Page 559 - the-brothers-karamazov

hand despondently, pronounced in a sing-song, voice, look-
ing at the coffin of the dead elder:
‘To-morrow they will sing over him ‘Our Helper and De-
fender’ — a splendid anthem — and over me when I die all
they’ll sing will be ‘What Earthly Joy’ — a little cantical,’*
he added with tearful regret. ‘You are proud and puffed up,
this is a vain place!’ he shouted suddenly like a madman,
and with a wave of his hand he turned quickly and quickly
descended the steps. The crowd awaiting him below wa-
vered; some followed him at once and some lingered, for the
cell was still open, and Father Paissy, following Father Fe-
rapont on to the steps, stood watching him. the excited old
fanatic was not completely silenced. Walking twenty steps
away, he suddenly turned towards the setting sun, raised
both his arms and, as though someone had cut him down,
fell to the ground with a loud scream.
* When a monk’s body is carried out from the cell to the
church and from the church to the graveyard, the canticle
‘What Earthly Joy...’ is sung. If the deceased was a priest as
well as a monk the canticle ‘Our Helper and Defender’ is
sung instead.
‘My God has conquered! Christ has conquered the set-
ting sun!’ he shouted frantically, stretching up his hands
to the sun, and falling face downwards on the ground, he
sobbed like a little child, shaken by his tears and spread-
ing out his arms on the ground. Then all rushed up to him;
there were exclamations and sympathetic sobs... a kind of
frenzy seemed to take possession of them all.
‘This is the one who is a saint! This is the one who is a

The Brothers Karamazov