22. 16: This stanza is defective. There is a gap of two syllables in the middle of line 9, indicated by dots. Nor does the last word in line 9, ‘tiranov (‘tyrants), rhyme with the last word in line 12, ‘sklonyaya (‘inclining / persuading) except on the second syllable (‘a’/’ya’), although they fit metrically. My ‘tyrants’/‘inclining misrhyme in a similar way. The stanza moves from the activities of the Northern Society of the Decembrists to those of the South.

23. Kamenka: An estate on the Dnieper, belonging to V. L. Davydov, where the Southern Decembrists met and Pushkin stayed during his exile in Kishinev.

24. Tul’ chin: a small town in the Podolsk province housing the headquarters of the Second Army under the command of Count Wittgenstein (1768–1842) and the central group of the Southern Society.

25. Pestel’: Pushkin met Pestel’ in Kishinev, remarking that he was one of the most original minds he knew.

26. a cool-headed general: Sergei Grigor’ evich Volkonsky (1788–1865), a leader of the Southern Society, sentenced to twenty years hard labour.

27. Muryavyov: To be distinguished from Nikita Muravyov in note 17 above. He is Sergei Ivanovich Muravyov-Apostol, mentioned in note 14.

28. ’Twixt a Lafitte and a Cliquot: This means during either dinner or supper: the meal would begin with Lafitte, a dry wine, and end with champagne, Cliquot.