Antonina Pavlovna. This is my daughter
Vera, Lyubov' you certainly know, as well as my son-in-law, but as to Nadezhda,
I have none. ("The Event," Act Two)
In a letter of January 27, 1878, to Strakhov Leo Tolstoy
mentions vera (faith), nadezhda (hope) and lyubov' (love): Ещё пишете, что для верующих всякая бессмыслица хороша, лишь бы
пахло благочестием (я бы заменил: лишь бы проникнуто было верою,
надеждою и любовью). In a footnote Tolstoy explains: "vera is
what I can know, lyubov' is what I should do, nadezhda is what
I can hope for."
On the other hand, in a letter of September 23, 1873, to
Strakhov Tolstoy mentions vera (faith) and speaks of the murder of Suvorin's
first wife by her lover: Я же во время сидений обращаю
его из петербургской в христианскую веру и, кажется,
успешно. Нынче он мне рассказывал
про убийство Сувориной. Какое знаменательное СОБЫТИЕ! (Today he [the painter Kramskoy who made Tolstoy's portrait, or rather
two portraits*] told me about the murder of Suvorina. What a significant
EVENT!)**
*Troshcheykin, too, loves to make two portraits
simultaneously
**see also my post (subject line: "Sobytie") of September
1, 2011
Alexey Sklyarenko