Russian Literature – Children Books – Russian Poetry – Ivan Turgenev – A Correspondence – Contents
< < < Chapter VII
Chapter IX > > >
VIII
From Alexyéi Petróvitch to Márya Alexándrovna
St. Petersburg, May 28, 1840.
Márya Alexándrovna, you are a fine creature … indeed you are … your letter has disclosed to me the truth at last! O Lord my God! what torture! A man is constantly thinking that now he has attained simplicity, no longer shows off, puts on airs, or lies … but when you come to look at him more attentively, he has become almost worse than he was before. And this must be noted: the man himself, alone that is to say, will never attain to that consciousness, bestir himself as he may! his eye will not discern his own defects, just as the blunted eye of the printer will not detect errors: another, a fresher eye is required. I thank you, Márya Alexándrovna…. You see, I am speaking to you of myself; I dare not speak of you…. Akh, how ridiculous my last letter seems to me now,—so eloquent and sentimental! Go on, I beg of you, with your confession; I have a premonition that you will be relieved thereby, and it will be of great benefit to me. Not without cause does the proverb say: “A woman’s wit is better than many thoughts”; and a woman’s heart is far more so—God is my witness that it is so! If women only knew how much better, and more magnanimous, and clever—precisely that—clever they are than the men, they would grow puffed up with pride, and get spoiled: but, fortunately, they do not know that; they do not know it because their thoughts have not become accustomed to returning incessantly to themselves, as have the thoughts of us men. They think little about themselves—that is their weakness and their strength; therein lies the whole secret—I will not say of our superiority, but of our power. They squander their souls, as a lavish heir squanders his father’s gold, but we collect interest from every look…. How can they enter into rivalry with us?… All this is not compliments, but the simple truth, demonstrated by experience. Again I entreat you, Márya Alexándrovna, to continue writing to me…. If you only knew all that comes into my mind!… But now I do not want to talk, I want to listen to you…. My speech will come later on. Write, write.
Yours truly,
A. S.
< < < Chapter VII
Chapter IX > > >
Russian Literature – Children Books – Russian Poetry – Ivan Turgenev – A Correspondence – Contents
Copyright holders – Public Domain Book
| If you liked this site, subscribe , put likes, write comments! Share on social networks Check out Our Latest Posts |
© 2023 Akirill.com – All Rights Reserved
AKirill, Learn, apprenez, translation, traduction, livres bilingues, bilingual books 