Front matter
Reading edition
List of Illustrations. Facsimilia. Foreword. Part I—Old Russia, Chapter I, II, III, IV, V, VI, Part II—The Revolution, Chapter I, II, III, IV, V, VI. L’envoi. Index.
THE REAL TSARITSA
H.I.M. ALEXANDRA
(Given to the Author at Tsarskoe Selo, Spring, 1909)
THE REAL TSARITSA
BY MADAME LILI DEHN CLOSE FRIEND OF THE LATE EMPRESS OF RUSSIA THORNTON BUTTERWORTH LTD. 15 BEDFORD STREET, LONDON, W.C.2
First Published—— April, 1922 TSARKOE SELO —— To H.I.M. ALEXANDRA The Late Empress of Russia Adieu, c’est pour un autre monde
The fate which destined thee for lofty power, And crowned thee Sovereign o’er an Empire wide, Placed too the cup of suffering by thy side And sorrow gave thee for imperial dower: How little did’st thou dream in Fortune’s hour Thy barque would founder on such tragic tide Of blood as wrecks a mighty nation’s pride, While black the clouds of Revolution lower! What force sustained thee in those days of stress When death and ruin held their sombre court, And frenzied mob set might all right above? What made thee still thy prayers to Heav’n address, And solace to thy stricken spirit brought? ’Twas faith unshaken in a God of love. Oswald Norman.