...to the money-changers
and dove-sellers.
You think because I am old,
I have forgotten about it.
Begone! Go back to
where you came from!
There is no place for you here!
Don't drive me away, for God's sake!
There is no truth in the world.
The devil tempted me.
I can't continue sinning...
...and without sin you cannot
live in the secular world.
There is sin and dirt all around.
Accept my penitence
and I will kiss your feet.
You were always eloquent,
but you won't move me, Kirill.
If you knew how I've
suffered, what I've endured...
...if you knew what evil I've
seen, you would forgive me...
...but I will never forgive myself.
You're not guilty before
me, but before God.
Remain here; but
to expiate your sin...
...you must copy out the
Scriptures fifteen times.
Take the late Nikodim's cell.
Thank you! Thank you, God!
How wonderful! Thank
you, Father, thank you!Hey, it's bad to eat dirty meat.
Brothers, what's going on?
I'll go to tell Father Nikodim.
A good Russian. She eats horsemeat.
Do you want to come with
me? You'll be my wife.
I have seven wives,
but no Russian wife.
You will eat horsemeat every day,
drink horse milk, wear coins in hair.
Russian wife for Tatar
husband is never dirty.
Girl! Come with us!
Come! Give me your hand!
Do you hear me, Andrei?
Don't you recognize me?
Don't grieve, they'll let her go.
They won't dare harm
a holy fool. It's a sin.
THE BELL
Spring-Summer-Autumn-
Winter-Spring 1 423-1 424
Is this the home of
Nikolka, the bell-maker?
It is.
- Is he your father?
- Yes.
Then call him.
- He's not here.
- Where is he?
He's dead.
The plague took them
all: mother, sister, father.
And where does Gavrila
the bell-maker live?
Gavrila? He's dead, too.
So is Kasian, and the Tatars
led lvashka away last year.
Only Fyodor is left.
Go to him; the fifth hut.
But you should hurry; Fyodor's
in bed with the plague.
He can't open his eyes. He
will pass away at any moment.
I can't stand it any more. Where
else can we look? Let's go home.
Get up. You aren't going home.
Is there no one left to cast the bell?
Take me with you.
Let me cast the bell for you.
Are you mad, boy?
Take me to the Prince.
Honestly, I can make
everything very well for you.
You won't find anyone better
than me; they're all dead.
Go to hell!
Okay! But I know the secret
of bell-making, and I won't tell.
What are you saying?
I know the secret. My father
knew the secret of bell-making.
Before he died, he passed it to
me. No one else knows, except me.
My father died and
passed me the secret.
Shall we take him?
What secret?
Do you want the Prince to flay us?
He's lying about the secret.
The worse for him!
- What is your name?
- Boriska.
Come here!
Mount!
What about the hut?
Did you persuade him?
Shall we dig here?
We can do it here.
But it would be more convenient
to do it closer to the bell-tower...
...so that we won't have to
drag this heavy thing far.
Can't we dig here? Let's do it here.
Mark it out.
Let's dig together, shall we?
We're bell-casters, not diggers.
Why should we be digging?
You know what my father said...
...before he died?
" Bell-casters must
dig the casting-pit."
" I only understood that in my
old age," he said, and died.
I don't know what Nikolka
said, but I'm not going to dig.
Call us when you need us.
Okay, I'll dig for you.
Well?
Did you find it?
There is no need to
look for it. Here it is.
No, it's not the right clay.
- We always took it here.
- Then you are fools.
The clay is very good.
- Andreika, isn't the clay bad?
- Yes, it's bad.
You see? Come on.
We'll search until we find good clay.
Stepan, perhaps we
shouldn't have done this.
Come on. Look what
clay we have found.
How hard we've worked, and
now we've found a new spot.
It's not the right kind.
It's the end of August, and we
have not found the clay yet.
Think about yourself.
I'm sorry for you.
I've managed all these
years without