Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends with biographical sketchMELIHOVO, April 6, 1892.It is Easter. There is a church here, but no clergy. We collectedeleven roubles from the whole parish and got a priest from theDavydov Monastery, who began celebrating the service on Friday.The church is very old and chilly, with lattice windows. We sang theEaster service—that is, my family and my visitors, young people.The effect was very good and harmonious, particularly the mass.The peasants were very much pleased, and they say they have neverhad such a grand service. Yesterday the sun shone all day, it waswarm. In the morning I went into the fields, from which the snowhas gone already, and spent half an hour in the happiest frame ofmind: it was amazingly nice! The winter corn is green already, andthere is grass in the copse.You will not like Melihovo, at least at first. Here everything is inminiature; a little avenue of lime-trees, a pond the size of anaquarium, a little garden and park, little trees; but when you havewalked about it once or twice the impression of littleness goes off.There is great feeling of space in spite of the village being so near.There is a great deal of forest around. There are numbers of starlings,and the starling has the right to say of itself: “I sing to my Godall the days of my life.” It sings all day long without stopping ….300