Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. 22, November, 1878Various
History
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. 22, November, 1878
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
With these two characteristic illustrations of the form of expression
which sorrow takes in Caucasian life, I must close my brief and
imperfect sketch of Caucasian literature. I hope I have amply proved the
assertions which I made in a previous paper with regard to the
originality and innate intellectual capacity of the Caucasian
highlanders; but whether I have or not, the reader must, I am sure,
admit that the proverbs, songs and anecdotes above translated are at
least indications of great latent capability, of unusual versatility of
talent, and of a wide range of human feeling and sympathy. It is
possible that I overestimate their value on account of my inability to
separate the impressions made upon me by the people themselves from
those made by their literature; but I am confident that the general
outlines of the Caucasian character as I have tried here to sketch them
are accurate, and that the reader would fully appreciate and admit the
significance of the literature if he could make the personal
acquaintance of the people.
In conclusion, I cannot better express my own opinion of the Caucasian
mountaineers than by adopting the words of A. Viskovatof, one of the
fairest and most discriminating of Russian travellers: "Nature has not
properly brought out the moral and intellectual capacity of the
Caucasian highlanders. Through the superficial crust of ignorance and
wildness you may see in every mountaineer a frank and acute intellect,
and, brigand though he may be, he still shows evidences of human
feeling and of a soul. His brigandage, indeed, is only the external
roughness which results naturally from his education, his circumstances
and his mode of life. Beneath it there are intellect, feeling, manliness
and strength of character. Under certain conditions of course these very
traits go to make up the daring, skilful mountain-brigand whom we know;
but separate him from his surroundings, educate him in the civilized
world, and you have a capable, energetic, intellectual and feeling man.
Love of honor and love of fame are, generally speaking, among the
strongest actuating impulses of the mountaineer's character; and these
were the very impulses which kept him always hostile to the Russians,
which impelled him constantly to engage in partisan warfare, and which
enabled him to resist so long and with such terrible strength all
Russia's efforts to subdue him. Was it merely for plunder that parties
of mountaineers used to assemble in front of our lines and throw
themselves furiously upon our outposts? No: the leaders of those parties
reminded them in forcible and eloquent speeches of the deeds of their
heroic fathers and forefathers, of the glory to be won in battle with
the _giours_, of the exploits of their brothers and countrymen who had
left their bodies on Russian soil; and they fought for honor and fame.
What made the Chechenses hold out so long and so desperately, suffering
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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