“I pray and cry in front of you…”

150 years ago Taras Shevchenko was in Moscow for a few days


It happened on March, 10–26, 1858, when Ukrainian genius returned from distant banishment to Petersburg. It was not the first time he could see White-rock city. He strolled about its streets in 1843 and later. This time he arrived almost at midnight. Nobody met the sick poet. He stayed at a hotel for a silver karbovanets. He wanted to give some coins to the sedate door-keeper, but he didn’t manage to put a hand into a pocket. He was tired and with a high temperature (from Nyzhniy Novgorod he drove in a sledge and from Vladimir – on a cart), at once he fell asleep which with unrestrained water washed off the last thought written down in his “Diary”: ‘Oh, Moscow! Oh, caravan- shed”.

Mykola SLAVYNSKYI