- Of course, something else.
- What?
- Something that binds “The Gabrieliad” and “The Prophet” with poetry of Callimachus.
- Is it indeed the hymn of Callimachus “Bath of Pallas”? And you answered to the hymn of Alexandrian epoch with such words: “What are the cunning, malice, word, deepness! How even powerful is crash of your ideas! And eternal new bath of Virgin! – Callimachus!”
- Nun, this is unsuccessful imitation to Callimachus, first attempt of writing, it was not published anywhere with me. Where have you found this?
- In Switzerland, from biographer of your second Danzas – Anatoliy Livri.
- May be, may be, - in deep thinking said Pushkin. Maybe you remember that in this hymn Athena calmed her friend - mother of Tiresias, whom she made blind by verdict of Zeus: “I will create from he a prophet, venerable among descendants, and without comparison others he will exceed by him”.
The Gray-headed man some time looked at guest by keeping silence, but his head was full of thoughts and questions.
- That why in “The Gabrieliad”: “I don’ need a great rank of prophet”? Thus, Tiresias had lost his gift of sight, but instead of that he had got a gift of prophecy. I am of course not Tiresias, but when I was 14 years old I tried to read out loud the “The Prophet”. But suddenly I had left my speechless. And a shock which I had that time was the same shock as Tiresias had. The gift of speechless came back but the “Puzzle of prophet” had left, which haunts me about half of century. The guest as if he has heart these thoughts of Gray-headed man and interrupted them with question.
- And what is the source of concern in “The Prophet”?
- Well, consider this: the poem I know, the teacher asks me read “The Prophet”, and I can’t spell a word. How it is possible? If he gave me grade two (one of the lowest grades) then I could forget about this episode. But he invited me in teacher’s room and said me that for ten years of teaching he at first time met with person who can’t read out loud “The Prophet”. And I remind myself, that by giving a task to learn by heart, he was at the same situation, he couldn’t read your poem. And as reader he was very excellent, particularly good he read by heart your poems. So, I understood that I am not the only who couldn’t read out loud “The Prophet” because of some unclear reasons. To read to myself – no problem.
- And, now can you?
- Yes, I can, because I found the words, which then paralyzed my tongue.
- Interestingly, what kind of words they are? Can you say loud them now?
- Yes, I can. God address to prophet: Fulfill yourself by my will!
- And what is dangerous in these words by your opinion?
- At 14 years old I couldn’t know that, what I know today. However, I suppose, in that September evening, 1826 you knew this. Among all species on the Earth God gave a freedom of chose and possibility to get a freedom of will only to one species - Homo sapiens. You may understand, that freedom of chose without freedom of will is nothing. Once given such possibility to human, He could not take it back. And you had finished “The Prophet” with these words in purpose that in the future, when people of Russia become literate and will read your “The Prophet”, somebody will stumble on these words, he will not be able to out loud say them and will think “What is a problem?” It is as if you accomplished the ask of emperor and did not recede from your own opinion to religion?
- I can’t say that I thought about this. I remember that near my bed on the nightstand lay Bible in French. I opened it and occasionally had got 6th chapter of prophet Isaiah. I read it one time, another time and wrote “The Prophet”.
- As for “The Prophet” our philologists had great debates.
- What couldn’t they share?
- The debates were around the date of writing: some of them argued that you in advance wrote this poem before meeting with emperor, when you were in exile. That you would be able throw it to the face of young satrap, who just nearly had come to the throne. Others argued that poem was written after the meeting with emperor.
- Why did they debate? I had written at the end the date and even the time, as I usually did.
- The facsimile of “The Prophet” was not found among your papers.
- And who did look my papers after me?
- The emperor ordered to look your archive to Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky.
- Yes, of course. He performed the same role at Nikolay Pavlovich as Demetrius Phalerum at Ptolemy Soter – he was a mentor of his sons Alexandr and Michael.
- Alexandr Sergeevich, and history of close relation between poet Callimachus and Ptolemy Philadelphus didn’t remind you a situation before your meeting with 30 years old emperor of Russia?
- May be reminded, but what is following then? Nikolay Pavlovich nothing suggested me at meeting, and I did not ask him anything. What I thought at that time is an open question. The content of our conversation knows only both we and God. And by the way, was the answer of emperor to Synod remained?
- Yes, and we have found it.
- And do you remember what was there?
- I remember very good, because there were only two phrases: “I know author of “The Gabrieliad”. Leave Pushkin alone”.
- That is how! The members of Synod at that time did not show me the answer. And the answer was ambiguous: first – “I know, that author of “The Gabrieliad” is Pushkin, but he is under my protection. Leave him alone”. Another – “I know the author of “The Gabrieliad” – this is not Pushkin. Leave Pushkin alone”. And the members of Synod had not right to ask several times explanations from emperor. Now it is clear why he asked me to say nothing in case when I would be called to the appointment in Synod, and require paper and envelope for writing letter to him where ever he would be. And added that: “I know what to do”.
- Well, the second question was about authorship of “The Gabrieliad”? And the first?