One of Gogol’s last acts was to burn up the concluding portion of his great story, Dead Souls, the first part of which appeared in 1842. A few chapters of the second part were found after his death; but a certain Dr. Zakhártchenko, of Kiev, wrote a conclusion, which was much ridiculed. ↩
Angiolina Bosio (born in Turin in 1829), a famous mezzo-soprano, who was immensely popular in Petersburg, where she died in 1859. ↩
Enrico Tamberlík, the famous tenore robusto. ↩
In the original, literally translated, “The hours of pleasure catch, catch; young years give to love,” the words wrongly accented are mladuia [young] and lyéta [years]. ↩
As has been said before, nearly all the characters of this story are supposed to be drawn from real life. Rakhmétof, whom we shall meet again further on, is considered by many Russians to be a true picture of Karakózof, who in 1866 attempted to assassinate the Emperor Alexander II. ↩
Druzhōtchek: literally, little friend. The Russian word drūg and its diminutives have the same force as the French ami and amie, which cannot he translated into English. ↩
Divantchik. ↩
Moï drūg. ↩
Moï milui. ↩
Moï drūg. ↩
Oprostovolositsa: literally, become dishevelled. ↩
Moï milui. ↩
Moï milui. ↩
Moï drūg. ↩
Moï milui. ↩
Moï milui. ↩
Moï milui. ↩
Moï milui. ↩
Moï milui. ↩
Moï milui. ↩
Moï drūg. ↩
Moï drūg. ↩
Moï drūg. ↩
Dō svidánya. ↩
Milui moï. ↩
Drūg moï. ↩
Dō svidánya, moï drūg. ↩
Torgovka. ↩
This title is given in English in the original. ↩
The ending vitch, contracted into uitch, itch, is equivalent to son in English, or Mac in Scotch. Kirill Kirilluitch therefore means, Cyril the son of Cyril. ↩
Okólnitchi. ↩
Shuválof was the minister and lover of the Empress Elizabeth, and founded the University of Moscow. ↩
The Medvyedítsa River rises in the province of Sarátof, between the Don and the Volga. ↩
18,900 acres. ↩
Pomyeshchik. ↩
Uyezdnui predvodítel. ↩
Sovyetnik. ↩
Burlak, a rough boatman on the Volga. The name is often synonymous with boor. ↩
In the original, fifteen vershoks: a vershok is an inch and three-fourths. ↩
Khozyáïka. ↩
Chernyshevsky’s acumen as a critic is seen by this anticipation of the world’s judgment of Macaulay and Dickens. ↩
Tchudak. ↩
Proshchaïte. ↩
Half a vershok. ↩
Pomyeshchik. ↩
Perhaps better translated, “to leave the stage.” ↩
Gruizt vas, literally, to chew you up. ↩
Literally, brought out. ↩
“Nu.” ↩
“Nu.” ↩
Aza for glaza, literally, does not recognize A when he has it in his eyes. ↩
Perhaps the sapient reader will heartily agree. ↩
Moï mílashka. ↩
In the original, two words wrestle with one: Nyé uvizhus with uvizhus. ↩
The original metre. The literal translation is as follows:
Oi! full, full, the little basket;
There is calicoes and brocades.
Have pity, my little chilblain
On the young fellow’s shoulder.
Nikolaï Alekseyevitch Nekrásof (1821–1878), editor of several periodicals, known as the “people’s poet” (naród nui poet). ↩
Literally:
I should be ruined, unconsoling one,
had I time to worry.
Yes, now ’tis harvest, pressing;
it is necessary to finish ten things.However often it happens beyond
the young woman’s endurance.
Under the scythe the grass falls:
under the reaping-hook the rye burns.With all her strength and might
she has threshed in the morning.
The flax, she spreads the flax,
till the dark little night, over the dewy meadows.
Khozyáïstvo. ↩
Literally, formally. ↩
This argument, which is comparatively familiar to the American public, though even now there is an absurd prejudice in some quarters against women doctors, was absolutely novel in Russia at the time that this book was written. It gave an immense stimulus to the study of medicine by women. As is well known, all the medical schools of Europe, especially Switzerland, draw scores of Russian women to their halls. Viéra Pavlovna was the pioneer. ↩
Khozyáïstvo. ↩
Gémnazitcheski attestat. ↩
Literally:
And sweet talk
Like streams of words
His smile and kiss.
Rodonatchálnitsa. ↩
In Russian, ravnapravnost. ↩
It is probable that Chernyshevsky hesitated about revealing the secret of the radiant one, not from the fear of shocking the public so much as from the danger of the censor’s red pencil. The sky which so soon was covered with black clouds, from which flashed
