, are favourably mentioned; as are
also Anna Bunin and a Mrs. Pawlof, the latter as a happy translator. A
Mrs. Helene Han, who writes under the name of Zeneide B., is compared
to George Sand. Nor must we forget two natural poets so called, that
is, men from the people, who write verses; one named Alipanof, born
a serf, and the other Kolzof. The lyric poets enumerated in the last
period are all mostly still alive and continue to write.

The very limited productiveness of the Russian poets is however a very
striking and discouraging feature. While in the animated forest of
German poetry, even during the most trying struggles of the times, a
full chorus of songs and ballads resounds from every branch, we hear
from Russian groves only solitary voices, and these voices seem to be
exhausted almost as soon as they are heard. A volume of twenty sheets
is in general considered in Russia as quite a respectable collection.
Pushkin is almost the only one of their poets, whose very thoughts
were verses.

The more exuberant, however, do we find the productiveness of some of
their dramatic writers. Polevoi, whom we have mentioned as the editor
of the "Telegraph," and as a keen critic who exerted great influence,
poured out a whole flood of tragedies and comedies. To judge from the
applause with which they were received on the stage, the writer was
more successful in this branch, than in his historical enterprises.
Besides him, Lenski, Koni, Feodorof, and others, as well as numerous
translators, furnished provision for the stage. The most respectable
talent was shown by Kukolnik; of whom his countrymen have a very high
idea, but to whom foreign critics assign rather a lyric than a
dramatic genius. The reverential attachment of Russians to their
monarch is exhibited in the very titles chosen by several dramatic
poets. One of Kukolnik's dramas bears the rather prolix name, "The
hand of the Almighty shelters the Tzar." A piece of Glinka is called,
"Our Life for the Tzar," etc.

The popular poetry which is scattered over all Slavic countries, has
at last received the attention due to it. That of Russia is not so
early as that of some other branches of the same family; with the
exception however of certain songs for harvest, weddings, festivals,
funerals, and some other like verses, sung or recited on certain
stated occasions. There are among them some, which in their most
essential portions are derived from pagan times. The Ukraine, and