"For long I sat darkly And bitterly thinking. The thunder pealed forth And the windows were shaken; 470 I started! Savyeli Drew nearer and touched me, And led me to stand By the little white coffin: "'Now pray that the Lord May have placed little Djoma Among the bright ranks Of His angels,' he whispered; A candle he placed In my hand.... And I knelt there 480 The whole of the night Till the pale dawn of daybreak: The grandfather stood Beside Djomushka's coffin And read from the book In a measured low voice...." CHAPTER V THE SHE-WOLF "'Tis twenty years now Since my Djoma was taken, Was carried to sleep 'Neath his little grass blanket; And still my heart bleeds, And I pray for him always, No apple till Spassa[53] I touch with my lips.... "For long I lay ill, Not a word did I utter, 10 My eyes could not suffer The old man, Savyeli. No work did I do, And my Father-in-law thought To give me a lesson And took down the horse-reins; I bowed to his feet, And cried--'Kill me! Oh, kill me! I pray for the end!' He hung the reins up, then. 20 I lived day and night On the grave of my Djoma, I dusted it clean With a soft little napkin That grass might grow green, And I prayed for my lost one. I yearned for my parents: 'Oh, you have forgotten, Forgotten your daughter!' "'We have not forgotten 30 Our poor little daughter, But is it worth while, say, To wear the grey horse out By such a long journey To learn about your woes, To tell you of ours? Since long, little daughter, Would father and mother Have journeyed to see you, But ever the thought rose: 40 She'll weep at our coming, She'll shriek when we leave!' "In winter came Philip, Our sorrow together We shared, and together We fought with our grief In the grandfather's hut." "The grandfather died, then?" "Oh, no, in his cottage For seven whole days 50 He lay still without speaking, And then he got up And he went to the forest; And there old Savyeli So wept and lamented, The woods were set throbbing. In autumn he left us And went as a pilgrim On foot to do penance At some distant convent.... 60 "I went with my husband To visit my parents, And then began working Again. Three years followed, Each week like the other, As twin to twin brother, And each year a child. There was no time for thinking And no time for grieving; Praise God if you have time 70 For getting your work done And crossing your forehead. You eat--when there's something Left over at table, When elders have eaten, When children have eaten; You sleep--when you're ill....