He knew an endless
multitude of ballads, catches, and old-fashioned, jocose little
pieces. Most of all pleased Liubka the universally familiar
Armenian couplets about Karapet:
"Karapet has a buffet,
On the buffet's a confet,
On the confet's a portret--
That's the self-same Karapet."
[Footnote: Anglice, "confet" is a bon-bon; "portret," a portrait.
--Trans.]
Of these couplets (in the Caucasus they are called kinto-uri--the
song of the peddlers) the prince knew an infinite many, but the
absurd refrain was always one and the same:
"Bravo, bravo, Katenka,
Katerin Petrovna,
Don't you kiss me on the cheek--a,
Kiss the backs of my head."
These couplets Nijeradze always sang in a diminished voice,
preserving on his face an expression of serious astonishment about
Karapet; while Liubka laughed until it hurt, until tears came,
until she had nervous spasms. Once, carried away, she could not
restrain herself and began to chime in with him, and their singing
proved to be very harmonious. Little by little, when she had by
degrees completely ceased to be embarrassed before the prince,
they sang together more and more frequently.
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