Hieromonk Photius won “The Voice” five years ago. After that, he left Leps and called pop music rubbish

Photius (Mochalov)
(born 1985), hieromonk, monk of the Borovsky Pafnutiev Monastery, Kaluga Region, Kaluga Diocese In the world, Vitaly Mochalov, was born on November 11, 1985 in the city of Gorky.

From early childhood I was drawn to singing. As a school student, he attended solo singing classes and performed as part of a boys' ensemble. After my voice broke, I had to give up solo singing and performed as part of a church choir. Graduated from music school, piano class.

His family emigrated to Germany with him and he had to leave his studies at the music school.

He graduated from organist courses in Germany and chose to return to his homeland over a career as a European musician.

In 2005 he entered the Pafnutev-Borovsky Monastery of the Kaluga diocese. From the monastery he went to Moscow to study vocals, where he met the teacher V. Tvardovsky, from whom he took several lessons, and then, with the help of his special technique using a cassette, he continues to study singing. Sometimes Tvardovsky himself comes to the monastery, conducts classes with him, adding more and more serious works to the repertoire.

On August 20, 2010, he was tonsured a monk and given a name in honor of St. Savvaty of Solovetsky in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of Borovsk Pafnutiev Monastery by the monastery’s abbot, Archimandrite Seraphim (Savostyanov), and the monastery’s confessor, Schema-Archimandrite Vlasiy (Peregontsev), became his successor [1].

On January 2, 2011, he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon in the church in honor of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt in the city of Balabanov, Borovsky district, Kaluga region, by Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsky Clement (Kapalin) [2].

On August 24, 2012, he was tonsured a monk and given a name in honor of the holy martyr Photius of Nicomedia in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of Borovsk Pafnutiev Monastery by the monastery’s abbot, Archimandrite Seraphim, and the monastery’s confessor, Schema-Archimandrite Blasius, became his successor [3].

On April 28, 2013, he was ordained to the rank of hieromonk in the Trinity Cathedral of the city of Kaluga by Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk [4].

On December 25, 2015, he won the final of the Russian vocal television show of the “Voice” project, which aired on Channel One. Father Photius associates his appearance in the project with a kind of missionary calling on people to improve and grow spiritually with the help of their heritage in the form of classical romances and opera music. I received a blessing to participate in the show, after two years of persuasion and explanations, from the ruling bishop of the Kaluga diocese, Metropolitan. Clement (Kapalin) and his confessor, schema-archim. Vlasiya (Peregontseva).

In parallel with his ministry, he does not give up his creativity, writes music, plays the piano, sings in the church choir, studies foreign languages, is interested in photography and is engaged in computer layout.

Biography

Hieromonk Photius is a monk, regent of the monastery choir, winner of the television show “The Voice” and the only Russian clergyman who gained popularity after participating in a music television show. The monk is meticulous about the selection of material for performance. Photius’s repertoire includes listeners’ favorite Russian romances, classic pop hits of the last century, arias from popular operas, rock classics and recognized foreign hits.

Project "Voice-4"

For the first time in the history of the television show “The Voice,” a priest appeared as a contestant. Hieromonk Photius performed “Lensky’s Aria” during the “blind audition”. This is a rather difficult composition to perform from the opera “Eugene Onegin”.

According to the hieromonk, he was blessed to participate in the competition by his spiritual father, Schema-Archimandrite Blasius. He provides Photius with prayerful support. The brethren of the monastery, along with Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, also happily supported participation in the show.

Hieromonk Photius ended up on the team of Grigory Leps, who turned to him after a “blind audition.” The priest says that he expected to get into the team of Alexander Gradsky, since academic performance is closest to him.

The jury members greeted the unusual contestant very warmly. Alexander Gradsky defended the priest when Grigory Leps asked him provocative questions. And Vasily Vakulenko (Basta) took a blessing from Father Photius at the end of the competition.

In the last stages of the most popular musical project in Russia, Hieromonk Photius justified the trust of Leps, who accepted him into his team. In the quarter-finals, the musician captivated the audience and the jury with the song “On the Road to Zagorsk”; in the final, Photius performed “Good night, gentlemen” and sang “Labyrinth” in a duet with Grigory Leps.

For the first time in four seasons, the Voice project was won by a clergyman. As the winner's song, Photius chose not the Russian romances that brought the monk victory; the musician performed the foreign composition “Per te”.

Patriarch Kirill approved the victory and congratulated the hieromonk. In his congratulatory speech, the head of the Church reminded Photius of his monastic obligations and asked him to maintain his spirit and spiritual state. According to the patriarch, Photius’ fans appreciated not only the monk’s voice, television viewers voted for the image itself and were drawn to holiness. The monk proved that pop singing and serving the Church are compatible and can bear fruit, but now both believers and non-believers are wary of how the fame and popularity of the monk-musician will change.

Time will tell how the creative biography of the hieromonk will further develop.

Childhood and youth

Vitaly Mochalov was born in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) on November 11, 1985 into a non-religious family. At school age he attended a local music school, where he studied vocals and piano. In addition, the boy sang in the school choir and often performed as a soloist. Since childhood, Mochalov dreamed of becoming a composer and writing music and songs. As a teenager, when his voice began to break, Vitaly attended church school, where he also sang in the choir.

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Hieromonk Photius (Vitaly Mochalov) in childhood with his younger brother Pavel
After graduating from junior high school, Mochalov entered the local music school, where he chose the department of music theory. But he only managed to study for one year. Together with his family, the young man emigrated to the German city of Kaiserslautern. There Vitaly did not give up music and singing: he learned to play the organ. The young musician took part in organ concerts and earned money by playing this instrument at Catholic and Protestant services.

Links

• Leading	Dmitry Nagiev
  Mentors
  Former	Pelageya (1-3) • Alexander Gradsky (1-4) • Basta (4)

  "Voice. Children"
  Seasons	Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4
  Presenters	Dmitry Nagiyev • Natalia Vodianova (season 1) • Anastasia Chevazhevskaya (season 2) • Valeria Lanskaya (season 3)
  Mentors

Monasticism

After 3 years, Vitaly returned to Russia and entered the service at the Borovsky Nativity of the Virgin Mary St. Paphnutyev Monastery in the Kaluga region. There, a worldly young man took monastic vows and first became a monk under the name Savvaty.

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Hieromonk Photius
At the beginning of 2011 he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon, and in 2012 he was tonsured into the mantle under the name Photius. In mid-2013, Photius received the rank of hieromonk.

Subsequently, Hieromonk Photius became regent of the St. Paphnutian Monastery.

Return to Russia

2005 was a turning point in Vitaly’s life. He returns to Russia and settles in the Borovsky Monastery, where the young man is accepted into the Pafnutiev brotherhood. Archimandrite Vlasiy (Peregontsev) himself became his spiritual mentor, who blessed the opening of professional singing training at the monastery.

Professional teacher-vocalist Viktor Tvardovsky devoted a lot of time to developing and strengthening the voice of the future winner of the “Voice” competition in 2021. Singing became a hobby for the young novice. The difficult monastic life more than once evoked the desire to compromise; life in a small cell and the desire to sing were in constant struggle.

Interesting! Having gone through the hard work of a novice, Vitaly makes the final decision to become a monk, and if God pleases, then to give up his dream of singing. The loving Lord accepted Vitaly’s sacrifice, blessing him to improve his unique voice.

Music and TV projects

The love for music and singing did not leave him. Photius, a resident of the St. Paphnute Monastery, rediscovered singing when he began attending lessons with vocal teacher Viktor Tvardovsky, who trained monastic singers. According to Photius, he took a course from his Moscow teacher using his original method and was able to “tune” his voice.

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Hieromonk Photius in the show “The Voice”
Later, priest Photius studied vocals for several years, using Tvardovsky’s exercises, specially developed for him and recorded on tape. Having developed his vocal skills, the performer began giving chamber concerts, and also released 2 discs, which included cover versions of a number of popular songs.

In 2013, Photius decided to participate in the “Voice” project. The hieromonk applied for the show back in season 2 and received an invitation to the casting, but did not dare to ask for the blessing of Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk. The monk did not appear on the TV show this year. In 2015, Photius again sent an application and again received an invitation. This time, Channel One wrote an official letter addressed to the Metropolitan, in which he asked to release monk Photius to participate in the music competition. Permission was received, and Photius appeared in the Voice.

Hieromonk Photius - “Lensky’s Aria”

For the first time in the history of the television show “The Voice,” a priest appeared as a contestant. Hieromonk Photius performed “Lensky’s Aria” at the “Blind Auditions”. This is a difficult composition to perform from the opera “Eugene Onegin”.

According to the hieromonk, he was blessed to participate in the competition by his spiritual father, Schema-Archimandrite Blasius. He provides Photius with prayerful support. The brethren of the monastery, along with Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, also happily supported participation in the show.

Hieromonk Photius ended up in the team of Grigory Leps, who turned to him after the “Blind Auditions”. The priest says that he expected to get into the team of Alexander Gradsky, since academic performance is closest to him.

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Hieromonk Photius and Grigory Leps
The jury members warmly welcomed the unusual contestant. Alexander Gradsky defended the priest when Grigory Leps asked him provocative questions. And Vasily Vakulenko (Basta) took a blessing from Father Photius at the end of the competition.

In the last stages of the most popular musical project in Russia, Hieromonk Photius justified the trust of Leps, who accepted him into his team. From the first performances, the performer confidently walked towards victory. At the “Fights” stage, he performed in a duet with Ella Khrustaleva, singing the musical hit “Canto della terra”. During the “Knockouts” he managed to get ahead of his rivals thanks to Mikhail Glinka’s romance “I Remember a Wonderful Moment.”

Hieromonk Photius and Ella Khrustaleva - “Canto della terra”

In the quarter-finals, the musician captivated the audience and the jury with the song “On the Road to Zagorsk”; in the semi-finals, he presented to the audience the male version of the romance based on Marina Tsvetaeva’s poems “Requiem” (“Monologue”); in the final, Photius performed “Good night, gentlemen” and sang in a duet with Grigory Leps “Labyrinth”.

For the first time in 4 seasons, the “Voice” project was won by a clergyman. As the winner's song, Photius chose not the Russian romances that brought the monk victory, but performed the foreign composition “Per te.”

Hieromonk Photius and Gregory Leps - “Labyrinth”

Patriarch Kirill approved the victory and congratulated the hieromonk. In his congratulatory speech, the head of the Church reminded Photius of his monastic obligations and asked him to maintain his spirit and spiritual state. According to the patriarch, Photius’ fans appreciated not only the monk’s voice, television viewers voted for the image itself and were drawn to holiness. The monk proved that pop singing and serving the Church are compatible and can bear fruit, but now both believers and non-believers are wary of how the fame and popularity of the monk-musician will change.

At the beginning of 2021, fans of the singing monk were worried about the danger of not hearing Photius again. The media received information that the clergy banned him from continuing to participate in concerts and music festivals. In September, the issue of the hieromonk was discussed at a meeting of abbots and abbesses in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

Hieromonk Photius - “Good night, gentlemen”

The clergy were concerned that the monk had gained popularity, enjoyed fame and earned a lot of capital. The indignation of the hierarchs was caused not even by Photius’s songs, but by the fact that he gives interviews, becoming the unofficial voice of the church. For example, when asked by journalists why he started singing, the monk complained about boredom in the monastery.

The conflict was resolved by Patriarch Kirill. He allowed Photius to continue performing, since the popularity of the monk, according to the patriarch, attracted fans to the Orthodox faith. In addition, the funds collected at the concerts, for which the hieromonk was accused of raising capital, went towards the restoration of churches in need of financial assistance.

The latest news from the life of the hieromonk only pleases his fans. Photius gives concerts in Russian cities, and the church leadership is no longer trying to ban the monk’s musical activities.

“Evening Urgant” - Hieromonk Photius

On March 18, 2016, the monk appeared on Channel One in the TV show “Evening Urgant”. In the talk show, the hieromonk did not refuse to sing and performed the composition “Alejate”.

On April 16, 2021, the monk again appeared on television in the Orthodox program “Soulful Supper” with Abbot Luke.

On May 16, Hieromonk Photius gave a concert in Kirov on the stage of the Rodina Palace of Culture. Before the performance, the musician visited the Alexander Church, where he asked permission to play the organ. The hieromonk studied to play this instrument, but for 16 years he did not have the opportunity to touch the organ again.

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After permission was received, Photius performed overtures by Johann Sebastian Bach, and also played together with musician Alexander Tevelev. The hieromonk shared his joy on this occasion with his fans through his Instagram account.

On May 31, the monk spoke in Pskov. The musician performed old romances and pop hits. On June 7, 2021, the singer gave a solo concert in Moscow, at Crocus City Hall. Photius’s guests were his colleagues from “The Voice” - Vitold Petrovsky, Gela Guralia, Renata Volkievich. Later in the interview, the hieromonk mentioned that it was the first time he spoke in front of such a large audience, which was exciting for him.

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A year later, the premiere of Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev’s) oratorio “St. Matthew Passion” took place there, where the tenor role was performed by the monk Photius. The concert was attended by 350 musicians, among whom were artists from 5 choirs, instrumentalists and soloists.

Since the end of the “Voice” project, the singer’s repertoire has been replenished with works of various genres and eras. Among the rock compositions performed by the monk are the hits “Maybe I, maybe you” by the Scorpions group, “The City That Doesn’t exist” by Igor Kornelyuk, and “Love of my life” by Freddie Mercury. Photius also learned the Georgian song “Tbiliso” and the Norwegian “Teach me Your ways.” Together with composer Alexander Morozov he recorded the songs “Crimson Ring” and “Upper Room”, and Evgeny Krylatov gave the musician the composition “Be with me”.

Hieromonk Photius - “Be with me”

Photius visited the cities of Belarus, Uzbekistan, Germany, and the USA with concerts. The singer also released a record that included 15 romances by Russian composers - Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, Mikhail Glinka.

In a conversation with reporters, the hieromonk reports that he will no longer participate in music television shows. “The Voice” became the springboard for his creative biography that allowed him to raise the bar of vocal excellence. Today, Photius’s musical life is eventful, which is reflected in his attendance at monastic services. Despite the fact that the musician is often absent from the monastery, the authorities look at his concert activities condescendingly.

Temptation in music

Father Photius also spoke about the great temptation in music to “appropriate God’s gift for oneself.”

“It is clear that it was given to us free of charge. But completely relying only on yourself to realize your talent is a sin. This is where star fever, arrogance and vanity arise,” he is sure.

After winning the show “The Voice,” the hieromonk himself was accused of having lost his way after gaining national fame. They even say about him that he performs supposedly because of boredom in the monastery.

Patriarch Kirill is confident that Photius’s activities are a kind of missionary work and many young people became interested in Orthodoxy after his appearance in Golos. The money that the priest collects at concerts goes to help temples and churches.

Personal life

The personal life of Hieromonk Photius is service to the church and spiritual life. The priest's associates claim that he has a strong character, although he looks like a rather soft and even shy person. At one time, while in the monastery, he was forced to decide to serve in the army. But due to vision problems, he was refused.

“While everyone is at home” - Visiting Hieromonk Photius

Photiy (Vitaly Mochalov) knows German and English very well. He also performs songs in Georgian, Japanese, Italian and Serbian. In his free time he works in the monastery publishing house, doing layout and design. The monk is also interested in creating photos and video editing.

After winning the TV show “The Voice,” Photius was forced to begin leading a secular life along with the life of a monk. The hieromonk has a personal page and an official group on VKontakte, an account on Instagram, a microblog on Twitter and an official channel on YouTube, where videos from the hieromonk’s speeches are posted.

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Photius also regularly broadcasts on Periscope, where he discusses everyday topics with fans, arranges video walks, shows how he prepares dinner or drives a car. For believers, such activity has become an argument in favor of the fact that the Church can be modern, close and interesting to young people.

The monk has a good sense of humor. For example, Photius posted a video on Instagram where a musician performs a romance into a microphone, and then calmly eats the device - the microphone turned out to be chocolate. His subscribers appreciated the joke.

Missionary activities of Father Photius

Plunging into the life of the world, the hieromonk saw the full depth of human problems. Few could have imagined that his outward gentleness covered a strong personality, which was capable of not only thinking about people's problems, but also doing everything possible to sow Christian faith and purity in the world.

The videos and documentaries he created are part of a fresh spiritual world, revealing to the world the sin of abortion, civil marriage, immoral lifestyle and the beauty of staying in a monastery. The films of the godly servant of God take part in competitions and are seen by millions of people.

Fame and fame did not change the modest habits of the hieromonk, who managed to adapt to modern life:

• mastered computer technology;
• studied several languages, speaks English and German perfectly;
• He performs Georgian, Italian and Japanese songs.

The Periscope program raised its rating thanks to the participation of Father Photius, who is always ready to answer the most provocative questions, talk about cooking and driving.

Fotiy Mochalov maintains his own video blog

Openness and willingness to communicate have changed young people's perception of the church as something ancient and boring. Sometimes popularity and publicity tire a priest, and he dreams of solitude and one-on-one communication with the Creator.

Hieromonk Photius showed the priesthood and the world that the love of God can also be demonstrated by the worship of music, combining such manifestations as the beauty of singing and the special warmth poured into the wounded hearts of the rebellious world.

Hieromonk Photius now

Now the winner of the “Voice” project continues to combine serving God and concert activities. At the beginning of 2021, the singer managed to visit Kaliningrad, Ufa, and the Christmas concert in Perm. Photius had the honor of opening the anniversary concert of composer Alexander Morozov.

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Hieromonk Photius in 2021
At the end of February, he performed for the first time in the theater hall of MMDM with the program “An Evening of Romance”. The concert featured the works “Lark”, “Lilac”, “It’s Good Here”, “Sad Night”, “Not the Wind, Blowing from the Heights” and other works by Russian composers.

The next performance of the oratorio “St. Matthew Passion” is scheduled for April, in which Hieromonk Photius again took part.

Concerns of the monastery governor

The priest's speech made many reconsider their attitude towards religion; people saw that faith in God is alive and active. Patriarch Kirill presented the priest’s speeches and victory as a new type of missionary bringing the Gospel to people.

According to the abbot of the Pafnutyevo-Borovsk monastery, Bishop Seraphim (Savostyanov), after the missionary performance of Hieromonk Photius, young people began to appear in churches more often and became interested in churching, but the confessor fears for the spiritual life of Photius himself.

The enormous glory that literally fell on a humble and modest monk could become a weapon in the hands of the devil. Broadcasting songs performed by a monk on all channels in the country could lead to fans displaying vanity and pride.

At the beginning of 2021, the priests did not give their blessing to the priest’s concert activities. This issue was raised on September 22, 2021 during the abbot’s meeting in Moscow.

Hieromonk Photius sings in the church choir

To the appeal of Abbot Paphnutius, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' responded that this victory gave birth in the hearts of people to people’s love for the priest, and through his songs the Orthodox faith is also revealed to humanity.

The priest Photius himself sees the hand of God in his victory; he accepts all criticism, prays a lot and is grateful to the elders for their prayerful support. He perfectly understands all the responsibility to the Creator and people, so as not to lose the honor of the church.

Hieromonk Photius spends a lot of time traveling and concerts, but at the same time he does not shy away from monastic obediences, carries out his monastic feat with humility, giving the lion's share of concert income to the restoration and maintenance of churches.

Excerpt characterizing Photius (Mochalov)

- I?
Yes, yes, absolutely,” Petya cried, blushing almost to tears, looking at Denisov. Again, while Dolokhov was arguing with Denisov about what should be done with the prisoners, Petya felt awkward and hasty; but again I did not have time to fully understand what they were talking about. “If big, famous people think so, then it must be so, therefore it’s good,” he thought. “And most importantly, Denisov must not dare to think that I will obey him, that he can command me.” I will definitely go with Dolokhov to the French camp. He can do it and so can I.” To all Denisov’s urgings not to travel, Petya replied that he, too, was used to doing everything carefully, and not Lazar’s at random, and that he never thought about danger to himself. “Because,” you yourself must agree, “if you don’t know correctly how many there are, the lives of maybe hundreds depend on it, but here we are alone, and then I really want this, and I will definitely, definitely go, you won’t stop me.” “, he said, “it will only get worse... Dressed in French greatcoats and shakos, Petya and Dolokhov drove to the clearing from which Denisov looked at the camp, and, leaving the forest in complete darkness, went down into the ravine. Having driven down, Dolokhov ordered the Cossacks accompanying him to wait here and rode at a fast trot along the road to the bridge. Petya, transfixed with excitement, rode next to him. “If we get caught, I won’t give up alive, I have a gun,” Petya whispered. “Don’t speak Russian,” Dolokhov said in a quick whisper, and at that same moment a cry was heard in the darkness: “Qui vive?” [Who's coming?] and the ringing of a gun. Blood rushed to Petya's face, and he grabbed the pistol. “Lanciers du sixieme, [Lancers of the sixth regiment.],” said Dolokhov, without shortening or increasing the horse’s stride. The black figure of a sentry stood on the bridge. – Mot d'ordre? [Feedback?] – Dolokhov held his horse and rode at a walk. – Dites donc, le colonel Gerard est ici? [Tell me, is Colonel Gerard here?] - he said. – Mot d'ordre! - Without answering, the sentry said, blocking the road. “Quand un officier fait sa ronde, les sentinelles ne demandent pas le mot d'ordre...” Dolokhov shouted, suddenly flushing, running his horse into the sentry. – Je vous demande si le colonel est ici? [When the officer goes around the chain, the sentries do not ask for feedback... I ask, is the colonel here?] And, without waiting for an answer from the guard who stood aside, Dolokhov walked up the hill at a walk. Noticing the black shadow of a man crossing the road, Dolokhov stopped this man and asked where the commander and officers were? This man, a soldier with a sack on his shoulder, stopped, came close to Dolokhov’s horse, touching it with his hand, and simply and friendlyly said that the commander and officers were higher on the mountain, on the right side, in the farm yard (that’s what he called the master’s estate). Having driven along the road, on both sides of which French conversation could be heard from the fires, Dolokhov turned into the courtyard of the manor’s house. Having passed through the gate, he dismounted from his horse and approached a large blazing fire, around which several people were sitting, talking loudly. Something was boiling in a pot on the edge, and a soldier in a cap and blue overcoat, kneeling, brightly illuminated by the fire, stirred it with a ramrod. “Oh, c'est un dur a cuire, [You can’t deal with this devil.]” said one of the officers sitting in the shadows on the opposite side of the fire. “Il les fera marcher les lapins... [He will get through them...],” said another with a laugh. Both fell silent, peering into the darkness at the sound of the steps of Dolokhov and Petya, approaching the fire with their horses. - Bonjour, messieurs! [Hello, gentlemen!] - Dolokhov said loudly and clearly. The officers stirred in the shadow of the fire, and one, a tall officer with a long neck, walked around the fire and approached Dolokhov. – C'est vous, Clement? - he said. – D'ou, diable... [Is that you, Clément? Where the hell...] ​​- but he did not finish, having learned his mistake, and, frowning slightly, as if he were a stranger, he greeted Dolokhov, asking him how he could serve. Dolokhov said that he and a friend were catching up with their regiment, and asked, turning to everyone in general, if the officers knew anything about the sixth regiment. Nobody knew anything; and it seemed to Petya that the officers began to examine him and Dolokhov with hostility and suspicion. Everyone was silent for a few seconds. “Si vous comptez sur la soupe du soir, vous venez trop tard, [If you are counting on dinner, then you are late.],” said a voice from behind the fire with a restrained laugh. Dolokhov replied that they were full and that they needed to move on at night. He gave the horses to the soldier who was stirring the pot, and squatted down by the fire next to the long-necked officer. This officer, without taking his eyes off, looked at Dolokhov and asked him again: what regiment was he in? Dolokhov did not answer, as if he had not heard the question, and, lighting a short French pipe, which he took out of his pocket, asked the officers how safe the road was from the Cossacks ahead of them. “Les brigands sont partout, [These robbers are everywhere.],” answered the officer from behind the fire. Dolokhov said that the Cossacks were terrible only for such backward people as he and his comrade, but that the Cossacks probably did not dare to attack large detachments, he added questioningly. Nobody answered. “Well, now he’ll leave,” Petya thought every minute, standing in front of the fire and listening to his conversation. But Dolokhov again began the conversation that had stopped and directly began asking how many people they had in the battalion, how many battalions, how many prisoners. Asking about the Russian prisoners who were with their detachment, Dolokhov said: “La vilaine affaire de trainer ces cadavres apres soi.” Vaudrait mieux fusiller cette canaille, [It’s a bad thing to carry these corpses around with you. It would be better to shoot this bastard.] - and laughed loudly with such a strange laugh that Petya thought the French would now recognize the deception, and he involuntarily took a step away from the fire. No one responded to Dolokhov’s words and laughter, and the French officer, who was not visible (he was lying wrapped in an overcoat), stood up and whispered something to his comrade. Dolokhov stood up and called to the soldier with the horses. “Will they serve the horses or not?” - Petya thought, involuntarily approaching Dolokhov. The horses were brought in. “Bonjour, messieurs, [Here: farewell, gentlemen.],” said Dolokhov. Petya wanted to say bonsoir [good evening] and could not finish the words. The officers were whispering something to each other. Dolokhov took a long time to mount the horse, which was not standing; then he walked out of the gate. Petya rode beside him, wanting and not daring to look back to see whether the French were running or not running after them. Having reached the road, Dolokhov drove not back into the field, but along the village. At one point he stopped, listening. - Do you hear? - he said. Petya recognized the sounds of Russian voices and saw the dark figures of Russian prisoners near the fires. Going down to the bridge, Petya and Dolokhov passed the sentry, who, without saying a word, walked gloomily along the bridge, and drove out into the ravine where the Cossacks were waiting. Source - ""

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