The Pipe (Chekhov)
Short summary
Russian countryside, late 19th century. Meliton Shishkin, a bailiff, made his way through a fir-wood with his gun and dog on a dull, overcast morning. At the edge of the wood, he heard someone playing a shepherd's rustic pipe.
Meliton found an old shepherd tending the Artamonovs' herd. They began discussing the poor weather and the decline of game birds. The shepherd claimed that not only birds but all of nature was deteriorating - fish were smaller, rivers were drying up, forests were disappearing, and people were growing weaker.
The shepherd believed the world was approaching its end. With a mournful expression, he told Meliton:
"It's a pity, my friend! My goodness, what a pity! The earth, the forest, the sky, the beasts of all sorts—all this has been created, you know, adapted; they all have their intelligence. It is all going to ruin."
Meliton, feeling the need to complain, shared his own troubles - his large family, small salary, and unhappy home life. As they parted, Meliton learned the shepherd's name was Luka the Poor. Walking away, Meliton felt increasingly bitter about the state of nature, especially when he heard the mournful notes of Luka's pipe floating through the air like a voice weeping.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Meliton meets the shepherd playing his pipe
On a dull, overcast morning, Meliton Shishkin, a bailiff from the Dementyev farm, made his way through a fir-wood with his gun. Exhausted by the sultry heat and covered with spiders' webs and pine-needles, he walked toward the edge of the wood with his dog trailing behind him.
As he approached the edge of the wood, where birch trees stood in the mist, Meliton heard someone playing a shepherd's rustic pipe. The player produced only a few languid notes without forming a tune, yet the sound was harsh and dreary. Beyond the birch trees, Meliton saw a herd of animals and an old shepherd leaning against a tree trunk, playing his pipe while staring at the ground.
Conversation about the scarcity of game
Meliton greeted the old shepherd, who introduced himself as Luka the Poor, and learned that the herd belonged to the Artamonovs. After sitting down on the wet earth, Meliton began rolling a cigarette and complained about the persistent rain that was preventing peasants from carrying their oats.
The conversation turned to hunting, and Meliton inquired whether the shepherd had seen any coveys of grouse in the Artamonovs' clearing. Luka replied that he hadn't seen any, though the huntsman Eryomka had claimed to start one covey near Pustoshye on Elijah's Day. Both men agreed that game had become scarce, with Meliton lamenting that what little game remained was not worth hunting.
The shepherds view of a world in decline
The old shepherd shared his observations about the declining wildlife. He recalled that twenty years ago, there had been clouds of geese, cranes, ducks, and grouse. Hunters would gather for shooting, and the sound of gunfire was constant. Now, not only game birds but also birds of prey like eagles, hawks, and owls had disappeared. Even wild beasts like wolves, foxes, bears, and otters had become rare.
"It's all going the same way... There is nothing good to be looked for. As far as I can see there will soon be not only no game, but no birds at all... It's a wonder what has become of them all!"
When Meliton asked what the shepherd meant by "going the same way," Luka replied solemnly that everything was heading toward ruin. He believed the time had come for God's world to perish. The old man expressed sorrow at this prospect, noting that while the loss of a single tree or cow was sad, the crumbling of the entire world would be a far greater tragedy.
Discussion on the deterioration of nature
Meliton pondered the shepherd's words, trying to think of some part of nature that remained untouched by the all-embracing ruin. The conversation turned to the deterioration of forests. Luka explained that forests were being cut down, catching fire, or withering away, with no new growth to replace them. Whatever did grow was quickly harvested, leading to a continuous cycle of depletion.
"The forests, too... They cut them down, and they catch fire, and they wither away, and no new ones are growing. Whatever does grow up is cut down at once; one day it shoots up and the next it has been cut down."
The shepherd also spoke about the rivers drying up, becoming shallower each year. He pointed to an old riverbed nearby, explaining that in his father's time, the Pestchanka had flowed there, but now it had changed course and would eventually dry up completely. Marshes, ponds, and streams that once existed had disappeared. The old man concluded that things were bad everywhere, with all growing things on the decline.
Reflections on human weakness
Meliton suggested that while nature might be declining, people had improved by becoming cleverer. The shepherd disagreed, arguing that God had given men brains but taken away their strength. He used himself as an example: despite being in his seventies, he tended his herd day and night for twenty kopecks without sleeping or feeling the cold, while his cleverer son would demand more money or seek medical attention if placed in the same position.
Luka observed that peasants had grown weak and unable to endure hardship. They now required tea, vodka, and white loaves, slept from sunset to dawn, and visited doctors. The gentry had become even feebler - thin, puny fellows with no dignity or purpose, spending their lives fishing, reading, or meddling with peasants rather than doing something useful.
The shepherd concluded that humanity's weakness stemmed from sin and forgetting God. He believed the time had come for everything to end, noting philosophically that the world couldn't last forever. After this somber reflection, Luka walked away to gather his herd.
"And all because of what? We have sinned greatly, we have forgotten God... and it seems that the time has come for all to end. And, after all, the world can't last forever—it's time to know when to take leave."
Parting thoughts and the mournful pipe
As Meliton prepared to leave, he shared his own troubles with the shepherd. He complained about his poverty, his eight children, his wife who had become "a Satan from poverty," and his meager salary of ten roubles a month. Despite being a sensible, educated man who should be at peace at home, he wandered with his gun all day because he couldn't stand his home life.
After saying goodbye to Luka, Meliton made his way along the edge of the wood and down to a marsh. He could feel the approach of the miserable autumn season, when fields would darken and the earth would become muddy and cold. As he walked, he heard the shepherd's pipe gradually fading behind him. When the highest note of the pipe quivered in the air like a weeping voice, Meliton felt bitter and resentful toward the impropriety in nature's conduct.