Though lots of books are written about Marshak, it is premature to affirm his creative activity has been studied in full. We shall dwell on one of little-known sides of poet's life - Marshak's Jewish muse.

In his archives I found a letter, "To a big poet Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak... Allow me to, first, congratulate You with Your 70th birthday... I will then let myself express my deepest regret... during Your entire creative life... You haven't dedicated... a single work to your Jewish nation...".

The letter is dated 2 December 1957. Who could think then that almost 50 years prior to that Marshak had written such Zionist verses:

I dream: a native land
We'll enter once in flames of sunset.
In dusted clothes and fatigued.
And entering the sacred walls,
Approaching Jerusalem,
We'll silently kneel down
And bless that day.

These verses had been written several years before a trip to Palestine Samuil Yakovlevich made in 1912. After the trip he writes a poetic cycle "Palestine". "Few know, - wrote a poet A. Vergelis, - that Marshak began writing with a small book "Zionides". I once brought him this book and said, "Here is your first book". He appeared utterly preoccupied, "My dear, haven't I destroyed everything?..."

Such reaction of Samuil Yakovlevich was more than natural - in those times Kolyma for such "out-and-out Zionism" could become a lucky choice. Meanwhile, Marshak never abandoned a Jewish and Bible theme. A descendant of eminent scholars-Talmud experts and rabbis Samuil Marshak (he spoke Hebrew and read Torah since childhood) couldn't leave his native nation.

Though, Marshak was devoted to Jewry not only due to his ancestors. Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov, an honorary member of the Petersburg Academy of sciences, also played a significant role in his life. A prominent patron of arts David Ginzburg took a 15-year-old Marshak to Stasov's dacha in Starozhilovka. It was 4 August 1902. Already August 6 Vladimir Vasilyevich writes, "On Sunday... arrives David with a boy, gymnasium student, aged, it seemed to me, 11-12. Nothing special, only his bright trousers are a bit short: lack of money doesn't allow buying new ones. Lunch... After lunch David says, "Well, now, Samuilushka, recite something of your verses". I am highly suspicious and reluctant to listen. "My God, - I think to myself, - I have to".

But in less than half a minute I was subdued, defeated, seized and carried away. The small boy in short trousers had conquered me, and I felt a great power over myself. His voice, looks, pose, eyes became totally different... True transformation - a miraculous metamorphosis it was... This significant person had a sort of diversity... He had lyrics, flight, ancient speech..."

Stasov got so much enchanted by a 15-year-old Marshak that he ordered to invite a photographer to commemorate that day. Several days later, paying a visit to Lev Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana, Stasov showed him Marshak's portrait and asked to rest his gaze on this young face. "Let your gaze become a blessing to him!"

One of the first Marshak's verses "Cantata in memory of Antokolsky. From Bible." was written on Vladimir Vasilyevich's request. Marshak's sister Judith Yakovlevna recollected, "After the cantata's end the audience demanded the authors. Eminent, well known Glazunov and Lyadov mounted the stage together with the third author looking less than 14 years old... His parents were congratulated, introduced to V.V. Stasov".

Stasov considered an artist-Jew should create in a national spirit, "There is no art without nationality... These Europeanized Jews are able to introduce to the world so many original thoughts, unique rhythms and virgin spiritual notes... Do they think a Jewish nationality... poor, or does Jewry's old and new history have not enough themes?"

A Russian intellectual Stasov wrote to the teenager back in 1902, "... Dear Semushka! What I wish you most of all, fear most of all and hope is you will never betray your faith whatever events and circumstances, people and relations..."

The verses "In memory of Antokolsky..." were logically followed by Marshak's next verse, "Over open grave", dedicated to "father of Zionism" Theodore Gertzl (not for nothing did Marshak so relentlessly "destroy" "Zionides").

October 28, 1904 he wrote to Stasov, "I have learnt about terrible pogroms in Smolensk, Polotsk, Nevel. What will happen next? Jews even cannot defend themselves! This is horrible!" Also from the same letter, "I took to translating Byaliik. What a wonderful poet! What a might!"

Jewish motives remained with Marshak till the end if his life. In early 1960's passions raged around Yevtushenko's poem "Babiy Yar". When a notorious Sergei Markov joined the choir of poet's critics, Marshak wrote the verses "My response to Markov":

There once under tsar was a famous hero
Named Markov, and nicknamed "the second".
He rowed in Duma and wrote in press
Defending his Russia from Hebrews
Now people of Russia are masters at home
And rescued their land from the ones Markov-like.
Today, in newspaper, we meet one more Markov.
He couldn't help speaking, this "poet - non-Jew"!
The pygmy cries sorrow of Jews who have perished
Lambasting the poet with mean, big response -
A hooligan knuckleduster wrapped in the verse.

Should we tell how much courage the poet ought to possess to write such verse being perfectly aware it would reach Lubynaka?

Over his life Marshak had committed quite a few daring deeds. "Marshak handed a considerable sum of money over to boarding-houses and a kindergarten for orphaned Jewish children in Kaunas and, it seems to me, Vilnius... - writes D.Nakhmanovich - relative of S. Marshak's life. - In late 1945 - early 1946 these children were illegally transported via Koennigsberg (Kaliningrad) to Poland and then to Israel (the then Palestine). Marshak knew that and again sent a big financial package to this end..."

The years of "struggle against cosmopolitanism" were rather difficult for Marshak. In early 1950's the central press published a pamphlet on "Hebrewization" of the Russian children's literature.

And who was involved?
Lev Kassil, Marshak, Barto.
Books are published one by one.
A.Borto, Kassil, Marshak.
Who created style of this?
S.Marshak, Barto, Kassil...

When I visited Samuil Yakovlevich in 1963, he was gravely ill. Having lit another cigarette, he said, "I was an educator in my youth. The crucial thing in pedagogic is not to whip up children's becoming adults. The nature likes children stay children. Already Rabbi Aba taught, "Learn wisdom from children".

I once told him how my grandfather had collected the last brass, bought me a violin and taken to a teacher Ilya Izrailevich. I didn't want to play the violin. After the second lesson I exchanged it for football boots and a ball. For a month I was deceiving my grandfather telling him I went to Ilya Izrailevich. But then I confessed. Tears welled up in grandfather's eyes. Wiping them over the face like an offended child, he reacted, "Probably, you are right. After the childhood in ghetto a ball is more important than violin..."

For the first time during our meeting Samuil Yakovlevich gave a smile. Something irresistibly childish flashed through this smile...

- What a clever person was your grandfather! Oh, these wonderful old people from small towns! They kept in their hearts so much wisdom, humour and sadness!.. I remember my grandfather - by the way, a direct descendant of a famous Talmud learner of Middle Ages Aaron Shmuel Kaidanover - would often reiterate, "A poor man rejoices when he finds what he himself has lost".

I remember, Marshak said then:

- Do you read Talmud? I cannot fancy my life without this book. It contains such words, "A humor being comes to the world with clenched fists as if saying: the entire world is mine, and leaves it with straight palms as if saying: look, I take nothing with me".