This philosophical short prose piece finds Ivan Bunin reflecting on death and the meaning of his life's work late in his career , using a story by Guy de Maupassant as a frame. The central figure is Bernard, Maupassant’s boatman, described as thin, energetic, meticulous, and an excellent sailor. Bunin elevates Bernard's dying declaration—"I believe I was a good sailor" —into a profound statement about sacred duty. The work argues that God gives every person a "gift" (talent or function), and diligently executing that purpose, no matter how humble (like maintaining a clean ship and immediately wiping a drop of water off the metal ), brings joy, pride, and spiritual fulfillment. Bunin, as an artist, hopes he has earned the right in his final days to say something similar about his own contributions.