The variety of poetic themes in Derzhavin’s works: “To Rulers and Judges”, “Monument”, “Bullfinch. Essay “Derzhavin’s work and its significance for Russian literature”
One of the researchers of Russian literature, D.D. Blagoy, wrote about the main character traits of PR. Derzhavin: “...indomitable energy and activity (“to act, you have to act,” he repeated to his somewhat sluggish bosses), ardor and impatience, courage and determination, directness, lack of the dexterity necessary for a careerist, the ability to accommodate and indulge weaknesses and whims higher authorities and, conversely, an indestructible feeling self-esteem, personal honor." These personal qualities of Derzhavin often brought him wrath powerful of the world this. During the Pugachev rebellion, despite the fact that the poet took an active part in its suppression, speaking on the side of government troops, the commander-in-chief Count Pyotr Panin threatened to hang him along with Pugachev. It was recognized that he was "not worthy to continue military service».
New official appointments (he was the governor of Olonetsk, Tambov, personal secretary of Catherine II, minister of justice under Alexander I) almost always ended disastrously. Derzhavin had to resign and leave his post with a scandal. All this happened due to the honest, direct, hot-tempered nature of the poet. For Derzhavin, in accordance with the ideas of the 18th century. poetry was just a break from official affairs. And it was during the period of opal that the most poetically fruitful periods of his work occurred.
Derzhavin's first poetic works appeared in the mid-1770s. (1776) and were written in the manner of Sumarokov’s songs. However, Derzhavin showed himself as an original and innovative poet already in the second half of 1779 and in the 1780s, when the poems “On the death of Prince Meshchersky”, “The Key”, “Poems on the birth of a porphyry-born youth in the North” were written, “ Rulers and judges”, etc.
Derzhavin's poems revealed the features of a new style, they opened up a new artistic vision of the world. The main thing is that they definitely expressed the idea of the value of the individual, and paid great attention to ethical issues, issues of morality of the individual and society.
One of the important works of this time is the ode “Felitsa”. Oda G.R. Derzhavina was created in 1782, and had the original title “Ode to the wise Kyrgyz-Kaisat princess Felitsa, written by some Murza, who had long lived in Moscow, and who lived on business in St. Petersburg. Translated from Arabic 1782." Fearing the discontent of some nobles, Derzhavin did not intend the ode to be published. She became famous thanks to O.P. Kozodavlev, who lived in the same house with the poet, begged for an ode for a short time and read it at one of the dinners. The work aroused universal admiration. Princess E.R. Dashkova, who published the magazine “Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word,” placed “Felitsa” in the first book of this magazine, without asking Derzhavin. The author was summoned to the Winter Palace, presented to Catherine II and awarded a golden snuffbox with 500 chervonets. The Empress sent the ode to those nobles at whom the satire of the ode was directed, emphasizing those lines that contained the hint.
The name of Catherine Felitsa (Latin felicitas - happiness) is inspired by one of the empress’s works, “The Tale of Prince Chlorus,” composed by her for her little grandson, the future Emperor Alexander I. The fairy tale told how Princess Felitsa and her son Reason helped Chlorus find a rose without thorns is a symbol of virtue.
Derzhavin’s ode contrasts the virtuous and wise Felitsa with the fickle Murza, who, on the one hand, is presented as a collective image of Catherine’s nobleman, on the other hand, has the specific features of many noblemen of the era. The wise Felitsa was depicted not in a solemn, ceremonial form, but in everyday life, her simplicity, hard work, and dislike of entertainment were emphasized:
You often walk
And the food is the simplest
Happens at your table;
Not valuing your peace,
You read, you write in front of the levy,
And all from your pen
You shed bliss on mortals;
Like you don't play cards,
Like me, from morning to morning...
In the lifestyle of Murza, Derzhavin presented all types of activities of the famous nobles of Catherine’s era: military victories and dandyism, Potemkin’s gourmandism:
Transforming the holiday into everyday life,
My thoughts are spinning in chimeras:
Then I steal captivity from the Persians,
Then I direct arrows towards the Turks;
Then, having dreamed that I was a sultan,
I terrify the universe with my gaze;
Then suddenly, seduced by the outfit,
I'm off to the tailor for a caftan.
Or am I at a rich feast,
Where do they give me a holiday/.../
There's a nice Westphalian ham there,
There are links of Astrakhan fish,
There are pilaf and pies there;
I wash down the waffles with champagne
And I forget everything in the world
Among wines, sweets and aroma.
Love of hunting and horn music
S.K. Naryshkina:
...taking care of all matters
I leave and go hunting
And I am amused by the barking of dogs;
Or over the Neva banks
I amuse myself with horns at night
And the rowing of daring rowers.
Love for popular literature A.A. Vyazemsky:
I like to rummage through books,
I enlighten my mind and heart,
I read Polkan and Bova;
Over the Bible, yawning, I sleep.
Your own home life:
And I, having slept until noon,
I smoke tobacco and drink coffee/.../.
Or, sitting at home, I will play a prank,
Playing fools with my wife;
Then I get along with her at the dovecote,
Sometimes we frolic in blind man's buff...
Derzhavin discusses the universality of the Murza’s described way of life and the difficulty of finding the “straight path of virtue”:
Who knows how much wisdom.
But every person is a lie.
We do not walk the paths of light,
We run debauchery after dreams.
Between a lazy person and a grouch.
Between vanity and vice
Did anyone accidentally find it?
The path of virtue is straight.
Only the wise Felitsa is open to the “path of virtue”:
You alone are only decent.
Princess, create light from darkness;
Dividing Chaos into spheres harmoniously,
The union will strengthen their integrity;
From disagreement to agreement
And from fierce passions happiness
You can only create.
The ode “Felitsa” breaks the framework of traditional genre categories of classicism, merging ode and satire into one organic whole. Derzhavin refuses all the rules and restrictions of both classicism and sentimentalism. The poem organically includes the image of the author, with his unique individual traits, the poet created bright individual characteristics heroes, in his works there are an abundance of specific allusions to the phenomena of life of the 1111th century, he pays great attention to everyday details.
Chanting the wise Felitsa is one of the important topics Derzhavin’s creativity, it is no coincidence that his contemporaries gave him the nickname “Felitsa’s Singer”. The ode “Felitsa” was followed by the poems “Gratitude to Felitsa”, “Image of Felitsa”.
Derzhavin’s satirical poem “To Rulers and Judges” (1780, 1787), which is an arrangement of the 81st Psalm, is distinguished by its high civil sound. The poet turns the psalm into an angry denunciation of the “gods of the earth” who have forgotten their duty:
Your duty is: to preserve the laws,
Don't look at the faces of the strong,
No help, no defense
Do not leave orphans and widows.
Your duty: to save the innocent from harm,
Give cover to the unlucky;
To protect the powerless from the strong,
Free the poor from their shackles.
However, the kings do not fulfill their duty: “They do not listen! they see and don’t know! Covered with the bribe of tow...” Derzhavin deepens (in comparison with the psalm) the theme of injustice, making injustice universal:
Atrocities shake the earth,
Untruth shakes the skies.
Higher, God's judgment must certainly be accomplished over the kings of the earth, for their rule is unrighteous:
Resurrect, God! God of the right!
And they heeded their prayer:
Come, judge, punish the evil ones
And be one king of the earth!
In the poem “To Rulers and Judges,” the appeal to God is caused by reasons of a social and moral nature. In the ode “God,” the poet reflects philosophically on “the beginning of all beginnings,” its greatness and incomprehensibility:
O you, endless space,
Alive in the movement of matter,
The flow of time is eternal.
Without faces, in three faces of a deity!
But Derzhavin’s thoughts about God are joined by thoughts about the fate of man, his place in the world. The climax of the poem is the ninth stanza, which defines deep essence person:
I am a king - I am a slave, I am a worm - I am God!
The contradictions of man, who combines in himself both the high, divine, heavenly, and the low, insignificant, earthly, become one of constant topics not only Derzhavin, but all Russian literature. It is no coincidence that this line of Derzhavin’s poem can be heard from the lips of the heroes of Dostoevsky’s novels.
In 1804, Derzhavin published a collection of poems, Anacreontic Songs. The poet worked on Anacreontic poems mainly in the 90s. XVIII century The source of poetic inspiration for the Russian poet was the Greek lyricist Anacreon, who lived in the 6th century. BC His image was one of the most beloved in Russian poetry. Russian poets were captivated by grace, carefreeness, combined with worldly wisdom - distinctive features poetry of Anacreon. In the Alexandrian era, poems imitating Anacreon arose - anacreontics, written by different authors V different times. Anacreontic poems glorify the rapture of life, carefreeness, table fun, and sensual love. Thanks to Anacreontics, Anacreon became one of the most popular poets of the Ancient World not only in Russian, but also in all European literature. Often, later translators and imitators of Anacreon did not distinguish Anacreontics from the work of Anacreon himself.
The bright world of Anacreon's poetry, the image of the most cheerful poet and sage who despises the noise of light, was especially attractive to Derzhavin. In the poem “The Crown of Immortality,” dedicated to Anacreon, he wrote:
The kings asked him to come to them
Eat, drink and stay;
Talents of gold were brought, -
They wanted to be friends with him.
But he preferred peace, love, freedom to China, to wealth...
Derzhavin tried to build his life in the same way:
What do I need to fuss about, to carry the burden of duties, If the world scolds me for this, That I follow a straight path.
Derzhavin's collection presents constant motifs of anacreontics: the joy of love, table fun, the beauty of nature, female beauty. “This new and large section of Derzhavin’s poetry served as an outlet for him into the joyful world of nature and allowed him to talk about a thousand small, but important things for humans, which had no place in the system of genres of classicist poetics. Addressing Anacreon, imitating him, Derzhavin wrote his own, and the national roots of his poetry emerge especially clearly in Anacreontic songs. He does not argue with Anacreon, as Lomonosov did; for the civil motives of his creativity, Derzhavin leaves other genres and in his poems creates small poetic pictures that capture Russian life, depict Russian people with details of their life and behavior,” writes researcher A. V. Zapadov.
Among Derzhavin’s works there are not only those inspired by Anacreon, but also poems of a varied nature, usually of cheerful, light content. However, some poems (“Gift”, “Silence”, “Freedom”) have features civil lyrics, some are deep reflections on the purpose of poetry (“Monument”), on the military glory of the Russian people and their commanders (“Bullfinch”).
The poem “Bullfinch” (1800) was written in connection with the death of A.V. Suvorov. The work presents a living, bright image Suvorov - a commander and a person. Derzhavin recreates the unique traits of his character and behavior:
Who will be in front of the army, blazing.
Ride a nag, eat crackers;
Tempering the sword in cold and heat,
Sleep on straw, watch until dawn.
Thousands of armies, walls and gates,
Can we win everything with a handful of Russians?
To be imperturbable everywhere in strict courage;
Envy with jokes, anger with a bayonet,
Doom to overthrow...
The poems from the “Anacreontic Songs” were not literal translations or imitations of the ancient original, but their processing, alteration in the Russian way. To do this, the poet turns to Russian songs and fairy tales and uses folk vocabulary. Names ancient gods are often replaced by Slavic ones: Lel - the god of love, Zimstrela - spring, Lada - the goddess of beauty, Uslad - the god of luxury. Images of folk poetry appear in the poems “Cupid and Psi-Neck”, “Offerings to Beauties”, “Shooter”, “Russian Girls”, “Bird Catcher”, etc. In the poem “Bird Catcher” Derzhavin describes the pranks of Eros and resorts to common vocabulary:
Eros, so that a weak old man
It seems that Gunya1 pulled up the thin one.
Covered with a white wig
And I’m graying my beard
Hanging up, he took the staff in his hands
I went into the forest to catch game.
In the poem "Russian Girls", chanting feminine beauty, Derzhavin addresses the poet of Antiquity:
Are you mature, Tii singer,
Like a bull in a meadow in spring
Russian girls dance
Under the pipe there is a shepherdess;
How they walk, bowing their heads,
Shoes are knocking in harmony,
Quietly your hands move your gaze
And they speak with their shoulders...
Like blue veins
Pink blood flows
Fire on the cheeks
The holes were cut by love;
How sable their eyebrows are,
A falcon's gaze full of sparks,
Their grin is the soul of a lion
And the eagles' hearts are stricken?
Derzhavin confidently tells Anacreon:
If only I could see these red maidens,
You should forget the Greek women,
And on voluptuous wings
Your Eros was chained.
When creating “Anacreontic Songs”, Derzhavin set the task: “For the love of the native word... to show its abundance, flexibility, lightness and in general the ability to express the most tender feelings, which are hardly found in other languages.” For example, he writes ten poems in which he does not use the letter “r”. These are “Anacreon in the Assembly”, “Nightingale in a Dream”, “Desire”, “Bayard’s Song”, “Silence”, “Comic Desire”, “Grasshopper”, “Butterfly”, “Freedom”, “Spring”. The poet wrote these poems “for the curious” and as proof of the “abundance and softness” of the Russian language:
I slept on a high hill,
The nightingale heard your voice,
Even in the deepest sleep
It was clear to my soul:
It sounded and then echoed,
He groaned and grinned
In hearing from afar he;
And in the arms of Calista
Songs, sighs, clicks, whistles
Enjoyed a sweet dream.
"Nightingale in a Dream"
According to Belinsky, Derzhavin’s “Anacreontic Songs” testified to the poet’s “artistic sympathy for the artistic world Ancient Greece" Some of the songs were set to music and were very popular in the 18th-19th centuries, for example, “Mug” (“The beauty of feasting friends, fun and joys girlfriend”), “Bee” (“Golden bee, why are you buzzing”) and etc.
One of Derzhavin's most famous poems is “Monument,” written in 1795 and originally entitled “To the Muse.” This work is a free adaptation of Horace’s ode “To Melpomene,” which was translated by M.V. before Derzhavin. Lomonosov, and after - K.N. Batyushkov, A.S. Pushkin, A.A. Fet, V.Ya. Bryusov and others.
Derzhavin's contemporaries have long liked to compare him with Horace. This is how Pushkin poetically imagined them together:
Pets of the Young Graces
With Derzhavin later
Sensitive Horace
Appears together.
In the poem “Monument” Derzhavin for the first time introduces himself, first of all, as a poet, writes about his poetic merits, and shows confidence in his poetic calling:
I erected a wonderful, eternal monument to myself,
It is harder than metals and taller than the pyramids.
The main theme of the poem becomes the theme of poetic immortality, since the word itself is immortal. The monument erected by the poet is solid, tall, and the elements and time cannot crush it. The poet does not die, part of him will live as long as Russia lives:
So! - all of me will not die, but part of me is big,
Having escaped from decay, he will live after death,
And my glory will increase without fading,
How long will the universe honor the Slavic family?
Derzhavin considers his main merits to be that he created a “funny Russian style” (i.e., a new stylistic manner), with which he glorified the enlightened monarch, talked about critical issues being; that he possessed civic courage (he expressed the truth to the kings, but the harshness of the tone was softened by a smile and a joke) and heartfelt simplicity (i.e., lack of affectation):
That I was the first to dare in a funny Russian syllable
To proclaim Felitsa’s virtues,
Talk about God in simplicity of heart
And speak the truth to kings with a smile.
The poem shows a desire to protect the poet’s position in society and to defend freedom of creativity. Derzhavin also talks about himself as a poet in many other works, for example, in “The Vision of Murza”, “Khrapovitsky”, “My Idol”, “Swan”, “Lyric”, etc.
Derzhavin’s poem was the direct literary source of “Monument” by A.S. Pushkin. Derzhavin and Pushkin, translating Horace, talked about themselves, about what they had done for literature and their people.
QUESTIONS AND TASKS
How do you imagine Derzhavin’s character?
How did the poet’s personality traits affect creative destiny poet?
What is the significance of the ode “Felitsa” for the development of Russian poetry?
In which poems of the poet does the image of Felitsa appear?
What is the ideological content of the poem “To Rulers and Judges”?
What poems of a philosophical nature do you know by Derzhavin?
What are Anacreontic poems? What is the content of Derzhavin’s collection “Anacreontic Songs”? What are the artistic features collection of poems?
How is the image of Suvorov drawn in the poem “Bullfinch”?
What is the ideological content of the poem “Monument”? What services to Russian society and Russian literature did Derzhavin consider to be his main ones?
TOPICS FOR ABSTRACTS AND ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Derzhavin and Russian poets of the 18th century. (Lomonosov, Trediakovsky, Sumarokov).
The image of Felitsa in Derzhavin’s poetry.
Derzhavin’s philosophical views and their expression in poetry (“On the Death of Prince Meshchersky,” “God,” “Waterfall,” etc.).
The theme of the poet and poetry in Derzhavin’s works (“Vision of Murza”, “Khrapovitsky”, “My idol”, “Swan”, “Monument”, “Confession”, etc.).
The theme of Russia’s military glory in Derzhavin’s poems (“At the capture of Izmail”, “Autumn during the capture of Ochakov”, “Bullfinch”, etc.).
“Talking painting” in Derzhavin’s poetry (Derzhavin as a poet-painter).
Antique motifs in the works of Derzhavin.
In this article we will tell you briefly about the life and work of Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin, an educator and representative of Russian classicism.
G.R. Derzhavin (1743-1816) - Russian poet and playwright, as well as statesman XVIII century under Catherine II.
Life
Gabriel was born on July 3 (14), 1743 in a family of nobles who suffered poverty in the Kazan province. Derzhavin began his studies at home, on an estate in the village of Sokuru, and at the age of 16 he entered the local gymnasium. In 1762, Gabriel became an ordinary guardsman in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, and 10 years later received his first officer rank. A year later, as part of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, he began suppressing the Pugachev uprising, which lasted until 1775.
At the age of 34, Gabriel Romanovich became a state councilor, and in 1784-1788 he served as governor: first of Olonetsok, then of Tambov. Derzhavin was an active official - he was involved in improving the economy of the region and contributed to the formation of the necessary government institutions.
In 1791, at the age of 48, Derzhavin became the cabinet secretary of Catherine the Second, and 2 years later he was appointed her privy councilor, and two years later - president of the Commerce Collegium. About a year, already in early XIX century, served as Minister of Justice.
The career of the official Derzhavin can be called outstanding, and if we take into account the fact that at that time he was also engaged in literature, then it can even be called mind-blowing.
In 1803, Gavriil Romanovich ended his service, resigning in order to concentrate entirely on literary activity. At the same time, Derzhavin traveled a lot to recent years of your life. Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin died on his estate on July 8 (20), 1816.
Creation
Derzhavin devoted a lot of time to work and made an impressive career. At the same time, he is considered the largest representative of Russian classicism.
Gabriel Romanovich began writing during his military service. The debut took place in 1773 - then a translation of an excerpt from the works of Ovid appeared. And a year later, “Ode on Greatness” and “Ode on Nobility” by Derzhavin himself were published. The first collection of poems did not take long to appear - it appeared in 1776.
The poet’s ode “Felitsa,” which he dedicated to the empress, brought him wide literary fame. It is worth noting that this happened 9 years before Derzhavin’s appointment as Cabinet Secretary of Catherine II.
After this, other now famous works by Derzhavin appeared: “The Nobleman”, “On the Death of Prince Meshchersky”, “God”, “Dobrynya”, “Waterfall” and others.
G. R. DERZHAVIN (1743 - 1816)
Derzhavin began publishing in 1773, however, this was not the beginning of his literary activity. The young poet began writing poetry while still in the military service. Two notebooks from that early period of creativity, when he “joined” the “warriors” of normative versification, have been preserved. In his early independent experiments one can trace the influence not only of generally recognized poets of the time, but also of such innovators as Chulkov, Barkov, to whom we can later include Derzhavin himself.
The poet's improvement was preceded by his emergence as a literary theorist.
In 1811, he summed up the theoretical part of his work with a series of works, one of which was “Discourse on Lyric Poetry or an Ode,” where he significantly departs from the generally accepted norms of literary critical essays of that time, not only in form, but also in content.
The criticism of Russian classicism was predominantly grammatical and linguistic in orientation, which did not prevent one from drawing conclusions about the genres and other features of the works being analyzed. The critic must be extremely strict with each individual shade that interferes with the purity of style. Such pedantry is characteristic of the criticism of Trediakovsky and Lomonosov.
The rationalism of the aesthetics of classicism was refracted in the educational and pedagogical understanding of the goal facing normative genre criticism.
The task was extremely simple and at the same time incredibly complex: enlightening readers and writers, forming the correct (and only!) syllable, correct thoughts and feelings. G. N. Teplov in the article “A discussion on the qualities of a poet” writes: “... a poet who does not know lower grammatical rules, lower rhetorical ones, and when he is still insufficient in knowledge ... of authors ... who from ancient centuries have been a model of poetry were considered... likened to a physicist who does not know mathematics, chemistry and hydraulics.” Such a poet “can never gain access to the knowledge of direct poetry.” So, not a flight of inspiration, but philological erudition itself, not a flight of feeling, but prudence creative process- this is what a classicist critic primarily values in a writer.
Derzhavin departs from the above-mentioned norms of classicist criticism. In the already mentioned article “Discourse on lyric poetry or ode,” the poet, for example, explains the meaning of the word “ode”: “... in modern times... it is the same as Cantata, Oratorio, Romance, Ballad, Stanza or even a simple song.” Here there is a violation not only of the genre hierarchy, but also of other canons of literature established by the founders of classicism. Further, Derzhavin explains such concepts as “inspiration”, “sublimity”, “lyrical disorder”. The poet writes about the ode: “... an enthusiastic mind does not have time to arrange excessively fast-flowing thoughts logically, so the ode does not tolerate a plan.” Derzhavin talks about the “unity of passion” and its “diversity” at the same time, refracting through his understanding the rule about the unity of place, time, action.
Further, Derzhavin advocates for the brevity of the ode and for its verisimilitude, noting that “fictions only decorate the truth.” The poet sings a hymn to inspiration, repeating that only it is capable of “... violent outbursts of feeling, lofty divine thoughts,... lively impersonations, brave transferences and other rhetorical embellishments, which have already been discussed.” However, much of what Derzhavin applied in practice remained unsaid in this article and received recognition only after studying the poetics of the author as a poet.
One of the main features of Derzhavin’s poetics is the destruction of the genre hierarchy: the combination of “high” and “low”. Traditionally, the use of low vocabulary was possible exclusively in low genres: fable, epigram, comedy. Often this created lexical disharmony: “Rotten this peasant holiday” (“Peasant holiday”). Here there is a mixture of Church Slavonic and lower vocabulary.
Metric inaccuracies were often transformed into new sizes. Thus, in the poem “Swallow” Derzhavin introduces for the first time the alternation of three-syllable dactyls and a three-syllable amphibrach:
No sweet-voiced swallow
Homely from the end
Oh! My darling, beautiful
She flew away - joy with her.
But perhaps most widespread received the so-called “figurative sound writing”, i.e. with which the image is created. “The verb of the times of metal is ringing” - the striking of the clock (“To the death of Prince Meshchersky”), “The northern thunders lie in the coffin” - the image of commander Suvorov (“The Bullfinch”).
Derzhavin widely uses imprecise rhymes: “creation”, “feathers”, “in the darkness”, “in a dream”, etc.
Derzhavin's creativity and plasticity are at a high level. In his poetry a specific lyrical hero(“Invitation to Dinner”). The development of the idea (not the plot) is associated with the poet’s orientation towards the public rhetorical utterance of the text. So, for example, the spiritual ode “God” was constructed (note that the main principle of construction is antithetical). The idea in this ode develops as follows: 1) a comparison of the greatness of God with the insignificance of man, 2) but there is God in man, and therefore the previous idea is refuted, 3) man is the center of the universe only thanks to God and the only thing a man should do is strive to God. A certain opposition is built here: GOD - THE WORLD - I (you) (we).
However, the poet does not preach pessimism: life acquires a special value: Life is an instant gift from heaven. For Derzhavin, God is the first principle, not existing separately from nature. Thus, the poet accepts deism, developed by Herodotus and Kant. The existence of God is evidenced by: “natural order,” that is, order, harmony, human desire for subjective creativity: “The soul, perhaps, yearns for you...”. The images here are extremely emblematic and symbolic. The poem “Waterfall” (1791) is an example of this style. Here, the image of a crumbling mountain becomes a symbol of the short-lived glory of the heroes: “The mountain is crumbling like diamonds.” The waterfall itself (Kivach is a waterfall in Karelia) is the personification of the abyss, eternity, in which everything drowns. The image of the clock echoes in a similar way in the poem “To the Death of the Prince.” Meshchersky."
A special role in the literature of the 18th century is played by appeals to historical figures who serve as examples for the generation. According to classicists, history is a vicious circle of repeating events, and therefore history hides an abyss of parallels with the present time. For Derzhavin, Belisarius is a slandered commander, compared to “a certain gray-haired man,” that is, most likely, to Rumyantsev, who was needlessly removed from service.
The landscape deserves attention. In the 60s of the 18th century, “The Songs of Ossian”, composed by the Scottish poet Macpherson, were published.
Their main hero was King Fengal and his son Ossian. The main themes were war and love. A gloomy, colorful landscape stood out against the background of the story. Subsequently, such a landscape began to be called “Ossianic”. Derzhavin borrows the darkness of the descriptions and the significance of the allegories:
Under the tilted cedar down,
With this terrible beauty of nature,
On a fragile stump that was hanging down
From the cliff to the water holes,
I see a certain gray-haired man
He bowed his head on his hand.
Spear and sword and shield of the great,
The wall of the fatherland of all,
And a helmet entwined with dodder,
They lie in the moss at his feet:...
He sits and looks towards the waters.
In deep thought he reasons:
“Isn’t the life of people for us
Does this represent a waterfall?
He is also the blessing of his jets
Gives water to the arrogant, the meek, and the wicked. etc.
So, God for Derzhavin is the “source of life,” not only spiritual life, but also life in the state, to which the poet more than once addressed in his poems and odes not only as a citizen, but also as a “singer,” and a similar combination for classicism impossible.
As has already been said, the ode of the 18th century does not tolerate stylistic confusion. However, let's turn to comparative analysis vocabulary and style of works by the classics of the genre, M. V. Lomonosov, and G. R. Derzhavin. In his “Ode on the Ascension...” Lomonosov uses predominantly sublime vocabulary: “beads”, “porphyry”, “marshmallow”, “soul”, “spirit”, “paradise” and a pathetic style:
When she took the throne
How the Most High gave her a crown,
Brought you back to Russia
Put an end to the war;
She kissed you when she received you:
I'm full of those victories, she said,
For whom blood flows.
(“On the day of accession..., 1747.”)
Here are excerpts from Derzhavin’s work “Felitsa”: “god-like”, “I smoke tobacco”, “I drink coffee”, “I amuse myself with the barking of dogs”, “I play the fool with my wife”.
Both poets give instructions to the ruler. Lomonosov describes the ideal queen: “This gentle voice is fitting for the divine lips, monarch.”
Derzhavin, comparing and describing the author and Murza, again uses the antithesis, showing what a monarch should not be, while simultaneously asking Felitsa for instruction: “Give me, Felitsa, instructions on how to live magnificently and truthfully.” Lomonosov feels the empress’s superiority over himself and poetry:
Be silent, fiery sounds, and stop shaking the light:
Here in the world, Elizabeth deigned to expand science...
In silence look at the universe...
Lomonosov is a poet of the state subordinate to “Felitsa”, only praising her virtues. He silences even the “fiery sounds of poetry.”
Derzhavin, turning to Catherine (Felitsa - lat. felix - happy), according to Belinsky, “combines the pathetic element with the comic... which is nothing more than the ability to imagine life in its truth.” Not to mention , that the entire work is permeated with satirical allusions to high-ranking officials.
You read and write in front of the lectern
Like you don't play cards,
Like me, from morning to morning...
You don't like masquerades too much
And you can’t even set foot in the club;
Keeping customs, rituals,
Don't be quixotic with yourself;
Saddle up the horse of Parnassus,
You don’t enter a gathering of spirits
You don’t go from the throne to the East; ....
The monologue is formally pronounced by one person, Murza, but is this actually true? The image of Murza is changing. When Felitsa is contrasted with Murza, as a rule, there is satire or a caustic allusion to the multitude real facts“encrypted” in this poem. However, in pathetic moments, the image of Murza comes as close as possible to the author’s:
You are the only one who will not offend
Don't insult anyone
You see the foolishness through your fingers,
The only thing you can't tolerate is evil.
In satirical places, the image of Murza is a collective image of vicious servants:
Or music and singers,
Suddenly with an organ and bagpipes,
Or fist fighters
And I make my spirit happy by dancing;
Or, taking care of all matters
I leave and go hunting
And amused by the barking of dogs
Or over the Neva banks
I amuse myself with horns at night
And the rowing of daring rowers....
Obviously, Lomonosov’s “I” is extremely generalized in any genre, but in Derzhavin the meaning of the lyrical “I” varies based on the topic.
The theme of classicism almost always involved an appeal to great personality individually and to society as a whole, but even in this Derzhavin cannot be considered a direct follower of the luminaries of classicism; being devoid of servility, it stands out sharply from general series in many ways similar poets of this era.
The word in his works loses the flatness that was characteristic of the poetry of the 18th century, it acquires new tangible forms and becomes significant.
References
- 1) Derzhavin’s texts were quoted from the book: G. R. Derzhavin Selected Poems; St. Petersburg. ; edited by P. Blodda; 1913
- 2) Russian literary criticism of the 18th century. Collection of texts M., Sov. Russia, 1978
- 3) V. A. Nedzvetsky. Russian literary criticism of the 18th-19th centuries Course of lectures. M., Moscow State University Publishing House, 1994
- 4) Zapadov A.V., Derzhavin, M., 1958
- 5) Brief literary encyclopedia, M., Sov. Encyclopedia, 1964
Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin was born in Kazan into a poor noble family in 1743. He failed to get an education, at home or at a gymnasium. In 1762 he moved to St. Petersburg and entered service in the guard, where he remained for ten years. After that, he served as governor for some time, but his career did not work out.
In 1791, Empress Catherine appointed him as her personal secretary and court poet. However, in this position, Derzhavin’s character let him down: he believed that all the troubles of the state stem from the empress’s ignorance of them. Catherine could not like this position, and in 1793 Derzhavin was fired, but allowed to serve in high government positions. In 1803, Alexander I dismissed Derzhavin.
In 1815, Derzhavin met young Pushkin at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, where he noted his abilities: Gentlemen, before you is a new Derzhavin! This praise impressed the young man extremely; he later wrote Old man Derzhavin noticed us and, going into the coffin, blessed us. A year after this meeting, Derzhavin died.
The audacity of Derzhavin's poetic thought
Derzhavin's path to literature was difficult. He began writing only in the late 1770s, and before that he had no idea about his abilities. Then he met Lvov, who recognized the talent. It is believed that Derzhavin’s full-fledged poetic debut took place in 1779, when the poems “The Key”, “On the Death of Prince Meshchersky” and “On the Birth of a Natural Youth” were published in the magazine St. Petersburg Bulletin. Then the main features of Derzhavin’s poetry become visible.
Firstly, in Derzhavin’s work the boundaries of genres are erased. He violates the theory of three calms because he never knew about it. That is why they talk about a certain audacity of Derzhavin’s poetic thought. He writes exclusively as he considers correct: thus, his poetry often mixes high and low style, pathetic and comic. This greatly distinguishes him from other authors of that time.
Variety of poetic themes
The center of Derzhavin’s poetry is almost always the relationship between man and the state. Like Lomonosov, he is of the opinion that a person is, first of all, a servant of the state. However, Derzhavin does not deny that private life also exists. This difference is also expressed in the fact that in the odes of Lomonosov and Derzhavin the image of the author looks different.
If Lomonosov wrote on behalf of some abstract poet, then Derzhavin’s lyrical hero is always autobiographical, his addresses in odes are addresses from himself personally. Also, Lomonosov’s emperor is simply a kind of general symbol of Russia, and Derzhavin always talks about his attitude towards a specific person (in the case of the emperor, towards Catherine).
"To Rulers and Judges"
In particular, Derzhavin expresses his attitude towards power in the poem To Rulers and Judges (1780), where he says that unrighteous power cannot be considered divine. He is indignant at the arbitrariness of the rulers, saying that all the same, over all kings there is a supreme power - God, therefore, anyway, they are not sinless, they will also face punishment. In Russia of that era, this poem was considered almost revolutionary, because. They saw in it a criticism of the monarchy in the person of Empress Catherine.
"Bullfinch"
It is equally important that in Derzhavin’s odes the characters, time and place of action are always specifically indicated. In this regard, the ode to the Bullfinch (1802), written on the death of Generalissimo Suvorov, in honor of whose victories Derzhavin taught the bullfinch to whistle a military march, is indicative. This detail emphasizes attention to privacy. In general, the theme of man is the most important in Derzhavin’s work. He is the first to begin to pay attention to little things - everyday life, behavior, habits of people. In his poems you can see a lot of topical and satirical things, aimed at specific people, and not at society as a whole.
Derzhavin's best works largely predetermined the path of development of Russian literature. Previously, poets imagined themselves primarily as literary theorists; they wrote poems only to illustrate their reasoning about the rules of poetry. For Derzhavin, this option was impossible, since he did not know the theory, and viewed creativity only as the fruit of inspiration, and could not write on orders.
"Monument"
He defines his place in poetry by translating into Russian the famous Monument to Horace. He creates his own poem, where he concludes that his main merit in literature is the fact that he was the first Russian author to allow himself to write about the imperial person with sufficient irony and objectivity, not limiting himself to solemn words. This is his merit - in his deviation from the canons of classicism that already existed in Russian literature.
Later, Pushkin would rework this same poem for himself, who, by the way, did not speak very flatteringly of old Derzhavin:
Derzhavin's idol is one quarter gold, three quarters lead.
Derzhavin had no idea about syllable, or harmony, or even the rules of poetry, which is why he should infuriate every discerning ear.
Here are the reviews of the new Derzhavin.
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Composition
Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin is the largest Russian poet of the 18th century. Born in Kazan, into a family of small nobles. The future poet received a weak education, since he studied with clergy, a German convict in a private school, and then entered the Kazan gymnasium, which he did not graduate from. In 1762, Derzhavin entered the service and served for 10 years as a soldier in the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment. At first, he lived in the barracks with the “delivery” soldiers from the peasants and, like them, did the most menial work. Together with the regiment, he took part in the coup that brought Catherine II to the throne.
Service was the most difficult period in Derzhavin’s life. Being in an extremely cramped financial situation after the death of his father, Derzhavin became addicted to card game, became a notorious sharper, led a dissolute life, and committed a number of criminal offenses. Later, as an officer, Derzhavin, on his own initiative, took an active part in pacifying the Pugachev rebellion as a member of the secret investigative commission. Derzhavin’s activities during the Pugachev era are largely mysterious. He himself took special credit for the fact that, having the opportunity to achieve “everything” he wanted, he did not betray Catherine. Despite this, he alienated the top brass: the commander-in-chief wanted to “hang Derzhavin along with Pugachev.” Subsequently, the future poet entered the civil service, reached high ranks: governor, secretary of Catherine II, senator, state treasurer, and finally, minister of justice. In 1803, due to sharp opposition to the liberal tendencies of Alexander I, he was “dismissed from all affairs” and lived the last years of his life in complete peace in St. Petersburg.
The activities of Derzhavin, who literally rose from the ranks to Minister of Justice, in fact represented a series of victories and defeats, ups and downs.
During the Pugachev rebellion, Derzhavin was declared “unworthy to continue military service,” and his tenure as governor ended with resignation and trial. The next step in Derzhavin’s career was the position of the Tsar’s secretary, but he did not last long in this position. The Empress complained about him that he “was not only rude during reports, but also cursed.”
The rulers who came after Catherine (Paul and then Alexander) brought him into disgrace “for his indecent answer” and for the fact that “he serves too zealously.”
Contemporaries attributed Derzhavin's misadventures to his harsh, quarrelsome character (“he scolds the kings and cannot get along with anyone”). Derzhavin himself believed that he suffered for his unswerving adherence to “truth” always and in everything (“I have become useless because I am hot and the devil in the truth”). In fact, the history of Derzhavin’s official activities was sharply affected by the characteristics of that social stratum of the poor service nobility, which in the era palace coups, Pugachevism, temporary workers with exceptional energy moved to the front ranks of the class, pushing aside the well-born nobility, becoming the main “support” of the illegal Catherine’s throne. All official activity Derzhavin is directed along the line of struggle against the well-born nobility, “tinsel kings” (old noble feudal lords of large estates) - a struggle in which he relies on temporary workers, “random” people (G. Potemkin, A. Zubov) and the empress herself. However, for Derzhavin, temporary workers were just more fortunate representatives of the social stratum to which he himself belonged. The Empress again owed all her autocratic power to the support of a socially similar noble “multitude” to Derzhavin. Hence that “Jacobin” pathos of independence, personal dignity, which, along with the need to “hustle in the front” of the temporary workers, the readiness to zealously serve the empress and her “eagles” with his pen, is so characteristic of Derzhavin the courtier and Derzhavin the poet.
Derzhavin himself was inclined to look at his literary activity primarily as a weapon in the struggle that he waged, from poverty and the lower classes making his way to “honorary ranks”, rising to the very foot of the throne. If you believe his own repeated statements, all his poems, with the smallest exceptions, are of an unswervingly pitiful nature, all written “for the occasion”, imbued with acute topicality. Fearing that they would become incomprehensible to a new reader, Derzhavin subsequently compiled a special “key,” a detailed auto-commentary in which he explained in detail what exactly served as the purpose or impetus for writing this or that thing. Regarding one of Derzhavin’s odes, seemingly most removed from any topicality, the famous religious ode “God,” one of his informed contemporaries remarked: “There is no line, no expression in Derzhavin’s comic and important poems that were written by him without intention, without reference to persons or circumstances of the time.
Catherine and other persons for whom he mainly wrote understood all this and knew how to appreciate it.” This remark takes on special weight if we look at the dates of the biography: February 15, 1784 Derzhavin was dismissed from service by Prince Vyazemsky. "God" was published on April 23 of the same year. On May 22, Derzhavin receives an important appointment - Olonets governor. Apparently, “God” was perceived by Catherine as a fiery hymn to autocracy, and she, as always in such cases, hastened to generously reward her “own author” (the poet signed some of his letters - “Her Majesty’s own author”). And in difficult circumstances, Derzhavin constantly “resorts to his talent.” Derzhavin’s career begins with the famous ode “Felitsa,” dedicated to the glorification of Catherine, who for the first time after her paid attention to Derzhavin and bestowed upon him a snuff-box sprinkled with diamonds and 500 chervonets. He improves his position after resigning from the governorship with a new ode to her, called “Image of Felitsa,” and “regains the favor” of Paul I with an ode to his accession to the throne, etc.
Derzhavin defined his odes as “trifles” that do not represent any value: “... all this is so, around oneself and important has no meaning for posterity: all this will soon be forgotten.” However, it is the odes that occupy an important place in his work and go far beyond the official framework in which he placed them. Derzhavin's poetry is a monument to Russian literature and Catherine's Russia.
