The most epic love story begins tonight. Grab your seats and join us for John Cranko’s Onegin at the Boston Opera House, Feb 25-Mar 6! http://bit.ly/1J2aF71
ANON thanks for giving me an excuse to draw my cats
Peaches: the master strategist of my household, could easily become the next pope if she tried Pushkin: a bit of a coward, but he’s less of an asshole than the other 2 Mittens: grumpy and the oldest, would poison the other 2 if she understood the concept
bonus: and i also have a betta , Aerion, who is small and feisty:
Upon the bare and barren lea, And thirty handsome armored heroes File from the waters’ shining mirrors, With them the Usher from the Sea.
There glimpse a prince, and in his passing He makes the dreaded tsar his slave; Aloft, before the people massing, Across the wood, across the wave, A warlock bears a warrior brave;
[A grieving princess in a cell, And faithful wolf that serves her well];
See Baba Yaga’s mortar glide All of itself, with her astride. There droops Kashchey, on treasure bent; There’s Russian spirit… Russia’s scent!
“Everywhere they were porcelain shepherdesses, table clocks made by the famous Leroy, little boxes, roulette toys, fans, and various feminine play things which were invented at the end of the century along with Montgolfier’s balloon and Mesmer’s magnetism.”
–Alexander Pushkin, “The Queen of Spades,” translated by Carl Proffer
I love the emphasis on how old-fashioned the Countess is…
“At one moment the shapely foot of a young beauty stretched out of a carriage, the next there was a rattling jackboot, and then a striped stocking and diplomatic shoe.“
–Alexander Pushkin, “The Queen of Spades,” translated by Carl Proffer.
Just cuz you needed a horny jackboot photo on your feed, this is from a member of the Household Calvary.
What is a jackboot?
“The term originally denoted tall winged leather cavalry boots, which had been "jacked”, or reinforced against sword blows by use of mail (armor) sewn into the lining of the leather.[2] The wings on these high boots particularly protected a rider’s knee-joint from a sword blow. These boots are still worn and still so termed by the Household Cavalry Regiment of the British Army, founded in the 17th century. The term originates from the French word Jaque (m) meaning mail. The term is of Catalan origin, descended from the Arabic schakk.[3] These boots were made very heavy by the mail reinforcement, and are slightly less so today from the use of modern materials as stiffeners. There are few manufacturers of Cavalry Jackboots extant in the 21st century, the most famous being Schnieder Boots[4](pronouncedSchneeder) of Mayfair, London, the official supplier to Her Majesty the Queen’s Household Cavalry.” https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Jackboot
“Reasoning in this way he found himself on one of the main streets of Petersburg in front of a house of antiquated architecture. The street was blocked with equipages; one after another the carriages rolled up to the illuminated porch. At one moment the shapely foot of a young beauty stretched out of a carriage….”
–Alexander Pushkin, The Queen of Spades, translated by Carl Proffer
New way to entice myself to read is to look up all the words I don’t know and write a post about each one, or use them to make sentences in my journal. Equipage is a horse-drawn carriage. Above photo is one in front of the Winter Palace.
