Leo Tolstoy’s ‘Singing in the Village’

“The Departure of the Soldiers in July 1870,” 1879, by Alfred Dehodencq. Public Domain

Have you ever seen a veterans’ cemetery? They’re perfectly arranged with white headstones standing in straight lines, commemorating soldiers who have died in the line of duty. These soldiers sacrificed everything to preserve the ideals, people, faith, and freedom they loved.

In his short story, “Singing in the Village,” Tolstoy presents soldiers heading off to war. In their songs, Tolstoy recognizes sacrifice, sorrow, bravery, and fear. He calls us to see the soldiers as they truly are: brothers, sons, husbands, and friends going, perhaps, to sacrifice their lives.

A Song in the Mist

As the narrator walks on a misty morning, he hears music. Voices accompanied by an accordion, pierce the mist and surprise him. After some puzzlement, he remembers recruits from his village being called to war.

Intrigued by these men and their music, the narrator follows the song through the mist. Reaching the recruits, he sees the men enter a cottage. The five young men bid farewell to their families, while, outside the cottage, a group of women follow the young men, some crying, some sobbing.  

The narrator discovers that the five consist of “four bachelors and one married man.” The young accordion player is a sweet, merry-faced young man with the first signs of facial hair, while the married man accompanying the accordion sings with great spirit. The other three recruits, well dressed, walk behind the singers.

The recruits pass along the street, singing merrily, until they reach another house. With their arrival, the women’s sobs, cries, and lamentations accompany the music, mixing in a cacophony of double meaning. And, as they depart, the same joyful and sorrowful sounds fill the air.

Sorrow Sings

Yet, when the young accordion player suddenly makes eye contact with the narrator, the young man seems abashed and “with a twitch of his brows he turns away, and again bursts out with even more spirit than before.”

The recruits press on to one final house and, this time, the narrator enters with them. Inside, a table is set with bread and vodka for the departing men. But the men hardly drink any vodka, even after a toast.

In the house, the narrator sees a young woman, well dressed in a modern style. She wears an offended look on her face and, soon after the recruits’ arrival, gets up and leaves. Upon inquiring, the narrator discovers that she is the wife of the married recruit.

Exiting this final house, the young men make their way, among much lamentation, to the carts that will bear them away. As they approach the carts, someone, seeing the accordion player, says: “Sorrow weeps, and sorrow sings!”

In this story, Tolstoy acknowledges that these songs of the soldiers are not a spectacle to be viewed lightly. These songs confess the soldiers’ sorrow. These songs represent their bravery, sacrifice, and courage in the face of their worst fears and regrets.

Tolstoy’s story echoes G.K. Chesterton in “The Glass Walking Stick”: “For St George knew very well what all real soldiers know; that the only way to be even approximately likely to kill a dragon is to give the dragon a heavy chance of killing you. And this method, which is the only one, is much too unpleasant to be talked about.”

The next time you pass a veteran cemetery, go in. With a thankful heart, remember the soldiers and what they sacrificed. And, as you contemplate their sacrifices, adopt the soldier’s song. Sing a joyful song that will carry you through hardship, sorrow, and fear.

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