Demons by Alexander Pushkin. Short summary

5 seconds

A traveler and a coachman ride at night through a snow-covered field. A blizzard begins and the horses lose their way. The hero sees demons gathering and hears their lamentation.

1 minute

The traveler rides through a clear field at night. A blizzard begins and the horses lose their way. The traveler is startled by the desolate landscape. He tells the coachman to hurry up, but the latter replies that it is hard for the horses and the blizzard makes his eyes slip.

The coachman believes that a demon is driving them in the field, wishing to destroy the travelers. He blows into the coachman’s eyes and spits on him, pushing the feral horse into a ravine. Suddenly the tired horses stop. The travelers guess what caused the halt — the stump or the wolf.

The horses begin to gallop once more. The hero sees the endless and ugly spirits gathering. The demons twist like leaves in November and sing pitifully. The narrator suggests that they are burying a housekeeper or marrying off a witch. The blizzard’s cries mingle with the shrieks and howls of the demons. The traveler’s heart fills with gloomy forebodings and longing.