Russian almanacs for 1832

More than ten almanacs for 1832 have been published so far. Between them, Alcyone, published by Baron Rosen, is remarkable for its excellent poems by Zhukovsky, poems by Pushkin, Prince. Vyazemsky and the prose of Marlinsky and Somov. But without comparison, Northern Flowers differs from all other almanacs, shining with the names of Dmitriev (I. I.), Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Prince. Vyazemsky, Baratynsky, Yazykov, and even Batyushkov and the late Delvig. A year has already passed since Delvig passed away, since premature death by a hateful hand tore him from the circle of friends and quiet, poetic activity. He was a Poet: with careless eyes 1 I looked at the world, and I was a stranger to the world; He talked sweetly with his friends; He idolized beauty with his soul; He sang with happy verses Charit, wine, and friendship, and peace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . He sang love, his tunes 2 They shone with their lively harmony, Like a frisky figure and a Persian maiden, He sang wine: simple and clear They rang sweetly, Like in the noise of a beautiful freewoman And the Russian maidens are partial They are repeated ............... ........................... Such was he, guarded by Phoebus, An ancient Greek with soul and lyre. He's no longer there. The head of the careless From the noise of fleeting life, From a world where everything is dust and smoke, To a better world, to the bosom of eternal life Delvig wrote little and published even less; but each of his works breathes the maturity of a poetic dream and the completeness of a classical finish. His imitations of the ancients, more than all Russian translations and imitations, are imbued with the spirit of ancient simplicity, Greek sensitivity to plastic beauty, and ancient, childish love for the pure ideals of sensual perfection. But the poetry with which Delvig’s Russian songs are sung is closer to the Russian heart; in these songs the brooding sadness and poetic simplicity of our Russian melodies echo harmoniously. We write out, as proof, one of Delvig’s songs, published in the last Northern Flowers, which is one of his best songs: Like a little woman stands behind a river; A path runs through that settlement; The path is wide, but not long; It runs in two directions: As to the left - to the cemetery to the dead; And to the right - to the Transcaucasian fellows. It was sad to see me off, young man, Two relatives, one and the other! Passing the betrothed on the left, With tears I covered Mother Earth; And the raiding friend left in another direction, They nodded their head to me goodbye. To evaluate Delvig’s poems impartially and in detail would be no unimportant service to Russian literature, and this is one of the best tasks facing our critics. Batyushkov's story, published in Northern Flowers, is distinguished by its ordinary sonority and purity of language. Dmitriev's poems also vividly reminded us of his previous poetry; having read them, who would not repeat them with Zhukovsky; No, it hasn’t passed, our singer is forever young, Your time: your genius is vigorous and fresh; You awakened strings that had been silent for a long time, - And the sounds captivated us. This Answer of Zhukovsky is filled with the freshest beauties, the most poetic feeling and the most touching memories. To what we have mentioned we will also add: The Battle with the Serpent, Zhukovsky’s translation from Schiller; A. A. Delvig, Yazykova; Mozart and Salieri, Pushkin; Goodbye, Prince. Vyazemsky; - and here are the best decorations of the Northern Flowers of this year, rich in many more beautiful poems and prose. In general, their appearance can be ranked among the most remarkable events in current literature. These verses are taken from the song of N. M. Yazykov, published in the North. Flowers 1832. From the Epistle of Yazykov to Delvig, published in the same place. You might be interested in: