The Lament Summary and Explanation
CBSE Class 11 English (Elective) Short Stories Chapter 1- The Lament Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from Woven Words Book
The Lament Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and lesson explanation for CBSE 11 English (Elective) Short Stories Chapter 1 – The Lament from English Woven Words Book . Get The Lament Lesson summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings
CBSE Class 11 English (Elective) Short Stories Chapter 1 – The Lament
by Anton Chekhov
The Lament by Anton Chekhov tells the story of Iona Potapov, a cab driver who is struggling with the loss of his son. The story follows Iona on a snowy night as he tries to share his sadness with his passengers, but they respond with indifference. He cannot find someone to truly listen to him until he finally expresses his feelings to his loyal horse.
Related:
The Lament Summary
Anton Chekhov’s story “The Lament” follows a cab driver named Iona Potapov, who is deeply saddened after his son dies. The story takes place on a cold, snowy evening in Petersburg. Iona, looking ghost-like in his cab with his quiet horse, waits long for customers. The lively city, filled with bright lights and noise, stands in stark contrast to Iona’s stillness and shows how trapped he feels inside.
Iona finally gets a fare from a rude officer. When Iona shares his sorrow about his son’s death, the officer dismisses him with a quick question about how his son died and tells him to hurry. This shows how alone Iona is in his grief. Later, three loud young men hire Iona and treat him poorly. They jostle him and laugh at him, ignoring his attempts to talk about his loss. Their only concern is getting to their destination as fast as possible, making Iona feel even more isolated.
As he drives around the city, Iona searches for someone who might understand his pain, but no one notices him. Even when he tries to talk to a hall porter for comfort, he is brushed off. Defeated, Iona returns to the stables. There, surrounded by other cab drivers who sleep soundly, he thinks about his lack of money and how different his restless state is compared to theirs.
In a moment of despair, Iona turns to his old horse and shares his story. He talks about his son’s death and imagines how the horse would feel if it lost a foal. In this touching moment, the horse is the only one who listens, giving Iona some silent companionship. The story ends with Iona expressing his grief to his horse, highlighting his deep sense of loneliness and need for connection during this painful time.
Top
Summary of the the Lesson The Lament in Hindi
एंटोन चेखव की कहानी “द लैमेंट” में इयोना पोटापोव नाम की एक कैब ड्राइवर का वर्णन है, जो अपने बेटे की मृत्यु के बाद बहुत दुखी है।कहानी पीटर्सबर्ग में एक ठंडी, बर्फीली शाम को होती है।अपने शांत घोड़े के साथ अपनी टैक्सी में भूत की तरह दिखने वाली इयोना ग्राहकों के लिए लंबा इंतजार करती है।उज्ज्वल रोशनी और शोर से भरा जीवंत शहर, इयोना की स्थिरता के बिल्कुल विपरीत खड़ा है और दिखाता है कि वह अंदर कितना फंसा हुआ महसूस करता है।
इयोना को अंत में एक अशिष्ट अधिकारी से किराया मिलता है।जब इयोना अपने बेटे की मृत्यु के बारे में अपना दुख साझा करता है, तो अधिकारी उसे एक त्वरित प्रश्न के साथ खारिज कर देता है कि उसके बेटे की मृत्यु कैसे हुई और उसे जल्दी करने के लिए कहता है।इससे पता चलता है कि इयोना अपने दुख में कितनी अकेली है।बाद में, तीन जोर से बोलने वाले युवक इयोना को काम पर रखते हैं और उसके साथ बुरा व्यवहार करते हैं।वे उसके नुकसान के बारे में बात करने के उसके प्रयासों को नजरअंदाज करते हुए उसे पीटते हैं और उस पर हंसते हैं।उनकी एकमात्र चिंता जितनी जल्दी हो सके अपने गंतव्य तक पहुंचना है, जिससे आयोना और भी अधिक अलग-थलग महसूस करती है।
जैसे ही वह शहर में घूमता है, इयोना किसी ऐसे व्यक्ति की तलाश करती है जो उसके दर्द को समझ सकता है, लेकिन कोई भी उसे नोटिस नहीं करता है।यहां तक कि जब वह आराम के लिए एक हॉल कुली से बात करने की कोशिश करता है, तो उसे मना कर दिया जाता है।हारकर, इयोना अस्तबल में लौटती है।वहाँ, अन्य कैब चालकों से घिरा हुआ जो अच्छी तरह सोते हैं, वह अपने पैसे की कमी के बारे में सोचता है और उनकी तुलना में उसकी बेचैन स्थिति कितनी अलग है।
निराशा के एक क्षण में, इयोना अपने पुराने घोड़े की ओर मुड़ती है और अपनी कहानी साझा करती है।वह अपने बेटे की मृत्यु के बारे में बात करता है और कल्पना करता है कि अगर घोड़ा एक भेड़िया खो देता है तो उसे कैसा लगेगा।इस मर्मस्पर्शी क्षण में, घोड़ा ही एकमात्र है जो सुनता है, जिससे इयोना को कुछ मौन साहचर्य मिलता है।कहानी का अंत इयोना द्वारा अपने घोड़े के प्रति अपना दुख व्यक्त करने के साथ होता है, जो इस दर्दनाक समय के दौरान उसके अकेलेपन की गहरी भावना और संबंध की आवश्यकता को उजागर करता है।
Top
Theme of the Lesson The Lament
Isolation of Grief
In Anton Chekhov’s story “The Lament,” the main theme is the isolation of grief. Iona Potapov feels deep sorrow over his son’s death, which creates a big gap between him and the busy, uncaring world around him. When he tries to share his pain with others like the officer, the young men, the hall porter, and the young cab driver, they either ignore him or dismiss him. This shows the harsh truth that personal suffering often goes unnoticed because others are too wrapped up in their own lives.
Human Indifference and Lack of Empathy
Another important theme is human indifference and lack of empathy. The people Iona meets are focused on their own issues, whether they are rushing to get somewhere or enjoying a good time drinking. They do not offer real comfort or even a moment of meaningful listening. This highlights Chekhov’s critique of a society that easily overlooks individual struggles
Limitation of Language to Express Grief
The story also looks at the limits of language to express deep feelings. Iona has trouble putting his immense loss into words. His attempts often come out in bits and pieces and are met with impatience or ignored entirely. This suggests that deep grief can feel lonely and hard to express, leaving the sufferer feeling even more isolated.
Comfort in Animals
Lastly, the story touches on finding comfort in the non-human world. In the end, Iona finds a bit of peace not through other people but by sharing his story with his old horse. This shows that when people lack empathy, one might find understanding and a listening ear in nature. The horse becomes a quiet friend, someone who hears Iona’s sorrow in a way that other humans do not.
Top
The Lament Lesson Explanation
Passage: It is twilight. A thick wet snow is slowly twirling around the newly lighted street lamps and lying in soft thin layers on roofs, on horses’ backs, on people’s shoulders and hats. The cabdriver, Iona Potapov, is quite white and looks like a phantom: he is bent double as far as a human body can bend double; he is seated on his box; he never makes a move. If a whole snowdrift fell on him, it seems as if he would not find it necessary to shake it off. His little horse is also quite white, and remains motionless; its immobility, its angularity and its straight wooden-looking legs, even close by, give it the appearance of a gingerbread horse worth a kopek. It is, no doubt, plunged in deep thought. If you were snatched from the plough, from your usual gray surroundings, and were thrown into this slough full of monstrous lights, unceasing noise and hurrying people, you too would find it difficult not to think.
Iona and his little horse have not moved from their place for a long while. They left their yard before dinner and, up to now, not a fare. The evening mist is descending over the town, the white lights of the lamps are replacing brighter rays, and the hubbub of the street is getting louder. ‘Cabby for Viborg Way!’ suddenly hears Iona. ‘Cabby!’
Iona jumps and, through his snow-covered eyelashes, sees an officer in a greatcoat, with his hood over his head.
‘Viborg way!’ the officer repeats. ‘Are you asleep, eh? Viborg way!’
Word meanings
twirling: turning around and around quickly; whirling.
phantom: a ghost or apparition; something existing in appearance only.
snowdrift: a bank of deep snow piled up by the wind.
angularity: the quality of having sharp corners or distinct angles, rather than curves.
Gingerbread horse worth a kopek: a small, inexpensive gingerbread cookie shaped like a horse. A “kopek” is a small Russian coin, indicating something of very little value.
plunged: thrust or pushed suddenly and forcefully into something.
snatched: seized quickly and forcefully.
plough: a large farming implement with one or more blades fixed in a frame, drawn by a tractor or by animals and used for turning over and furrowing the soil before sowing.
slough: a swamp, bog, or marsh; a situation characterized by lack of progress or activity.
monstrous: extremely and shockingly large or ugly; exceptionally dreadful.
unceasing: not stopping; continuous.
descending over: moving downwards and spreading across or covering something.
hubbub: a loud, confused noise caused by a crowd of people; a commotion.
Viborg: a Danish town located in north central Jutland. It was originally a center of pagan worship and was later a royal town and the early capital of Jutland. The name Viborg translates to “sacred hill”.
Explanation of the above passage—It’s getting dark. Big, wet snowflakes are falling slowly around the new streetlights, making a thin, soft layer on the roofs, the backs of horses, and people’s shoulders and hats. The cab driver, Iona Potapov, looks very pale and like a ghost. He is bent over as much as a person can bend. He is sitting on his driver’s seat and not moving at all. It looks like even if a lot of snow fell on him, he wouldn’t even bother to shake it off. His small horse is also very white and standing still. It looks stiff and its legs are straight and wooden, even up close, making it look like a cheap gingerbread horse. It’s probably thinking hard. If one were taken suddenly from working in a field and their normal, boring life and put in this messy place full of bright lights, constant noise, and people rushing around, they would probably be thinking hard too.
Iona and his little horse have been standing in the same spot for a long time. They left their place before dinner, and they still haven’t had anyone hire them for a ride. The evening fog is coming down over the town, the bright streetlights are taking over from the daylight, and the noise of the street is getting louder. Suddenly, Iona hears someone shout, Taxi to Viborg Way! Taxi!
Iona jumps and sees an officer in a long coat with his hood up through his snowy eyelashes.
The officer called out again, Viborg Way! He asks Iona if he is asleep. Viborg Way!
Passage: With a nod of assent Iona picks up the reins, in consequence of which layers of snow slip off the horse’s back and neck. The officer seats himself in the sleigh, the cabdriver smacks his lips to encourage his horse, stretches out his neck like a swan, sits up and, more from habit than necessity, brandishes his whip. The little horse also stretches its neck, bends its wooden-looking legs, and makes a move undecidedly.
‘What are you doing, werewolf!’ is the exclamation Iona hears from the dark mass moving to and fro, as soon as they have started.
‘Where the devil are you going? To the r-r-right!’
‘You do not know how to drive. Keep to the right!’ calls the officer angrily.
A coachman from a private carriage swears at him; a passerby, who has run across the road and rubbed his shoulder against the horse’s nose, looks at him furiously as he sweeps the snow from his sleeve. Iona shifts about on his seat as if he were on needles, moves his elbows as if he were trying to keep his equilibrium, and gasps about like someone suffocating, who does not understand why and wherefore he is there.
‘What scoundrels they all are!’ jokes the officer; ‘one would think they had all entered into an agreement to jostle you or fall under your horse.’
Iona looks around at the officer and moves his lips. He evidently wants to say something but the only sound that issues is a snuffle.
‘What?’ asks the officer.
Iona twists his mouth into a smile and, with an effort, says hoarsely:
‘My son, Barin, died this week.’
‘Hm! What did he die of?’
Iona turns with his whole body towards his fare and says: ‘And who knows! They say high fever. He was three days in the hospital and then died… God’s will be done.’
“Turn round! The devil!’ sounds from the darkness. ‘Have you popped off, old doggie, eh? Use your eyes!’
‘Go on, go on,’ says the officer, ‘otherwise we shall not get there by tomorrow. Hurry up a bit!’
Word meanings
nod of assent: a brief, upward and downward movement of the head to signify agreement, approval, or understanding
reins: long, narrow straps held by a rider or driver to control and guide a horse or other animal.
sleigh: a vehicle with runners instead of wheels, used for traveling over snow or ice, typically pulled by horses or reindeer.
brandishes: waves or flourishes (something, especially a weapon) menacingly or ostentatiously.
to and fro: moving backwards and forwards repeatedly; back and forth.
sweeps: moves quickly and forcefully so as to clear (something) away or along.
as if he were on needles: extremely agitated, restless, anxious, or uncomfortable.
equilibrium: a state of balance; a stable condition where opposing forces or influences are equal.
gasps: inhales suddenly and sharply, typically with an open mouth, out of astonishment, horror, or having difficulty breathing.
scoundrels: dishonest or unprincipled people; villains.
jostle: push, elbow, or bump against (someone) roughly, typically in a crowd.
snuffle: breathe audibly through the nose, especially because of a blocked nose.
hoarsely: with a rough or grating sound in the voice, as if from a sore throat or shouting.
fare: the money paid for a journey on public transport.
popped off: died.
Explanation of the above passage—Iona nods and picks up the reins. As he does this, layers of snow slide off the horse’s back and neck. The officer sits down in the sleigh. The cabdriver clicks his tongue to encourage his horse. He stretches his neck out like a swan, sits up straight, and waves his whip, more out of habit than because he needs to. The little horse also stretches its neck, bends its stiff-looking legs, and takes a hesitant step forward.
As soon as they start moving, Iona hears someone in the dark crowd shout at him as an old fool, and asks him about what he was doing.
Another person’s voice yells to him about where he was going. Iona answers that he was going to the right.
The officer angrily said that he doesn’t know how to drive and told him to stay on the right side of the road.
A coachman from a private carriage curses at him. A person walking by, who had to run across the road and bumped his shoulder on the horse’s nose, glares at him as they brush the snow off their sleeve. Iona fidgets on his seat as if he’s sitting on needles. He moves his elbows as if trying to balance himself and gasps for air like someone suffocating, not understanding why he is there.
The officer rebuked him, called him what a bunch of rascals he was. The officer then jokes if Iona would think that they all agreed to bump into him or get under his horse.
Iona looks at the officer and moves his lips. He clearly wants to say something, but all that comes out is a sniffle.
Hearing his sniffle out of crying, the officer asks what happened.
Iona forces a smile and says in a hoarse voice that his son, Barin, died that week.
The officer questions what he died from?
Iona turns his whole body towards his passenger and says that who knows what happened. They say it is a high fever. He was in the hospital for three days and then he died. God’s will be done.
A voice shouts from the darkness for him to turn around and rebuked him as an old dog, asking if he has gone deaf. He told him to use his eyes.
The officer told him to go on. Otherwise, they won’t get there by the next day. He told him to hurry up a bit.
Passage: The cabdriver again stretches his neck, sits up and, with a bad grace, brandishes his whip. Several times again he turns to look at his fare, but the latter has closed his eyes and, apparently, is not disposed to listen. Having deposited the officer in the Viborg, he stops by the tavern, doubles himself up on his seat, and again remains motionless, while the snow once more begins to cover him and his horse. An hour, and another… Then, along the footpath, with a squeak of galoshes, and quarrelling, come three young men, two of them tall and lanky, the third one short and humpbacked.
‘Cabby, to the Police Bridge!’ in a cracked voice calls the humpback. ‘The three of us for two griveniks.’
Iona picks up his reins and smacks his lips. Two griveniks is not a fair price, but he does not mind whether it is a rouble or five kopeks—to him it is all the same now, so long as they are fares. The young men, jostling each other and using bad language, approach the sleigh and all three at once try to get onto the seat; then begins a discussion as to which two shall sit and who shall be the one to stand. After wrangling, abusing each other and much petulance, it is at last decided that the humpback shall stand as he is the smallest.
‘Now then, hurry up!’ says the humpback in a twanging voice, as he takes his place and breathes in Iona’s neck. ‘Old furry! Here, mate, what a cap you have! There is not a worse one to be found in all Petersburg! …’
‘He-he—he-he’, giggles Iona. ‘Such a …’
‘Now you, ‘such a’, hurry up, are you going the whole way at this pace? Are you…Do you want it in the neck?’
‘My head feels like bursting,’ says one of the lanky ones. ‘Last night at the Donkmasoves, Vaska and I drank the whole of four bottles of cognac.’
“I don’t understand what you lie for,’ says the other lanky one angrily; ‘you lie like a brute.’
‘God strike me, it’s the truth!’
‘It’s as much the truth as that a louse coughs!’
‘He-he,’ grins Iona, ‘what gay young gentlemen!’
‘Pshaw, go to the devil!’ says the humpback indignantly.
‘Are you going to get on or not, you old pest? Is that the way to drive? Use the whip a bit! Go on, devil, go on, give it to him well!’
Word meanings
tavern: a public house selling alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. It can also be a restaurant serving simple food and drinks.
squeak of galoshes: a high-pitched sound made by rubber overshoes (galoshes) rubbing against a surface, likely snow or ice.
griveniks: plural form of “grivenik,” which is a historic Russian coin. It was a silver coin, equivalent to 10 kopeks, and was used in the Russian Empire before 1917.
smacks: brings the lips together quickly and audibly, often to encourage a horse or express anticipation or satisfaction.
jostling: pushing, elbowing, or bumping against someone roughly, typically in a crowd.
wrangling: having a long and complicated dispute or argument.
petulance: the quality of being childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
twanging: having a sharp, vibrating sound, like a plucked string that is slightly nasal in tone.
furry: covered with fur.
Cognac: a high-quality grape brandy, distilled in the Cognac region of France.
lanky: tall and thin with long limbs.
brute: a savagely violent person or animal.
‘Pshaw: an exclamation of impatience, contempt, or disbelief.
indignantly: in a manner indicating anger or annoyance at something perceived as unfair.
Explanation of the above passage—The cabdriver stretched his neck again, sat up, and reluctantly waved his whip. He looked back at his passenger several more times, but the officer had closed his eyes and seemed unwilling to listen. After dropping the officer off in the Viborg area, he stopped by the tavern, hunched over on his seat, and became still once more as the snow began to cover him and his horse again. An hour passed, then another. Then, along the footpath, three young men came walking with the squeak of their galoshes and arguing amongst themselves. Two of them were tall and thin, and the third was short and hunchbacked.
The hunchback called out in a cracked voice to the Taxi, to the Police Bridge. The three of them for two griveniks.
Iona picked up his reins and clicked his tongue. Two griveniks wasn’t a good price, but he didn’t care if it was a ruble or five kopeks, it was all the same to him now, as long as he got some fares. The young men, pushing each other and swearing, approached the sleigh. All three tried to get onto the seat at once, and then they began to argue about which two would sit and who would stand. After much bickering, insults, and annoyance, they finally decided that the hunchback would stand since he was the shortest.
The hunchback said in a nasal voice as he got in, told him to hurry up and breathed on the back of Iona’s neck, calling him an Old furry, mocking what a cap he has, he couldn’t find a worse one in all of Petersburg.
Iona giggled and wanted to say something but with the phrase ‘Such a…’
The hunchback mocked him with ‘such a,’ to hurry up, and if he is going to go the whole way at this pace, or does he want a hit on the neck.
One of the tall ones said that his head felt like it was going to burst last night at the Donkmasoves’, he was with Vaska and they drank four whole bottles of cognac.
Another tall one said angrily that he didn’t understand why he was lying and chided him for lying like an animal.
He clarified, God will strike him if it’s not the truth.
Another tall one finds it as completely untrue or utterly ridiculous as a louse coughing as lice are tiny insects and don’t have lungs or the ability to cough. He emphasizes the falsehood of the original claim.
Iona grinned. He exclaimed, what cheerful young gentlemen!
The hunchback annoyingly exclaimed to get lost.
He calls out to him as an old pest and asks him if he is going to get on or not and further asks if that is how he drives. Use the whip a bit and give it to the horse.
Passage: Iona feels at his back the little man wriggling, and the tremble in his voice. He listens to the insults hurled at him, sees the people, and little by little the feeling of loneliness leaves him. The humpback goes on swearing until he gets mixed up in some elaborate six-foot oath, or chokes with coughing. The lankies begin to talk about a certain Nadejda Petrovna. Iona looks round at them several times; he waits for a temporary silence, then, turning round again, he murmurs:
‘My son… died this week.’
‘We must all die,’ sighs the humpback, wiping his lips after an attack of coughing. ‘Now, hurry up, hurry up! Gentlemen, I really cannot go any farther like this! When will he get us there?’
‘Well, just you stimulate him a little in the neck!’
‘You old pest, do you hear, I’ll bone your neck for you! If one treated the like of you with ceremony, one would have to go on foot! Do you hear, old serpent Gorinytch! Or do you not care a spit!”
Iona hears rather than feels the blow they deal him.
‘He-he’ he laughs. ‘They are gay young gentlemen, God bless’em!’
‘Cabby, are you married?’ asks a lanky one.
‘I? He-he, gay young gentlemen! Now I have only a wife and the moist ground…He, ho, ho, …that is to say, the grave. My son has died, and I am alive…A wonderful thing, death mistook the door…instead of coming to me, it went to my son…’
Iona turns round to tell them how his son died but, at this moment, the humpback, giving a little sigh, announces, ‘Thank God, we have at last reached our destination,’ and Iona watches them disappear through the dark entrance. Once more he is alone, and again surrounded by silence… His grief, which has abated for a short while, returns and rends his heart with greater force. With an anxious and hurried look, he searches among the crowds passing on either side of the street to find whether there may be just one person who will listen to him. But the crowds hurry by without noticing him or his trouble. Yet it is such an immense, illimitable, grief. Should his heart break and the grief pour out, it would flow over the whole earth, so it seems, and yet no one sees it. It has managed to conceal itself in such an insignificant shell that no one can see it even by day and with a light.
Iona sees a hall porter with some sacking and decides to talk to him.
‘Friend, what sort of time is it?’ he asks.
‘Past nine. What are you standing here for? Move on.’
Iona moves on a few steps, doubles himself up, and abandons himself to his grief. He sees it is useless to turn to people for help. In less than five minutes he straightens himself, holds up his head as if he felt some sharp pain, and gives a tug at the reins; he can bear it no longer. ‘The stables,’ he thinks, and the little horse, as if it understood, starts off at a trot.
Word meanings
hurled: threw something with great force.
wriggling: moving with short, quick twisting and turning movements.
I’ll bone your neck for you: it’s a threat of violence, implying breaking or severely injuring the neck bones.
Gorinytch: a fearsome three-headed (or sometimes more) dragon in Slavic folklore. In the context of the story, it’s used as an insulting epithet, comparing the cabdriver to a monstrous, old serpent.
abated: became less intense or widespread; subsided.
Illimitable: unable to be limited or measured; boundless.
sacking: coarse material, typically woven from burlap or similar fibers, used for making bags or for rough protection.
trot: a moderately fast gait of a horse or other quadruped, between a walk and a canter, in which the diagonal pairs of legs move together.
Explanation of the above passage—Iona felt the small man wiggling behind him and heard the tremor in his voice. He listened to the insults thrown his way and watched the people go by. Slowly, the feeling of being alone started to fade. The hunchback continued to swear until he got lost in a long, complicated curse or started coughing. The taller men began talking about a woman named Nadejda Petrovna. Iona looked around at them several times, waiting for a brief moment of quiet. Then, turning again, he mumbled that his son died this week.
The hunchback sighed wiping his mouth after a coughing fit and told him that they all have to die and he must hurry up. He felt frustrated as he really can’t go any further like this and asks when he will get them there.
Another man told him to just give him a little poke in the neck.
He asks Iona whether he heard them. He will break his neck. If they treated people like him politely, they would have to walk. He asks him whether he could hear them or doesn’t care at all.
Iona heard rather than felt the blow they gave him.
He laughed and exclaimed they are cheerful young men, God bless them!
One of the tall ones asked if he was married.
He answered them that now he only has a wife and the damp ground, that is to say, the grave. His son has died, and he is alive. A strange thing, death got the wrong door instead of coming to him, it went to his son.
Iona turned around to tell them how his son had died, but just then, the hunchback sighed softly and announced, thanking God, that they had finally arrived. Iona watched them disappear into the dark entrance. Once again, he was alone and surrounded by silence. His sadness, which had lessened for a short time, returned and tore at his heart even more strongly. With a worried and hurried look, he searched the crowds passing on both sides of the street, hoping to find just one person who would listen to him. But the crowds hurried by, not noticing him or his sorrow. Yet, it was such a huge, endless grief. It felt like if his heart broke and the grief poured out, it would flood the entire world, but no one saw it. It had hidden itself in such a small shell that no one could see it, even in daylight.
Iona saw a doorman with some sacks and decided to talk to him.
He asked him what time it was.
The doorman answered him that it is Past nine and questioned him what he was standing here for. Move on.
Iona moved a few steps, hunched over, and gave in to his grief. He realized it was pointless to ask people for help. In less than five minutes, he straightened up, held his head high as if he felt a sharp pain, and pulled the reins. He couldn’t bear it anymore. ‘The stables’, he thought, and the little horse, as if it understood, started to trot.
Passage: About an hour and a half later, Iona is seated by a large dirty stove. Around the stove, on the floor, on the benches, people are snoring; the air is thick and suffocatingly hot. Iona looks at the sleepers, scratches himself, and regrets having returned so early.
‘I have not even earned my fodder,’ he thinks. ‘That’s what’s my trouble. A man who knows his job, who has had enough to eat and his horse too, can always sleep peacefully.’
A young cabdriver, in one of the corners, half gets up, grunts sleepily, and stretches towards a bucket of water.
‘Do you want a drink?’ Iona asks him.
‘Don’t I want a drink!’
‘That’s so? Your good health. But listen, mate—you know, my son is dead…Did you hear? This week, in the hospital…It’s a long story.’
Iona looks to see what effect his words have, but sees none—the young man has hidden his face and is fast asleep again. The old man sighs and scratches his head. Just as much as the young one wants to drink, the old man wants to talk. It will soon be a week since his son died, and he has not been able to speak about it properly to anyone. One must tell it slowly and carefully; how his son fell ill, how he suffered, what he said before he died, how he died. One must describe every detail of the funeral, and the journey to the hospital to fetch the dead son’s clothes. His daughter, Anissia, has remained in the village—one must talk about her too. It is nothing he has to tell? Surely the listener would gasp and sigh, and sympathise with him? It is better, too, to talk to women; two words are enough to make them sob.
‘I’ll go and look after my horse,’ thinks Iona; ‘there’s always time to sleep. No fear of that!’
He puts on his coat and goes to the stable to his horse; he thinks of the corn, the hay, the weather. When he is alone, he dare not think of his son; he can speak about him to anyone, but to think of him, and picture him to himself, is unbearably painful.
‘Are you tucking in?’ Iona asks his horse, looking at its bright eyes: ‘go on, tuck in, though we’ve not earned our corn, we can eat hay. Yes I am too old to drive—my son could have, not I. He was a first-rate cabdriver. If only he had lived!’
Iona is silent for a moment, then continues:
‘That’s how it is, my old horse. There’s no more Kuzma Ionitch. He has left us to live, and he went off pop. Now let’s say you had a foal, you were the foal’s mother and, suddenly, let’s say, that foal went and left you to live after him. It would be sad, wouldn’t it?’
The little horse munches, listens and breathes over its master’s hand…
Iona’s feelings are too much for him and he tells the little horse the whole story.
Word meanings
fodder: food for farm animals, especially dried hay or straw.
tucking in: eating food with enthusiasm or vigor.
foal: A young horse
munches: eats steadily and often audibly.
Explanation of the above passage—About an hour and a half later, Iona was sitting by a big, dirty stove. Around the stove, on the floor and benches, people were snoring. The air was thick and very hot, making it hard to breathe. Iona looked at the sleeping people, scratched himself, and wished he hadn’t come back so early.
He thought he hadn’t even earned enough for his horse’s food. That was his problem. A man who knows his job and has had enough to eat and for his horse, can always sleep peacefully.
In one of the corners, a young cabdriver started to sit up, made a sleepy noise, and reached for a bucket of water.
Iona asked him if he wanted a drink.
The young cabdriver exclaimed why wouldn’t he want a drink.
Iona said if it was that then cheers to his health, but told him to listen that his son is dead. If he heard about it. This week, in the hospital. It’s a long story.
Iona looked to see if his words had any effect, but they didn’t. The young man had turned his face away and was fast asleep again. The old man sighed and scratched his head. Just as much as the young man wanted a drink, the old man wanted to talk. It would soon be a week since his son had died, and he hadn’t been able to talk about it properly to anyone. He needed to tell it slowly and carefully: how his son got sick, how he suffered, what he said before he died, how he died. He needed to describe every detail of the funeral and the trip to the hospital to get his dead son’s clothes. His daughter, Anissia, was still in the village, he needed to talk about her too. If there wasn’t anything he had to say. Surely the listener would gasp, sigh and feel sorry for him. It was better to talk to women too; just a few words could make them cry.
Iona thought he would go and take care of his horse. There’s always time to sleep. No need to worry about that.
He put on his coat and went to the stable to see his horse. He thought about the grain, hay, and weather. When he was alone, he didn’t dare think about his son. He could talk about him to anyone, but to think about him and picture him in his mind was too painful.
Iona asked his horse, looking at its bright eyes, if he was eating well and told him to eat up. Even though they hadn’t earned enough for his grain, they could eat hay. Yes, he is too old to drive, his son could have driven, but not him. He was a great cabdriver. If only he had lived.
Iona was quiet for a moment, then continued to tell his old horse. Kuzma Ionitch is gone. He left them to live, and he died. Now, let’s say the old horse had a baby horse, she was its mother, and suddenly, let’s say, that baby horse went and left her to live without him. It would be sad.
The little horse chewed its food, listened, and breathed on its master’s hand.
Iona’s feelings were too strong for him, and he told the little horse the whole story.
Conclusion
The story The Lament by Anton Chekhov explores the themes of grief and indifference through Iona Potapov, a cab driver who has lost his son. Students can take help from this post to understand the lesson and also learn the difficult word meanings to get a better grasp over The Lament. This lesson includes the summary of The Lament which will help students of class 12 to get a quick recap of the story