Αλέξανδρος Παπαδιαμάντης, Η ΔΑΣΚΑΛΟΜΑΝΝΑ

 

Αλέξανδρος Παπαδιαμάντης

Η ΔΑΣΚΑΛΟΜΑΝΝΑ  Διήγημα

Ακούστε εμέ να σας πω! Να μην ανοίγετε χαρτί!...Να μην ακούτε το δάσκαλο!...Να μη φοβάστε τσ’ πατεράδες σας!...Να δέρνετε τσ’ μαννάδες σας!..

Ούτως ηγόρευε προς θορυβώδη όμιλον δεκαετών και δωδεκαετών παιδίων, αναβάς επί του τελευταίου θρανίου, του απωτάτου από της δασκαλοκαθέδρας, ο Γιαννιός, ο Βρυκολακάκης, είς των μεγαλυτέρων μαθητών. Εφοίτα από επταετίας και ήτο ήδη δεκαπενταετής, αλλά μόλις είχε μάθει να διαβάζει συλλαβιστά. Ενθυμούμενος τα παλαιά εκείνα χρόνια, δεν έπαυε να οικτείρει την παρούσαν κατάστασιν του σχολείου, όπου όλα τα παιδιά ήταν μικρά, όλο σμαρίδα, όλο αθερίνα. Πρώτα ήταν όλοι μεγάλοι. « Πού να ήσαστε σεις τον καιρό που ήτον ο άλλος ο δάσκαλος που πέθανε, ο Φλάσκος, Φλάσκο – μπιμπίνος, ο κιτρινιάρης!». Και σείων την κεφαλήν, διηγείτο προς τους μικρούς μαθητάς, οίτινες τον ήκουον εκπέμποντες μεγάλα επιφωνήματα θαυμασμού, πώς ο Τζώρτζης ο Σγούρας, δεκαοχτώ χρόνων, υψηλός, με ανωρθωμένα σγουρά μαλλιά, τα οποία δεν ηδύνατο να διευθετήσει το κτένιον, έδειρε μίαν φοράν τον άλλον διδάσκαλον, τον «Φλάσκο Φλάσκο – μπιμπίνο, τον κιτρινιάρη», πολιορκήσας αυτόν όπισθεν της δασκαλοκαθέδρας, και κατενεγκών τρεις σφιγκτούς γρόνθους κατά του στέρνου του, διότι ο διδάσκαλος ηπείλησε να τον κλείσει εις το κάτωθεν της δασκαλοκαθέδρας σωφρονιστήριον, όπου έβοσκον βλατούδες και ψαλίδες, πολυποδαρούσες και όχι ολίγοι ποντικοί. Πώς ο διδάσκαλος είχε συγκαλέσει την επιτροπήν και απήτει την αποβολήν του Τζώρτζη, αλλ’ η επιτροπή αντέτεινε, μη θέλουσα να δυσαρεστήσει τους οικείους του μεγαλοσώμου και φριξότριχος μαθητού. Πώς παραδόξως, δηλαδή λίαν ευλόγως, ο Τζώρτζης ευρέθη σύμφωνος με τον διδάσκαλον εις το κεφάλαιον τούτο, καθόσον, αφού επί δεκαετίαν είχε φοιτήσει εις το σχολείον, και μόλις είχε μάθει να συλλαβίζει (μόνον ότι συνέχεε κάποτε το η με το π και το ζ με το ξ), ησθάνετο νυν ακατάσχετον πόθον να διαρρήξει τ’ αφόρητα εκείνα δεσμά και να εμβαρκάρει με το καράβι του θείου του! Ίσως μάλιστα δι’ αυτό το έκαμεν, έδειρε τον διδάσκαλον επίτηδες, δια να τον αποβάλουν. Και τότε η επιτροπή έπεισε τους οικείους του να τον αποσύρουν ευσχήμως.

Τοιαύτα τινά πορίσματα της αλληλοδιδακτικής μεθόδου υπέβαλλε συχνά εις την μελέτην των συμμαθητών του ο Γιαννιός ο Βρυκολακάκης. Την ημέραν δ’ εκείνην είχεν αναβεί επί του θρανίου και απήγγελλε την διδαχήν, την οποίαν ο διδάσκαλος, κύπτων επί της τραπέζης του, πνιγομένων των λέξεων εν μέσω του θορύβου, δεν ήκουεν, ουδ’ έβλεπεν καν τον υψηλόν μαθητήν όστις προς την δασκαλοκαθέδραν βλέπων (ο διδάσκαλος εκάθητο ενώπιον τραπέζης κάτω της δασκαλοκαθέδρας), επροφυλάσσετο, και ήτο έτοιμος να πηδήσει κάτω του θρανίου, αν ο διδάσκαλος έστρεφε το βλέμμα προς τα εδώ.

Ταύτα συνέβαινον καθ’ όν χρόνον ο διδάσκαλος, μεγαλόσωμος, με ηράκλειους ώμους και βραχίονας, επικαλούμενος συνήθως η «Δασκαλομάννα», προ μικρού είχεν εισέλθει εις το σχολείον, και σχετική ησυχία επεκράτει μεθ’ υποκώφου βοής, ομοία με την φουσκοθαλασσιά. Αλλά προ ημισείας ώρας εάν τις διήρχετο εις απόστασιν διακοσίων βημάτων έξωθεν του σχολείου, θα ενόμιζεν ότι ήτο θηριοτροφείον ειδικόν δια θώας της ερήμου, και δι’ άλλα ανήσυχα αγρίμια. Τα παιδιά εχόρευαν, επήδων, εσκίρτων, εφώναζαν, διεπληκτίζοντο, εγέλων, έκλαιον. Ήτο θέρος και καύσων πνιγηρός. Παμμιγής βοή ανήρχετο διά των οκτώ ανοικτών μεγάλων παραθύρων, εχόντων όλα σχεδόν τα υαλία σπασμένα και τα πλείστα παραθυρόφυλλα φαγωμένα, τους στροφείς εσκωριασμένους. Τα θρανία χωλά, κινούμενα, χορεύοντα, εφαίνοντο ως σχεδίαι πλέουσαι εντός του κύματος των παιδικών κεφαλών. Η διδασκαλική έδρα, υψηλή, με τα φατνώματα σαπρά, κεχηνότα, ωμοίαζε με βάρκαν ξουριασμένην μακράν του λιμένος υπό του ανέμου. Ο πρωτόσχολος, γυμνόπους, ελαφρά και μετά προφυλάξεως πατών, δια να μη βυθισθεί και εμπέσει παρ’ αξίαν εις το πειθαρχείον, πότε γελών και πότε σοβαρευόμενος, προσεπάθει να επιβάλει σιωπήν. Αλλά την σφυρίκτραν, το έτερον σύμβολον του αξιώματός του, την είχε κλέψει ο Γιαννιός ο Βρυκολακάκης, και δι’ αυτής εξέβαλλε μανιώδεις συριγμούς, παρωδών τον απόντα διδάσκαλον. Έμεινε μόνον εις τον πρωτόσχολον η βέργα, το κυριώτερον όπλον του, αλλά και ταύτην την εξουδετέρωσεν ο Γιαννιός ο Χατζηδημήτρης, ο Στρατής ο Καραθύμιος και άλλοι τολμηροί παίδες, ανοίξαντες κρυφίως την θύραν του σωφρονιστηρίου, όπου ήξευραν, ότι είχεν ταμιευμένην ο διδάσκαλος την δέσμην του, και αρπάσαντες πολλές βέργες, τας οποίας εμοίρασαν εις τους συμμαθητάς των, κρατήσαντες τας λιγυροτέρας και τσουχτερωτέρας δι εαυτούς˙ τότε ήρχισε μάχη και άλλοι μαθηταί απέσπασαν τους δείκτας από του τοίχου, άλλοι κατεβίβασαν τους τηλεγράφους από της καθέτου σανίδος των θρανίων και κυνηγούμενοι έτυπτον αλλήλους.

Τέλος εισήλθεν ο διδάσκαλος με το τσιγάρον εις το στόμα, και ο πρωτόσχολος έκραξεν : εις προσοχήν! Ο διδάσκαλος ήτο μεγαλόσωμος, υψίκορμος, εύσαρκος, αλλά ταχύς κι ευκίνητος. Ήρχετο από την αρραβωνιαστικήν του, όπου τρις ή τετράκις της ημέρας, παραιτών το Σχολείον εις την τύχην του, απήρχετο εις επίσκεψιν. Άλλοτε το Σχολείον είχε και βοηθόν, αλλά τελευταίον το δημοτικό συμβούλιον δεν εψήφισεν ή ο νομάρχης δεν ενέκρινε το κονδύλιον, χάριν οικονομίας.

Ο διδάσκαλος, καπνίζων το τσιγάρον του, εσήμανε τον κώδωνα κι εζήτησε να εξετάσει μίαν των ανωτέρων κλάσεων. Προσήλθον έξ ή επτά παιδία και τα ηρώτησε.

- Την εμάθατε την ιερά ιστορία ;

Τα παιδιά, αντί ν’ απαντήσωσιν, έκυψαν εις το βιβλίον των, και προσεπάθουν να κλέψωσι τίποτε εκ του προχείρου. Μόνον την στιγμήν εκείνη ενόησαν ότι δεν είχαν μελετήσει τίποτε εκ της Αριστουρίας, καθώς την ονόμαζαν.

Το πρώτον παιδίον, το οποίον ηθέλησε να εξετάσει ο διδάσκαλος, εκράτει Γεωγραφίαν αντί Ιεράς Ιστορίας.

- Πού είναι η Ιερά Ιστορία σου ;

- Δάσκαλε, εψέλλισε το παιδίον, κάμνον σχήμα με τον δάκτυλον εις το ωτίον, την έχας την Αρ-ιστορία μου.

- Αμελή! Κακοήθη! Άτακτε! ωρμάθιασεν ο διδάσκαλος κι εκοκκίνισε δι’ ελαφρού ραπίσματος την παρειάν του μαθητού. Άλλοτε εκτύπα πολύ γερώτερα, έσπαζε μάλιστα βέργες εις την ράχιν των παιδίων. Αλλ’ αφότου ηρραβωνίσθη, δεν του ήρεσκε πλέον να κτυπά.

Μετέβη εις τον δεύτερον.

- Τις έκτισε τον κόσμον ;

Το παιδίον απήντησεν:

- Ο Θεός έκτισε τον κόσμον εις εξ ημέρας με μόνον τον λόγον αυτού.

- Πολύ ωραία! είπεν ο διδάσκαλος, και αποταθείς προς τον τρίτον:

- Τις ήτον ο πρώτος άνθρωπος ;

- Ο πρώτος άνθρωπος ήτον ο Αδάμ, απήντησε το παιδίον.

- Καλά, είπεν ο διδάσκαλος. Και είτα ηρώτησε τον τέταρτον:

- Τις και πόθεν τον έκτισεν ;

Ο τέταρτος απεκρίθη:

- Διά τας αμαρτίας του Αδάμ κατεστάθησαν όλοι οι άνθρωποι αμαρτωλοί και θνητοί.

- Πολύ καλά, μπράβο! είπεν ο διδάσκαλος, όστις την στιγμήν εκείνην ακριβώς είχε τον νούν του εις την αραβωνιαστικήν του.

Είτα επανέλαβε:

- Τώρα ας μεταβώμεν εις την Γεωγραφίαν.

Οι επτά μαθηταί έρριψαν εις το βάθος του φύλακός των, όν είχον ανηρτημένον υπό την αριστερήν μασχάλην, τας Ιεράς Ιστορίας των, κι εξήγαγον τας Γεωγραφίας. Ήνοιξαν τα βιβλιάρια και ήρχισαν να ψιθυρίζωσιν αναγινώσκοντες με τα χείλη, ώστε απετελείτο μεν μία βοή, αλλ’ ουδεμία λέξις διεκρίνετο. Ο μεγαλύτερος την ηλικίαν, όστις ήτο και ο ερμηνευτής της κλάσεως, μεταβάς προς τον τοίχον εξεκρέμασε τον χάρτην, και κομίσας τόν απέθηκεν επί της μικράς τραπέζης, προ της οποίας ηρέσκετο να κάθηται ο διδάσκαλος, δυσκόλως αποφασίζων να πατήσει με τα μακρά και πλατύτατα υποδήματά του επί των σεσαθρωμένων σανίδων της υψηλής δασκαλοκαθέδρας.

Ο διδάσκαλος ήναψε δεύτερον τσιγάρον, και ήρχισε να εξετάζει εις την Γεωγραφίαν.

- Εκ πόσων νήσων αποτελείται η Επτάνησος ;

Ο πρώτος των μαθητών απήντησεν.

- Η Επτάνησος ή Ιόνιος Πολιτεία αποτελείται εξ επτά νήσων.

- Πολύ καλά, είπεν ο διδάσκαλος.

Είτα στραφείς προς τον δεύτερον μαθητήν:

- Εις ποίαν εξουσίαν υπόκειται η Επτάνησος ;

Ο δεύτερος απεκρίθη απνευστί.

- Η Επτάνησος υπόκειται πολιτικώς εις την προστασίαν της Μεγάλης Βρεττανίας και διοικείται δι’ αρμοστού εδρεύοντος εκ Κερκύρα, όπου εδρεύει και η Ιόνιος Βουλή, υφίσταται δε και αξία λόγου Ακαδημία.

- Εύγε, πολύ ωραία! επεδοκίμασεν ο διδάσκαλος.

Αποταθείς δε προς τον τρίτον μαθητήν, απήγγειλεν:

- Ειπέ μοι τα ονόματα των επτά νήσων, εξ ων η Επτάνησος αποτελείται.

Ο τρίτος μαθητής απήντησεν απνευστί και ομαλή τη φωνή, χωρίς να υπεμφαίνει στίξιν ή παρένθεσιν.

- Κέρκυρα, Κορφοί, Λευκάς, Αγία Μαύρα, Παξοί, Ιθάκη, Κεφαλληνία, Ζάκυνθος και Κύθηρα, Τσέριγον.

- Πολύ καλά, επένευσε και πάλιν ο διδάσκαλος. Αύριον να μελετήσετε από δω ως εκεί. (Κι εχάραξε με τον όνυχά του επί του βιβλίου ). Ιεράν Ιστορίαν να κάμετε επανάληψιν το ίδιο, και τρεις αράδες παρακάτω, προσέθηκεν ιδών ότι ελησμόνησε ν’ αλλάξει το μάθημα εις την Ιεράν Ιστορίαν. Πηγαίνετε τώρα!

Έεν των παιδίων είχεν υψώσει τον δάκτυλον, εις σημείον ότι κάτι ήθελε να ειπεί. - Τι θέλεις εσύ ; ηρώτησεν ανυπομόνως ο διδάσκαλος.

- Δάσκαλε, είπε, φέρον την χείρα εις το ούς το παιδίον, γιατί, ενώ το χαρτί μας μέσα λέει ότι η Επτάνησος αποτελείται από επτά νήσους, ύστερα βγαίνουν δέκα στο μέτρημα ;

- Τάς εμέτρησες εσύ ;

- Τές εμέτρησα, να!

Και ήρχισε να μετρεί επί των δακτύλων του, « Κέρκυρα, Κορφοί, Λευκάς, Αγία Μαύρα» κτλ.

Οι άλλοι συμμαθηταί του εγέλων εν χορώ διά την πολυπραγμοσύνην του. Το βέβαιον είναι ότι ουδέποτε είχαν υποπτευθεί ότι είχον οιανδήποτε έννοιαν αι λέξεις, όσαι ήσαν τυπωμέναι εντός των βιβλίων των. Ως δια να «μην τους χαλάσει την καρδιάν», επειδή εγέλων, ο διδάσκαλος έσπευσε ν’ απαντήσει:

- Αυτά θα τα μάθετε όταν…

Ίσως ήθελε να είπει « όταν θα πάτε στο ελληνικό Σχολείο ». Αλλά διεκόπη. Την στιγμή εκείνην επέσυρε την προσοχήν του ο θόρυβος, όν είχε προκαλέσει ο Γιαννιός ο Βρυκολακάκης εις το τελευταίον θρανίον. Ο διδάσκαλος ηγέρθη, εσφύριξε δυνατά με την σφυρίκτραν του, εκτύπησε με την βέργαν επί του πρώτου χωλού θρανίου, έρριψεν το τσιγάρον του. Εκοίταξε το ωρολόγιόν του, είδεν, ότι είναι ενδεκάτη παρά τέταρτον, και διέταξε τον πρωτόσχολον να σημάνει την κατ’ ενορίας κατάταξιν, όπως ψαλεί το σύνηθες άσμα της εξόδου και παύσει το πρωϊνόν μάθημα. 

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ΣΥΝΕΧΙΣΤΕ ΤΗΝ ΑΝΑΓΝΩΣΗ

Η δασκαλομάννα - Βικιθήκη

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ΜΕΤΑΦΡΑΣΗ ΤΟ ΔΙΗΓΗΜΑΤΟΣ  ΣΤΑ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΗ ΜΗΛΙΤΣΗ

 

THE SCHOOL MOTHER*

 

Alexandros Papadiamantis

 

Rendered by Vassilis C. Militsis

 

-          Listen to what I have to say to you! Don’t open a book!...Don’t listen to the teacher!...Don’t be afraid of your fathers!...Beat up your mothers!...

Yannios Vrykolakakis, one of the older pupils, was delivering this philippic to the noisy throng of ten to twelve year-old schoolboys, from the top of the bench, the farthest from the dais of the teacher’s desk. He had been attending school for seven years and he could barely read haltingly though he was already fifteen years old. Recalling those old times, he never ceased to deplore the present situation of schools, where all the schoolchildren were too young – just small fry. Then all the students had been older. “You hadn’t been born in the times when we had another teacher, who is dead now, Flasko, Flasko – the runt (due to his small stature), the tallow-faced!” And shaking his head, he recounted to the little pupils, who listened to him uttering loud exclamations of admiration, how George Sgouras, eighteen years of age, tall, with bristling, curly hair, recalcitrant to the comb, had once beaten up the other teacher, Flasko – the runt, the tallow-faced, cornering him behind his desk and punched him thrice on the stomach; for the teacher had threatened to punish him  by putting him through a trap door under his desk in the dark room, infested with beetles, earwigs, centipedes and no few mice. He went on telling them how the teacher had called together the school committee and demanded that George be expelled; however, the committee objected as they were loath to dissatisfy the family of the burly schoolboy with the bristling hair. But strangely enough, George came to terms with the teacher on this issue, for, though he had attended school for fifteen years, he had barely learned to read (he often confused b with d and m with n). Furthermore, he was consumed by the sweeping desire to break free from those unbearable fetters and embark on his uncle’s vessel. In all likelihood, he had beaten up his teacher on purpose so that he could be expelled. And then the committee persuaded his family to get him to drop out tactfully.

Yannios Vrykolakakis encouraged his fellow pupils to study such propositions of monitorial instruction. On that day he had climbed on the bench and delivered his lecture, which the teacher, bending before his desk, could neither hear as it was being drowned amidst this pandemonium nor could he even see the tall pupil, who keeping his eyes on the teacher’s desk (the latter was sitting at a table under the dais) was taking the necessary precautions and was ready to jump from the bench in case the teacher turned his eyes towards him.

All those occurred when a new teacher had recently entered the classroom and a relative quietness prevailed with only a background buzz similar to the noise of sea swells. This teacher, commonly nicknamed as ‘the school mother’, was a big man with herculean shoulders and arms. But had someone passed at a distance two hundred feet from the school half an hour before, he would have thought that it was a menagerie of jackals of the desert and sundry wild beasts.

The children danced, hopped, capered, yelled, quarreled, laughed or cried. It was summer and the weather was scorchingly hot and sultry. A deafening din was rising from the eight open large windows, the panes of which had been broken, and the most worm eaten shutters hung on rusty hinges. The classroom benches had uneven legs and resembled rafts, moving and bobbing as though sailing amidst waves of children’s heads. The elevated teacher’s dais, its panels rotten and gaping, looked like a derelict boat, stranded by the wind away from the harbor. The class monitor, barefoot, was walking softly and carefully, lest he might fall into the teacher’s disfavor and sink into the darkroom, and occasionally with a mirthful mien or a grave countenance, strove to enforce order. But his whistle, the other symbol of his authority, had been pilfered by Yannios Vrykolakakis, who whistled his head off parodying the absent teacher. The class monitor had been left with only his birch stick, his chief weapon. But even that had been made useless by Yannios Hadjidimitris, Stratis Karathymios and a gang of bold children, who furtively opened the trapdoor of the darkroom, where they knew the teacher had hoarded a batch of sticks. They snatched a number of sticks, which they handed out to their fellows reserving only the most willowy and nipping ones for themselves; the children chasing and hitting one another started a real battle wreaking havoc in the room.

Finally, the teacher, cigarette in mouth, entered the classroom and the class monitor cried out: Attention! Although big, tall and burly, the teacher was quick and nimble. He had come from his fiancée’s, whom he visited three or four times a day, leaving the school on its own. Formerly, the school had also a janitor, but either the school board did not vote for one or the District Prefect did not endorse the appropriation as redundant expenses.

Smoking his cigarette, the teacher rang the bell and asked to examine one of the higher forms. He told six to seven pupils to stand up and asked them:

-          Have you learned your Ηoly Ηistory?

Instead of answering, the pupils bent over their books attempting to crib something. Only at that moment did they realize that they had studied nothing at all of coaly history, as they used to pronounce it.

The first pupil to be examined held the Geography book instead that of the Holy History.

Where’s your Holy History book?

-          Sir, the child faltered scratching his ear; I’ve lost my coaly History book.

-          You’re a truant, a villainous and a naughty pupil! The teacher vented his fury and administering a slight slap on the child’s cheek he turned it red. In the past he used to hit harder; in fact, he broke the birch sticks on the children’s backs. But soon after his engagement, he was loath to be so cruel.

He turned to the second child:

-          Who created the world?

The child replied:

-          God created the world in six days with only his Word.

-          Very good! Said the teacher, and turning to the third pupil he asked:

-          Who was the first man?

-          The first man was Adam, replied the pupil.

-          Very good! Said the teacher.

Then he asked the fourth child.

-          Who and from what was he made?

The child answered:

-          Because of Adam’s sins all people were rendered also sinners and mortals.

-          Very good, well said! Agreed the teacher, who, at that moment, thought of his fiancée.

Then he said again:

-          Now let’s go on to geography.

The seven pupils put the Holy History book into the bottom of their sacks, which dangled on their shoulders, and produced the geography books. They opened them and began to read in a whisper; one could hear a susurrus without, however, making out a word. The oldest pupil, who also represented the class, went to the wall and took down the map, which he placed on the small table at which the teacher liked to sit, hardly ever deciding to step with his long and flat shoes on the rotten planks of the elevated dais.

The teacher lit a second cigarette and began to ask questions about geography.

-          How many islands comprise the Ionian State?

The first pupil replied:

-          The Ionian State is made up of seven islands.

-          Very good, said the teacher.

Then turning to the second pupil, he asked:

-          What authority do these islands belong to?

The pupil answered breathlessly:

-          The Ionian State is the protectorate of Great Britain and is governed by a high commissioner at Corfu, where the Ionian Parliament is seated. There is the renowned Academy in Corfu, too.

-          Well said, very well! The teacher approved.

The he asked the third pupil:

-          Tell me the islands the Ionian State is comprised of.

This pupil, too, responded breathlessly and in an even voice without punctuation marks:

-          Kerkyra, Corfoi, Lefkas, Santa Mavra, Paxoi, Ithaca, Cephallonia, Zante and Cythera, Cerigo.

-          Fine! The teacher praised him again. Tomorrow you ought to study the following passage (and marked it on the book with his nail.) You shall review the Holy History and study three more lines, (he added as he had forgotten to assign the next Holy History lesson.) You are dismissed now!

One of the children raised his hand as he had something to ask:

-          What do you want? Asked the teacher testily.

-          Sir, said the child scratching his ear; the book says the State is made up of seven islands; why then do they come out ten when you count them?

-          Have you counted them yourself?

-          Yes, I have. Here!

And he began counted on his fingers: “Kerkyra, Corfi, Lefkas, Santa Mavra…”

The rest of his schoolmates were laughing in chorus at his being such a busybody. Truly, they had never suspected that the words, printed in their books, meant anything. Because they were laughing, the teacher humored them and laughing himself he hurried to answer:

-          You’ll be taught all these when you…

Perhaps he meant “when you go to high school.” But he was interrupted. His attention was drawn to the racket caused by Yannios Vrykolakakis from the last bench. The teacher rose, blew his whistle loudly, struck his birch stick on the first lame desk and flipped his cigarette onto the floor. He looked at his watch – it was a quarter to eleven – and told the class monitor to call the roster according to the parish the pupils belonged to and sing the accustomed song of ending the morning classes.

 

 *** 

What made the teacher ill at ease was the restriction he imposed on himself to wear his jacket in the summer after he had become engaged. He suffered terribly by the dog days. In summers bygone, not only at home, where he smoked his small pipe, or in the street, where he made his presence with his cigarette in mouth, but also at the coffee-house, where he smoked a couple of hookahs a day, did he appear in his shirt sleeves, wearing only his long vest, half buttoned, flaunting his immense torso as he bent forward. He used to smoke a hookah in the morning, and as soon as he left the hose, he lit a cigarette and checking his watch, stood up and was ready to leave. But then he would change his mind: “A glass of rum would be just fine,” he would say. He drank a couple of glasses and went to the school, where he always stayed in his shirt sleeves. By the end of July, during the exams, he appeared before the committee still in his shirt sleeves. However, in last year’s exams, after constant admonishing and reproaching, the mayor convinced him to wear a jacket; he did wear it after removing his vest first.

 

This year, after the teacher’s engagement, the students enjoyed more comfort and self-indulgence at school, but they were rather dispirited as they lacked many other cherished activities. Throughout the spring, indulging himself in his fiancée, the teacher did not even once take them out to the meadows to play or let them go for a swim at the beach. Joy and elation was felt by the schoolchildren when the magic utterance “the teacher will take us out to play! He’ll take us to the beach for a swim” was propagated throughout the classroom. This sweet rumor replaced all burdensome reading and all laborious spelling.

The schoolchildren exited two by two and hand in hand. They were buzzing happily and heading to the green meadows on the outskirts of the town. There, in groups of fifteen or twenty, they played different games for an hour or so until the setting of the sun. In the meantime, the teacher, his birch stick suspended behind his legs, his whistle swung around his neck and lying on his chest, went from garden to garden, from fig orchard to vineyard, greeting the owners busy with watering the plants, gathering information and giving advice. Then he returned to his ‘flock’, whistled shrilly and at once the games came to a standstill. After that the children were dismissed to go back to their neighborhoods. This occurred until the end of May. In June they all went swimming. The younger boys took off their clothes and dived into the surf. The sea was shallow to a distance of twenty meters from the beach. They waded half-way about one hundred and fifty feet. On reaching that point they turned around before the waves towards the land, thus learning in practice how to swim by slightly touching the sand of the sea bottom with their left legs while plodding towards the beach. In the meanwhile, the teacher, in his shirt sleeves, would sprawl upon the side by the road, leaning on a rock, and smoke his short pipe, which he always carried in his pocket during the school excursions. He charged the housewives – who were returning home from the fields or the vineyards, carrying their primly woven hampers – too eager to please, with apricots, pears and grapes of early crop. Then he would blow his whistle and the young swimmers, already making good progress, had to return to terra firma, begrudging the sudden end of their gentle, wakeful dream.

 

***

Alas! A year later, the teacher was again in his shirt sleeves, but these sleeves gave the impression of a pitch black camisole or a deep dark jacket. The teacher had experienced a double tragedy – both in marriage and death. Sullen and resignedly, he entered the classroom sullenly. He rang protractedly the broken bell, which gave off a raucous sound. This bell was hanging outside the gate on makeshift wooden scaffolding, worm eaten and removed from and an old chapel. The children had broken the bell due to long and ill-timed use or to the throwing of pebbles at it during the breaks for recreation. The teacher, grave and stern, commenced his daily duties. He would first examine his pupils arduously and then taught the lesson instead of assigning homework. In this way he sought to find solace in his work as he had been afflicted by his double wound – his ill marriage and viduity. Assessing the condition of the school building, he had submitted repeated petitions to the mayor, who persuaded the board to endorse the expenditure for the mending of the leaking roof, the replacement of the worm eaten window shutters, the rotten dais and floor. Some lame desks were repaired by himself, but some five to six others were replaced by carpenters. He had also the dark room – the place of punishment – cleaned, where numerous earwigs, beetles and mice foraged in all comfort. He had acquired a new and plentiful supply of birch sticks, which he had already begun to make good use of, as before. He had demanded from the school board that they expel Yannios Vrykolakakis, Stratis Hadjidimitris and a couple of other students on the grounds that they exhibited no aptitude for learning. But he found the board against him.

 

According to the theory expounded by a member of the board and adopted by the majority of parents, the school, in general, has not been founded for the learning of children. The school’s function is to gather both the good kids and the naughty ones – the devil’s spawn. Parents cannot bear having their offspring around from morning to evening. How can poor parents feed and bring them up? They are insatiable – the devils can never have their fill. And besides, is a widow capable of chasing her children from cliff to bluff or from shore to beach to look after them? Therefore, why is the teacher paid? He is paid to undertake this burden so that the parents can be free from their kids’ care. When the children are ‘penned’ at school, parents can save some of their food. Let them eat of the wooden desks; let them eat of the blackboards, the walls and the floor so that their parents can work in peace on their pear, apricot, fig trees and the vineyards. In this way, married women must have a place to dispose of their offspring, as most of their husbands are away all the year round, and each widow must also have a place to secure her insubordinate orphan. Each well-to-do housewife has a place to keep her drake and her gander; and what’s left to the poor woman but her courage and hope, teacher, sir? The teacher was loath to refute all this, and thus he devoted himself to his work as if he sought solace to his mourning.

On the fourth day after the burial of his hapless wife – she had fallen ill and died in forty days after their wedding – the teacher entered the school, grim and silent. After the Morning Prayer, the school monitor order the class to stand to attention. The children aligned along the four walls of the room facing the center. The teacher, birch stick in hands behind him, began the inspection to ascertain the individual cleanliness of his pupils. Most of the kids were unwashed, but they were accustomed to spit on their palms, wetting and rubbing them to make them seem washed. But the widowed teacher bent over to see in more detail; and where he discovered the impromptu washing with the saliva, he wrathfully made use of the stick on their salivated palms. The inspection being over, he admonished them about personal cleanliness and anticipated three days and nights without food in the dark room for anyone unwashed to be eaten by the beetles. But he carefully abstained to refer to expulsion, as someone unfamiliar with the customs of the place would, because he full well knew that the little devils would laugh with such a threat, which would be their freedom and happiness. He also demanded of those who had shoes that they wear them to school from then on.

 *** 

The poor teacher taught his young pupils such edifying, and not wholly ill-advised, things. On that day the classes lasted till midday exactly. The children felt the yoke on their necks, which had become intolerable already since ten o’clock, especially for those who had not foreseen to steal some bread from their homes. The affair tended to be hazardous, for the teacher, as he used to do in the days before his unfortunate betrothal, could search the pockets of the pupils, find and throw the hunks of bread to the chickens that foraged in flocks in the school yard.

At last noon sounded. The school monitor blew his whistle and the pupils two by two began to sing:

Study is over and the time of prayer is come…

 

* Α nickname commonly given to a strict and scrupulous teacher