Russian Women Poets of the Eighteenth and Early – A Bilingual Edition: Volume 30 (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Toronto Series)

Russian Women Poets of the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries is a bold, pioneering achievement. Not only does it bring to light a poetic tradition that has been totally forgotten for over two centuries, even in its country of origin, but it does so in a broadly inclusive fashion. It offers both the Russian texts (verified against their original publications) as well as accurate English translations, accompanied by short illuminating biographical and critical introductions. It thus makes this intriguing material accessible to a broad spectrum of readers, from the curious generalist to the scholar. This corpus of texts sheds significant light on the genesis and formation of modern Russian verse and on the ways in which this new cohort of poets strove to find their voice during a complex era of shifting literary, cultural and gender values, navigating between the male-oriented high genres of Neoclassicism and the “feminized” modes of Sentimentalism. ―Marcus C. Levitt Professor, Department of Slavic Languages, University of Southern California Cover 1 Title Page 6 Dedication 8 Contents 10 Acknowledgments 16 Introduction 18 Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Kniazhnina (1746–1797) 50 Introduction 50 Элегия 55 Elegy 56 Elizaveta Vasil’evna Kheraskova (1737–1809) 58 Introduction 58 Станс 67 Stanzas 68 Молитва 69 A Prayer 70 Сонет 71 Sonnet 72 Стансы 73 Stanzas 74 Ekaterina Sergeevna Urusova (1747–after 1817) 76 Introduction 76 Михаилу Матвеевичу Хераскову 89 To Mikhail Matveevich Kheraskov 90 Полион, или просветившийся Нелюдим, Поема 95 От Сочинительницы Сея Поемы 95 Песнь первая 95 Песнь вторая 107 Песнь третия 119 Песнь четвертая 133 Песнь пятая 149 Polion, or The Misanthrope Enlightened: An Epic Poem 96 From the Authoress of This Poem 96 Canto One 96 Canto Two 108 Canto Three 120 Canto Four 134 Canto Five 150 Ироиды 169 Ироиды музам посвященныя 169 Зеида к Леандру 171 Дарий к Федиме 185 Федима к Дарию 199 Рогнеда к Владимиру 209 Промест ко другу 223 Офира к Медору 239 Медор к Офире 253 Ольфена к Мериону 269 Клияда 279 Heroides 170 Heroides Dedicated to the Muses 170 Zeida to Leander 172 Darius to Fedima 186 Fedima to Darius 200 Rogneda to Vladimir 210 Promest to a Friend 224 Ophira to Medor 240 Medor to Ophira 254 Ol’phena to Merion 270 Kliada 280 Весна 289 Spring 290 Чувство дружбы 291 Friendship 292 Ручей 293 The Brook 294 От сочинительницы “Ручья” ответ на ответ 297 From the Authoress of “The Brook”: A Response to a Response 298 Уединенные часы 301 Solitary Hours 302 Степная песнь 303 Song of the Steppe 304 К Анне Алекс. Турчаниновой 307 To Anna Aleks. Turchaninova 308 Мой семидесятый год 309 My Seventieth Year 310 Maria Vasil’evna Sushkova (1752–1803) 314 Introduction 314 Гопсода издатели Собеседника! 321 To the Gentlemen Editors of the Sobesednik! 322 Письмо китайца к татарскому мурзе, живущему по делам своим в Петербурге 323 A Chinaman’s Letter to the Tatar Murza Residing in Petersburg on Business 324 Стансы на учреждение Российской Академии 329 Stanzas on the Founding of the Russian Academy 330 Maria Voinovna Zubova (1749?–1799) 336 Introduction 336 Я в пустыню удаляюсь 339 I Am Leaving for the Wilds 340 Ekaterina Petrovna Svin’ina (dates unknown) and Anastasia Petrovna Svin’ina (1778 or 1779–1841) 344 Introduction 344 Решение судьбы к В. А. Б. 347 Fate’s Decision. To V. A. B. 348 Чувства благодарности 349 Gratitude 350 Милонова печаль 351 Milon’s Sorrow 352 Невинная пастушка 353 The Innocent Shepherdess 354 Natalia Leont’evna Magnitskaia (dates unknown) and Aleksandra Leont’evna Magnitskaia (d. 1846) 358 Introduction 358 К бессмертному творцу “Россиады” 361 К Бюсту М... М... Х... 361 To the Immortal Creator of The Rossiada 362 To the Bust of M. M. Kh. 362 Maria Alekseevna Pospelova (1780–1805) 364 Introduction 364 Молитва 369 A Prayer 370 Уединение 371 Solitude 372 Майское утро 373 May Morning 374 Anna Aleksandrovna Turchaninova (dates unknown) 378 Introduction 378 Себе Эпитафия 381 Ответ на неодобрение меланхолических чувствований в стихах 381 Self-Epitaph 382 Response to a Rejection of Melancholy Feelings in Poetry 382 Princess Elizaveta Mikhailovna Dolgorukova (1766–18??) 384 Introduction 384 Стихи писанные в жестокой и опасной болезни 387 Элегия на кончину любезной сестры Графини А. М. Ефимовской. 1798 года, окт. 29 дня 387 Verses Written in a Cruel and Dangerous Illness 388 Elegy on the Death of My Beloved Sister, Countess A. M. Efimovskaia, the 29th day of October, 1798 388 Эпитафия 395 Epitaph 396 Anna Sergeevna Zhukova (b.?–1799) 398 Introduction 398 Чувства матери 401 Maternal Feelings 402 Супругу моему, с которым я в разлуке 403 To My Husband, From Whom I Am Separated 404 Elizaveta Sergeevna Neelova (dates unknown) 408 Introduction 408 Элегия на смерть супруга и болезни сестры 411 Elegy on the Death of My Husband and on My Sister’s Illness 412 Aleksandra Petrovna Murzina (dates unknown) 420 Introduction 420 Предисловие 423 К читателям 423 Preface 424 To My Readers 424 Varvara Aleksandrovna Karaulova (1774–1842) 432 Introduction 432 Разговор матери с маленьким ее сыном 435 A Mother’s Conversation with Her Little Son 436 Elizaveta Osipovna Moskvina (1759–1833) and Maria Osipovna Moskvina (1765–1824) 440 Introduction 440 Эпитафия. Надежиньке, жившей только пять часов 445 Смертный одр 445 Epitaph. To Little Hope, Who Lived Only Five Hours 446 The Deathbed 446 К Машиньке трехлетней дитяти 449 To Three-Year-Old Mashenka 450 Эпиграмма 451 Epigram 452 Галлерея 453 The Gallery 454 Maria Petrovna Bolotnikova (dates unknown) 458 Introduction 458 Предисловие 461 Preface 462 Упрек мущинам 463 A Reproach to Men 464 Ответ на послание к женщинам 465 A Response to “An Epistle to Women” 466 Anna Petrovna Bunina (1774–1829) 472 Introduction 472 Разговор между мною и женщинами 477 Conversation between Me and the Women 478 Notes 486 Bibliography 506 Index of Subjects 522 Index of Names 528 In the wake of Peter the Great's westernizing reforms, Russians raced to build the kind of modern literary culture that Europeans had achieved centuries earlier. Until recently, women's contribution to this fascinating period of rapid assimilation and creation has been ignored. This volume challenges us to reimagine the early Russian literary canon, by considering a broad range of pioneering women poets who remain largely unknown, even in their homeland. Readers of Russian and English alike will appreciate this unprecedented bilingual collection of fully annotated texts, with critical introductions for each poet. "Russian Women Poets of the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries" is a bold, pioneering achievement. Not only does it bring to light a poetic tradition that has been totally forgotten for over two centuries, even in its country of origin, but it does so in a broadly inclusive fashion. This corpus of texts sheds significant light on the genesis and formation of modern Russian verse and on the ways in which this new cohort of poets strove to find their voice during a complex era of shifting literary, cultural and gender values, navigating between the male-oriented high genres of Neoclassicism and the 'feminized' modes of Sentimentalism." - Marcus C. Levitt, Professor, Slavic Languages, University of Southern California