Olga's letter to her mother Alexandra, dated December 4, 1908

Source:

Olga Grigoryeva at lastromanovs on VK

https://vk.com/lastromanovs?w=wall-56510987_24839

The letter:

Ц. С. Четверг 1908 г. 4го Декабря

With all my heart I thank You sweetest Mama dear for Your dear little note and kiss You tenderly for it and will never through it away from me. I will trie to so do what You wrote to me in the little note. So sorry that never see You alone Mama dear, can not talk so should trie to write to You what could of course better say, but what is to be done if there is no time, and neight[er] can I hear the dear words which sweet Mama could tell me. Good-bye

God-bless You.

Kisses from Your very own devoted

daughter

Olga

Above: Olga.

Above: Alexandra.

Alexei's letter to Olga for her birthday, dated November 2, 1916

Source:

Olga Grigor'eva at lastromanovs on VK

https://vk.com/lastromanovs?w=wall-56510987_31201

Posted here in honour of Olga's 128th birthday!

The letter:

Могилев, 2 Ноября
1916 г.
Милая моя Гусарша.
Сердечно поздравляю Тебя с днем рождения и с моим годом, вывернутым на изнанку (21. О. и 12. А.). Очень, очень жалею, что этот день мы не проводим вместе. Всё время идет снег. Храни Тебя Бог +!
Любящий Вас
Алексей.

English translation (my own):

Mogilev, November 2
1916.
My dear Hussarsha.
I cordially congratulate You on Your birthday and on my year turned inside out (21. O. and 12. A.). I really, really regret that we are not spending this day together. It snows all the time. God bless You +!
Your loving
Alexei.

Above: Olga.

Above: Alexei.

Olga's letter to Nicholas, dated November 14, 1903

Source:

Olga Grigor'eva at lastromanovs on VK

https://vk.com/lastromanovs?w=wall-56510987_23693

The letter:

14-го Ноября 1903.

Милый, дорогой Папа!

Сегодня маленький мороз и чудная погода и мы катались в санях.

Мы все очень рады, что Мама лучше. Мы будем очень рады, когда Ты и Мама к нам наконец приедете.

Мы сегодня верхом не ездили потому что праздник Амама.

Я вчера получила письмо от Ирины из Ай-Тодора. Они скоро все приедут в Петербург. Мы все крепко целуем Мама, тебя и Дядю Мими.

Ольга.

Царское Село

English translation (my own):

14th November 1903.

Dear darling Papa!

Today a little frost and wonderful weather and we went for a drive in a sleigh.

We are all very glad that Mama is better. We will be very happy when you and Mama finally come to us.

We did not ride today because of Amama's holiday.

Yesterday I received a letter from Irina from Ai-Todor. They will all come to Petersburg soon. We all kiss Mama, you and Uncle Mimi.

Olga.

Tsarskoe Selo

Above: Olga. Photo courtesy of TatianaZ on Flickr.

Above: Nicholas. Photo courtesy of TatianaZ on Flickr.

Christmas letter to Olga from Anastasia, year 1912 or 1913

Source:

Kler Chernikina at lastromanovs on VK

https://vk.com/lastromanovs?w=wall-56510987_52242

The letter:

Поздравляю тебя милая и дорогая моя Ольга! Надеюсь, что ты будешь веселиться на Елке. Крепко целую. Любящая тебя твоя

Анастасия

English translation (my own):

I congratulate you my sweet and dear Olga! I hope that you will have fun at the Christmas tree. A big kisss. Loving you is your

Anastasia

Above: Olga and Anastasia.

Olga's copy of a Christmas poem for Alexandra, year 1906

Source:

http://statearchive.ru/469&searched=%C0%EB%E5%EA%F1%E0%ED%E4%F0%FB+%D4%E5%E4%EE%F0%EE%E2%ED%FB&highlight=ajaxSearch_highlight+ajaxSearch_highlight1+ajaxSearch_highlight2

The poem:

For my dear Mamma.

Christmas.

Tsarskoe-Selo 1906.

Christmas Greetings.
W. Manning.

There is kindness in the very name of Christmas,
There is joy in every clang of merry bells;
There is peace on every hand, on sea, and over land,
And good-will in every wish of "glad Noels"
There is little in the words that I am saying.
But the wish that they convey is most sincere
May your Christmas Day be bright, and your troubles ever light,
And joy attend you through the coming Year.
Olga.

Above: Olga.

Above: Alexandra.

Olga's letter to her aunt Ella, dated 1906

Source:

Romanov News on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/PageRomanovNews/photos/2793225060926380

https://www.facebook.com/PageRomanovNews/posts/2793225964259623

The letter:

Dear Aunty E.

I thank you so very much for your dear gifts, my doll & dress. And for the cute card and the blouse with the fashionable flowery decor.

Your loving

Olga.

Above: Olga.

Above: Grand Duchess Elizaveta "Ella" Feodorovna of Russia, former Princess Elisabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt, Olga's maternal aunt.

"The Crystal Star", a composition by Olga Nikolaevna at age nine, with illustrations by herself, year 1905

Source:

Letters and writings of Nicholas II and his family on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=178047370606318&id=108838347527221&__tn__=-R

Nine year old Olga wrote this composition, The Crystal Star, for her tutor Petr V. Petrov in 1905. This is the story in translation.

The Crystal Star:

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there was a Tsar and a Tsaritsa. They had no children. One time, the Tsaritsa fell ill and she had a daughter, Tamara. 20 years after her birth, her parents died. She was an orphan. Every day she went to the grave of her mother and father. One time, she was sitting and thinking, “how pitiful I am, I have no one; all the other children have everything they want. If I were the daughter of a star, how happy I would be.” No sooner had she thought this, then she found herself with the stars. She was very, very happy about this. She was with the stars every day. One day, she went for a walk and saw a star which told her, “In one year, you will have children who you must love.” Tamara was very happy and went back to her star. As it happened, in a year’s time, she had children whom she loved very much. Their names were: Lida, Elena and Zoya. She wanted to take her children for a walk with her, but the star told her, “Don’t take them with you because they are little.” She obeyed the star, “Dear star, may I go to the moon, which I dearly love?”

“You may, but you must be home by 12 o’clock at night.

Chapter 2

At 12 noon, she went to the moon. She had a lot of fun there. She completely forgot about her children. Suddenly, there was a crash of thunder and lightning flashed, and it was then she remembered her star. She rushed home, fed her children and went to her star.

Chapter 3

Sometime after that, Tamara took her children to the star who had told her she would have children. The star was overjoyed. Suddenly she saw something sparkling. Then she took little Zoya in her arms, Elena on her back and Lida by the hand and ran home to her star and said, “Dear Star, I saw something!”

“What did you see?” asked the star.

“I saw a flame.”

“A flame!” said the star, “but do you know what caused the flame?”

“No, I don’t!”

“It is a sign that you are very disobedient; I told you that you needed to come back to me by 12 at night that time that you went to the moon.”

Tamara began to cry bitterly. The star forgave her. Then she went out into the garden and picked flowers, and in one of the flowers, she found a tiny baby. She took it in her arms and hurried home. It was a little boy called Peter.

Chapter 4

Tamara had four children. In age they were Lida – 7, Elena – 7, Zoya – 7 and Peter – 1 year old. When they were 20, Tamara died. They were awfully grieved by it. On the third day after Tamara’s death, they buried her in the same place that her parents were buried.

O.N

Tsarskoe Selo

Above: Olga.

Poems Olga wrote down

Source:

https://vk.com/lastromanovs?w=wall-56510987_50495

Olga copied and wrote these poems into a notebook that Alexei gave her on November 2, 1910. It is a window into her religious faith and her personal, literary and spiritual tastes and sentiments. The first poem, Теперь не то (Everything is different now), written by Yulia Zhadovskaya, although copied by Olga in 1910, seems to eerily foreshadow the darkness that would overtake and end her life, and the moods she suffered through during that time.

The poems:

Теперь не то (Everything is different now), by Yulia Zhadovskaya, written in 1845

https://stih.pro/teperj-ne-to/ot/zhadovskaya

Я люблю тебя так оттого (I love you so much), by Alexei Apukhtin, written in 1859

https://m.rupoem.ru/poets/apuxtin/ya-lyublyu-tebya

Воскрешение и вознесение Христа (Christ's resurrection and ascension), by Alexei Pleshcheyev, written in 1858

http://www.world-art.ru/lyric/lyric.php?id=15185

Excerpt from Желание в горняя (Desire in the mountains), by Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, written in 1797

https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%96%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%B2_%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8F%D1%8F_(%D0%94%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B6%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BD)

Горними тихо летела душа небесами (Someone's soul was flying high in heaven), by Alexei Tolstoy, written in 1858

https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8_%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%BE_%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%B4%D1%83%D1%88%D0%B0_%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B1%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8_(%D0%90._%D0%9A._%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B9)

The poems:

Теперь не то -

Уж теперь не то, что было прежде!
Грустно мне, как вспомню о былом:
Раскрывалась сладко грудь надежде
И мечтам о счастии земном.

—

В горе я вдавалась безотчетно,
Без сознанья радостна была
И вперед глядела беззаботно,
Не страшася ни людей, ни зла.

—

Уж теперь не то, что прежде было!
Равнодушно я гляжу на свет;
В сердце грустно стало и уныло,
И желаний прежних больше нет.

—

Жизнь теперь я лучше разумею:
Счастья в мире перестав искать,
Без надежды я любить умею
И могу без ропота терять.

...

Я люблю тебя так оттого,
Что из пошлых и гордых собою
Не напомнишь ты мне никого
Откровенной и ясной душою,
Что с участьем могла ты понять
Роковую борьбу человека,
Что в тебе уловил я печать
Отдаленного, лучшего века!
Я люблю тебя так потому,
Что не любишь ты мертвого слова,
Что не веришь ты слепо уму,
Что чужда ты расчета мирского;
Что горячее сердце твое
Часто бьется тревожно и шибко...
Что смиряется горе мое
Пред твоей миротворной улыбкой!

...

Он шел безропотно тернистом дорогой,
Он встретил радостно и гибель и позор
Уста, вещавшие ученье правды строгой,
Не изрекли толпе глумящейся укор.

—

Он шел безропотно и, на кресте распятый,
Народам завещал и братство и любовь;
За этот грешный мир, порока тьмой объятый,
За ближнего лилась его святая кровь.

—

О, дети слабые скептического века!
Иль вам не говорит могучий образ тот
О назначении великом человека
И волю спящую на подвиг не зовет?

—

О нет! не верю я. Не вовсе заглушили
В нас голос истины корысть и суета;
Еще настанет день... Вдохнет и жизнь и силу
В наш обветшалый мир учение Христа!

—

...

Услышь, услышь мое моленье
О, Боже сил, миров Господь
Внуши сердечное прошенье,
И призри на меня с высот.
О Ты, который управляет
Подсолнечный из века в век
Блажен, блажен, коль уповает
На Бога токмо человек!

...

Горними тихо летела душа небесами,
Грустные долу она опускала ресницы;
Слезы, в пространстве от них упадая звездами,
Светлой и длинной вилися за ней вереницей

—

Встречные тихо её вопрошали светила:
«Что ты грустна? и о чём эти слёзы во взоре?»
Им отвечала она: «Я земли не забыла,
Много оставила там я страданья и горя.

—

Здесь я лишь ликам блаженства и радости внемлю.
Праведных души не знают ни скорби, ни злобы —
О, отпусти меня снова, спаситель, на землю,
Было б о ком пожалеть и утешить кого бы!

—

English translations (courtesy of Ilya Grigoryev; he did his best and I leave in his mistakes; and one translation is by me):

Everything is different now
Everything is different now!
I feel sad every time I remember the past,
When my heart was opening so sweetly to the hope and dreams of earthly happiness.
I grieved instinctively then,
And my joys were unconscious, too.
Light-hearted, I looked forward
And had no fear of people or evil.
But everything is different now!
Now I look around indifferently,
My heart feels sad and gloomy,
And my past desires are all gone.
Now I know this life better:
I don't search for happiness anymore,
I have learned to love with no hope
and to lose with no complaints.

...

I love you so much
Because your frank and clear soul
Reminds me of none of those
Who are vulgar and proud of themselves.
Because you understood the fatal struggle of a man
With all your heart.
I can feel something in you
That comes from some better past times!
Because you don't like a lifeless word,
And you don't trust mind blindly,
Secular calculations are unfamiliar to you;
Because your warm heart
Often beats fast and anxiously...
Because all my grievances
Submit to your peaceful smile!

...

He walked along the thorny path with no complaints,
He met the death and shame with the light heart.
His mouth that had taught the severe truth
Uttered no reproach to the mocking crowd.

He walked with no complaints, and crucified,
He bequeathed love and brotherhood to the folks;
His holy blood was spilled for his neighbor
And for this sinful world that is grasped with darkness.

Oh you weak children of the sceptic century!
Doesn't this great image tell you
Of the great mission of a human,
Doesn't it call your sleeping will to do a mighty deed?
Oh no! I don't believe. Vanity and greed
Haven't yet drowned the voice of truth speaking inside us;
The day is yet to come... Christ's teaching
Will bring life and power to this decayed world!

...

Hear, hear my prayer
O God of hosts, the Lord of the World
Suggest a heartfelt petition,
And look at me from the heights.
O Thou that rules
Sunflower over the centuries
Blessed, blessed, if one trusts
For God there is only man!

...

Someone's soul was flying high in heaven,
Looking down with sadness;
Tears were falling from her eyelashes like stars,
And this long and light procession was following her...

Those whom she met asked,
"Why are you sad? What are you crying about?"
She replied, "I haven't yet forgotten the earth,
I left so much suffering and grief there.

Here I listen only to the images of bliss and joy.
Saintly souls know neither sorrow nor malice.
Oh, savior, let me down to earth again,
There would be someone to comfort and console!"

Above: Olga. Photo courtesy of TatianaZ on Flickr.

Olga's letter to her grandmother, undated

Source:

Transcript and photos of letter courtesy of GARF (State Archives of the Russian Federation) via Olga Grigor'eva at lastromanovs on VK

https://vk.com/lastromanovs?w=wall-56510987_50194

The letter:

Милой дорогой бабушке.
Я нарву Вам цветов к именинам, много пестрых, пахучих цветов: и шиповнику с нежным жасмином, и широких кленовых листов.

English translation (my own):

To my dear grandmama.
I will pick You flowers for [Your] names day, a lot of colorful, fragrant flowers: and rose hips with delicate jasmine, and wide maple leaves.

Above: Olga.

Above: Marie Feodorovna.