Fair Moscow, which became a funeral pyre,
And perished in her self-ignited fire,
That her invaders, chilled by snow and sleet,
Might sink in irretrievable defeat.
A few years since, the date concerns us not,
A minor detail readily forgot,
Beneath the shadow of her noblest spire,
There dwelt two students, children of one sire.
With prospects fair at manhood's budding edge,
In caste esteemed of no base parentage;