PBC0148: grief at loss of country

PBC 148 conveys Russian nationalists’ grief at the loss of their country as they identify with it. Some instances connect a geographical feature as a kind of border between the awful present and the sorely missed “old life” (W206). In one example, the roots of the distant pass return to the surface, as if the revolution and civil war brought a cycle of despair full circle that started with the ancient “Lay of Igor’s Campaign”: “Rus’ is finished!” (W502). Other examples identify Russia with the Christian passion, such as the lament, “Rus’ is crucified!” (W90).