And, as I have discovered after a dozen years of writing about the former U.S.S.R. and being whipsawed by bouts of optimism and pessimism, you must be able to hold in your mind the dichotomy of the two Russias.

• 而且，当我发觉自己在写了十二年关于前苏联的文字之后，却被一场乐观主义与悲观主义的较量难住了的时候，你肯定已经有了心目中的两个矛盾的俄罗斯。