- Come in, please, Alexander Sergeyevich! Would you like to sit down? Would you like a glass of orange juice?
We are reading about your words to the Emperor Nicholas I. The words, wich were told just before end of your terrestrial way: "Tell the Emperor, I regret losing my life. Because I can't express to him my gratitude. I would be totally of his!"
Pushkin remained silent. A bit later he said:
- The boy will go toward outstanding success.
- Orphan, difficult the private life, not simple situation in the family. He was brought up by the grandmother ... It seems, these are your words: 'It's impossible to break an axe into two parts with a lash?'
- "The poet - or the no one!" - Alexander Pushkin has quoted a line from the poem.
The group of excursionists entered the hall where the portraits were arranged. Among others there was a self-portrait of Lermontov.
The guide told:
- Pushkin's death has terribly struck Lermontov. Lermontov revered the Pushkin's genius ...
Under influence of a true grief, fresh still, and the indignation excited in him by this scary murder, Lermontov in a short period, almost immediately, wrote a few stanzas, which were extended out widely in two days around the city. Since then, all who cherish the Russian word, learned the name of Lermontov.
- I read these verses to the count von Benckendorff, and we haven't found in them anything reprehensible, - Alexander Nikolaevich Mordvinov, the managing director of the Third Section of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery has quietly commented on a situation from the portrait.
- Business was so, - V.P. Burnashev, one of participants of an excursion, has noticed, - Lermontov has written the poem, known to almost all Russia, on the death of Pushkin, the poem which has put suddenly him, our schoolmate, almost level with poet, he in the magnificent verses mourned now.
A people said to us that Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky appreciated these verses with special pleasure and he recognized in them not only rudiments, but all manifestation of mighty talent. The charm and musicality of versification have been recognized by experts as the phenomenon remarkable.
Whether the truth whether isn't present, I don't know, - it not that other as repetition of opinion, that the Emperor has read verses with attention. and he told: "This person, - who knows, - will replace Pushkin in the Russia!"
They said, - before accident with the additional verses, - that his highness the grand duke Michael Pavlovich has spoken of Lermontov so: "This unripe poet will give in the future a rich harvest of fruits". And then, laughing, he have added: "I will send him in a guardroom if he in head of a military unit will command in verses!".
Lermontov, always such a respectful to the grandmother, two times hardly constrained himself when the old woman said to him that the late Alexander Sergeyevich has sat not in his own (and not suitable) sledge, and, having sat down in them, wasn't able to operate dexterously the capricious horses rushing his up to that snowdrift, from which one road was only into a precipice.
Lermontov, of course, didn't argue with our old woman. He was only bitting his fingernails and left the house for the whole days.
The grandmother has noticed it, and, without a wishing to sadden the Mischa, didn't tell a word to him about secular rumors any more. And these rumors have influenced on Lermontov so strongly that he has got sick even.
The grandmother was frightened. The doctor recognized disorder of nerves and has advised to accept a good dose of the Valerian extract . The friend of all St. Petersburg, the kindest Nikolay Fedorovich Arendt has arrived. He, without prescribing any medicine, has quite calmed our whimsical patient with the conversation. Arendt told him all sad epic of those two with a half days from January 27 to January 29, during which Pushkin, wounded, felt a great pain. He everything, everything, everything that only occurred these days, hour an hour, on the dot, has told out for Lermontov, having respoken the words of Pushkin. Our friend has even more loved the idol after this frank message of Nikolay Fedorovich, the message, which has poured out from the kind soul not able to constrain the words.
Lermontov was under this impression when ours the relative N. A. S., a diplomat, serving under the superiors of Count Nesselrode, appeared to us. This relative was one of the representatives and members of our highest circle, and a gentleman in all the meaning of the word.
Having learned from the grandmother, - she was with the guests, - about Michel's disease, he has hurried to visit about him and has entered unexpectedly his room, minutes ten after Nikolay Fedorovich Arendt's departure. S. highly appreciated Lermontov's verses on the death of Pushkin. But only he said that in vain Michel, extolling the poet, has attached too strong significance to involuntary murderer. He as any noble person, after the fact that was between them, couldn't but to participate in a duel and but to shoot. "The honor obliges"!
Lermontov didn't want to hear it. He, grasping a sheet of paper, something quickly on it scrabbled by a pencil, breaking pencils one after another and and having damaged so with a half-dozen. The anger of him didn't know limits. He has angrily looked at S. and has thrown to him: "You, the sir, Pushkin's antipode, and I am not responsible for anything if you now don't leave from here". S. haven't forced itself to invite to an exit twice. And he left quickly, having told only: "But he just mad".
A quarter of hour later, Lermontov who has damaged so many pencils in time when here was S., and then was writing absolutely quietly clean off, have read me those verses with the first words: "And you, haughty descendants!" ['And you, the offspring arrogant'], - the verses in which there were such a lot of force.
And two or three days later almost all St. Petersburg read and knew "addition" to Lermontov's verses on the death of Pushkin. When the old woman the grandmother has learned about these verses, she tried in every way somehow as if it were false bank notes to withdraw them from the public circulation; but it was resolutely impossible: they extended with speed, and soon they were read already by all the Moscow where old men and old women, mainly in the Tverskaya street, declared them purely revolutionary and dangerous. Also the count von Benckendorff has read them ...
- Though we, the youth, didn't know properly, and there was nobody to explain: about whom it was talked in the stanza: "And you, by greedy crowd standing near a throne", etc., but after all we worried, came in a deep indignation ( - in relation to someone), we flared heartily, filled with heroic enthusiasm, ready, perhaps, on anything, - so the force of the Lermontov's verses raised us. The heat burning in these verses was so infectious. Hardly sometime in Russia verses made such enormous and universal impression. Unless 20 years earlier the "Woe from Wit", - V.V. Stasov, one of participants of excursion group, has spoken.
- To these verses it was necessary to treat as a poetic flash. I have told the chief of staff of the Corps of Gendarmes, general Dubelt: "The best not to pay any attention to similar thoughtless tricks: and their glory will fade soon. if we will begin to prosecution and their prohibition, will be nothing of good, and we will only inflate a flame of passions", - the portrait of the count Alexander von Benckendorff, the Chief of Gendarmes and Director of the Third Section has spoken.
- These verses, - V.P. Burnashev continued, - even the grand duke Michael Pavlovich read and have only told laughing: "Eh, as he accelerated! Who will think that he doesn't belong to the highest noble childbirth?"
Even we were reached by rumors, that the grand duke, at a meeting with von Benckendorff, has whispered to him, that this "nonsense" (as he has said), hasn't to reach attention of the sovereign of the emperor.
In a word, these verses, rewritten and learned by all everywhere, in the highest spheres were considered as childish flash, and in public, though isn't loud, but admitted for the ingenious literary work. The sovereign knew nothing about them, because the count von Benckendorff didn't attach significance to those verses.
- Perhaps, the Emperor Nicholas I also didn't wish to excess a noise? - someone from participants of an excursion has expressed doubts. - On January 27, 1837, O.S. the duel on the Chernaya River has taken place. On January 29, 1837, O.S. Pushkin has died. On February 3, 1837 , O.S. the coffin with Pushkin's body has been sent to Pskov. On February 6, 1837, O.S. Pushkin's body has been buried.
Lermontov has written "The first part" of the well-known poem on January 28, 1837, O.S.
"Addition" has been written after the visit of the physician Nikolay Fedorovich Arendt, after January 29, 1837, O.S. . therefore, "the first part", at least, of the well-known poem has been written even before burial of a body of Pushkin.
- However, - V.P. Burnashev kept logic, - these days the reception from the count F. has taken place, where there was also a count von Benckendorff among guests. Suddenly the famous St. Petersburg talker and, what is her names the "Leprosy of society", the street vendor of news and lampoons on all city, approaches to him, and this intolerable the source of news suddenly says:
"And you, truly, know, the count, new verses on all of us and in which the best representatives of the nobility are negatively characterized?"
- "About what verses you speak, the madam?" - the count von Benckendorff asks. - "Yes about those which were written by the hussar Lermontov and which began with the words "And you, haughty descendants!". - it is clear that it the words about all of us, all Russian aristocracy". von Benckendorff has dexterously channelized a conversation immediately to another direction and tried to evade from the interlocutor ...
However after this conversation, count von Benckendorff for next day, before the departure with the report to the sovereign to the emperor, has told Dubelt: "Well, Leonti Vasilyevich, what will be, it will be. And after the fact that H[itrova] knows about verses of this boy Lermontov, I may do nothing else as now to report on them to the sovereign".
- I came to the Emperor and began to talk about these verses in the soothing tone, - count Alexander von Benckendorff spoke from a portrait, - the Emperor showed me a copy of them, delivered by city mail, with a vile inscription: "The Appeal to the revolution".
- They did additional actions for reliability! - the comment from group of visitors of an exhibition was heard. - Svyatoslav Rayevsky's explanation has dated On February 21, 1837, O.S. . At this time Lermontov was under the house arrest. Between date of death of Pushkin and the beginning of "The administrative case concerning the unsuitable verses written by Lermontov and the distribution of this verses by Rayevsky" there have passed about three weeks.
In general, the interesting impression arises: there is no clarity with exact dating of many events.
The "official" version looks as follows: On February 7, 1837 Lermontov has written final 16 verses ("And you, haughty descendants..."). On February 18, 1837 Lermontov has been arrested and placed in one of rooms of the top floor of General staff.
However to archival documents P.E. Shchegolev had access. In his work 'Книга о Лермонтове' ("The Book about Lermontov") dates look less definitely:
1837. January 27. A.S. Pushkin is mortally wounded on a duel with d'Anthes.
1837. January 28. Lermontov writes the poem about the Pushkin's death ("The death of the poet"). [?]
1837. January 30. V.P. Burnashev in "Wolf's candy store" writes off the S.N. Glinka's the copy of the poem by Lermontov on the death of Pushkin.
1837. February 21. S.A. Rayevsky's testimony on the case of "the inadmissible verses written by a cornet hussar Lermontov".
1837. February. Lermontov's explanation on the same matter.
1837. February 27. The royal order on the displacement a cornet Lermontov in the Nizhny Novgorod dragoon regiment as the ensign.
Quite natural question: why Pavel E. Shchegolev, who had access to archives, has evaded from the indication of exact dates?
Intense there was time! Here and Pushkin, here and Lermontov ... And in general, how not to be involved in all these events?..
However, dates are important, but dates - not the main thing ...
- Many were that opinion that it is work of the "leprosy of society". She, dissatisfied with my the noncommittal on a reception, early in the morning has sent the copy to the highest name to the Winter Palace, - the count von Benckendorff has specified from a portrait. - Anyway, the sovereign has been angered, has accepted a situation more seriously, than I represented, and ordered the grand duke Michael Pavlovich to send immediately to Tsarskoye Selo the chief of staff of guard Pyotr Fedorovich Veymarn for the work of a search in the apartment of a cornet of Lermontov.
- At first he didn't speak to them about me, - Rayevsky, Lermontov's friend, who was in group of visitors has added, - about my participation in distribution of verses . But then began to interrogate FROM (on behalf of) the SOVEREIGN: have told that to me, Rayevsky, nothing will be, and that if he doesn't admit, then "he will be given off" in a soldiers (he will be reduced to the rank of a soldier) ... He has remembered the grandmother... he couldn't resist ...
- The sovereign Imperator has deigned to enjoin: Cornet Lermontov, for the composition of the known verses, to send with the same rank, in the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon regiment; and the Provincial Secretary of Rayevsky, for distribution of these verses, and in particular, for intention to secretly deliver data to the Cornet Lermontov about the testimony made by him, to keep in custody within one month - and then to send to the Olonets Province, for the use to service - at the discretion of the local Civil Governor, - the tour guide has commented.
- I have almost recovered... There was a heavy minute, but has passed, - Lermontov has spoken from a self-portrait.
- The grandmother was in despair; - continued the story V.P. Burnashev, - she by all means thought that her Michel will be arrested that in fortress will seat; however everything was even without arrest, only he was told from the chief of staff to live in Tsarskoye Selo, being engaged by diligently imperial service, but not "mad verses".
- The testimony were done... He isn't dangerous ... - someone from number of participants of an excursion has expressed opinion.
- With the Caucasian uniform of Lermontov there was a very amusing and quite ridiculous. - V.P. Burnashev has added. - Lermontov went on the affairs around the city and has run into a trouble near the English shop where he bought something.
Lermontov met the grand duke Michael Pavlovich, who has stopped him and, brandishing by his finger from side to side, has told: "You have no right to active in this leyb-hussar form, when you ought to be dressed the Caucasian form: about you long ago there was an order".
- "Not I am guilty, your highness, but that tailor, who deceives me. On urgent affairs, it was necessary for me to went out from my house", there was Lermontov's answer. - "Look, your tailor must hasten properly " - the grand duke has noticed: - "he is so careless. May be because he, like you, the varmint, is scribbling some poem or the ode? If something like that, I will reach him. But in any case, I will not must see you again in this not your form". - "I listen, your highness" - Lermontov reported: - "today I will seem as the Caucasian in the city". - "Today? so means the uniform is ready?", - the grand duke has asked. - "I will try, in execution of will of your highness, from impossible to make a possible," - Lermontov said, and his highness happy with the valiant answer have left away ...
- I was linked, was burdened a care concerning my brother-participant of revolt in December, 1825, released - by great Mercy - the Emperor to Paris. My brother lived in Paris, but received means from estates from Russia. The visits to Russia - I did them. The Emperor has charged to me to accompany Pushkin's body to the place of a funeral, - A.I. Turgenev has remembered from a portrait. - In my memory there my feelings. This burdensome mourning way ... I on February 2 and 12, 1827, O.S. have written down in the diary: "Lermontov's verses fine". "(Pr[ince] Gol[itsyn]) interrogated me about pension, about a buckle, about the list of state service's merits. [I] Have let know that I want only - freedom and Paris."
- Here, Alexander Sergeyevich! The young man, the orphan who was brought up by the grandmother, the person with literary abilities, has written verses outstanding. He "has almost recovered"... What's further?
- What in the following hall of art gallery? - Pushkin has taken an interest.
The group of visitors has passed into the following hall.
Visitors of an exhibition have approached Vasily Vereshchagin's picture 'Парламентеры. 'Сдавайся' - 'Убирайся к чёрту!'' ("The Parlimentaires. "Give up" - "Clean up to hell!"").