Play Time No 19(19) 1996 .

This year we celebrate the 185th anniversary of Pushkin’s Lyceum...

"All hail to Lyceum! It was here that he wrote elegy of love impossible, which the time denied to him. Like the damned, dared not to call her name, he floated, full of powers, enraptured with memories of all that was forbidden, what could not be fulfilled."

Yu.Tynyanov. "Pushkin"

One day of "- 14"

"Here every step reminds to spirit The mem’ries of the days gone by..."

A.S.Pushkin "Remembrances in Tsarskoye Selo"

All the way from Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo architect Vasily Stasov was deep in his thoughts. From time to time he threw a glance upon the snow-covered monotonous marshy plain over which went for twenty five miles the road joining the capital and Tsarskoye Selo, and again sank in his own mind.

He - young architect, who erected a lot of buildings in Moscow - he received first order from the government of St.Petersburg. He was to draw up the plan of the interior reconstruction of the wing of the palace in Tsarskoye Selo. In that wing by order of the Emperor Aleksandr was decided to place a new educational institution - Lyceum.

Stasov remembered the talks of Lyceum, or Lykei, in St.Petersburg’s society. No one new for certain how to spell this word - in French or Greek manner...

There were talks...

But whatever they talked about in the capital society, in August of 1810 the Tzar inscripted on the "Resolution on Lyceum" ‘Let this be. Aleksandr".

Morning of October 9, 1811. There is an animation near director’s house. With a loud clicking the carriages arrived, from which were coming out the boys accompanied with their relations. But children’s faces were sad and lost, and the faces of grown-ups kept solemn gravity. They did not come to the party. Thus were gathering future pupils of Tsarskoselsky Lyceum.

It is not known, who brought there Aleksandr Pushkin. Perhaps, his uncle Vasily Lvovitch. Perhaps, though, it was an old friend of Pushkins’ family, the kindest Aleksandr Ivanovitch Turgenev...

The comers were received by director himself - Vasily Fyodorovitch Malinovsky. He understood well, what was happening in the souls of the boys brought to him, and tried to encourage, to calm them.

Aleksandr was settled in the room number 14.

Lyceans were thirty, then 29. The rooms there were 50.

"I still see the numbers above the doors and on the left side of the collar of the overcoat written in ink", remembers 76 years old Ivan Malinovsky; and on request of the Academician Yakov Grot (Lycean too, but of the younger graduates) he recalls almost exactly who lived in which room:

6 - Yudin, 7 - Malinovsky, 8 - Korf, 9 - Rzhevsky, 10 - Steven, 11 - Vol’khovsky, 12 - Matyushkin, 13 - Pushtchin, 14 - Pushkin, 15 - Savrasov, 16 - Grevenitz, 17 - Illitchevsky, 18 - Maslov, 19 - Kornilov, 20 - Lomonosov... 29 - Danzas, 30 - Gortchakov, 31 - Broglio, 32 - Tyrkov, 33 - Delvig, 34 - Martynov, 35 - Komovsky, 36 - Kostensky, 37 - Yesakov, 38 - Kyukhelbeker, 39 - Yakovlev, 40 - Guryev, 41 - Myasoyedov, 42 - Bakunin, 43 - Korsakov...

And here comes the long waited day of October, 19. The guests begun to arrive from the morning.

The guests gathered, and the Minister of Education, count Razumovsky, invited the Tzar. The Tzar came in. The smile, as ever, wandered on his stout face. The Tzar gave the sign, and the ceremony began.

The first to come out was the aged dignitary - the director of the department of national education I.I.Martynov. Two professors held before him the chart presented to the Lyceum by the Emperor - The Regulation.

"The institution of the Lyceum", read Martynov in high cracked voice, "has its destination in education of the youth, especially those intended to the important parts of the state service..."

Pushkin and his comrades listened to him in half attention. They were more impressed by the look of The Regulation. It looked like a great book embroidered with silk and shining gold brocade.

Better of all in that day have spoken young adjunct-professor Aleksandr Petrovitch Kunitsyn. He was nevertheless confused by the presence of the Tzar, nor by the cold curiosity of the bright society. He came forward quick and bold, turned to his future charges, and, looking at them and only at them, began to speak. His speech was addressed only to these boys. It was called so: "Admonition to the Disciples". "The voice of motherland is heard, calling you into its depths", told Kunitsyn. "From the arms of your parents you now enter into this holy temple of sciences... Here the knowledges needed for the citizen, necessary for the statesman, useful for the warrior, will be given to you... Love for the glory and for the motherland must be your guides".

Loud voice of the young professor filled the hall, there was an extraordinary silence there. Kunitsyn was heard, indeed.

Do you remember, how the Lyceum did began How Tzar opened to us the hall of the Tzaress, And we came. And Kunitsyn met us With greeting, among the royal guests...

The speeches ended, and the disciples were called by the list:

- Malinovsky Ivan... - Martynov Arkady... - Matyushkin Fyodor... - Myasoyedov Pavel...

Now it’s his turn. Pushkin straightened himself. God knows why, his heart sunk and started beating hard.

- Pushkin Aleksandr!

He came forward - quick-eyed, curled, swarthy - quite cleverly bowed in an prescribed bow and came back with visible relief.

Several days ago after the opening of the Lyceum Aleksandr Ivanovitch Turgenev met on Nevsky prospect his friend Filipp Filippovitch Wiegel. Telling him about the Lyceum celebration, counting the disciples, he mentioned the son of Sergey Lvovitch Pushkin. This boy amazed everyone with his wit and livelihood.

The opening of the Lyceum took place on Thursday. Since Monday the regular lessons began, the ordinary Lyceum life went down its course. Went on to remain in the ages by every day of it. And "No 14" would become "the sun of Russian poetry". The sun which shines on everyone of us. And near him - the Lyceum of first, Pushkin graduates. So, on 19th of October...

My friends, how fair is our union!

As soul, it is unwreckable, eternal -

Unshakable, so careless and free,

It grew together under friendly Muses.

Wherever our destiny may throw us,

Wherever our fortune may us lead,

We’re all the same:

whole world for us is foreign;

Our motherland is Tsarskoye Selo.