A.S. Pushkin and K* : An Immortal Bond
A.Charumati Ramdas,CIEFL,Hyderabad
K*, the mysterious title of the poem, which gave the person, to whom it was dedicated, an eternal, legendary aura, was not only a poem, but also a real personification of all that was beautiful, pure and real.
Who cannot “remember, that wonderful moment……” while remembering Pushkin and not think of the lady, who was the ‘genius of pure beauty”? Yes, she was Anna Petrovna Kern, source of inspiration for him for many years.
In this article, we shall try to find out what Pushkin and Kern meant for each other and have a look at Pushkin, as he emerges before us through his letters to Kern, through her memories about him. A. S. Pushkin is sincere while depicting his meetings with Anna Petrovna Kern. Though Kern did not occupy the “first” place in Pushkin’s life, she was undoubtedly one of the very close friends of Pushkin, without whom his biography would remain incomplete.
Anna Petrovna Kern, one of the most beautiful women of her time, lived a very miserable, rather tragic life. But at the same time, this life was full of some very wonderful incidents, sufferings and remarkable, bright impressions. She had great interest in music and literature, a fantastic imagination and a sharp mind. Her “Memoirs about Pushkin” occupy an important place in literature about the great poet.
“Born with the century (11th Feb. 1800),”1 A. P. Kern spent her childhood in Lubni (Ukraine) and in Bernova (Tver) with her grand parents. The family, at Bernovo, consisting of grand parents---Vulfs, aunts, uncles, cousins left cherishable memories on Kern. Her best friend throughout her life remained her cousin sister Anna Nikolaevna Vulf. Anna Petrovna was brought up and got her basic education along with Anna Nikolaevna Vulf. In fact they stayed together for four years at Bernovo. When Kern was 12 years old, the family wanted to shift to Moscow, but because of Napolean’s aggression had to settle down at Lubni. There she lived with her parents till she was married at the age of 16 to General E.F.Kern, who was 52 years old. This married life was full of sufferings and disappointments. For ten years Anna Petrovna was moving from one city to another with her husband. She was tolerating his rude manners, mean interests, remained almost confined in her melancholy world.
But some memorable events also took place in her life. Anna Petrovna visited Petersburg in early 1819, where she met A. S. Pushkin in the house of her aunt E. M. Olenina. She writes “In one of the parties at the Olenin’s I met Pushkin and did not notice him : I was observing the charades in which Krylov, Pleyschev and others were participating. Krylov was made to recite one of his ‘tales’. He sat on the chair in the middle of the hall; we all stood around him and…I shall never forget, how he read his “Donkey”!
In this fascinating environment, it was not possible to notice anyone except the “guilty – Krylov”, that is why I did not notice Pushkin. But he soon grabbed a chance to make himself noticed…during the game – further – I was made to play Cleopatra, and when I held the basket with flowers, Pushkin, along with my cousin brother Alexander Poltoratsky, came to me, looked at the basket and pointing at brother said: and the role of snake, is obviously meant for this gentleman. I found it very rude, did not say anything and went away.
After this we sat for dinner…During dinner Pushkin sat behind me along with my brother, and tried to attract my attention by commenting such pleasing phrases, as Is it possible to be so beautiful! Then they started discussing things like who will go to hell and who will go to heaven. Pushkin said to my brother: In any case, there will be many good things in the hell, it will be possible to play charades over there. Ask madam Kern would she like to go to hell? I answered very seriously and curtly that I don’t want hell.” So, now, what with you Pushkin?” – brother asked. I have changed my mind, the poet answered, - I don’t want to go to hell, though there will be many beautiful women over there….” Soon the dinner was over and people started leaving. While I was leaving and my brother sat with me in the carriage, Pushkin stood at the porch and saw me off by his looks.
He expressed the impression of this meeting with me in his famous poem “I remember that wonderful moment”….etc.2
After this meeting A.P.Kern did not see Pushkin for full 6 yrs. She was hearing about him, was reading his poems, like Prisoner of Caucacius, Fountain at Bakhchisarai, Dacoits and the first part of Onegin, which were given to her by her neighbour, Rodzyanko at the Poltava Province. Rodzyanko was also a well known poet, intelligent, affectionate and a very charming person. He was friendly with Pushkin and used to invite him frequently to his place.
During her stay at the Poltava province, she was constantly corresponding with her cousin sister Anna Nikolaevna Vulf, who was staying with her mother at the Trigorskoe in the Pskov province, which was near Pushkin’s village Mikhailovskoe, where he was sent on exile by the tsar.
Anna Vulf used to frequently visit Pushkin, talk about Anna Petrovna Kern and inform his comments back to Kern viz. “You had a very strong impression on Pushkin during your meeting at the Olenin’s; he goes on harping everywhere she was just dazzling!. In one of her letters to Kern Pushkin too added in a corner: The image passed before us, which we saw and shall never see again (from Byron)3.
When Pushkin came to know that Anna Petrovna is friendly with Rodzyanko, he sent a letter to him through Kern, in which enquired about her:
Please explain to me, dear, what is A.P.Kern like, who has written many delicate things about me to her cousin? They say she is the most charming thing – but Lubna is famous only behind the mountains. Any way, I know your enquisitiveness and extraordinary talents in all respects and I suppose that your job is either fully done or is half way. Congrats, dear, write an elegy or at least an epigram on this.
If Anna Petrovna is as charming as people say, then she is definitely of my opinion. Check it from her. 4
This was written on 8th Dec. 1924 and Rodzyanko and Kern answered the letter in a befitting manner on 10th May 1925. Rodzyanko wrote “Please tell me, why did you think of attacking me? Being away, you have more influence on her than me, with my presence ” – Kern added:” I assure you that he is not made captive by me!” ….. “Anna Petrovna is fascinating, because inspite of her intelligence and sensitiveness, she is full of childish tricks……”5.
Carried away by Pushkin, Anna Petrovna horribly wanted to see him and this desire was fulfilled during her stay with her aunt at Trigorskoye in June-July 1825. This is how it happened “we were having lunch and laughing and making fun of some habit of Rokotov. Suddently Pushkin entered holding a big stick in his hands. Afterwards he often visited us during lunch, but never shared the table with us, he would finish his lunch much earlier, and eat very little. He would always come with big, ferocious pet dogs. Aunt acquainted me to him, he bowed down, but did not utter a single word. There was timidity in his movements. I too did not find any words to say, so we did not get introduced soon and didn’t start talking soon. And it was difficult to get suddenly close to him: he was very unpredictable in his speech: sometimes he would be too happy, suddenly would become too sad, sometimes timid, sometimes rude, sometimes incessantly loving, next moment horribly boring – and it was impossible to guess how would be his mood next minute. Once he was sulking so much that he even confessed about the same to sister saying: How inconsiderate I was today! We can say that he was unable to hide his feelings, always expressed them sincerely, and would be undepictably good if something pleasant happened to him ….. whenever he decided to be affectionate, nothing could compete with the glitter, sharpness and charm of his speech. Pushkin would become very kind while entertaining the audience with a theme of his own. Once he came to Trigorskoye with this intention and brought his big, black book; in the margin were drawn hands and legs. He said that he had brought it for me. We all sat around him and he read us his Gypsies. For the first time we heard this wonderful poem, and I shall never forget how delighted I was. I was mesmerized by the flow of verses of this wonderful poem and by his reading, which was so musical that I started melting because of happiness; he had a musical voice: ringing,melodious, the voice like the murmuring of flowing waters.
A few days after this recitation, my aunt suggested to visit Mikhailovskoye after dinner. Pushkin liked the idea very much and we started. Weather was wonderful, moonlit night of July was breathing cool aroma of fields. We were going in two carriages: I was with my sister and Pushkin. Never before and never after did I find him so happy and affectionate. He was joking without any sarcasm and witty remarks, was praising moon, did not call it a fool, and said I like moon when it illuminates a beautiful face, he was praising nature and said that he is enjoying imagining that Alexandr Poltoratskyi has remained behind in the porch as he was leaving with me: This was a revenge of their first meeting when Pushkin remained behind and Anna Petrovna left the Olenin’s house with Poltoratsky …. This was a reflection of his jealosy towards A. Poltoratsky.
On reaching Mikhailovskoye, they did not enter the house but walked in the old, neglected garden. The alley of old trees, whose long roots spread on the path way made Anna Petrovna stumble many times and Pushkin shivered. He remembered their first meeting and said you looked so innocent; as if there was something like a cross on you, isn’t it?
Next day I was to leave for Riga along with my sister Anna Nilolaevna Vulf. He came in the morning and brought me a copy of 2nd chapter of Onegin, where I found a folded sheet of paper with poem:”I remember that wonderful moment…….. ”.
When I wanted to hide this poetic gift in the casket, he looked at me for a long time, then snatched it from me with a convulsion and did not want to return. I took it back forcibly from him; what was taking place in his mind at that moment …… I do not know.6
This poem, was later on sent to count Delvig who published it in his Northern Flowers. Michael Glinka composed music …. much later after Pushkin’s death.
When Anna Petrovna reached Riga with her sister and aunt (with her whole family), Pushkin, wrote to both of them from Mikhailovskoe: In P.Osipova’s (aunt’s) letter he writes:
.....would you like to know what is madam K…… like? - she is elegant: she understands everthing; easily gets hurt and is as easily pacified, she has timid manners and bold actions, - but with all this she is wonderfully fascinating.
In Anna Vulf’s letter written at the same time (21st July 1825) there is a mention of Anna Petrovna Kern’s visit to Mikhailovskoye……. Pushkin is missing her:
“………
The whole of Trigorskoye is singing (…… ), and because of this my heart is aching,………….. Every night I take a stroll in the garden and repeat to myself: she was here – the stone, upon which she stumbled, is lying on my table, near the fading branch of heriotrope. I write a lot of poetry – all this, if you want, is very much like love, but I swear that it is not at all that. If I were in love, on Sunday I would have had fits because of rage and jealousy, but I felt only annoyed, - and all the same, the thought that I have no significance for her; that after awakening and capturing her imagination, I have only entertained her curiosity; that the memory about me does not make her neither a little more thoughtful during her victories, nor more sad in the days of melancholy; that her beautiful eyes stop on some red-haired guy with the same sweet expression that pierces through the heart, - no, this thought is unbearable for me; tell her that I shall die because of this , - no, better don’t tell, she would only laugh at me, this fascinating creation. But tell her that if there are no soft feelings in her heart for me, nor any secret and melancholy attraction,then I hate her--do you hear? – yes, I hate her, irrelevant of the surprise and shock that this unprecedented for her feeling would give her7.
Soon he wanted to start correspondence with Kern and wrote her the following letter (25 July 1825):
I had the weakness of asking your permission to write to you, and you - frivolity and coquetry to permit me to do so. Correspondence leads you nowhere, I know ; but I have no strength to resist the desire of receiving at least a word written by your beautiful hand.
Your arrival at Trigorskoye left a deeper and more painful impression upon me, than the one which our meeting at the Olenin’s did. The best thing, that I can do in the melancholy solitude of this village is – to try not to think any more about you.
If there was even a single drop of pity in your heart for me, you too should have wished me the same, - but frivolity is always very cruel, and you all, tilting your head right and left, feel happy, seeing that there is a soul, suffering in your honour.
Goodbye, o divine; I am furious and I am at your feet.
P.S. Holding the pen again, as I am dying of grief and can think only about you. I hope that you will read this letter surreptitiously – will you hide it near your bosom? Will you answer me by a long letter? Write to me about everything that comes to your mind, - I pray you.
If you are afraid of my impudence, if you don’t want to compromise yourself, change your handwriting, sign by an imaginary name, - my heart will be able to recognise you. If your expressions are as delicate as your glance, ala’s ! I shall try to believe them or cheat myself, which is one and the same. – Do you know that while reading these lines, a second time, I an ashamed of their sentimentality8.
………………….
After answering this letter Anna Petrovna Kern waited for the reply. But the reply came in aunt Osipova’s envelope and the aunt did not either show it to her, nor did she give it to her. Those who read it said that it was very beautiful, lovely.
In his letters to Kern Pushkin behaves like a naughty, schemy person. His love towards her seems dominating. He cannot tolerate any other man’s presence around her, be it the husband or cousin. He is so demanding, …… the mood in the letter changes so frequently ……. Like his own mood in real life. The irony, satire, laughter in his letters is just marvelous. He writes with the innocence of a child,with the jealously and rage of a possessive lover. Let us have a look at the following letters:
On 14th August 1825 Pushkin writes to Kern:
I am reading your letter up and down again and again and say: (…… ) divine!… and then (……. )- Excuse me, beautiful and elegant, but it is like that. There is no doubt that you are divine, but sometimes you lack common sense; once again excuse me and calm down, because then you look even more beautiful …….. And now, let us talk about something else.
You say that I don’t know your character . What do I have to do with that? Do I need it – do the good women have to have a character? Main thing – eyes, teeth, hands and legs – (I would add – heart as well) .
You say that it is very easy to understand you. Do you want to say – to love you? I fully agree with you and I myself am a proof of it: I behaved with you like a fourteen year old boy, - this is very revolting, but since I am not seeing you any more, I am gradually gaining back my lost superiority and using the same to scold you. If we ever see each other, promise me …… No, I don’t want your promises: more over in a letter – which is something very cold, by request handed over by the post office-- there is no strength , no excitement, and in the rejection – no elegance, no desire. Therefore, goodbye , - and we talk about something else. How is your husband’s gout? I hope, he had a solid reason to get the attack a day after your arrival. (………) Only if you had known, what sort of repulsion, mixed with respect, I feel for this person! Oh my divine, please see to it that he plays cards and that he had the attack of gout, gout! This is my only hope!
Reading again your letter I find in it the horrible ‘if’, which I did not notice earlier: if my cousin sister stays back, then I shall come in autumn etc. For God’s sake let her stay back! Try to entertain her, well, nothing is easy; instruct some officer of your garrison to fall in love with her, and when the time for departure comes, torture her, by breaking her off from the lover; again, it is not all easy. Only don’t show it to her, because out of obstinacy she is capable of doing exactly the opposite of what is to be done. What are you doing with the cousin brother? Write to me about it, but very openely. Send him soon to his University; I don’t know why, but I dislike these students exactly the same way as I dislike Mr. Kern – this Mr. Kern is a very efficient person, honourable, intelligent etc; he has only one drawback – that he is your husband. How can one be your husband? I cannot imagine it, just as I cannot imagine heaven.
All this was written yesterday ,today is the postal day, and, I don’t know why, I thought that I shall get your letter. This did not happen and I am mad, like a dog, though it is not justified: I should be thankful for the last time, I know; but what to do? I pray you, o divine, have pity on my weakness write to me, love me, and then I shall try to be an affectionate person. Bye (……..)9
Another example of Pushkin’s wit is the following letter:
You are capable of driving me mad; I was about to write a few foolish things to you, which would have amused you to death, but there suddenly comes your letter, it saddened me, while I was at the peak of excitement. Try to remain away from these spasms, which make you very interesting, but which are of no use, I assure you. Why do you force me to scold you? If your hand was in bandage, you should not have written to me. Oh, what a fool!”
However, tell me, what has he done to you, your poor husband? Is he jealous? I swear, that he won’t be wrong; you are unable to or (which is even worse) do not want to spare people. A good woman is, definitely, free……. Should be free. My God, I am not going to teach you morals, but all the same a husband has to be respected, - otherwise no body would like to be a husband. Do not belittle this craft at all, it is essential in the world. It is true, I am talking with you with an absolutely clean heart. You were clever to arouse jealousy in my heart from a distance of 400 miles, what will happen when you are at 4 steps? (NB. I want to know why your cousin brother left Riga only on the 15th of this month and why his name slipped from your pen thrice in my letter? May I know this, if it is not too immodest? ) Excuse me, my divine, I am telling you openly what I think; this is the proof of my concern for you; I love you much more than what it seems to you. Try to some how mend relations with this wicked Mr. Kern. I understand excellently that he is not a genius, but he is not a fool too. More softness, coquetry (and mainly, for God’s sake, say no, no, no) – and he will be at your feet, - the place which I with my whole heart envy so much, but what to do?……
You have to come here in autumn, and till then do not decide anything about the husband. You are young, whole life is ahead for you, and he ………. At last, be sure that I am not one of those who never advice decisive measures – sometimes it is unavoidable, but it is necessary to think well beforehand and not create a scandal without any reason.
Good bye! It is night now and your figure is in front of me, so sad and sweet; I imagine that I see your glance, your half opened lips.
Good bye! I imagine that I am at your feet, I touch them, feel your knees, - I would have given my whole life for a moment of this in reality. Good bye and believe my nonsense; it is funny but true.”10
If we feel like believing this letter, suddenly there are two more letters written a week later – one to Aunt Osipova and the other to Kern. First it would be amusing to see Osipova’s letter:
Yes, madam, let him be ashamed who thinks nonsensically about it. Ah, these people, who consider that correspondence may lead to something. Do they know it by their own experience? But I forgive them, you too excuse them – and we shall continue.
Your last letter (written at midnight) is fascinating, I laughed whole heartedly; but you are too strict towards your dear niece; it is true that she is frivolous, but – have patience: another twenty years and, I assure you, that she will improve herself. As far as her coquetry is concerned, you are right that it is capable of driving one mad. Is she not satisfied with the fact that she pleases her master, Mr. Kern, if such happiness has befallen her? No, it is necessary to drive mad your son, her cousin! Having come to Trigorskoye, she decided to captivate Mr. Rokotov and me; that is not all: on reaching Riga, she meets some wretched prisoner in her fort and flirts with this miserable creature! But even that is not all: you inform me that even the uniforms are involved! This is too much: Mr. Rokotov will come to know about it and let us see what does he say on this. But, madam, do you think that she flirts indifferently? She assures, that it is not so, I wanted to believe this, but what pacifies me is that not everyone behaves in the same way, I would be happy if others are obedient, timid and controlled, - I don’t require anything else. Thank you, madam, that you did not pass on my letter to her: it was too delicate, and under the present circumstances, that would have looked very funny. I shall write another letter to her, with my natural calmness, and I shall decisively break all my relationship with her; let not people say that I tried to create a confusion in the family, that (…….) may accuse me of lack of any moral values, and his wife – mocking at me.11
And the letter written to Kern on the same day, i.e. 28th August 1825, reads as follows:
I am enclosing here with a letter to your aunt: you can keep it with you in case they have already left Riga. Tell me, how can one be so thoughtless? How could the letter, addressed to you did fall not in your, but in strange hands? But whatever is done – is done – let’s us talk about what we must do.
If your husband has very much bored you throw him away, but do you know how? You leave there the whole family, take postal horses for Ostrov and come ……. Where to? To Trigorskoye? Not at all, but to Mikhailovskoye! This is the grand plan that is haunting my imagination for the past fifteen minutes. Can you imagine, how fortunate I would be? You will say: “And publicity, and scandal!” To hell with it! When a husband is thrown away, it is already a full scandal, further things do not mean anything or mean very little. You will agree that my project is very romantic! – similarity of characters, hatred for obstacles, fully developed instrument of run etc. etc. – Imagine the astonishment of your aunt? There will be an explosion. You will be meeting your cousin sister secretly, this is a good way of making friendship less insipid – and when Kern dies, you will be free like air….. well, what do you say to this? Didn’t I tell you that I am capable of giving you a bold and impressive advice!
Let us talk seriously, i.e. cold-bloodedly: shall I see you again? The thought, that it is not possible, makes me tremble. You will tell me: calm down. Excellent, but how? To fall in love? Impossible. First of all I should forget about all your spasms – leave the motherland? Hang myself? Get married? All this requires lots of efforts and does not attract me. - Yes, by the way, how shall I be receiving letters from you? Your aunt is against our correspondence, which is so pure, so innocent (what else could it be ….. from a distance of 400 miles). - Probably, our letters would be caught, read, discussed and then will be ceremoniously burned down. Try to change your hand writing, and I shall take care about other things. - But just keep writing to me, more and more, and horizontally and vertically and diagonally (geometrical term) ……. And mainly, don’t deprive me of the opportunity of meeting you. Otherwise, I, really, would try to love someone else. I was about to forget: I have just written Netti a very tender, very pleasing letter. I am mad for Netti. She is very innocent and simple, and you are not. Why aren’t you innocent ? Is it true that in my letters I am more loving, more dear than what I am during a personal meeting; so…… if you are coming, I promise you that I shall be extremely loving – on Monday I shall be happy, on Tuesday excited, on Wednesday delicate, on Thursday playful, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be whatever pleases you, and the whole week – will be at your feet. Good bye..
Don’t open the enclosed letter, that is not good. Your aunt will get angry.
Just think, how, with the divine help, things get confused: Madam Osipova opens your letter, you open her letter, I open Netti’s letter – and all of us find in them something worth emulating for us – really it is so exciting!12
And when Kern probably read the letter meant for aunt, Pushkin wrote to her on 22nd Sept. 1825:
For God’s sake, please don’t send that letter to aunt, which you found in your envelope. Don’t you see that it was written for your own benefit? Let it be with you or else you will make us fight. I tried to compromise both of you, but after your latest behaviour, I was fed up with it….. By the way you are swearing by all the saints, that you don’t flirt with any one, but in the mean while you address your cousin as ‘thou’, you tell him: I hate thy mother. This is horrible; you should have said your mother, or better – not to say anything, because this phrase had a devilish effect. Keeping jealousy in a corner, - I advise you to stop this correspondence, advise like a friend, who is really dedicated to you without any loud words and indirect references. I don’t understand how can you flirt with the young student (more over not with a poet) from such a respectable distance. When he was near you, I found it perfectly natural, because one has to be logical. Decided, isn’t it? Throw away that correspondence, - I can assure you that he will not love you less because of this. Are you serious when you say that you liked my plan? Aneta had chill pass through her spine because of it, and my head started reeling. Out of happiness. But I don’t believe happiness, and it is excusable ………”
Come at least up to Pskov, that is easy to arrange. Even a thought about it makes my heart beat, dampens my eyes, a sweet weakness is hovering upon me. Is it also a false hope, like all others ? ……. Coming to the point: first of all, you need a reason: Annet’s illness – What do you think about it? Or would it be nice to reach Petersburg ? Let me know about it, all right? – Don’t deceive me, my dear angel. Let me be obliged to you for knowing happiness, before taking leave of this life! - don’t tell me about excitement: this is not that feeling, which I want. Speak to me about love: that is what I long for. And most important - don’t talk to me about lyrics ….. Your advice to write to His Excellency has touched me, it is the proof of your concern for me – I kneel down while thanking you for the same, but cannot follow it. Let the destiny decide my fate; I don’t want to get involved in it ……… Hope to see you still young and beautiful is the only thing which is precious to me. Once again, don’t deceive me.”13
In the autumn of 1825 Anna Petrovna again visited Trigorskoye along with her husband E.F. Kern and Pushkin did not at all like Kern, but with her he was very affectionate, as earlier and even more.
A few months later A.P. Kern moves to Petersburg and while leaving Riga she send him the latest edition of Byron, which he was trying so hard to get, and in return she received one more letter probably the most beautiful among all others:
I did not hope that you remember me at all, - I thank you whole heartedly for the same. Now Byron has become even more fascinating in my eyes, and all his heroines acquire features which are difficult to forget. I shall be seeing you in Gulnara and Laila …… and so, you are again sent to me by destiny and you pour charm on my solitude, - you, the angel of tranquility…. But I am an ungrateful fellow – because I am trampling it…… You are going to Petersburg - now my exile is even more horrible for me, than ever. – May be the recent changes would bring me nearer to you – but I can’t have any hopes about it – One must never believe hope, she (hope) is a fine woman, who behaves with you like with an old husband….. By the way, my dear fairy, what is doing yours? Do you know that in his person I imagine all the enemies of Byron including his wife as well?
I am again writing just to tell you that I am at your feet, that I love you as before, that it is third day that I said horrible things about you, that I kiss your beautiful hands, and again kiss them in the hope of larger happiness – that my condition is unbearable, that you are divine etc. etc. etc.14
Anna Petrovna again met Pushkin in Petersburg in 1827 in the house of his parents, whom she visited almost everyday. Pushkin had come back from the exile, but in spite of his being jolly, something was lacking in him. He seemed unhappy with himself and with others as well.
In Petersburg Anna Petrovna was a member of literary circle headed by Pushkin …… in this highly friendly and intellectual circle she was not a misfit. Pushkin would often visit her, read something new, help her in her difficult days. He always remained a benefactor.
These friendly evenings continued till 1831 – when Pushkin married Natalie Goncharova. Though they met many times, but that earlier warmth, that closeness was missing.
Later years brought a lot of misery to Kern. She lost her mother – her husband demanded that she returned back to him, he denied monetary help to her. She had strained relations with father and other relatives, who had deprived her of her estate and wealth. But she remained very strong by character.
In 1841 E.F. Kern passed away and Anna Petrovna married A.V. Markov – Vinogradov. This life, full of only love and miseries, lasted for full 40 years of poverty and hardship. Anna Petrovna guarded everythig connected with Pushkin's memories …… She was forced to sale his letters at one stage.
The legend is that “her coffin met with the monument to Pushkin which was being constructed then in Moscow.” Another verson is that a little before death she heard some noise from her room, which was created while transporting the huge granite platform for the Pushkin Monument, and having known what the reason was, said, “Ah, at last! Well, God gracious, it’s already time since long!…..”
Whatever be the truth, it is a fact that AP kern loved Pushkin sincerely. Pushkin created a monument for her in the form of his immortal poem and she treasured every thing, every word of this great genius, her memories about Pushkin make the bond between them eternal.
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NOTES
1.Gordin A.M. Anna Petrovna Kern in Memories About Pushkin by Kern A.P.,Moscow,1987,p.7
2.Kern A.P.Memories About Pushkin ,Moscow,1987,pp.34-36
3.Ibid.P.38
4.Pushkin A.S. Collected Works,Vol.9,Moscow,1978,p.120
5.Kern A.P.Memories About Pushkin ,Moscow,1987,p.125
6.Ibid,pp.40-44
7.Ibid,p46
8.Ibid,pp.127-128
9.Ibid.pp.128-131
10.Ibid.pp.131-133
11.Pushkin A.S. Collected Works,Vol.9,Moscow,1978,p.188
12.Kern A.P.Memories About Pushkin ,Moscow,1987,p.133-135
13.Ibid.pp.137-138
14.Ibid.pp138-139
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