Letter 26

Tchaikovsky Research
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Date early/mid-June 1851
Addressed to Aleksandra Tchaikovskaya and Ilya Tchaikovsky
Where written Saint Petersburg
Language French
Autograph Location Saint Petersburg (Russia): National Library of Russia (ф. 834, ед. хр. 33, л. 35–36)
Publication П. И. Чайковский. Письма к родным (1940), p. 28
П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том V (1959), p. 31–32

Text and Translation

Spelling and punctuation errors in the original text have not been indicated.

French text
(original)
English translation
By Luis Sundkvist
Chers Papa et Maman

Hier j'ai reçu votre lettre mes deux anges et je vous remercie beaucoup de ce que vous voulez venir ici au mois de Septembre.

Mais, ma chére Maman vous m'avez promit de venir aussi avec tout le monde sans doute que c'est trop mais vous avez aussi dit que vous viendrez ici. C'est trop je le répéte mais seulement venez mes chers anges ensemble. Aujourd'hui mes chers je part pour le village avec la bonne M[ada]dame Markoff.

Adieu mes deux anges.

Je prie votre bénétiction. Votre fils,

Pierre

Vous m'avez demandé comment il faut écrire a M[onsieur] Berrard: en français.

Dear Papa and Mama

Yesterday I received your letter, my two angels, and I thank you very much for being willing to come here in September.

However, my dear Mama, you promised me that you would be coming as well with everyone else; no doubt, this is too much, but you did say that you would also be coming here. It is too much, I repeat, only do come together, my dear angels. Today, my dear ones, I am leaving for the country with good Madame Markova [1].

Goodbye, my two angels.

I ask for your blessing. Your son,

Pyotr

You asked me how you should write to Mr Bérard [2]: in French.

Notes and References

  1. Madame Markova was either the mother or one of the sisters of Mariya Petrovna Vakar (née Markova), the wife of young Pyotr's guardian in Saint Petersburg, Platon Alekseyevich Vakar (1826-1899). Pyotr spent the summer holidays that year on a country estate not far from Saint Petersburg which belonged to the Markov family.
  2. Joseph Bérard (known in Russia as Iosif Iosifovich Berar; 1800-1883) taught literature and French at the School of Jurisprudence, including in the preparatory class which Pyotr was attending at the time. He was the latter's favourite teacher. See Пётр Чайковский. Биография, том I (2009), p. 46.