From England to Russia
The hero, a young man, talks about his travels to foreign lands. We do not know either his name or age. We only know that England was the extreme limit of his journey, there he told himself that it was time to return to his fatherland, and boarded a ship going to Russia in London. The ship passed quickly through the Thames, and now the sea was already visible, as the wind changed, and the ship had to stop in anticipation of a favorable wind against the town of Grevsend.
Song of an unknown youth on the island of Borngolm
Our hero, along with the captain, went ashore, they walked, looked at the sea. The sight of the sea began to lull the hero, when suddenly the branches of a tree shook over his head. He looked and saw a young man, thin, pale, languid, in one hand he held a guitar, the other tore the sheets from a tree. With fixed eyes the young man looked at the sea, the last ray of a dying life shone in them. And although the young man stood a stone's throw from the hero, he did not see or hear anything; all his appearance expressed grief. The young man sighed, walked away from the tree, sat on the grass, began to play the guitar and sang a sad song in Danish. The song spoke of nature, blessing love, and of human laws condemning it; about the fidelity of the feelings bestowed by nature itself: “O Borngolm, my soul strives for you ... forever I have been removed by my parental oath from your shores. Are you alive, O Leela, or you ended your life in the waves ... ”The hero wanted to rush to the young man, comfort him, but then the captain took his hand and said that a favorable wind was blowing, and he had to go. They boarded the ship, and the young man, throwing a guitar, looked after them.
Landing on the Danish island of Borngolm
The coast of England disappeared, the ship went into the open sea. Soon, a cruel seizure of sea sickness deprived the hero of feelings, he lay there for six days without memory, and only on the seventh day woke up and went on deck. There was sunset, the ship flew in full sail, around at different distances multi-colored flags fluttered, and on the right side something reminiscent of the earth blackened. To the hero’s question, the captain replied that they had passed the Sound, the shores of Sweden, and on the right side the Danish island of Borngolm is visible - a dangerous place for ships; when night falls, the ship will anchor. “The island of Borngolm! - our hero remembered the song of a stranger. “Will I ever know his story, his secret?” Meanwhile, the wind carried the ship directly to the island: formidable cliffs opened, it seemed impregnable. But then the sun went down, the wind died down, the ship dropped anchor. Upon learning that there are fishing huts near the shore, the young man asked the captain for a boat to go to the island with a couple of sailors. The captain, yielding to persistent persuasion, gave the boats, with the condition that in the early morning everyone would return to the ship.
The boats safely docked, they were met by fishermen, rude and wild people, but not cunning and not evil. Having learned that those who arrived wanted to explore the island and spend the night, the fishermen invited them to their place. Arriving in the green valley where the fishermen’s huts were located, our hero left the sailors there, and he went for a walk with a 13-year-old boy as a guide.
Castle on the island
The scarlet sun illuminated the towers of the ancient castle. The boy could not say who the castle belonged to, he only said that no one goes there and no one knows what is going on there. The hero went to the castle, surrounded by a moat and a high wall. The gates were locked, the bridges raised. The boy was afraid and asked to go back, but the hero did not listen to him, overcome by curiosity. Night fell, and suddenly a voice came, and the echo repeated it. The boy trembled with fear. A minute later, a voice came again: "Who is it?" The young man replied that he was a stranger asking for shelter in the castle walls for the night. There was no answer, but after a few minutes the drawbridge went down, the gates opened, and a tall man in black met a young man to lead him to the castle. The hero turned back, but the guide boy had already run away; the gate slammed behind our hero’s back, the bridge rose.
Castle owner
Through the overgrown courtyard, they approached a huge house in which a light shone. Everywhere was gloomy, empty and neglected. The man did not say a word. Passing through several halls, they went into a small room, in the corner of which sat a gray-haired old man. He looked sadly at the young man, gave him a weak hand and greeted him, then he began to inquire about events in the world: “Tell me, does love reign on the globe? Does incense smoke on the altars of virtue? ” “The light of sciences,” answered the hero, “spreads more and more, but human blood still flows on the earth, the tears of the unfortunate pour, praise the name of virtue and argue about its essence.” Upon learning that the stranger was Russian, the old man said that the ancient inhabitants of the islands of Rügen and Borngolm were Slavs. But the Russians were the first to learn Christianity, while the inhabitants of the islands remained pagans for a long time. The elder spoke interestingly about the history of the northern peoples, and the hero marveled at his mind and eloquence; but after half an hour the old man got up and wished good night. The servant led the young man into a large room, hung with weapons and armor. There was a bed in the corner. The servant, without saying a word, left.
The young man lay on the bed and began to think about the castle, about its owner, and remembered the sad stranger with the guitar. At night, our hero dreamed of knights enraged by his arrival and a terrible dragon. The hero woke up and, feeling the need for fresh air, went to the window. Near the window I saw a small door and went into the garden.
Mystery Cave Prisoner
The night was clear, moonlit. A long alley led him to the rosemary bushes, beyond which stood a sandy hill. In the hill, the hero saw a narrow entrance to the cave. The young man entered the cave, in the depths of which he saw an unlocked iron door. An icon lamp burned outside the door, behind the iron bars, and in the corner on a thatched bed lay a young pale woman in a black dress. She slept, manifesting embodied sorrow. Our hero began to examine her: “What barbaric hand deprived you of daylight? He thought. “Really for some serious crime?” But your face, but my heart assures me of your innocence! ” And then the woman woke up and was amazed, got out of bed, went to the bars, but did not utter a word. The hero asked if his help was needed. The woman, after a pause, firmly replied that no one was able to change her fate. She said: “If he sent you - the one whose terrible curse rattles my ears - tell him that I suffer day and night, that tears do not ease my melancholy, that without a murmur I bear the conclusion that I will die him tender, unhappy ... ”Then she moved away from the bars, knelt down and covered her face with her hands. A minute later she looked at the young man, their eyes met, and the hero thought that the woman wanted to learn something important from him. He was waiting for a question, but the question died on her pale lips. They broke up...
Leaving the cave, the hero did not close the door so that the clean air entered the prison to the unfortunate. Dawn alela in the sky; regretting the captive, our hero lay down under the branches of an oak and fell asleep.
He slept for about two hours and, waking up, heard the words: "The door is open, the stranger entered the cave." The young man opened his eyes and saw an old man sitting on a bench; beside him stood a servant. The hero approached them, and the elder looked sternly at him, but then stood up and shook his hand. They walked into the alley, and then the elder shrewdly looked at the hero and asked: "Have you seen her?" The young man replied that he had seen, but did not know who she was and what she was suffering for.
“You know,” the elder answered. - And your heart will be shed with blood. And you ask, for which the sky poured the entire chalice of anger at the old man who loved virtue. - And the elder told a terrible story, and our hero found out the secret of the Grevisend stranger - a terrible secret!
Return of the hero to the ship
Sailors were waiting for the hero at the gates of the castle. They returned to the ship, raised the sails, and Borgolm disappeared from their eyes. In a sorrowful thoughtfulness the hero stood on the deck, he looked at the sky, and the wind blew his tear into the sea.
The mystery of the island of Borgolm becomes known to the hero, but remains unknown to the reader ...
