Читать книгу Peter and Alexis. The Romance of Peter the Great онлайн

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Fair solitude! my heart’s desire,

Through forest and mire,

Over hill, dale, and peak,

Will I wander and seek

A place for my hut.

Thou emerald vault,

Under thee will I roam

To full heart’s delight.

Thy cuckoo’s call

Shall teach me all,

Dry roots will be

Eden’s food for me,

Thy sparkling springs

Mine only drink.

From earliest childhood Tichon was subject to a strange sensation, quite unlike anything else; a feeling of almost painful anguish, coupled with a delicious sweetness: it seemed ever new, yet ever familiar, and generally intimated the approach of a fit. Terror and surprise mingled with a reminiscence as from some other world, but the prevalent elements were curiosity and expectation, and a desire, that what was about to happen should happen quickly. He never mentioned this to any one, and even if he would, he could not have found words to express it. Later on, when his consciousness and thinking power increased, this sensation became tinged with thoughts about the end of the world and the second coming.