Бальмонт, Константин. Только любовь: Стихи. 2-ое издание (Москва:. Гриф, 1908).

Not original cover. There are  inscriptions on first page. “Гейер—коршун, коршун— птица.» Four line poem dated Paris 1908 and signed K. Bal’mont. In back there is pasted in a poem in similar hand in ink: Перевязь любовная. On back inside cover in different hand another poem in pencil: На разсвете прозябая.

The volume was gifted to the State Literary Museum in Russia through the efforts of Konstantin Azadovskiy.

There are two distinct possibilities for the provenance of this volume.

Thanks in large part to Konstantin Azadovsky the book is revealing some fascinating mysteries. See his article:  Константин Азадовский, КНИГА С ТРЕМЯ АВТОГРАФАМИ. Библиофилы России. Альманах Том XII. М.: Любимая Россия, 2016. С. 146-160.

Perhaps the book had no connection to Bely or Asya. Instead it was dedicated with an original four line composition then signature of the  Russian poet Balmont to Heinz Geier,  father of Christmut Geier, Swetlana’s husband.  Heinz Geier, an artist, was acquainted with Aleksei Sabashnikov, related to Balmont’s second wife, Ekaterina Sabashnikova. Geier actually was in Dornach along with the larger community of Russians helping to construct the Johannesbau in the years 1914-1916. Bely recalls the presence of Geier in his own “Intimate Biography.”

Monika Spivak also recalls Swetlana Geier commenting on the book and noting that it belonged to the Geier family.

In back there is pasted in a poem in similar hand in ink: Перевязь любовная. Azadovskij posits that this is an unpublished poem by Balmont, unpublished probably because it is poetically not up to Balmont’s standards.

Note there is inside the use of the word Geier-in German it means коршун.

On the back inside cover in different hand another poem in pencil and barely legible is На разсвете прозябая. This has been identified by Konsatntin Aazadovskij as being written and published by Margarita Sabashnikova-Voloshina in  “Антологии,” (Москва: Мусагет, 1911). С. 193).

Inserted into the book was a cut out of an article by K. Azadovsky concerning the pronunciation of Balmont’s name. The article wаs most likely printed in the Parisian emigre newspaper, Русская мысль.