Текст песни кума - И.Бунин. Читает Алла Демидова

Cottages in the pine forests near Moscow. Shallow lake, swimming pools near the swampy shores.
One of the most expensive cottages near the lake: a Swedish-style house, beautiful old pines and bright flower beds in front of an extensive terrace.
The hostess all day in a light and elegant matine with lace, shining with thirty years of merchant beauty and calm contentment of summer life. The husband leaves for the office in Moscow at nine in the morning, returns at six in the evening, is strong, tired, hungry, and immediately goes to bathe before dinner, undressing with relief in the bathhouse heated during the day and smells like a healthy sweat, strong, vulgar body ...
Evening in late June. The samovar has not yet been removed from the table on the terrace. The hostess cleans berries on the jam. A husband’s friend, who has come to his dacha for a few days, smokes and looks at her naked, round hands, bare to the elbows. (A connoisseur and collector of ancient Russian icons, a graceful and dry man with a small trimmed mustache, with a lively look, dressed like for tennis.) Looks and says:
- Kuma, can I kiss my hand? I can not calmly watch.
Hands in juice, - puts a shiny elbow.
Slightly touching his lips, he says with a hemming:
- Kuma ...
- What, kum?
- You know, what a story: one man's heart went out of his hands, and he told his mind: goodbye!
“How did that heart go out of your hands?”
- This is from Saadi, godfather. There was such a Persian poet.
- I know. But what does it mean the heart is gone?
- And this means that the man fell in love. That's how I am in you.
- It seems that you said to the mind: goodbye.
- Yes, godfather, he said.
Smiles absently, as if busy only with his business:
- With what I congratulate you.
- I'm serious.
- To health.
- This is not health, godfather, but a very serious illness.
- Poor. Need medical help. How long is this with you?
- Long time, godfather. Do you know since when? From the day when, for no reason at all, we were baptized by the Savelyevs, I don’t understand how hard it was to pull them to call to baptize you and me ... Remember what a blizzard that day was and how you came all snow, excited by fast driving and blizzard, as I myself took off my sable coat, and you entered the room in a modest white silk dress, with a pearl cross on a slightly open chest, and then held the child in her arms with wrapped cuffs, stood with me fonts, looking at me with some embarrassed half-smile ... And then it began between us something secret, some kind of sinful intimacy, our kinship, so to speak, and therefore special lust.
- Parlez pour vous ... 1
- And then we sat next to breakfast, and I didn’t understand whether it was so wonderful, young, freshly smelling of hyacinths on the table or since you ... I’ve been sick since then. And only you can cure me.
Looked frowningly.
- Yes, I remember that day well. And as for treatment, it is a pity that Dmitry Nikolaevich is spending the night now in Moscow - he would immediately advise you to a real doctor.
- Why does he spend the night in Moscow?
- I said in the morning, going to the station, that now they have a meeting of shareholders, before traveling. Everyone is leaving - who is in Kislovodsk, who is abroad.
“But he could return with the twelve o'clock.”
- A farewell drunkenness after a meeting in the "Mauritania"?
At dinner, he was sadly silent, suddenly joked:
- And would it not be good for me to roll into Mauritania with the ten o'clock: get drunk there, have a drink on brotherhood with the headwaiter?
She looked for a long time.
- Drop in and leave me alone in an empty house? So you remember hyacinths!
And quietly, as if thinking, put her hand on his hand lying on the table ...
In the second hour of the night, in one dress shirt, he sneaked out of her bedroom in a dark, quiet house, under the clear sound of hours in the dining room, in his room, in the gloom of which glowed in the open non-dim light that opened onto the garden balcony all night long it smelled of night forest freshness. Blissfully fell back on the bed, fumbled matches and cigarette case on the bedside table, greedily lit a cigarette and closed his eyes, recalling the details of his unexpected happiness.
In the morning, the windows were damp with the dampness of the rain, and his drops were knocking smoothly on the balcony. He opened his eyes, with pleasure he felt the sweet simplicity of everyday life, thought: “Today I will leave for Moscow, and the day after tomorrow in Tyrol or on Lake Garda” - and fell asleep again.
Coming out for breakfast, he respectfully kissed her hand and modestly sat down at the table, unfolded a napkin ...
“Do not seek it,” she said, trying to be as simple as possible, “only cold chicken and sour milk.” Sasha, bring red wine, you forgot again ...
Then, without looking up:
- Please leave now. Tell Dmitriy Nikolayevich that you, too, wanted to go to Kislovodsk. I will arrive there in two weeks, and I will send him to the Crimea to my parents, where they have a wonderful summer cottage in Mishor ... Thank you, Sasha. You do not like yogurt, do you want cheese? Sasha, please bring some cheese ...
- "Do you like cheese, asked once the bigot," - he said, laughing awkwardly. - Kuma ...
- Good godfather!
He took across the table and squeezed her hand, saying softly:
- Really come?
She answered in an even voice, looking at him with a slight grin:
- What do you think? Cheating?
- How can I thank you!
And immediately thought: "And there I