Korobeiniki (poem)
Korobeiniki (Коробейники) is a poem by Nikolai Nekrasov first published in the October 1861 issue of Sovremennik magazine. History Nekrasov dedicated the poem to Gavriil Zakharov, his peasant friend and a regular hunting companion who'd prompted him the storyline of the poem. According to Nekrasov's sister Anna Alekseyevna's memoirs, her brother wrote the poem in his home village, right after returning from a hunting trip. Prior to its appearance in Sovremennik, Korobeiniki was published in the Red Books series started by Nekrasov specifically for the peasant readership; these books were distributed by the "ophens", vagrant traders, in the rural areas of Russia. Soon after Korobeinikis publication, Nikolai Chernyshevsky used one of its fragments, "The Song of a Humble Tramp" (Песня убогого странника), in his proclamation campaign promoting the idea of the peasant revolution. The same song was quoted by Alexander Hertsen in the February 1, 1862, issue of Kolokol. The beginning of the poem (its 24 lines) evolved into a well-known folk song of the same name, which became widely known as the Tetris theme tune. Storyline Part one Ivan, the younger of the two peddlers (korobeinikis) seduces Katerina in the fields at night. The girl who is in love