On this day in Russian history

105 years ago 

Fyodor Tyutchev

One of Russia’s greatest poets, Tyutchev may also be its most over-quoted (“Russia cannot be understood with the mind...”). Born November 23, 1803, into an ancient noble family, he served in the diplomatic service for two decades, from which he was dismissed for dereliction of duty. Later reinstated upon the tsar’s order, he became a censor of foreign publications, while also attaining prominence as a Slavophile with a trenchant wit, and creating masterful translations of French, English and German literature into Russian.