Pavel Petrovich Bazhov is a famous Russian and Soviet writer. He was born in 1879 in the family of a mining foreman. Mines and factories surrounded the future writer since childhood. His youth was associated with the partisan struggle for Soviet power in eastern Kazakhstan (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Semipalatinsk). In the early 1920s, the future writer returned to the Urals, where he began recording local folklore. Bazhov became famous for his stories, the first of which was published in 1936.

The origins of the “Malachite Box”

Pavel Petrovich heard ancient Ural legends from the watchman Vasily Khmelinin. This happened at the end of the 19th century, the future writer was still a teenager. The stories told about mining, the dangers that awaited miners, the beauty of the subsoil and rare stones.

Ancient legends captured the young man’s imagination. Thirty years later, he returned to his native place and began to write down the legends that the old people told. Bazhov created magnificent works based on plot motifs from folklore legends. The writer called them Ural tales. Later they were published as a separate collection called “Malachite Box”.

Main characters

Many children know the fairy tales “The Mistress of the Copper Mountain,” “The Stone Flower,” and “The Mountain Master.” These works are realistic. They describe in detail the life of Ural mining workers. The images of Stepan, Nastasya, Danila the Master, Katya and other characters are developed with deep psychological authenticity. However, there are also fantastic creatures in the stories:

• Malachite, or Mistress of the Copper Mountain.
• Great Snake.
• Blue snake.
• Earth cat.
• Silver hoof.
• Grandma Sinyushka.
• Jumping Firefly.

The writer tries to convey not only the authentic life, but also the living speech of his heroes. The prototypes of the characters were people whom Bazhov knew from childhood. Many of them were considered legendary figures of their time. Their names have immortalized folk legends.

Real characters

The prototype of the narrator Ded Slyshko is the watchman Vasily Khmelinin, who introduced the young Bazhov to the Ural legends. The writer knew the former factory worker very well. The watchman punctuated his speech with the word “hear.” Hence the nickname.

The prototype of the gentleman who periodically came to the mines was the famous entrepreneur Alexei Turchaninov, who lived during the times of Empresses Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine the Great. It was he who came up with the idea of ​​artistic processing of malachite, which Bazhov talks about in his works.

The prototype of Danila was the famous Russian master Zverev. He was a miner - the name given to specialists in the extraction of precious and semi-precious stones. Danila Zverev, like the literary character he inspired, was in poor health. Because of his thinness and short stature, he was called Light. Danila the master Bazhov also has a nickname - Underfed.

Mistress of Copper Mountain

The fantastic characters of Ural fairy tales are no less interesting. One of them is the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. Under the appearance of a beautiful black-haired woman in a green dress with a malachite pattern hides a powerful sorceress. She is the guardian of the Ural mountains and mines. Malachite helps true professionals and creative people. She freed Stepan from his chains, gave gifts to his fiancée Nastya and daughter Tanyushka, and taught Danila the secrets of mastery.

The Mistress of the Copper Mountain takes care of her charges and protects them from evil people. She turned the cruel clerk Severyan into a block of stone. The powerful sorceress is also shown by the author as an ordinary woman - noble, loving and suffering. She becomes attached to Stepan, but lets him go to his bride.

The Great Snake, Grandma Sinyushka and the Jumping Firefly

Bazhov's "Stone Flower" is filled with fantastic images. One of them is the Great Snake. He is the owner of all the gold in the area. The image of a mighty serpent appears in the myths and tales of many peoples. The daughters of the Great Poloz, Medyanitsa, also appear in Ural tales.

Grandma Sinyushka is a character with many origins. She is a “relative” of Baba Yaga from Slavic folklore. Sinyushka is a character standing on the edge of the real and otherworldly worlds. She appears before the human hero in two guises - as a young beauty and as an old woman in blue clothes. There is a similar character in the legends of the Mansi people, who in ancient times inhabited the Urals. Grandma Sinyushka is an important image of local folklore. Its appearance is associated with swamp gas, which was observed by miners from afar. The mysterious blue haze awakened the imagination, causing the appearance of a new folklore character.

Bazhov's "Stone Flower" is associated with anthropomorphic fantastic images. One of them is the Jumping Firefly. This character looks like a cheerful little girl. She dances in the place where there are gold deposits. The jumping firefly appears unexpectedly in front of the prospectors. Her dance delights those present. Researchers associate this image with the Golden Baba, the ancient deity of the Mansi.

Silver Hoof, Blue Snake and Earth Cat

In addition to fantastic heroes who have a human appearance, there are also animal characters in Ural fairy tales. For example, Silver Hoof. This is the name of one of Bazhov's fairy tales. The silver hoof is a magical goat. He knocks precious stones out of the ground. He has one silver hoof. With it he hits the ground, from which emeralds and rubies jump out.

“The Stone Flower” by Bazhov is one of the stories in the collection “The Malachite Box”. Parents often read the fairy tale “The Blue Snake” to their children. At its center is a fantastic character, capable of both rewarding a good person and punishing a villain. The Blue Snake has gold dust on one side and black dust on the other. Where a person ends up, so his life will go. A blue snake with gold dust marks a deposit of precious metal that is close to the surface.

Another fantastic character from Ural fairy tales is the Earthen Cat. It is associated with the ancient Slavic legend about secret treasures. They were guarded by a cat. In Bazhov’s work, this character helps the girl Dunyakha find her way. The cat walks underground. Only her glowing ears are visible to people above the surface. The real prototype of the image is sulfur dioxide emissions. They often take the shape of a triangle. The sparkling sulfur dioxide reminded the miners of cat ears.

Rooted in the native land

Bazhov’s “Stone Flower” is included in the collection “Malachite Box”, published in 1939. This is a story adapted for children's perception. The collection includes the best works of the writer. The heroes of many fairy tales are related. For example, Tanyushka from “The Malachite Box” is the daughter of Stepan and Nastya (the heroes of “The Copper Mountain Mistress”). And the character of “A Fragile Twig” Mityunka is the son of Danila and Katya (“Stone Flower”, “Mining Master”). It is easy to imagine that all the heroes of Ural fairy tales are neighbors living in the same village. However, their prototypes are clearly from different eras.

“Stone Flower” is a unique work. His characters are so colorful that they have more than once become objects of creative reworking. There is beauty and truth in them. Bazhov's heroes are simple, sincere people who maintain connections with their native land. Ural tales contain signs of a specific historical era. This is manifested in the description of household utensils, dishes, as well as methods of stone processing, typical of a particular time. Readers are also attracted by the colorful speech of the characters, sprinkled with characteristic words and affectionate nicknames.

Creativity and beauty

“The Stone Flower” is not only a treasure trove of folk characters and vivid fantastic images. The heroes of Ural fairy tales are generous and noble people. Their aspirations are pure. And for this, as always happens in fairy tales, they receive a reward - wealth, family happiness and the respect of others.

Many of Bazhov’s positive heroes are creative people. They know how to appreciate beauty and strive for perfection. A striking example is Danila the master. His admiration for the beauty of the stone led to an attempt to create a work of art - a bowl in the shape of a flower. But the master was dissatisfied with his work. After all, it did not contain the miracle of God's creation - a real flower from which the heart skips a beat and strives upward. In search of perfection, Danila went to the Mistress of the Copper Mountain.

P. P. Bazhov talks about this. “The Stone Flower,” a brief summary of which schoolchildren need to know, has become the basis for a creative understanding of work. But Danila is ready to forget his skill, to which he made many sacrifices, for the sake of happiness with his beloved Katya.

An experienced artisan and his young apprentice

The fairy tale “The Stone Flower” begins with a description of the old master Prokopich. An excellent expert in his field, he turned out to be a bad teacher. The boys, whom the clerk brought to Prokopich on the master’s orders, were beaten and punished by the master. But I couldn’t achieve results. Perhaps he didn’t want to. The writer is silent about the reasons for this. Prokopich returned the next student to the clerk. All the boys, according to the old master, turned out to be unable to comprehend the craft.

P. P. Bazhov writes about the intricacies of working with malachite. “Stone Flower,” a brief summary of which is presented in the article, is directly related to the intricacies of stone-cutting work. This craft was considered unhealthy by the people because of the malachite dust.

And so they brought Danilka the Underfed to Prokopich. He was a prominent guy. Tall and good-looking. Yes, just very thin. So they called him the Underfeeder. Danila was an orphan. First they assigned him to the master's chambers. But Danila did not become a servant. He often looked at beautiful things - paintings or jewelry. And it was as if he had not heard the master’s orders. Due to poor health, he did not become a miner.

The hero of Bazhov's tale "The Stone Flower" Danila was distinguished by a strange feature. He could look at some object for a long time, for example, a blade of grass. He also had considerable patience. The clerk noticed this when the guy silently endured the blows of the whip. Therefore, Danilka was sent to study with Prokopich.

Young master and the pursuit of excellence

The boy's talent showed up immediately. The old master became attached to the boy and treated him like a son. Over time, Danila grew stronger, became strong and healthy. Prokopich taught him everything he could do.

Pavel Bazhov, “The Stone Flower” and its contents are well known in Russia. The turning point in the story comes at the moment when Danila completed his training and became a real master. He lived in prosperity and peace, but did not feel happy. Everyone wanted to reflect the real beauty of the stone in the product. One day, an old malachite farmer told Danil about a flower that was in the garden of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. From that time on, the guy had no peace; even the love of his bride Katya did not please him. He really wanted to see the flower.

One day Danila was looking for a suitable stone in a mine. And suddenly the Mistress of the Copper Mountain appeared to him. Her boyfriend began to ask her to show her the wonderful stone flower. She didn’t want to, but she gave in. When Danil saw the beautiful stone trees in the magical garden, he realized that he was unable to create anything like that. The master became sad. And then he left home completely on the eve of the wedding. They couldn't find him.

What happened next?

Bazhov's story “The Stone Flower” ends with an open ending. Nobody knew what happened to the guy. We find the continuation of the story in the story “The Mining Master”. Danilov's bride Katya never got married. She moved into Prokopich’s hut and began to look after the old man. Katya decided to learn a craft so that she could earn money. When the old master died, the girl began to live alone in his house and sell malachite crafts. She found a wonderful stone at the Snake Mine. And there was the entrance to Copper Mountain. And one day she saw Malachite. Katya sensed that Danila was alive. And she demanded to return the groom. It turned out that Danila then ran to the sorceress. He could not live without wonderful beauty. But now Danil asked the Mistress to let him go. The sorceress agreed. Danila and Katya returned to the village and began to live happily ever after.

Moral of the story

Children are very interested in reading Bazhov's tales. “Stone Flower” is a talented work. A powerful force (the Mistress of the Copper Mountain) rewarded the gifted master and his faithful bride. The gossip of their fellow villagers, gossip and malice did not interfere with their happiness. The writer recreated a real folk legend. There is a place in it for good magical power and pure human feelings. The idea of ​​the work is difficult for children to understand. It is difficult for a child to understand why and how beauty can capture the human heart.

But still, every schoolchild should be introduced to such an author as Bazhov. “The Stone Flower” - what does this book teach? The fairy tale has a moral. People who are kind, sincere and true to their ideals, despite their mistakes, will be rewarded. The forces of nature, whom our ancestors humanized in legends, will take care of this. Bazhov is the only famous writer of Soviet Russia who artistically processed Ural legends. They are associated with mines, mines, flammable gases, the hard work of serfs and the wonderful jewels that can be extracted directly from the earth.

Danila's obsession

Bazhov writes about this. “The Stone Flower,” whose main idea is devotion to family and vocation, tells in simple and understandable language about great human values. But what about the idea of ​​the destructive power of beauty? Will schoolchildren be able to understand it? Perhaps Danila’s obsessive thoughts about the stone flower are caused by the witchcraft of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. But dissatisfaction with his own work appeared before meeting the sorceress.

An analysis of Bazhov’s “Stone Flower” does not allow us to answer this question unambiguously. The problem can be interpreted in different ways. Much will depend on the age of the child. It is better to focus on the positive qualities of the main characters. The pedagogical significance of the work is very great. And an intricate plot, intrigue and the “to be continued” technique will help attract the child’s attention.

Ural tales at one time received many positive reviews and positive feedback. “Stone Flower”, Bazhov - these words should be familiar to every schoolchild.

Master Prokopich, the first in malachite in those places, lived in one of the Ural factories. The master was already elderly, so the master ordered a student to be assigned to him. But Prokopich’s science wasn’t going well, “everything he does is just a jerk and a poke.” He'll give the boy bumps all over his head, cut off his ears, and send him back - he's not capable of science, they say.

Local boys began to be afraid of Prokopich, and the parents did not want to send their child to torture. This is how it came to Danilka the Underfed. This twelve-year-old boy was an orphan - he didn’t remember his mother, and he didn’t know his father at all. Danilka’s face was clean and handsome, so they took him as a “Cossack” to the master’s house. Here it would be necessary to curl up like a vine, and the boy would stare at some decoration and freeze in the corner.

They considered Danilka a “blessed slow-moving” and sent him to the shepherd. But even here his work did not work out. The old shepherd will fall asleep, Danilka will daydream, and the cows will scatter. Once we lost several cows, one of them was the clerk's.

The reprisal then, we know what it was like. For any guilt, show your back.

First they flogged the old shepherd, and then they began to take care of the frail Danilka. The executioner hit him lightly at first. Danilka clenched his teeth and remained silent. Then the executioner got angry and began to beat with all his might. The boy fell asleep without uttering a sound.

The local healer grandmother came to see Danilka. From her the boy learned about the stone flower. This flower grows at the Mistress’s place in the malachite mountain, “it has full power for the snake festival.” If a person sees that flower, he will be unhappy all his life, and the grandmother did not know why.

Soon Danilka was on his feet. The clerk noticed this and assigned him as a student to Prokopich: the boy is an orphan, teach as you want, no one will intercede. Danilka’s eye turned out to be correct. On the very first day, he pointed out the mistake to the foreman.

Prokopich lived alone, his wife died, he had no children, so the master became attached to the orphan. Working with malachite is harmful, stone dust quickly clogs the lungs, so the master decided to first fatten up the thin and frail Danilka, and then get down to science. He assigned the boy to the farm and began giving tasks - whether it was work or fun.

Prokopich was a serf, but he was allowed to work for himself, “on quitrent,” so the master had his own income. He took Danilka for his son and bought him good clothes and boots. The master had not yet allowed him near his craft, but Danilka himself asked Prokopyich and remembered everything.

Soon the clerk became interested: whose little boy was he lazing around all day? I decided to check what the master had managed to teach him. It turned out that in the meantime Danilka had managed to learn a lot of wisdom. From that day on, Danilushka’s comfortable life ended, and the clerk began giving him work.

After all, they - the malachite workers - are in a messy business. It’s just a trivial thing, but how long has he been sitting on it!

Danila grew up doing this work. He worked quickly, but Prokopich taught him not to rush and impressed upon the clerk that Danilka was a slow mover. In his free time, the boy even learned to read and write. Over time, Danila became a prominent guy - tall, ruddy, curly and cheerful, “in a word, girlish dryness.”

When Danila carved a “snake sleeve from a solid stone,” the clerk recognized him as a master and wrote about him to the master. He decided to test the new master, ordered to carve a bowl from malachite, sent the drawing and ordered him to make sure that Prokopyich did not help Danila.

The clerk placed Danilo in his place. At first the guy tried to work slowly, but then he got bored, so he carved the bowl in one fell swoop. The clerk ordered him to carve two more bowls of the same type. It turned out that Danila made three bowls in the time that the master gave for one.

The clerk realized that Prokopich was leading him by the nose, got angry and described everything to the master. The same one “turned everything the other way around” - he assigned Danila a small rent and did not order it to be taken from Prokopyich, hoping that the two of them would come up with something new. The master attached a drawing of an intricate bowl to the letter, ordered him to make the same one, and set an unlimited time limit.

Danila set to work, but he didn’t like the bowl - there was no beauty in it, just curls. With the clerk’s permission, Danila decided to carve another bowl according to his own idea.

It’s not us who said: to criticize someone else’s things requires a little wisdom, but to come up with your own, you’ll be turning from side to side for more than one night.

Danila the master became pensive, sad, his face fell asleep, he kept walking through the meadows, looking for a flower so that he could make his own cup in its likeness and show all the beauty of the stone. He chose the Datura flower for the bowl, but first decided to complete the master’s order.

Prokopich dissuaded him, then decided to marry him, hoping that after the wedding all the nonsense would come out of his head. Danila admitted that his neighbor Katya had been waiting for him for a long time. Finally, Danila carved the master's bowl and organized a celebration for the occasion, inviting the bride and old masters. One old man, Prokopia’s teacher, told the guy that those who manage to see a stone flower comprehend all the beauty of the stone and forever end up with the Mistress as mountain masters.

Danila lost peace, forgot about the wedding - he so wanted to understand the beauty of the stone. One day he went to look for malachite for his dope cup, and a voice told him: go to Snake Mountain. Then a woman flashed in front of Danila and disappeared. The guy went to Snake Mountain, found what he was looking for, set to work, but his cup didn’t come out, there was no life in it.

Danila realized that he himself was unable to capture the beauty of the stone, and decided to get married. The wedding took place “just around the Snake Festival.” Danila came to Snake Hill for the last time, sat down to rest, and then the Mistress appeared to him. The guy recognized her by her beauty and malachite dress. He asked the Mistress to show him the stone flower. She tried to dissuade him: those who see the flower lose the joy of life and return to it themselves. But Danila did not back down. The Mistress took him to her garden with trees and grass made of different stones and led him to black, velvet-like bushes.

On these bushes there are large green malachite bells and in each there is an antimony star. The fire bees sparkle above those flowers, and the stars ring subtly and sing evenly.

Danila the master looked at the stone flower, and the Mistress sent him home.

That day Katya the bride had a party. At first Danila was having fun with everyone, and then he became sad. Returning home after the party, Danil broke his dope cup, spat into the master’s cup and ran out of the hut.

They searched for Danila for a long time. Some believed that he had gone crazy and died in the forest, while others said that the Mistress took Danila as a mountain foreman.

The marble workers were not the only ones who were famous for their stone work. Also in our factories, they say, they had this skill. The only difference is that ours were more fond of malachite, as there was enough of it, and the grade is no higher. It was from this that malachite was suitably made. Hey, these are the kind of things that make you wonder how they helped him. There was a master Prokopich at that time. First on these matters. No one could do it better. I was in my old age. So the master ordered the clerk to put the boys under this Prokopich for training. - Let them go over everything down to the subtleties. Only Prokopich - either he was sorry to part with his skill, or something else - taught very poorly. Everything he does is a jerk and a poke. He puts lumps all over the boy’s head, almost cuts off his ears, and says to the clerk: “This guy is no good... His eye is incapable, his hand can’t carry it.” It won't do any good. The clerk, apparently, was ordered to please Prokopich. - It’s not good, it’s not good... We’ll give you another... - And he’ll dress up another boy. The kids heard about this science... They roar early in the morning, trying not to get to Prokopich. Fathers and mothers, too, do not like to give away their own child to wasted flour - they began to protect their own as best they could. And to say that, this skill is unhealthy, with malachite. The poison is pure. That's why people are protected. The clerk still remembers the master’s order - he assigns students to Prokopich. He will wash the boy in his own way and hand him back to the clerk. - This is no good... The clerk began to get angry: - How long will this last? No good, no good, when will it be good? Teach this... Prokopich, know yours: - What do I need... Even if I teach for ten years, this kid will be of no use... - What else do you want? “Even if you don’t put it on me at all, I don’t miss it... So the clerk and Prokopich went through a lot of kids, but the point was the same: there were bumps on the head, and in the head - how to escape. They spoiled them on purpose so that Prokopich would drive them away. This is how it came to Danilka the Underfed. This little boy was an orphan. Probably twelve years then, or even more. He is tall on his feet, and thin, thin, which is what keeps his soul going. Well, his face is clean. Curly hair, blue eyes. At first they took him as a Cossack servant at the manor's house: give him a snuff box, give him a handkerchief, run somewhere, and so on. Only this orphan did not have the talent for such a task. Other boys climb like vines in such and such places. A little something - to the hood: what do you order? And this Danilko will hide in a corner, stare at some painting, or even at a piece of jewelry, and just stand there. They shout at him, but he doesn’t even listen. They beat me, of course, at first, then they waved their hand: “Some blessed one!” Slug! Such a good servant will not make. They still didn’t give me a job in a factory or up a mountain - the place was very runny, there wasn’t enough for a week. The clerk put him in the guise. And here Danilko didn’t fare well. The little guy is extremely diligent, but he always makes mistakes. Everyone seems to be thinking about something. He stares at a blade of grass, and the cows are over there! An affectionate old shepherd was caught, feeling sorry for the orphan, and he cursed: “What will come of you, Danilko?” You will destroy yourself, and you will also put my old back in harm’s way. Where is this good? What are you even thinking about? - I myself, grandpa, don’t know... So... about nothing... I stared a little. A bug was crawling along a leaf. She herself is blue, and from under her wings she has a yellowish look peeking out, and the leaf is wide... Along the edges the teeth, like frills, are curved. Here it shows darker, but the middle is very green, they just painted it exactly... And the bug is crawling... - Well, aren’t you a fool, Danilko? Is it your job to sort out bugs? She crawls and crawls, but your job is to look after the cows. Look at me, get this nonsense out of your head, or I’ll tell the clerk! Danilushka was given one thing. He learned to play the horn - what an old man! Purely based on music. In the evening, when the cows are brought in, the girls and women ask: - Play a song, Danilushko. He will start playing. And the songs are all unfamiliar. Either the forest is noisy, or the stream is murmuring, the birds are calling to each other in all sorts of voices, but it turns out well. Women began to greet Danilushka very much for those songs. Whoever will mend a thread, whoever will cut a piece of canvas, who will sew a new shirt. There is no talk about a piece - everyone strives to give more and sweeter. The old shepherd also liked Danilushkov’s songs. Only here, too, something went a little wrong. Danilushko will start playing and forget everything, even if there are no cows. It was during this game that trouble befell him. Danilushko apparently began to play, and the old man dozed off a little. They lost a few cows. As they began to gather for the pasture, they looked - one was gone, the other was gone. They rushed to look, but where are you? They grazed near Yelnichnaya... This is a very wolf-like place, desolate... They only found one little cow. They drove the herd home... So and so - they talked about it. Well, they also ran from the factory - they went looking for him, but they didn’t find him. The reprisal then, we know what it was like. For any guilt, show your back. Unfortunately, there was another cow from the clerk's yard. Don't expect any descent here. First they stretched the old man, then it came to Danilushka, but he was skinny and scrawny. The Lord's executioner even made a slip of the tongue. “Someone,” he says, “will fall asleep at once, or even lose his soul.” He hit anyway - he didn’t regret it, but Danilushko is silent. The executioner suddenly in a row is silent, the third is silent. The executioner then became enraged, let’s go bald from all over, and he himself shouts: “I’ll bring you, silent one... Give me a voice... Give me!” Danilushko is shaking all over, tears are falling, but is silent. I bit the sponge and strengthened myself. So he fell asleep, but they didn’t hear a word from him. The clerk - he was there, of course, - was surprised: - What a patient person he was! Now I know where to put him if he remains alive. Danilushko took a rest. Grandma Vikhorikha stood him up. There was, they say, an old lady like that. Instead of a doctor in our factories, she was very famous. I knew the power in herbs: some from teeth, some from stress, some from aches... Well, everything is as it is. I myself collected those herbs at the very time when which herb had full strength. From such herbs and roots I prepared tinctures, boiled decoctions and mixed them with ointments. Danilushka had a good life with this grandmother Vikhorikha. The old lady, hey, is affectionate and talkative, and she has dried herbs and roots and all sorts of flowers hung all over the hut. Danilushko is curious about herbs - what’s the name of this one? where does it grow? what flower? The old lady tells him. Once Danilushko asks: “Grandma, do you know every flower in our area?” “I won’t brag,” he says, “but I seem to know everything about how open they are.” “Are there really,” he asks, “something that hasn’t been opened yet?” “There are,” he answers, “and such.” Have you heard Papor? It seems to bloom on Midsummer's day. That flower is witchcraft. The treasures are opened to them. Harmful for humans. On the gap-grass the flower is a running light. Catch him - and all the gates are open for you. Vorovskoy is a flower. And then there is also a stone flower. It seems to be growing in the malachite mountain. On the snake holiday it has full power. The unfortunate person is the one who sees the stone flower. - What, grandma, are you unhappy? - And this, child, I don’t know myself. That's what they told me. Danilushko might have lived longer at Vikhorikha’s, but the clerk’s messengers noticed that the boy began to go a little, and now to the clerk. The clerk called Danilushka and said: “Now go to Prokopich and learn the malachite trade.” The job is right for you. Well, what will you do? Danilushko went, but he himself was still being shaken by the wind. Prokopich looked at him and said: “This was still missing.” The studies here are beyond the ability of healthy boys, but what you get is enough to make you barely worth living. Prokopich went to the clerk: “There’s no need for this.” If you accidentally kill, you will have to answer. Only the clerk - where are you going - didn’t listen; - It’s given to you - teach, don’t argue! He - this guy - is strong. Don't look how thin it is. “Well, it’s up to you,” says Prokopyich, “it would have been said.” I will teach, as long as they don’t force me to answer. - There is no one to pull. This guy is lonely, do whatever you want with him,” the clerk replies. Prokopich came home, and Danilushko was standing near the machine, looking at the malachite board. A cut has been made on this board - break off the edge. Here Danilushko is staring at this place and shaking his little head. Prokopich became curious about what this new guy was looking at here. He asked sternly, as was his rule: “What are you doing?” Who asked you to pick up a craft? What are you looking at here? Danilushko answers: “In my opinion, grandfather, this is not the side where the edge should be cut.” See, the pattern is here, and they’ll cut it off. Prokopich shouted, of course: - What? Who are you? Master? It didn’t happen to your hands, but you judge? What can you understand? “Then I understand that this thing was ruined,” Danilushko answers. - Who spoiled it? A? It’s you, brat, to me, the first master!.. Yes, I’ll show you such damage... you won’t live! He made some noise and shouted, but didn’t hit Danilushka with his finger. Prokopich, you see, was thinking about this board himself - which side to cut off the edge from. Danilushko hit the nail on the head with his conversation. Prokopich shouted and said in a completely kind way: “Come on, you, a revealed master, show me how to do it your way?” Danilushko began to show and tell: “That would be the kind of pattern that would come out.” And it would be better to put a narrower board, beat off the edge in an open field, just leave a small braid on top. Prokopich, you know, shouts: - Well, well... Of course! You understand a lot. I've accumulated - don't wake up! - And he thinks to himself: “The boy is right. This will probably do some good. But how can I teach him? Knock him once and he’ll stretch his legs.” He thought so and asked: “What kind of scientist are you?” Danilushko told about himself. Say, an orphan. I don’t remember my mother, and I don’t even know who my father was. They call him Danilka Nedokormish, but I don’t know what his father’s middle name and nickname are. He told how he was in the household and why he was driven away, how he spent the summer walking with a herd of cows, how he got caught in a fight. Prokopich regretted: - It’s not sweet, I see, you, guy, have a hard life, and then you came to me. Prokopich regretted: - It’s not sweet, I see, you, guy, have a hard life, and then you came to me. Our craftsmanship is strict. Then he seemed angry and grumbled: “Well, that’s enough, that’s enough!” Look how talkative! Everyone would work with the tongue - not with the hands. A whole evening of balusters and balusters! The student too! I'll see tomorrow how good you are. Sit down to dinner, and it's time to go to bed. Prokopich lived alone. His wife died a long time ago. Old lady Mitrofanovna, one of his neighbors, was running the house for him. In the mornings she went to cook, cook something, tidy up the hut, and in the evening Prokopyich himself managed what he needed. After eating, Prokopich said: “Lie down on the bench over there!” Danilushko took off his shoes, put his knapsack under his head, covered himself with a string, shivered a little - you see, it was cold in the hut in autumn time - but he soon fell asleep. Prokopich also lay down, but could not sleep: he couldn’t get the conversation about the malachite pattern out of his head. He tossed and turned, got up, lit a candle and went to the bench - let’s try on this malachite board this way and that. It will close one edge, another... add a margin, subtract it. He’ll put it this way, turn it the other way, and it turns out that the boy understood the pattern better. - Here's to Nedokormishek! - Prokopich is amazed. - Nothing yet, but I pointed it out to the old master. What a peephole! What a peephole! He quietly went into the closet and brought out a pillow and a large sheepskin coat. He slipped a pillow under Danilushka’s head and covered him with a sheepskin coat: “Sleep, big-eyed!” But he didn’t wake up, he just turned on the other side, stretched out under his sheepskin coat - he felt warm - and let’s whistle lightly with his nose. Prokopich did not have his own guys, this Danilushko fell to his heart. The master stands there, admiring it, and Danilushko, you know, whistles and sleeps peacefully. Prokopich's concern is how to get this boy properly on his feet, so that he is not so skinny and unhealthy. - Is it with his health that we learn our skills? Dust, poison, will quickly wither away. First he should rest, get better, and then I’ll start teaching. There will be some sense, apparently. The next day he says to Danilushka: “At first you will help with the housework.” This is my order. Understood? For the first time, go buy viburnum. She was overwhelmed with frost, and now she’s just in time for pies. Yes, look, don’t go too far. As much as you can type, that’s okay. Take some bread - there is some in the forest - and go to Mitrofanovna. I told her to bake you a couple of eggs and pour some milk into the little container. Understood? The next day he says again: “Catch me a louder goldfinch and a smarter tap dancer.” Make sure they arrive by evening. Understood? When Danilushko caught it and brought it back, Prokopich says: “Okay, but not at all.” Catch others. And so it went. Every day Prokopyich gives Danilushka work, but everything is fun. As soon as the snow fell, he told him and his neighbor to go pick up firewood and help him out. Well, what a help! He sits forward on the sleigh, drives the horse, and walks back behind the cart. He'll wash himself off, eat at home, and sleep soundly. Prokopich made him a fur coat, a warm hat, mittens, and pymas to order. Prokopich, you see, had wealth. Even though he was a serf, he was on quitrent and earned little. He stuck tightly to Danilushka. To put it bluntly, he was holding on to his son. Well, I didn’t spare him for him, but didn’t let him get to his business until the time was right. In a good life, Danilushko began to recover quickly and also clung to Prokopich. Well, how! - I understood Prokopyichev’s concern; for the first time I had to live like this. Winter has passed. Danilushka felt completely at ease. Now he’s on the pond, now in the forest. It was only Danilushko’s skill that he looked closely at. He comes running home, and right away they have a conversation. He will tell Prokopich about this and that and ask - what is this and how is it? Prokopich will explain and show in practice. Danilushko notes. When he himself begins: “Well, I...” Prokopich looks, corrects, when necessary, indicates how best. One day the clerk spotted Danilushka on the pond. He asks his messengers: “Whose boy is this?” Every day I see him on the pond... On weekdays he plays around with a fishing rod, and he’s not a little boy... Someone is hiding him from work... The messengers found out, they tell the clerk, but he doesn’t believe him. “Well,” he says, “drag the boy to me, I’ll find out myself.” They brought Danilushka. The clerk asks: “Whose are you?” Danilushko answers: - Apprenticeship, they say, with a malachite master. The clerk then grabbed him by the ear: “That’s how you learn, you bastard!” - Yes, by the ear and took him to Prokopich. He sees that something is wrong, let’s protect Danilushka: “I sent him myself to catch perch.” I really miss fresh perch. Due to my poor health, I cannot take any other food. So he told the boy to fish. The clerk didn't believe it. I also realized that Danilushko had become completely different: he had put on weight, he was wearing a good shirt, pants too, and boots on his feet. So let’s test Danilushka: - Come on, show me what the master taught you? Danilushko put on the donut, walked up to the machine and let’s tell and show. Whatever the clerk asks, he has an answer ready for everything. How to chip a stone, how to saw it, remove a chamfer, when to glue it, how to apply polish, how to attach it to copper, like to wood. In a word, everything is as it is. The clerk tortured and tortured, and then he said to Prokopich: “This guy apparently suited you?” “I’m not complaining,” Prokopich answers. - That’s right, you’re not complaining, but you’re pampering yourself! They gave him to you to learn the skill, and he is by the pond with a fishing rod! Look! I’ll give you such fresh perches - you won’t forget them until you die, and the boy will be sad. He made such and such a threat, left, and Prokopich marveled: “When did you, Danilushko, understand all this?” Actually, I haven’t taught you at all yet. “I myself,” says Danilushko, “showed and told, and I noticed.” Prokopich even started to cry, it was so close to his heart. “Son,” he says, “darling, Danilushko... What else I know, I’ll tell you everything... I won’t hide it... Only from that time on, Danilushka didn’t have a comfortable life.” The clerk sent for him the next day and began giving him work for the lesson. First, of course, something simpler: plaques, what women wear, little boxes. Then it all started: there were different candlesticks and decorations. There we reached the carving. Leaves and petals, patterns and flowers. After all, they - the malachite workers - are a messy business. It’s just a trivial thing, but how long has he been sitting on it! So Danilushko grew up doing this work. And when he carved a sleeve - a snake - from a solid stone, the clerk recognized him as a master. I wrote to the master about this: “So and so, we have a new master in the malachite business - Danilko Nedokormish. He works well, only due to his youth he is still quiet. Will you order him to remain in the lessons or, like Prokopich, to be released on quitrent?” Danilushko did not work quietly, but surprisingly deftly and quickly. It’s Prokopich who really got the knack here. The clerk will ask Danilushka what lesson for five days, and Prokopich will go and say: “It’s not because of this.” This kind of work takes half a month. The guy is studying. If you hurry, the stone will only serve no purpose. Well, the clerk will argue how many, and you see, he will add more days. Danilushko and worked without strain. I even learned to read and write little by little from the clerk. So, just a little, but still I understood how to read and write. Prokopich was also good at this. When he himself got the hang of doing Danilushka’s clerk’s lessons, only Danilushko didn’t allow this: “What are you talking about!” What are you doing, uncle! Is it your job to sit at the machine for me? Look, your beard has turned green from malachite, your health has begun to deteriorate, but what am I doing? Danilushko had indeed recovered by that time. Even though in the old fashioned way they called him Nedokormysh, but what a guy he is! Tall and ruddy, curly and cheerful. In a word, girlish dryness. Prokopich has already started talking to him about brides, and Danilushko, you know, shakes his head: “He won’t leave us!” Once I become a real master, then there will be a conversation. The master wrote back to the clerk’s news: “Let that Prokopichev student Danilko make another turned bowl on a leg for my house. Then I’ll see whether to let you go on the quitrent or keep it in lessons. Just make sure that Prokopichev doesn’t help that Danilka. If you don’t, you’ll be fined.” “The clerk received this letter, called Danilushka and said: “Here, with me, you will work.” They will set up the machine for you and bring you the stone you need. Prokopich found out and was saddened: how could this be? what kind of thing? I went to the clerk, but would he really say... He just shouted: “It’s none of your business!” Well, Danilushko went to work in a new place, and Prokopich punished him: - Look, don’t rush, Danilushko! Don't prove yourself. Danilushko was wary at first. He tried it on and figured it out more, but it seemed sad to him. Do it, don’t do it, and serve your sentence - sit with the clerk from morning to night. Well, Danilushko was bored and went wild. The cup was with his living hand and went out of business. The clerk looked as if this was the way it should be, and said: “Do the same again!” Danilushko made another, then a third. When he finished the third, the clerk said: “Now you can’t dodge it!” I caught you and Prokopyich. The master, according to my letter, gave you time for one bowl, and you carved three. I know your strength. You won’t deceive me anymore, and I’ll show that old dog how to indulge! Will order for others! So I wrote to the master about this and provided all three bowls. Only the master - either he found a clever verse on him, or he was angry with the clerk for something - turned everything the other way around. The rent given to Danilushka was trivial, he did not order the guy to take it from Prokopich - maybe the two of them would sooner come up with something new. When I wrote, I sent the drawing. There is also a bowl drawn with all sorts of things. There is a carved border along the rim, a stone ribbon with a through pattern on the waist, and leaves on the footrest. In a word, invented. And on the drawing the master signed: “Let him sit for at least five years, and so that this is done exactly.” Here the clerk had to go back on his word. He announced that the master had written it, sent Danilushka to Prokopich and gave him the drawing. Danilushko and Prokopyich became more cheerful, and their work went faster. Danilushko soon began to work on that new cup. There are a lot of tricks in it. There are a lot of tricks in it. If you hit me a little wrong, your work is gone, start again. Well, Danilushka has a true eye, a brave hand, enough strength - things are going well. There is one thing he doesn’t like - there are a lot of difficulties, but there is absolutely no beauty. I told Prokopyich, but he was just surprised: “What do you care?” They came up with it, which means they need it. I’ve turned and cut out all sorts of things, but I don’t really know where they go. I tried to talk to the clerk, but where are you going? He stamped his feet and waved his arms: “Are you crazy?” They paid a lot of money for the drawing. The artist may have been the first to do it in the capital, but you decided to overthink it! Then, apparently, he remembered what the master ordered him, whether the two of them could come up with something new, and said: “Here’s what... make this bowl according to the master’s drawing, and if you invent another one of your own, it’s your business.” I won't interfere. We have enough stone, I guess. Whichever one you need, that’s the one I’ll give you. It was then that Danilushka’s thought struck. It’s not us who said that you need to criticize someone else’s wisdom a little, but come up with your own - you’ll be turning from side to side for more than one night. Here Danilushko is sitting over this bowl according to the drawing, but he himself is thinking about something else. He translates in his head which flower, which leaf is best suited to the malachite stone. He became thoughtful and sad. Prokopich noticed and asked: “Are you healthy, Danilushko?” It would be easier with this bowl. What's the hurry? I should go on a walk somewhere, otherwise you just sit and sit. “And then,” says Danilushko, “at least go to the forest.” Will I see what I need? From then on, I began to run into the forest almost every day. It's time for mowing and berries. The grasses are all in bloom. Danilushko will stop somewhere in the meadow or in a clearing in the forest and stand and look. And then again he walks through the mowing and looks at the grass, as if looking for something. There were a lot of people in the forest and in the meadows at that time. They ask Danilushka if he has lost anything? He will smile sadly and say: “I haven’t lost it, but I can’t find it.” Well, they started talking: “There’s something wrong with the guy.” And he will come home and immediately to the machine, and sit until the morning, and with the sun he will go back to the forest and mow. I began to drag all sorts of leaves and flowers home, and gathered more and more from them: cherry and omega, datura and wild rosemary, and all sorts of rezuns. He fell asleep on his face, his eyes became restless, he lost courage in his hands. Prokopich became completely worried, and Danilushko said: “The cup doesn’t give me peace.” I want to do it in such a way that the stone has full power. Prokopich, let's talk him out of it: - What did you use it for? You're full, what else? Let the bars have fun as they please. If only they wouldn't hurt us. If they come up with a pattern, we’ll do it, but why bother meeting them? Put on an extra collar - that's all. Well, Danilushko stands his ground. “Not for the master,” he says, “I’m trying.” I can't get that cup out of my head. I see what kind of stone we have, but what are we doing with it? We sharpen, we cut, we polish, and there’s no point at all. So I had the desire to do this so that I could see the full power of the stone myself and show people. In time, Danilushko walked away and sat down again at that bowl, according to the master’s drawing. He works, and he chuckles: - Stone tape with holes, carved border... Then he suddenly abandoned this work. Another started. Standing at the machine without a break. He said to Prokopich: “I will make my cup using the datura flower.” Prokopich began to dissuade him. At first Danilushko didn’t want to listen, then, three or four days later, he made some mistake and said to Prokopich: “Okay.” First I’ll finish the master’s bowl, then I’ll get to work on my own. Just don’t talk me out of it then... I can’t get her out of my head. Prokopich replies: “Okay, I won’t interfere,” but he himself thinks: “The guy leaves, he’ll forget. We need to marry him. That’s it! The extra nonsense will fly out of your head as soon as he starts a family.” Danilushko busied himself with the bowl. There is a lot of work in it - you can’t fit it into one year. He works hard and doesn’t think about the datura flower. Prokopich began to talk about marriage: “If only Katya Letemina is not a bride?” Good girl... Nothing to complain about. This was Prokopich speaking out of his mind. You see, he noticed a long time ago that Danilushko was looking at this girl very much. Well, she didn't turn away. So Prokopich, as if by accident, started a conversation. And Danilushko repeats his words: “Wait!” I can handle the cup. I'm tired of her. Just look - I’ll hit it with a hammer, and he’s talking about marriage! Katya and I agreed. She will wait for me. Well, Danilushko made a bowl according to the master’s drawing. Of course, they didn’t tell the clerk, but they decided to have a little party at home. Katya - the bride - came with her parents, who also... among the malachite masters, more. Katya marvels at the cup. “How,” he says, “only you managed to cut such a pattern and didn’t break off the stone anywhere!” How smooth and clean everything is! The craftsmen also approve: - Exactly according to the drawing. There is nothing to complain about. Cleanly done. It’s better not to do it, and soon. If you start working like that, it will probably be hard for us to follow you. Danilushko listened and listened and said: “It’s a shame that there’s nothing to complain about.” Smooth and even, the pattern is clean, the carving is according to the drawing, but where is the beauty? There is a flower... the most inferior one, but when you look at it your heart rejoices. Well, who will this cup make happy? What is she for? Anyone who looks at Katya over there will marvel at what kind of eye and hand the master has, how he had the patience not to break off a stone anywhere. “And where I made a mistake,” the craftsmen laugh, “I glued it and covered it with polish, and you won’t find the ends.” - That's it... And where, I ask, is the beauty of the stone? There is a vein here, and you drill holes in it and cut flowers. What are they here for? Damage is a stone. And what a stone! First stone! You see, the first one! He began to get excited. Apparently he drank a little. The masters tell Danilushka that Prokopich told him more than once: “A stone is a stone.” What will you do with him? Our job is to sharpen and cut. There was only one old man here. He also taught Prokopyich and those other masters! Everyone called him grandfather. He’s a very decrepit little old man, but he also understood this conversation and says to Danilushka: “You, dear son, don’t walk on this floorboard!” Get it out of your head! Otherwise you will end up with the Mistress as a mining master... - What kind of masters, grandfather? - And such... they live in grief, no one sees them... Whatever the Mistress needs, they will do. I happened to see it once. Here's the job! From ours, from here, in difference. Everyone became curious. They ask what craft he saw. “Yes, a snake,” he says, “the same one you sharpen on your sleeve.” - So what? What is she like? - From the locals, I say, in distinction. Any master will see and immediately recognize that this is not the work here. Our snake, no matter how cleanly it is carved, is made of stone, but here it is alive. Black ridge, little eyes... Just look - it will bite. What do they care about! They saw the stone flower and understood the beauty. Danilushko, when I heard about the stone flower, let’s ask the old man. He said in all conscience: I don’t know, dear son. I heard that there is such a flower. Our brother is not allowed to see it. Whoever looks, the white light will not be pleasant. Danilushko says to this: “I would take a look.” Here Katenka, his fiancée, began to flutter: “What are you, what are you, Danilushko!” Are you really tired of the white light? - yes to tears. Prokopich and the other masters took notice of the matter, let’s make the old master laugh: “He’s gone crazy, grandpa.” You tell stories. It's a waste of time to lead the guy astray. The old man got excited and hit the table: “There is such a flower!” The guy is telling the truth: we don’t understand stone. Beauty is shown in that flower. The masters laugh: “Grandfather, he took too much!” And he said: - There is a stone flower! The guests have left, but Danilushka can’t get that conversation out of his head. He started running into the forest again and walking around his dope flower, and didn’t even mention the wedding. Prokopich began to force him: “Why are you disgracing the girl?” How many years will she be a bride? Wait for it - they will start laughing at her. Are there not enough girls? Danilushko has one of his own: - Wait a little! I’ll just come up with an idea and select a suitable stone. And I got into the habit of going to a copper mine - to Gumeshki. When he goes down into the mine, he walks around the faces, while at the top he sorts through the stones. Once he turned a stone, looked at it and said: “No, not that one.” .. As soon as he said this, someone said it; - Look elsewhere... at Snake Hill. Danilushko looks - there is no one. Who would it be? They're joking or something... It's like there's nowhere to hide. He looked around again, went home, and after him again: “Do you hear, Danilo-master?” At Snake Hill, I say. Danilushko looked around - some woman was barely visible, like blue fog. Then nothing happened. “What,” he thinks, “is this thing? Really? What if we go to Zmeinaya?” Danilushko knew Snake Hill well. She was right there, not far from Gumeshki. Now it’s gone, it’s all been torn down a long time ago, but before they took the stone on top. So the next day Danilushko went there. The hill, although small, is steep. On the one hand, it looks completely cut off. The look here is first-class. All layers are visible, it couldn’t be better. Danilushko approached this watcher, and then the malachite was turned out. It’s a big stone that you can’t carry in your hands, and it looks like it’s been shaped like a bush. Danilushko began to examine this find. Everything is as he needs: the color below is thicker, the veins are in the very places where it is required... Well, everything is as it is... Danilushko was delighted, quickly ran after the horse, brought the stone home, says to Prokopyich: - Look, the stone Which! Exactly on purpose for my work. Now I’ll do it quickly. Then get married. That's right, Katenka has been waiting for me. Yes, it’s not easy for me either. This is the only work that keeps me going. I wish I could finish it soon! Well, Danilushko set to work on that stone. He knows neither day nor night. But Prokopich remains silent. Maybe the guy will calm down, he'll be happy. The work is progressing well. The bottom of the stone was finished. As it is, listen, a datura bush. The leaves are wide in a bunch, teeth, veins - everything could not have been better, Prokopich even says - it’s a living flower, you can even touch it with your hand. Well, as soon as I got to the top, it got stuck. The stem has been chiseled out, the side leaves are thin - they just hold on! A cup like that of a Datura flower, or else... It became not alive and lost its beauty. Danilushko lost his sleep here. Danilushko lost his sleep here. He sits over this bowl of his, figuring out how to fix it, how to do it better. Prokopich and the other craftsmen who came in to have a look are amazed - what else does the guy need? The cup came out - no one had ever made something like this, but he felt bad. The guy will wash himself off, he needs to be treated. Katenka hears what people are saying and begins to cry. This brought Danilushka to his senses. “Okay,” he says, “I won’t do it again.” Apparently, I can’t rise higher, I can’t catch the power of the stone. - And let’s hurry up with the wedding. Well, why rush, if the bride had everything ready a long time ago. We set a day. Danilushko cheered up. I told the clerk about the cup. He came running and looked - what a thing! I wanted to send this cup to the master now, but Danilushko said: “Wait a little, there’s some finishing touches.” It was autumn time. The wedding happened right around the Snake Festival. By the way, someone mentioned this - soon the snakes will all gather in one place. Danilushko took these words into account. I remembered again the conversations about the malachite flower. So he was drawn: “Should I go to Snake Hill one last time? Don’t I recognize anything there?” - and about the stone he remembered: “After all, it was as expected! And the voice at the mine... spoke about Snake Hill.” So Danilushko went! The ground had already begun to freeze, and there was a dusting of snow. Danilushko walked up to the twist where he took the stone, and looked, and in that place there was a large pothole, as if the stone had been broken. Danilushko didn’t think about who was breaking the stone and walked into a pothole. “I’ll sit,” he thinks, “I’ll rest in the wind. It’s warmer here.” He looks at one wall and sees a serovik stone, like a chair. Danilushko sat down here, lost in thought, looked at the ground, and still that stone flower was missing from his head. "I'd like to see it!" Only suddenly it became warm, exactly summer returned. Danilushko raised his head, and opposite, against the other wall, the Mistress of the Copper Mountain was sitting. By her beauty and by her malachite dress, Danilushko immediately recognized her. All he thinks is: “Maybe it seems to me, but in reality there is no one.” He sits in silence, looks at the place where the Mistress is, and seems to see nothing. She is also silent, seemingly lost in thought. Then he asks: “Well, Danilo-master, didn’t your dope cup come out?” “I didn’t come out,” he answers. - Don’t hang your head! Try something else. The stone will be for you according to your thoughts. “No,” he answers, “I can’t do it anymore.” I'm exhausted and it doesn't work out. Show me the stone flower. “It’s easy to show,” he says, “but you’ll regret it later.” - Won’t you let me out of the mountain? - Why won’t I let you go! The road is open, but they are only turning towards me. - Show me, do me a favor! She also persuaded him: “Maybe you can try to achieve it yourself!” “She also mentioned Prokopich: “He felt sorry for you, now it’s your turn to feel sorry for him.” - She reminded me about the bride: - The girl dotes on you, but you look the other way. “I know,” Danilushko shouts, “but without a flower I can’t live.” Show me! “When this happens,” he says, “let’s go, Danilo the Master, to my garden.” She said and stood up. Then something rustled, like an earthen scree. Danilushko looks, but there are no walls. The trees are tall, but not like those in our forests, but made of stone. Some are marble, some are made of coiled stone... Well, all sorts... Only alive, with branches, with leaves. They sway in the wind and kick, like someone tossing pebbles. Below there is grass, also made of stone. Azure, red... different... The sun is not visible, but it is light, like before sunset. Between the trees, golden snakes flutter as if dancing. The light comes from them. And then that girl led Danilushka to a large clearing. The earth here is like simple clay, and on it the bushes are black as velvet. On these bushes there are large green malachite bells and in each there is an antimony star. The fire bees sparkle above those flowers, and the stars tinkle subtly and sing evenly. - Well, Danilo-master, have you looked? - asks the Mistress. “You won’t find,” Danilushko answers, “a stone to do something like that.” “If you had thought of it yourself, I would have given you such a stone, but now I can’t.” - She said and waved her hand. There was a noise again, and Danilushko found himself on the same stone, in the same hole. The wind just whistles. Well, you know, autumn. Danilushko came home, and that day the bride was having a party. At first Danilushko showed himself to be cheerful - he sang songs, danced, and then became misty. The bride was even scared: “What’s wrong with you?” You're exactly at the funeral! And he says: “My head was broken.” In the eyes there is black with green and red. I don't see the light. That's where the party ended. According to the ritual, the bride and her bridesmaids went to see off the groom. How many roads are there if you lived through a house or two? So Katenka says: “Let’s go around, girls.” We will reach the end along our street, and return along Yelanskaya. He thinks to himself: “If the wind blows Danilushka, won’t he feel better?” What about girlfriends? Happy, happy. “And then,” they shout, “it must be carried out.” He lives very close - they didn’t sing a kindly farewell song to him at all. The night was quiet and snow was falling. It's time for a walk. So they went. The bride and groom are in front, and the bridesmaids and the bachelor who was at the party are a little behind. The girls started this song as a farewell song. And it is sung long and plaintively, purely for the dead. Katenka sees that there is no need for this at all: “Even without that, Danilushko is not cheerful, and they also came up with lamentations to sing.” He tries to divert Danilushka to other thoughts. He started talking, but soon became sad again. Meanwhile, Katenkina’s friends finished the farewell and began to have fun. They are laughing and running around, but Danilushko is walking, hanging his head. No matter how hard Katenka tries, she cannot cheer her up. And so we reached home. The girlfriends and the bachelor began to go their separate ways, but Danilushko saw off his bride without any ceremony and went home. Prokopich had been asleep for a long time. Danilushko slowly lit the fire, dragged his bowls into the middle of the hut and stood looking at them. At this time Prokopich began to cough. That's how it breaks. You see, by those years he had become completely unhealthy. This cough cut Danilushka like a knife through the heart. I remembered my whole previous life. He felt deeply sorry for the old man. And Prokopich cleared his throat and asked: “What are you doing with the bowls?” - Yes, I’m looking, isn’t it time to take it? “It’s been a long time,” he says, “it’s time.” They just take up space in vain. You can't do better anyway. Well, we talked a little more, then Prokopich fell asleep again. And Danilushko lay down, but he couldn’t sleep. He turned and turned, got up again, lit the fire, looked at the bowls, and approached Prokopyich. I stood here over the old man, sighed... Then I took the balodka and gasped at the dope flower - it just shriveled. But he didn’t move that bowl, according to the master’s drawing! He just spat in the middle and ran out. So from that time on, Danilushka could not be found. Those who said that he had made up his mind died in the forest, and those who said again - the Mistress took him as a mountain foreman. Above

Topic: P.P. Bazhov “Stone Flower”. The theme of art, labor and love in the tale.

The purpose of the lesson:

Educational aspect: test students' knowledge of the content of the tale and its composition.

Developmental aspect: develop students' monologue speech and creative thinking.

Educational aspect: fostering respect for work and working people.

I Organizational stage.

II Update.

Tell us about P.P. Bazhov.

What are the features of his collection “The Malachite Box”? Why did the author call it a folklore collection?

Who is the narrator?

How is a tale different from a fairy tale?

There is a traditional beginning.

There is no image of a narrator.

Magical heroes are either good or evil.

For magic to happen, the hero must cast a spell.

They have no real basis.

1. There is no reason.

There is an image of a narrator.

There is no division into good and evil.

Magic power is inherent in heroes from the very beginning.

They have a real basis.

III Formation of new knowledge and methods of action.

1. The teacher's word.

Most of the residents of the Ural villages are busy with stone: some mine it, some process it, and some create stone beauty. However, there are not so many real masters - there are more artisans, the names of skilled stone cutters are well known to everyone, their work is especially highly valued. And this is not surprising: how can there be entire armies of real artists? That’s why Master Prokopich was in sight: “First in these matters. No one could do it better."

2. Conversation on what you read.

- Why was Prokopyich ordered to teach boys?

(The factory management wanted his skill not to go away with him, so that he would pass it on to young masters)

“But his students didn’t stick with him.” Why? Was it just that Prokopich did not know how to teach them, or something else?

Prokopich taught “very poorly”: “He does everything with a jerk and a poke.” But there was probably more to it than that. that Prokopich did not know how to teach. The children did not want to learn this craft, some deliberately spoiled the work “so that Prokopich would drive them away.” The old master immediately saw who had an eye... incapable, a hand that couldn’t carry it,” and he didn’t really try to teach these boys.

- Only Danilo Nedokormish came to his liking. Why?What made Dani stand out?lo among otherskids? What Bazhov emphasizes inhischaracter?

Already in childhood, Danilushka’s artistic nature manifested itself. Where other boys showed zeal and dexterity, he was a “slow mover.” He was attracted by beauty: “A bug was crawling along a leaf. She herself is blue, and from under her wings she has a little yellow peeking out, and the leaf is wide... along the edges there are teeth, like curved frills. Here it shows darker, but the middle is very green, they just painted it right now...” Bazhov emphasizes poetry in his hero, the ability to see beauty.

- Why, out of everything that Danilka was taught, did he only like playing the horn?

The music carried beauty, gave the joy of creativity and harmony with nature, which is why the shepherd played with selflessness: “And the songs were all unfamiliar. Either the forest is noisy, or the stream is murmuring, the birds are calling to each other in all sorts of voices, but it turns out well.” Surrendering himself to the game, Danilushka forgot about everything in the world, “there are absolutely no cows.” And so misfortune befell him: several cows were lost, and the shepherds were punished for this.

- Why did the clerk after this incident decide to give Danilka an apprenticeship to Prokopich?

Danilushka showed extraordinary patience, will and courage in the punishment scene: “Danilushko is trembling all over, tears are falling, but is silent. I bit the sponge and strengthened myself. So he fell asleep, but they didn’t hear a word from him.” So the clerk decided that this boy would take away all the bumps and blows from Prokopyich while he was in his apprenticeship.

- But Danilushka never received cones or beatings from the teacher, because the old master liked the new student. How?

Prokopich immediately saw that he had the keen and precise eye of an artist: after all, the boy, only approaching the stone-cutter’s workplace, noticed the mistake made by the old master. And Danilka’s sincerity and simplicity endeared him even more to the old man.

- Why did Prokopyich become a father to an orphan? How is this expressed in his attitude towards the boy?

He decided, first of all, to fatten him up, improve his health (“Is it with his health that we can learn our skills? Dust, poison, will quickly wither away. He should rest first, get better, then I’ll teach him. It’ll be good, apparently”). He dressed him, shod him, “but didn’t let him get to his work for the time being.” However, Danilushko “looked closely at the craftsmanship.”

- Why did all the learning work now? at Prokopich without beatings, is it easy?

(Prokopich saw the student’s interest in his craft, and he was pleased to teach him.)

- How did Prokopich try to protect his named son from hard work? Why didn't he succeed?

Prokopich tried to negotiate long deadlines for Danilushka’s work so that he would not overwork, sometimes he himself tried to do something for him, but he could not save his talented student from hard work, since Danilushka’s youth and energy betrayed his dexterity and ability. That’s when orders started pouring in for Danilushka, and among them was an intricate bowl according to the master’s design, which the young master struggled with for a long time and which he didn’t like: “He doesn’t like one thing - there are a lot of difficulties, but there is absolutely no beauty.”

- Why couldn’t Danilo refuse?work that he didn't like it?

(He is a serf master, which means he is obliged to obey the master’s orders.)

- What especially painful for talented artist in this case?

(He is deprived of freedom of creativity, he is shackled by serfdom within the framework of order and whim, which especially oppresses a talented person.)

In the case of the master's bowl, Danilo sees the far-fetchedness of the plan, the complexity of the work, which ultimately will not show the “full power” of the stone, that is, its beauty. That's why he walks around looking sad all the time. When the bowl is finally finished, Danilo does not feel satisfaction or joy from the completed work and in response to the praises of the masters says: “It’s a shame that there is nothing to reproach.” Smooth and even, the pattern is clean, the carving is according to the drawing, but where is the beauty? There is a flower... the most inferior one, but when you look at it your heart rejoices. Well. and who will this cup make happy? What is she for?..”

- What is important for Danila in his products?

(Not complexity that surprises others, but beauty that will delight the heart.)

- Why does Danilo decide to make the bowl according to his own design?

(He wants to make such a product “so that the stone has full power” and brings joy to people.)

- How hard he tries find image of a bowl?

(He looks for it in nature, among herbs and flowers, he dreams of creating a “living” cup. And in the end he decides to create it according to the model of the datura flower.)

- Who helps him in implementing his plan?

(The Copper Mountain Mistress, who gave him a wonderful stone: “Everything is as he needs: the color below is thicker, the veins are in the very places where it is required...”)

- How does Bazhov show Danila’s skill in working on the bowl?

“The work is progressing well. The bottom of the stone was finished. As it is, listen. Datura bush. The leaves are wide in a bunch, the teeth, the veins - everything couldn’t have been better, Prokopich even says - it’s a living flower - you can even touch it with your hand.”

It turns out to be an elegant, beautiful bowl, but Danilo cannot finish it: “Well, when I got to the top, it got stuck. The stem has been chiseled out, the side leaves are thin - they just hold on! A cup like that of a Datura flower, or else... It became not alive and lost its beauty.”

- Why didn’t Danila’s dope cup work out?

Danilo came from the stone, from the material, he wanted to show its full power, he was looking first of all for a suitable stone, that is, he tried to fit nature to the stone, but the flower itself did not come out, because Danilo did not bring any fantasy into his image, did not give him a piece of himself yourself, and that which is a blind imitation (even of the most beautiful) remains only an imitation and does not carry a soul.

IV Application. Formation of skills and abilities.

Is the tale similar to a fairy tale? How is it different from her?

What legends underlie Bazhov's fairy tales?

What have you learned about the work of stone cutters?

How do you imagine the narrator?

V Homework information stage.

1. Answer questions 3-8 on page 285.

2. Description of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain.

3. Description of the stone flower. (Drawings are possible).

VI Stage of reflection.

Drawing by Natalia Talagaeva

STONES, STONES, STONES...

Bazhov is considered a recognized singer of stone placers. The stones in Bazhov's fairy tales are described so vividly that more than one generation has read his books. So what stones did the great storyteller talk about? How does the writer Bazhov describe precious stones?

AIKINITE (needle ore) - now this is the name given to bismuth sulfides of lead and copper PbCuBiS 3. The stone was discovered in 1843 and received its name in honor of the English geologist Arthur Aikin. Previously, placers of wolframites over scheelite were called aikinite.

• Our gold, you see, is striped, lies in stripes in the ground and is firmly chained in those stripes. It’s a little looser only in the veins that the stripes intersect. Our old people, as they later learned to pick out these cross-veins, left a note: “In which vein tourmaline shines or green clay casts like a cornea, don’t expect gold there. But when it smells like sulfur either needleweed - ore If you go, which is called aikonite, maybe you’ll find a lump of ready-made gold there.” P. Bazhov, Golden dikes.

• In the old days, it is known that the treasury was kept in belts. That’s probably why our mountain got its nickname. Only, of course, in such a belt there is no wealth to be counted. Along this Belt of the Earth, they say, a wide ribbon of decoration ran from expensive stones. There are all kinds, but most are green and blue. Emeralds, alexandrites, aquamarines, amethysts. P. Bazhov, Golden Flower of the Mountain

• Mityukha got busy with juice here coil . I went through a lot. Well, I chose it and did it with ingenuity. Sweated. P. Bazhov, Fragile twig

• Recently my friend the miner was boasting quartz pebbles with weak clearance. It's called piezo quartz. Dear, he says, it’s a stone, it’s required for the radio. And I remember, I used to transport such pebbles in wheelbarrows to dumps, because they weren’t suitable for cutting and no one needed them. P. Bazhov, Rudyanoy Pass

• Then it was Sadyk’s turn. He untied his bag and let’s throw the stones on the table, and he himself says: “Amazon-fireplace, calumbit-fireplace, Labrador-fireplace... P. Bazhov, Sun stone

• Well, maybe it was due to the fact that the fashion for malachite has passed. This also happens in the stone business: no one wants to look at the stone that grandfathers work on all their lives in front of their grandchildren. Only for churches and various palace decorations more eagle Yes, they asked for jasper, and in the shops selling stone crafts they sold it at very cheap prices. P. Bazhov, Iron tires

OFAT - Fragile twig

• In a word, every berry has its own stone. The roots and leaves also had their own order: some of them ofata, some from malachite or from orlets and there from some other stone. P. Bazhov, Fragile twig

Casket A Berkovskaya

• LITERATURE. ...I laughed and went down into the pit. There was no glass there, but white stone - squarets. At the government mine, Panteley had to fight with this stone. I got used to it. I knew how they would take him. So he thinks: “Let me try.” Maybe there really is gold here.” P. Bazhov, Snake Trail

SOKOVINA is slag from copper smelting, not actually stone.

• Suddenly some kind of either a woman’s or a girl’s hand stuck through the window - with a ring on her finger and in her sleeve - and placed a large tile of a coil directly on Mityunka’s machine: and on it, as if on a tray, juice road P. Bazhov, Fragile twig

• The glass, of course, is heroic - taller than a man, much larger than a forty-bucket barrel. That glass is made from the finest golden topaz and so finely and cleanly chiseled that there is nowhere else to go. P. Bazhov, Bogatyreva mitten

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