BY
MADAME LILI DEHN
CLOSE FRIEND OF THE
LATE EMPRESS OF RUSSIA

THORNTON BUTTERWORTH LTD.
15 BEDFORD STREET, LONDON, W.C.2

First Published—— April, 1922
TSARKOE SELO
——
To
H.I.M. ALEXANDRA
The Late Empress of Russia
Adieu, c’est pour un autre monde

The fate which destined thee for lofty power,
And crowned thee Sovereign o’er an Empire wide,
Placed too the cup of suffering by thy side
And sorrow gave thee for imperial dower:
How little did’st thou dream in Fortune’s hour
Thy barque would founder on such tragic tide
Of blood as wrecks a mighty nation’s pride,
While black the clouds of Revolution lower!
What force sustained thee in those days of stress
When death and ruin held their sombre court,
And frenzied mob set might all right above?
What made thee still thy prayers to Heav’n address,
And solace to thy stricken spirit brought?
’Twas faith unshaken in a God of love.

Oswald Norman.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

[H.I.M. Alexandra][Frontispiece]
[Anna (Ania) Virouboff][to face page 48]
[Her Imperial Majesty with Titi ]["56]
[Her Imperial Majesty with the Tsarevitch]["56]
[H.I.M. The Tsar with Officers of the Royal Yacht “Standart”]["96]
[The Empress on board the “Standart”]["96]
[H.I.M. on board the tender of the “Standart”]["96]
[Grand Duchess Olga]["104]
[Grand Duchess Tatiana]["104]
[The Imperial Family]["152]
[Royal Shooting Party]["160]
[The Tsarevitch at G.H.Q.]["160]
[The Tsarevitch and his Spaniel “Joy”]["160]
[His Imperial Majesty and the Tsarevitch]["184]
[H.I.M. Alexandra (end of 1915)]["184]
[The Empress at Tobolsk]["208]
[The Empress with Tatiana at Tsarkoe Selo]["208]
[The Grand Duchesses Marie and Anastasie]["208]