Poltava in Shevchenko’s hard luck
Taras Grygorovych Shevchenko is as much a many-sided man as he can be compared to Leonardo da Vinci. Even if he did not become a poet, he would get famous as a genius painter all over the world. Dozens of landscapes, still lives, illustrations for fiction works, portraits have been made by him. Among the latter ones, the portrait of Zakrevskaya Anna Ivanovna is justifiably considered to be the best. No wonder, to take into account the fact Shevchenko was in love with that woman.
Anna Ivanovna Zakrevska was wife of landlord P. Zakrevsky from Pyryatyn. Shevchenko got acquainted with her on June 29, 1843. He repeatedly visited at Zakrevskyi’s place. Reminiscences by Afanasyev-Chuzhbynskyi imply that the poet was in love with “beautiful Anna” (Shevchenko named her so in his letter to the friend V.Zakrevskyi). Being in the ball arranged in the house of landlady Volkhovska, he kept following her during all the dancing party, and when saying goodbye he tore off one of the sky blue flowers which her dress was decorated with as a keepsake and kept that relic for long. The poet carried warm memories about Zakrevska through all his life. In 1843 Shevchenko painted her portrait. In exile 1848 he dedicated the poem "G.Z" to her in which he spoke about her with a sincere fascination. Also poetry "Якби зустрілися ми знову" is related to the name of Anna Zakrevska. According to some researchers, Shevchenko dedicated the poem "The blind" to Zakrevska, too. After return from exile, the poet deeply sorrowed over premature death of really beautiful Anna Zakrevska while staying in Poltava land in 1859 last.
Якби зустрілися ми знову,
Чи ти злякалася б, чи ні?
Якеє тихеє ти слово
Тоді б промовила мені?
Ніякого. І не пізнала б.
А може, потім нагадала,
Сказавши: "Снилося дурній".
А я зрадів би, моє диво!
Моя ти доле чорнобрива!
Якби побачив, нагадав
Веселее та молодеє
Колишнє лихонько лихеє.
Я заридав би, заридав!
І помоливсь, що не правдивим,
А сном лукавим розійшлось,
Слізьми — водою розлилось,
Колишнєє святеє диво!
Another Poltava woman in the life of the genius was princess Repnina. Repnina Varvara Nikolaevna (1809-1891) is the Russian writer, a close friend of Taras Shevchenko. She was a daughter of Repnin-Volkonskiy who was Poltava Governor General. The poet met Repnina in July 1843 and there were friendly relationship between them. He dedicated a poem “Funeral Feast” to the princess with dedication "On memory of 9th November, 1843 to the princess Varvara Nikolaevna Repnina", painted and gave her a self-portrait as a present. Repnina came to love Shevchenko. She wrote about her feeling, excitedly told about Shevchenko as a genius poet in her letter to her instructor. When Repnina’s feeling to Shevchenko began to become considerable О. Kapnist started to take measures probably on request of the princess’s mother whom she admitted to. “In short, V. Repnina wrote, the way-out resulted from the everything said is Shevchenko has to go away, and he is willing to take him to his place... and to suggest him that he shouldn’t live in Yahotyn anymore…” But the poet saw in the New Year 1844 in Yahotyn again. Having seen Shevchenko’s drawing “The parents’ hut”, V. Repnina asked him for permission to copy it. The poet wrote two lines from the poem “Funeral Feast” on the copy:
В ком веры нет - надежды нет!
Надежда - бог, а вера - свет!
Varvara would confess by herself Shevchenko did not share her feelings though he always treated her with large and deep respect, called her his sister. In the time of the poet’s exile the princess was in correspondence with him (8 letters of Shevchenko and 6 those of Repnina survived), requested the "Third department" chief, the count О.Orlov in order to relieve his fate. 1849 the poet sent another self-portrait to the princess. 1850 О.Оrlov prohibited Repnina to be in correspondence with Shevchenko. 1858 the poet visited Varvara in Moscow on March, 17 while returning from the exile. Once again he saw her on March, 24, it was their last meeting.
The poem “Funeral Feast”. Dedication to Varvara Repnina:
Душе с прекрасным назначеньем
Должно любить, терпеть, страдать,
И дар господний, вдохновенье,
Должно слезами поливать,
Для Вас понятно это слово.
Для Вас я радостно сложил
Свои житейские оковы,
Священно действовал я снова
И слёзы в звуки перелил.
Ваш добрый ангел осенил
Меня бессмертными крылами
И тихостройными речами
Мечты о рае пробудил...
On March, 18 1858 Shevchenko met Maria Vasylivna Maksymovych in Moscow. H. Galagan remembered as follows "... Shevchenko sang with the wife of Maksimovich well". Then he presented her the autograph of his poem "Садок вишневий коло хати". Shevchenko wrote down in his diary: "What a nice, wonderful creature! But what most charming about her is a pure, untouched type of my countrywoman".
A poet with large warmth wrote letters to Maksimovych. In one letter (dated 22.11.1858) Shevchenko sent his poem "Dream" ("На панщині пшеницю жала...") to Maria Vasylivna which she was truly grateful for. On May, 10 1859 the poet sent her the self-portrait. During the last trip to Ukraine Shevchenko stayed in the house of Maksimovych in village of Prokhorivka (native land of Maksimovich, former Poltava province, present-day Cherkassy region). Here (on June, 22 1859) he painted a portrait of Maria and wrote below: "1859 Т. Shevchenko on June, 22". The tired heart of the poet was heated with a warmth and attention of Maria Maksimovych. Repeatedly Shevchenko requested her to find him a suitable mate and married him: "Make me married please or else even God does not marry me if you won’t. I will be perished like a hauler on a strange land... Just do so you my sole heart".
The fate a kind of mocked at the poet as Maria Maksimovich was already married at the time of getting acquainted with Shevchenko. So their mutual feelings were doomed.
According to http://welcome-to-poltava.com.ua
