: The tribe is driven into a poisonous dark forest. The young man volunteers to take people out, but the path is terrible, and they begin to murmur. Then he rips out his flaming heart, lights up his path and dies, leading the tribe out of the forest.

The legend of Danko is an excerpt from the third part of Maxim Gorky's story “The Old Woman Isergil”. The title of the passage is conditional; in the original it is not entitled in any way.

In the old days there lived a tribe of cheerful, strong and courageous people. Impenetrable forests surrounded their camp on three sides, and the steppe stretched from the fourth. Once stronger tribes appeared from the steppe and drove these people into the depths of the forest, where the branches of centuries-old trees did not let in sunlight, and poisonous fumes rose from the marshes.

People began to get sick and die. It was necessary to leave the forest, but there were strong enemies behind, and marshes and stone giant trees blocking the road ahead, creating a “ring of strong darkness” around people. When the wind flew, "the whole forest was droning humming, as if threatening and singing a funeral song to those people."

People could return to the steppe and fight to the death, but they could not die, because they had covenants that were not supposed to disappear. For long nights, people sat "in the poisonous stench of the swamp" and thought.

Nothing - neither work, nor women exhaust the bodies and souls of people in the same way as depressing thoughts.

The cry of women over the dead and over the fate of the living has created fear in the hearts of men.The cowardly words that we must return to the steppe and become slaves of the strongest sounded louder.

And then the young handsome Danko stood up and said that we had to go through this forest, because "everything in the world has an end." So much “power and living fire” shone in his eyes that people believed and followed him.

Their path was difficult, people died in the greedy mouths of the swamps, and the forest twisted their branches so tightly that every step was difficult. Soon, the exhausted people began to murmur at Danko, but he walked in front "and was vigorous and clear."

Once a thunderstorm began, and impenetrable darkness fell on the forest. It seemed to people that from the darkness of the branches "something terrible, dark and cold" was looking at them. The tribe lost courage, but people were ashamed to admit their own powerlessness, and they took out evil on Danko - "they began to reproach him for his inability to control them."

To the triumphant noise of the forest, tired and angry people began to judge Danko, calling him insignificant and harmful. Danko replied that he led them, because he felt in himself the courage to lead. These people were not able to save strength on a long journey and simply walked like a flock of sheep.

Then people wanted to kill Danko, and their faces became like the faces of animals, there was neither kindness nor nobility in them. Out of pity for the fellow tribesmen, Danko's heart flashed with fire of desire to help them, and the rays of this mighty fire sparkled in his eyes.

Seeing how Danko’s eyes were burning, people decided that he was furious, wary and began to surround him in order to seize and kill him. Danko understood their intention and became bitter, and his heart flared up even brighter.

Desiring to do something for people, Danko “tore his chest with his hands”, ripped out his flaming heart and held it high above his head.

And the whole forest fell silent, illuminated by this torch of great love for people, and the darkness scattered from his light, and there, deep in the forest, trembling, fell in the rotten throat of the swamp.

Danko led the enchanted people forward, illuminating the path with a flaming heart. And now people died, "but died without complaints and tears." Suddenly the forest parted, and the tribe saw a wide steppe full of sun, space and clean air.

And Danko looked at the steppe, laughed joyfully and died. His heart was still burning near his body. Some cautious man saw this and, frightened by something, “stepped on his proud heart with his foot”. It crumbled into sparks and died out.

Sometimes blue sparks appear in the steppe before a thunderstorm. These are the remains of Danko's burning heart.