Derzhavin: A Biography

Chapter 1

   , during the reign of Grand PrinceVasilyVasilievich the Dark, the Tatar murza Bagrim came from the Great Horde to serve Muscovy.The grand prince christened him into the Orthodox faith and subsequently rewarded him with lands for his conscientious service. From Bagrim, according to the book of the Russian nobility, were descended the Narbekovs, the Akinfovs, and the Keglevs (orTeglevs). One of the Narbekovs received the nickname Derzhava (which means orb). He began his service in Kazan. It was he who was the progenitor of the Derzhavin family. The family possessed fairly good estates located along the shores of the small river Myosha, between the Volga and Kama rivers, about  or  versts1 from Kazan. Over the course of time the lands came to be divided among heirs, sold, and mortgaged.Roman Nikolaevich Derzhavin,born in the year ,was to receive only a few scattered plots.On these estates the peasants numbered not hundreds and not dozens but only a few individuals. Back in the year , in the time of Peter the Great, Roman Nikolaevich entered the army and served, by turns, in various garrison regiments. His rank, like his income, was not great, although he was trusted by his superiors and loved by his fellow soldiers. He was not an ingratiating man but rather quite modest—indeed, perhaps something of a failure.At thirty-six he married a distant relative, Fyokla Andreevna Gorina, née Kozlova, a widow without children .The marriage did not add to his income: FyoklaAndreevna was almost as poor as he himself, and her villages were as scattered as his own.Yet even these wretched estates caused the Derzhavins to carry on incessant lawsuits with their neighbors.And these were lawless times.Every so often fights would ensue.For instance, a landowner named Chemadurov once enticed Roman Nikolaevich to his home, got him drunk on strong mead, and then—with no regard for his  1 rank or title—beat him mercilessly with the help of relatives and servants.Roman Nikolaevich was laid up for several months, and after that the Derzhavins and the Chemadurovs remained enemies from one generation to the next for over one hundred and fifty years. Only in the eighties of the last century did their discord come to an end. Following his marriage it is not known exactly where Roman Nikolaevich lived—possibly in Kazan itself or in one of his nearby villages.Almost precisely nine months after the wedding, his firstborn appeared.This event occurred on the third of July in the year , on a Sunday.The infant was named in honor of theArchangel Gabriel, whose day is celebrated on the thirteenth of that month. From birth he was quite weak,small,and skinny.He was subjected to a severe cure: according to the custom of that time and place, the child was baked into a loaf of bread. He did not die.2 When he was about a year old, a large comet with a six-rayed tail appeared in the sky. Ominous rumors circulated about it, and the people expected great calamities.When the comet was pointed out to the infant, he uttered his first word: “God!” * * * * * Soon Derzhavin’s father was transferred to the city of Yaransk, inVyatka province ,and then to Stavropol,on theVolga,about one hundred versts from Samara. These little towns were wretched, merely groups of small wooden shacks. Life was also wretched—a remote, garrison-style life. In addition, their income was small and their family was growing.Within a year after the first, a second son was born, and then a daughter, although she did not survive for long. The Derzhavins were people of limited education.FyoklaAndreevna was actually only semiliterate: it seems that she could do no more than sign her name. There was no talk of the arts or sciences in the house. Indeed, if not for their noble status, they might not have taught the children anything at all. In those days,however,a certain level of education was obligatory for children of the nobility in view of their future service.This required level of knowledge was not at all high, but it was extraordinarily difficult to acquire. In all of Russia there were two or three educational institutions in Moscow and Petersburg. Few could actually place their children there—due to the long distances, the lack of vacancies, and so on. For this reason noble minors were granted deferments and permitted to be instructed in their own homes. Of...