I. Princess Trubetskaya
PART ONE
Calm, durable and light
A wonderfully well-coordinated carriage;
The count-father himself more than once, not twice
Tried it first.
Six horses harnessed to it,
The lantern inside was lit.
The count himself corrected the pillows,
I made a bear cavity at my feet,
Making a prayer, scapular
Hung in the right corner
And - sobbed ... Princess-daughter
Going somewhere tonight...
Yes, we tear the heart in half
To each other, but, dear,
Tell me, what else can we do?
Can you help melancholy!
One who could help us
Now... I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
Bless your own daughter
And let go in peace!
God knows, see you again
Alas! there is no hope.
Forgive and know: your love,
Your last testament
I will remember deeply
On the far side…
I don't cry, but it's not easy
To part with you!
Oh, God knows! .. But the duty is different,
And higher and harder
He's calling me... Forgive me, my dear!
Don't cry in vain!
Far is my way, hard is my way,
My fate is terrible
But I dressed my chest with steel ...
Be proud - I'm your daughter!
Forgive me too, my native land,
Sorry, unfortunate land!
And you ... oh fatal city,
Nest of kings... farewell!
Who has seen London and Paris
Venice and Rome
That you do not seduce with brilliance,
But you were loved by me -
Happy my youth
Passed within your walls
I loved your balls
Catania from the steep mountains,
Loved the shine of your Neva
In the evening silence
And this square in front of her
With a hero on horseback...
I can't forget... Then, then
Will tell our story...
And you be damned, gloomy house,
Where is the first quadrille
I danced... That hand
So far it burns my hand ...
Rejoice………………………
………………………….»
Calm, strong and light,
A cart rolls by the city.
All in black, deathly pale,
The princess rides in it alone,
And the father's secretary (in crosses,
To instill dear fear)
With servants galloping ahead ...
Fistula with a whip, shouting: "Fall!"
The coachman passed the capital ....
The path lay far for the princess,
It was a harsh winter...
At every station
The traveler comes out: “Hurry
Harness your horses!"
And sprinkles with a generous hand
Chervonets of Yamskaya's servants.
But the path is hard! On the twentieth day
Barely arrived in Tyumen,
They rode for another ten days,
“We will soon see the Yenisei, -
The secretary said to the princess,
The sovereign does not go like that! .. "
Forward! Soul full of sadness
The road is getting harder
But dreams are peaceful and easy -
She dreamed of her youth.
Wealth, shine! high house
On the banks of the Neva
Staircase upholstered with carpet
Lions in front of the entrance
The magnificent hall is elegantly decorated,
The lights are all on fire.
O joy! now a children's ball,
Chu! the music is booming!
Scarlet ribbons were woven into her
In two blond braids,
Flowers, outfits brought
Unseen beauty.
Papa came - gray, blush, -
Invites her to guests.
"Well, Katya! miracle sundress!
He will drive everyone crazy!
She loves, loves without limits.
Spinning in front of her
Flower garden of cute children's faces,
Heads and curls.
Children are dressed up like flowers,
Smarter old people:
Plumes, ribbons and crosses,
With the sound of heels ...
Dancing, jumping child,
Not thinking about anything
And childhood frisky joking
Sweeps… Then
Another time, another ball
She dreams: in front of her
A handsome young man is standing
He whispers something to her...
Then again balls, balls ...
She is their mistress
They have dignitaries, ambassadors,
They have all the fashionable light ...
“Oh dear! why are you so gloomy?
What is in your heart?
- “Child! I'm bored with social noise
Let's go, let's go!"
And so she left
With your chosen one.
Before her is a wonderful country,
Before her - eternal Rome…
Oh! what would we remember life -
If we don't have those days
When, having snatched away somehow
From your homeland
And passing the boring north,
Let's go south.
Needs before us, rights over us
No one ... Himself-friend
Always only with those who are dear to us,
We live as we want;
Today we look at the ancient temple,
Tomorrow we will visit
Palace, ruins, museum...
How fun though
Share your thoughts
With your favorite being!
Under the spell of beauty
In the power of strict thoughts,
You wander through the Vatican
Depressed and gloomy;
Surrounded by an obsolete world,
You don't remember the living.
But how terribly amazed
You in the first moment then
When, after leaving the Vatican,
Return to the living world
Where the donkey neighs, the fountain roars,
The artisan sings;
Trade is booming
They shout in every way:
"Corals! shells! snails!
Ice cream water!”
Dancing, eating, fighting naked,
Satisfied with myself
And a braid as black as pitch
Roman woman young
The old woman is scratching ... It's a hot day,
Unbearable black din,
Where can we find peace and shade?
We go to the first temple.
The noise of life is not heard here,
Coolness, silence
And semi-darkness... Strict thoughts
Again the soul is full.
Saints and angels in a crowd
Temple decorated above
Porphyry and jasper under the foot
And marble on the walls ...
How sweet to listen to the sound of the sea!
You sit for an hour
Undepressed, cheerful mind
Works meanwhile....
Mountain path to the sun
Climb high -
What a morning before you!
How easy it is to breathe!
But hotter, hotter southern day
In the green of the valleys
There is no dewdrop ... Let's go under the shade
Umbrella pinn…
The princess remembers those days
Walks and conversations
They left in their hearts
An indelible mark.
But do not return her days of the past,
Those days of hopes and dreams
How not to return later about them
Tears shed by her!
Gone are the rainbow dreams
In front of her are a number of paintings.
Downtrodden, driven country:
Severe lord
And a miserable worker-man
With a bowed head...
As the first to rule accustomed!
How slaves the second!
She dreams of groups of poor people
In the fields, in the meadows,
She dreams of the groans of barge haulers
On the banks of the Volga ...
Full of naive horror
She doesn't eat, she doesn't sleep
Fall asleep satellite she
Questions in a hurry:
“Tell me, is the whole region like this?
There is no shade contentment? .. "
- "You are in the kingdom of beggars and slaves!" -
The short answer was...
She woke up - in the hand of a dream!
Chu, heard ahead
Sad ringing - shackled ringing!
"Hey, coachman, wait!"
Then the exiled party is coming,
My chest hurt more.
The princess gives them money, -
"Thank you, good luck!"
She long, long their faces
Dreaming later,
And do not drive away her thoughts,
Don't forget sleep!
“And that party here was ...
Yes... there is no other way...
But the blizzard covered their trail.
Hurry, coachman, hurry! .. "
The frost is stronger, the path is more deserted,
The farther to the east;
Some three hundred miles
wretched town,
But how happy you look
On a dark row of houses
But where are the people? Silence everywhere
Can't even hear the dogs.
Frost drove everyone under the roof,
They drink tea out of boredom.
A soldier passed, a cart passed,
The chimes are striking somewhere.
Frozen windows ... light
In one, a little flashed ...
Cathedral ... at the exit of the prison ...
The coachman waved his whip:
"Hey you!" - and there is no longer a town,
The last house is gone...
To the right are the mountains and the river,
To the left is a dark forest...
Sick, tired mind boils,
Sleepless until morning
Heart yearns. Change of thoughts
Painfully fast:
The princess sees friends
That dark prison
And then she thinks
God knows why
That the starry sky is sand
sprinkled leaf,
And the month - with red sealing wax
Embossed circle...
The mountains are gone; started
A plain without end.
More dead! Won't meet the eye
Living tree.
“And here is the tundra!” - speaks
Coachman, Buryat steppe.
The princess gazes
And he thinks sadly:
Here's a greedy man
Goes for gold!
It lies along the riverbeds,
It is at the bottom of the marshes.
Difficult mining on the river,
The swamps are terrible in the heat,
But worse, worse in the mine,
Deep underground!
There is deathly silence
There's an unfathomable darkness...
Why, damn country,
Ermak found you?..
The haze of the night descended in succession,
The moon has risen again.
The princess did not sleep for a long time,
Full of heavy thoughts...
She fell asleep ... She dreams of the tower ...
She stands at the top;
A familiar city before her
Agitated, noisy;
They run to the vast square
Countless Crowds:
Official people, merchant people,
Peddlers, priests;
Hats, velvet, silk are full of colors,
Sheepskin coats, Armenians ...
There was already a regiment there,
More shelves came
More than a thousand soldiers
Agreed. They are "hooray!" screaming,
They are waiting for something...
The people roared, the people yawned,
Hardly a hundredth understood
What is going on here...
But he laughed out loud
Slyly squinting,
A Frenchman familiar with storms,
Capital kuafer…
New shelves arrived:
“Surrender!” they shout.
The answer to them is bullets and bayonets,
They don't want to give up.
Some brave general
Having flown in a square, he began to threaten -
They took him off the horse.
Another approached the ranks:
"Forgiveness the king will grant you!"
They killed that too.
The Metropolitan himself appeared
With banners, with a cross:
“Repent, brethren! - says -
Fall before the king!"
The soldiers listened, crossing themselves,
But the answer was friendly:
"Go away, old man! pray for us!
You don't care here..."
Then the guns were brought
The king himself commanded: “pa-li! ..”
Buckshot whistles, the core roars,
People are falling in rows...
“Oh dear! are you alive?..”
Princess, having lost her memory,
Rushed forward and headlong
Fell from above!
In front of her is a long and damp
underground corridor,
At every door there is a sentry
All doors are locked.
The surf of the waves is like a splash
Outside is heard by her;
Inside - rattling, guns shine
By the light of lanterns;
Yes, the distant sound of footsteps
And a long rumble from them,
Yes, the cross-chime of the clock,
Yes, the cries of sentries ...
With keys, old and gray,
Mustachioed invalid.
“Come, sadness, follow me! -
She speaks quietly. -
I will take you to him
He is alive and unharmed…”
She trusted him
She followed him...
We walked for a long, long time ... Finally
The door screeched - and suddenly
In front of her he is ... a living dead ...
Before her is a poor friend!
Falling on his chest, she
Rush to ask:
“Tell me what to do? I am strong
I can take revenge!
Will get courage in the chest,
Readiness is hot
Is it necessary to ask? .. "-" Do not go,
Don't touch the executioner!"
- “Oh dear! What did you say? words
I don't hear yours.
That terrible chime of the clock,
Those are the screams of sentries!
Why is there a third between us? .. "
- "Your question is naive."
“It's time! the hour has struck!" -
That third one said...
The princess shuddered, - looks
Frightened around,
Horror chills her heart:
Not everything here was a dream!
The moon floated among the skies
No glitter, no rays
To the left was a gloomy forest,
To the right is the Yenisei.
Dark! Towards not a soul
The coachman on the goats was sleeping,
Hungry wolf in the wilderness
groaned piercingly,
Yes, the wind beat and roared,
playing on the river,
Yes, a foreigner sang somewhere
In a strange language
Severe pathos sounded
unknown language
And more heartbreak,
Like a seagull crying in a storm...
The princess is cold; that night
The frost was unbearable
Forces have fallen; she can't stand it
Fight more with him.
Horror seized the mind,
That she can't get there.
The coachman has not sung for a long time,
Didn't urge the horses
Do not hear the front three.
"Hey! are you alive, coachman?
What are you shutting up? don't you dare sleep!"
"Don't be afraid, I'm used to..."
They fly ... From a frozen window
Nothing is visible
She drives a dangerous dream,
But don't chase him away!
He will the sick woman
Instantly conquered
And, like a magician, to another land
She was relocated.
That edge - he is already familiar to her -
As before, the bliss is full,
And warm sunshine
And the sweet singing of the waves
She was greeted like a friend...
Wherever you look:
Yes, this is the south! yes, this is the south! -
Everything tells the eye...
Not a cloud in the blue sky
The valley is full of flowers
Everything is flooded with the sun, - on everything,
Down and on the mountains
Seal of mighty beauty
Rejoices all around;
To her sun, sea and flowers
They sing: "Yes - this is the south!"
In a valley between a chain of mountains
And the blue sea
She flies at full speed
With your chosen one.
Their road is a luxurious garden,
Fragrance pours from the trees
On every tree is burning
Ruddy, lush fruit;
Through the dark branches
Azure of skies and waters;
Ships sail across the sea,
sails flicker,
And the mountains visible in the distance
They go to heaven.
How wonderful are their colors! In an hour
Rubies glowed there,
Now sparkling topaz
On their white ridges ...
Here is a pack mule walking a step,
In bells, in flowers,
Behind the mule is a woman with a wreath,
With a basket in hand.
She yells at them, "Goodbye!" -
And suddenly laughing
Throws quickly on her chest
Flower... yes! it's south!
Country of ancient, swarthy maidens
And the land of eternal roses...
Chu! melodic tune,
Chu! music is heard!
Yes, it's south! yes, it's south!
(Sings a good dream to her.)
Again with you beloved friend,
He's free again!
PART TWO
It's been almost two months now
Constantly day and night on the road
A marvelously well-coordinated carriage,
And the end of the road is far away!
The princess' companion is so tired,
That he fell ill near Irkutsk.
I met her in Irkutsk myself
City chief;
How dry the relics are, how straight the stick is,
Tall and grey.
Slipped from his shoulder doha,
Under it - crosses, uniform,
On the hat are rooster feathers.
Honorable Brigadier,
Scolding the coachman for something,
hastily jumped up
And the doors of a strong wagon
The princess opened ...
PRINCESS
(included in the station house)
To Nerchinsk! Deposit quickly!
GOVERNOR
I have come to meet you.
PRINCESS
Tell them to give me horses!
GOVERNOR
Please slow down.
Our road is so bad
You need to rest…
PRINCESS
Thank you! I am strong...
My path is far...
GOVERNOR
All the same it will be eight hundred miles,
And the main problem:
The road will get worse there
Dangerous ride!
Two words you need to say
On service, and besides
I had the luck of the count to know
Served with him for seven years.
Your father is a rare man
By heart, by mind
Imprinted in the soul forever
Gratitude to him
At the service of his daughter
I'm ready ... I'm all yours ...
PRINCESS
But I don't need anything!
(Opening the door to the hallway.)
Is the crew ready?
GOVERNOR
Until I say
It will not be served...
PRINCESS
So order it! I ask…
GOVERNOR
But there is a clue here:
Sent with last mail
Paper…
PRINCESS
What is in it:
Shouldn't I go back?
GOVERNOR
Yes, it would be better.
PRINCESS
But who sent you and about what
Paper? what is there
Were you kidding about your father?
He arranged everything himself!
GOVERNOR
No... I dare not say...
But the way is still far...
PRINCESS
So what a gift and chat!
Is my cart ready?
GOVERNOR
No! I haven't ordered yet...
Princess! here I am the king!
Sit down! I already said
What I knew the count of old,
And the count ... even though he let you go,
By your kindness
But your departure killed him...
Come back soon!
PRINCESS
No! once decided
I will complete it!
It's funny for me to tell you
How I love my father
How he loves. But another duty
And above and holy
Calls me. My tormentor!
Let's have horses!
GOVERNOR
Allow me, sir. I agree myself
What is precious every hour
But do you know well
What's in store for you?
Our side is barren
And she is even poorer,
In short, our spring is there,
Winter is even longer.
Yes, eight months of winter
There - did you know?
There people are rare without stigma,
And those souls are callous;
Freely prowl around
There are only varnaks;
The prison house is terrible there,
Deep mines.
You don't have to be with your husband
Eye to eye minutes:
You have to live in a common barracks,
And food: bread and kvass.
Five thousand convicts there,
Embittered by fate
Start fights at night
Murder and robbery;
The judgment is short and terrible for them,
There is no more terrible court!
And you, princess, are always here
Witness... Yes!
Trust me, you won't be spared
Nobody will take pity!
Let your husband - he is to blame ...
And you endure ... why?
PRINCESS
It will be terrible, I know
My husband's life.
Let it be mine
Not happier than him!
GOVERNOR
But you won't live there:
That climate will kill you!
I have to convince you
Don't go ahead!
Oh! Do you live in a country like this
Where is the air in people
Not by ferry - ice dust
Coming out of the nostrils?
Where darkness and cold all year round,
And in brief heats -
Non-drying swamps
Bad couples?
Yes ... Terrible land! Get out of there
The beast of the forest also runs,
When the hundred day night
Hang over the country...
PRINCESS
People live in that region
I'm used to joking...
GOVERNOR
Live? But my youth
Remember... child!
Here mother is snowy water,
Having given birth, will wash the daughter,
Howling a tiny storm
Rocking all night
A wild beast wakes up, growling
Near the forest hut,
Yes, a blizzard, furiously knocking
Out the window, like a brownie.
From dense forests, from deserted rivers
Collecting your tribute
Strong native man
With nature in battle
And you?..
PRINCESS
May death be destined for me -
I have nothing to regret!..
I'm going! food! I must
Near her husband to die.
GOVERNOR
Yes, you will die, but first
Exhaust the one
Whose irrevocably head
She died. For him
Please don't go there!
More bearable alone
Tired of hard work
Come to your prison
Come - and lie down on the bare floor
And with stale cracker
Fall asleep ... and a good dream came -
And the prisoner became king!
Flying a dream to relatives, to friends,
Seeing yourself
He will wake up, to the daily labors
And cheerful, and quiet in heart,
And with you? .. with you do not know
Happy dreams to him
In himself he will be aware
The reason for your tears.
PRINCESS
Oh!.. Keep these words
You are better for others.
All your tortures won't extract
Tears from my eyes!
Leaving home, friends,
beloved father,
Taking a vow in my soul
Fulfill to the end
My duty - I will not bring tears
To the damn prison
I will save pride, pride in him,
I will give him strength!
Contempt for our executioners,
Consciousness of being right
We will be a faithful support.
GOVERNOR
Wonderful dreams!
But they will get for five days.
Don't you be sad for a century?
Trust my conscience
You want to live.
Here is stale bread, prison, shame,
Need and eternal oppression,
And there are balls, a brilliant courtyard,
Freedom and honor.
How to know? Perhaps God judged...
like another,
The law does not deprive you of the right ...
PRINCESS
Be silent!.. My God!..
GOVERNOR
Yes, I'm being honest
Get back into the light.
PRINCESS
Thank you, thank you
For your good advice!
And before there was an earthly paradise,
And now this paradise
With your caring hand
Cleared by Nicholas.
There people rot alive -
walking coffins,
Men are a bunch of Judas,
And women are slaves.
What will I find there? hypocrisy,
desecrated honor,
Cheeky bastard triumph
And petty revenge.
No, in this cut down forest
I won't be lured
Where there were oaks to heaven,
And now the stumps are sticking out!
Return? live among slander
Empty and dark things?..
There is no place, there is no friend
For those who have matured!
No, no, I don't want to see
Selling and stupid
I won't show myself, I'm the executioner
Free and holy.
Forget the one who loved us
Return - everything is simple?
GOVERNOR
But he didn't spare you, did he?
Think child:
Who is sadness? who is love for?
PRINCESS
Be quiet, general!
GOVERNOR
If not for the valiant blood
Flowed into you - I would be silent.
But if you rush forward,
Not believing in anything
Maybe pride will save you...
You got him
With wealth, with a name, with mind,
With a trusting soul
And he, not thinking about it,
What will become of the wife
Carried away by the empty ghost
And this is his fate!
And what? .. you run after him,
What a pitiful slave!
PRINCESS
No! I'm not a pitiful slave
I am a woman, wife!
Let my fate be bitter
I will be faithful to her!
Oh if he forgot me
For a different woman
I would have enough strength in my soul
Don't be his slave!
But I know: love for the motherland
my rival,
And if it were necessary, again
I would forgive him!
The princess finished ... He was silent
Stubborn old man.
"Well? Command, general,
Ready my wagon?"
Without answering the question
He looked at the floor for a long time,
Then he said thoughtfully:
"See you tomorrow" - and left ...
Same conversation tomorrow
Asked and persuaded
But got rebuffed again.
Honored General.
All convictions exhausted
And exhausted,
He is long, important, silent,
Walked around the room
And finally he said: “Be so!
You will not be saved, alas! ..
But know that by taking this step,
You will lose everything! .. "-
"What else do I have to lose?"
- “Having galloped for her husband,
You renounce sign
A must from your rights!”
The old man was effectively silent,
From these terrible words
He was obviously looking for a benefit.
But the answer was this:
"You have a gray head,
And you are still a child!
Our rights seem to you
Rights are no joke.
No! I don't value them
Take them quickly!
Where is the renunciation? I will sign!
And alive - horses! .. "
GOVERNOR
Sign this paper!
What are you?.. My God!
After all, it means to become a beggar
And a simple woman!
You say sorry to everyone
What was given to you by your father
What to inherit
Should be to you later!
Property rights, rights
Nobility to lose!
No, you think first -
I will visit you again!
He left and was gone all day...
When the darkness fell
Princess, weak as a shadow,
I went to him myself.
The general did not accept her:
Sick hard...
Five days while he was ill
Painful past,
And on the sixth he came himself
And coolly said to her:
"I have no right to let you go,
Princess, horses!
You will be led through the stages
With convoy…”
PRINCESS
My God!
But the months go by
On the road?..
GOVERNOR
Yes, in spring
You will come to Nerchinsk if you
The road won't kill you.
Hardly four miles an hour
Chained goes;
In the middle of the day - a halt,
With the sunset of the day - lodging for the night,
And the hurricane found in the steppe -
Dive into the snow!
Yes, there are no delays,
Another fell, weakened ...
PRINCESS
Not well I understood -
What is your stage?
GOVERNOR
Under the guard of the Cossacks
With weapons in hand
We lead thieves by stage
And convicts in chains
They play pranks on the road
Look, they will run away
So they will be tied with a rope
To each other - and lead
Difficult path! Yes, that's what it is:
Five hundred will go
And to the Nerchinsk mines
And the third will not come!
They're dying like flies along the way
Especially in winter…
And you, princess, should you go like this? ..
Get back home!
PRINCESS
Oh no! I was waiting for this...
But you, but you ... a villain! ..
A whole week has passed...
People don't have hearts!
Why not say it all at once?
I would have gone a long time...
Tell the party to collect -
I'm coming! I don't care!..
-"No! you will go! .. - cried
Unexpectedly old general,
Closing his eyes with his hand.-
How I tormented you ... My God! ..
(From under the arm of a gray-haired mustache
A tear rolled down.)
Sorry! yes, I tormented you,
But he himself suffered
But I had a strict order
Barriers to put up for you!
And didn't I put them on?
I did everything I could
Before the king my soul
Clean, God be my witness!
Sharp hard breadcrumbs
And life locked up
Shame, horror, labor
milestone path
I tried to scare you.
You were not afraid!
And even though I can't hold on
On the shoulders of the head
I can't, I don't want
Tyrannize more than you...
I will take you there in three days ...
Opening the door, screaming
Hey! harness, now! .. "
PRINCESS M. N. VOLKONSKAYA
(Grandmother's notes)
(1826-27)
Pranksters grandchildren! Today they
Returned from the walk:
“We, grandmother, are bored! On rainy days
When we sat down in the portrait room
And you started to tell us
It was so much fun!.. Dear,
Tell me something else! ..” In the corners
Have a seat. But I drove them away:
“Have time to listen; my stories
Enough for whole volumes,
But you are still stupid: recognize them,
How will you know life?
I told you everything that is available to you
According to your childish years:
Go for a walk in the fields, in the meadows!
Go… enjoy the summer!”
And now, not wanting to remain in debt
At grandchildren, I write notes;
For them I save portraits of people,
who were close to me
I bequeath them an album - and flowers
From the grave of my sister - Muravyova,
Collection of butterflies, flora of Chita
And the views of that harsh country;
I will bequeath them an iron bracelet...
Let them keep it sacred:
Grandfather forged it as a gift to his wife
From my own chain once...
I was born, my dear grandchildren,
Near Kyiv, in a quiet village;
I had a beloved daughter with my family.
Our family was rich and ancient,
But even more my father exalted him:
More tempting than the glory of a hero,
More expensive than the motherland - did not know anything
A fighter who did not like peace.
Working miracles, nineteen years old
He was a regimental commander
He got courage and laurels of victories
And honors honored by the world.
His military glory began
Persian and Swedish campaign,
But the memory of him inseparably merged
With the great twelfth year:
Here his life was a long battle.
We shared campaigns with him,
And in another month we will not remember the number,
If only they didn't tremble for him.
"Defender of Smolensk" is always ahead
Dangerous business was ...
Wounded near Leipzig, with a bullet in his chest,
He fought again a day later,
So the chronicle of his life says:
Among the generals of Russia,
As long as our fatherland stands,
He will be remembered! Vitii
My father was showered with praise,
Calling him immortal;
Zhukovsky honored him with a loud stanza,
Glorifying Russian leaders:
Under Dashkova's personal courage, the heat
And the sacrifice of a patriotic father
The poet sings. martial gift
Appearing in battles without counting,
Not by force alone defeated enemies
Your great-grandfather in the gigantic struggle:
It was said about him that he combined
With courage, a military genius.
Concerned about the war, in his family
The father did not interfere in anything,
But he was cool at times; almost a god
He seemed to our mother
And he himself was deeply attached to her.
We loved our father - in a hero,
Having finished the campaigns, in his estate
He is slowly fading away.
We lived in a big suburban house.
Having entrusted the children to an Englishwoman,
The old man was resting. I learned everything
What a rich noblewoman needs.
And after school I ran to the garden
And sang all day carefree
My voice was very good, they say
His father listened willingly;
He brought his notes to an end,
He read newspapers, magazines,
Feasts asked; went to see father
Gray-haired, like him, generals,
And there were endless disputes then;
Meanwhile, the youth danced.
Do you tell the truth? I have always been
At that time, the queen of the ball:
My languid eyes fire blue
And black with a blue tint
Big braid and thick blush
On a swarthy, beautiful face,
And my height is high, and my camp is flexible,
And proud tread - captivated
The then beauties: hussars, lancers,
What stood close to the shelves.
But I reluctantly listened to their flattery ...
My father did his best for me.
"Isn't it time to get married? The groom is already there
He fought gloriously near Leipzig,
He was loved by the sovereign, our father,
And gave him the rank of general.
Older than you ... but well done,
Volkonsky! You took him out
At the royal review ... and he visited us,
Walking around the park with you!”
- "Yes I remember! Such a tall general ... "
- "He is!" The old man laughed...
"Father, he spoke to me so little!" -
I noticed, blushed ...
"You will be happy with him!" - cool decision
Old man - I did not dare to object ...
Two weeks have passed - and I'm under the crown
Standing with Sergei Volkonsky
I didn't know much about his fiancé,
I didn’t learn much from my husband, -
So little we lived under one roof,
So rarely seen each other!
In distant villages, for winter stay,
His brigade was scattered
Sergey circled her incessantly.
And meanwhile I fell ill;
In Odessa later, on the advice of doctors,
I bathed all summer;
In winter, he came for me there,
I rested with him for a week
At the main apartment ... and again trouble!
One day I fell fast asleep.
Suddenly I hear the voice of Sergei (in the night,
It was almost at dawn,
“Get up! Hurry up and find me the keys!
Fire up the fireplace! I jumped...
She looked: he was alarmed and pale.
I fired up the fireplace.
From the boxes my husband demolished papers
To the fireplace - and burned hastily.
Others read fluently, hastily,
Others threw without reading.
And I helped Sergei, trembling
And pushing them deeper into the fire...
Then he said, "We'll go now"
Gently touching my hair.
Everything was soon laid with us,
And in the morning, without saying goodbye to anyone,
We set off. We rode for three days
Sergey was gloomy, in a hurry,
Drove me to my father's estate
And immediately he said goodbye to me.
Chapter II
“He left! .. What did his pallor mean
And everything that happened that night?
Why didn't he tell his wife?
Something bad has happened!"
For a long time I did not know peace and sleep,
Doubts tormented the soul:
"Gone, gone! I'm alone again!"
My family consoled me
Father explained his haste
Some random thing:
“Somewhere the emperor himself sent
Him with a secret assignment,
Do not Cry! You shared trips with me
The vicissitudes of military life
You know; he'll be home soon!
Precious pledge under the heart
You wear: now you must beware!
Everything will end well, dear;
Husband's wife spent alone
And he will meet, shaking the child! .. "
Alas! His prediction did not come true!
See the poor wife
And with the first-born son, the father had a chance
Not here - not under the native roof!
How dearly my first-born cost me!
I was sick for two months.
Tormented by the body, killed by the soul,
I met my first babysitter.
I asked about my husband. - "I haven't been yet!"
- Did you write? “And there are no letters.”
- "Where is my father?" - "I galloped off to Petersburg."
- "And my brother?" - "I went there."
“My husband did not come, there is not even a letter,
And brother and father galloped away, -
I said to my mother: - I'm going myself!
Enough, enough we've been waiting!"
And no matter how hard she tried to beg her daughter
Old lady, I made up my mind;
I remember that last night
And everything that happened then
And I clearly realized that with my husband
Something bad is going on...
It was spring, over the floods of the river
I had to carry the turtle.
I arrived a little alive again.
“Where is my husband?” I asked my father.
"Your husband went to Moldova to fight."
- "Doesn't he write? .." He looked sadly
And the father came out ... The brother was dissatisfied,
The servant was silent, sighing.
I noticed that they are cheating with me,
Carefully hiding something;
Referring to the fact that I need peace,
Nobody was allowed to see me
Some kind of wall surrounded me
They didn't even give me newspapers!
I remembered: my husband has a lot of relatives,
I write - I beg you to answer.
Weeks pass, - not a word from them!
I'm crying, I'm losing my strength...
There is no feeling more painful than a secret thunderstorm.
I swore my father's oath
That I won't shed a single tear
And he, and everything around was silent!
Loving, my poor father tormented me;
Regretting, doubling grief ...
I found out, I finally found out everything! ..
I read in the verdict itself,
That poor Sergei was a conspirator:
They stood guard
Preparing troops to overthrow the authorities.
He was also blamed
What is he... My head is spinning...
I didn't want to believe my eyes...
“Really? ..” Words did not fit in my mind:
Sergey - and a dishonorable thing!
I remember a hundred times I read the sentence,
Delving into the fatal words.
She ran to her father - a conversation with her father
Reassured me, folks!
Like a heavy stone fell from my soul.
In one I blamed Sergei:
Why didn't he tell his wife?
Thinking, and then I forgave:
"How could he talk? I was young
When he broke up with me
I carried my son under my heart then:
He was afraid for mother and child!
So I thought. - Let the trouble be great,
I have not lost everything in the world.
Siberia is so terrible, Siberia is far away,
But people live in Siberia too!..”
All night I burned, dreaming about
How I will cherish Sergei.
In the morning a deep, fastening sleep
She fell asleep - and got up more cheerfully.
My health improved soon
I saw my friends
I found my sister, I asked her
And learned a lot of bitter!
Unhappy people! .. “All the time Sergey
(Sister said) contained
In prison; I didn't see my family or friends...
Just saw him yesterday
Father. You can also see him:
When the verdict was read
Dressed them in rags, took off their crosses,
But they were given the right to meet! .. "
I missed some details...
Leaving fatal traces
To this day they cry out for vengeance...
Don't know them better folks.
I went to the fortress to my husband and sister,
We first came to the "general",
Then an elderly general brought us
In a vast, gloomy room.
“Wait, princess! we will now!"
Bowing politely to us,
He left. I didn't take my eyes off the door.
Minutes seemed like hours.
Steps gradually fell silent in the distance,
I followed them with my mind.
It seemed to me: they brought a bunch of keys,
And the rusty door creaked.
In a gloomy closet with an iron window
The exhausted prisoner languished.
"The wife came to you! .." With a pale face,
He trembled all over, brightened up:
"Wife! .." He quickly ran along the corridor,
Do not dare to trust the rumor ...
"Here he is!" - the general said loudly,
And I saw Sergei ...
Suddenly, a thunderstorm swept over him:
Wrinkles appeared on the forehead
His face was deathly pale, his eyes
They didn't glow so brightly
But there was more in them than in the old days,
That quiet, familiar sadness;
For a minute they looked inquisitively
And joyfully suddenly shone,
He seemed to see into my soul...
I bitterly, crouching against his chest,
Sobbed ... He hugged me and whispered:
"There are strangers here."
Then he said that it was good for him
Learn the virtue of humility
Which, however, easily endures prison,
And a few words of encouragement
He added ... He walked importantly around the room
Witness - we were embarrassed ...
Sergei showed his clothes:
“Congratulate me, Masha, with a new thing, -
And quietly added: understand and forgive», -
Eyes sparkled with tears
But then the spy managed to come up,
He bowed his head low.
I said loudly: "Yes, I did not expect
Find you in these clothes.
And quietly whispered: “I understand everything.
I love you more than before.”
- "What to do? And I will live in hard labor
(Until life gets boring)».
- “You are alive, you are healthy, so why grieve?
(After all, hard labor will not separate us?)»
"So that's what you are!" Sergei said
His face was funny...
He took out a handkerchief, put it on the window,
And I put mine next to me
Then, parting, Sergeyev's scarf
I took it - my husband stayed ...
Us after a year of separation for an hour
Goodbye seemed short
But what was there to do! Our deadline has passed -
Others would have to wait...
The general put me in the carriage,
Happy to stay...
I found great joy in a scarf:
Kissing him, I saw
I have a few words on one corner;
Here's what I read, trembling:
"My friend, you are free. Understand - do not blame!
Mentally I am cheerful and - I wish
See my wife the same. Goodbye!
I send bow to the little one ... "
There was a big relative in Petersburg
Husband; to know everything - yes!
I went to them, worried for three days,
Begging to save Sergei.
Father said: “Why are you suffering, daughter?
I tried everything - it's useless!
It's true they tried to help
Praying the emperor tearfully,
But the requests did not reach his heart ..,
I also met my husband
And the time has come: he was taken away! ..
As soon as I was left alone
I immediately heard in my heart
What do I need to hurry,
My parents' house seemed stuffy to me,
And I began to ask my husband.
Now I'll tell you in detail, friends,
My fatal victory
All amicably and menacingly rebelled the family,
When I said: "I'm going!"
I don't know how I managed to resist
What have I suffered ... God! ..
A mother was called from near Kyiv,
And the brothers came too:
My father ordered me to "reason".
They persuaded and asked.
But the Lord himself supported my will,
Their words did not break her!
And I had to cry a lot and bitterly ...
When we got together for dinner,
My father casually threw a question to me:
"What did you decide?" - "I'm going!"
The father was silent ... the family was silent ...
I cried bitterly in the evening
Shaking the baby, I thought ...
Suddenly my father comes in, - I shuddered.
I was waiting for a thunderstorm, but, sad and quiet,
He said cordially and meekly:
“Why do you offend blood relatives?
What will happen to the poor orphan?
What will happen to you, my dove?
There is no need for female power!
Your great sacrifice is in vain,
You will find only a grave there!”
And he waited for an answer, and caught my eye,
Caressing and kissing me...
"It's my own fault! I ruined you! -
He exclaimed suddenly, indignantly. -
Where was my mind? Where were the eyes!
Our entire army already knew ... "
And he tore his gray hair:
"Sorry! don't execute me, Masha!
Stay! .. ”And again he prayed fervently ...
God knows how I survived!
Leaning her head on his shoulder,
"I'll go!" I quietly said...
"Let's see! .." And suddenly the old man straightened up,
His eyes sparkled with anger.
“One repeats your stupid language:
"I'll go!" Isn't it time to say
Where and why? You think first!
You don't know what you're talking about!
Can your head think?
Do you think you are enemies?
Both mother and father? Or are they stupid...
Why are you arguing with them as with equals?
Look deeper into your heart,
Look forward coolly
Think!.. I will see you tomorrow…”
He left, threatening and angry,
And I, a little alive, before the icon of the saint
Fell - in the languor of the soul ...
Chapter III
"Think! .." I did not sleep the whole night,
I prayed and cried a lot.
I called the mother of God for help,
Asked God for advice
I learned to think: my father ordered
To think… not an easy thing!
How long has he thought for us - and decided
And our life flew peacefully?
I studied a lot; in three languages
Read. I was noticeable
In front drawing rooms, at social balls,
Skillfully dancing, playing;
I could talk about almost everything
I knew music, I sang
I even rode very well,
But she couldn't think at all.
I'm only in my last, twentieth year
I learned that life is not a toy,
Yes, in childhood, it happened, the heart shuddered,
How suddenly a cannon bursts.
Life was good and free; father
He did not speak strictly to me;
Eighteen years old I went down the aisle
And I didn't think too much...
IN Lately my head
She worked hard, burned;
I was tormented by the unknown at first.
When I found out the trouble
Sergei stood before me without change,
Prison exhausted, pale,
And many previously unknown passions
Sowed in my poor soul.
I have experienced everything, and most of all
A cruel feeling of powerlessness.
I am heaven and strong people for it
Prayed - in vain efforts!
And anger burned my sick soul,
And I worried uncomfortably
Torn, cursed ... but there was no strength
No time to think calmly.
Now I have to think,
My father likes it that way.
May my will always be the same
Let every thought be fruitless,
I honestly obey my father's order
Decided, my dear.
The old man said: "You think of us,
We are not strangers to you:
And mother, and father, and child, finally -
You recklessly throw everyone
For what? - "I'm doing my duty, father!"
"What are you condemning yourself for?
For flour? - “I will not suffer there!
A terrible torment awaits me here.
Yes, if I stay, obedient to you,
Separation hurts me.
Not knowing peace, neither at night nor during the day,
Weeping over the poor orphan,
I will always think about my husband
Yes, hear his meek reproach.
Wherever I go - on people's faces
I'll read my verdict:
In their whisper - the story of my betrayal.
In a smile reproach I guess:
That my place is not at a magnificent ball,
And in the distant desert gloomy,
Where is the prisoner tired in the prison corner
Tormented by a fierce thought,
Alone ... without support ... Hurry to him!
There, I can breathe freely.
Shared joy with him, shared prison
I must ... So the sky pleases! ..
Sorry folks! I have a heart for a long time
My predicted decision.
And I firmly believe: it is from God!
And in you says - regret.
Yes, if I have to decide the choice
Between husband and son - no more,
I go where I'm needed the most
I'm going to the one who is in captivity!
I will leave my son in my own family,
He will soon forget me.
Let grandfather be a father to the little one,
His sister will be his mother.
He's still so small! And when he grows up
And learn a terrible secret
I believe he will understand his mother's feeling
And in his heart he will justify it!
But if I stay with him... and then
He learns the secret and asks:
"Why didn't you go after your poor father? .." -
And will he throw a word of reproach at me?
Oh, it's better for me to lie alive in the grave,
How to deprive a husband of consolation
And in the future, the son will bring contempt. ..
No no! I don't want contempt!
And it can happen - I'm afraid to think! -
I will forget my first husband
I will obey the conditions of the new family
And I will not be a mother to my son,
And the fierce stepmother? .. I burn with shame ...
Forgive me, poor exile!
Forget you! Never! never!
You are the only chosen one of the heart ...
Father! you don't know how dear he is to me!
You don't know him! At first,
In a brilliant outfit, on a proud horse,
I saw him before the regiment;
About the exploits of his fighting life
Comrades' stories
I listened eagerly - and with all my heart
I fell in love with the hero...
Later, I fell in love with my father in him.
Baby born by me.
The separation dragged on without end.
He stood firm in the storm...
Do you know where we met again -
Fate did its will! -
Last, best heart love
I gave it to him in prison!
In vain ink his slander,
He was more perfect than before
And I loved him like Christ...
In my prison clothes
Now he stands in front of me,
Shining with meek majesty.
Crown of thorns above his head
In the eyes of unearthly love ...
My father! I must see him...
I will die, yearning for my husband ...
You, serving your duty, did not spare anything
And you taught us the same. ..
The hero who raised his sons
There, where the battle is more deadly, -
I do not believe that my poor daughter
You yourself did not approve of the decision!”
That's what I thought in the long night
And so I spoke with my father ...
He quietly said, “Crazy daughter! » -
And he went out: they were silent dejectedly
Both brothers and mother ... I finally left ...
Difficult days dragged on:
Like a cloud, a disgruntled father walked,
The other household members pouted.
No one wanted to help with advice
No matter; but I didn't sleep
Again I spent a sleepless night:
Wrote a letter to the sovereign
(At that time, word of mouth began to spread,
What if to return Trubetskaya
The emperor ordered from the road. experience
I feared such a fate
But the rumor was wrong.) I took the letter
My sister, Katya Orlova.
The king himself answered me ... Thank you, I found
In response, I have a good word!
He was elegant and sweet (Nikolai
Written in French). At first
The sovereign said how terrible that land is,
Where did I want to go?
How rude people are there, how hard life is,
As my age is fragile and tender;
Then he hinted (I did not suddenly understand)
That the return is hopeless;
And then - deigned to honor with praise
My resolve, regretting
That, obedient to duty, could not spare
Criminal husband ... Not daring
Resist feelings so high
He gave his permission;
But I would rather wish that with my son
I stayed at home...
excitement
I was overwhelmed. "I'm going!" For a long time
So joyfully the heart did not beat ...
“I'm going! I'm going! Now it's decided!"
I cried, prayed fervently...
In three days I gathered on my distant journey,
I pledged everything of value
A reliable fur coat, stocked up with linen,
I bought a simple kibitka.
Relatives looked at my fees,
Mysteriously somehow sighing;
None of the family believed the departure ...
I spent the last night
With baby. Bending over my son
The smile of a little native
I tried to remember; I played with him
The seal of the fatal letter.
She played and thought: “My poor son!
You don't know what you're playing!
Here is your fate: you will wake up alone,
Unhappy! You will lose your mother!
And in grief falling on his little hands
Face, I whispered, sobbing:
"I'm sorry that you, for your father,
My poor, I must leave ... "
And he smiled: he did not think to sleep,
Admiring the beautiful package;
This big and red seal
He was amused...
With the dawn
Calmly and soundly the child fell asleep,
And his cheeks flushed.
Without taking your eyes off your beloved face,
Praying at his cradle
I saw the morning...
I immediately got together.
I conjured my sister again
To be a mother to a son ... Sister vowed ...
The kibitka was already ready.
My relatives were sternly silent,
The farewell was silent.
I thought: "I died for the family,
Everything is cute, everything is expensive
I'm losing ... there is no count of sad losses! .. "
The mother sat quietly
It seemed, not believing even now,
So that my daughter dares to leave,
And everyone looked at his father with a question.
He sat at a distance dejectedly,
He did not say a word, did not raise his face, -
It was pale and gloomy.
The last things were demolished in the kibitka,
I cried, losing my courage,
The minutes ticked by painfully slowly...
I finally hugged my sister
And mother hugged me. "Well, God bless you!" -
I said, kissing brothers.
Imitating their father, they were silent ...
The old man got up, indignant,
On compressed lips, on forehead wrinkles
There were ominous shadows...
I silently handed him an image
And she knelt down before him.
“I'm going! even a word, even a word, father!
Forgive your daughter, for God's sake!"
The old man looked at me at last
Thoughtfully, intently, strictly
And, raising his hands with a threat above me,
He said a little audibly (I was trembling):
“Look, in a year come back home,
Not that - damn it! .. "
I fell...
Chapter IV
“Enough, enough hugs and tears!”
I sat down - and the troika rushed off.
"Farewell, relatives!" In December frost
I left my father's house
And raced without rest for more than three days;
I was fascinated by the speed
She was the best doctor for me...
I soon rode to Moscow,
To my sister Zinaida. Sweet and smart
There was a young princess
How did you know music? How she sang!
Art was sacred to her.
She left us a book of short stories,
Filled with gentle grace,
The poet Venevitinov sang stanzas to her,
Hopelessly in love with her;
Zinaida lived in Italy for a year
And to us - according to the poet -
"Brought the color of the southern sky in my eyes."
Queen of the Moscow world,
She did not shy away from artists - life
They were with Zina in the living room;
They respected and loved her
And the North was called Corinna ...
We cried. She liked
My resolve is fatal:
“Be strong, my poor! be fun!
You have become so dark.
How can I drive these dark clouds away?
How can we say goodbye to you?
And that's what! go to bed until evening,
And in the evening I will arrange a feast.
Don't be afraid! everything will be according to your taste,
My friends are not rake,
We will sing your favorite songs
Let's play our favorite pieces...
And in the evening the news that I arrived,
In Moscow, many already knew.
At that time, our unfortunate husbands
Moscow's attention was occupied by:
As soon as the decision of the court was announced,
Everyone was embarrassed and terrified
In the salons of Moscow repeated then
One Rostopchin joke:
“In Europe, a shoemaker to become a gentleman,
Rebels, of course!
We made a revolution to know:
Did you want to be a shoemaker, or something? .. "
And I became the heroine of the day.
Not only artists, poets -
All our noble relatives moved;
Ceremonial, carriage train
thundered; powdering your wigs
Potemkin equal in years,
The old aces-old men appeared
With excellent courteous regards;
Old ladies, ladies of the former court,
They embraced me:
"What heroism! .. What a time! .." -
And they shook their heads to the beat.
Well, in a word, what was more visible in Moscow,
What was passing by in her,
Everything came to my Zina in the evening:
There were many artists here.
I heard Italian singers here,
Who were then famous
My father's colleagues, friends
Here they were, sadly killed.
There were relatives of those who went there,
Where was I in a hurry
Writers group, loved then.
Amicably said goodbye to me:
There were Odoevsky, Vyazemsky; was
The poet is inspirational and sweet,
Admirer of the cousin who died early,
Untimely taken by the grave.
And Pushkin was here... I recognized him...
He was a friend of our childhood
In Yurzuf he lived with my father,
At that time, leprosy and coquetry
We laughed, we chatted, we ran with him,
They threw flowers at each other.
Our whole family went to the Crimea,
And Pushkin went with us.
We were having fun. Here at last
And the mountains, and the Black Sea!
Father ordered the crews to stand,
We were walking around in the open.
Then I was already sixteen years old.
Flexible, tall beyond her years,
Leaving my family, I shoot ahead
Rushed off with a curly-haired poet;
Without a hat, with a loose long braid;
Burning in the midday sun,
I flew to the sea - and was in front of me
View of the southern coast of Crimea!
I looked around with joyful eyes,
I jumped, played with the sea;
When the tide was gone, I ran
I ran to the water,
When the tide returned again
And the waves were coming up
I was in a hurry to run away from them,
And the waves overtook me! ..
And Pushkin looked ... and laughed that I
Got my boots wet.
“Shut up! my governess is coming!” -
I said sternly. (I hid
That my feet got wet) ... Then I read
There are wonderful lines in Onegin.
I broke out all over - I was happy ...
Now I'm old, so far away
Those red days! I won't hide
What Pushkin at that time seemed
In love with me... but to tell you the truth,
Who didn't he fall in love with?
But I don't think he loved anyone
Then, except for the muse: hardly
No more love occupied him
Her worries and sorrows...
Yurzuf is picturesque: in luxurious gardens
Its valleys sank,
At his feet is the sea, in the distance Ayudag ...
Tatar huts clung
To the foot of the rocks; grapes ran out
On the steep vine weighed down,
And the poplar stood motionless in places
Green and slender column.
We occupied a house under an overhanging rock,
The poet took refuge upstairs,
He told us that he was pleased with fate,
That I fell in love with the sea and mountains.
His walks continued day by day
And they were always alone
He often wandered by the sea at night.
He took English lessons
At Lena, my sister: Byron then
He was extremely interested.
It happened to my sister sometimes to translate
Anything from Byron is secret;
She read her attempts to me,
And after tore and threw,
But someone from the family told Pushkin,
That Lena composed poems:
The poet picked up the shreds under the window
And brought the whole thing to the stage.
Praising translations, he long afterwards
He embarrassed the unfortunate Lena ...
When he finished, he went down
And he shared his leisure with us;
At the very terrace stood a cypress,
The poet called him a friend,
Under him, the dawn often caught him,
He left with him, saying goodbye ...
And they told me that Pushkin's trail
In the native legend remained:
“A nightingale flew to the poet at night,
As the moon floated into the sky
And together with the poet he sang - and, to the singers
Listening, nature fell silent!
Then the nightingale - narrates the people -
Flew here every summer
And whistles, and cries, and as if calling
To the forgotten friend of the poet!
But the poet died - he stopped flying
Feathered singer ... Full of grief,
Since then, the cypress has been an orphan,
Listening only to the murmur of the sea .. "
But Pushkin glorified him for a long time:
Tourists visit him
They sit down under it and as a keepsake from it
Fragrant branches are plucked ...
Our meeting was sad. Poet
He was crushed by true grief.
He remembered the games of childish years
In the distant Yurzuf, over the sea.
Leaving the usual mocking tone,
With love, with endless longing,
With the participation of his brother, he admonished
A friend of that carefree life!
He walked around the room with me for a long time,
I'm preoccupied with my fate
I remember, relatives, what he said,
Yes, I can not convey this:
“Go, go! You are strong in spirit
You are rich in bold patience,
May your fateful path be peacefully accomplished,
Don't be put off by loss!
Believe me, such spiritual purity
This hateful world is not worth it!
Blessed is he who changes his bustle
To the feat of selfless love!
What is light? disgusting masquerade!
In it, the heart is stale and dormant,
It reigns eternal, calculated coldness
And embraces the ardent truth...
Enmity will be pacified by the influence of years,
Before time, the barrier will collapse,
And you will return the penates of the fathers
And the canopy of the home garden!
Healingly pour into a tired chest
Valleys of hereditary sweetness,
You proudly look back on the path you have traveled
And you will know joy again.
Yes I believe you! you won't endure grief for long,
The wrath of the king will not be eternal...
But if you have to die in the steppe,
They will remember you with a heartfelt word:
The image of a brave wife is captivating,
Showing spiritual strength
And in the snowy deserts of a harsh country
Hiding early in the grave!
Die, but your suffering is the story
Understood by living hearts,
And after midnight your great-grandchildren about you
Conversations won't end with friends.
They will show them, sighing from the heart,
Your unforgettable features
And in memory of the great-grandmother, who died in the wilderness,
Full bowls will dry up! ..
Let the marble of the graves be more durable,
Than a wooden cross in the desert
But the world of Dolgoruky has not yet forgotten
And Biron is not in sight.
But what am I?.. God grant you health and strength!
And there you can see:
The tsar of "Pugachev" instructed me to write,
The scarecrow torments me godlessly,
I want to deal with him for glory,
I will have to be in the Urals.
I'll go in the spring, I'll grab it as soon as possible,
What good will gather there,
Yes, I’ll wave to you, having moved the Urals ... "
The poet wrote "Pugachev"
But it did not hit our distant snows.
How could he keep that word?
I listened to music, full of sadness,
I eagerly listened to the singing;
I myself did not sing - I was sick,
I only begged others:
"Think: I'm leaving with the dawn...
Oh, sing, sing! play!…
I won't hear this kind of music
Not a song ... Let me hear enough! ... "
And wonderful sounds flowed endlessly!
Solemn farewell song
The evening is over - I do not remember the face
No sadness, no sad thoughts!
Features of motionless, severe old women
Lost the haughty cold,
And the gaze that seemed to go out forever,
Glow with a touched tear ...
Artists tried to outdo themselves
I don't know better songs
That song-prayer for a good journey,
That theological song...
Oh, how inspired they were!
How they sang! .. and cried themselves ...
And everyone said to me: “God save you!” -
Saying goodbye to me with tears ...
Chapter V
Frosty. The road is white and smooth
Not a cloud in the sky...
Frozen mustache, beard of the coachman,
He trembles in his hoodie.
His back, shoulders and hat in the snow,
He wheezes, urging horses,
And his horses cough on the run,
Breathing deeply and hard...
Ordinary views: former beauty
Desert Russian region,
Scaffolding murmurs gloomily,
Giant shadows casting;
The plains are covered with a diamond carpet,
Trees covered in snow
A landowner's house flashed on a hillock,
Church heads shone...
Ordinary meetings: convoy without end,
A crowd of praying old women,
Thundering mail, the figure of a merchant
On a pile of feather beds and pillows;
Treasury truck! with a dozen carts:
Shotguns and satchels are piled.
Soldiers! Liquid, beardless people,
Must be more recruits;
Sons are escorted by male fathers
Yes, mothers, sisters and wives.
"They are taking away, taking away the hearts to the regiments!" -
Bitter moans are heard ...
Raising his fists over the coachman's back,
The courier rushes furiously.
On the very road, having caught up with a hare,
Mustachioed landlord huntsman
Waved across the moat on a nimble horse,
It beats off the prey from the dogs.
With all his retinue stands aside
The landowner calls the greyhounds ...
Ordinary scenes: at hell stations -
They fight, they argue, they fight.
"Well, touch!" From the windows the guys look
The priests at the tavern are fighting;
At the forge, a horse beats in the machine,
Comes out covered in soot
Blacksmith with a red-hot horseshoe in his hand:
"Hey boy, hold her hooves!.."
In Kazan, I made the first halt,
She fell asleep on the hard sofa;
From the windows of the hotel I saw the ball
And, I confess, I took a deep breath!
I remembered: an hour or two with a little
It remains until the New Year.
"Happy people! how fun they are!
They have peace and freedom,
They dance, they laugh! ... but I don’t know
Fun ... I'm going to torment! .. "
You shouldn't have such thoughts.
Yes, youth, youth, grandchildren!
Here again Trubetskoy frightened me,
As if she was turned back:
"But I'm not afraid - let me be with you!"
The clock has already struck ten.
It's time! I dressed up. "Is the coachman ready?"
- "Princess, you better wait
Dawn, - the old caretaker noticed. -
The blizzard began to rise!
- “Oh, whether it is necessary to try again!
I'll go. Hurry, for God's sake!"
The bell is ringing, you can't see it,
What is further, the road is worse,
Push the beginning strongly to the sides,
Somehow we go in ridges,
I don't even see the driver's back:
The hillock swept between us.
My wagon almost fell,
The trio shied away and stood.
My coachman groaned: “I reported:
Would you wait! the road is gone!…”
I sent a road to look for a coachman,
She closed the kibitka with matting,
I thought: right, midnight is close,
Suppressed the clock spring:
Twelve hit! The year is over
And a new one has been born!
Throwing back the mat, I look ahead -
The blizzard is still spinning.
What does she care about our sorrows,
Until our new year?
And I'm indifferent to your anxiety
And to your moans, bad weather!
I have my own fatal longing,
And I fight alone with her ...
I congratulated my coachman.
“Wintering is not far here, -
He said, “we will wait for the dawn in it!”
We drove up, woke up
Some wretched forest watchmen,
Their smoky oven was lit.
The inhabitant of the forest told the horrors,
Yes, I forgot his story...
We warmed up with tea. Time to rest!
The blizzard got worse and worse.
The forester crossed himself, turned off the night light
And with the help of stepson Fedya
He rolled two huge stones to the doors.
"For what?" - "Bears defeated!"
Then he lay down on the bare floor,
Everything soon fell asleep in the gatehouse,
I thought, thought ... lying in the corner
On a frozen and hard matting ...
At first, the dreams were funny:
I remembered our holidays
The lights of the burning hall, flowers,
Gifts, congratulations bowls,
And noisy speeches, and caresses ... all around
Everything is cute, everything is expensive -
But where is Sergei? .. And thinking about him,
I forgot everything else!
I quickly jumped up as soon as the coachman
Chilled, he knocked on the window.
A little light on the road led us to the forester,
But he refused to accept the money.
"Don't, dear! God protect you
The roads are dangerous!”
Frosts grew stronger along the way
And they soon became terrible.
I completely closed my wagon -
And dark, and terrible boredom!
What to do? I remember poems, I sing
Someday the pain will end!
Let the heart cry, let the wind roar
And my path is covered by blizzards,
Still, I'm moving forward!
So I went for three weeks...
One day, hearing some sodom,
I opened my mat,
I looked: we are going through a vast village,
My eyes were blinded immediately.
Bonfires blazed along my path ...
There were peasants, peasant women,
Soldiers and - a whole herd of horses ...
“Here is the station: silver coins are waiting, -
My coachman said, - We will see her,
She, tea, is not far away ... "
Siberia sent its wealth,
I was glad for this meeting.
"Wait for the silver! maybe something
About my husband, I learn about ours.
With her an officer, from Nerchinsk their way ... "
I'm sitting in the tavern, waiting ...
A young officer entered; he smoked
He didn't nod his head at me.
He somehow haughtily looked and walked,
And so I said sadly:
"Have you seen, right ... do you know
Those… victims of the December case…
Are they healthy? What is it like for them there?
I would like to know about my husband ... "
He cheekily turned his face to me -
The features were evil and harsh -
And, releasing a ring of smoke from his mouth,
He said: "Surely healthy,
But I don't know them - and I don't want to know,
I never saw hard labor! .. "
How painful it was for me, dear! I am silent ...
Unhappy! offended me!
I just gave a disdainful look.
With dignity, the young man left ...
A soldier was warming himself by the stove,
He heard my curse
And a kind word - not barbaric laughter -
Found in my soldier's heart:
“Healthy! - he said, - I saw them all,
They live in the Blagodatsky mine! .. "
But then the haughty hero returned,
I hurriedly left for the tent.
"Thank you, soldier! thank you dear!
No wonder I endured torture!”
In the morning I look at the white steppes,
The bell ringing was heard
I quietly enter the wretched church,
Mixed with the devout crowd.
After listening to mass, she approached the priest,
Prayer asked to serve ...
Everything was calm - the crowd did not leave ...
My grief has completely broken me!
Why are we offended so much, Christ?
Why are they covered with reproach?
And rivers of long-accumulated tears
Fell on hard slabs!
It seemed that the people shared my sadness,
Praying silently and sternly,
And the voice of the priest sounded sorrowful,
Asking for the exiles of God...
Poor, lost temple in the desert!
I was not ashamed to cry in it,
The lot of the sufferers praying there
The dead soul is harmless ...
(Father John, that a prayer service served
And prayed so earnestly
Then in the casemate he was a priest
And he became related with us in soul.)
And at night the coachman could not restrain the horses,
The mountain was terribly steep
And I flew with my wagon
From the high peak of Altai!
In Irkutsk they did the same to me,
What did they torment Trubetskaya with ...
Baikal. Crossing - and such a cold,
That the tears in my eyes froze.
Then I parted with my wagon
(The toboggan run is gone.)
I felt sorry for her: I cried in her
And I thought, I thought a lot!
Road without snow - in a cart! First
The cart occupied me
But soon after, neither alive nor dead,
I recognized the charm of the cart.
I also learned hunger along the way.
Unfortunately, they didn't tell me
That there's nothing to be found here
The Buryats kept their mail here.
They dry beef in the sun
Yes, they warm themselves with brick tea,
And the one with lard! Lord save
Try you, unaccustomed!
But near Nerchinsk they gave me a ball:
Some kind of merchant
In Irkutsk, he noticed me, overtook
And in honor of my rich holiday
Arranged ... Thank you! I was glad
And delicious dumplings, and a bath ...
And the holiday, like the dead, slept all over
In the living room, on the sofa...
I didn't know what lay ahead of me!
I galloped to Nerchinsk in the morning,
I can't believe my eyes - Trubetskaya is coming!
"I caught up with you, I caught up!"
“They are in Blagodatsk!” - I rushed to her
Happy tears dropping ...
Only twelve miles away is my Sergey,
And Katya Trubetskaya with me!
Chapter VI
Who knew loneliness on a long journey,
Whose companions are grief and blizzard,
To whom it is given by providence to gain
In the desert, an unexpected friend,
He will understand our mutual joy ...
"I'm tired, I'm tired, Masha!"
“Don’t cry, my poor Katya! will save
Our friendship and our youth!
We are one lot inextricably linked,
Fate has deceived us
And the same stream swept away your happiness,
In which my drowned.
Let's go hand in hand the hard way
As they walked through the verdant meadow,
And we will both carry our cross with dignity,
And we will be strong with each other.
What have we lost? think sister!
Vanity toys… Not much!
Now we have a good road ahead of us,
The road of the chosen ones of God!
We will find humiliated, mournful husbands,
But we will be their consolation,
We will soften the executioners with our meekness,
We overcome suffering with patience.
Support for the dying, the weak, the sick
We'll be in a hateful prison
And we won't lay down our hands until we've done it
A vow of unselfish love!
Our sacrifice is pure - we give everything
Our chosen ones and God.
And I believe: we will pass unscathed
All our difficult road ... "
Nature is tired of fighting with itself -
The day is clear, frosty and quiet.
The snows near Nerchinsk appeared again,
We rode famously in a sleigh ...
The Russian coachman told about the exiles
(He even knew by name):
“On these horses I drove them to the mine,
Yes, only in a different crew.
It must have been an easy road for them:
They joked, made each other laugh;
For breakfast, my mother baked a cheesecake for me,
So I gave them a cheesecake,
Two hryvnia was given - I did not want to take:
“Take it, boy, it will come in handy ...”
Chatting, he quickly flew to the village.
"Well, ladies, where to stand?"
- "Take us to the chief directly to the prison."
- "Hey, friends, do not give offense!"
The chief was obese and, it seems, strict,
He asked what kind we are?
“In Irkutsk they read instructions to us
And they promised to send to Nerchinsk ... "
- "Stuck, stuck, my dear, there!"
"Here's a copy, they gave it to us..."
- What's a copy? you will get into trouble with her!”
- "Here is the royal permission for you!"
The stubborn eccentric did not know French,
He did not believe us - laughter and torment!
"Do you see the tsar's signature: Nicholas?"
He doesn't care about the signature
Give him paper from Nerchinsk!
I wanted to follow her
But he announced that he would go himself
And by the morning he will get the paper.
“Is it true? ..” - “Honestly! And you
It will be better to sleep! .. "
And we got to some hut,
Dreaming about tomorrow morning
With a window of mica, low, without a pipe,
Our house was like this
That I touched the wall with my head,
And her feet rested against the door;
But these little things were funny to us,
That's not what happened to us.
We are together! Now I would easily demolish
And the hardest pain...
I woke up early, and Katya was sleeping,
Went through the village out of boredom:
The huts are the same as ours, in number
Up to a hundred, sticking out in the ravine,
And here is the brick house with bars!
There were sentries with him.
“Are there criminals here?” - "Here, let's go."
- "Where?" - “Go to work, of course!”
Some kids took me...
We all ran - unbearably
I wanted to see my husband soon;
He's close! He walked here recently!
"Do you see them?" - I asked the children.
“Yes, we see! They sing well!
There's the door... Look! Let's go now
Farewell! .. "The guys ran away ...
And as if under the ground leading door
I saw a soldier too.
The sentry looked sternly, - baldly
In his hand, a saber flashed.
Not gold, grandchildren, and it helped here,
Though I offered gold!
Perhaps you would like to read further
Yes, the word is asking from the chest!
Let's slow down a bit. I want to say
Thank you Russian people!
On the road, in exile, wherever I have been,
All the hard hard labor time
People! I carried with you more cheerfully
My unbearable burden.
May many sorrows fall on your part,
You share other people's sorrows
And where my tears are ready to fall
Yours have already fallen there! ..
You love the unfortunate, Russian people!
Suffering has made us...
“The law itself will not save you in hard labor!” -
At home they told me;
But good people I met there
At the last step of the fall,
They were able to express to us in their own way
Criminals tribute;
Me and my inseparable Katya
Were greeted with a smile:
"You are our angels!" For our husbands
They did the lessons.
More than once he furtively gave me from the floor
Potato kolodnik branded:
“Eat! hot, now from the ashes!”
The baked potato was good
But the chest is now aching with longing,
When I remember him...
Accept my low bow, poor people!
Thank you all send!
Thank you!.. They considered their work to be nothing
For us, these people are simple,
But no one poured bitterness into the cup,
Nobody - from the people, relatives! ..
The sentry yielded to my sobs,
How I asked God!
A lamp (kind of a torch) he lit,
I entered a basement
And for a long time they descended lower and lower; Then
I went down a deaf corridor,
He walked in ledges; it was dark inside
And stuffy; where is the mold pattern
lay; where the water flowed quietly
And flowed down in puddles.
I heard a rustle; land sometimes
It fell in lumps from the walls;
I saw terrible holes in the walls;
It seemed like the same roads
They started from them. I forgot my fear
My feet carried me!
And suddenly I heard shouts: “Where,
Where are you going? Want to get killed?
Ladies are not allowed to go there!
Come back soon! Wait!”
My trouble! apparently, the attendant came
(His sentry was so afraid)
He shouted so menacingly, his voice was so angry,
The noise of rapid footsteps was approaching...
What to do? I blew out the torch. Forward
Randomly ran in the dark...
The Lord, if He wants, will lead everywhere!
I don't know how I didn't fall
How did I not leave my head there!
Fate took care of me. past
Terrible crevasses, dips and pits
God brought me out unscathed:
I soon saw the light ahead
There was an asterisk shining...
And a joyful cry flew out of his chest:
"Fire!" I crossed over...
I threw off my fur coat ... I run into the fire,
How God saved my soul!
Frightened horse caught in a quagmire
So torn, seeing the land ...
And it became, relatives, brighter and brighter!
I saw the elevation
Some kind of square ... and shadows on it ...
Whoo...hammer! work, move...
There are people! Will they be the only ones to see?
The figures became clearer ...
Getting closer, the lights flickered stronger.
They must have seen me...
And someone standing on the very edge
He exclaimed: “Is not an angel of God?
Look, look!" - “After all, we are not in paradise:
Cursed mine similar
To hell!" others said, laughing.
And quickly ran out to the edge,
And I moved quickly. marveling,
Motionless they waited.
"Volkonskaya!" Trubetskoy suddenly shouted
(I recognized the voice). lowered
me a ladder; I went up like an arrow!
All the people were familiar:
Sergei Trubetskoy, Artamon Muravyov,
Borisov, Prince Obolensky ...
A stream of heartfelt, enthusiastic words,
Praise my feminine insolence
I was showered; tears flowed
By their faces, full of participation ...
But where is my Sergei? "They've gone after him.
Wouldn't die of happiness alone!
Ends the lesson: three pounds of ore
We get for Russia a day,
As you can see, we were not killed by labors!”
They were so funny
They joked, but I'm under their cheerfulness
I read a sad story
(News to me was the chains on them
I didn't know that they would be shackled)...
The news about Katya, about my dear wife,
I consoled Trubetskoy;
All letters, fortunately, were with me,
Greetings from the native land
I hastened to deliver them. Meanwhile,
Downstairs the officer got excited:
“Who took the ladder? Where and why
Has the job supervisor gone?
Madam! Remember my word
You will be killed!.. Hey, stairs, devils!
Live!..” (But no one set her up…)
"Kill yourself, kill yourself to death!
Feel free to come down! what about you?..” But we
Everything went deep ... From everywhere
The gloomy children of prison ran to us,
Marveling at an unprecedented miracle.
They paved the way for me ahead
They offered their stretchers ...
Underground tools on the way,
We met failures, bumps.
Work was in full swing to the sounds of shackles,
Under the songs - work on the abyss!
Knocked on the elastic chest of the mines
And a spade and an iron hammer.
There, with a burden, a prisoner walked along a log,
I involuntarily shouted: “Hush!”
There a new mine was led into the depths,
There people climbed higher
On shaky props ... What works!
What courage! ... Sparkled
Locally mined blocks of ore
And they promised a generous tribute ...
Suddenly someone exclaimed: “He is coming! is coming!"
Taking in the space with your eyes,
I almost fell, rushing forward, -
The ditch was in front of us.
"Be quiet, be quiet! Is it then
You have flown thousands of miles, -
Trubetskoy said, - so that on the mountain we all
To die in a ditch - at the goal?
And he held my hand tightly:
"What would happen when you fell?"
Sergei was in a hurry, but he walked quietly.
The shackles sounded sad.
Yes, chains! The executioner has not forgotten anyone
(Oh, vengeful coward and tormentor!), -
But he was meek, as he who chose him
Redeemer with his weapon.
They parted before him, keeping silence,
Working people and guards...
And then he saw, he saw me!
And he stretched out his hands to me: "Masha!"
And he became, exhausted as if, far away ...
Two exiles supported him.
Tears flowed down his pale cheeks,
The outstretched hands trembled...
The soul of my sweet voice is the sound
Instantly sent an update
Joy, hope, oblivion of torment,
Oblivion of the father's threat!
And with a cry of "I'm coming!" I was running
Unexpectedly jerking his hand
On a narrow plank over a gaping moat
Towards the inviting sound ...
"I'm coming! .." sent me its caress
Smiling face drunk ...
And I ran... And my soul
Filled with a sacred feeling.
I am only now, in the fatal mine,
Hearing terrible sounds
Seeing the fetters on my husband,
I fully understood his pain.
And his strength ... and willingness to suffer!
Involuntarily before him I bowed
Knees - and before you hug your husband,
She put chains to her lips! ..
And God sent a quiet angel
In underground mines - in an instant
And the talk, and the roar of work fell silent,
And froze like a movement
Strangers, their own - with tears in their eyes,
Agitated, pale, stern,
They stood around. On motionless legs
The fetters did not make a sound,
And the raised hammer froze in the air ...
Everything is quiet - no song, no speech ...
It seemed that everyone here shared with us
Both bitterness and happiness of the meeting!
Holy, holy was the silence!
Some high sadness
Some kind of solemn thought is full.
“Yes, where did you all disappear?” -
Suddenly, a violent scream came from below.
The overseer of works has appeared.
"Go away! the old man said with tears. -
On purpose, lady, I hid,
Now leave. It's time! They will take away!
The bosses are cool people…”
And as if from heaven I descended into hell ...
And only ... and only, relatives!
In Russian, the officer scolded me
Downstairs, waiting in dismay,
And from above, my husband said in French:
"See you, Masha, - in prison! .."
The poem "Russian Women" by N. A. Nekrasov sings of the feat of the wives of the Decembrists. In the lesson materials you will find a brief historical reference about the Decembrist uprising and its sad consequences. Attentive, thoughtful reading of the text will help you analyze the images of the main characters of the poem: Ekaterina Trubetskoy and Maria Volkonskaya.
They showed their contemporaries an example worthy of imitation. Before them, only peasant women left for exile with their husbands. They were the first of the noblewomen, and from the most eminent noble families, to follow their husbands into exile, leaving their families, children, friends, their mansions and servants behind. They understood that they were leaving for a place where they would have to become on a par with the same peasant women - to wash, cook, sew themselves. They were not embarrassed by the pleas of their relatives, the misunderstanding of society, the threats of the authorities. They abandoned their titles to fulfill their duty. Their act caused a huge resonance, became an example for many.
The feat of the Decembrists was sung by N. A. Nekrasov in the poem "Russian Women".
There were 11 of them, but Nekrasov in the poem spoke only about the first ones, who were almost the most difficult of all: they "They paved the way for others" - this is Ekaterina Trubetskaya and Maria Volkonskaya.
Rice. 2. Wives of the Decembrists ()
Compositionally, the poem is divided into two parts:
- Princess M.N. Volkonskaya.
The idea of the poem expressed by Nekrasov in the words:
High and holy is their unforgettable feat!
Like guardian angels they
Were the backbone of the unchanging
Exiles in the days of suffering.
According to contemporaries, Ekaterina Ivanovna Trubetskaya, nee Countess Lavl, was not a beauty - short, plump, but charming, cheerful, with a beautiful voice. In Paris in 1819, Catherine Laval met Prince Sergei Petrovich Trubetskoy and married him a year later.
Trubetskoy was ten years older than her and was considered an enviable groom: noble, rich, smart, educated, went through the war with Napoleon and rose to the rank of colonel. His career went uphill, and Catherine had a chance to become a general.
Five years after the wedding, it suddenly became clear that Sergei Trubetskoy, together with his friends, was preparing an uprising.
Trubetskaya was the first of the wives of the Decembrists to make a decision to leave for Siberia. The path was very long. The authorities were obstructing. For example, Trubetskaya spent 5 months in Irkutsk, because. Governor Zeidler received an order from Petersburg to persuade her to return back. However, Ekaterina Ivanovna was firm in her decision.
Rice. 3. Princess Trubetskaya ()
The image of Princess Trubetskoy in the poem.
In the poem, N. A. Nekrasov tells about the difficult journey of Princess Trubetskoy to Siberia and her heroic opposition to the Irkutsk governor.
The story is told in 3rd person. Thus, the main task of the author is not only to tell about the events, but also to assess the actions of the heroine, her female feat.
The poem begins with the scene of farewell to the father:
The count himself corrected the pillows,
I made a bear cavity at my feet,
Making a prayer, scapular
Hung in the right corner
And - sobbed ... Princess-daughter ...
Goes somewhere tonight...
Nekrasov emphasizes how father and daughter love each other. But, having married, having given a vow of fidelity before God to be with her husband both in sorrow and in joy, Trubetskaya makes a decision:
Oh, God knows! ... But the duty is different,
And higher and harder
Calling me... Forgive me, my dear!
Don't cry in vain!
Far is my way, hard is my way,
My fate is terrible
But I dressed my chest with steel ...
Be proud - I'm your daughter!
Thus, from the first lines of the poem, Nekrasov highlights in the character of the heroine such features as courage, determination, fortitude.
Catherine says goodbye to the past, to the cheerful and rich life of an aristocrat. Says goodbye to his native Petersburg, to his stepfather's house:
Happy my youth
Passed within your walls
I loved your balls
Catania from the steep mountains,
I loved the splash of your Neva
In the evening silence
And this square in front of her
With a hero on horseback...
We see that Catherine from childhood was very cheerful.
In the memories of the youth of the heroine, the following lines may be incomprehensible:
And you be damned, gloomy house,
Where is the first quadrille
I danced... That hand
So far it's burning my hand...
Rejoice. . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .?
Whose hand in question? Who is the heroine cursing?
Ekaterina Trubetskaya recalls her first ball, where she danced her very first dance with Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich, the future Emperor Nicholas I, who began his reign with the massacre of the Decembrists. In the poem, he acts as an executioner.
Rice. 4. Russian Emperor Nicholas I (1796-1855) ()
childhood memories
Wealth, shine! high house
On the banks of the Neva
Staircase upholstered with carpet
Lions in front of the entrance
The magnificent hall is elegantly decorated,
The lights are all on fire.
O joy! now a children's ball,
Chu! the music is booming!
Memories of meeting my husband and happy life with him
Another time, another ball
She dreams: in front of her
A handsome young man is standing
He whispers something to her...
Then again balls, balls ...
She is their mistress
They have dignitaries, ambassadors,
They have all the fashionable light ...
Memories of a trip with her husband to Italy
And so she left
With your chosen one.
Before her is a wonderful country,
Before her is eternal Rome...
But the princess feels happy only in a dream. Upon awakening reality strikes her with tragedy and bitterness:
Chu, heard ahead
Sad ringing - shackled ringing!
Hey coachman, wait!
Then the exiled party is coming,
Painful chest,
The princess gives them money,
Thanks, have a good trip!
She long, long their faces
Dreaming later,
And do not drive away her thoughts,
Don't forget sleep!
Here for the qualities main character we should of course add features like mercy, kindness.
Thus, the story about the heroine is built on the antithesis: the opposition of a beautiful dream and a terrible reality.
A long way, a lot of time for memories. The princess recalls the tragic day of the uprising and its terrible consequences, recalls how she came to the casemate to meet her husband. It is known that Trubetskaya knew about the impending uprising. In the poem, she is shown by Nekrasov as not just a loving and faithful wife. This person is independent, thinking, analyzing. Returning from a trip to Italy, Trubetskaya compares this beautiful, free country with a miserable and unhappy Russia:
In front of her are a number of paintings.
Downtrodden, driven country:
Severe lord
And a miserable worker-man
With a bowed head...
As the first to rule,
How slaves the second!
Catherine turns to her husband with a question:
Tell me, is the whole region like this?
There is no shade contentment? ..
You are in the kingdom of beggars and slaves! -
The short answer was...
Here we must add the following features to the characterization of the heroine: independence; observation; inquisitive mind; love of freedom.
Nekrasov emphasizes that Trubetskaya shares her husband's views. Her decision to follow him is dictated not only by love, but also by courage. civic position. That's why the climax of the poem was the episode "Trubetskoy's meeting with the Irkutsk governor."
The princess overcame almost five thousand miles and suddenly runs into an obstacle: the Irkutsk governor does not allow her to go further. The forces are unequal. On the one hand - Princess Trubetskaya, a young, fragile, defenseless woman. On the other hand, the Irkutsk governor, a representative of state power (“ Princess, here I am the king”), wise by life and service experience, already a middle-aged man.
And Princess Trubetskaya wins this duel. This brave, young, defenseless, powerless woman. How much determination she has! What courage! What a character!
No! I'm not a pitiful slave
I am a woman, wife!
Let my fate be bitter
I will be faithful to her!
Oh if he forgot me
For a different woman
I would have enough strength in my soul
Don't be his slave!
But I know: love for the motherland
my rival,
And if it were necessary, again
I would forgive him!
Carefully reading the poem, the reader understands what is the weakness of the Irkutsk governor. He tries to return Trubetskaya, following the order of the tsar, intimidates her with terrible trials, but in his heart he sympathizes with her and admires her courage:
How I tormented you... My God!...
(From under the arm of a gray-haired mustache
A tear rolled down.)
Sorry! yes, I tormented you,
But he himself suffered
But I had a strict order
Barriers to put up for you!
It is this moment that explains why the authorities were so opposed to the decision of the wives of the Decembrists. It meant the moral support of the prisoners, aroused sympathy among many. The authorities in the person of Tsar Nicholas I did not want anyone to sympathize with the Decembrists.
Nekrasov admires his heroine, her willpower, self-esteem and fearlessness.
In the poem, Trubetskaya was detained in Irkutsk for only 2 weeks. In fact, she stayed there for 5 months. It was here that the second Decembrist, M.N. Volkonskaya, to whom the second part of the poem "Russian Women" is dedicated.
- Didactic materials on literature Grade 7. Author - Korovina V.Ya. - 2008
- Homework in literature for grade 7 (Korovina). Author - Tishchenko O.A. - year 2012
- Literature lessons in grade 7. Author - Kuteynikova N.E. - year 2009
- Textbook on literature grade 7. Part 1. Author - Korovina V.Ya. - year 2012
- Textbook on literature grade 7. Part 2. Author - Korovina V.Ya. - year 2009
- Textbook-reader on literature Grade 7. Authors: Ladygin M.B., Zaitseva O.N. - year 2012
- Textbook-reader on literature Grade 7. Part 1. Author - Kurdyumova T.F. - 2011
- Phonochrestomathy in literature for the 7th grade to the textbook by Korovina.
- FEB: Dictionary of literary terms ().
- Dictionaries. Literary terms and concepts ().
- N. A. Nekrasov. Russian women ().
- Nekrasov N. A. Biography, life history, creativity ().
- N. A. Nekrasov. Biography pages ().
- History of the Russian Empire. Wives of the Decembrists ().
- Dictionary Russian language ().
- Prepare expressive reading excerpts from the poem "Russian Women" by N. A. Nekrasov "Trubetskoy's conversation with the Irkutsk governor"
- Think about why Nekrasov called the poem not "Decembrists", but "Russian Women".
Nekrasov Nikolay
Russian women
Nikolay Alekseevich Nekrasov
Russian women
PRINCESS TRUBETSKAYA
PART ONE
Calm, strong and light A marvelously well-coordinated carriage;
The count-father himself not once, not twice He tried it first.
Six horses were harnessed to it, A lantern was lit inside it.
The count himself straightened the pillows, He laid the bear's cavity in his legs,
While praying, the icon hung in the right corner
And - he sobbed ... The princess-daughter ... She is going somewhere this night ...
Yes, we tear the heart in half
To each other, but, dear, Tell me, what else can we do?
Can you help melancholy!
One who could help us
Now... I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Bless your own daughter
And let go in peace!
God knows, see you again
Alas! there is no hope. Forgive and know: your love,
Your last testament I will remember deeply
In the far side... I don't cry, but it's not easy
To part with you!
Oh, God knows! ... But the duty is different,
And higher and harder, Calling me... Forgive me, my dear!
Don't cry in vain! Far is my way, hard is my way,
My fate is terrible, But I dressed my chest with steel ...
Be proud - I'm your daughter!
Forgive me too, my native land,
Sorry, unfortunate land! And you... oh fatal city,
Nest of kings... farewell! Who has seen London and Paris
Venice and Rome, That you will not seduce with brilliance,
But you were my love
Happy my youth
Passed within your walls, I loved your balls,
Riding from the steep mountains, I loved the splash of your Neva
In the evening silence, And this square in front of her
With a hero on horseback...
I can't forget... Then, then
They will tell our story ... And you be damned, gloomy house,
Where did I dance the first quadrille... That hand
Until now it burns my hand ... Rejoice. . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .?
Calm, strong and light, The cart rolls by the city.
All in black, deathly pale, the Princess rides in it alone,
And the father's secretary (in crosses, To inspire dear fear)
With a servant, he gallops ahead ... Whistle with a whip, shouting: "Down!"
The coachman passed the capital ... The path lay far for the princess,
It was a harsh winter ... At each station, she
A traveler comes out: "Hurry up the horses!"
And with a generous hand pours the Chervonets of the Yamskaya servants.
But the path is hard! On the twentieth day As soon as we arrived in Tyumen,
Another ten days galloped, "We'll see the Yenisei soon,
He told the princess to keep secret. The sovereign does not travel like that!...?
Forward! Soul full of sadness
The road is harder, But dreams are peaceful and easy
She dreamed of her youth. Wealth, shine! high house
On the banks of the Neva, the staircase is upholstered with a carpet,
There are lions in front of the entrance, The magnificent hall is gracefully decorated,
The lights are all on fire. O joy! now a children's ball,
Chu! the music is booming! Scarlet ribbons were woven into her
In two Russian braids, Flowers, outfits brought
Unseen beauty. Papa came - gray, blush,
He calls her to the guests: “Well, Katya! miracle sundress!
He drives everyone crazy! She loves, loves without limits.
A flower garden of cute children's faces is spinning in front of her,
Heads and curls. Children are dressed up like flowers,
Smarter old men: Plumes, ribbons and crosses,
With a ringing of heels ... A child dances, jumps,
Without thinking about anything, And frisky childhood joking
Flies ... Then another time, another ball
She dreams: a handsome young man is standing in front of her,
He whispers something to her... Then again balls, balls...
She is their mistress, They have dignitaries, ambassadors,
They have all the fashionable light ...
Oh dear! why are you so gloomy?
What's on your heart?? - Child! I'm bored with secular noise, Let's leave soon, let's go!
And so she left
With your chosen one. Before her is a wonderful country,
Before her is eternal Rome... Ah! what would we remember life
If we didn't have those days When, having escaped somehow
From his homeland And passing the boring north,
Let's go south. Needs before us, rights over us
No one ... Himself-friend Always only with those who are dear to us,
We live as we want; Today we look at the ancient temple,
And tomorrow we will visit the Palace, the ruins, the museum ..
How fun, moreover, to share your thoughts
With your favorite being!
Under the spell of beauty
In the power of strict thoughts, you roam the Vatican,
Depressed and gloomy; Surrounded by an obsolete world,
You don't remember the living. But how strangely amazed
You in the first moment later, When, after leaving the Vatican,
You will return to the living world, Where the donkey neighs, the fountain rustles,
The artisan sings; Trade is booming
They shout in every way: "Corals!" shells! snails!
Ice cream water!? Dancing, eating, fighting naked,
Satisfied with herself, And a pitch black braid
A young old woman scratches a Roman woman ... It's a hot day,
Unbearable mob din, Where can we find peace and shade?
We go to the first temple.
The noise of life is not heard here,
Coolness, silence And semi-darkness... Strict thoughts
Again the soul is full. Saints and angels in a crowd
The temple is decorated above, Porphyry and jasper under the foot,
And marble on the walls...
How sweet to listen to the sound of the sea!
You sit for an hour; Undepressed, cheerful mind
Works meanwhile ... Up to the sun along a mountain path
Climb high What a morning before you!
How easy it is to breathe! But hotter, hotter southern day
There is no dewdrop on the green of the valleys ... Let's go under the shade
Umbrella pinn...
The princess remembers those days
Walks and conversations, They left in the soul
An indelible mark. But do not return her days of the past,
Those days of hopes and dreams, How not to return later about them
Tears shed by her!
Gone are the rainbow dreams
In front of her are a number of pictures of a downtrodden, driven country: 2
A stern master and a miserable worker-man
With a downcast head ... As the first to rule,
How slaves the second! She dreams of groups of benyakov
In the fields, in the meadows, She dreams of the groans of barge haulers
On the banks of the Volga ... Full of naive horror,
She doesn't eat, she doesn't sleep, she sleeps with her companion
He hurries with questions: “Tell me, is the whole region like this? There is no shade contentment?..? - You are in the kingdom of beggars and slaves! The short answer was...
She woke up - in the hand of a dream!
Chu, heard ahead Sad ringing - shackled ringing!
Hey coachman, wait!? Then the exiled party is coming,
The chest ached more painfully, the Princess gives them money,
Thank you, have a good trip!? She long, long their faces
They dream later, And she cannot drive away her thoughts,
Don't forget sleep! And that party was here... Yes... there are no other ways... But the blizzard covered their trail. Hurry, coachman, hurry!..?
The frost is stronger, the path is more deserted,
The farther to the east; Some three hundred miles
Wretched town, But how happy you look
On a dark row of houses, But where are the people? Silence everywhere
Can't even hear the dogs. Frost drove everyone under the roof,
They drink tea out of boredom. A soldier passed, a cart passed,
The chimes are striking somewhere. The windows are frozen... light
In one of them, I glimpsed a little... the Cathedral... at the exit of the jail...
Chapter 1
Pranksters grandchildren! Today they
Returned from the walk:
"We, grandmother, are bored! On rainy days,
When we sat down in the portrait room
And you started to tell us
It was so much fun!.. Dear,
Tell me something else! .." In the corners
Have a seat. But I drove them away:
"Have time to listen; my stories
Enough for whole volumes,
But you are still stupid: recognize them,
How will you know life?
I told you everything that is available to you
According to your childish years:
Go for a walk in the fields, in the meadows!
Go... enjoy the summer!"
And now, not wanting to remain in debt
At grandchildren, I write notes;
For them I save portraits of people,
who were close to me
I bequeath them an album - and flowers
From the grave of my sister - Muravyova,
Collection of butterflies, flora of Chita
And the views of that harsh country;
I will bequeath them an iron bracelet...
Let them keep it sacred:
Grandfather forged it as a gift to his wife
From my own chain once...
I was born, my dear grandchildren,
Near Kyiv, in a quiet village;
I had a beloved daughter with my family.
Our family was rich and ancient,
But even more my father exalted him:
More tempting than the glory of a hero,
More expensive than the motherland - did not know anything
A fighter who did not like peace.
Working miracles, nineteen years old
He was a regimental commander
He got courage and laurels of victories
And honors honored by the world.
His military glory began
Persian and Swedish campaign,
But the memory of him inseparably merged
With the great twelfth year:
Here his life was a long battle.
We shared campaigns with him,
And in another month we will not remember the number,
If only they didn't tremble for him.
"Defender of Smolensk" is always ahead
It was a dangerous business...
Wounded near Leipzig, with a bullet in his chest,
He fought again a day later,
So the chronicle of his life says:
Among the generals of Russia,
As long as our fatherland stands,
He will be remembered! Vitii
My father was showered with praise,
Calling him immortal;
Zhukovsky honored him with a loud stanza,
Glorifying Russian leaders:
Under Dashkova's personal courage, the heat
And the sacrifice of a patriotic father
The poet sings. martial gift
Appearing in battles without counting,
Not by force alone defeated enemies
Your great-grandfather in the gigantic struggle:
It was said about him that he combined
With courage, a military genius.
Concerned about the war, in his family
The father did not interfere in anything,
But he was cool at times; almost a god
He seemed to our mother
And he himself was deeply attached to her.
We loved our father - in a hero,
Having finished the campaigns, in his estate
He is slowly fading away.
We lived in a big suburban house.
Having entrusted the children to an Englishwoman,
The old man was resting. I learned everything
What a rich noblewoman needs.
And after school I ran to the garden
And sang all day carefree
My voice was very good, they say
His father listened willingly;
He brought his notes to an end,
He read newspapers, magazines,
Feasts asked; went to see father
Gray-haired, like him, generals,
And there were endless disputes then;
Meanwhile, the youth danced.
Do you tell the truth? I have always been
At that time, the queen of the ball:
My languid eyes fire blue
And black with a blue tint
Big braid and thick blush
On a swarthy, beautiful face,
And my height is high, and my camp is flexible,
And proud tread - captivated
The then beauties: hussars, lancers,
What stood close to the shelves.
But I reluctantly listened to their flattery ...
My father did his best for me.
"Isn't it time to get married? The groom is already there,
He fought gloriously near Leipzig,
He was loved by the sovereign, our father,
And gave him the rank of general.
Older than you ... but well done,
Volkonsky! You took him out
At the royal review ... and he visited us,
Walking around the park with you!"
- "Yes, I remember! Such a tall general ..."
- "He's the best!" - the old man laughed ...
"Father, he spoke to me so little!" -
I noticed I blushed...
"You will be happy with him!" - cool decision
Old man, - I did not dare to object ...
Two weeks have passed - and I'm under the crown
Standing with Sergei Volkonsky
I didn't know much about his fiancé,
I didn’t learn much from my husband, -
So little we lived under one roof,
So rarely seen each other!
In distant villages, for winter stay,
His brigade was scattered
Sergey circled her incessantly.
And meanwhile I fell ill;
In Odessa later, on the advice of doctors,
I bathed all summer;
In winter, he came for me there,
I rested with him for a week
At the main apartment ... and again trouble!
One day I fell fast asleep.
Suddenly I hear the voice of Sergei (in the night,
It was almost at dawn,
"Get up! Quickly find me the keys!
Fire up the fireplace!" I jumped up ...
She looked: he was alarmed and pale.
I fired up the fireplace.
From the boxes my husband demolished papers
To the fireplace - and burned hastily.
Others read fluently, hastily,
Others threw without reading.
And I helped Sergei, trembling
And pushing them deeper into the fire...
Then he said, "We'll go now"
Gently touching my hair.
Everything was soon laid with us,
And in the morning, without saying goodbye to anyone,
We set off. We rode for three days
Sergey was gloomy, in a hurry,
Drove me to my father's estate
And immediately he said goodbye to me.
Chapter 2
"He left! .. What did his pallor mean
And everything that happened that night?
Why didn't he tell his wife?
Something bad happened!"
For a long time I did not know peace and sleep,
Doubts tormented the soul:
"I left, I left! I'm alone again! .."
My family consoled me
Father explained his haste
Some random thing:
"Somewhere the emperor himself sent
Him with a secret assignment,
Do not Cry! You shared trips with me
The vicissitudes of military life
You know; he'll be home soon!
Precious pledge under the heart
You wear: now you must beware!
Everything will end well, dear;
Husband's wife spent alone
And he will meet, shaking the child! .. "
Alas! His prediction did not come true!
See the poor wife
And with the first-born son, the father had a chance
Not here - not under the native roof!
How dearly my first-born cost me!
I was sick for two months.
Tormented by the body, killed by the soul,
I met my first babysitter.
I asked about my husband. - "I haven't been yet!"
- Did you write? “And there aren’t even any letters.”
- "Where is my father?" - "I galloped off to Petersburg."
- "And my brother?" - "I went there."
"My husband did not come, there is not even a letter,
And brother and father galloped away, -
I said to my mother: - I'm going myself!
Enough, enough we've been waiting!"
And no matter how hard she tried to beg her daughter
Old lady, I made up my mind;
I remember that last night
And everything that happened then
And I clearly realized that with my husband
Something bad is going on...
It was spring, over the floods of the river
I had to carry the turtle.
I arrived a little alive again.
"Where is my husband" - I asked my father.
"Your husband went to Moldavia to fight."
- "Doesn't he write? .." He looked dejectedly
And the father came out ... The brother was dissatisfied,
The servant was silent, sighing.
I noticed that they are cheating with me,
Carefully hiding something;
Referring to the fact that I need peace,
Nobody was allowed to see me
Some kind of wall surrounded me
They didn't even give me newspapers!
I remembered: my husband has a lot of relatives,
I write - I beg you to answer.
Weeks pass, - not a word from them!
I'm crying, I'm losing my strength...
There is no feeling more painful than a secret thunderstorm.
I swore my father's oath
That I won't shed a single tear
And he, and everything around was silent!
Loving, my poor father tormented me;
Regretting, doubling grief ...
I found out, I finally found out everything! ..
I read in the verdict itself,
That poor Sergei was a conspirator:
They stood guard
Preparing troops to overthrow the authorities.
He was also blamed
What is he... My head is spinning...
I didn't want to believe my eyes...
"Really? .." Words did not fit in my mind:
Sergey - and a dishonorable thing!
I remember a hundred times I read the sentence,
Delving into the fatal words.
She ran to her father - a conversation with her father
Reassured me, folks!
Like a heavy stone fell from my soul.
In one I blamed Sergei:
Why didn't he tell his wife?
Thinking, and then I forgave:
"How could he talk? I was young,
When he broke up with me
I carried my son under my heart then:
He was afraid for mother and child! -
So I thought. - Let the trouble be great,
I have not lost everything in the world.
Siberia is so terrible, Siberia is far away,
But people live in Siberia too!.."
All night I burned, dreaming about
How I will cherish Sergei.
In the morning a deep, fastening sleep
She fell asleep - and got up more cheerfully.
My health improved soon
I saw my friends
I found my sister, I asked her
And learned a lot of bitter!
Unhappy people! .. "All the time Sergey
(Sister said) contained
In prison; I didn't see my family or friends...
Just saw him yesterday
Father. You can also see him:
When the verdict was read
Dressed them in rags, took off their crosses,
But they were given the right to meet! .. "
I missed some details...
Leaving fatal traces
To this day they cry out for vengeance...
Don't know them better folks.
I went to the fortress to my husband and sister,
We first came to the "general",
Then an elderly general brought us
In a vast, gloomy room.
"Wait, princess! we'll be there now!"
Bowing politely to us,
He left. I didn't take my eyes off the door.
Minutes seemed like hours.
Steps gradually fell silent in the distance,
I followed them with my mind.
It seemed to me: they brought a bunch of keys,
And the rusty door creaked.
In a gloomy closet with an iron window
The exhausted prisoner languished.
"The wife came to you! .." With a pale face,
He trembled all over, brightened up:
"Wife! .." He quickly ran along the corridor,
Do not dare to trust the rumor ...
"Here he is!" - the general said loudly,
And I saw Sergei...
Suddenly, a thunderstorm swept over him:
Wrinkles appeared on the forehead
His face was deathly pale, his eyes
They didn't glow so brightly
But there was more in them than in the old days,
That quiet, familiar sadness;
For a minute they looked inquisitively
And joyfully suddenly shone,
He seemed to look into my soul...
I bitterly, crouching against his chest,
Sobbed ... He hugged me and whispered:
"There are strangers here."
Then he said that it was good for him
Learn the virtue of humility
Which, however, easily endures prison,
And a few words of encouragement
He added ... He walked importantly around the room
Witness - we were embarrassed ...
Sergei showed his clothes:
"Congratulate me, Masha, with a new thing, -
And quietly added: - Understand and forgive, -
Eyes sparkled with tears
But then the spy managed to come up,
He bowed his head low.
I said loudly: "Yes, I did not expect
Find you in these clothes."
And quietly whispered: "I understand everything.
I love you more than ever..."
- "What to do? And I will live in hard labor
(Until life bores me)"
- "You are alive, you are healthy, so why grieve?
(After all, hard labor will not separate us?)"
"So that's what you are!" Sergei said
His face was funny...
He took out a handkerchief, put it on the window,
And I put mine next to me
Then, parting, Sergeyev's scarf
I took it - my husband stayed ...
Us after a year of separation for an hour
Goodbye seemed short
But what was there to do! Our deadline has passed -
Others would have to wait...
The general put me in the carriage,
Happy to stay...
I found great joy in a scarf:
Kissing him, I saw
I have a few words on one corner;
Here's what I read, trembling:
"My friend, you are free. Understand - do not blame!
Mentally I am cheerful and - I wish
See my wife the same. Goodbye!
I send bows to the little one ... "
There was a big relative in Petersburg
Husband; to know everything - yes!
I went to them, worried for three days,
Begging to save Sergei.
Father said: “Why are you suffering, daughter?
I tried everything - it's useless!"
It's true they tried to help
Praying the emperor tearfully,
But the requests did not reach his heart ...
I also met my husband
And the time has come: he was taken away! ..
As soon as I was left alone
I immediately heard in my heart
What do I need to hurry,
My parents' house seemed stuffy to me,
And I began to ask my husband.
Now I'll tell you in detail, friends,
My fatal victory
All amicably and menacingly rebelled the family,
When I said: "I'm going!"
I don't know how I managed to resist
What have I suffered ... God! ..
A mother was called from near Kyiv,
And the brothers came too:
My father ordered me to "reason".
They persuaded and asked.
But the Lord himself supported my will,
Their words did not break her!
And I had to cry a lot and bitterly ...
When we got together for dinner,
My father casually threw a question to me:
"What did you decide?" - "I'm going!"
The father was silent... the family was silent...
I cried bitterly in the evening
Shaking the baby, I thought...
Suddenly my father comes in, - I shuddered.
I was waiting for a thunderstorm, but, sad and quiet,
He said cordially and meekly:
"Why do you offend blood relatives?
What will happen to the poor orphan?
What will happen to you, my dove?
There is no need for female power!
Your great sacrifice is in vain,
You will find only a grave there!"
And he waited for an answer, and caught my eye,
Caressing me and kissing...
"It's my own fault! I ruined you! -
He exclaimed suddenly, indignantly. -
Where was my mind? Where were the eyes!
Our whole army already knew ... "
And he tore his gray hair:
"Sorry! don't execute me, Masha!
Stay!.." And again he prayed fervently...
God knows how I survived!
Leaning her head on his shoulder,
"I'll go!" I quietly said...
"Let's see! .." And suddenly the old man straightened up,
His eyes sparkled with anger.
"One repeats your stupid language:
"I'll go!" Isn't it time to say
Where and why? You think first!
You don't know what you're talking about!
Can your head think?
Do you think you are enemies?
Both mother and father? Or are they stupid...
Why are you arguing with them as with equals?
Look deeper into your heart,
Look forward coolly
Think about it!.. I'll see you tomorrow..."
He left, threatening and angry,
And I, a little alive, before the icon of the saint
Fell - in the languor of the soul ...
Chapter 3
"Think! .." I did not sleep the whole night,
I prayed and cried a lot.
I called the mother of God for help,
Asked God for advice
I learned to think: my father ordered
To think... not an easy thing!
How long has he thought for us - and decided
And our life flew peacefully?
I studied a lot; in three languages
Read. I was noticeable
In front drawing rooms, at social balls,
Skillfully dancing, playing;
I could talk about almost everything
I knew music, I sang
I even rode very well,
But she couldn't think at all.
I'm only in my last, twentieth year
I learned that life is not a toy,
Yes, in childhood, it happened, the heart shuddered,
How suddenly a cannon bursts.
Life was good and free; father
He did not speak strictly to me;
Eighteen years old I went down the aisle
I didn't think much either...
Lately my head
She worked hard, burned;
I was tormented by the unknown at first.
When I found out the trouble
Sergei stood before me without change,
Prison exhausted, pale,
And many previously unknown passions
Sowed in my poor soul.
I have experienced everything, and most of all
A cruel feeling of powerlessness.
I am heaven and strong people for it
Prayed - in vain efforts!
And anger burned my sick soul,
And I worried uncomfortably
Torn, cursed ... but there was no strength
No time to think calmly.
Now I have to think,
My father likes it that way.
May my will always be the same
Let every thought be fruitless,
I honestly obey my father's order
Decided, my dear.
The old man said: "You think of us,
We are not strangers to you:
And mother, and father, and child, finally -
You recklessly throw everyone
For what?" - "I'm doing my duty, father!"
"What are you condemning yourself for?
For flour?" - "I will not suffer there!
A terrible torment awaits me here.
Yes, if I stay, obedient to you,
Separation hurts me.
Not knowing peace, neither at night nor during the day,
Weeping over the poor orphan,
I will always think about my husband
Yes, hear his meek reproach.
Wherever I go - on people's faces
I'll read my verdict:
In their whisper - the story of my betrayal.
In a smile reproach I guess:
That my place is not at a magnificent ball,
And in the distant desert gloomy,
Where is the prisoner tired in the prison corner
Tormented by a fierce thought,
Alone... without support... Hurry to him!
There, I can breathe freely.
Shared joy with him, shared prison
I have to... So the sky pleases!..
Sorry folks! I have a heart for a long time
My predicted decision.
And I firmly believe: it is from God!
And in you says - regret.
Yes, if I have to decide the choice
Between husband and son - no more,
I go where I'm needed the most
I'm going to the one who is in captivity!
I will leave my son in my own family,
He will soon forget me.
Let grandfather be a father to the little one,
His sister will be his mother.
He's still so small! And when he grows up
And learn a terrible secret
I believe he will understand his mother's feeling
And in his heart he will justify it!
But if I stay with him... and then
He learns the secret and asks:
"Why didn't you go after your poor father? .." -
And will he throw a word of reproach at me?
Oh, it's better for me to lie alive in the grave,
How to deprive a husband of consolation
And in the future, the son will bring contempt ...
No no! I don't want contempt!
And it can happen - I'm afraid to think! -
I will forget my first husband
I will obey the conditions of the new family
And I will not be a mother to my son,
And the fierce stepmother? .. I burn with shame ...
Forgive me, poor exile!
Forget you! Never! never!
You are the only chosen one of the heart ...
Father! you don't know how dear he is to me!
You don't know him! At first,
In a brilliant outfit, on a proud horse,
I saw him before the regiment;
About the exploits of his fighting life
Comrades' stories
I listened eagerly - and with all my heart
I fell in love with the hero...
Later, I fell in love with my father in him.
Baby born by me.
The separation dragged on without end.
He stood firm in the storm...
Do you know where we met again -
Fate did its will! -
Last, best heart love
I gave it to him in prison!
In vain ink his slander,
He was more perfect than before
And I loved him like Christ...
In my prison clothes
Now he stands in front of me,
Shining with meek majesty.
Crown of thorns above his head
In the eyes of unearthly love ...
My father! I have to see him...
I will die, longing for my husband ...
You, serving your duty, did not spare anything
And you taught us the same...
The hero who raised his sons
There, where the battle is more deadly, -
I do not believe that my poor daughter
You yourself did not approve of the decision!"
That's what I thought in the long night
And so I spoke with my father ...
He quietly said, "Crazy daughter!" -
And he went out: they were silent dejectedly
Both brothers and mother ... I finally left ...
Difficult days dragged on:
Like a cloud, a disgruntled father walked,
The other household members pouted.
No one wanted to help with advice
No matter; but I didn't sleep
Again I spent a sleepless night:
Wrote a letter to the sovereign
(At that time, word of mouth began to spread,
What if to return Trubetskaya
The emperor ordered from the road. experience
I feared such a fate
But the rumor was wrong.) I took the letter
My sister, Katya Orlova.
The king himself answered me ... Thank you, I found
In response, I have a good word!
He was elegant and sweet (Nikolai
Written in French). At first
The sovereign said how terrible that land is,
Where did I want to go?
How rude people are there, how hard life is,
As my age is fragile and tender;
Then he hinted (I did not suddenly understand)
That the return is hopeless;
And then - deigned to honor with praise
My resolve, regretting
That, obedient to duty, could not spare
A criminal husband... Not daring
Resist feelings so high
He gave his permission;
But I would rather wish that with my son
I stayed at home...
excitement
I was overwhelmed. "I'm going!" For a long time
So joyfully the heart did not beat ...
"I'm going! I'm going! Now it's decided! .."
I cried, prayed fervently...
In three days I gathered on my distant journey,
I pledged everything of value
A reliable fur coat, stocked up with linen,
I bought a simple kibitka.
Relatives looked at my fees,
Mysteriously somehow sighing;
None of the family believed the departure...
I spent the last night
With baby. Bending over my son
The smile of a little native
I tried to remember; I played with him
The seal of the fatal letter.
She played and thought: "My poor son!
You don't know what you're playing!
Here is your fate: you will wake up alone,
Unhappy! You will lose your mother!"
And in grief falling on his little hands
Face, I whispered, sobbing:
"I'm sorry that you, for your father,
My poor, I must leave ... "
And he smiled: he did not think to sleep,
Admiring the beautiful package;
This big and red seal
He was amused...
With the dawn
Calmly and soundly the child fell asleep,
And his cheeks flushed.
Without taking your eyes off your beloved face,
Praying at his cradle
I saw the morning...
I immediately got together.
I conjured my sister again
To be a mother to a son... Sister vowed...
The kibitka was already ready.
My relatives were sternly silent,
The farewell was silent.
I thought: "I died for the family,
Everything is cute, everything is expensive
I'm losing ... there is no count of sad losses! .. "
The mother sat quietly
It seemed, not believing even now,
So that my daughter dares to leave,
And everyone looked at his father with a question.
He sat at a distance dejectedly,
He did not say a word, did not raise his face, -
It was pale and gloomy.
The last things were demolished in the kibitka,
I cried, losing my courage,
The minutes ticked by painfully slowly.
I finally hugged my sister
And mother hugged me. "Well, God bless you!" -
I said, kissing brothers.
Imitating their father, they were silent ...
The old man got up, indignant,
On compressed lips, on forehead wrinkles
There were ominous shadows...
I silently handed him an image
And she knelt down before him.
"I'm going! at least a word, at least a word, father!
Forgive your daughter, for God's sake!"
The old man looked at me at last
Thoughtfully, intently, strictly
And, raising his hands with a threat above me,
He said a little audibly (I was trembling):
"Look, come back home in a year,
Not that - damn it! .. "
I fell...
Chapter 4
"Enough, enough hugs and tears!"
I sat down - and the troika rushed off.
"Farewell, dear!" In December frost
I left my father's house
And raced without rest for more than three days;
I was fascinated by the speed
She was the best doctor for me...
I soon rode to Moscow,
To my sister Zinaida. Sweet and smart
There was a young princess
How did you know music? How she sang!
Art was sacred to her.
She left us a book of short stories,
Filled with gentle grace,
The poet Venevitinov sang stanzas to her,
Hopelessly in love with her;
Zinaida lived in Italy for a year
And to us - according to the poet -
"Brought the color of the southern sky in her eyes."
Queen of the Moscow world,
She did not shy away from artists - life
They were with Zina in the living room;
They respected and loved her
And the North was called Korinna ...
We cried. She liked
My resolve is fatal:
"Be strong, my poor! be cheerful!
You have become so dark.
How can I drive these dark clouds away?
How can we say goodbye to you?
And that's what! go to bed until evening,
And in the evening I will arrange a feast.
Don't be afraid! everything will be according to your taste,
My friends are not rake,
We will sing your favorite songs
Let's play our favorite pieces..."
And in the evening the news that I arrived,
In Moscow, many already knew.
At that time, our unfortunate husbands
Moscow's attention was occupied by:
As soon as the decision of the court was announced,
Everyone was embarrassed and terrified
In the salons of Moscow repeated then
One Rostopchin joke:
"In Europe, a shoemaker to become a gentleman,
Rebels, of course!
We made a revolution to know:
Did you want to be a shoemaker, or something? .. "
And I became the "heroine of the day."
Not only artists, poets -
All our noble relatives moved;
Ceremonial, carriage train
thundered; powdering your wigs
Potemkin equal in years,
The old aces-old men appeared
With excellent courteous regards;
Old ladies, ladies of the former court,
They embraced me:
"What heroism! .. What a time! .." -
And they shook their heads to the beat.
Well, in a word, what was more visible in Moscow,
What was passing by in her,
Everything came to my Zina in the evening:
There were many artists here.
I heard Italian singers here,
Who were then famous
My father's colleagues, friends
Here they were, sadly killed.
There were relatives of those who went there,
Where was I in a hurry
Writers group, loved then.
Amicably said goodbye to me:
There were Odoevsky, Vyazemsky; was
The poet is inspirational and sweet,
Admirer of the cousin who died early,
Untimely taken by the grave.
And Pushkin was here... I recognized him...
He was a friend of our childhood
In Yurzuf he lived with my father,
At that time, leprosy and coquetry
We laughed, we chatted, we ran with him,
They threw flowers at each other.
Our whole family went to the Crimea,
And Pushkin went with us.
We were having fun. Here at last
And the mountains, and the Black Sea!
Father ordered the crews to stand,
We were walking around in the open.
Then I was already sixteen years old.
Flexible, tall beyond her years,
Leaving my family, I shoot ahead
Rushed off with a curly-haired poet;
Without a hat, with a loose long braid;
Burning in the midday sun,
I flew to the sea - and was in front of me
View of the southern coast of Crimea!
I looked around with joyful eyes,
I jumped, played with the sea;
When the tide was gone, I ran
I ran to the water,
When the tide returned again
And the waves were coming up
I was in a hurry to run away from them,
And the waves overtook me! ..
And Pushkin looked ... and laughed that I
Got my boots wet.
"Be quiet! my governess is coming!" -
I said sternly. (I hid
That my feet got wet) ... Then I read
There are wonderful lines in Onegin.
I broke out all over - I was happy ...
Now I'm old, so far away
Those red days! I won't hide
What Pushkin at that time seemed
In love with me... but in truth,
Who didn't he fall in love with?
But I don't think he loved anyone
Then, except for the muse: hardly
No more love occupied him
Her worries and sorrows...
Yurzuf is picturesque: in luxurious gardens
Its valleys sank,
The sea is at his feet, Ayudag is far away...
Tatar huts clung
To the foot of the rocks; grapes ran out
On the steep vine weighed down,
And the poplar stood motionless in places
Green and slender column.
We occupied a house under an overhanging rock,
The poet took refuge upstairs,
He told us that he was pleased with fate,
That I fell in love with the sea and mountains.
His walks continued day by day
And they were always alone
He often wandered by the sea at night.
He took English lessons
At Lena, my sister: Byron then
He was extremely interested.
It happened to my sister sometimes to translate
Anything from Byron is secret;
She read her attempts to me,
And after tore and threw,
But someone from the family told Pushkin,
That Lena composed poems:
The poet picked up the shreds under the window
And brought the whole thing to the stage.
Praising translations, he long afterwards
He embarrassed the unfortunate Lena ...
When he finished, he went down
And he shared his leisure with us;
At the very terrace stood a cypress,
The poet called him a friend,
Under him, the dawn often caught him,
He left with him, saying goodbye ...
And they told me that Pushkin's trail
In the native legend remained:
"A nightingale flew to the poet at night,
As the moon floated into the sky
And together with the poet he sang - and, to the singers
Listening, nature fell silent!
Then the nightingale - narrates the people -
Flew here every summer
And whistles, and cries, and as if calling
To the forgotten friend of the poet!
But the poet died - he stopped flying
Feathered singer... Full of grief,
Since then, the cypress has been an orphan,
Listening only to the murmur of the sea .. "
But Pushkin glorified him for a long time:
Tourists visit him
They sit down under it and as a keepsake from it
Fragrant branches are plucked ...
Our meeting was sad. Poet
He was crushed by true grief.
He remembered the games of childish years
In the distant Yurzuf, over the sea.
Leaving the usual mocking tone,
With love, with endless longing,
With the participation of his brother, he admonished
A friend of that carefree life!
He walked around the room with me for a long time,
I'm preoccupied with my fate
I remember, relatives, what he said,
Yes, I can not convey this:
"Go, go! You are strong in soul,
You are rich in bold patience,
May your fateful path be peacefully accomplished,
Don't be put off by loss!
Believe me, such spiritual purity
This hateful world is not worth it!
Blessed is he who changes his bustle
To the feat of selfless love!
What is light? disgusting masquerade!
In it, the heart is stale and dormant,
It reigns eternal, calculated coldness
And embraces the ardent truth...
Enmity will be pacified by the influence of years,
Before time, the barrier will collapse,
And you will return the penates of the fathers
And the canopy of the home garden!
Healingly pour into a tired chest
Valleys of hereditary sweetness,
You proudly look back on the path you have traveled
And you will know joy again.
Yes I believe you! you won't endure grief for long,
The wrath of the king will not be eternal...
But if you have to die in the steppe,
They will remember you with a heartfelt word:
The image of a brave wife is captivating,
Showing spiritual strength
And in the snowy deserts of a harsh country
Hiding early in the grave!
Die, but your suffering is the story
Understood by living hearts,
And after midnight your great-grandchildren about you
Conversations won't end with friends.
They will show them, sighing from the heart,
Your unforgettable features
And in memory of the great-grandmother, who died in the wilderness,
Full bowls will dry up! ..
Let the marble of the graves be more durable,
Than a wooden cross in the desert
But the world of Dolgoruky has not yet forgotten
And Biron is not in sight.
But what am I?.. God grant you health and strength!
And there you can see:
The tsar of "Pugachev" instructed me to write,
The scarecrow torments me godlessly,
I want to deal with him for glory,
I will have to be in the Urals.
I'll go in the spring, I'll grab it as soon as possible,
What good will gather there,
Yes, I’ll wave to you, having moved the Urals ... "
The poet wrote "Pugachev"
But it did not hit our distant snows.
How could he keep that word?
I listened to music, full of sadness,
I eagerly listened to the singing;
I myself did not sing - I was sick,
I only begged others:
"Think: I'm leaving with the dawn...
Oh, sing, sing! play!...
I won't hear this kind of music
Not a song ... Let me hear enough! .. "
And wonderful sounds flowed endlessly!
Solemn farewell song
The evening is over - I do not remember the face
No sadness, no sad thoughts!
Features of motionless, severe old women
Lost the haughty cold,
And the gaze that seemed to go out forever,
Glow with a touched tear ...
Artists tried to outdo themselves
I don't know better songs
That song-prayer for a good journey,
That theological song...
Oh, how inspired they were!
How they sang!.. and cried themselves...
And everyone said to me: "God save you!" -
Saying goodbye to me with tears ...
Chapter 5
Frosty. The road is white and smooth
Not a cloud in the sky...
Frozen mustache, beard of the coachman,
He trembles in his hoodie.
His back, shoulders and hat in the snow,
He wheezes, urging horses,
And his horses cough on the run,
Breathing deeply and hard...
Ordinary views: former beauty
Desert Russian region,
Scaffolding murmurs gloomily,
Giant shadows casting;
The plains are covered with a diamond carpet,
Trees covered in snow
A landowner's house flashed on a hillock,
Church heads shone...
Ordinary meetings: convoy without end,
A crowd of praying old women,
Thundering mail, the figure of a merchant
On a pile of feather beds and pillows;
Treasury truck! with a dozen carts:
Shotguns and satchels are piled.
Soldiers! Liquid, beardless people,
Must be more recruits;
Sons are escorted by male fathers
Yes, mothers, sisters and wives.
"They are taking away, taking away the hearts to the regiments!" -
Bitter groans...
Raising his fists over the coachman's back,
The courier rushes furiously.
On the very road, having caught up with a hare,
Mustachioed landlord huntsman
Waved across the moat on a nimble horse,
It beats off the prey from the dogs.
With all his retinue stands aside
The landowner calls the greyhounds ...
Ordinary scenes: at hell stations -
They fight, they argue, they fight.
"Well, touch!" From the windows the guys look
The priests at the tavern are fighting;
At the forge, a horse beats in the machine,
Comes out covered in soot
Blacksmith with a red-hot horseshoe in his hand:
"Hey boy, hold her hooves!.."
In Kazan, I made the first halt,
She fell asleep on the hard sofa;
From the windows of the hotel I saw the ball
And, I confess, I took a deep breath!
I remembered: an hour or two with a little
It remains until the New Year.
"Happy people! how fun they are!
They have peace and freedom,
They dance, laugh! .. but I don’t know
Fun ... I'm going to torment! .. "
You shouldn't have such thoughts.
Yes, youth, youth, grandchildren!
Here again Trubetskoy frightened me,
As if she was turned back:
"But I'm not afraid - let me be!"
The clock has already struck ten.
It's time! I dressed up. "Is the coachman ready?"
- "Princess, you better wait
Dawn, - said the caretaker-old man. -
The blizzard has begun to rise!"
- "Oh, whether it is necessary to try again!
I'll go. Hurry, for God's sake!"
The bell is ringing, you can't see it,
What is further, the road is worse,
Push the beginning strongly to the sides,
Somehow we go in ridges,
I don't even see the driver's back:
The hillock swept between us.
My wagon almost fell,
The trio shied away and stood.
My coachman groaned: "I reported:
Would you wait! the road is gone!
I sent a road to look for a coachman,
She closed the kibitka with matting,
I thought: right, midnight is close,
Suppressed the clock spring:
Twelve hit! The year is over
And a new one has been born!
Throwing back the mat, I look ahead -
The blizzard is still spinning.
What does she care about our sorrows,
Until our new year?
And I'm indifferent to your anxiety
And to your moans, bad weather!
I have my own fatal longing,
And with her I fight alone ...
I congratulated my coachman.
"Wintering is not far here, -
He said, - we will wait for the dawn in it!
We drove up, woke up
Some wretched forest watchmen,
Their smoky oven was lit.
The inhabitant of the forest told the horrors,
Yes, I forgot his story...
We warmed up with tea. Time to rest!
The blizzard got worse and worse.
The forester crossed himself, turned off the night light
And with the help of stepson Fedya
He rolled two huge stones to the doors.
"For what?" - "Bears defeated!"
Then he lay down on the bare floor,
Everything soon fell asleep in the gatehouse,
I thought, thought... lying in the corner
On a frozen and hard matting ...
At first, the dreams were funny:
I remembered our holidays
The lights of the burning hall, flowers,
Gifts, congratulations bowls,
And noisy speeches, and caresses ... all around
Everything is cute, everything is expensive -
But where is Sergei? .. And thinking about him,
I forgot everything else!
I quickly jumped up as soon as the coachman
Chilled, he knocked on the window.
A little light on the road led us to the forester,
But he refused to accept the money.
"Don't, dear! God protect you,
The roads are dangerous!
Frosts grew stronger along the way
And they soon became terrible.
I completely closed my wagon -
And dark, and terrible boredom!
What to do? I remember poems, I sing
Someday the pain will end!
Let the heart cry, let the wind roar
And my path is covered by blizzards,
Still, I'm moving forward!
So I went for three weeks...
One day, hearing some sodom,
I opened my mat,
I looked: we are going through a vast village,
My eyes were blinded immediately.
Bonfires blazed along my path ...
There were peasants, peasant women,
Soldiers and - a whole herd of horses ...
"Here is the station: silver coins are waiting, -
My coachman said, - We will see her,
She, tea, is not far away ... "
Siberia sent its wealth,
I was glad for this meeting.
"I'll wait for the silver! Maybe something
About my husband, I learn about ours.
An officer is with her, their way from Nerchinsk ... "
I'm sitting in the tavern, waiting...
A young officer entered; he smoked
He didn't nod his head at me.
He somehow haughtily looked and walked,
And so I said sadly:
"Have you seen, right... do you know
Those... victims of the December case...
Are they healthy? What is it like for them there?
I would like to know about my husband...
He cheekily turned his face to me -
The features were evil and harsh -
And, releasing a ring of smoke from his mouth,
Said: "Undoubtedly healthy,
But I don't know them - and I don't want to know,
I never saw hard labor! .. "
How painful it was for me, dear! I'm silent...
Unhappy! offended me!
I just gave a disdainful look.
With dignity, the young man left ...
A soldier was warming himself by the stove,
He heard my curse
And a kind word - not barbaric laughter -
Found in my soldier's heart:
"Healthy!" he said, "I saw them all,
They live in the Blagodatsky mine! .. "
But then the haughty hero returned,
I hurriedly left for the tent.
"Thank you, soldier! Thank you, dear!
No wonder I endured the torture!"
In the morning I look at the white steppes,
The bell ringing was heard
I quietly enter the wretched church,
Mixed with the devout crowd.
After listening to mass, she approached the priest,
I asked for a prayer service...
Everything was calm - the crowd did not leave ...
My grief has completely broken me!
Why are we offended so much, Christ?
Why are they covered with reproach?
And rivers of long-accumulated tears
Fell on hard slabs!
It seemed that the people shared my sadness,
Praying silently and sternly,
And the voice of the priest sounded sorrowful,
Asking for the exiles of god...
Poor, lost temple in the desert!
I was not ashamed to cry in it,
The lot of the sufferers praying there
A dead soul is harmless ...
(Father John, that a prayer service served
And prayed so earnestly
Then in the casemate he was a priest
And he became related with us in soul.)
And at night the coachman could not restrain the horses,
The mountain was terribly steep
And I flew with my wagon
From the high peak of Altai!
In Irkutsk they did the same to me,
What was there to torment Trubetskaya ...
Baikal. Crossing - and such a cold,
That the tears in my eyes froze.
Then I parted with my wagon
(The toboggan run is gone.)
I felt sorry for her: I cried in her
And I thought, I thought a lot!
Road without snow - in a cart! First
The cart occupied me
But soon after, neither alive nor dead,
I recognized the charm of the cart.
I also learned hunger along the way.
Unfortunately, they didn't tell me
That there's nothing to be found here
The Buryats kept their mail here.
They dry beef in the sun
Yes, they warm themselves with brick tea,
And the one with lard! Lord save
Try you, unaccustomed!
But near Nerchinsk they gave me a ball:
Some kind of merchant
In Irkutsk, he noticed me, overtook
And in honor of my rich holiday
Arranged ... Thank you! I was glad
And delicious dumplings, and a bath ...
And the holiday, like the dead, slept all over
In the living room, on the sofa...
I didn't know what lay ahead of me!
I galloped to Nerchinsk in the morning,
I can't believe my eyes - Trubetskaya is coming!
"I caught up with you, I caught up!"
- "They are in Blagodatsk!" - I rushed to her
Happy tears shed...
Only twelve miles away is my Sergey,
And Katya Trubetskaya with me!
Chapter 6
Who knew loneliness on a long journey,
Whose companions are grief and blizzard,
To whom it is given by providence to gain
In the desert, an unexpected friend,
He will understand our mutual joy ...
"I'm tired, I'm tired, Masha!"
- "Do not cry, my poor Katya! She will save
Our friendship and our youth!
We are one lot inextricably linked,
Fate has deceived us
And the same stream swept away your happiness,
In which my drowned.
Let's go hand in hand the hard way
As they walked through the verdant meadow,
And we will both carry our cross with dignity,
And we will be strong with each other.
What have we lost? think sister!
Vanity toys... Not much!
Now we have a good road ahead of us,
The road of the chosen ones of God!
We will find humiliated, mournful husbands,
But we will be their consolation,
We will soften the executioners with our meekness,
We overcome suffering with patience.
Support for the dying, the weak, the sick
We'll be in a hateful prison
And we won't lay down our hands until we've done it
A vow of unselfish love!
Our sacrifice is pure - we give everything
Our chosen ones and God.
And I believe: we will pass unscathed
All our hard way..."
Nature is tired of fighting with itself -
The day is clear, frosty and quiet.
The snows near Nerchinsk appeared again,
We rode famously in a sleigh ...
The Russian coachman told about the exiles
(He even knew by name):
"On these horses I drove them to the mine,
Yes, only in a different crew.
It must have been an easy road for them:
They joked, made each other laugh;
For breakfast, my mother baked a cheesecake for me,
So I gave them a cheesecake,
Two hryvnia was given - I did not want to take:
- "Take it, boy, it will come in handy ..."
Chatting, he quickly flew to the village.
"Well, ladies, where to stand?"
- "Take us to the chief directly to the prison."
- "Hey, friends, do not give offense!"
The chief was obese and, it seems, strict,
He asked what kind we are?
"In Irkutsk they read instructions to us
And they promised to send to Nerchinsk ... "
- "Stuck, stuck, darling, there!"
"Here's a copy, they gave it to us..."
- "What is a copy? You will get into trouble with it!"
- "Here is the royal permission for you!"
The stubborn eccentric did not know French,
He did not believe us - laughter and torment!
"Do you see the king's signature: Nicholas?"
He doesn't care about the signature
Give him paper from Nerchinsk!
I wanted to follow her
But he announced that he would go himself
And by the morning he will get the paper.
"Is it true? .." - "Honestly! And you
It will be better to sleep! .. "
And we got to some hut,
Dreaming about tomorrow morning
With a window of mica, low, without a pipe,
Our house was like this
That I touched the wall with my head,
And her feet rested against the door;
But these little things were funny to us,
That's not what happened to us.
We are together! Now I would easily demolish
And the hardest pain...
I woke up early, and Katya was sleeping,
Went through the village out of boredom:
The huts are the same as ours, in number
Up to a hundred, sticking out in the ravine,
And here is the brick house with bars!
There were sentries with him.
"Are the criminals here?" - "Here, let's go."
- "Where?" - "To work, of course!"
Some kids took me...
We all ran - unbearably
I wanted to see my husband soon;
He's close! He walked here recently!
"Do you see them?" - I asked the children.
"Yes, we see! They sing nicely!
There's the door... Look! Let's go now
Farewell! .. "The guys ran away ...
And as if under the ground leading door
I saw a soldier too.
The sentry looked sternly, - baldly
In his hand, a saber flashed.
Not gold, grandchildren, and it helped here,
Though I offered gold!
Perhaps you would like to read further
Yes, the word is asking from the chest!
Let's slow down a bit. I want to say
Thank you Russian people!
On the road, in exile, wherever I have been,
All the hard hard labor time
People! I carried with you more cheerfully
My unbearable burden.
May many sorrows fall on your part,
You share other people's sorrows
And where my tears are ready to fall
Yours have already fallen there! ..
You love the unfortunate, Russian people!
Suffering made us...
"The law itself will not save you in hard labor!" -
At home they told me;
But I met good people there too,
At the last step of the fall,
They were able to express to us in their own way
Criminals tribute;
Me and my inseparable Katya
Were greeted with a smile:
"You are our angels!" For our husbands
They did the lessons.
More than once he furtively gave me from the floor
Potato kolodnik branded:
"Eat! hot, now from the ashes!"
The baked potato was good
But the chest is now aching with longing,
When I remember him...
Accept my low bow, poor people!
Thank you all send!
Thank you!.. They considered their work to be nothing
For us, these people are simple,
But no one poured bitterness into the cup,
Nobody - from the people, relatives! ..
The sentry yielded to my sobs,
How I asked God!
A lamp (kind of a torch) he lit,
I entered a basement
And for a long time they descended lower and lower; Then
I went down a deaf corridor,
He walked in ledges; it was dark inside
And stuffy; where is the mold pattern
lay; where the water flowed quietly
And flowed down in puddles.
I heard a rustle; land sometimes
It fell in lumps from the walls;
I saw terrible holes in the walls;
It seemed like the same roads
They started from them. I forgot my fear
My feet carried me!
And suddenly I heard shouts: "Where,
Where are you going? Want to get killed?
Ladies are not allowed to go there!
Come back soon! Wait!"
My trouble! apparently, the attendant came
(His sentry was so afraid)
He shouted so menacingly, his voice was so angry,
The noise of rapid footsteps was approaching...
What to do? I blew out the torch. Forward
In the dark, she ran at random ...
The Lord, if He wants, will lead everywhere!
I don't know how I didn't fall
How did I not leave my head there!
Fate took care of me. past
Terrible crevasses, dips and pits
God brought me out unscathed:
I soon saw the light ahead
There was an asterisk shining...
And a joyful cry flew out of his chest:
"Fire!" I have crossed over...
I threw off my fur coat ... I run into the fire,
How God saved my soul!
Frightened horse caught in a quagmire
So torn, seeing the land ...
And it became, relatives, brighter and brighter!
I saw the elevation
Some kind of square... and shadows on it...
Chu... hammer! work, move...
There are people! Will they be the only ones to see?
The figures became clearer...
Getting closer, the lights flickered stronger.
They must have seen me...
And someone standing on the very edge
He exclaimed: "Is not an angel of God?
Look, look!" - "After all, we are not in paradise:
Cursed mine similar
To hell!” said the others, laughing.
And quickly ran out to the edge,
And I moved quickly. marveling,
Motionless they waited.
"Volkonskaya!" Trubetskoy suddenly shouted
(I recognized the voice). lowered
me a ladder; I went up like an arrow!
All the people were familiar:
Sergei Trubetskoy, Artamon Muravyov,
Borisov, Prince Obolensky...
A stream of heartfelt, enthusiastic words,
Praise my feminine insolence
I was showered; tears flowed
By their faces, full of sympathy...
But where is my Sergei? "Follow him already,
Wouldn't die of happiness alone!
Ends the lesson: three pounds of ore
We get for Russia a day,
As you can see, we were not killed by labors!
They were so funny
They joked, but I'm under their cheerfulness
I read a sad story
(News to me was the chains on them
I didn't know that they would be shackled)...
The news about Katya, about my dear wife,
I consoled Trubetskoy;
All letters, fortunately, were with me,
Greetings from the native land
I hastened to deliver them. Meanwhile,
Downstairs the officer got excited:
"Who took the ladder? Where and why
Has the job supervisor gone?
Madam! Remember my word
You will be killed!.. Hey, stairs, devils!
Live!.." (But no one framed her...)
"Kill, kill yourself to death!
Feel free to come down! what about you?.." But we
Everything went deep ... From everywhere
The gloomy children of prison ran to us,
Marveling at an unprecedented miracle.
They paved the way for me ahead
They offered their stretchers ...
Underground tools on the way,
We met failures, bumps.
Work was in full swing to the sounds of shackles,
Under the songs - work on the abyss!
Knocked on the elastic chest of the mines
And a spade and an iron hammer.
There, with a burden, a prisoner walked along a log,
I involuntarily shouted: "Hush!"
There a new mine was led into the depths,
There people climbed higher
On shaky props ... What works!
What courage!
Locally mined blocks of ore
And they promised a generous tribute ...
Suddenly someone exclaimed: "He's coming! he's coming!"
Taking in the space with your eyes,
I almost fell, rushing forward, -
The ditch was in front of us.
"Quiet, quiet! Really then
You have flown thousands of miles, -
Trubetskoy said, - so that on the mountain we all
To die in a ditch - at the goal?
And he held my hand tightly:
"What would happen when you fell?"
Sergei was in a hurry, but he walked quietly.
The shackles sounded sad.
Yes, chains! The executioner has not forgotten anyone
(Oh, vengeful coward and tormentor!), -
But he was meek, as he who chose him
Redeemer with his weapon.
They parted before him, keeping silence,
Working people and guards...
And then he saw, he saw me!
And he stretched out his hands to me: "Masha!"
And he became, exhausted as if, far away ...
Two exiles supported him.
Tears flowed down his pale cheeks,
The outstretched hands trembled...
The soul of my sweet voice is the sound
Instantly sent an update
Joy, hope, oblivion of torment,
Oblivion of the father's threat!
And shouting "I'm coming!" I was running
Unexpectedly jerking his hand
On a narrow plank over a gaping moat
Towards the calling sound...
"I'm coming! .." She sent me her caress
Smiling face drunk...
And I ran... And my soul
Filled with a sacred feeling.
I am only now, in the fatal mine,
Hearing terrible sounds
Seeing the fetters on my husband,
I fully understood his pain.
And his strength... and willingness to suffer!
Involuntarily before him I bowed
Knees - and before you hug your husband,
She put chains to her lips! ..
And God sent a quiet angel
In underground mines - in an instant
And the talk, and the roar of work fell silent,
And froze like a movement
Strangers, their own - with tears in their eyes,
Agitated, pale, stern,
They stood around. On motionless legs
The fetters did not make a sound,
And in the air the raised hammer froze...
Everything is quiet - no song, no speech ...
It seemed that everyone here shared with us
Both bitterness and happiness of the meeting!
Holy, holy was the silence!
Some high sadness
Some kind of solemn thought is full.
"Yes, where did you all disappear?" -
Suddenly, a violent scream came from below.
The overseer of works has appeared.
"Go away!" said the old man with tears.
On purpose, lady, I hid,
Now leave. It's time! They will take away!
The bosses are cool...
And as if from heaven I descended into hell ...
And only ... and only, relatives!
In Russian, the officer scolded me
Downstairs, waiting in dismay,
And from above, my husband said in French:
"See you, Masha - in prison! .."
N. A. Nekrasov is a famous Russian writer, poet and publicist. He devoted his creations mainly to the common people, their sufferings and experiences. These are such works as "Frost, Red Nose", "Who Lives Well in Rus'" and others. In the author's work there is also a poem dedicated to a feat. Here is her summary. "Russian Women" (Nekrasov N.A.) is an ode to the selfless love and moral strength of our compatriots who gave up everything for their husbands.
"Russian Women", N.A. Nekrasov. Princess Trubetskaya: departure from home
In the fierce winter of 1826, the young princess Ekaterina Ivanovna Trubetskaya travels to Siberia after her husband, who was convicted of attempting to assassinate royal power. Her father begs her to change her mind. However, the wife of the Decembrist remains adamant. She mentally said goodbye to St. Petersburg, which she loved without memory, and loved ones, as she understood that she might never return here. Her father, the old count, carefully laid the bearskin in the cart, which was supposed to take his beloved daughter forever to the kingdom of snow and frost. This is how it started long haul the princess to meet her husband, a Decembrist, and now a convict of Siberia. To remember all the main points of the work, its summary will help us.
"Russian Women" Nekrasova N. A. Princess Trubetskaya: travel impressions
On the way, Princess Trubetskaya recalls her carefree childhood, serene youth, in Italy. How far away it all is now! Ahead of her is captivity in the realm of a fierce winter. On the way, the princess only occasionally meets miserable towns, the population of which is not numerous. There is a terrible frost outside. But all this does not frighten the brave woman who dreams of meeting her beloved husband. This is how Princess Trubetskoy N.A. describes the journey through Siberia. Nekrasov. "Russian Women" (a summary of the work is given in the article) is a poem about great love and the Russian soul.
Princess Trubetskaya: Visiting the Governor of Irkutsk
After two months of a difficult journey, Princess Trubetskaya arrives in Irkutsk. She is met by the governor himself, who assures the woman of his devotion and desire to help in everything. However, when the princess asks him for horses to Nerchinsk, the official is in no hurry to help her out. He appeals to her feelings, urging her to take pity on her elderly father, talks about the horrors of Siberia that await her if she does not change her mind. He says that the woman will have to live with thieves and murderers in a common barracks. But this does not frighten Trubetskaya. The horrors of hard labor do not frighten her. “If only,” as she says, “to be near her beloved and die with him.” Then the official lays out the last trump card, offering the woman to give up her title and continue her path as a commoner. But even this cannot break the princess. Then the governor gives up and agrees to help his guest, who soon continues on her way. Historical events of that time we will be reminded of this work (its summary).
"Russian women". Nekrasov N.A. Princess Volkonskaya: married to a general
Childhood and youth passed near Kiev, in the estate of his father. There she grew and matured, opening like a rosebud. At all the balls arranged in her father's house, the young beauty was the center of attraction for the views of both men and women. When Masha was 18 years old, her father found her a good groom - General Sergei Volkonsky, who was in honor of the sovereign. He was much older than his young bride, but this did not stop Mary from falling in love with him. The wedding took place soon after. The young people were happy. The only thing that upset the woman was that she rarely saw her husband, who was constantly on the road. More than 50 years after it was established this poem. In 1872, Nekrasov finished writing it. "Russian Women" (a brief summary of the poem will tell about its main points) and still remains for us one of the favorite works of the great master.
Princess Volkonskaya: the birth of the first child and the arrest of her husband
It soon became clear that Mary became pregnant. But General Volkonsky did not wait for the birth of his first child. He was convicted for preparing a conspiracy against the king. The valiant general was sentenced to hard labor in Siberia. Masha gave birth in her father's house. And as soon as she recovered after giving birth, she decided to immediately go for her husband. Her father begged her to think, to have pity on her little child. But the desire of the princess was firm. And soon Mary sets off on a long journey. This work (its summary) will tell us about what happened to her next.
"Russian women" Nekrasova N.A. Princess Volkonskaya: a hard road through Siberia
At the beginning of the journey, the woman stops in Moscow at the house of her sister Zinaida. Here she became the heroine of the day. She is admired and admired. Even the poet Pushkin was in love with her. Later he will dedicate lines to her in the poem "Eugene Onegin". The path of a woman in Siberia was not easy. Blizzards and frosts complicated it. In Nerchinsk, Maria catches up with Princess Ekaterina Ivanovna. They arrived at the place where their husbands were imprisoned almost simultaneously.
Princess Volkonskaya: meeting with her husband
As soon as the women reached their destination, Volkonskaya went to the mines where convicts worked. The sentry did not want to let her in, but, taking pity on the sobbing princess, he nevertheless allowed her to go into the mines. Trubetskoy was the first to see Maria Nikolaevna. And then Obolensky, and Muravyov, and Borisovs ran up ... Finally, the woman saw her husband. There were shackles on his legs, flour on his face. The faithful wife knelt before her husband and pressed her lips to the chains. So the meeting of Princess Volkonskaya with her husband took place.
