A Little Picture. After the Proclamation of the 19th Feb., 1861, Freeing the Serfs
See, in peasant’s cottage, flickering
Shines a little fire,
Where, around a little maiden,
Draws a circle nigher.
And from word to word her finger
Slowly pointing leads,
As, with effort, to the peasants
She a paper reads.
Deep in thought, intently listening,
They a silence keep;
Save when some one bids the women
Hush the babes to sleep.
Mothers soothe their crying infants
With the teething toy,
While they, too, to catch the reading
All their ears employ.
Seated in the chimney corner
Now for many years,
With bent head the grandsire gazes,
Though he nothing hears.
Is the maiden clever, that they
Thus to her give heed?
Nay! but simply in that household
She alone could read:
And her lot it was to read out,
To the peasants old,
The glad news of longed-for freedom,
Which the paper told.
The full meaning of the message
Knew not she nor they;
But all, darkly, felt the dawning
Of a better day.
Brothers! see, the day-dawn flushes!
Darkness yields its place,
Sons of yours, ere long, will look on
Daylight face to face.
More and more let darkness lighten!
Day arise in might!
Even now, in vision, see I
Rays of rising light.
They are shining on the forehead,
Gleaming in the look,
Of that thoughtful little maiden
With her little book.
Freedom, Brothers! This is only
First step on the way
To the kingdom, where, in knowledge,
Shines eternal day!