Footnotes to the English Translation

Permission to reprint is hereby granted. [In this respect, Chertkov follows his master Leo Tolstoy, who renounced his copyright as part of the spiritual transformation of his later years -- Tr.] Back
Tolstoy's eldest son: Sergei Lvovich. Back
Miscellanies of thoughts on diverse subjects. Tolstoy worked long and hard on their composition during the last year of his life. Back
My wife Anna Konstantinovna Chertkova. Back
["Religiozna... no ne pravoverna" ] Back
Dushan Petrovich Makovitsky, Leo Tolstoy's family doctor and close friend. Back
Doctor D. V. Nikitin. He arrived in Astapovo as soon as he heard of Tolstoy's illness. Back
V. M. Feokritova, a friend of Alexandra Tolstoy. She was present in Astapovo with the latter throughout Tolstoy's last days. Back
"Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra". French proverb meaning: "Always do your duty, come what may!" Back
["Vsye ya... svoi proyavleniya... Dovol'no proyavleniya... Vot i vsye..." The elliptical nature of this fragment seems to make possible a number of readings.
Tolstoy's belief that each of us is a manifestation of God is clear enough. But what do we make, grammatically speaking, of "ya..."? It would appear, on the surface, to be the first person "I". This "I" could refer to a single ego or many egos. Thus, the phrase might read: "Everything is I," "I am everything," "I am always." It could also mean: "All egos ..." The subsequent phrase "svoi proyavleniya" could therefore be read as "my" (or "your" or "our" or "their") manifestations."
My own conjecture is that "Vsye ya..." is elliptical for "Vsye yavlyayut...," that is, " (We) -- all of us -- reveal," where "vsye" is the 1st, 2nd or 3rd person plural pronoun and "ya..." is the first syllable of "yavlyayut," that is, of the imperfective verb "yavlyat'", that is, "to show or manifest." If my conjecture is right, then this intriguing utterance by Tolstoy on his deathbed finally makes sense. -- Translator] Back