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| {{letterhead | | <includeonly>Воевода</includeonly><noinclude> {{bibitem |id=1869/15 |Title=Воевода |In=Сын отечества [Saint Petersburg] |Edition=6 February 1869 {{OS}} |Imprint=1869 |Format=Article |Language=Russian |Notes=The first production of the opera The Voyevoda on 30 January/11 February 1869 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow }} [[Category:Bibliography (1869)]] {{DEFAULTSORT:Bibliography (1869/015)}}</noinclude> |
| |Date=27 April/9 May 1883 | |
| |To=[[Anna Merkling]] | |
| |Place=[[Paris]] | |
| |Language=Russian | |
| |Autograph={{locunknown}}
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| |Publication={{bib|1951/49|П. И. Чайковский. С. И. Танеев. Письма}} (1951), p. 217<br/>{{bib|1970/86|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том XII}} (1970), p. 140–141 | |
| |Notes=Manuscript copy in [[Klin]] (Russia): {{RUS-KLč}} (signature omitted)
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| }}
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| ==Text and Translation==
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| Based on a handwritten copy in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive, which may contain differences in formatting and content from Tchaikovsky's original letter.
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| {{Lettertext
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| |Language=Russian | |
| |Translator=Luis Sundkvist | |
| |Original text={{right|Париж<br/>27-го апреля 1883 г[ода]}}
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| Аня, голубушка! Ты самая невероятная клеветница и каломниатерша, какая есть на свете
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| Ни разу в жизни я ни единого ''саше'' в Париже не покупал и разве в горячечном бреду мог обещать тебе это. А вот что. Я ведь думал, что еду в ''Италию''; не обещал ли я тебе ''sachet'' из флорентинской ''poudre d'iris'', вот это весьма возможно, а ты взяла да и напутала! Во всяком случае, привезу и ''sachet'' и статуэтку. Готовь сюпор и платки. Говоря, что я тебе не писал ничего о кантате, ты, коварная, опять-таки клевещешь. Именно писал, и необходимостью с быстротой римской свечки написать эту кантату объяснял, почему не могу на твои милые и столь всегда интересные письма отвечать иначе, как коротенькими писульками. Но, Боже мой, как меня смешат те, которые говорят, что я еду на исполнение своей кантаты. Я еду просто в Россию, в которой давно бы уже был, если бы не Таня, которую всё ещё нельзя здесь оставить одну. Стремлюсь всеми силами души куда-нибудь в русскую глушь, а от коронации и кантаты буду удирать во все лопатки, ибо менее всего на свете желаю теперь шума, суеты и т. д.
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| Надеюсь, что недели через полторы можно будет выехать, но, впрочем, далеко ещё не уверен в этом. Поеду на Петербург и тебя увижу. Я очень, очень устал от Парижа. Просто невероятно мне самому поверить, сколько я наработал в это время, целую оперу инструментовал, большую кантату написал да ещё торжественный марш для города Москвы. Если прибавить к этому постоянные заботы и тревоги по поводу Тани, то в результате получается несколько месяцев, проведённых очень не по-парижси. И действительно, смешно подумать, что, живя здесь почти четыре месяца, я ни разу, например, не успел побывать в Лувре или в Luxembourg, ибо буквально все часы дня посвящал работе или посещениям Тани, и только вечером изредка в театр ходил. Да и теперь ещё не всё кончено: кое-что поработать ещё осталось. До свидания, голубушка, недели через две.
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| {{right|Твой,}}
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| |Translated text={{right|[[Paris]]<br/>27th April 1883}}
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| [[Anya]], darling! You are the most incredible slanderer and calumniator in the whole wide world.
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| I have never in my life bought a single ''sachet'' in [[Paris]], and it is only in some state of feverish delirium that I could have promised you this. What may have happened is this. You see, I had thought I would be going to ''Italy'', so I may well have promised you a ''sachet'' of Florentine ''iris powder'' — now that is quite possible, but there you went off and confused the two! In any case, I shall bring you both a ''sachet'' and a statuette. Have the stand and some cloths ready <ref name="note1"/>. When you say that I didn't write to you anything about the [[Moscow (cantata)|cantata]], you are again slandering me perfidiously. I most certainly did write about it, referring to how I needed to compose this cantata with the speed of a Roman candle <ref name="note2"/> in order to explain why I couldn't reply to your sweet and always so interesting letters other than by brief little scribbles. But, my Lord, how those people who say that I am coming for the performance of my cantata make me laugh!<ref name="note3"/> I am simply going to Russia, where I would have been a long time ago if it weren't for [[Tanya]], whom I still cannot leave here on her own <ref name="note4"/>. With all the fibres of my soul I am now yearning to go to Russia, to some place in the depths of the country — I shall run away from the coronation and from my cantata as fast as my legs can carry me, because right now the least thing I want in the world is noise, commotion, etc <ref name="note5"/>.
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| I hope that within a week and a half or so I shall be able to leave, though I must say that I am by no means certain of this. I shall come to [[Petersburg]] and see you there. [[Paris]] has left me very, very tired. I cannot even believe it myself how much work I have done in all this time: I have orchestrated a [[Mazepa|whole opera]] and written the big cantata, as well as a [[Coronation March|festive march]] for the city of [[Moscow]]. If one adds to this my constant troubles and concern over [[Tanya]], then the upshot is several months which I have spent here in a not very Parisian fashion. Indeed, it makes me laugh to think that, despite having been living here for almost four months, I have not once found the time to visit the Louvre, for example, or the [Jardin du] Luxembourg — this is because I have literally devoted all my hours to work or to visits to [[Tanya]], and only in the evenings did I every now and then go to the theatre. In fact, I haven't quite finished everything yet: there's still a bit of work left to do. Until we meet in two weeks' time, golubushka.
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| {{right|Yours,}}
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| }} | |
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| ==Notes and References==
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| <references>
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| <ref name="note1">{{note|1|See [[Letter 2046]] to [[Anna Merkling]], 18/30 June 1882, in which Tchaikovsky had apologized for failing to keep his promise and bring her a replica of a classical statue from Italy. He was particularly sorry because his cousin had already bought a support for the statuette.</ref>
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| <ref name="note2">A type of firework which bursts into spectacularly coloured sparks and balls of fire.</ref>
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| <ref name="note3">At very short notice Tchaikovsky had been commissioned to write two works for the festivities which were to be held in [[Moscow]] to celebrate the coronation of [[Alexander III]]: the coronation cantata ''[[Moscow (cantata)|Moscow]]'' (completed in [[Paris]] on 24 March/5 April 1883) and the [[Coronation March]] (completed on 23 March/4 April). Tchaikovsky was in [[Saint Petersburg]] when these two works were performed for the first time in [[Moscow]].</ref>
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| <ref name="note4">On the previous day Tchaikovsky's niece [[Tatyana Davydova]] ("Tanya") had given birth in [[Paris]] to her illegitimate child, a boy who was christened [[Georges-Léon]]. Tchaikovsky, who, apart from [[Modest]], was so far the only member of her family to be aware of this, had assisted [[Tatyana Davydova|Tatyana]] during her confinement and found a wet-nurse for the boy, as well as a local French family who could look after him for the time being. Even to [[Anna Merkling]] Tchaikovsky could not confide the full extent of his niece's predicament, and in letters to his cousin from [[Paris]] he had just told her that [[Tatyana Davydova|Tatyana]] was being treated for her morphine addiction. See also {{bib|2009/17|Пётр Чайковский. Биография ; том 2}} (2009), p. 200-201.</ref>
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| <ref name="note5">The festivities for the coronation of [[Alexander III]] in [[Moscow]] took place in May 1883.</ref>
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| </references> | |
