A Hundred Sweet Promises by Sepehr Haddad

Author:Sepehr Haddad [Haddad, Sepehr]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Appleyard & Sons Publishing
Published: 2021-02-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Black Eyes

Princess Irina entrusted everything to her closest confidant, a friend she could share every detail of her life with—her diary. It was only with this diary that Irina could reveal her fears, her hopes, and her dreams.

Lately, Irina was intrigued by stories she would hear about the goings-on in St. Petersburg; in the parts of the city a grand duke’s daughter would not likely visit. Even though Nana did not leave the palace much, occasionally, on her time off, she would meet with friends from her nursing school days, and Irina was curious to hear all about her outings.

One such evening, a friend of Nana, who was married to an artist, invited her to a café for dinner and music. Nana was careful not to divulge too much to the sheltered princess, but Irina would write everything Nana would share in her diary.

Nana told Irina, “That evening, in the stuffy tobacco-fumed air of the café, a man performed one of the most beautiful songs I ever heard! I asked someone at our table the name of the song, and he said it was called ‘Ochi chyornye.’” (“Black Eyes.”)

Nana continued excitedly, “The man told me he was a Ukrainian and that this romantic Gypsy song is popular where he comes from. He even boasted that he knew all the words by heart.”

Irina, who was captivated by Nana’s story, inquired, “How do you know if he really knew all the words by heart, dear Nana? Could it be that he was just bragging?”

Nana grinned with pride as she explained how she had found out if he was truthful, “Well, I was bold enough to ask him to write the words down on a piece of paper, which he did.”

An enthralled Irina laughed along with Nana at her telling the story. Irina then insisted on seeing the paper. When Nana retrieved it for her, Irina recorded the words in her diary:

Black eyes, passionate eyes

Burning and beautiful eyes!

How I love you, how I fear you,

It seems I met you in an unlucky hour

Oh, not for nothing are you darker than the deep!

I see mourning for my soul in you,

I see a triumphant flame in you:

A poor heart immolated in it.

But I am not sad, I am not sorrowful,

My fate is soothing to me:

All that is best in life that God gave us,

In sacrifice, I returned to the fiery eyes!

Nana confided to Irina, “Every time I see your piano tutor, Monsieur Minbashian, with his beautiful, fiery dark eyes, it reminds me of this song!”

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