“Human life is short and fleeting, and many millions of individuals, who share in it, are swallowed by that monster of oblivion which is waiting for them with ever-open jaws. It is thus a very thank-worthy task to try to rescue something— – the memory of interesting and important events, or the leading features and personages of some epoch— – from the general shipwreck of the world.” Arthur Schopenhauer

Friday, May 3, 2013

Alexander Mirkovich, Excerpts from Memoirs

On 14 February, in the midst of the Allied invasion of France, Alexander Mirkovich, a junior officer in the Life Guard Horse Regiment, celebrated his twenty second birthday. Born into a noble family of Serbian origin, he graduated from the prestigious Page Corps in 1810 and received his baptism by fire during the 1812 Campaign.


[After the Allied capture of the French capital,] our regiment remained in Paris and settled in the barracks of the Ecole Militaire, a vast and beautiful building that comprised of 15 palaces and gardens near Champ de Mars and Champs-Élysées. Several days later officers were billeted to very comfortable residential apartments. My brother and I got an apartment at [No. 20] Rue de l'Odéon. Our hostess was Madame Dumenille, a very honorable, kind and pleasant old lady. Her family consisted of two pretty single daughters and a son, who was artillery officer. Six residents of this house were obliged to feed us in turns. These residents turned out to be honorable and kind people and, when it was their turn to feed us, they were so thoughtful as to invite a few of their acquaintances to maintain us a pleasant company.

We dined according to a Parisian tradition rather later, around 6 p.m., but, on the other hand, we spent evenings in lively conversations and avoided having dinners in restaurants that were always very expensive; to have a regular dinner with a wine one had to pay 2 chervonets [golden coins]. I will never forget an unusual dinner to which were treated on the very first day of our entry into Paris. Our regiment had just settled into assigned barracks, we were very hungry and hurried to find something to eat. We shown a good restaurant and a large group of our officers entered it. We sat at the table and were served delicious dishes, particularly one dish, which judging from appearance and taste, we believed was thighs of small chickens in a white sauce. The sharp waiter noticed that we liked this dish and immediately offered us more, “Would you like another dish? Everyone tells us that we are the best at making this dish because we get the best frogs around here.” We were thunderstruck! I hurriedly told garçon that we had enough and would like next dish.

The Parisians were bewildered by our Guardsmen and grenadiers. They could not believe their eyes upon seeing how well maintained these troops were after three years of campaigning. Beautiful uniforms, sparkling weapons, soldiers’ unusual height, bodily strength, martial appearance and joyful expressions, as well as kind treatment by officers who, for the most part, spoke in French – all of these bewildered and fascinated them. Women looked with particular curiosity upon Leib-Cossacks but initially they did so from a distance. They feared them, believing, as rumors claimed, that we were Northern barbarians while Cossacks are wild and half-naked savages who skin their prisoners and cook and east small children whenever they find them in villages. However, as they became convinced in absurdity of these rumours and saw firsthand that they are not beastly or wild creatures, but on contrary kind and caring, these women began to approach and observe Cossacks, obviously taking pleasure in the physical beauty and splendid uniforms of our young lads.

Two days after our occupation of Paris, theaters began to perform plays. One of the most remarkable days we spent in Paris was the day when the Emperor attended the opera Vestal Virgin for the first time. It was on 21 March [2 April]. We managed to get a lodge for ourselves. There was enormous crowd inside the theater. The Life Guard Pavlovskii Regiment deployed guards and sentries near the theater and at the imperial lodge. Before the Emperor’s arrival we were surprised by joyous shouts of Vive le roi, vive Henry IV and the orchestra suddenly behan to play the famous tune Vive Henri IV. The audience expressed its approval with loud and continuous applause, and as people began to calm down, people in one of the lodges began to shout loudly, “a bas les croix imperiales, vive le roi.” With loud roar and elation, the rest of the people began to yell “vive le roi” and all [Napoleonic] Imperial crosses were immediately removed. Around 8 p.m., the Emperor [Alexander] finally arrived together with the King of Prussia [Frederick William III]. Everyone immediately stood up and the hall became filled with bangs, noise and cheerful shouts “Vive l’Empereur Alexander, vive la Russie, vive le roi de Prusse, vive les allies, vive les Bourbons.” It seemed that theater walls were shaking from such exultant salutation by the Parisians. It continued for over quarter of an hour and was repeated throughout the entire evening. The emperor was obviously pleased while we, the Russians, cried from overflowing joy and happiness upon seeing how our Emperor is dully honored and glorified and how he has reached the pinnacle of earthly triumph. Finally, the Emperor sat down and the opera had began. The best artists, musicians and dancers participated in it, stage decorations were superb, costumes exquisite and opulent. Lodges were full of women dressed in the most splendid ball dresses. Our hearing and vision were overwhelmed by this marvelous sight but everyone’s eyes and attention were directed on Emperor Alexander. Between the second and third acts, the audience forced the famous singer to sing the popular Henry IV song. The actor came out holding a sheet of paper in his hand and sang the following lyrics on this song’s tune:

Vive Alexandre!
Vive ce roi des rois!
Sans rein pretender,
Sans nous dicter des lois
Ce prince auguste
A le triple renom
De héros, de juste,
De nous render un Bourbon.

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