The Upas Tree by Alexander Pushkin. Short summary

5 seconds

In the desert stands the poisonous Anchar. The ruler sends a servant to bring the poisonous resin. The servant carries out his orders and dies. The king smears the poison on the arrows he has brought for his neighbors.

1 minute

In the stingy heat-hot desert stands a lone sentinel, Anchar. In a day of wrath he was birthed by the nature of the thirsty steppes. The dead green of its branches and roots is impregnated with poison. It exudes from the bark of the tree and solidifies in the evening as a thick transparent resin.

No beast or bird approaches Anchar, only a black whirlwind swoops down on the tree and flees away. The rain waters the tree’s dormant leaves, after which poisonous drops drip from its branches.

The ruler sends a servant to Anchar with a commanding look and he sets off. In the morning he returns, bringing with him the poisonous resin. The traveler becomes weak, lies down in the hut and dies at the feet of his lord. The king smears poison on his arrows, which should bring destruction to his neighbors in foreign lands.