New
sufferings
‘But he´s a
decent chap,’said Svejk. ‘He´s only here because he didn´t want to joint up.
He´s against the war, belongs to some kind of sect and he´s been gaoled because
he didn´t want to kill people. He keeps God´s commandment, but they´re going to
make God´s commandment hot for him.Before the war there was a fellow called
Nemrava living in Moravia who didn´t even want to take a rifle on his shoulder,
and when he was called up he said that it was against his principles to carry a
rifle. Because of that he was gaoled until he was blue in the fase and then
brought up again to take the oath. But he said he wouldn´t do it as it was
against his principles and he held out so long that he got away with it.’
Svejk´s
Budejovice Anabasis
‘Excellent.
And you didn´t happen to ask them for example
how many men there would be in a regiment and how they were distributed?’
‘No, I
didn´t ask that because I knew it by heart ages ago.’
‘And so
you´re perfectly informed about the composition of our army?’
‘Of course,
sargeant.’
And the
sargeant now played his last Trump, looking around triumphantly at his
gendarmes:
‘Do you
speak Russian?’
Svejk batman to Lieutinant Lukás
And so it
happened that the Good soldier Svejk could report to the lieutenant when he
returnedfrom the barracks: ‘Humbly report, sir,I´ve fulfilled all the lady´swishes
and served her decently according to your orders.’
‘Thank you,
Svejk,’replied the lieutenant. ‘And did she have lots of whishes?’
‘About six,’
answered Svejk.’And now she is sleeping as though quite exhausted by the ride.
I did obey her slightest whim, sir.’
(Pag. 183)
Jaroslav Hasek describes with
delicate humor in this passage Svejk's idiocy or wisdom, depending on how you
look at it.
The brave soldier obeys his
superior's orders to the letter: You must behave gallantly and serve her
decently.
The orders he receives from the
lieutenant are precise and clear: Svejk must comply with the lady's wishes
'politely and tactfully', and the subordinate complies as best he knows how.
From my Borstal
LDR
The Good Soldier Svejk AND HIS
FORTUNES IN THE WORLD WAR.- Jaroslav
Hasek.- Penguin Books, London, 1973 (Translation from the Czech by Cecil Parrot
with the original illustrations by Josef Lada)
