ItIsYoubyLevTolstoy
Atyrantcalledforawisemantoaskhim,whatisthebestwaytogetrevenge ontheenemy.
Thetyrant:
-Namemethemostcruel,slowtorture,bymeansofwhichIcouldtorment theoffendertodeath.
Thewiseman:
-Makehimrecognizehissinandleavehimtohisownconscience.
Thetyrant:
-Oh,sothereisaconscience.Listen:mycousinharshlyinsultedmeandI can'tbecheerfulandpeacefulagainuntilIgettherevenge.Ithoughtabout thecruelesttormentsandfoundnothingproportionaltomyanger.
Thewiseman:
-Andyouwillnotfindsuch,becausebynotorturesyoucandestroythe crimeitself,northeonewhocommittedit.Therefore,theonlyreasonable solutionis:toforgive.
Thetyrant:
-IknowthatIcan'tmakethepastdisappear,butwhydoyousaythatI cannotdestroytheoffender?
Thewiseman:
-Noonecandoit.
Thetyrant:
-Whatnonsenseareyoutalkingabout!Look,Icannowdestroyhim,justasI amdestroyingthislamp,whichwillnevershineanymore.
Thewiseman:
-You’vedestroyedthelamp,butnotthelight,becausethelight,whereverit shines,isthesamelightandexistsbyitselfineverything.Youcan'tkillthe offender,becauseyouaretheonewhomyouwouldliketokill.
Thetyrant:
-You'reeithercrazyoraprankster.
Thewiseman:
-Itellyouthetruth,youaretheoffender.
Thetyrant:
-So,Ihaveinsultedmyself,andIhavetodestroymyself,toatoneforthe insult?
Thewiseman:
-Notatall,noevilcanberedeemedbythebloodshed.Toredeemyour insult,you’dhavetodestroythewholehumanity,becauseitistoblame.But eventhen,therewouldbesomethingleftthatoffendsyou,because,asyou rightlysaid,youcan'trevertthepast.
Thetyrant:
-Nomatterhowoddyourwordsare,theyhaveagrainoftruth.Tellmemore clearly.
Thewiseman:
-Lookaroundyourselftoalllivingthingsandsaytohimself:"Thisisall me".Allmenarebrothers,i.e.allpeopleareessentiallyoneandthesame
person.Beforethehighestjustice,thereisnoevilthatwouldnothavebeen punished.Whenyouliftyourhandagainstyourenemy,youbeatyourself, becausetheoffenderandtheoffendedareessentiallyoneandthesame.
Thetyrant:
-Idonotunderstandyou.IrejoiceatthesufferingthatIamcausingmy enemy.Isitpossibleformetobethesameashim?
Thewiseman:
-Youenjoythesuffering,whichyoucauseyourenemy,anddonotfeelit becauseyou'reentangledbythedeceptionofyourvengeful,imaginary personal"I";butifyouwakeuptoyourtrueself,youwillfeelallhis suffering.
Thetyrant:
-Thisseemslikeacrazyquestion.Makemefeelonewiththeoffender.
Thewiseman:
-It'shardtodowhatyouwish,butI'lltry.I'llbringyounowinsuchastatein whichyouwillfeeltheunitywiththemankindinallpeople.
Andthewiseman,havingthisgift,causedinthesoulofthetyrantthesame emotionsandfeelings,asaresultofwhichhisenemyhasinsultedhim.In thisstate,thetyrantrecognizedhimselfastheonewhomhehated,andthe rationalebecamecleartohim,asaresultofwhichhisenemyactedtheway hedid.Fromthispointofview,hecouldn'tfindareasontohatehim,because herealizedthataseparatepersonalityisnotthetruenatureofaman,butthat consciousnessoftheunityofmankindisthebasisofallpersonalities, manifestedinvaryingdegrees.Whenthetyrantreturnedtohispreviousstate, heaskedthewisemanthefollowingquestion.
Thetyrant:
-ShouldItellyouwhatIlearnednow?
Thewiseman:
-Dotell.
Thetyrant:
-Isawtheuniversaltruthasthoughthroughaveilandfoundoutthatbehind thisveilallofhumankindisonecreature,andmyenemiesandfriendsareits members,justlikeyouandI.Hewhooffendsaman,insultsbothusandall mankind.
Thewiseman:
-ThisisthetruthIwantedtoinspireinyou,andwhichisexpressedbythe words:itisyou.
Thetyrant:
-Howtoliveintheworldafterthat?
Thewiseman:
-Theservantserves,tradertrades,warriordefendsthestate,princerules. Eachofthemhashisownassignedactivity.Buttheenlightenedonedoesn't haveanythingtodowithit:whatforothersintheircircleisofhighvalue,it wouldbecrimeandinsanitytotheenlightened.Youhavebecome enlightenednow;yousawnowthebeamoflightwhichshinesforallbutis perceivedonlybyfew,andyoucan'treturnbackintothedarkness.
Thetyrant:
-Helpmefindthepurelight.Idonotwanttobe"I",Idon'twanttowish anythingperishable,wanttobetimeless,impersonal,likeyou...
Shortlythereafter,thetyranthavereconciledwithhisenemy,cametoknow thedestinationandthepurposeofthelife,andwentontheroadleadingto
eternalpeace.
1906
Notes. The dialogue between tyrant and the wise man, called "It is you", a Tolstoy narrated from German based on an article of "Theosophischer Wegweiser" magazine (No 5 Leipzig, 1903). The idea of the dialogue "It is you" - "Das bist du" – inspired Tolstoy three years ago, when he wrote the story "The Assyrian king Assarhadon", which he wrote under the influence of "Das bist du" by an unknown author, as Tolstoy wrote in his letter to Rabinovich. - B.
Sreznevsky