650 3/y Acquaintance wilJi Karamzin. [^Dkc. 



to describe, in your comparison, the form of the ingot." — " Evei'y form," 

 answered I, " is agreeable, provided a certain harmony be observable in 

 it," — " Certainly ; there I quite agree with you." One of the company 

 now launched out in praise of the gaiety and natm-al cleverness of the 

 natives of France. "You are right," said Karamzin ; "but the same 

 qualities are at least equally innate in those of Russia. Beneath the 

 bright skies of France, under the shade of chestnut-trees, in the midst of 

 vineyards, and in the neighbourhood of large cities, it is not difficult to 

 be cheerful ; but, deprived of all these excitements, the Russian peasant 

 is equally gay ; surrounded by forests, shut up in his smoky cabin, or 

 toiling during his short summer, he is always joyous, always singing or 

 joking. Without schools, the inhabitants of our villages instruct them- 

 selves in reading, and the number of poets and romancers to be found 

 among this class of our population is hardly inferior to that of our pro- 

 fessed literati. Can we, in fact, reckon so many among the latter whose 

 productions, will live as long as the songs and traditionary tales of 

 the former ? It is admitted, as a general rule, that happiness consists in 

 being satisfied with little ; and there is certainly no one who has fewer 

 artificial wants than the Russian peasant, or who submits to labour so 

 contentedly and cheerfully." The conversation now turning upon our 

 popular Russian songs and tales, Karamzin pointed out some of their 

 characteristic peculiarities and merits, adding, " It has for a long time 

 been my intention to publish a collection of some of the best poems of 

 this class ; to arrange them, as far as possible, in chronological order ; 

 and to illustrate them by historical notes and critical remarks. Other 

 occupations have hitherto prevented me from prosecuting this design ; 

 slill I do not even yet abandon it entirely. I am not satisfied with ajiy 

 collection of the kind that has yet appeared, for there is not one that 

 exhibits either choice in the selection of the pieces, or systematic order 

 in their arrangement." 



It is unnecessary to say that we all expressed our wishes that he 

 would seriously engage in such an undertaking. Were any one of our 

 really eminent writers now to put into execution this idea of Karamzin's, 

 he Avould thereby perform a most meritorious service for our national 

 literature. It would also be desirable to possess a similar collection of 

 our popular tales, both of such as have already been printed, and of 

 those which, although they remain unedited, circulate tradition-wise 

 among our peasantry. In preparing such a work, however, care should 

 be taken to expunge certain indelicacies, but, in other respects, to ad- 

 here to the language of the originals.* It would form an interesting 

 monument of our traditional literature; but it is an undertaking that 

 would require an enterprizing publisher, and an editor who shovdd be 

 intimately conversant with Russia, both locally and historically. 



. My visit lasted about two hours, duri ng the whole of which time the 



* All the Russian tales and narratives of this class that we are acquainted with, 

 combine, more or less, the colouring of western romance with that of oriental fic- 

 tion. I>ike the productions of the latter, they abound in necromancy and enchant- 

 ments ; yet, although they do not yield to' them in extravagance, thev do not 

 exhibit equal ingenuity in thtir construction, nor do we meet in them with those 

 traits of actual manners which are there interwo^^en amid the chimteras of imagi- 

 nation. Many of the Russian tales are, in fact, mere nursery stories, and interest- 

 ing only when considered as evidences of national taste, or to those who are 

 engageil in researches into this species of composition. There are a few, however, 

 which are really very clever, and may be perused with satisfaction both for their 

 originality and for the naiVetc they occasionally display. Sonic of these might 

 furnish materials for similar legends in the hands of a skilful adapter, but few 

 would bear to be translated entire, or in their oriciinal form. — Tr. 



