The poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” is a fairy tale written in 1818 - 1820. The author was inspired to create the work by Russian folklore, Russian epics and popular popular stories. Pushkin’s poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” is full of elements of grotesque fantasy, colloquial vocabulary and the author’s good-natured irony. According to literary scholars, the work is a parody of the chivalric novels and romantic ballads of Zhukovsky.

Main characters

Ruslan- a brave prince, Lyudmila’s fiancé, who saved her from Chernomor.

Lyudmila- Princess, youngest daughter of Prince Vladimir, bride of Ruslan.

Chernomor- a hunchbacked dwarf with a long magical beard, “the full-fledged owner of the mountains,” kidnapped Lyudmila.

Finn- an old wizard who helped Ruslan find and save Lyudmila.

Other characters

Rogdai- “brave warrior”, one of Ruslan’s rivals.

Farlaf- “an arrogant loudmouth, not defeated by anyone at feasts, but a humble warrior,” killed Ruslan and kidnapped Lyudmila.

Ratmir- “young Khazar Khan”, wanted to marry Lyudmila, but fell in love with another maiden.

Naina- Finn's beloved, sorceress.

Prince Vladimir- Prince of Kyiv, father of Lyudmila.

Dedication

The author dedicates his work to the “beauties” - “the queens of his soul.” The poem begins with a description of the fabulous Lukomorye - a magical world is revealed to the reader, where a learned cat, a mermaid, a goblin, Baba Yaga, King Kashchei, knights and sorcerers live.

Song one

Prince Vladimir marries his youngest daughter Lyudmila to “the brave Prince Ruslan.” The celebration is in full swing, guests listen to the song of the “sweet singer” Bayan, glorifying the newlyweds. However, not everyone is having fun; three knights, Ruslan’s rivals – Rogdai, Farlaf, Ratmir – are sitting “despondently, with a cloudy brow.”

After the feast, the young people went to their chambers. Suddenly thunder struck, the room went dark and “someone in the smoky depths / Soared blacker than the foggy haze.” Ruslan discovers in despair that Lyudmila has disappeared. Having learned about what happened, Prince Vladimir promises anyone who can find her his daughter’s hand and half his kingdom. Ruslan, Rogdai, Farlaf and Ratmir go in different directions in search of Lyudmila.

On the way, Ruslan notices a cave. Entering it, the knight sees a gray-haired old man reading a book. The elder informs him that Lyudmila was kidnapped by the “terrible wizard Chernomor.” The knight stays in the cave for the night, and the old man tells him his story. He was a “natural Finn”, a shepherd, in love with a very beautiful and proud girl Naina. However, she refused the young man. Then the Finn went to distant lands and ten years later returned victorious, throwing treasures at the feet of his beloved. But Naina again refused him. Finn decided to attract his beloved with charms, studied for many years in the forests with sorcerers and was finally able to make a woman fall in love with him. However, forty years had passed since their last meeting, and now before him was not a young beauty, but a decrepit old woman, and even a witch. Finn runs away from a woman who is inflamed with passion for him, and since then Naina has hated the man.

Song two

At this time, Rogdai decides to kill his main rival, Ruslan, and goes back. Farlaf, having lunch near the stream, saw a knight rushing towards him, got scared and ran away. When Rogdai, who believed that he was chasing Ruslan, caught up with him, he was disappointed and let the knight go.

On the way, Rogdai met the old woman Naina, who showed him the way to Ruslan to the north. The witch also appeared to Farlaf - she advised him to return to Kyiv, since “Lyudmila will not leave them.”

After the abduction, Lyudmila was in “painful oblivion” for a long time. The girl woke up in rich chambers similar to the house of Scheherazade. Three maidens, accompanied by wonderful singing, braided Lyudmila’s hair, put on her a pearl crown, an azure sundress and a pearl belt. However, the princess is very sad and yearns for Ruslan. She is not even happy with the magically beautiful garden where she spends the whole day. At night, a “long row of Arabs” unexpectedly enters her room. They bring on the pillows a long beard that belonged to a hunchbacked dwarf. In fright, Lyudmila screamed and wanted to hit the dwarf, but he, trying to escape, got tangled in his own beard. The araps carried him away.

Ruslan rides out into an open field, where a horseman rushes towards him with a spear. It was Rogdai. Ruslan defeats his opponent, and Rogdai finds his death in the river.

Song three

In the morning, a winged serpent flies to the dwarf Chernomor, which “suddenly turned around like Naina.” The woman invites the sorcerer to enter into an alliance, and he agrees.

Chernomor finds out that Lyudmila has disappeared - she was neither in the chambers nor in the garden. The girl accidentally discovered the sorcerer's invisibility cap and was now having fun, hiding from the dwarf and his servants.

Ruslan travels to the old battlefield, strewn with bones, where he selects armor for himself, but does not find a worthy sword. Heading further, the prince notices a high hill on which the huge head of a warrior in a helmet sleeps. Ruslan woke up his head and she, angry, began to blow on the knight. A strong whirlwind carried Ruslan back, but he contrived to thrust a spear into the tongue of the head, and then knocked it over. The prince wanted to “chop off her nose and ears,” but the head asked not to do this, telling her story. It used to belong to a giant, who was very jealous of his dwarf brother Chernomor. One day Chernomor learned that there was a sword that would cut off the giant’s head and his beard (in which “fatal power was hidden”). The giant got hold of a blade, and while his brother was sleeping, the dwarf cut off his head, placing it there to guard the sword. The head asks Ruslan to take the blade for himself and take revenge on Chernomor.

Canto Four

Ratmir drives out to the valley and sees a castle on the rocks in front of him. The Knight notices a beautiful maiden walking along the wall and singing a song. The young khan knocks on the castle and is greeted by red maidens. Ratmir remains in the castle.

Lyudmila, all this time, wandered around the sorcerer’s possessions, yearning for her lover. “Wounded by cruel passion,” Chernomor decides to catch Lyudmila, turning into the wounded Ruslan. The girl rushes to her lover, but upon discovering the substitution, she falls unconscious. Suddenly a horn rings.

Song five

As it turned out, Ruslan challenged the sorcerer to battle. In the midst of the battle, the knight grabs Chernomor by the beard and they rise into the sky. Ruslan did not let go of the sorcerer’s beard for three days, and he, tired, descended to the ground. Immediately the knight drew his sword and cut off the sorcerer’s beard, after which he lost his magical power.

Ruslan returns to Chernomor's possessions, but cannot find Lyudmila. Grieving, the knight begins to destroy everything around him with his sword and with an accidental blow knocks off the princess’s invisibility cap. Ruslan falls at the girl’s feet, but she is bewitched and sleeps.

Suddenly, the virtuous Finn appears nearby. He advises taking Lyudmila to Kyiv, where the princess will wake up. The Knight does just that.

On the way back, Ruslan tells the giant's head that he has taken revenge, and she dies calmly. Near a quiet river, the knight meets a fisherman with a sweet maiden, whom he recognizes as Ratmir. Former rivals wish each other happiness.

Naina comes to Farlaf. The sorceress takes the knight to Ruslan, who is sleeping at Lyudmila’s feet. Farlaf “stabs thrice-cold steel” into his opponent’s chest and kidnaps the princess.

Song Six

Farlaf arrives in Kyiv, but Lyudmila continues to sleep. Soon the Pecheneg uprising begins. At this time, Finn comes to the murdered Ruslan with dead and living water and revives the knight. The wizard sends the prince to protect Kyiv and gives him a ring that will help break Lyudmila’s spell.

Ruslan leads the army and defeats the Pechenegs. After the victory, the prince entered the chambers, touched Lyudmila’s forehead with a ring and the girl woke up. Ruslan and Lyudmila forgave Farlaf, and the dwarf was accepted into the palace.

Conclusion

In the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" Pushkin reveals eternal conflict- confrontation between good and evil. All the heroes of the work are ambiguous - they have both positive and negative aspects, however, they themselves choose which path to follow. At the end of the poem, the author, following the traditional a fairy tale, shows that good always triumphs over evil.

A brief retelling of “Ruslan and Lyudmila” will help you become familiar with the plot of the work, as well as prepare for a lesson in Russian literature.

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Dedication
For you, the soul of my queen,
Beauties, for you alone
Tales of times gone by,
During golden leisure hours,
Under the whisper of chatty old times,
I wrote with a faithful hand;
Please accept my playful work!
Without demanding anyone's praise,
I am already happy with sweet hope,
What a maiden with the trembling of love
He'll look, maybe furtively,
To my sinful songs.
There is a green oak near the Lukomorye;
Golden chain on the oak tree:
Day and night the cat is a scientist
Everything goes round and round in a chain;
He goes to the right - the song starts,
To the left - he tells a fairy tale.
There are miracles there: a goblin wanders there,
The mermaid sits on the branches;
There on unknown paths
Traces of unprecedented animals;
There's a hut there on chicken legs
It stands without windows, without doors;
There the forest and valley are full of visions;
There the waves will rush in at dawn
The beach is sandy and empty,
And thirty beautiful knights
From time to time clear waters emerge,
And their sea uncle is with them;
The prince is there in passing
Captivates the formidable king;
There in the clouds in front of the people
Through the forests, across the seas
The sorcerer carries the hero;
In the dungeon there the princess is grieving,
And the brown wolf serves her faithfully;
There is a stupa with Baba Yaga
She walks and wanders by herself;
There, King Kashchei is wasting away over gold;
There is a Russian spirit there... it smells like Russia!
And there I was, and I drank honey;
I saw a green oak by the sea;
The cat was sitting under him, a scientist
He told me his fairy tales.
I remember one: this fairy tale
Now I will tell the world...

Song one
Things of days gone by
Deep legends of antiquity.
In the crowd of mighty sons,
With friends, in the high grid
Vladimir the sun feasted;
He gave away his youngest daughter
For the brave prince Ruslan
And honey from a heavy glass
I drank to their health.
Our ancestors did not eat soon,
It didn't take long to move around
Ladles, silver bowls
With boiling beer and wine.
They poured joy into my heart,
Foam hissed around the edges,
It is important that the teacups wore them
And they bowed low to the guests.
Speeches merged into indistinct noise;
A cheerful circle of guests buzzes;
But suddenly a pleasant voice was heard
And the sound of the harp is a fluent sound;
Everyone fell silent and listened to Bayan:
And the sweet singer praises
Lyudmila is lovely, and Ruslana,
And Lelem made a crown for him.
But, tired of ardent passion,
Ruslan, in love, does not eat or drink;
He looks at his dear friend,
Sighs, gets angry, burns
And, pinching my mustache with impatience,
Counts every moment.
In despondency, with a cloudy brow,
At a noisy wedding table
Three young knights are sitting;
Silent, behind an empty bucket,
Circular cups are forgotten,
And the trash is unpleasant to them;
They do not hear the prophetic Bayan;
They looked down, embarrassed:
Those are three rivals of Ruslan;
The unfortunate are hidden in the soul
Love and hate are poison.
One - Rogdai, brave warrior,
Pushing the limits with a sword
Rich Kyiv fields;
The other is Farlaf, an arrogant loudmouth,
In feasts, not defeated by anyone,
But the warrior is humble among swords;
The last one, full of passionate thought,
Young Khazar Khan Ratmir:
All three are pale and gloomy,
And a merry feast is not a feast for them.
Here it is over; stand in rows
Mixed in noisy crowds,
And everyone looks at the young people:
The bride lowered her eyes
As if my heart was depressed,
And the joyful groom shines.
But the shadow embraces all nature,
It’s already close to midnight; it’s deaf;
The boyars, dozing off from honey,
With a bow they went home.
The groom is delighted, in ecstasy:
He caresses in the imagination
The beauty of a shy maid;
But with secret, sad tenderness
Grand Duke blessing
Gives a young couple.
And here is the young bride
Lead to the wedding bed;
The lights went out... and the night
Lel lights the lamp.
Sweet hopes have come true,
Gifts are being prepared for love;
Jealous robes will fall
On Tsaregrad carpets...
Do you hear the loving whisper,
And the sweet sound of kisses,
And an intermittent murmur
The last timidity?.. Spouse
Feels delight in advance;
And then they came... Suddenly
Thunder struck, light flashed in the fog,
The lamp goes out, the smoke runs out,
Everything around is dark, everything is trembling,
And Ruslan’s soul froze...
Everything fell silent. In the menacing silence
A strange voice was heard twice,
And someone in the smoky depths
Soared blacker than the foggy darkness...
And again the tower is empty and quiet;
The frightened groom stands up
Cold sweat rolls off your face;
Trembling, with a cold hand
He asks the mute darkness...
About grief: there is no dear friend!
The air is empty;
Lyudmila is not in the thick darkness,
Abducted by an unknown force.
Oh, if love is a martyr
Suffering hopelessly from passion,
Even though life is sad, my friends,
However, it is still possible to live.
But after a long time, many years
Hug your loving friend
The object of desires, tears, longing,
And suddenly a minute wife
Lose forever... oh friends,
Of course it would be better if I died!
However, unhappy Ruslan is alive.
But what did the Grand Duke say?
Suddenly struck by a terrible rumor,
I burst into anger at my son-in-law,
He convenes him and the court:
“Where, where is Lyudmila?” - asks
With a terrible, fiery brow.
Ruslan doesn't hear. “Children, friends!
I remember my previous achievements:
Oh, have mercy on the old man!
Tell me which one of you agrees
Jump after my daughter?
Whose feat will not be in vain,
Therefore, suffer, cry, villain!
He couldn’t save his wife! -
To him I will give her as a wife
With half the kingdom of my great-grandfathers.
Who will volunteer, children, friends?..”
"I!" - said the sad groom.
"I! I!" - exclaimed with Rogdai
Farlaf and joyful Ratmir:
“Now we saddle our horses;
We are happy to travel all over the world.
Our Father, let us not prolong the separation;
Don’t be afraid: we’re going for the princess.”
And gratefully dumb
In tears he stretches out his hands to them
An old man, exhausted by melancholy.
All four go out together;
Ruslan was killed by despondency;
Thought of the Lost Bride
It torments and kills him.
They sit on zealous horses;
Along the banks of the Dnieper happy
They fly in swirling dust;
Already hiding in the distance;
The riders are no longer visible...
But he still looks for a long time
Grand Duke in an empty field
And the thought flies after them.
Ruslan languished silently,
Having lost both meaning and memory.
Looking over your shoulder arrogantly
And it’s important to put your arms akimbo, Farlaf,
Pouting, he followed Ruslan.
He says: “I force
I've broken free, friends!
Well, will I soon meet the giant?
Surely blood will flow,
These are the victims of jealous love!
Have fun, my faithful sword,
Have fun, my zealous horse!”
Khazar Khan, in his mind
Already hugging Lyudmila,
Almost dancing over the saddle;
The blood in him is young,
The look is full of fire of hope:
Then he gallops at full speed,
It teases the dashing runner,
Circles, rears up
Ile boldly rushes to the hills again.
Rogday is gloomy, silent - not a word...
Fearing an unknown fate
And tormented by vain jealousy,
He is the most worried
And often his gaze is terrible
He looks gloomily at the prince.
Rivals on the same road
Everyone travels together all day.
The Dnieper became dark and sloping;
The shadow of the night pours from the east;
The fogs over the Dnieper are deep;
It's time for their horses to rest.
There's a wide path under the mountain
A wide path crossed.
“Let’s leave, it’s time! - they said, -
Let us entrust ourselves to the unknown fate.”
And every horse, not smelling steel,
By will, I chose the path for myself.
What are you doing, Ruslan, unhappy,
Alone in desert silence?
Lyudmila, the wedding day is terrible,
It seems like you saw everything in a dream.
Pushing the copper helmet over his eyebrows,
From powerful hands leaving the reins,
You're walking between the fields,
And slowly in your soul
Hope dies, faith fades.
But suddenly there was a cave in front of the knight;
There is light in the cave. He's straight to her
Walks under the dormant arches,
Contemporaries of nature itself.
He entered with despondency: what is he seeing?
There is an old man in the cave; clear view,
Calm gaze, gray hair;
The lamp in front of him is burning;
He sits behind an ancient book,
Reading it carefully.
“Welcome, my son! -
He said with a smile to Ruslan. -
I've been here alone for twenty years
In the darkness old life fade;
But finally I waited for the day
Long foreseen by me.
We are brought together by fate;
Sit down and listen to me.
Ruslan, you have lost Lyudmila;
Your strong spirit is losing strength;
But a quick moment of evil will rush by:
For a while, fate befell you.
With hope, cheerful faith
Go for everything, don’t be discouraged;
Forward! with a sword and a bold chest
Make your way to midnight.
Find out, Ruslan: your insulter
The terrible wizard Chernomor,
Longtime thief of beauties,
Full owner of the mountains.
No one else in his abode
Until now the gaze has not penetrated;
But you, destroyer of evil machinations,
You will enter it, and the villain
He will die by your hand.
I don't have to tell you anymore:
The fate of your coming days,
My son, from now on it is your will.”
Our knight fell at the feet of the old man
And in joy he kisses his hand.
The world brightens before his eyes,
And the heart forgot the torment.
He came to life again; and suddenly again
There is a sadness on the flushed face...
“The reason for your melancholy is clear;
But sadness is not difficult to disperse, -
The old man said, “You are terrible.”
Love of a gray-haired sorcerer;
Calm down, know: it is in vain
And the young maiden is not afraid.
He brings down the stars from the sky,
He whistles - the moon trembles;
But against the time of the law
His science is not strong.
Jealous, reverent guardian
Locks of merciless doors,
He's just a weak torturer
Your lovely captive.
He silently wanders around her,
Curses his cruel lot...
But, good knight, the day passes,
But you need peace.”
Ruslan lies down on soft moss
Before the dying fire;
He is looking for sleep,
Sighs, turns slowly...
In vain! Knight finally:
“I can’t sleep, my father!
What to do: I am sick at heart,
And it’s not a dream, how sickening it is to live.
Let me refresh my heart
Your holy conversation.
Forgive my impertinent question.
Open up: who are you, blessed one,
An incomprehensible confidant of fate?
Who brought you to the desert?
Sighing with a sad smile,
The old man replied: “Dear son,
I've already forgotten my distant homeland
Gloomy edge. Natural Finn,
In the valleys known to us alone,
Chasing the herd from the surrounding villages,
In my carefree youth I knew
Some dense oak groves,
Streams, caves of our rocks
Yes, wild poverty is fun.
But to live in gratifying silence
It didn't last long for me.
Then, near our village,
Like a sweet color of solitude,
Naina lived. Between friends
She thundered with beauty.
One morning
Their herds on the dark meadow
I drove on, blowing the bagpipes;
There was a stream in front of me.
Alone, young beauty
I was making a wreath on the shore.
I was attracted by my destiny...
Ah, knight, it was Naina!
I go to her - and the fatal flame
I was rewarded for my daring gaze,
And I recognized love in my soul
With her heavenly joy,
With her painful melancholy.
Half of the year has flown away;
I opened up to her with trepidation,
He said: I love you, Naina.
But my timid sorrow
Naina listened with pride,
Loving only your charms,
And she answered indifferently:
“Shepherd, I don’t love you!”
And everything became wild and gloomy for me:
Native bush, shade of oak trees,
Merry games of shepherds -
Nothing consoled the melancholy.
In despondency, the heart dried up and sluggishly.
And finally I thought
Leave Finnish fields;
Seas of faithless depths
Swim across with a brotherly squad
And deserve the glory of abuse
Naina's proud attention.
I called the brave fishermen
Look for dangers and gold.
For the first time the quiet land of fathers
I heard the swearing sound of damask steel
And the noise of non-peaceful shuttles.
I sailed into the distance, full of hope,
With a crowd of fearless countrymen;
We are ten years of snow and waves
They were stained with the blood of enemies.
Rumor spread: the kings of a foreign land
They were afraid of my insolence;
Their proud squads
The northern swords fled.
We had fun, we fought menacingly,
They shared tributes and gifts,
And they sat down with the vanquished
For friendly feasts.
But a heart full of Naina,
Under the noise of battle and feasts,
I was languishing in secret sorrow,
Searched for the Finnish coast.
It's time to go home, I said, friends!
Let's hang up the idle chain mail
Under the shadow of my native hut.
He said - and the oars rustled;
And, leaving fear behind,
To the Gulf of the Fatherland dear
We flew in with proud joy.
Long-time dreams have come true,
Ardent wishes come true!
A minute of sweet goodbye
And you sparkled for me!
At the feet of the haughty beauty
I brought a bloody sword,
Corals, gold and pearls;
Before her, intoxicated with passion,
Surrounded by a silent swarm
Her envious friends
I stood as an obedient prisoner;
But the maiden hid from me,
Saying with an air of indifference:
"Hero, I don't love you!"
Why tell me, my son,
What is there no power to retell?
Ah, and now alone, alone,
Soul asleep, at the door of the grave,
I remember sorrow, and sometimes,
How a thought is born about the past,
By my gray beard
A heavy tear rolls down.
But listen: in my homeland
Between the desert fishermen
Wonderful science lurks.
Under the roof of eternal silence,
Among the forests, in the distant wilderness
Gray-haired sorcerers live;
To objects of high wisdom
All their thoughts are directed;
Everyone hears their terrible voice,
What happened and what will happen again,
And they are subject to their formidable will
And the coffin and love itself.
And I, a greedy seeker of love,
Decided in joyless sadness
Attract Naina with charms
And in the proud heart of a cold maiden
Ignite love with magic.
Hastened into the arms of freedom,
Into the lonely darkness of the forests;
And there, in the teachings of sorcerers,
Spent invisible years.
The long-awaited moment has come,
And the terrible secret of nature
I realized with bright thoughts:
I learned the power of spells.
The crown of love, the crown of desires!
Now, Naina, you are mine!
The victory is ours, I thought.
But really the winner
There was rock, my persistent persecutor.
In dreams of young hope,
In the delight of ardent desire,
I cast spells hastily,
I call the spirits - and in the darkness of the forest
The arrow rushed like thunder,
The magic whirlwind raised a howl,
The ground shook under my feet...
And suddenly he sits in front of me
The old woman is decrepit, gray-haired,
Sparkling with sunken eyes,
With a hump, with a shaking head,
A picture of sad disrepair.
Ah, knight, it was Naina!..
I was horrified and silent
With his eyes the terrible ghost measured,
I still didn’t believe in doubt
And suddenly he began to cry and shout:
“Is it possible! oh, Naina, is it you!
Naina, where is your beauty?
Tell me, is heaven really
Have you been changed so badly?
Tell me, how long has it been since you left the light?
Have I parted with my soul and my sweetheart?
How long ago?..” “Exactly forty years,”
There was a fatal answer from the maiden, -
Today I was seventy.
“What should I do,” she squeaks to me, “
The years flew by in a crowd.
My, your spring has passed -
We both managed to grow old.
But, friend, listen: it doesn’t matter
Loss of unfaithful youth.
Of course, I'm gray now,
A little hunchbacked, maybe;
Not like in the old days,
Not so alive, not so sweet;
But (added the chatterbox)
I’ll tell you a secret: I’m a witch!”
And it really was like that.
Mute, motionless in front of her,
I was a complete fool
With all my wisdom.
But here's something terrible: witchcraft
It was completely unfortunate.
My gray deity
There was a new passion for me.
Curling his terrible mouth into a smile,
Freak with a grave voice
He mumbles a confession of love to me.
Imagine my suffering!
I trembled, looking down;
She continued through her cough.
Heavy, passionate conversation:
“So, now I recognize the heart;
I see, true friend, it
Born for tender passion;
Feelings have awakened, I'm burning,
I'm yearning for love...
Come into my arms...
Oh darling, darling! I'm dying..."
And meanwhile she, Ruslan,
She blinked with languid eyes;
And meanwhile for my caftan
She held herself with her skinny arms;
And meanwhile I was dying,
I closed my eyes in horror;
And suddenly I couldn’t stand the urine;
I broke out screaming and ran.
She followed: “Oh, unworthy!
You have disturbed my calm age,
The days are bright for the innocent maiden!
You have achieved Naina's love,
And you despise - these are men!
They all breathe treason!
Alas, blame yourself;
He seduced me, wretched one!
I gave myself up to passionate love...
Traitor, monster! oh shame!
But tremble, maiden thief!
So we parted. From now on
Living in my solitude
With a disappointed soul;
And in the world there is consolation for the old man
Nature, wisdom and peace.
The grave is already calling me;
But the feelings are the same
The old lady hasn't forgotten yet
And the late flame of love
Turned from frustration into anger.
Loving evil with a black soul,
The old witch, of course,
He will hate you too;
But grief on earth does not last forever.”
Our knight greedily listened
Stories of the Elder; clear eyes
I didn’t fall into a light nap
And a quiet flight of the night
I didn't hear it in deep thought.
But the day shines radiantly...
With a sigh the grateful knight
Volume of the old sorcerer;
The soul is full of hope;
Gets out. Legs squeezed
Ruslan of the neighing horse,
He recovered in the saddle and whistled.
"My father, do not leave me."
And gallops across the empty meadow.
Gray-haired sage to a young friend
He shouts after him: “Happy journey!
Forgive, love your wife,
Don’t forget the elder’s advice!”

Song two
Rivals in the art of warfare,
Know no peace among yourselves;
Bring tribute to the dark glory
And revel in enmity!
Let the world freeze before you,
Marveling at the terrible celebrations:
No one will regret you
Nobody will bother you.
Rivals of a different kind
You, knights of the Parnassian mountains,
Try not to make people laugh
The immodest noise of your quarrels;
Scold - just be careful.
But you, rivals in love,
Live together if possible!
Believe me, my friends:
To whom fate is indispensable
A girl's heart is destined
He will be sweet in spite of the universe;
It is stupid and sinful to be angry.
When Rogdai is indomitable,
Tormented by a dull foreboding,
Leaving his companions,
Set off into a secluded region
And he rode between the forest deserts,
Lost in deep thought -
The evil spirit disturbed and confused
His yearning soul
And the cloudy knight whispered:
“I’ll kill!.. I’ll destroy all the barriers...
Ruslan!.. do you recognize me...
Now the girl will cry..."
And suddenly, turning the horse,
He gallops back at full speed.
At that time the valiant Farlaf,
Having dozed sweetly all morning,
Hiding from the midday rays,
By the stream, alone,
To strengthen your mental strength,
I dined in peaceful silence.
When suddenly he sees someone in the field,
Like a storm, he rushes on a horse;
And without wasting any more time,
Farlaf, leaving his lunch,
Spear, chain mail, helmet, gloves,
Jumped into the saddle and without looking back
He flies - and he follows him.
“Stop, dishonorable fugitive! -
An unknown person shouts to Farlaf. -
Despicable one, let yourself be caught up!
Let me rip your head off!”
Farlaf, recognizing Rogdai’s voice,
Crouching in fear, he died
And, expecting certain death,
He drove the horse even faster.
It's like the hare is in a hurry,
Covering your ears fearfully,
Over hummocks, across fields, through forests
Jumps away from the dog.
At the site of the glorious escape
Melted snow in spring
Muddy streams flowed
And they dug into the wet chest of earth.
A zealous horse rushed to the ditch,
He waved his tail and white mane,
He bit the steel reins
And he jumped over the ditch;
But the timid rider is upside down
He fell heavily into a dirty ditch,
I didn’t see the earth and the heavens
And he was ready to accept death.
Rogdai flies up to the ravine;
The cruel sword has already been raised;
“Die, coward! die! - broadcasts...
Suddenly he recognizes Farlaf;
He looks and his hands drop;
Annoyance, amazement, anger
His features were depicted;
Gritting my teeth, numb,
Hero, with drooping head
Having quickly driven away from the ditch,
I was furious... but barely, barely
He didn't laugh at himself.
Then he met under the mountain
The old lady is barely alive,
Hunchbacked, completely gray.
She's a road stick
She pointed him north.
“You will find him there,” she said.
Rogdai was boiling with joy
And he flew to certain death.
And our Farlaf? Left in the ditch
Not daring to breathe; to myself
As he lay there, he thought: Am I alive?
Where did the evil rival go?
Suddenly he hears right above him
The old woman's deathly voice:
“Get up, well done: everything is quiet in the field;
You won't meet anyone else;
I brought you a horse;
Get up, listen to me."
The embarrassed knight involuntarily
Crawling left a dirty ditch;
Looking around timidly,
He sighed and said, coming to life:
“Well, thank God, I’m healthy!”
“Believe me! - the old woman continued, -
Lyudmila is difficult to find;
She has run far;
It's not up to you and me to get it.
It is dangerous to travel around the world;
You really won't be happy.
Follow my advice
Go back quietly.
Near Kyiv, in solitude,
In his ancestral village
Better stay without worries:
Lyudmila will not leave us.”
Having said that, she disappeared. Impatient
Our prudent hero
I immediately went home
Heartily forgetting about fame
And even about the young princess;
And the slightest noise in the oak grove,
The flight of the tit, the murmur of the waters
They threw him into the heat and sweat.
Meanwhile, Ruslan rushes far;
In the wilderness of forests, in the wilderness of fields
With habitual thought he strives
To Lyudmila, my joy,
And he says: “Will I find a friend?
Where are you, my soul husband?
Will I see your bright gaze?
Will I hear a gentle conversation?
Or is it destined that the sorcerer
You were an eternal prisoner
And, growing old as a mournful maiden,
Has it bloomed in a dark dungeon?
Or a daring opponent
Will he come?.. No, no, my priceless friend:
I still have my faithful sword with me,
The head hasn’t fallen off my shoulders yet.”
One day, in the dark,
Along the rocks along the steep bank
Our knight rode over the river.
Everything was calming down. Suddenly behind him
Arrows instant buzzing,
Chainmail ringing, and screaming, and neighing,
And the tramp across the field is dull.
"Stop!" - a thunderous voice boomed.
He looked back: in an open field,
Raising his spear, he flies with a whistle
Fierce horseman and thunderstorm
The prince rushed towards him.
“Aha! caught up with you! wait! -
The daring rider shouts, -
Get ready, friend, to be cut to death;
Now lie down among these places;
And look for your brides there.”
Ruslan flared up and trembled with anger;
He recognizes this violent voice...
My friends! and our maiden?
Let's leave the knights for an hour;
I will remember them again soon.
Otherwise it’s high time for me
Think about the young princess
And about the terrible Black Sea.
Of my fancy dream
The confidant is sometimes immodest,
I told how on a dark night
Lyudmila of gentle beauty
From the inflamed Ruslan
They suddenly disappeared among the fog.
Unhappy! when the villain
With your mighty hand
Having torn you from the wedding bed,
Soared like a whirlwind towards the clouds
Through heavy smoke and gloomy air
And suddenly he rushed off to his mountains -
You have lost your feelings and memory
And in the terrible castle of the sorcerer,
Silent, trembling, pale,
In an instant I found myself.
From the threshold of my hut
So I saw, in the middle of summer days,
When the chicken is cowardly
The arrogant sultan of the chicken coop,
My rooster was running around the yard
And voluptuous wings
Already hugged my friend;
Above them in cunning circles
The chickens of the village are the old thief,
Taking destructive measures
A gray kite rushed and swam
And he fell like lightning into the yard.
He took off and flies. In terrible claws
Into the darkness of safe chasms
The poor villain takes her away.
In vain, with my sorrow
And struck with cold fear,
The rooster is calling his mistress...
He sees only flying fluff,
Blown by the flying wind.
Until the morning, young princess
She lay in painful oblivion,
Like a terrible dream,
Embraced - finally she
I woke up with fiery excitement
And full of vague horror;
The soul flies for pleasure,
Looking for someone with ecstasy;
“Where is my dear,” he whispers, “where is my husband?”
She called and suddenly died.
He looks around with fear.
Lyudmila, where is your bright room?
The unhappy girl lies
Among the down pillows,
Under the proud canopy of the canopy;
Curtains, lush feather bed
In tassels, in expensive patterns;
Brocade fabrics are everywhere;
The yachts play like heat;
There are golden incense burners all around
They raise aromatic steam;
Enough... fortunately I don’t need it
Describe the magical house:
It's been a long time since Scheherazade
I was warned about that.
But the bright mansion is not a consolation,
When we don’t see a friend in him.
Three maidens of wonderful beauty,
In light and pretty clothes
They appeared to the princess and approached
And they bowed to the ground.
Then with silent steps
One came closer;
To the princess with airy fingers
Braided a golden braid
With art, which is not new these days,
And she wrapped herself in a crown of pearls
The circumference of the pale forehead.
Behind her, modestly bowing his gaze,
Then another one approached;
Azure, lush sundress
Dressed Lyudmila's slender figure;
Golden curls covered themselves,
Both chest and shoulders are young
A veil as transparent as fog.
The envious veil kisses
Beauty worthy of heaven
And the shoes lightly compress
Two legs, miracle of miracles.
The princess is the last maiden
Pearl Belt delivers.
Meanwhile, the invisible singer
He sings happy songs to her.
Alas, neither the stones of the necklace,
Not a sundress, not a row of pearls,
Not a song of flattery or fun
Her souls are not glad;
In vain the mirror draws
Her beauty, her outfit:
Downcast, motionless gaze,
She is silent, she is sad.
Those who love the truth,
On the dark bottom of the heart they read,
Of course they know about themselves
What if a woman is sad
Through tears, stealthily, somehow,
In spite of habit and reason,
Forgets to look in the mirror, -
She's really sad now.
But Lyudmila is alone again.
Not knowing what to start, she
He approaches the lattice window,
And her gaze sadly wanders
In the space of a cloudy distance.
Everything is dead. Snowy plains
They lay down in bright carpets;
The peaks of the gloomy mountains stand
In monotonous whiteness
And they slumber in eternal silence;
You can't see the smoky roof all around,
The traveler is not visible in the snow,
And the ringing horn of cheerful catching
There is no trumpet in the desert mountains;
Only occasionally with a sad whistle
A whirlwind rebels in a clean field
And on the edge of gray skies
The naked forest shakes.
In tears of despair, Lyudmila
She covered her face in horror.
Alas, what awaits her now!
Runs through the silver door;
She opened with music,
And our maiden found herself
In the garden. Captivating limit:
More beautiful than the gardens of Armida
And those that he owned
King Solomon or Prince of Tauris.
They waver and make noise before her
Magnificent oak trees;
Alleys of palm trees and laurel forests,
And a row of fragrant myrtles,
And the proud peaks of cedars,
And golden oranges
The waters are reflected by the mirror;
Hills, groves and valleys
The springs are enlivened by fire;
The May wind blows with coolness
Among the enchanted fields,
And the Chinese nightingale whistles
In the darkness of trembling branches;
Diamond fountains are flying
With a cheerful noise to the clouds:
The idols shine under them
And, it seems, alive; Phidias himself,
Pet of Phoebus and Pallas,
Finally admiring them
Your enchanted chisel
I would have dropped it out of frustration.
Crushing against marble barriers,
Pearly, fiery arc
Waterfalls are falling and splashing;
And streams in the forest shade
They curl a little like a sleepy wave.
A haven of peace and coolness,
Through the eternal greenery here and there
Light arbors flash by;
There are living rose branches everywhere
They bloom and breathe along the paths.
But inconsolable Lyudmila
He walks and walks and doesn’t look;
She is disgusted with the luxury of magic,
She is sad and blissfully bright;
Where, without knowing, she wanders,
The magic garden goes around,
Giving freedom to bitter tears,
And raises gloomy gazes
To the unforgiving skies.
Suddenly a beautiful gaze lit up:
She pressed her finger to her lips;
It seemed like a terrible idea
Was born... A terrible path was opened:
High bridge over the stream
In front of her hangs on two rocks;
In grave and deep despondency
She comes up - and in tears
I looked at the noisy waters,
Hit, sobbing, in the chest,
I decided to drown in the waves -
However, she didn’t jump into the water
And then she continued on her way.
My beautiful Lyudmila,
Running through the sun in the morning,
I'm tired, I've dried my tears,
I thought in my heart: it’s time!
She sat down on the grass, looked around -
And suddenly there is a tent over her,
Noisily, she turned around with coolness;
Lunch is sumptuous before her;
A device made of bright crystal;
And in silence from behind the branches
The invisible harp began to play.
The captive princess marvels,
But secretly she thinks:
“Away from the sweetheart, in captivity,
Why should I live in the world anymore?
O you, whose disastrous passion
It torments me and cherishes me,
I'm not afraid of the villain's power:
Lyudmila knows how to die!
I don't need your tents
No boring songs, no feasts -
I won't eat, I won't listen,
I will die among your gardens!
The princess gets up, and instantly the tent
And a magnificent luxury device,
And the sounds of the harp... everything was gone;
Everything became quiet as before;
Lyudmila is alone in the gardens again
Wanders from grove to grove;
Meanwhile in the azure skies
The moon, queen of the night, is floating,
Finds darkness on all sides
And she rested quietly on the hills;
The princess is involuntarily falling asleep,
And suddenly an unknown force
More gentle than the spring breeze,
Lifts her into the air
Carries through the air to the palace
And carefully lowers
Through the incense of evening roses
On a bed of sadness, a bed of tears.
Three maidens suddenly appeared again
And they fussed around her,
To take off your luxurious attire at night;
But their dull, vague gaze
And forced silence
Showed secret compassion
And a weak reproach to fate.
But let's hurry: with their gentle hand
The sleepy princess is undressed;
Charming with careless charm,
In one snow-white shirt
She goes to bed.
With a sigh the maidens bowed,
Get away as quickly as possible
And they quietly closed the door.
Well, our prisoner is now!
He trembles like a leaf, he doesn’t dare to breathe;
The hearts grow cold, the gaze darkens;
Instant sleep flees from the eyes;
Not sleeping, doubled my attention
Looking motionless into the darkness...
Everything is gloomy, dead silence!
Only hearts can hear the fluttering...
And it seems... the silence whispers,
They go - they go to her bed;
The princess is hiding in the pillows -
And suddenly... oh fear!.. and really
There was a noise; illuminated
With an instant shine the darkness of the night,
Instantly the door opened;
Silently, proudly speaking,
Flashing naked sabers,
Arapov is walking in a long line
In pairs, as decorously as possible,
And be careful on the pillows
He bears a gray beard;
And he follows her with importance,
Raising his neck majestically,
Humpbacked dwarf from the door:
His head is shaved,
Covered with a high cap,
Belonged to the beard.
He was already approaching: then
The princess jumped out of bed,
Gray-haired Karl for the cap
With a quick hand I grabbed it,
Trembling raised fist
And she screamed in fear,
Which stunned all the Arabs.
Trembling, the poor man hunched over,
The frightened princess is paler;
Quickly cover your ears,
I wanted to run, but I had a beard
Confused, fallen and thrashing;
Gets up, fell; in such trouble
Arapov's black swarm is restless;
They make noise, push, run,
They grab the sorcerer
And out they go to unravel,
Leaving Lyudmila's hat.
But something about our good knight?
Do you remember the unexpected meeting?
Take your quick pencil,
Draw, Orlovsky, night and flog!
In the quivering light of the moon
The knights fought fiercely;
Their hearts are filled with anger,
The spears have already been thrown far away,
The swords are already shattered,
The chain mail is covered in blood,
Shields are cracking, broken into pieces...
They grappled on horseback;
Exploding black dust to the sky,
Beneath them the greyhounds' horses fight;
The fighters are motionlessly intertwined,
Squeezing each other, they remain
As if nailed to the saddle;
Their members are cramped with malice;
Intertwined and ossified;
A quick fire runs through the veins;
On the enemy's chest the chest trembles -
And now they hesitate, weaken -
Someone's mouth... suddenly my knight,
Boiling with an iron hand
The rider is torn from the saddle,
Lifts you up and holds you above you
And throws it into the waves from the shore.
“Die! - exclaims menacingly; -
Die, my evil envious man!”
You guessed it, my reader,
Who did the valiant Ruslan fight with:
He was a seeker of bloody battles,
Rogdai, the hope of the people of Kiev,
Lyudmila is a gloomy admirer.
It is along the Dnieper banks
I was looking for rival tracks;
Found, overtook, but the same strength
I cheated on my battle pet,
And Rus' is an ancient daredevil
I found my end in the desert.
And it was heard that Rogdaya
Young mermaid of those waters
I accepted it coldly
And, greedily kissing the knight,
Drove me to the bottom with laughter,
And long after, on a dark night
Wandering near quiet shores,
Bogatyr's ghost is huge
Scared the desert fishermen.

Song three
It was in vain that you lurked in the shadows
For peaceful, happy friends,
My poems! You didn't hide
From angry, envying eyes.
Already a pale critic, to her service,
The question was fatal to me:
Why does Ruslanov need a girlfriend?
As if to laugh at her husband,
I call both maiden and princess?
You see, my good reader,
There is a black seal of anger here!
Tell me, Zoilus, tell me, traitor,
Well, how and what should I answer?
Blush, unfortunate one, God bless you!
Blush, I don’t want to argue;
Satisfied that I am right in soul,
I remain silent in humble meekness.
But you will understand me, Klymene,
You will lower your languid eyes,
You, victim of the boring Hymen...
I see: secret tear
It will fall on my verse, clear to my heart;
You blushed, your gaze went dark;
She sighed silently... an understandable sigh!
Jealous: be afraid, the hour is near;
Cupid with wayward chagrin
We entered into a bold conspiracy,
And for your inglorious head
The vengeful cleaning is ready.
Already the cold morning was shining
On the crown of the full mountains;
But in the marvelous castle everything was silent.
In annoyance, the hidden Chernomor,
Without a hat, in a morning robe,
Yawned angrily on the bed.
Around his gray hair
The slaves crowded silently,
And gently the bone comb
Combed her curls;
Meanwhile, for benefit and beauty,
On an endless mustache
Oriental aromas flowed,
And the cunning curls curled;
Suddenly, out of nowhere,
A winged serpent flies into the window;
Rattling with iron scales,
He bent into quick rings
And suddenly Naina turned around
In front of an astonished crowd.
“I greet you,” she said, “
Brother, long revered by me!
Until now I knew Chernomor
One loud rumor;
But secret fate connects
Now we have common enmity;
You are in danger
A cloud hangs over you;
And the voice of insulted honor
Calls me to revenge."
With a gaze full of cunning flattery,
Karla gives her his hand,
Saying: “Wonderful Naina!
Your union is precious to me.
We will put Finn to shame;
But I’m not afraid of dark machinations:
A weak enemy is not scary to me;
Find out my wonderful lot:
This blessed beard
No wonder Chernomor is decorated.
How long will her hair be gray?
A hostile sword will not cut,
None of the dashing knights
No mortal will destroy
My slightest plans;
My century will be Lyudmila,
Ruslan is doomed to the grave!”
And the witch gloomily repeated:
“He will die! he will die!
Then she hissed three times,
She stomped her foot three times
And she flew away like a black serpent.
Shining in a brocade robe,
A sorcerer, encouraged by a witch,
Having cheered up, I decided again
Carry the captive to the feet of the maiden
Mustaches, humility and love.
The bearded dwarf is dressed up,
Again he goes to her chambers;
There is a long row of rooms:
There is no princess in them. He's away in the garden,
To the laurel forest, to the garden trellis,
Along the lake, around the waterfall,
Under bridges, in gazebos... no!
The princess left, and there was no trace!
Who will express his embarrassment,
And the roar and the trembling of frenzy?
Out of frustration, he did not see the day.
Carla heard a wild groan:
“Here, slaves, run!
Here, I hope for you!
Now find Lyudmila for me!
Hurry up, do you hear? Now!
It’s not that - you’re joking with me -
I will strangle you all with my beard!”
Reader, let me tell you,
Where did the beauty go?
All night she follows her fate
She marveled in tears and laughed.
The beard scared her
But Chernomor was already known,
And he was funny, but never
Horror is incompatible with laughter.
Towards the morning rays
Lyudmila left the bed
And she turned her involuntary gaze
To high, clean mirrors;
Involuntarily golden curls
She lifted me from her lily shoulders;
Involuntarily thick hair
She braided it with a careless hand;
Your yesterday's outfits
I accidentally found it in the corner;
Sighing, I got dressed and out of frustration
She began to cry quietly;
However, from the right glass,
Sighing, I didn’t take my eyes off,
And it occurred to the girl,
In the excitement of wayward thoughts,
Try on Chernomor's hat.
Everything is quiet, no one is here;
No one will look at the girl...
And a girl at seventeen
What hat won't stick!
You're never too lazy to dress up!
Lyudmila shook her hat;
On the eyebrows, straight, on

Dedication

For you, the soul of my queen,
Beauties, for you alone
Tales of times gone by,
During golden leisure hours,
Under the whisper of chatty old times,
I wrote with a faithful hand;
Please accept my playful work!
Without demanding anyone's praise,
I am already happy with sweet hope,
What a maiden with the trembling of love
Maybe he'll look furtively
To my sinful songs.

There is a green oak near the Lukomorye;
Golden chain on the oak tree:
Day and night the cat is a scientist
Everything goes round and round in a chain;
He goes to the right - the song starts,
To the left - he tells a fairy tale.
There are miracles there: a goblin wanders there,
The mermaid sits on the branches;
There on unknown paths
Traces of unprecedented animals;
There's a hut there on chicken legs
It stands without windows, without doors;
There the forest and valley are full of visions;
There the waves will rush in at dawn
The beach is sandy and empty,
And thirty beautiful knights
From time to time clear waters emerge,
And their sea uncle is with them;
The prince is there in passing
Captivates the formidable king;
There in the clouds in front of the people
Through the forests, across the seas
The sorcerer carries the hero;
In the dungeon there the princess is grieving,
And the brown wolf serves her faithfully;
There is a stupa with Baba Yaga
She walks and wanders by herself;
There, King Kashchei is wasting away over gold;
There is a Russian spirit there... it smells like Russia!
And there I was, and I drank honey;
I saw a green oak by the sea;
The cat was sitting under him, a scientist
He told me his fairy tales.
I remember one: this fairy tale
Now I will tell the world...

Song one

Things of days gone by
Deep legends of antiquity.

In the crowd of mighty sons,
With friends, in the high grid
Vladimir the sun feasted;
He gave away his youngest daughter
For the brave prince Ruslan
And honey from a heavy glass
I drank to their health.
Our ancestors did not eat soon,
It didn't take long to move around
Ladles, silver bowls
With boiling beer and wine.
They poured joy into my heart,
Foam hissed around the edges,
It is important that the teacups wore them
And they bowed low to the guests.

Speeches merged into indistinct noise;
A cheerful circle of guests buzzes;
But suddenly a pleasant voice was heard
And the sound of the harp is a fluent sound;
Everyone fell silent and listened to Bayan:
And the sweet singer praises
Lyudmila-precious and Ruslana
And Lelem made a crown for him.

But, tired of ardent passion,
Ruslan, in love, does not eat or drink;
He looks at his dear friend,
Sighs, gets angry, burns
And, pinching my mustache with impatience,
Counts every moment.
In despondency, with a cloudy brow,
At a noisy wedding table
Three young knights are sitting;
Silent, behind an empty bucket,
Forgot the circular cups,
And the trash is unpleasant to them;
They do not hear the prophetic Bayan;
They looked down, embarrassed:
Those are three rivals of Ruslan;
The unfortunate are hidden in the soul
Love and hate are poison.
One - Rogdai, brave warrior,
Pushing the limits with a sword
Rich Kyiv fields;
The other is Farlaf, an arrogant screamer,
In feasts, not defeated by anyone,
But the warrior is humble among swords;
The last one, full of passionate thought,
Young Khazar Khan Ratmir:
All three are pale and gloomy,
And a merry feast is not a feast for them.

Here it is over; stand in rows
Mixed in noisy crowds,
And everyone looks at the young people:
The bride lowered her eyes
As if my heart was depressed,
And the joyful groom shines.
But the shadow embraces all nature,
It’s already close to midnight; it’s deaf;
The boyars, dozing off from honey,
With a bow they went home.
The groom is delighted, in ecstasy:
He caresses in the imagination
The beauty of a shy maid;
But with secret, sad tenderness
Grand Duke blessing
Gives a young couple.

And here is the young bride
Lead to the wedding bed;
The lights went out... and the night
Lel lights the lamp.
Sweet hopes have come true,
Gifts are being prepared for love;
Jealous robes will fall
On Tsaregrad carpets...
Do you hear the loving whisper,
And the sweet sound of kisses,
And an intermittent murmur
The last timidity?.. Spouse
Feels delight in advance;
And then they came... Suddenly
Thunder struck, light flashed in the fog,
The lamp goes out, the smoke runs out,
Everything around is dark, everything is trembling,
And Ruslan’s soul froze...
Everything fell silent. In the menacing silence
A strange voice was heard twice,
And someone in the smoky depths
Soared blacker than the foggy darkness...
And again the tower is empty and quiet;
The frightened groom stands up
Cold sweat rolls off your face;
Trembling, with a cold hand
He asks the mute darkness...
About grief: there is no dear friend!
The air is empty;
Lyudmila is not in the thick darkness,
Abducted by an unknown force.

Oh, if love is a martyr
Suffering hopelessly from passion,
Even though life is sad, my friends,
However, it is still possible to live.
But after many, many years
Hug your loving friend
The object of desires, tears, longing,
And suddenly a minute wife
Lose forever... oh friends,
Of course, it would be better if I died!

However, unhappy Ruslan is alive.
But what did the Grand Duke say?
Suddenly struck by a terrible rumor,
I burst into anger at my son-in-law,
He convenes him and the court:
“Where, where is Lyudmila?” - asks
With a terrible, fiery brow.
Ruslan doesn't hear. “Children, friends!
I remember my previous achievements:
Oh, have mercy on the old man!
Tell me which one of you agrees
Jump after my daughter?
Whose feat will not be in vain,
Therefore, suffer, cry, villain!
He couldn’t save his wife! -
To him I will give her as a wife
With half the kingdom of my great-grandfathers.
Who will volunteer, children, friends?..”
"I!" - said the sad groom.
"I! I! - exclaimed with Rogdai
Farlaf and joyful Ratmir. -
Now we saddle our horses;
We are happy to travel all over the world.
Our Father, let us not prolong the separation;
Don’t be afraid: we’re going for the princess.”
And gratefully dumb
In tears he stretches out his hands to them
An old man, exhausted by melancholy.

All four go out together;
Ruslan was killed by despondency;
Thought of the Lost Bride
It torments and kills him.
They sit on zealous horses;
Along the banks of the Dnieper happy
They fly in swirling dust;
Already hiding in the distance;
The riders are no longer visible...
But he still looks for a long time
Grand Duke in an empty field
And the thought flies after them.

Ruslan languished silently,
Having lost both meaning and memory.
Looking over your shoulder arrogantly
And it’s important to put your arms akimbo, Farlaf,
Pouting, he groaned for Ruslan.
He says: “I force
I've broken free, friends!
Well, will I soon meet the giant?
Surely blood will flow,
These are the victims of jealous love!
Have fun, my faithful sword,
Have fun, my zealous horse!”

Khazar Khan, in his mind
Already hugging Lyudmila,
Almost dancing over the saddle;
The blood in him is young,
The look is full of fire of hope:
Then he gallops at full speed,
It teases the dashing runner,
It circles, rears up,
Ile boldly rushes to the hills again.

Rogday is gloomy, silent - not a word...
Fearing an unknown fate
And tormented by vain jealousy,
He is the most worried
And often his gaze is terrible
He looks gloomily at the prince.

Rivals on the same road
Everyone travels together all day.
The Dnieper became dark and sloping;
The shadow of the night pours from the east;
The fogs over the Dnieper are deep;
It's time for their horses to rest.
There's a wide path under the mountain
A wide path crossed.
“Let’s leave, it’s time! - they said -
Let us entrust ourselves to the unknown fate.”
And every horse, not smelling steel,
By will, I chose the path for myself.

What are you doing, Ruslan, unhappy,
Alone in desert silence?
Lyudmila, the wedding day is terrible,
It seems like you saw everything in a dream.
Pushing the copper helmet over his eyebrows,
Leaving the reins from powerful hands,
You're walking between the fields,
And slowly in your soul
Hope dies, faith fades.

But suddenly there was a cave in front of the knight;
There is light in the cave. He's straight to her
Walks under the dormant arches,
Contemporaries of nature itself.
He entered with despondency: what is he seeing?
There is an old man in the cave; clear view,
Calm gaze, gray hair;
The lamp in front of him is burning;
He sits behind an ancient book,
Reading it carefully.
“Welcome, my son! -
He said with a smile to Ruslan. -
I've been here alone for twenty years
In the darkness of the old life I wither;
But finally I waited for the day
Long foreseen by me.
We are brought together by fate;
Sit down and listen to me.
Ruslan, you have lost Lyudmila;
Your strong spirit is losing strength;
But a quick moment of evil will rush by:
For a while, fate befell you.
With hope, cheerful faith
Go for everything, don’t be discouraged;
Forward! with a sword and a bold chest
Make your way to midnight.

Find out, Ruslan: your insulter
The terrible wizard Chernomor,
Longtime thief of beauties,
Full owner of the mountains.
No one else in his abode
Until now the gaze has not penetrated;
But you, destroyer of evil machinations,
You will enter it, and the villain
He will die by your hand.
I don't have to tell you anymore:
The fate of your coming days,
My son, from now on it is your will.”

Our knight fell at the feet of the old man
And in joy he kisses his hand.
The world brightens before his eyes,
And the heart forgot the torment.
He came to life again; and suddenly again
There is a sadness on the flushed face...
“The reason for your melancholy is clear;
But sadness is not difficult to disperse, -
The old man said, “You are terrible.”
Love of a gray-haired sorcerer;
Calm down, know: it is in vain
And the young maiden is not afraid.
He brings down the stars from the sky,
He whistles and the moon trembles;
But against the time of the law
His science is not strong.
Jealous, reverent guardian
Locks of merciless doors,
He's just a weak torturer
Your lovely captive.
He silently wanders around her,
Curses his cruel lot...
But, good knight, the day passes,
But you need peace.”

Ruslan lies down on soft moss
Before the dying fire;
He is looking for sleep,
Sighs, turns slowly...
In vain! Knight finally:
“I can’t sleep, my father!
What to do: I am sick at heart,
And it’s not a dream, how sickening it is to live.
Let me refresh my heart
Your holy conversation.
Forgive my impertinent question.
Open up: who are you, blessed one,
An incomprehensible confidant of fate?
Who brought you to the desert?

Sighing with a sad smile,
The old man replied: “Dear son,
I've already forgotten my distant homeland
Gloomy edge. Natural Finn,
In the valleys known to us alone,
Chasing the herd from the surrounding villages,
In my carefree youth I knew
Some dense oak groves,
Streams, caves of our rocks
Yes, wild poverty is fun.
But to live in gratifying silence
It didn't last long for me.

Then, near our village,
Like a sweet color of solitude,
Naina lived. Between friends
She thundered with beauty.
One morning
Their herds on the dark meadow
I drove on, blowing the bagpipes;
There was a stream in front of me.
Alone, young beauty
I was making a wreath on the shore.
I was attracted by my destiny...
Ah, knight, it was Naina!
I go to her - and the fatal flame
I was rewarded for my daring gaze,
And I recognized love in my soul
With her heavenly joy,
With her painful melancholy.

Half of the year has flown away;
I opened up to her with trepidation,
He said: I love you, Naina.
But my timid sorrow
Naina listened with pride,
Loving only your charms,
And she answered indifferently:
“Shepherd, I don’t love you!”

And everything became wild and gloomy for me:
Native bush, shade of oak trees,
Merry games of shepherds -
Nothing consoled the melancholy.
In despondency, the heart became dry and sluggish.
And finally I thought
Leave Finnish fields;
Seas of faithless depths
Swim across with a brotherly squad
And deserve the glory of abuse
Naina's proud attention.
I called the brave fishermen
Look for dangers and gold.
For the first time the quiet land of fathers
I heard the swearing sound of damask steel
And the noise of non-peaceful shuttles.
I sailed into the distance, full of hope,
With a crowd of fearless countrymen;
We are ten years of snow and waves
They were stained with the blood of enemies.
Rumor spread: the kings of a foreign land
They were afraid of my insolence;
Their proud squads
The northern swords fled.
We had fun, we fought menacingly,
They shared tributes and gifts,
And they sat down with the vanquished
For friendly feasts.
But a heart full of Naina,
Under the noise of battle and feasts,
I was languishing in secret sorrow,
Searched for the Finnish coast.
It's time to go home, I said, friends!
Let's hang up the idle chain mail
Under the shadow of my native hut.
He said - and the oars rustled:
And, leaving fear behind,
To the Gulf of the Fatherland dear
We flew in with proud joy.

Long-time dreams have come true,
Ardent wishes come true!
A minute of sweet goodbye
And you sparkled for me!
At the feet of the haughty beauty
I brought a bloody sword,
Corals, gold and pearls;
Before her, intoxicated with passion,
Surrounded by a silent swarm
Her envious friends
I stood as an obedient prisoner;
But the maiden hid from me,
Saying with an air of indifference:
"Hero, I don't love you!"

Why tell me, my son,
What is there no power to retell?
Ah, and now alone, alone,
Soul asleep, at the door of the grave,
I remember sorrow, and sometimes,
How a thought is born about the past,
By my gray beard
A heavy tear rolls down.

But listen: in my homeland
Between the desert fishermen
Wonderful science lurks.
Under the roof of eternal silence,
Among the forests, in the distant wilderness
Gray-haired sorcerers live;
To objects of high wisdom
All their thoughts are directed;
Everyone hears their terrible voice,
What happened and what will happen again,
And they are subject to their formidable will
And the coffin and love itself.

And I, a greedy seeker of love,
Decided in joyless sadness
Attract Naina with charms
And in the proud heart of a cold maiden
Ignite love with magic.
Hastened into the arms of freedom,
Into the lonely darkness of the forests;
And there, in the teachings of sorcerers,
Spent invisible years.
The long-awaited moment has come,
And the terrible secret of nature
I realized with bright thoughts:
I learned the power of spells.
The crown of love, the crown of desires!
Now, Naina, you are mine!
The victory is ours, I thought.
But really the winner
There was rock, my persistent persecutor.

In dreams of young hope,
In the delight of ardent desire,
I cast spells hastily,
I call the spirits - and in the darkness of the forest
The arrow rushed like thunder,
The magic whirlwind raised a howl,
The ground shook under my feet...
And suddenly he sits in front of me
The old woman is decrepit, gray-haired,
Sparkling with sunken eyes,
With a hump, with a shaking head,
A picture of sad disrepair.
Ah, knight, it was Naina!..
I was horrified and silent
With his eyes the terrible ghost measured,
Still didn't believe in doubt
And suddenly he began to cry and shout:
“Is it possible! oh, Naina, is it you!
Naina, where is your beauty?
Tell me, is heaven really
Have you been changed so badly?
Tell me, how long has it been since you left the light?
Have I parted with my soul and my sweetheart?
How long ago?..” – “Exactly forty years,”
There was a fatal answer from the maiden, -
Today I hit seventy.
“What should I do,” she squeaks to me, “
The years flew by in a crowd.
My, your spring has passed -
We both managed to grow old.
But, friend, listen: it doesn’t matter
Loss of unfaithful youth.
Of course, I'm gray now,
A little hunchbacked, maybe;
Not like in the old days,
Not so alive, not so sweet;
But (added the chatterbox)
I’ll tell you a secret: I’m a witch!”
And it really was like that.
Mute, motionless in front of her,
I was a complete fool
With all my wisdom.

But here's something terrible: witchcraft
Unfortunately, it came to pass.
My gray deity
There was a new passion for me.
Curling his terrible mouth into a smile,
Freak with a grave voice
He mumbles a confession of love to me.
Imagine my suffering!
I trembled, looking down;
She continued through her cough.
Heavy, passionate conversation:
“So, now I recognize the heart;
I see, true friend, it

For you, the soul of my queen,
Beauties, for you alone
Tales of times gone by,
During golden leisure hours,
Under the whisper of chatty old times,
I wrote with a faithful hand;
Please accept my playful work!
Without demanding anyone's praise,
I am already happy with sweet hope,
What a maiden with the trembling of love
He'll look, maybe furtively,
To my sinful songs.

There is a green oak near the Lukomorye;
Golden chain on the oak tree:
Day and night the cat is a scientist
Everything goes round and round in a chain;
He goes to the right - the song starts,
To the left - he tells a fairy tale.

There are miracles there: a goblin wanders there,
The mermaid sits on the branches;
There on unknown paths
Traces of unprecedented animals;
There's a hut there on chicken legs
It stands without windows, without doors;
There the forest and valley are full of visions;
There the waves will rush in at dawn
The beach is sandy and empty,
And thirty beautiful knights
From time to time clear waters emerge,
And their sea uncle is with them;
The prince is there in passing
Captivates the formidable king;
There in the clouds in front of the people
Through the forests, across the seas
The sorcerer carries the hero;
In the dungeon there the princess is grieving,
And the brown wolf serves her faithfully;
There is a stupa with Baba Yaga
She walks and wanders by herself;
There, King Kashchei is wasting away over gold;
There is a Russian spirit there... it smells like Russia!
And there I was, and I drank honey;
I saw a green oak by the sea;
The cat was sitting under him, a scientist
He told me his fairy tales.
I remember one: this fairy tale
Now I will tell the world...

Song one

Things of days gone by
Deep legends of antiquity.

In the crowd of mighty sons,
With friends, in the high grid
Vladimir the sun feasted;
He gave away his youngest daughter
For the brave prince Ruslan
And honey from a heavy glass
I drank to their health.
Our ancestors did not eat soon,
It didn't take long to move around
Ladles, silver bowls
With boiling beer and wine.
They poured joy into my heart,
Foam hissed around the edges,
It is important that the teacups wore them
And they bowed low to the guests.

Speeches merged into indistinct noise;
A cheerful circle of guests buzzes;
But suddenly a pleasant voice was heard
And the sound of the harp is a fluent sound;
Everyone fell silent and listened to Bayan:
And the sweet singer praises
Lyudmila is lovely, and Ruslana,
And Lelem made a crown for him.

But, tired of ardent passion,
Ruslan, in love, does not eat or drink;
He looks at his dear friend,
Sighs, gets angry, burns
And, pinching my mustache with impatience,
Counts every moment.
In despondency, with a cloudy brow,
At a noisy wedding table
Three young knights are sitting;
Silent, behind an empty bucket,
Circular cups are forgotten,
And the trash is unpleasant to them;
They do not hear the prophetic Bayan;
They looked down, embarrassed:
Those are three rivals of Ruslan;
The unfortunate are hidden in the soul
Love and hate are poison.
One - Rogdai, brave warrior,
Pushing the limits with a sword
Rich Kyiv fields;
The other is Farlaf, an arrogant loudmouth,
In feasts, not defeated by anyone,
But the warrior is humble among swords;
The last one, full of passionate thought,
Young Khazar Khan Ratmir:
All three are pale and gloomy,
And a merry feast is not a feast for them.

Here it is over; stand in rows
Mixed in noisy crowds,
And everyone looks at the young people:
The bride lowered her eyes
As if my heart was depressed,
And the joyful groom shines.
But the shadow embraces all nature,
It’s already close to midnight; it’s deaf;
The boyars, dozing off from honey,
With a bow they went home.
The groom is delighted, in ecstasy:
He caresses in the imagination
The beauty of a shy maid;
But with secret, sad tenderness
Grand Duke blessing
Gives a young couple.

And here is the young bride
Lead to the wedding bed;
The lights went out... and the night
Lel lights the lamp.
Sweet hopes have come true,
Gifts are being prepared for love;
Jealous robes will fall
On Tsaregrad carpets...
Do you hear the loving whisper,
And the sweet sound of kisses,
And an intermittent murmur
The last timidity?.. Spouse
Feels delight in advance;
And then they came... Suddenly
Thunder struck, light flashed in the fog,
The lamp goes out, the smoke runs out,
Everything around is dark, everything is trembling,
And Ruslan’s soul froze...
Everything fell silent. In the menacing silence
A strange voice was heard twice,
And someone in the smoky depths
Soared blacker than the foggy darkness...
And again the tower is empty and quiet;
The frightened groom stands up
Cold sweat rolls off your face;
Trembling, with a cold hand
He asks the mute darkness...
About grief: there is no dear friend!
The air is empty;
Lyudmila is not in the thick darkness,
Abducted by an unknown force.

Oh, if love is a martyr
Suffering hopelessly from passion,
Even though life is sad, my friends,
However, it is still possible to live.
But after many, many years
Hug your loving friend
The object of desires, tears, longing,
And suddenly a minute wife
Lose forever... oh friends,
Of course it would be better if I died!

However, unhappy Ruslan is alive.
But what did the Grand Duke say?
Suddenly struck by a terrible rumor,
I burst into anger at my son-in-law,
He convenes him and the court:
“Where, where is Lyudmila?” - asks
With a terrible, fiery brow.
Ruslan doesn't hear. “Children, friends!
I remember my previous achievements:
Oh, have mercy on the old man!
Tell me which one of you agrees
Jump after my daughter?

A poetic fairy-tale work by the outstanding Russian classic of Russian literature Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” was written between 1818 and 1820. The author, impressed by the beauty, diversity and originality of Russian folklore (epics, legends, fairy tales and popular stories), creates a unique poetic work that has become a classic of world and Russian literature, distinguished by a grotesque, fantastic plot, the use of colloquial vocabulary and the presence of a certain amount of authorial irony.

According to some literary scholars, the poem was created as a parody of chivalric novels and poetic ballads in the romantic style of Zhukovsky, who was fashionable at that time (the basis was his popular ballad “The Twelve Maidens”), who, after the publication of the poem, presented Pushkin with his portrait with words of gratitude from a defeated teacher for a winning student.

History of creation

According to some sources, Pushkin conceived the idea of ​​writing this fabulous poetry with a “heroic spirit” during his lyceum studies. But he started working on it much later, already in 1818-1820. The poetic poem was created under the influence not only of exclusively Russian folklore, but also the motifs of the works of Voltaire and Ariosto are clearly felt here. The names for some characters (Ratmir, Farlaf, Ragdai) appeared after Pushkin read “The History of the Russian State.”

In this poetic work, the author skillfully combined antiquity, moments of Russian history and the time in which the poet lived. For example, his image of Ruslan is akin to the image of the legendary Russian heroes, he is just as brave and courageous, but Lyudmila, thanks to her certain carelessness, flirtatiousness and frivolity, on the contrary, is closer to the young ladies of Pushkin’s era. The most important thing for the poet was to show in the work the triumph of good over evil, the victory of the light principle over dark, gloomy forces. After the poem appeared in print in 1820, it almost immediately brought the poet well-deserved fame. Distinguished by its lightness, irony, sublimity, grace and freshness, it was a deeply original work, in which various genres, traditions and styles were skillfully mixed, immediately captivating the minds and hearts of readers of that time. Some critics condemned the use of deliberately common figures of speech in the poem; not everyone understood the author’s unusual technique and his unusual position as a storyteller.

Analysis of the work

Storyline

The poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” is divided into six parts (songs), it begins with lines where the author talks about who this work is dedicated to, and it is intended for beautiful girls, for whose sake this fairy tale was written. Then everyone goes well famous description the magical country of Lukomorye, the green oak growing there and the mythical creatures living there.

First song begins with a story about a feast in the palace Prince of Kyiv Vladimir the Red Sun, dedicated to the wedding of his daughter, the beautiful Lyudmila, and the brave young hero Ruslan. There is also the legendary epic singer and storyteller Bayan, as well as Ruslan’s three rivals Ratmir, Ragdai and Farlaf, who are also in love with Lyudmila, they are angry with the newly-minted groom, full of envy and hatred towards him. Then a misfortune happens: the evil sorcerer and dwarf Chernomor kidnaps the bride and takes her to his enchanted castle. Ruslan and three rivals set out from Kyiv in search of her, in the hope that whoever finds the prince's daughter will receive her hand and heart. On the way, Ruslan meets Elder Finn, who tells him the story of his unhappy love for the girl Naina and shows him the way to the terrible sorcerer Chernomor.

Second part (song) talks about the adventures of Ruslan’s rivals, about his clash and victory over Ragday who attacked him, and also describes the details of Lyudmila’s stay in Chernomor’s castle, her acquaintance with him (Chernomor comes to her room, Lyudmila gets scared, squeals, grabs him by the cap and he runs away in horror).

In the third song a meeting of old friends is described: the wizard Chernomor and his friend the sorceress Naina, who comes to him and warns him that the heroes are coming to him for Lyudmila. Lyudmila finds a magic hat that makes her invisible and hides throughout the palace from the old and nasty sorcerer. Ruslan meets the giant head of a hero, defeats it and takes possession of a sword with which to kill Chernomor.

In the fourth song Radmir abandons the search for Lyudmila and remains in the castle with young beauties, and only one loyal warrior Ruslan stubbornly continues his journey, which becomes more and more dangerous, on the way he meets a witch, a giant and other enemies, they try to stop him, but he firmly goes towards his goal. Chernomor tricks Lyudmila, wearing an invisibility cap, into a magic net and she falls asleep in it.

Fifth song tells the story of Ruslan's arrival at the wizard's palace, and of the difficult battle between the hero and the villainous dwarf, who carries Ruslan on his beard for three days and three nights, and finally surrenders. Ruslan captivates him, cuts off the magic beard, throws the sorcerer into a bag and goes to look for his bride, whom the vile dwarf hid well, putting an invisibility cap on her. Finally he finds her, but cannot wake her up, and in such a sleepy state he decides to take her to Kyiv. On the night road, Farlaf secretly attacks him, seriously wounds him and takes Lyudmila away.

In the sixth song Farlaf brings the girl to her father and tells everyone that it was he who found her, but he still cannot wake her up. Elder Finn saves and revives Ruslan with living water, he hurries to Kyiv, which was just attacked by the Pechenegs, bravely fights with them, removes the spell from Lyudmila and she wakes up. The main characters are happy, a feast is arranged for the whole world, the dwarf Chernomor, who has lost his magical power, is left in the palace, in general, good will dine on evil and justice will triumph.

The poem ends with a lengthy epilogue in which Pushkin tells readers that with his work he glorified the legends of deep antiquity, says that in the process of work he forgot about all grievances and forgave his enemies, in which friendship, which is of great importance to the author, helped him a lot .

Characteristics

The hero Ruslan, the groom of the prince's daughter Lyudmila, is the central character of Pushkin's poem. The description of the trials that befell him, endured with honor and great courage in the name of saving his beloved, forms the basis of all storyline. The author, inspired by the exploits of Russian epic heroes, portrays Ruslan not only as the savior of his beloved, but also as a protector native land from the raids of nomads.

Ruslan's appearance, described with special care, should fully convey his correspondence to the heroic image according to the author's intention: he has blond hair, symbolizing the purity of his plans and the nobility of his soul, his armor is always clean and shiny, as befits a knight in shining armor, always ready for battle. At the feast, Ruslan is completely absorbed in thoughts about his future marriage and ardent love for his bride, which does not allow him to notice the envious and evil glances of his rivals. Compared to them, he stands out for his purity and directness of thoughts, sincerity and sensuality. Also, the main character traits emerge during his journey to the Chernomor castle; he reveals himself as an honest, decent and generous person, a brave and courageous warrior, purposefully and stubbornly pursuing his goal, a faithful and devoted lover, ready to even die for his love.

In the image of Lyudmila, Pushkina showed a portrait of an ideal bride and lover, who faithfully and faithfully waits for her groom and is immensely sad in his absence. The princely daughter is depicted as a delicate, vulnerable nature, possessing special tenderness, sensitivity, elegance and modesty. At the same time, this does not prevent her from having a strong and rebellious character, which helps her resist the evil sorcerer Chernomor, gives her strength and courage not to submit to the vile kidnapper and faithfully wait for her savior Ruslan.

Features of compositional construction

The genre of the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” refers to novels and poems of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, gravitating toward creativity in a “national” spirit. It also reflects the influence on the author of such trends in literature as classicism, semanticism, and chivalric romance.

Following the example of all magical knightly poems, this work has a plot built according to a certain template: hero-knights are looking for their lovers, kidnapped by some mythical villain, overcome a series of tests for this, armed with certain talismans and magical weapons, and in the end they receive a hand and beauty's heart. The poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” is constructed in the same vein, but it is distinguished by amazing grace, freshness, subtle wit, brightness of colors and a light trail of epicureanism, characteristic of many works written by Pushkin during his studies at the Tsarskoe Selo Lyceum. It is the author’s ironic attitude towards the content of the poem that cannot give this work a real “national” coloring. The main advantages of the poem can be called its light and beautiful form, playfulness and witty style, perkiness and cheerfulness of the general mood, a bright thread running through all the content.

Pushkin’s fairy-tale poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila,” cheerful, light and witty, became a new word in the established literary traditions of writing heroic ballads and poems; it was extremely popular among readers and caused a great resonance among literary critics. It is not for nothing that Zhukovsky himself admitted his complete failure, and gave the branch of primacy to the young talent of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who, thanks to this work, took a leading position in the ranks of Russian poets and became famous not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.