UMatreshka—Yeka Udoli!

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! ERUSSIA

NGOKUSHESHA nje lapho izivakashi ezibuka amazwe zingithi nhla, iningi lazo libonakala limagange ngokungithatha libuyele nami emakhaya, lizimisele ukungena ezindlekweni ezinkulu ukuze lenze lokho. Angazi ngempela ukuthi zikhangwa yini kimi. Kakade kuncane kakhulu ezikwaziyo ngami. Mhlawumbe kumane nje kuyimfashini ukwenza kanjalo. Kodwa ake ngizethule. Igama lami nginguMatreshka, futhi ngivela—kodwa-ke ake siqale ekuqaleni.

Eqinisweni, akekho owazi kahle ukuthi ngavelaphi noma ukuthi babengobani abazali bami bangempela. Lendaba ilandiswa ngezindlela ezimbili. Abanye bathi ngadabuka esiqhingini saseJapane iHonshu ngiyithoyizi eliyingqayizivele elakhiwe ngezingxenye eziningana ezihlobene. Bathi ekupheleni kwekhulu leminyaka le-19 ngalethwa eRussia inkosikazi yesicebi saseRussia esasixhasa izingcweti zemifanekiso esasibizwa ngokuthi uSavva I. Mamontov (1841-1918) ngisuka eHonshu. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, ngokwamaJapane athile, kwakuyindela yaseRussia eyafika eJapane ngokokuqala nomqondo wokungenza udoli ongavamile. Kodwa kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ikuphi, izingcweti zaseRussia zawuthanda lomqondo, kwase kuba khona uMatreshka.

Ekupheleni kwawo-1880, iRussia yayithuthukisa umnotho namasiko ayo. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, isithakazelo sabantu baseRussia sokulondoloza amasiko abo adluliselwa ngomlomo sasikhula. Behlose ukuvuselela amasiko aseRussia, ongqondongqondo baqala ukuqoqana kuMamontov, kuhlanganise nabadwebi abadumile baseRussia abanjengo-Ilya Repin, Viktor Vasnetsov, noMikhail Vrubel. Ukuze kulondolozwe abantukazana baseRussia ezinkumbulweni, kwakhiwa izindawo zokusebenzela zezingcweti zemifanekiso eduze kwaseMoscow. Lapho, kwaqoqwa izinto zamasiko, amathoyizi, nodoli bevela kuzo zonke izingxenye zalelozwe.

Ingcweti eyayibizwa ngokuthi uSergei Malyutin yenza imifanekiso yami yokuqala, kodwa ngalesosikhathi ngangihlukile kancane. Kwakuqondwe ukuba ngifanekisele intombazane ewumuntukazana enobuso obuyindilinga nobumomothekayo. Ngangigqokiswe i-sarafan (ingubo efika phansi ebanjwe amabhande amabili asemahlombe), futhi nganginezinwele ezilungiswe kahle, ezibushelelezi zivele kancane ngaphansi kweduku elinemibala emihle. Abanye odoli, abaya bencipha, babefakwe ngaphakathi kimi. Babegqokiswe ama-kosovorotka (amahembe aseRussia aboshwa ohlangothini), amahembe, ama-poddyovka (amajazi abesilisa) namaphinifa. Nganginjena lapho ngakhiwa eMoscow cishe ngo-1891, njengoba kwavezwa imifanekiso kaMalyutin.

Ngangihlala ngizibuza ngokuphathelene negama lami. Ngathola ukuthi lapho ikhulu leminyaka le-19 liphela, elithi Matrena (isinciphiso uMatreshka) lalingelinye lamagama abesifazane ayethandwa kakhulu eRussia. Njengoba livela emsukeni wesiLatini othi matrona, lisho “umama,” “intokazi ehlonishwayo” noma “umama wekhaya.” Futhi ukufakwa kukadoli ngaphakathi komunye kwakuwuphawu olufanelekayo lwenzalo nolokuqhubeka njalo.

Akulula Ukungakha

Kuyaziwa ukuthi lapho bezama ukungakha, abantu abaningi baye bona eziningi zezinto abangakha ngazo futhi bagcina beyekile ngenxa yokwehluleka. Akumangalisi ukuthi ukwazi indlela yokungakha kwakuyimfihlo, kwaze kwaba muva nje. Ngakho abambalwa kuphela ababengaba nami. Kodwa manje ngizokuxoxela lemfihlo.

Umsebenzi ohilelekile ekungakheni udinga ikhono langempela. Okokuqala, kubalulekile ukukhetha uhlobo olufanele lokhuni. Ngenxa yokuthamba kwayo, ngokuvamile kukhethwa i-limewood, akuvamile ukuba kube i-alder noma i-birch. Ngemva kokuba isigawuliwe lemithi, ngokuvamile ekuqaleni kwentwasahlobo, ixetshulwa cishe wonke amagxolo, kushiywe anele nje okuba avikele ukhuni lungachachambi lapho loma. Khona-ke lezizingodo zishiywa ziyinqwaba kuze kudlule iminyaka eminingana ukuze zikwazi ukushaywa umoya kahle njengoba zoma.

Ukusikwa kwalolukhuni kudingeka kwenziwe ngesikhathi esifanele, lapho lungakomi ngokweqile futhi lungaswakeme ngokweqile. Umpetha kuphela ongasho ukuthi kunini lapho kufanele khona. Ukhuni ngalunye lusetshenzwa ngezindlela ezihlukene ezingaba ngu-15. Udoli omncane kunabo bonke kuloluhlu—lowo ongahlakazeki—wakhiwa kuqala. Ngezinye izikhathi uba mncane kakhulu kangangoba kumelwe ufifiyele noma uze usebenzise isibonakhulu ukuze uwubone kahle.

Lapho udoli omncane sewakhiwe, ingcweti iqala olandelayo okuzongena kuwo lona wokuqala. Ukhuni lwenziwa lube lude njengokudingekile bese lunqanyulwa lube nengxenye engenhla nengezansi. Kwakhiwa ingxenye engezansi kuqala. Khona-ke zombili izingxenye zalodoli wesibili ziyagwedwa ukuze udoli omncane ungene uthi khaxa ngaphakathi. Ingcweti enekhono, kambe, ayizihluphi ngokulokhu ilinganisa kodwa ithembela kokuhlangenwe nakho kuphela. Ngemva kwalokho, iyayiphinda lenqubo, yenze udoli omkhudlwana okuzongena kuwo laba ababili bokuqala.

Inani lodoli abangaphakathi komunye liyahlukahluka lisuka kwababili liya kwabangu-60. Udoli omkhulu kunabo bonke ungase ube mude ulingane nomenzi wawo! Lapho udoli ngamunye usuqediwe, uhuqwa ngengcina enesitashi evala zonke izifaca ongase ube nazo. Kube sekuqala ukomiswa kokugcina, futhi udoli upholishwa ube bushelelezi ukuze umdwebi akwazi ukuwupenda ngokulinganayo. Khona-ke udoli ube sewulungiswa ngobuciko bawo obungenakulingiswa.

Ukuhamba Kwesikhathi Kulethé Ushintsho

Abantu bayashintsha njengoba bekhula, futhi kunjalo nangami. Kancane kancane ubuciko bokwakha uMatreshka basakazeka busuka eMoscow baya kwamanye amadolobhakazi namadolobhana, kuhlanganise neSemenov, iPolkhovskii Maidan, iVyatka neTver.a Ngayinye yalezizindawo yaba nendlela yayo yokwenza neyokuhlobisa. Kwangiphatha kabi ukulahlekelwa yilokho engiyikho ngempela, kodwa angikhonondanga. Phakathi nomkhosi wokugubha iminyaka eyikhulu ngemva kweMpi yango-1812, othile wenza i-oda lesethi yodoli abafanekisela ujenene waseRussia uMikhail Kutuzov nojenene waseFrance uNapoléon Bonaparte. Labojenene ababili babengodoli abakhulu kunabo bonke kwase kuthi abanye ojenene abaphikisanayo ababehilelekile empini benziwa baba bancanyana ukuze bangene ngaphakathi omunye nomunye kukhomanda wakhe.

Ukwakha nokuthengisa loluhlobo lukadoli bekulawulwa ngesandla esiqinile, isikhathi eside. Kodwa ngasekupheleni kwawo-1980 izinguquko zezombangazwe zavulela izingcweti amathuba nenkululeko entsha. Manje zase zingakha futhi zithengise imikhiqizo yazo ngaphandle kokwesaba.

Umdwebi obizwa ngokuthi uSikorskii wayengomunye wabokuqala odoli babo abathandwa abantu. Odoli bakhe babiza kunabo bonke, amasethi ngamanye afinyelela ku-R11 000. Impumelelo yakhe yanika ezinye izingcweti zemifanekiso ugqozi, futhi phakathi neminyaka eyisithupha edlule, ukwakha uMatreshka kuye kwaqhubekela phambili ngamandla.

Igama lami, elithi Matreshka, manje selisetshenziswa kubo bonke odoli abenziwe ngendlela yokuba omunye ungene komunye. Kudwetshwa izinto ezihlukahlukene kimi: izimbali, amasonto, imifanekiso engokwenkolo, izinganekwane, izindaba zemikhaya, ngisho nabaholi benkolo nabezombangazwe. Ukutholakala kwezinhlobo eziningi manje kusiza ekungigcineni ngisenanini elikahle.

Lapho ngisazimele njengenhlalayenza ebhokisini lombukiso lasesitolo eMoscow phakathi nehlobo lika-1993, ngokungazelele ngezwa umsindo weqembu lezivakashi zakwamanye amazwe ziza. Ngazizwa zisho okuthile ngomhlangano woFakazi BakaJehova ezaziya kuwo nokuthi ngamunye wazo, wayefuna ukungithatha ngiye naye ekhaya lakhe, ukuze azikhumbuze ngalesenzakalo esimangalisa kangaka, zazifuna ukungithatha ngiye nazo emakhaya azo. Ngazigqolozela ngiqhunsule amehlo, ngizibuza ukuthi kungani. Njengokungathi siyaphendula, esinye sazo sathi: “Akasona nje isikhumbuzo kuphela. Ngifuna ukuba abangane bami babone amehlo akhe. Kuwo ngibona isimo sokumangala esifana nengisibone emehlweni abantu baseRussia engikhulume nabo ngoMbuso nangegama likaNkulunkulu njengoba kutholakala eBhayibhelini.”

OFakazi BakaJehova? UMbuso? Igama likaNkulunkulu? IBhayibheli? Amehlo ami aba makhulu ngisho nangokwengeziwe njengoba ngangilalele, nenhliziyo yami yashaya ngamandla ngenxa yethemba lokuthathwa abanye balababantu ababukeka kahle bangiyise ezindaweni ezikude. Mhlawumbe ngangingathola okwengeziwe ngokuphathelene nokuthi babelethwe yini nje ngempela eRussia. Ngiyaqiniseka ukuthi kwakungekhona nje ukuzobona mina, udoli obizwa ngokuthi uMatreshka.

[Umbhalo waphansi]