The 19th century poet and literary critic Аполлон Григорьев once said, “Пушкин – наше всё,” and his words have echoed ever since. Александр Сергеевич Пушкин (1799-1837) has long been generally considered the greatest of Russian writers, the founder of modern Russian literature and creator of the Russian literary language. You learned the basic facts of Pushkin's life in Book One (p. 324). In Chapter 11 you came across a sample of his writing (p. 215) — three lines taken from Chapter 3, Stanza 28 of Pushkin's “novel in verse,” «Евгений Онегин». Let's take a look at one of Pushkin's short poems, called «Ты и вы»:

http://www.rvb.ru/pushkin/01text/01versus/0423_36/1828/0461.htm

1			Read the poem carefully, consulting a dictionary when necessary. A few hints: • The word "обмолвясь" in line two is a деепричастие, or verbal adverb, formed from the verb "обмолвиться." You will learn about verbal adverbs in your second-year Russian course. The verbal adverb modifies the action of the main verb, "заменила." • The word "очей" in line six is the genitive plural form of "око," an archaic word for "eye." Did you find a short-form adjective in the poem? Which one?
2			Using your knowledge of the difference between informal and formal forms of address in Russian, provide an interpretation of Pushkin's poem. What is the significance of the distinction that Pushkin draws in the last two lines?
3			At the top of this page there is a heading: «А.С. Пушкин. Cобрание сочинений в десяти томах», or Collected Works in Ten Volumes. In other words, this site contains pretty much everything Pushkin ever wrote. Click on the link labeled “Cодержание” (Table of Contents) in the lower right-hand corner. As you see on the Cодержание page, «Евгений Онегин» is found in “том четвертый.” But let's turn our attention to another short стихотворение (poem). This poem has no title. Its first line begins with the word: «Я вас любил…» To find the poem, scroll to the bottom of the Cодержание page and click on the link labeled “Алфавитный указатель произведений А.С. Пушкина,” or Alphabetical Index of the Works of A.S. Pushkin. Click on the letter ‘я’ in the horizontal bar at the top of the index page. Our poem, as you'll see, is second in the list of works beginning with "я." Click on the link to the poem.
4			Read the poem carefully, consulting your dictionary as necessary. Two hints: • The verb ‘угасла’ in line two is a past-tense form of ‘угаснуть.’ The suffix ‘-нуть’ falls away in the past tense. • The words ‘томим’ in line six and ‘любимой’ in line eight are present passive participles, which you’ll learn about next year. They are formed from verbs – ‘томить’ and ‘любить’ – and describe an action directed towards the subject of the clause. “Я томим” therefore means that I am the one being tormented. Explain the use of the instrumental case in line four (‘ничем’), line six (‘робостью,’ ‘ревностью’), and – toughest of all – in line eight (‘любимой,’ ‘другим’). You might find it helpful to take a look at the discussion of “means and instruments” in Chapter 12 (pp.245-246).
5			Describe the sentiment expressed in this poem. What sort of relationship does the lyric hero (the “I” of the poem) have with the unnamed beloved?

А ЧТО ДАЛЬШЕ?

6			Pushkin's enormous popularity ensures that the many museums dedicated to him throughout European Russia are well maintained and well attended. The following list is far from exhaustive. You can learn more about Pushkin-related museums in and around St. Petersburg at: http://www.pushkin.ru You can learn about Pushkin's famous "apartment-museum" on Moscow's Arbat Street at: http://www.pushkinmuseum.ru/filials.htm You'll find an interesting essay on Pushkin's role in Russian literature and the Russian consciousness written by USC professor Alexander Zholkovsky (in English) at: http://www.usc.edu/dept/las/sll/eng/ess/push134.htm