29 June 1917. Alexander Blok

Non-fiction

Project 1917 is a series of events that took place a hundred years ago as described by those involved. It is composed only of diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers and other documents

Alexander Blok

First Cadet Corps, 1, Cadet line of Vasilievsky Island, Petrograd, Russian Empire

It is the Congress of Soviets of Soldiers’ and Workers’ Deputies. In the “Mandatory Bureau” I was very kindly given a correspondent ticket after they learnt that I was the editor of the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry. Having walked long hallways, past guards with guns, I entered into a huge hall with two tiers of windows. I took a seat right near the stage. In the beginning the ambassador of the American Confederation of Labor held a long speech.

Each sentence was translated by an interpreter who stood next to the ambassador, wearing a raspberry coloured cloth on his sleeve. The speech, which was calm, was full of empty words, promises of “help”, some arrogance and helpful advice. The congress responded to all of this with a rustle of inattention, laughter and restrained applause.

Then for a long time I sat in the dining room, drank tea (black bread and white mugs) and spoke to a young soldier, who in a simple and trustworthy manner told me about his life, the offensive, the trenches, secrets, fox burrows; how a face changes before an offensive (his comrade turned blue), how then it is necessary to control oneself, how others fall nearby, how strange it is (you have just talked to a man, and now he is dead). He told me that he wanted “adventures” and gladly went to fight, and how then the adventure failed to manifest itself, instead proving to be hard (6 hours in secret, standing in a 20-degree frost).

And more - about the land, of course; about the landlords of the Riga country, how a landlord bought a wife from a peasant, how the landlord Circassians drove cattle to exterminate grass, land strips, bread, sugar and other things. Very good. It is hot, the windows at the Congress are open, there are drafts, but it is still hot. Outside the windows - trees and a smoky sunset.

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