[1] Nikolaï Vasilyévitch Gogol-Yanovsky, born, according to Polevoï, on
the 31st of March, 1809, at Sorotchintsui. See Appendix.
[2] Evenings at the Farm House (_Vetchera na Khutoryé_).
[3] Hans Küchel Garten--such was the name of the unfortunate idyl--was
afterwards placed by the author, not without complaisance, among his
_juvenilia_. See Appendix.
[4] This is a mistake. He completed it, to be sure, but in his
religious mania he destroyed the most of the second part: it was
completed by another hand. See Appendix.
[5] From A Terrible Vengeance.
[6] The passage referred to is as follows: “The steppe grew more and
more beautiful. The whole South, all the region which includes the
New Russia of the present day as far as the Black Sea, was a virgin
desert of green. Never had the plough passed through the boundless
waves of vegetation. Only a few horses, concealed in it as in a forest,
trod it under their hoofs. Nothing in nature could be finer. All the
surface of the earth was like a green golden ocean from which emerged
millions of varied flowers. Amidst the delicate tall stalks of the
grass gleamed azure, purple, violet blue-bonnets (_voloshki_); the
yellow broom lifted on high its pyramidal tower; the white clover, with
its umbrella-like bonnets, mottled the plain; a wheat-stalk, brought
from God knows where, was waxing full of seed. Under their slender
roots the partridges were running about, thrusting out their necks.
The air was full of a thousand different bird-notes. In the sky hung
motionless a cloud of hawks, stretching wide their wings and fixing
their eyes silently on the grass. The cry of the wild geese moving in
clouds was heard from God knows what distant lake. From the grass arose
with measured strokes the prairie-gull, and luxuriously bathed herself
in the blue waves of the air. Now she was lost in immensity, and was
visible only as a lone black speck. Now she swept back on broad wings,
and gleamed in the sun. The deuce take you, steppes, how beautiful you
are!” (_Tchort vas vozmi, styépi, kak vui khoroshi’_)
[7] From The May Night.
[8] From Taras Bulba.
[9] From Old-time Proprietors.
[10] _Vetchera na Khutoryé bliz Dikanki._
[11] _Starosvyétskié Pomyéshchiki._
[12] _Povyést o Tom Kak Possorilis Ivan Ivanovitch s. Ivanom
Nikiforovitchem._
[13] From The May Night.
[14] For a translation of this portion, see Appendix.
[15] Regiment.
[16] _Gorodnitchi._
[17] Bobtchinski and Dobtchinski by name.
[18] He says that he addresses Pushkin by the familiar pronoun _tui_
(thou).
[19] _Effacé._
[20] _Kollezhsky sovyetnik_, the ninth rank in the civil _tchin_,
giving personal nobility.
[21] _Khozyaistvennuie produktui._
[22] “‘_Akhti!_ what nice stamped paper you have!’ continued she,
gazing at him, at his portfolio. And, indeed, there was not much
stamped paper to be had then. ‘If you would only let me have a sheet! I
need it so much. It happens sometimes I want to write a petition to the
court, and I haven’t any thing fit to write on.’
“Tchitchikof explained to her that this paper was not of that kind;
that it was designed for drawing up contracts in regard to serfs, and
not for petitions. However, in order to accommodate her, he let her
have a few sheets for a ruble” (not five rubles, as M. Dupuy translates
it, mistaking the word meaning _price_ for _five_).--N. H. D.
[23] See Mérimée’s novel entitled Lokis.--_Author’s note._
[24] Gogol was living at that time in Italy. He wrote while abroad the
second part of Dead Souls. He left Russia after the publication of the
first part.--_Author’s Note._
[Illustration: IVAN S. TURGÉNIEF.]