Dark Avenues by Ivan Bunin
"Dark Avenues" is a poignant narrative by Ivan Bunin that explores themes of love, regret, and the passage of time. Set against the backdrop of a cold autumn day, the story follows Nikolai Alexeyevich, an elderly officer who unexpectedly encounters Nadezhda, a woman he once passionately loved thirty years prior. Their meeting at a roadside inn rekindles deep emotions as they confront the unresolved feelings from their past. Nadezhda reveals the enduring pain of Nikolai's abandonment, expressing that although time has passed, the memories and impact of their love remain indelible.
As their conversation unfolds, it becomes clear that both characters grapple with the consequences of their choices—Nikolai reflects on his life, marked by unfulfilled relationships and lost happiness, while Nadezhda's devotion remains a haunting reminder of what was lost. The dialogue between them serves as a poignant exploration of the complexities of love and memory, highlighting how past affections can linger, even when overshadowed by time and regret. Ultimately, "Dark Avenues" invites readers to reflect on the lasting power of love and the weight of choices made in youth, offering a rich, emotional experience that resonates with universal human experiences.
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Dark Avenues by Ivan Bunin
First published: "Tyomnyye allei," 1943 (English translation, 1949)
Type of plot: Sketch
Time of work: The late nineteenth century
Locale: Russia's Tula district
Principal Characters:
Nikolai Alexeyevich , an elderly army officerNadezhda , his former lover, the owner of a roadside lodge
The Story
On a cold autumn day, a mud-spattered carriage stops at a small roadside inn. The elderly yet handsome officer who alights is evidently glad to enter a warm, tidy room after his chilly, damp ride. He locates the innkeeper, an attractive woman who resembles a Gypsy, and engages her in conversation. When he compliments her on her establishment's cleanliness, she says that she knows how to keep things orderly because she grew up around nobility. She then astonishes him by calling him by his name—Nikolai Alexeyevich. As he looks at the woman more closely, he realizes that she is a woman whom he passionately loved some thirty years earlier, when she was eighteen and he was about thirty.
Their conversation begins innocuously. Nikolai tells Nadezhda that he lost touch with her after their affair ended, and he learned that her masters had released her. When he asks her whether she has ever married, she says no. He wonders why not, because she was so beautiful. She again answers simply that she was not able to marry. Disconcerted by her reply, Nikolai asks her what she means. This time, her response carries an implicit reproach: "What is there to explain? Surely you remember how much I loved you." Nikolai seems to be stung by this and tries to minimize the seriousness of her words by saying that everything passes: love, youth—everything. Nadezhda does not retreat, however. She agrees that youth passes but says that love is another matter.
As their dialogue continues, it becomes clear that Nikolai heartlessly abandoned Nadezhda, leaving her so distraught that she more than once considered suicide. She asks him to recall how he once read poetry to her. When he asks her to recall how beautiful and passionate she once was, she tells him that it was to him that she yielded all of her passion and her beauty, and that no one can forget such an experience. He again tries to downplay the seriousness of what she is saying by reiterating that "everything passes, everything is forgotten." Unwilling to let him get away with such an easy platitude, Nadezhda counters that although everything may pass, not everything is forgotten.
Perhaps feeling trapped by Nadezhda's responses, Nikolai asks her to leave, adding that he hopes God has forgiven him as, he assumes, Nadezhda has. Nadezhda rebuffs his attempt to dismiss the past, however, and says that she has never forgiven him. Just as there was nothing dearer than him in her life when she was with him, she has had nothing dearer since then. Overcome by the steadfastness and depth of Nadezhda's emotion, Nikolai confesses that he himself has never found any greater happiness in his own life. The woman whom he married abandoned him even more cruelly than he had abandoned Nadezhda; his son, on whom he pinned all his hopes, turned out to be a scoundrel without heart, honor, or consciousness. Nikolai finally admits that in losing Nadezhda, he lost the most valuable thing he ever had in his life. After she kisses his hand, he kisses hers and leaves the inn in agitation.
Back in his carriage, Nikolai ponders the encounter he has just undergone. Struggling with the feelings that the meeting has aroused, he is ashamed of his final declaration to Nadezhda but then feels ashamed of this very shame. He acknowledges that his affair with Nadezhda gave him the finest minutes of his life but then tries to cast off this vision of the past. What might have happened, had he not abandoned Nadezhda years ago, he wonders. Might she have become his wife, the mistress of his St. Petersburg home, the mother of his children? The thought seems so incredible that he merely closes his eyes and shakes his head.