A. I. Kuprin worked on the story “Sulamith” in the fall of 1907 and published it in 1908 with a dedication to I. A. Bunin. Starting this year, A. I. Kuprin creates three short stories about love, the first of which was Shulamith. Exoticly, with the aroma of antiquity and spices, Kuprin presents “Sulamith”, a summary of which you can learn from the article.
Chapter One - Rich and Magnificent Solomon
Far beyond the borders of Palestine, where Solomon ruled wisely and peacefully, glory spread over him. In all large and small countries they spoke of him in surprise, because there were none like him in beauty, wisdom, or wealth. And the king built in seven years the great temple of the Lord and in thirteen years - a palace in Jerusalem. Countless porters, lumberjacks, carpenters, casting and embossing craftsmen and workers worked on their construction. Maybe only not less people worked for the pharaohs during the construction of the pyramids. The most valuable species of trees, the thinnest fabrics - linen, silk and wool, all decorated with gold, marble, precious stones, purple and other countless jewels went to the construction of the temple and palace of Solomon and the palace for his beloved wife Astiz.
And around the palace, the king ordered to set up gardens and groves and plant a vineyard. Trade grew wealth of Solomon, and his country, and his subjects. His ships sailed both the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Merchants flocked from all countries to Jerusalem and brought unheard of and unprecedented treasures. This is how the construction of Kuprin (“Sulamith”) describes. The summary does not give a complete impression of the scope of the construction.
Chapter Two - Contented Life
The tsar did not refuse any fun, and all that he wanted was fulfilled at once. He had a huge harem, and besides, there were also concubines brought from all the sublunary countries, who knew how to please the king with music, dance, singing, conversation and other arts. Indescribably beautiful was Solomon with his fair skin and black agate eyes and with long thick eyelashes that framed them and scarlet lips.
And his hands were beautiful - both white and strong. But when he laid them on the patient’s head, he was healed. The king wore, without taking off, an ancient ring with an inscription in Hebrew. The king obeyed and wild animals crawled around him. He calmly stroked lions and tigers, panthers and leopards. Kuprin (“Shulamith”) speaks of the enjoyment of every moment of being. A summary of the second chapter is a description of the pleasures.
Chapter Three - Great Wisdom
God awarded Solomon great wisdom, but he began to be weighed upon it. The king studied the knowledge of magicians and soothsayers and realized that this was not divine knowledge. He also learned pagan rites, but apart from wild drunkenness and revelry, he did not find anything in them. But Solomon did not forbid anyone’s faith - let everyone, as he can, praise his gods. And the king understood that wisdom and knowledge do not give a person peace and happiness. And he became bothersome. But they all die the same way, that man, that wordless animal. Kuprin (“Shulamith”) tells of the frailty of everything that Solomon knew. The summary of his searches confirms this.
Chapter Four - Meeting in the Garden
After a long feast with cunning ambassadors, Solomon could not fall asleep and arrived in a wonderful garden full of aromas of needles and reseda. He sat in a simple cloak, thinking deeply about how to maintain peace between the powers. And the king hears pure and gentle female singing, which pours from the lips of a red-haired girl in a simple little blue dress. And the king asks her to show him his face and continue her song. She turns around, the wind blows over her, and the king sees her, in the prime of her youth, with scarlet flowers in heavy hair. And all of it shines in the dawn of the sun. “Yes, you are the most beautiful of those whom I knew,” the king assures her, whom she looks with admiration. He learns that her name is Shulamith, and she has guilty before the brothers. The king, attracting the girl to himself, asks about her family and asks to tell where she lives. He promises her that he will visit her at night, and says that his name is Solomon. This is the beginning of a mutual feeling - as the summary shows it. Sulamifi Kuprina will have to joyfully and impatiently wait for her king.
Chapter Five - A Righteous Judgment
On this day, Solomon was doing judgment. He was surrounded by courtiers in rich clothes, and guarded by soldiers in gold armor. Wisely, he figured out a lawsuit about a stolen gem and imposed a punishment on those guilty. He understood how to properly divide the inheritance that the father left to the three brothers, and released them in peace. And the king decided the second inheritance case fairly. Solomon resolved the case of the theft of money from three merchants. He identified the thief, and the swindler later confessed to the theft himself. He sorted things out and wanted to see everyone happy that day. And he refused only one person - the visionary priest.
Everyone will find out what this will turn out to be when he reads a brief summary of Kulrin’s Sulamifi.
Chapter Six - Waiting and First Meeting
Sulamith was preparing for a meeting with Solomon, whom she mistook not for a man, but for a pagan god - he was so beautiful. The girl sold her earrings and bought fragrant oils and anointed her body. But when Solomon came to her window, she did not have the strength and courage to let him go. Shulamith heard her beloved leave, and rushed to look for him. She looked for him almost until dawn and found him in a fragrant vineyard. There was no end to their mutual happiness from the meeting. The walls for them were cedars and cypresses, a bed of grass, a tent and a banner of love. So glorifies the sudden feeling of Kuprin ("Shulamith"). Summary of chapters does not convey the beauty workshop of his description.
Chapter Seven - in the palace of Solomon
Solomon did not hide from Sulamifi that he was king, and brought her to his palace. There, in a luxurious marble pool, she was washed by slaves in the fragrant waters. Then she was dressed in such outfits in which her beauty shone even brighter. The king wanted to make her queen, and Shulamith wanted to be his slave.
And the king adorned her with precious earrings and led her to friends at a feast.
Chapter Eight - Brief Happiness
Lovers enjoyed the whole week. The king gave Sulamith jewels, told her about the properties of stones, never before seen by her. But not a single necklace made Sulamith more beautiful than it was. Not a single stone could compare with either Solomon or Shulamith, illuminated by his love. Their love was so great that it could not be forgotten in the depths of time. There were great wars and generals who conquered kingdoms and lands, but they can be forgotten, but a simple girl from the vineyard and the wise king will be remembered forever. Such is the brief meaning and summary of Kuprin’s novel “Sulamith”.
Chapter Nine - Happiness Continues
All week they did not get tired of being amazed at how instantly their love conquered. And why this happened - no explanation. This is a miracle that is rare. And every day they became better and better. And more and more she recognized the life of King Shulamith. He did not hide anything from her. Solomon also spoke about Queen Balkis, who loved to ask riddles and test the wisdom of Solomon.
But she hid her legs from everyone. And the king decided to play a joke with her - with the entire royal court, he found a way to raise her dresses, and everyone saw that her legs were hairy and crooked. And the king told many other things, for he knew a lot and was wise, and all this took Shulamith with him when she died.
Chapter Ten - The Cunning Plan
In the ancient temple of Isis, there was a service dedicated to the great goddess, from whom her husband was killed and cut into pieces and whose remains she collected. The first part of the service passed, and only the initiates remained on the second. The temple was magnificent, since Solomon did not forbid worship of alien gods. His formerly beloved wife, Astiz, was in one of the secret rooms of the temple. From there she could watch everything that was happening. Since Solomon neglected her, she wanted to take revenge on him. To do this, Astiz decided to seduce one of the chiefs of the royal guard, Eliava. So dramatically develops the summary of the story "Shulamith."
Chapter Eleven - A Scary Treaty
And in the temple itself they were preparing for the sacrifice. The fragrant, forgetting smoke was waxed, and chants began, mourning the miserable Isis. Astiz called the drugged Eliave and began to question him about Solomon and the girl. She promised the fooled young man that she would always belong to him if Eliab killed Solomon and Shulamith. He dutifully agreed.
Chapter Twelve - The Inevitable End
On the last, seventh night, Solomon and Shulamith talked about the great secret of death. And Shulamith heard a rustle outside the door. She rushed to the open door and fell, struck by Eliave.
He was stupefied and obediently answered Solomon that Astiz had ordered him to do this. Sulamith was still alive and thanked Solomon for the fact that she happened to recognize him. In the morning she died. It was Saturday - a holy day when it is impossible to bury. Dogs can eat a corpse. The high priest asked the king what to do with the body. The king was silent. He retired to the court, sat on the throne and said a few words to the scribes. Then he sent everyone and was left alone.
I wrote such a beautiful and sad story Kuprin - “Sulamith”. A very brief summary of the chapters does not reveal the whole charm of this touching poetic work.