Her husband at the time was still
Her fiancagainst her will!
For she, in spite of family feeling,
Had someone else for whom she pined
A man whose heart and soul and mind
She found a great deal more appealing;
A gambler and a guards cadet.
31
About her clothes one couldn't fault her;
Like him, she dressed as taste decreed.
But then they led her to the altar
And never asked if she agreed.
The clever husband chose correctly
To take his grieving bride directly
To his estate, where first she cried
(With God knows whom on every side),
Then tossed about and seemed demented;
And almost even left her spouse;
But then she took to keeping house
And settled down and grew contented.
Thus heaven's gift to us is this:
That habit takes the place of bliss.
32
'Twas only habit then that taught her
The way to master rampant grief;
And soon a great discovery brought her
A final and complete relief.
Betwixt her chores and idle hours
She learned to use her woman's powers
To rule the house as autocrat,
And life went smoothly after that.
She'd drive around to check the workers,
She pickled mushrooms for the fall,
She made her weekly bathhouse call,
She kept the books, she shaved the shirkers,*
She beat the maids when she was cross
And left her husband at a loss.
33
She used to write, with blood, quotations
In maidens' albums, thought it keen
To speak in singsong intonations,
Would call Praskvya 'chre Pauline'.
She laced her corset very tightly,
Pronounced a Russian
As
But soon she dropped her city pose:
The corset, albums, chic relations,
The sentimental verses too,
