Easter Eve by Anton Chekhov (1908)

Name: Easter Eve
Author: Anton Chekhov

On the eve of Easter, the narrator waits on the bank of the flooded River Goltva for the ferry, in the company of a peasant who is saving his five kopecks for a candle rather than the fare. Bells begin to peal from the far bank announcing that Christ is risen, and a cannon shot sounds. The ferry, worked by the lay-brother Ieronim, arrives slowly, and the narrator crosses with him toward the tar-barrel bonfires and fireworks lighting the monastery bank. During the crossing Ieronim reveals his sorrow: that same day, during the reading of the Bible at mass, the monk and deacon Nikolay died. Ieronim grieves that no one else in the monastery seems to feel this loss as he does. He explains that Nikolay possessed a rare gift unmatched even by the learned Father Archimandrite or the Father Sub-Prior: he could write akathist hymns of praise, a skill requiring not just knowledge of a saint's life but an instinct for beauty, harmony, and tenderness of language. Ieronim quotes admiringly from Nikolay's hymns—"tree that bearest the fair fruit of light," "light-radiating torch," "flower of heavenly growth"—marveling at his invented words and vivid, harmonious phrasing. Ieronim explains that Nikolay's hymns were never printed and were valued by almost no one in the monastery; some monks even considered the writing sinful. He wrote them chiefly for his own comfort, and Ieronim alone would come secretly to hear them read aloud. The two had grown close in this shared secret joy—Nikolay would embrace him, speak gently to him, and treat him with a softness Ieronim found nowhere else among the monastery's plainer, louder brethren. Ieronim recalls that Nikolay used to wake at night to call out to him from the bank so he would not be afraid alone on the ferry. They reach the shore, where the narrator disembarks into the smoky, chaotic, joyous crowd gathered at the monastery gates. Ieronim, obligated to keep working the ferry since no one comes to relieve him, cannot join the Easter service he loves. The narrator goes on into the church, reflecting on Ieronim's exclusion from the very hymn and celebration he cherishes most, wishing someone would relieve him so he could hear the singing. Inside, the Easter service is full of restless, joyful movement—open altar gates, incense, candles, and continuous singing without formal reading. The narrator listens to the choir but notes that none of the congregation truly attends to the beauty of the words the way Ieronim would have. He steps out and walks along the monastery wall, peering into cell windows in a vague attempt to see the dead Nikolay, but does not find him. He admits he does not regret this, since he prefers to imagine Nikolay as a pale, gentle, poetic figure with soft, melancholy features and quiet enthusiasm, matching the tenderness Ieronim described. After the mass ends, morning begins to break; the stars fade, the sky turns grey-blue, and the earlier revelry gives way to weary calm. The narrator returns to the ferry, now crowded with people and a chaise. Ieronim is still there, having had no relief all night, since everyone else has gone to break the fast with the Father Archimandrite. In the daylight the narrator sees Ieronim clearly for the first time: a tall, narrow-shouldered man of about thirty-five with a worn, sad, exhausted face. As the ferry crosses back through the mist, Ieronim works the rope in silence, his tired eyes finally resting on a young, dark-browed merchant's wife standing nearby, gazing at her face throughout the crossing—a look the narrator senses is not of ordinary masculine interest, but as though Ieronim is searching in her features for some trace of the soft, tender qualities of his lost friend.

By Anton Chekhov · First published 1908 · Genre: Literary Fiction, Philosophical Fiction, Religious Fiction · 5,077 words

First lines

I was standing on the bank of the River Goltva, waiting for the ferryboat from the other side. At ordinary times the Goltva is a humble stream of moderate size, silent and pensive, gently glimmering from behind thick reeds; but now a regular lake lay stretched out before me. The waters of spring, running riot, had overflowed both banks and flooded both sides of the river for a long distance, submerging vegetable gardens, hayfields and marshes, so that it was no unusual thing to meet poplars and bushes sticking out above the surface of the water and looking in the darkness like grim solitary crags.

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Genres

Literary Fiction — The work explores deep themes of life, death, and the human condition through character interactions and introspective dialogue.
Philosophical Fiction — The narrative delves into existential questions and the nature of sorrow, reflecting on the human experience and spirituality.
Religious Fiction — The setting and events are centered around Easter, incorporating religious themes and the significance of faith.
Realism — The portrayal of everyday life, social interactions, and the depiction of characters' emotions are grounded in realistic settings.

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Easter Eve is listed on Textopian as a short story by Anton Chekhov, dated 1908 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Anton Chekhov
Date: 1908 CE
Language: English
Genres: Literary Fiction, Philosophical Fiction, Religious Fiction, Realism, Short Story
Length: 5,077 words
Structure: 1 section, 82 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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