Spiritual odes of G. Derzhavin. Civil and political odes of G.R.Derzhavin and their originality Derzhavin gavriil romanovich odes
"Felitsa" represents an ode of a new type - in it Derzhavin managed to combine "high" (odic) and - low "(satirical) beginnings. In the image of the" wise "," godlike princess "Felitsa, the poet praises Catherine II, creating her portrait in a new manner This is not an earthly deity, but an active and intelligent "Kirghiz-Kaisak princess", who is portrayed both as a private person in everyday life, and as a ruler, which causes the division of the ode into two parts, Felice is opposed to the image of the vicious " Murza "; which determines the genre originality of the ode: it merges with satire. Murza in the image of Derzhavin is also a collective image, which includes the vicious features of Catherine's nobles, but this is Derzhavin himself. This is the novelty of the path chosen by the poet. Lyric" I "in the Russian ode of the 1740s-770s, the heads merged with" we ", the poet considered himself the spokesman for the opinions of the people. In" Felitsa, "the lyrical V acquires concreteness - the odic poet himself appears. He is both "Murza" - the bearer of all vices, and a poet worthy of praising the ideal empress. The poet's speech in "Felitsa" is free, unconstrained, imbued with genuine lyricism. Derzhavin develops in an ode the images created by Catherine in her "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus", which gives the author the opportunity to use a joke, witty hints. "Felitsa" was Derzhavin's most daring and decisive departure from the traditions of classical ode. "The" Catherine "theme in Derzhavin's work continues with the poem" Gratitude to Felitsa "," Image of Felitsa "" and in the famous "Vision of Murza".
Main themes and ideas. The poem "Felitsa", written as a playful sketch from the life of the empress and her entourage, at the same time raises very important problems. On the one hand, the ode "Felitsa" creates a completely traditional image of a "godlike princess", which embodies the poet's idea of \u200b\u200bthe ideal of an enlightened monarch. While clearly idealizing the real Catherine II, Derzhavin at the same time believes in the image he painted:
Give, Felitsa, instruction:
How to live magnificently and truthfully
How to tame the excitement of passions
And be happy in the world?
On the other hand, in the poet's verses there is a thought not only about the wisdom of power, but also about the negligence of the performers concerned with their own benefit:
Everywhere temptation and flattery lives,
Pasha oppresses everyone with luxury.
Where does virtue dwell?
Where does a rose without thorns grow?
In itself, this idea was not new, but behind the images of the nobles painted in the ode, the features of real people clearly stood out:
I circle my thought in chimeras:
I kidnap captivity from the Persians,
I turn arrows to the Turks;
That, having dreamed that I am a sultan,
I frighten the universe with my eyes;
Then suddenly, I was seduced by the outfit.
I will go to the tailor for a caftan.
In these images, the poet's contemporaries easily recognized the favorite of the Empress Potemkin, her confidants Alexei Orlov, Panin, Naryshkin. Drawing their brightly satirical portraits, Derzhavin showed great courage - after all, any of the nobles hurt by him could have dealt with the author for this. Only Catherine's favorable attitude saved Derzhavin.
But even to the empress, he dares to give advice: to follow the law, which is subject to both kings and their subjects:
You alone are only decent
Princess, create light from darkness;
Dividing Chaos into spheres harmoniously,
Union to strengthen their integrity;
Out of disagreement - agreement
And from the fierce passions happiness
You can only create.
This favorite idea of \u200b\u200bDerzhavin sounded bold, and it was expressed in a simple and understandable language.
The poem ends with a traditional praise to the Empress and wishing her all the best:
Heavenly I ask for strength
Yes, their wings are sapphire,
They keep you invisible
From all diseases, anger and boredom;
Yes, the sounds of your deeds in posterity,
Like the stars in the sky, they will excite.
Thus, in Felitsa, Derzhavin acted as a bold innovator, combining the style of a laudatory ode with the individualization of characters and satire, introducing elements of low styles into the high genre of the ode. Subsequently, the poet himself defined the genre of "Felitsa" as a mixed ode. Derzhavin argued that, in contrast to the traditional ode for classicism, where state officials, military leaders were praised, solemn events were sung, in the "mixed ode" "the poet can talk about everything." Destroying the genre canons of classicism, with this poem he opens the way for a new poetry - "poetry of the real ™", which was brilliantly developed in the work of Pushkin.
17. "Suvorov" cycle of odes and poems by Derzhavin.
Derzhavin's "Suvorov" odes. Ode "On the capture of Ishmael" (1790) and the nature of its connection with the "Suvorov cycle". Derzhavin wrote two more odes: "To the Swedish world" and "On the capture of Ishmael"; the latter was particularly successful. They began to "fondle" the poet. Potemkin (we read in the "Notes"), "so to speak, dragged after Derzhavin, wanting from him commendable poetry"; Zubov also courted the poet, telling the poet on behalf of the empress that if he wanted, he could write “for the prince”, but “he would not accept anything from him or ask for anything,” that “he would have everything without him”. "In such tricky circumstances," Derzhavin "did not know what to do and to which side to sincerely surrender, for he was caressed by both."
In December 1791 Derzhavin was appointed State Secretary of the Empress. This was a sign of extraordinary mercy; but service here for Derzhavin was unsuccessful as well. He failed to please the empress and very soon "cooled down" in her thoughts. The reason for the "chill" lay in mutual misunderstandings. Derzhavin, having gained closeness to the empress, most of all wanted to fight the "clerical crochet squad" that outraged him, carried the empress heaps of papers, demanded her attention to such intricate cases as the Jacobian case (brought from Siberia "in three wagons loaded from above to bottom ”), or the even more delicate case of the Sutherland banker, where many courtiers were involved, and which everyone shied away from, knowing that Catherine herself did not want his rigorous investigation. Meanwhile, that was not what was expected of the poet. In the "Notes" Derzhavin notes that the Empress more than once started a speech about poetry with the speaker "and repeatedly, so to speak, asked him to write like an ode to Felice." The poet frankly confesses that he has repeatedly taken to this, "locking himself at home for a week", but "could not write anything"; “Seeing the court tricks and incessant shocks to himself,” the poet “did not gather his courage and could not write such subtle praises to the Empress as in Felitsa's ode and other similar works that he did not write when he was still at court: for from afar those objects that they seemed to him divine and set his spirit aflame, appeared to him, when approaching the court, very human. " The poet “lost heart” so much that “he could write almost nothing with a warm, pure heart in praise of the Empress,” who “ruled the state and justice itself more in politics than in holy truth”. His excessive fervor and lack of court tact also harmed him a lot.
Less than three months after Derzhavin's appointment, the empress complained to Khrapovitsky that her new state secretary was "poking at her with all sorts of nonsense." This could be joined by the intrigues of enemies, of whom Derzhavin had many; he, probably, not without reason, expresses in the "Notes" the assumption that "unpleasant affairs" were entrusted to him and "intentionally", "to bore the empress and cool in her thoughts."
Derzhavin spent less than 2 years as Secretary of State: in September 1793 he was appointed senator. This appointment was an honorary retirement from service under the empress. Derzhavin soon fell out with all the senators. He was distinguished by zeal and zeal for the service, sometimes even on Sundays and holidays went to the Senate to look through heaps of papers and write opinions on them. Derzhavin's love for truth even now, as usual, was expressed "in too harsh and sometimes rude forms."
In early 1794 Derzhavin, while retaining the rank of senator, was appointed president of the board of commerce; This post, once very important, was now significantly curtailed and was destined for destruction, but Derzhavin did not want to know the new order, and therefore, at first, here too he made many enemies and troubles.
Shortly before her death, the Empress appointed Derzhavin to the commission to investigate the embezzlement discovered in the borrowed bank; This appointment was a new proof of the empress's confidence in the truthfulness and disinterestedness of Derzhavin.
Derzhavin's heroic odes are a reflection of his victorious era. Derzhavin's predecessor in this type of ode was Lomonosov, and in his victorious odes Derzhavin largely returns to his poetics, heroic-patriotic works are distinguished by solemn elation, grandiose images and metaphors. The ode "On the capture of Ishmael" "begins with a majestic picture of the eruption of Vesuvius, with which the greatness of the Russian victory at Ishmael is compared. The capture of the considered impregnable fortress is linked not only with the heroic past of the Russian people, but is also a guarantee of its great future. people create greatness and glory of kings. In many similar odes to Derzhavin, the hero is Suvorov. For the poet he is the "prince of glory" ", the greatest of the generals. A poem with an intimate lyrical intonation, written in a very simple language - "Snigir" is also associated with it. In this poem, Suvorov is portrayed in a completely new way, with the techniques of a realistic portrait. Suvorov's military prowess is inseparable from the greatness of his moral character, and the image of the hero is shrouded in a feeling of sincere and deep sorrow caused by his death.
Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", a summary of which is given in this article, is one of the most famous works of this Russian poet of the 18th century. He wrote it in 1782. After the publication, Derzhavin's name became known. In addition, the ode has become a clear example of a new style in Russian poetry.
Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", the summary of which you are reading, got its name from the heroine of "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus". The author of this work is Empress Catherine II.
In his work, Derzhavin calls the ruler of Russia herself by this name. By the way, it translates as "happiness". The essence of the ode boils down to the glorification of Catherine (her habits, modesty) and a caricatured, even mocking depiction of her pompous surroundings.
In the images that Derzhavin describes in the ode "Felitsa" (there is no short summary in the Briefly, but it is in this article), one can easily recognize some persons close to the empress. For example, Potemkin, who was considered her favorite. And also Counts Panin, Orlov, Naryshkin. The poet skillfully depicts their mocking portraits, while demonstrating a certain courage. After all, if any of them were greatly offended, he could easily deal with Derzhavin.
He was only saved by the fact that Catherine II greatly liked this ode and the empress began to treat Derzhavin favorably.
At the same time, even in the very ode "Felitsa", a summary of which is given in this article, Derzhavin decided to give advice to the empress. In particular, the poet advises that she obey the law that is the same for all. The ode ends with the praise of the Empress.
The uniqueness of the work
After reviewing the summary of the ode "Felitsa", one can conclude that the author violates all the traditions in which such works were usually written.
The poet actively introduces colloquial vocabulary, does not shy away from non-literary expressions. But the main difference is that he creates the empress in human form, refusing her official image. It is noteworthy that many were embarrassed and disturbed by the text, but Catherine II herself was delighted with it.
Empress image
In Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", a summary of which contains the semantic quintessence of the work, the empress first appears before us in a familiar godlike image. For a writer, she is a model of an enlightened monarch. At the same time, he embellishes her appearance, piously believing in the depicted image.
At the same time, thoughts slip through the poet's verses not only about the wisdom of power, but also about the dishonesty and low level of education of its performers. Many of them are only interested in their own benefit. It should be admitted that these ideas have appeared before, but never before have real historical figures been so recognizable.
In the ode to "Felitsa" by Derzhavin (a brief summary of "Briefley" cannot yet offer) the poet appears before us as a brave and brave discoverer. He creates an amazing symbiosis, complementing the laudatory ode with personality traits and witty satire.
History of creation
It was Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", a summary of which is convenient for general acquaintance with the work, that made the poet's name. Initially, the author did not think about printing this poem. He did not advertise it and concealed the authorship. He seriously feared revenge from influential nobles, whom he portrayed in a bad light in the text.
Only in 1783, the work became widespread thanks to Princess Dashkova. A close associate of the empress published it in the magazine "Interlocutor of lovers of the Russian word." By the way, the ruler of Russia herself gave her texts to it. According to Derzhavin's recollections, Catherine II was so moved when she read the ode for the first time that she even began to cry. It was in such moved feelings that Dashkova herself discovered her.
The Empress certainly wished to know who the author of this poem was. It seemed to her that everything in the text was depicted as accurately as possible. In gratitude for Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", a summary and analysis of which are given in this article, she sent a golden snuffbox to the poet. It contained 500 ducats.
After such a generous tsarist gift to Derzhavin came literary fame and success. Not a single poet knew such popularity before him.
Thematic diversity of Derzhavin's works
When characterizing Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", it should be noted that the performance itself is a humorous sketch from the life of a Russian ruler, as well as nobles especially close to her. At the same time, the text raises important issues of the state level. This is corruption, the responsibility of officials, their concern for statehood.
Artistic features of the ode "Felitsa"
Derzhavin worked in the genre of classicism. This trend strictly forbade the combination of several genres, for example, high ode and satire. But the poet decided on such a bold experiment. Moreover, he not only combined them in his text, but also did something unprecedented for the literature of that very conservative time.
Derzhavin simply destroys the traditions of a laudatory ode, actively using reduced, colloquial vocabulary in his text. He even uses frank vernaculars, which, in principle, were not welcomed in literature in those years. Most importantly, she paints Empress Catherine II as an ordinary person, rejecting her classic ceremonial description, which was actively used in such works.
That is why in the ode you can find descriptions of everyday scenes and even a literary still life.
Derzhavin's innovation
The ordinary, everyday image of Felicia, behind which the empress is easily guessed, is one of Derzhavin's main innovations. At the same time, he manages to create the text so as not to reduce its image. On the contrary, the poet makes him real and human. Sometimes it seems that the poet writes it from nature.
While reading the poem "Felitsa" one can be convinced that the author managed to introduce into poetry the individual characteristics of real historical characters, taken from life or created by his imagination. All this was shown against the background of everyday life, which was depicted in the most colorful way. All this made the ode understandable and memorable.
As a result, in the ode "Felitsa" Derzhavin skillfully combines the style of a laudatory ode with the individualization of real heroes, and also introduces an element of satire. Ultimately, in an ode that belongs to the high style, there are many elements of the low style.
Derzhavin himself defined its genre as a mixed ode. He argued that it differs from a classical ode in that in a mixed genre the author has a unique opportunity to talk about everything in the world. So the poet destroys the canons of classicism, the way is opened for the poem for new poetry. This literature is being developed in the work of the next generation author - Alexander Pushkin.
The meanings of the ode "Felitsa"
Derzhavin himself admitted that it was a great merit that he decided on such an experiment. The well-known researcher of his work, Khodasevich, notes that Derzhavin was most proud of the fact that he was the first Russian poet to speak in a “funny Russian syllable,” as he himself called it.
But the poet was aware that his ode would be, in fact, the first artistic embodiment of Russian life, would become the embryo of a realistic novel. Khodasevich also believed that if Derzhavin had lived to see the publication of Eugene Onegin, he would undoubtedly have found echoes of his work in it.
The ode "The Vision of the Murza" in the 1791 edition is dedicated to Catherine, but the poet did not sing about the "virtues of Felitsa" in it. Eight years later, Derzhavin considered it necessary to explain himself about the writing of Felitsa. Derzhavin highly valued Felitsa. The ode was dear to him also because, deviating from the praiseworthy and flattering ode that was pleasing to the tsars, he expressed his personal attitude to the monarch, assessed her virtues.
Catherine, as we have seen, with her coldness during the official presentation, emphasized that she would grant him the grace to praise herself, but not evaluate her actions. To explain, Derzhavin decided to use the form of a conversation between Murza and the vision that appeared to him - Felitsa.
In the "Vision of Murza" in 1791 Derzhavin abandoned the idea of \u200b\u200bbeing "advisor" to Catherine, as he wrote about it in the prose of 1783, now he defends his principles of writing "Felitsa", his sincerity as a decisive criterion for the new poetry he creates, their independence. Derzhavin threw proud verses to the "dashing light", to the crowd of noble ill-wishers, to the Empress herself:
But let the muse prove to them here,
That I am not one of the flatterers;
That the hearts of my goods
I don't sell for money
And what is not from other people's anbars
I cover your outfits.
“The Vision of Murza” explained why Derzhavin did not write more poems about Felitsa. He wrote them once - not for money, without flattery. Now in Derzhavin's poetic "barn" there were no "outfits" for Catherine, faith in her virtue was no longer a "commodity" of his heart.
Derzhavin was not a political fighter. But all his activities as a poet were inspired by the high ideal of civil service to the homeland. In an effort to take the place of counselor under Catherine, he wanted to achieve maximum results. When this did not work out, I had to be content with little. In 1787 he published an expanded version of the transcription of the 81st psalm - "To the Sovereign and Judges". In other odes, he expounded certain "truths" as cautious advice or criticism of government action.
The most harshly sounded "truths" about the court nobility, about the nobles who surrounded Catherine, in the ode of "Grandee". In patriotic odes, true heroes and "great men" were glorified, who devoted all their strength to serving the fatherland. All these civil poems played a significant role in public and literary life, not only at the time of their appearance, but also later, in the first quarter of the 19th century. Derzhavin was rightfully proud of them.
Derzhavin's poetic manifesto was the ode "God". (Conceived in 1780, completed in February - March 1784, at the same time published in the magazine "Interlocutor of lovers of the Russian word"). Derzhavin was a religious person, and therefore idealistic views on the structure of the world, faith in a creator god found their expression in the ode. But in the same ode the bold thought was affirmed - man is equal to God in his greatness.
This idea was born in the Renaissance, it inspired the great humanists. Derzhavin naturally in historical conditions, when Russian literature was solving the fundamental problems of the Renaissance, picks up Shakespeare's idea of \u200b\u200bman - free and active - as the highest value in the world. Shakespeare made Hamlet the spokesman for this truth of the Renaissance: “What a masterful creation - a man! .. In comprehension he is similar to a deity! The beauty of the universe! The crown of all living. "
During the years of widespread spread in Europe of sentimentalism with its cult of a private person, who realizes his greatness in intense feeling (Rousseau's catchphrase - a person is great in his feeling - became the motto of this trend), and bourgeois realism, which made his hero an egoistic person who asserted his dignity in fierce struggle for well-being - Derzhavin's ode was both programmatic and polemical in nature.
Relying on the Russian tradition, the poet puts forward and affirms in modern times and on other national grounds the great revival ideal of man, trampled upon by the bourgeois century. The dominant religious morality strictly and cruelly threw a person at the feet of a "higher being", convincing him that he was "nothing", a "servant of God", forced him to speak with God only on his knees. And not to speak, but to pray and humbly ask for favors. Derzhavin spoke to God, spoke insolently: "You are - and I am nothing!"
I am the connection of worlds that exist everywhere,
I am extreme substance;
I am the focus of the living
The deity's chief trait.
These proud words belong to a boldly thinking and reasoning person, an independent person, with trepidation realizing his greatness, the power of the human mind.
Derzhavin's civic position, his philosophy of man determined the place of action in the world of the heroes he portrayed. Derzhavin defended not his private selfish interests, but human rights, he raised his voice not for the well-being of his home, but for a life worthy of man on earth. In odes, the poet will describe and reveal the vast world of Russia or the world of the moral life of a Russian figure, poet and citizen.
The prophetic spirit of the Bible freely enters into Derzhavin's poetic creations. The words of the biblical psalmist were filled with new content, expressing the Russian view and Russian feelings of the poet's living personality. The poet became a prophet and a judge, going out into the big world to fight for the truth ("For the Lords and Judges", "The Grandee", etc.).
Civil poetry occupies an important place in Derzhavin's creative heritage. They can be roughly divided into two groups - patriotic and satirical. Derzhavin was a patriot; according to Belinsky, "patriotism was his dominant feeling." The poet lived in the era of Russia's great military victories.
When he was 17 years old, Russian troops defeated the armies of the largest European commander Frederick II and occupied Berlin. At the end of the century, the Russian troops, led by Suvorov, glorified themselves with an unprecedented campaign in Italy, during which the Napoleonic legions were decisively defeated. At the end of his life, Derzhavin witnessed the glorious victory of the people over Napoleonic France during the Patriotic War.
The victories that strengthened Russia's European authority and glory were won by the heroic people and their talented commanders. That is why Derzhavin, in his solemn, pathetic odes, painted grandiose images of battles, glorified Russian soldiers (“Russian brave soldiers were the first fighters in the world”), created majestic images of generals. These odes capture the Russian XVIII century, the heroism of the people. Highly assessing the heroic past of his homeland, in 1807, in his poem "To the Ataman and the Don Army," he wrote warningly to Napoleon:
There was an enemy Chipchak - and where are the Chipchaks?
Was an enemy lyakh - and where are those Poles?
There was this, there was that - they are not; and Russia? ..
Know everyone, shake it off.
Derzhavin praised a person when he deserved it. Therefore, the heroes of his poems were either Suvorov ("On the capture of Ishmael", "On victories in Italy", "On the crossing of the Alpine mountains", "Snigir"), or a soldier-hero, or Rumyantsev ("Waterfall"), or a simple peasant girl ("Russian girls").
He praised the deeds of man, not nobility, not "breed." Derzhavin poeticized the moral of an active life, feat, courage. At the same time, he denounced evil and with special ruthlessness those who deviated from the high duties of a person and a citizen.
The ode "The Grandee" was written in 1794. A year before that, Derzhavin had been removed from the post of secretary of Catherine II. This service opened up to him the tyranny of the nobles, their crimes and impunity, the patronage of the empress to her favorites and favorites. Derzhavin's attempts to get from Catherine fair decisions on the cases he presented were unsuccessful.
It was then that he decided to turn to poetry. Evil and crimes must be publicly stigmatized, the guilty - nobles must be exposed and condemned. A generalized satirical portrait of a nobleman was based on real material: in the actions denounced by the poet, the nobles recognized the features of the all-powerful favorites and dignitaries in the empire - Potemkin, Zubov, Bezborodko. Denouncing them, Derzhavin did not remove the guilt from the Empress, who forgave all criminal deeds to her favorites.
Poetry was the lofty platform from which Derzhavin the poet addressed Russians with a fiery speech. He wrote that he knew well, that he saw, what angered him, painted portraits "from the originals" - that is why the poet's poetic speech is full of energy, passion, it expresses deeply personal, long-suffering convictions.
The poem ended with an expression of faith in the people ("O Russian vigilant people, Fatherly guarding morals") and the creation of images of true nobles - glorious sons of the fatherland, patriots, heroes of peace and war. Among the leaders of the era of Peter the Great, Derzhavin names Yakov Dolgorukov, who fearlessly spoke the truth to the formidable tsar, who did not want to "bend like a snake before the throne"; of his contemporaries - an honest husband and major commander Rumyantsev. The poet contrasts it with Potemkin and Zubov.
Naturally, during the life of Catherine the ode to "The Noble" could not be published. It was first published in 1798, already under the new emperor.
Pushkin in his Message to the Censor, hotly and angrily denouncing the tsarist censorship, proudly named the writers who fearlessly spoke the truth - Radishchev (“the enemy of slavery”), Fonvizin (“excellent satirist”), Derzhavin - the author of The Noble:
Derzhavin scourge of nobles, at the sound of a formidable lyre
Their proud idols were exposed.
Decembrist Ryleev highly appreciated the talent of Derzhavin as a satirist, called his poetic works "fiery verses."
In the 1790s. Derzhavin, who started so boldly, so jealously and stubbornly followed the path of identity, survived the crisis. The aesthetic code of classicism, which he bravely overcome, still influenced him. The power of tradition was immense.
Often Derzhavin could not abandon the canons of the ode, from conventional and rhetorical images, to escape from the captivity of a stable genre and stylistic system. And then the new, original, his, Derzhavin's was combined in poetry with the traditional. Hence Derzhavin's "inconsistency", which manifested itself in different ways at the beginning and at the end of creativity.
But it has never been so strong as in the odes of the late 80s - first half of the 90s. Derzhavin writes "The Image of Felitsa", "Waterfall", "On the Taking of Ishmael", "On the Death of Grand Duchess Olga Pavlovna" and similar poems, and "inconsistency" becomes their main poetic feature. Bearing in mind above all such works, Pushkin stated: "Derzhavin's idol is golden, lead ...". Belinsky said about "Waterfall": "The most excellent verses are mixed with the most prosaic, the most captivating images with the most coarse and ugly."
The crisis that Derzhavin was going through was aggravated by social circumstances. The main one is the acutely realized need to determine one's place - the place of the poet in society. What was new that Derzhavin brought to poetry was not only under the sign of aesthetic innovation. Having put forward the theme of personality, its freedom, Derzhavin naturally approached the question of the poet's freedom from tsarist power. He remembered that the first great success was brought to him by the ode "Felitsa", which glorified Catherine.
So the question of the place of the poet in society turned out to be related to the question of the subject of poetry. The original, original, civic principle in Derzhavin's work pushed him away from the court, and the circumstances of Derzhavin's life as an official tied him more and more to the power, to Catherine: from 1791 to 1793 he was the Empress's secretary. A number of poems depict his desire for independence.
A remarkable monument of the poet's struggle for his freedom is a letter from 1793 to "Khrapovitsky" - a friend of Derzhavin (he was also Catherine's secretary). Refusing to write to order and responding, in particular, to the proposals (almost official) of Khrapovitsky to write an ode in honor of the Empress, Derzhavin expresses an important idea: a poet, dependent on power, fondled by the court, receiving "monists, grivnas, necklaces, priceless rings, pebbles" , will write necessarily "mediocre rhymes." The true poet, says Derzhavin, is "imposed a duty" "from fate and the highest throne." And therefore his duty is not to sing the praises of kings, but to speak the truth:
You yourself will condemn in time
Me for the hazy incense;
You will honor me for the truth,
She is kind to all ages.
The last link in this struggle for the independence of the poet, fixed in verse, is "Monument" (1795) - a reworking of the famous poem of Horace. It expresses a deep understanding of the poet's social role, his duty to the fatherland, which he can fulfill only when he is free. Derzhavin believed that his courageous denunciations of the nobles and the tsar's favorites, his proclamation of the truth to the tsars would be appreciated by posterity. That is why he took credit for the fact that "he spoke the truth to the kings with a smile."
This formula - "with a smile" - is explained both by Derzhavin's worldview (he was not a radical thinker and believed in the possibility of the coming of an "enlightened monarch"), and by the circumstances of his life. He himself explained his position as follows: “Being a poet by inspiration, I had to speak the truth; a politician or a courtier in my service at court, I was forced to cover up the truth with allegory and hints. "
The poet defeated the courtier - Derzhavin spoke truth and truth to the tsars, including Catherine II. And this position was appreciated by subsequent generations, and in particular by Pushkin and Chernyshevsky. The latter wrote about Derzhavin's poetry and his “Monument”: “In his poetry, what did he value? Serving for the common good.
Pushkin thought the same. It is interesting in this respect to compare how they modify the essential idea of \u200b\u200bHorace's ode "Monument", exposing their rights to immortality. Horace says: “I consider myself worthy of glory because I wrote poetry well”; Derzhavin replaces this with another: “I consider myself worthy of glory for speaking the truth both to the people and to the kings”; Pushkin - "for the fact that I had a beneficial effect on society and protected the sufferers." Belinsky wrote about Derzhavin's "Monument" that "this is one of the most powerful manifestations of his heroic strength."
After leaving the post of secretary of Catherine II, Derzhavin turns to Anacreon. This interest in Anacreon coincided with the beginning of a widespread revision in Europe of the poetry of the ancient Greek lyricist. The anacreontic Evariste Parny, a student of Voltaire, who was updated from the standpoint of educational philosophy, enjoyed the greatest success.
In these circumstances, Nikolai Lvov, a friend of Derzhavin's, published in 1794 his translation of the collection odes of Anacreon. He attached an article to the book in which he liberated the image of the famous poet from the distortion to which he was subjected both in the West and in Russia. His fame, Lvov argued, was not that he wrote only "love and drunken songs," as Sumarokov thought, for example. Anacreon is a philosopher, a teacher of life, in his poems "a pleasant philosophy, a state of pleasure for every person" is scattered.
He not only participated in the amusements of the court of the tyrant Polycrates, but also "dared to advise him in matters of state." So Lvov raised the image of Anacreon to the level of the educational ideal of the writer - the monarch's advisor.
The release of the collection of Lvov "Poems of Anakreon Tyisky" with a preface and detailed notes is a major milestone in the development of Russian poetry, in the formation of Russian anacreontika. He contributed to the flourishing of the mighty talent of Derzhavin, who in 1795 began to write anacreontic poems, which he called "songs". For a long time he did not publish his "songs", and in 1804 he published them as a separate book, calling it "Anacreontic songs".
History of Russian Literature: in 4 volumes / Edited by N.I. Prutskov and others - L., 1980-1983
Oh you, endless space,
Alive in the movement of matter
The passage of time eternal
Without faces, in three faces of a deity!
The spirit is everywhere and one,
Who has no place and no reason
Whom no one could comprehend
Who fills everything with himself,
It embraces, rests, preserves,
Who do we call: god.
Measure the ocean deep
Count the sands, the rays of the planets
Although the mind could be high, -
You have no number and measure!
The spirits cannot be enlightened,
Born of your light
Investigate your destinies:
Only the thought to ascend to you dares
Disappears in your greatness
As in eternity the past moment.
Chaos before the time
From the abyss of eternity you called,
And eternity, I was born first,
In yourself you founded:
Composing myself,
Beaming with myself,
You are the light where the light came from.
Having created everything with a single word,
In creation, stretching out new,
You were, you are, you will be forever!
You contain a chain of creatures,
You keep it and live it;
You match the end with the beginning
And you give your belly to death.
As sparks pour in, strive
So the suns will be born from you;
Like a dark, clear day in winter
Motes of frost sparkle
Come back, fade, shine,
So the stars are in the abyss below you.
Luminaries kindled millions
They flow in immeasurability
They make your laws
The rays pour life-giving.
But these lamps are fiery,
Or of the red crystals of the bulk,
Or the waves of golden boiling host,
Or burning ethers
Or together all the luminous worlds -
Before you - as the night before the day.
Like a drop dropped into the sea
All the firmament before you is this.
But what is my visible universe?
And what am I in front of you?
Onom in the air ocean,
Worlds multiplying by a million
One hundredfold of other worlds - and that,
When I dare to compare with you,
It will only be one point;
And I am nothing in front of you.
Nothing! - But you shine in me
By the majesty of your kindnesses;
You portray yourself in me
Like the sun in a small drop of water.
Nothing! - But I feel life
Unsatisfied I fly
Always a guy in heights;
My soul longs for you,
Penetrates, thinks, argues:
I am - of course there is you!
You are! - the rank of nature broadcasts,
My heart speaks to me
My mind assures me
You are - and I am nothing!
Part of the whole I am the universe,
Delivered, it seems to me, in a venerable
In the middle of nature I am the one
Where did you end bodily creatures,
Where did you begin the spirits of heaven
And the chain of beings tied everyone with me.
I am the connection of worlds that exist everywhere,
I am extreme substance;
I am the focus of the living
The deity's chief trait;
I decay with my body in dust,
I command thunders with my mind
I am a king - I am a slave - I am a worm - I am a god!
But being so wonderful
Did the split happen? - unknown;
And I couldn't be myself.
I am your creation, the creator!
I am a creature of your wisdom,
Source of life, blessing giver,
The soul of my soul and the king!
Your truth was needed
So that the abyss passes away to death
My being is immortal;
So that my spirit clothed in mortality
And so that I may return through death,
Father! - into your immortality.
Inexplicable, incomprehensible!
I know that my soul
Imagination is powerless
And draw your shadow;
But if you must praise,
That is impossible for weak mortals
To honor you with nothing else,
How can they only rise to you,
Lost in immeasurable difference
And grateful to shed tears.
In the monumental nine-volume collected works published by Yakov Kirillovich Groth in 1864-1883. and accompanied by a biography of G.R. Derzhavin, a creative and state portrait of the great son of the 18th century is given. Unlike many other researchers, Ya.K. Groth was able to discern the futurological essence of the literary heritage of G.R. Derzhavin. At the end of his biography, Groth wrote: “... In moments of creativity, he served the great ideas of humanity with such fervor that we do not notice in any of the other poets. By the power of his fiery imagination, his sound thoughts and harsh words, he transports us to that higher moral world, where passions are silent, where we involuntarily realize the insignificance of everything worldly and bow before spiritual greatness. This is the content of Derzhavin's main odes: no matter what the dimensions of time, no matter the success of enlightenment and language, the images inscribed by him retain their brightness forever, and as long as the ideas of God, the immortality of the soul, truth, law and duty will live not empty sounds in the language of the Russian people, until the name of Derzhavin as a public figure and poet will not lose its significance in posterity "(VM Yuriev. "The legacy of GR Derzhavin through the prism of the formation of a new Russia").
GOD
Oh you, endless space,
Alive in the movement of matter
The passage of time eternal
Without faces, in three faces of the Divine,
The spirit is everywhere and one,
Who has no place and no reason
Whom no one could comprehend
Who fills everything with Himself,
It embraces, rests, preserves,
Whom do we call God!
Measure the ocean deep
Count the sands, the rays of the planets,
Although the mind could be high,
You have no number and measure!
Spirits cannot be enlightened,
Born of your light,
Investigate Thy destinies:
Only the thought to ascend to You dares,
Disappears in Your greatness
As in eternity the past moment.
Hao "sa being before the time
From the abyss you called for eternity;
And eternity, I was born first,
In Yourself you founded.
Composing Himself by Himself,
Shining from Himself,
You are the light, where is the light from.
Creating everything with a single word,
In creation, stretching out new,
You were, you are, you will be forever.
You contain the chain of beings in You,
You keep it and live it;
You match the end with the beginning
And you give your belly to death.
As sparks pour in, strive
So the suns will be born from You.
Like a dark, clear day in winter
Motes of frost sparkle
Come back, fade, shine,
So the stars are in the abyss under You.
Luminaries kindled millions
They flow in immeasurability;
They make your laws
The rays pour life-giving;
But these lamps are fiery,
Or of the red crystals of the bulk,
Or the waves of golden boiling host,
Or burning ethers
Or together all the shining worlds,
Before You - as the night before the day.
Like a drop dropped into the sea
All the firmament is before You;
But that the universe is visible to me,
And what am I in front of You? -
Onom in the air ocean,
Worlds multiplying by a million
One hundredfold of other worlds, and then,
When I dare to compare with You,
It will only be one point;
And I am nothing in front of You.
Nothing! - but you shine in me
By the majesty of Your kindness;
You portray Yourself in me
Like the sun in a small drop of water.
Nothing! - but I feel life
Unsatisfied I fly
Always a guy in heights.
My soul longs for you,
Penetrates, thinks, argues:
I am - of course you are.
You are! - The rank of nature broadcasts,
My heart speaks to me
My mind assures me;
You are - and I am nothing!
Part of the whole I am the universe,
Delivered, it seems to me, in a venerable
In the middle of nature I am the one
Where did you end bodily creatures,
Where did you begin the spirits of heaven
And the chain of beings tied everyone with me.
I am the connection of worlds that exist everywhere,
I'm an extreme substance
I am the focus of the living
Deity chief trait.
I decay with my body in dust,
I command the thunders with the mind;
I am a king - I am a slave - I am a worm - I am a god! -
But being so wonderful
Where did I come from? - Unknown;
And I couldn't be myself.
Your creation I, the Creator,
I am a creature of your wisdom,
The source of life, the blessing Giver,
The soul of my soul and the King!
Your truth was needed
So that the abyss passes away to death
Is my being immortal ?;
So that my spirit clothed in mortality
And so that I may return through death,
Father! into your immortality ?.
Inexplicable, incomprehensible!
I know that my soul
Imagination is powerless
And draw your shadows.
But if you must praise,
That is impossible for weak mortals
To honor you with nothing else,
How can they only ascend to You,
Lost in immeasurable difference
And grateful to shed tears.
Notes
- Oda dates back to 1784. First published in "Interlocutor", 1784, part 13, page 125. According to the publisher Groth, it has been translated into English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Czech, Greek, Latin, Swedish, Japanese. “Without faces, in three persons of the Divine” - “The author, in addition to the theological concept of our Orthodox faith, understood here three metaphysical persons, that is: endless space, continuous life in the movement of matter and the endless flow of time, which God combines in himself” (On D., 593 - from the author's commentary prepared by Groth. See below). This "explanation" of Derzhavin, like a number of other verses of the ode (for example, "So the suns will be born from you"), clearly contradicts the church ideas, according to which space, time and "life in the movement of matter" had a "beginning" and will have an "end "; the earth was the center of the universe, and the sun was created by God only one. It is not surprising that Derzhavin's ode provoked protests from adherents of Orthodoxy, such as M.M.Speransky. "Nature's rank" - the order of nature, the laws of nature. "Creature" - that is, creation.
- In the original old printed text in this place, "king" and "god" - with a lowercase letter, see: Works of G.R.Derzhavin. Ed. A. A. Smirdin, 1851.Vol. 1, p. 4.
From the author's comment
- Without faces, in three faces of the Deity. - The author, in addition to the theological concept of our Orthodox faith, meant here three metaphysical persons; that is: infinite space, continuous life in the movement of matter and the never-ending flow of time, which God in himself and combines.
- Motes of frost sparkle. - To the inhabitants of the North, this magnificent picture is clearly visible in winters on a clear day, in severe frosts, for the most part in the month of March, when the snow is already freezing, and the vapors, turning into ice drops, rushing up and down, like sparks sparkling before their eyes ...
- And grateful to shed tears. - Author The first inspiration, or thought, to write this ode was received in 1780, when he was in the palace at the Vespers on Bright Sunday, and then, having arrived home, he put the first lines on paper; but, being occupied with a position and various secular vanities, no matter how much he was accepted, he could not finish it, but at different times he wrote several couplets. Then, in 1784, having received his resignation from the service, he was about to graduate, but he also could not in the city life; however, he was incessantly prompted by an inner feeling, and in order to satisfy this, having told his first wife that he was going to his Polish villages to examine them, he went and, having arrived in Narva, left his cart and people in the inn, hired a little peace in the town of an old German woman so that she could cook for him; where, locked himself, he composed it for several days, but without finishing the last verse of this ode, which was already at night, he fell asleep in front of the light; sees in a dream that the light is shining in his eyes, woke up, and in fact, his imagination was so heated that it seemed to him that light was running around the walls, and with it streams of tears flowed from his eyes; he got up and that very minute, under the illuminating lamp, wrote this last stanza, ending with the fact that he really shed grateful tears for the concepts that were introduced to him.
