels received the rights of the region. A regional assembly and a government were established there. However, the parliaments of the regions were formed from deputies of the national parliament from the respective regions. Consequently, they did not satisfy the autonomy requirements of the Walloon and Flemish sides.
1993 - signing of the Saint-Michel agreements by the leading political groups of the Flemings and Francophones. They were enshrined in the Belgian Constitution of 1994, article 1 of which reads: "Belgium is a federal state, consisting of communities and regions."
Autumn 2007 - 2008 - government crisis in Belgium, caused by the results of national parliamentary elections, which resulted in the victory of the Christian Democratic and Flemish Party, led by Yves Leterme (one of the most consistent and influential nationalists). The cause of the crisis was the desire of the HDF to further autonomize Flanders (reducing Flanders' contributions to the federal budget, expanding the language boundaries of the Flemish community, etc.), which was negatively received by both representatives of the Walloon political forces and representatives of national structures.
parties to the conflict.
Primary Sides:
A) Flemish nationalist movement:
Inspired by the ideas of cultural, historical and political revenge, representatives of the Flemish nationalist movement (represented by the right-wing Flemish parties, the most influential of which is the Flemish Interest (“Vlaams Belang”) Philipp de Winter with a support base in Antwerp, are also increasingly inclined to accept the arguments of the right-wing Flemings - "centrists", the New Flemish Alliance (Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie), having established itself as a monopoly dominant political force in Flanders and transformed its political and cultural space for themselves, actively promote anti-Walloon and separatist ideas throughout Belgium, thereby representing the most active subject of the ethnic conflict under consideration.
B) Walloon nationalist movement:
The Francophone Movement of Belgium (the leading party of which is the Democratic Front of the Francophones) is noticeably inferior to its Flemish competitors in political strength and passionarity and is not able to put forward and oppose to expansive nationalism a clear strategy of both common Belgian construction and protection of the culture, language and identity of the Francophones.
A feature of the long-term confrontation of these parties is that, despite the emerging crisis situations, the conflict did not acquire a violent form. Representatives of both poles of the conflict focus on a peaceful solution to the problem.
Secondary, tertiary parties:
A specific feature of the "Belgian conflict" is the inconsistency, from the point of view, of its assessment by the subjects interested in its resolution.
On the one hand, the alleged collapse of Belgium, and thus the strengthening of national-cultural identities to the detriment of national-state ones, is a natural result of the development of the European Union and the regionalization policy it encourages. The strengthening of the central power of the EU occurs due to the parallel weakening of nation-states, their fragmentation, as can be seen in the example of Belgium - up to their collapse.
On the other hand, the alleged collapse of Belgium may not suit all EU countries, many of which are faced with problems of ethnic nationalism. In particular, Spain, France, Great Britain are unlikely to be happy with a new example of self-determination of regions. Especially after the Kosovo precedent. In the end, the very unification of Europe followed the model of Belgium, which means that the Belgian split will also hit the image of the EU hard.
It is impossible not to note the likelihood of involvement in the "Belgian conflict" and neighboring states:
Firstly, Germany, since with a possible solution to the Walloon-Flemish confrontation through separation, the question arises of the status of the German-speaking regions of Belgium. They are currently part of the Walloon Administrative Region. However, the Belgian Germans have their own German-speaking community, which has its own parliament and ministry. Theoretically, this region can become another "dwarf state" of Europe. Or maybe raise the question of reunification with Germany. In the latter case, Berlin gets a chance to regain the region lost after the Second World War. But this violates the terms of the Moscow Treaty of 1990, under which Germany promised not to expand after the reunification of the GDR and the FRG. European countries can recall their fears of "German expansionism".
Secondly, the Netherlands, which is due to the fact that the population of the southern Dutch cities of Dordrecht and Rotterdam feel closer to the Flemish population of Antwerp than to the Dutch of Amsterdam. It cannot be ruled out that the declaration of the independence of Flanders will cause a surge of Flemish separatism in the Netherlands.
Third, France. The Walloon administrative district of Belgium includes five French-speaking provinces. With the decline of the coal and metallurgical industries, it has long turned into a subsidized region. The main source of income is tourism in the Ardennes and historical cities. It is possible that in Wallonia there will be a movement for reunification with France, which was so feared by the Belgian politicians of the 19th century.
Thus, we can state that not only the fate of Belgium as a state, but also the stability of the "European organism" as a whole directly depends on the solution of the Walloon-Flemish conflict.
Flemings- the people of the Germanic language group, the indigenous population of Belgium, along with the Romance-speaking Walloons. The total number is 7 million 230 thousand. They inhabit the northern part of Belgium - Flanders (5 million people), 250 thousand live in northern France (French Flanders). The language is Dutch (for more details, see Dutch in Belgium). In everyday life, the Flemings communicate, depending on the situation and the degree of knowledge of the native speaker of the literary norm, in the Dutch dialects represented in Flanders, in the literary language or in intermediate variants between the literary language and the dialect.
In terms of language and culture, it is closest to the Dutch.
Ethnogenesis and history
Ethnically, the Flemings are mainly descendants of the Germanic tribes of the Franks, Batavians, Saxons and Frisians. The Celtic tribes of the Belgians also joined the Flemish ethnos, who lived in this territory before the Frankish invasion and were assimilated by the Franks. How the ethnos was formed in the 17th - 19th centuries. In the Middle Ages, the territory of modern Belgium was divided into separate principalities: Flanders, Hainaut (Genegau), Brabant, Namur, Limburg, Luxembourg, Cambrai, Tournai, the bishopric of Liege. Partly they were subject to France, partly to Germany.
Then the history of Belgium is connected with the history of the Netherlands (see Dutch). These lands in the XV century passed from the Dukes of Burgundy to the Habsburgs, that is, they became part of the German Empire. Since the emperors of Germany became Spanish kings by dynastic marriage, the Netherlands (and Flanders as part of them) were subordinated to Spain. Under Philip II, King of Spain, a fierce struggle began for the inhabitants of the Netherlands against foreign oppression, and the Northern Netherlands achieved freedom by forming the Republic of the United Provinces. The southern Netherlands (future Belgium) remained a Spanish protectorate. In 1714, they passed to Austria, in the year, under the influence of the French Revolution, the Brabant Revolution took place, the region was included in France. After Napoleon, it was annexed to the Netherlands.
The official languages in Belgium are Dutch, French and German, but none of them has official status throughout the country. German is spoken almost exclusively in the eastern part of Belgium, which used to belong to Germany (before the First World War). The Brussels-Capital Region, which is surrounded on all sides by the territory of the Flemish Region, officially uses French and Dutch. Due to the bilingualism of the country, the names of some settlements and other geographical objects have two options each: Mons - Bergen, Namur - Namen, Courtrai - Kortrijk, Louvain - Leuven, Liège - Luik, Gand - Gent, Ostende - Oostende, Anvers - Antwerpen, Audenarde - Oudenaarde , Bruges - Brugge , Malines - Mechelen .
Symbolism
The national symbol of the Flemings is a flag with a black lion on a yellow background, with a white border and red claws and tongue. It appeared under Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders from 1162. Under the Dukes of Burgundy, it was used in the coat of arms, and when the United Netherlands was created, it became a symbol of East Flanders. The flag is not a state flag, it is a symbol of the Flemish nationalists.
Household and life
Belgium is a highly developed industrial country. The independent population is employed in industry, trade, the service sector, and agriculture. The main industries are mechanical engineering, metallurgy, and construction. The direction of agriculture is meat and dairy farming, vegetable growing and grain production.
Transport - a dense network of railways, maritime navigation, road transport. The population lives almost entirely in cities; at present, traditional rural houses and estates remain only in ethnographic reserves. The traditional settlement is a farm. House type - so-called. a house with a long pediment, combining housing and utility rooms into one long building. Unlike the Walloon house, the Flemish house is plastered and painted in white, yellow or pink. The ornaments of the ridge of the roof in the form of swan heads are characteristic.
Traditional clothing is similar to Dutch. For women, this is a shirt and jacket, a dark corsage, several skirts, an apron, a large colored or checkered shawl, a black silk scarf with a fringe, and lace caps.
Traditional food: vegetable, cereal dishes, salted fish, mainly herring, chicken stew. On holidays, cakes and buns are baked.
Families are more large and patriarchal than those of the Walloons. Adult children usually live with their parents. Medieval guilds and clubs are preserved in the cities.
Of the crafts, the production of thin linen fabrics, Flemish lace, and metal processing have long been famous.
Art and culture
Until the end of the 16th century, the art of the Netherlands and Flanders formed a single whole. The territory that today includes the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, in other words, the Benelux, was called the Old Netherlands, and was united. Then, due to the political events described above, the provinces were divided. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, Flanders began to be called the Southern, Spanish, and later - the Austrian Netherlands, and art - Flemish, and even later, with the formation of a new state, Belgium, Belgian.
In the architecture of Flanders, Romanesque and Gothic monuments, the town hall and the municipal museum in Brussels on the Grand Place, the Church of St. Bavo in Ghent, the City Tower (Belfort) in Bruges and others have been preserved from the previous period, common to the Netherlands. Flanders was one of the leading centers of the baroque ceremonial style in the 17th century. Monuments of the 17th-18th centuries - the Sint-Carolus-Borromeuskerk church and the Royal Palace in Antwerp, guild houses on the Grand Place in Brussels and others. The Rubens House, built according to his own design, is widely known. The type of city house in Flanders is a narrow high facade, with three to five windows, with a pediment, decorated with rich ornaments. Later, national traditions were replaced by French influence.
In the 17th century there was a very strong Flemish school of painting. The outstanding master of this school - Rubens P.P., the son of a lawyer, had a versatile education, studied with T. Verhacht, A. van Noort, O. Venius, was in Italy and Spain. He served as court painter for the Duke of Mantua, and then for the rulers of the Southern Netherlands. Other famous masters: Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678), Jan Veit (1611-1661), Frans Snyders (1579-1657), David Teniers (1610-1641), Abraham Janssens van Neusen ( 1575-1632), Pieter Brueghel the Elder (circa 1525-1569). The painting of Flanders differs from the Dutch in greater splendor, characteristic of the Baroque style. As a result of the influence of the ruling circles, mainly French culture developed, while the Flemish one fell into decay.
The Flemings have literary traditions, legends, historical traditions, songs, ballads, folklore. In the 18th century and later, the writers of Flanders tried to raise their national literature. In the 18th-19th centuries, they wrote in Dutch: J. F. Willems (1793-1846), K. Ledegank (1805-1847), van Duyse (1804-1859), representatives of romanticism. Later, other directions began to appear: realism, naturalism, mysticism, symbolism and expressionism, which also had opponents, anti-fascist sentiments. The largest representatives: P. van Ostayen (expressionism), V. Loveling and A. Bergman (social novel of the 19th century), G. Teirling (playwright, decadent).
References
- Great Russian Encyclopedia, volume 3, article "Belgium".
- Brief Art Encyclopedia, Art of the countries and peoples of the world, volume 1, article "Belgium". M. - 1962.
- Brief Literary Encyclopedia, ed. A. A. Surkova, M. - 1968.
- Peoples and Religions of the World, ed. V. A. Tishkova, M. - 1998.
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An excerpt characterizing the Flemings
Danilo Terentyich made no answer, and again everyone was silent for a long time. The glow spread and swayed further and further.“God have mercy! .. wind and dry land ...” the voice said again.
- Look how it went. Oh my God! you can see the jackdaws. Lord, have mercy on us sinners!
- They'll put it out.
- Who to put out then? came the voice of Danila Terentyich, who had been silent until now. His voice was calm and slow. “Moscow is indeed, brothers,” he said, “she is the mother of the squirrel…” His voice broke off, and he suddenly let out an old sob. And as if everyone was just waiting for this in order to understand the meaning that this visible glow had for them. There were sighs, words of prayer, and the sobbing of the old count's valet.
The valet, returning, reported to the count that Moscow was on fire. The count put on his dressing-gown and went out to have a look. Sonya, who had not yet undressed, and Madame Schoss came out with him. Natasha and the countess were alone in the room. (Petya was no longer with the family; he went ahead with his regiment, marching to Trinity.)
The Countess wept when she heard the news of the fire in Moscow. Natasha, pale, with fixed eyes, sitting under the icons on the bench (in the very place where she sat down when she arrived), did not pay any attention to her father's words. She listened to the incessant groan of the adjutant, heard through three houses.
- Oh, what a horror! - said, come back from the yard, cold and frightened Sonya. - I think all of Moscow will burn, a terrible glow! Natasha, look now, you can see it from the window from here, ”she said to her sister, apparently wanting to entertain her with something. But Natasha looked at her, as if not understanding what she was being asked, and again stared with her eyes at the corner of the stove. Natasha has been in this state of tetanus since this morning, from the very time that Sonya, to the surprise and annoyance of the countess, for no reason at all, found it necessary to announce to Natasha about the wound of Prince Andrei and about his presence with them on the train. The countess was angry with Sonya, as she rarely got angry. Sonya cried and asked for forgiveness, and now, as if trying to make amends for her guilt, she did not stop caring for her sister.
“Look, Natasha, how terribly it burns,” said Sonya.
- What is on fire? Natasha asked. – Oh, yes, Moscow.
And as if in order not to offend Sonya by her refusal and to get rid of her, she moved her head to the window, looked so that she obviously could not see anything, and again sat down in her former position.
- Didn't you see it?
“No, really, I saw it,” she said in a pleading voice.
Both the countess and Sonya understood that Moscow, the fire of Moscow, whatever it was, of course, could not matter to Natasha.
The count again went behind the partition and lay down. The countess went up to Natasha, touched her head with her upturned hand, as she did when her daughter was sick, then touched her forehead with her lips, as if to find out if there was a fever, and kissed her.
- You are cold. You're all trembling. You should go to bed,” she said.
- Lie down? Yes, okay, I'll go to bed. I'm going to bed now, - said Natasha.
Since Natasha was told this morning that Prince Andrei was seriously wounded and was traveling with them, she only in the first minute asked a lot about where? as? is he dangerously injured? and can she see him? But after she was told that she was not allowed to see him, that he was seriously injured, but that his life was not in danger, she obviously did not believe what she was told, but convinced that no matter how much she said, she would be answer the same thing, stopped asking and talking. All the way, with big eyes, which the countess knew so well and whose expression the countess was so afraid of, Natasha sat motionless in the corner of the carriage and was now sitting in the same way on the bench on which she sat down. She was thinking about something, something she was deciding or had already decided in her mind now - the countess knew this, but what it was, she did not know, and this frightened and tormented her.
- Natasha, undress, my dear, lie down on my bed. (Only the countess alone was made a bed on the bed; m me Schoss and both young ladies had to sleep on the floor in the hay.)
“No, mom, I’ll lie down here on the floor,” Natasha said angrily, went to the window and opened it. The groan of the adjutant was heard more distinctly from the open window. She stuck her head out into the damp night air, and the countess saw her thin shoulders tremble with sobs and beat against the frame. Natasha knew that it was not Prince Andrei who was moaning. She knew that Prince Andrei was lying in the same connection where they were, in another hut across the passage; but this terrible unceasing groan made her sob. The Countess exchanged glances with Sonya.
"Lie down, my dear, lie down, my friend," said the countess, lightly touching Natasha's shoulder with her hand. - Well, go to bed.
“Ah, yes ... I’ll lie down now, now,” said Natasha, hastily undressing and tearing off the strings of her skirts. Throwing off her dress and putting on a jacket, she tucked her legs up, sat down on the bed prepared on the floor and, throwing her short, thin braid over her shoulder, began to weave it. Thin long habitual fingers quickly, deftly took apart, weaved, tied a braid. Natasha's head, with a habitual gesture, turned first to one side, then to the other, but her eyes, feverishly open, fixedly stared straight ahead. When the night costume was over, Natasha quietly sank down on a sheet spread on hay from the edge of the door.
“Natasha, lie down in the middle,” said Sonya.
“No, I’m here,” Natasha said. "Go to bed," she added with annoyance. And she buried her face in the pillow.
The countess, m me Schoss, and Sonya hurriedly undressed and lay down. One lamp was left in the room. But in the yard it was brightening from the fire of Maly Mytishchi, two miles away, and the drunken cries of the people were buzzing in the tavern, which was broken by the Mamonov Cossacks, on the warp, in the street, and the incessant groan of the adjutant was heard all the time.
For a long time Natasha listened to the internal and external sounds that reached her, and did not move. At first she heard her mother's prayer and sighs, the creaking of her bed under her, the familiar whistling snore of m me Schoss, Sonya's quiet breathing. Then the Countess called Natasha. Natasha did not answer her.
“He seems to be sleeping, mother,” Sonya answered quietly. The Countess, after a pause, called again, but no one answered her.
Soon after, Natasha heard her mother's even breathing. Natasha did not move, despite the fact that her small bare foot, knocked out from under the covers, shivered on the bare floor.
As if celebrating the victory over everyone, a cricket screamed in the crack. The rooster crowed far away, relatives responded. In the tavern, the screams died down, only the same stand of the adjutant was heard. Natasha got up.
- Sonya? are you sleeping? Mum? she whispered. No one answered. Natasha slowly and cautiously got up, crossed herself and carefully stepped with her narrow and flexible bare foot on the dirty cold floor. The floorboard creaked. She, quickly moving her feet, ran like a kitten a few steps and took hold of the cold bracket of the door.
It seemed to her that something heavy, evenly striking, was knocking on all the walls of the hut: it was beating her heart, which was dying from fear, from horror and love, bursting.
She opened the door, stepped over the threshold and stepped onto the damp, cold earth of the porch. The chill that gripped her refreshed her. She felt the sleeping man with her bare foot, stepped over him and opened the door to the hut where Prince Andrei lay. It was dark in this hut. In the back corner, by the bed, on which something was lying, on a bench stood a tallow candle burnt with a large mushroom.
In the morning, Natasha, when she was told about the wound and the presence of Prince Andrei, decided that she should see him. She didn't know what it was for, but she knew that the date would be painful, and she was even more convinced that it was necessary.
All day she lived only in the hope that at night she would see him. But now that the moment had come, she was terrified of what she would see. How was he mutilated? What was left of him? Was he like that, what was that unceasing groan of the adjutant? Yes, he was. He was in her imagination the personification of that terrible moan. When she saw an indistinct mass in the corner and took his knees raised under the covers by his shoulders, she imagined some kind of terrible body and stopped in horror. But an irresistible force pulled her forward. She cautiously took one step, then another, and found herself in the middle of a small cluttered hut. In the hut, under the images, another person was lying on benches (it was Timokhin), and two more people were lying on the floor (they were a doctor and a valet).
The valet got up and whispered something. Timokhin, suffering from pain in his wounded leg, did not sleep and looked with all his eyes at the strange appearance of a girl in a poor shirt, jacket and eternal cap. The sleepy and frightened words of the valet; "What do you want, why?" - they only made Natasha come up to the one that lay in the corner as soon as possible. As terrifying as this body was, it must have been visible to her. She passed the valet: the burning mushroom of the candle fell off, and she clearly saw Prince Andrei lying on the blanket with outstretched arms, just as she had always seen him.
