o me, that I feel as
if I had been born again. The death of Delvig is the only shadow in my
bright existence." Pushkin was desirous of editing a volume of the
"Northern Flowers," in the following year, for the benefit of the family
of his departed friend, for which he now began assiduously to collect
materials. This labour detained him until the month of May in Moscow;
and, before his migration to St Petersburg, the tragedy of Boris
Godunoff was printed. Among all the works of Pushkin there is not one
which exhibits so high a degree of artistic skill, or so vigorous and
powerful a genius, as this drama, in which every word, every dialogue,
seems to unite the certainty of study and meditation with the fire and
naturalness of a happy improvisation, and in which there is not a
character nor an allusion which destroys the truth and vigour of the
composition, viewed as a faithful mirror of Russian nationality, Russian
history, and Russian character. The remainder of Pushkin's short, alas!
but laborious life, however filled with the silent activity of
intellectual occupation, offers but few materials for the biographer: it
was passed principally at St Petersburg, varied by occasional journeys
to Moscow, and the usual _autumnal_ retirements, which we have mentioned
as having been so favourable for the execution of the poet's literary
tasks. We shall content ourselves with giving a slight account of the
principal works in which Pushkin employed his great powers--powers which
had now reached their highest point of vigour, retaining all the
freshness and vivacity of youth, while they had acquired the maturity
and solidity of manhood. The subjects of these works, however, being for
the most part historical, are of a nature which renders them less
susceptible of analysis in our pages--and indeed their local nature
would cause such analysis to be devoid, in a great measure, of interest
to the English reader. There is, however, one episode in the poet's
life, which must possess peculiar interest to those who delight to watch
that fond fidelity with which genius returns to the scenes where it was
first developed, and which brought back Shakspeare, loaded with glory,
to pass the calm evening of his life amid the native shades of
Stratford. On quitting Moscow for St Petersburg, Pushkin passed a winter
at Tsarskoe Selo. "This was a most blessed thought," he says, in a
letter of 26th March; "I can thus pass my summer and _autumn_ in a most