Pushkin. T. Binyon J.
thing was missing.
What was this?
Nothing in particular, a trifle, bagatelle,
Nothing or very little,
But it was missing, all the same.
How might one explain this,
So as not to anger
That devout pompous ninny,
The over-prim censor?
How is it to be done? ⦠Aid me, Lord!
The tsarevnas have between their legs â¦
No, thatâs far too precise
And dangerous to modesty, â
Letâs try another tack:
I love in Venus her breast,
Her lips, her ankle particularly,
But the steel that strikes loveâs spark,
The goal of my desire â¦
Is what? ⦠Nothing!
Nothing or very little â¦
And this wasnât present
In the young princesses,
Mischievous and lively.
Tsar Nikita is simpler, more of a jeu dâesprit than The Gabrieliad: it consists essentially of a number of variations on the same joke. But it is charmingly written, witty and highly amusing.
Pushkinâs readiness to take offence and his profligate way with a challenge were as evident in Kishinev as in St Petersburg. At the beginning of June 1821, having quarrelled with a former French officer, M. Déguilly, for some reason possibly connected with the latterâs wife, he called him out, but was incensed to discover the following day that his opponent had managed to weasel his way out of a duel. He dashed off an offensive letter in French, and unable to draw blood with his sabre, consoled himself by doing so with his pen, sketching a cartoon showing Déguilly, clad only in a shirt, exclaiming: âMy wife! ⦠my breeches! ⦠and my duel too! ⦠ah, well, let her get out of it how she will, since it is she who wears the breeches â¦â57
Other opponents were more worthy. One evening in January 1822, at a dance in the casino, Pushkinâs request that the orchestra should play a mazurka was countermanded by a young officer of the 33rd Jägers, who demanded a Russian quadrille. Shouts of âMazurka!â, âQuadrille!â alternated for some time; eventually the orchestra, though composed of army musicians, obeyed the civilian. Lieutenant-Colonel Starov, the commander of the Jäger regiment, told his officer that he should demand an apology. When the officer hesitated, Starov marched over to Pushkin, and, failing to receive satisfaction, arranged a meeting for the following morning. The duel took place a mile or two outside Kishinev, during a snowstorm: the driving snow and the cold made both aiming and loading difficult. They fired first at sixteen paces and both missed; then at twelve and missed again. Both contestants wished to continue, but their seconds insisted that the affair be postponed. On his return to Kishinev, Pushkin called on Aleksey Poltoratsky and, not finding him at home, dropped off a brief jingle: âIâm alive/Starovâs/Well./The duelâs not over.â58 In fact, it was: Poltoratsky and Nikolay Alekseev, who had acted as Pushkinâs second, arranged a meeting at Nikoletiâs restaurant, where Pushkin often played billiards, and a reconciliation took place. Pushkin swelled with pride when Starov, who had fought in the campaign of 1812 and was known for his bravery, complimented him on his behaviour: âYou have increased my respect for you,â he said, âand I must truthfully say that you stand up to bullets as well as you write.â59 According to Gorchakov, Pushkin displayed even more sangfroid at a duel fought in May or June 1823. This was with Zubov, an officer of the topographical survey, whom he had accused of cheating at cards. Pushkin, like his character the Count, in the short story âThe Shotâ, one of the Tales of Belkin, arrived with a hatful of cherries, which he ate while Zubov took the first shot. He missed. âAre you satisfied?â Pushkin asked. Zubov threw himself on him and embraced him. âThat is going too far,â said Pushkin, and walked off without taking his shot.60
The Starov affair had, however, unpleasant repercussions. Though the quarrel had been public, the duel and reconciliation were not; and it was rumoured, especially in Moldavian society, that both Starov and Pushkin had acted dishonourably. At an evening party some weeks later Pushkin light-heartedly referred to a remark made by Liprandi to the effect that Moldavians did not fight duels, but hired a couple of ruffians to thrash their enemy. Mariya Balsch, still smarting with jealousy, said acidly, âYou have an odd way of defending yourself, too,â adding that his duel with Starov had ended in a very peculiar manner. Pushkin, enraged, rushed off to Balsch, who was playing cards, and demanded satisfaction for the insult. Mariya complained of his behaviour to her husband, who, somewhat the worse for wine, himself flew into a rage, calling Pushkin a coward, a convict and worse. âThe scene [â¦] could not have been more terrible, Balsch was shouting and screaming, the old lady Bogdan fell down in a swoon, the vice-governorâs pregnant wife had hysterics.â61 The affair was reported to Inzov, who ordered that the two should be reconciled. Two days later they both appeared before the vice-governor, Krupensky; Major-General Pushchin was also present. When they met, Balsch said, âI have been forced to apologize to you. What kind of apology do you require?â Pushkin, without a word, slapped his face and drew out a pistol, before being led from the room by Pushchin.62 In a letter to Inzov Balsch demanded, firstly a safeguard against any further attempt which Pushkin might make on him, and, secondly, that the other should be proceeded against with the utmost rigour of the law.63 Whatever the rights of the situation, there was only one choice Inzov could make between an extremely junior civil servant and a Moldavian magnate: sending Pushkin to his quarters, he placed him under house arrest for three weeks.
Arguments were frequent at Inzovâs dinner table. A few months later, on 20 July 1822, when discussing politics with Smirnov, a translator, Pushkin âbecame heated, enraged and lost his temper. Abuse of all classes flew about. Civil councillors were villains and thieves, generals for the most part swine, only peasant farmers were honourable. Pushkin particularly attacked the nobility. They all ought to be hanged, and if this were to happen, he would have pleasure in tying the noose.â64 When both parties were heated with wine a possible explosion was never too far away. One occurred the following day, when the conversation at dinner touched upon the subject of hailstorms; whereupon a retired army captain named Rudkovsky claimed to have once witnessed a remarkable storm, during which hailstones weighing no less than three pounds apiece had fallen. Pushkin howled with laughter, Rudkovsky became indignant, and, after they had risen from table and Inzov had left, an exchange of insults led to an agreement to exchange shots. Both, accompanied by Smirnov, who had suffered Pushkinâs abuse the previous day, then went to Pushkinâs quarters, where some kind of fracas took place. Rudkovsky asserted that Pushkin attacked him with a knife, and Smirnov, agreeing, claimed to have managed to ward off the blow. Luckily no one was injured; however, Inzov, learning of the incident, put Pushkin under house arrest again.
General Orlov, âHymenâs shaven-headed recruitâ,65 had married Ekaterina Raevskaya in Kiev on 15 May 1821. Pushkin welcomed her arrival in Kishinev, and would visit the couple almost every day, lounging on their divan in wide Turkish velvet trousers, and conversing with them animatedly. He went riding with Orlov and fell off. âHe can only ride Pegasus or a nag from the Don,â