e and influence.

Zhukovsky's own history and career were romantic. He was the son of a
wealthy landed proprietor named Bunin, who already had eleven children;
when his peasants, on setting out for Rumyantzoff's army as sutlers,
asked their owner, "What shall we bring thee from the Turkish land,
little father?" Bunin replied, in jest, "Bring me a couple of pretty
Turkish lasses; you see my wife is growing old." The peasants took him
at his word, and brought two young Turkish girls, who had been captured
at the siege of Bender. The elder, Salkha, aged sixteen, first served as
nurse to Bunin's daughters. In 1783, shortly after seven of his children
had died within a short time of each other, she bore him a son, who was
adopted by one of his friends, a member of the petty nobility, Bunin's
daughter standing as godmother to the child, and his wife receiving it
into the family, and rearing it like a son, in memory of her dead, only
son. This baby was the future poet Zhukovsky. When Bunin died, he
bequeathed money to the child, and his widow and daughters gave him the
best of educations. Zhukovsky began to print bits of melancholy poetry
while he was still at the university preparatory school. When he became
closely acquainted with Karamzin (1803-1804), he came under the latter's
influence so strongly that the stamp remained upon all the productions
of the first half of his career, the favorite "Svyetlana" (Amaryllis),
written in 1811, being a specimen. In 1812 Zhukovsky served in the army,
and wrote his poem "The Bard in the Camp of the Russian Warriors,"[8]
which brought him more fame than all his previous work, being adapted to
the spirit of the time, and followed it up with other effusions, which
made much more impression on his contemporaries than they have on later
readers. But even in his most brilliant period, the great defect of
Zhukovsky's poetry was a total lack of coloring or close connection with
the Russian soil, which he did not understand, and did not particularly
love. His poetical "Epistle to Alexander I. after the Capture of Paris,
in 1824," he sent in manuscript to the Emperor's mother, the Empress
Marya Feodorovna. The result was, that the Empress ordered it printed in
luxurious style, at government expense, had him presented to her, and
made him her reader. He was regarded as a great poet, became a close
friend of the imperial family, tutor to the Grand Duchess Alexandra
Feodorovna (wife of Nikolai Pavlov