Bryusov's year of publication for the young poet. Valery Bryusov - To a young poet: Verse

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Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov

A pale young man with burning eyes,
Now I give you three covenants:
First accept: do not live in the present,
Only the future is the realm of the poet.

Remember the second: do not sympathize with anyone,
Love yourself endlessly.
Keep the third: worship art,
Only to him, recklessly, aimlessly.

A pale young man with an embarrassed look!
If you accept my three commandments,
Silently I will fall as a defeated fighter,
Knowing that I will leave the poet in the world.

Valery Bryusov is rightfully considered one of the founders of Russian symbolism, a literary and artistic movement that gained immense popularity at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Despite the fact that symbolism itself was a kind of protest against various moral teachings, dogmas and traditions, Valery Bryusov nevertheless did not deny himself the pleasure of compiling a short rhyming treatise in which he outlined the basic principles of this trend in literature. The poem “To the Young Poet”, written in 1896, is a kind of parting word to future writers, whom Valery Bryusov certainly wants to see as symbolists. In his opinion, they should be quite selfish and ruthless towards others, and serving art should become their main goal in life.

Since symbolism completely denies the connection with the current moment, and his followers are deprived of earthiness and put the spiritual much higher than the material, Valery Bryusov advises his followers to live not in the present, but in the future. He encourages them to dream and embody their dreams in verse, believing that this will help to completely abstract from outside world, to become self-sufficient people, a kind of demigods who will be worshiped by the townsfolk.

Do not forget that the end of the 19th century was marked by massive popular unrest and the politicization of society, in which revolutionary ideas began to prevail. They not only ran counter to the work of the Symbolists, but were also considered absolutely destructive in this environment. Materialism cannot rule the world, since the basis of all actions and aspirations of a person is his spiritual strength. Nevertheless, Valery Bryusov never denied a different point of view, believing that only time has the right to judge people and show which of them was right. As a result, Bryusov's poems became classics, and revolutionary ideas faded away over time, demonstrating to the world their utopianism and failure.

Probably anticipating this, in the poem "To the Young Poet" Valery Bryusov calls on his followers to love themselves "infinitely." This implies not only narcissism, but also awareness of one's own uniqueness. Indeed, each person is unique and in some way is a work of art. But in order to learn to see the best qualities in yourself and cultivate them, you need to give up the anchor that firmly holds a person on the ground, makes him buy fashionable clothes and listen to the opinions of others. Meanwhile, Valery Bryusov is convinced that no one is able to appreciate the rich spiritual world true poet other than himself. Therefore, in this case narcissism is not a destructive trait, but a means of self-defense and spiritual development, thanks to which a true writer learns to understand his inner world and reveal it to others in their works.

If everything is quite clear with love for art, and no one will argue that a true poet must serve his muse faithfully throughout his life, then Valery Bryusov’s call not to sympathize with anyone is shocking at first. However, these lines also have their own hidden meaning, which lies in the fact that compassion is a serious obstacle to the contemplation and spiritual searches of the symbolists. After all, it is enough just once to become interested in the spiritual world of another person and show participation in his fate in order to instantly get bogged down in other people's problems. This, according to Bryusov, is a real betrayal of poetry, which should be subtle, sublime and completely devoid of a touch of vulgarity caused by contact with earthly existence.

Valery Bryusov is a prominent representative of the Symbolists and is considered the founder of this literary movement in Russia. Many poets who worked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries resorted to symbolism, which protested against dogmas, moralizing and traditions. An analysis of Bryusov's poem "To a Young Poet" shows that the author wanted to give parting words to future writers, to leave behind followers who will continue the work he started.

In 1896, Bryusov wrote "The Young Poet". suggests that the author dreamed of a new generation of symbolists who, no matter what, would serve art. Valery Yakovlevich urged young people to be ruthless to society, selfish and have only one goal in life - to show their writing talent. Symbolists put the spiritual in the first place and despise the material, so the followers of this trend should be deprived of earthiness and deny their connection with the current time.

An analysis of Bryusov's poem "To a Young Poet" shows that the author encourages writers to abstract from the outside world, dream about the beautiful and convey their dreams in verse. Every symbolist poet must become a demigod who will be respected by the townsfolk. Valery Yakovlevich demanded to love himself, to understand his own uniqueness and to clearly go to the intended goal, without going astray. A real poet, in spite of everything, must devote his whole life to the muse.

The hidden meaning of the poem

At the end of the 19th century, popular unrest began to occur more and more often, revolutionary ideas began to soar in society, against which Bryusov was an opponent. "To the Young Poet" - a poem calling for spiritual development and renunciation of everything material. According to the symbolists, materialism cannot rule the world, while Valery Yakovlevich himself always believed that only time can judge who was right and who was not. As a result, it became a classic of Russian literature, and revolutionary ideas showed their failure and utopianism.

When the poet requires his followers to love themselves, he does not mean narcissism, but the comprehension of personal originality, which will help develop good qualities in oneself, not be dependent on the opinions of others. An analysis of Bryusov's poem "To the Young Poet" suggests that the author believes that no one is able to appreciate the spiritual world of a person, except for himself. Narcissism helps the poet to better know his inner world and open up in poetry.

The reader may be shocked by the author’s call not to sympathize with anyone, but an analysis of Bryusov’s poem “To the Young Poet” shows that he means an attempt to protect himself from everything material and engage only in spiritual searches. If a writer begins to be interested in other people's problems, then he will simply wallow in them, there will be no time left for creativity at all. In addition, verses should be light, sublime and have nothing to do with earthly life, and for this the poet needs to protect himself from society.

In the critical era of the beginning of the 20th century, during the period of crisis in the socio-political, economic life of the country, a spiritual crisis sets in, and moral guidelines are lost. Therefore, it is at this time that the purpose of the poet becomes especially important.
The poetry of the Silver Age is in search of new themes, images, new poetic forms, but it has the main thing - the bright, original, unique personalities of the poets themselves. One of these creators is, no doubt, Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov.
His poem "To the Young Poet" was written on July 15, 1896. The form of the work is clear from the name, this is a dedication. The plot of the poem is a certain parting word. The lyrical hero gives three testaments to the novice poet, which he must observe. It is noteworthy that all these tips are given in the form of an imperative mood. So, we can understand that this is not a request, and even, perhaps, not advice. Rather, it is a requirement, a necessity, without which, according to the lyrical hero, real art is impossible.
The appeal at the very beginning of the poem is very interesting. The lyrical hero says: "A pale young man with burning eyes." This is a romantic image of a person who is able to become a poet. He is pale, as if exhausted by his thoughts. I think the pallor also emphasizes his detachment from the real world. It is as if transparent, ephemeral. And only his burning eyes live, he is filled with passion, the desire to do a great thing in this life. It is such a person that the lyrical hero chooses for himself as a student. It is and only in such a young man that he is able to discern the opportunity to become a real poet, creator, creator. The hero sees in his protégé the possibility of future greatness, but in order to become a true artist of the word, certain rules must be observed. Although in the mouth of a lyrical hero, these rules turn into precepts. This word, I think, emphasizes the sacredness of the poet, poetic art. It is very interesting that these "covenants" convey the basis of symbolist art:
First accept: do not live in the present,
Only the future is the realm of the poet.

Remember the second: do not sympathize with anyone,
Love yourself endlessly.
Keep the third: worship art,
Only to him, recklessly, aimlessly.
Reality should not exist for a person who dreams of becoming a real poet. After all, the meaning of poetic creativity is to shape the future. Only the future has meaning, only for the sake of it you need to create. This is one of the rules of the symbolist poet. The second covenant is to "sympathize with no one." At first, this phrase seems rather strange, but after a little thought, everything becomes clearer. I think the point here is that the poet's main interest should be in the realm of his own emotions. The beginning of the 20th century was a turning point with severe political situation. But the poet must discard this, he must not think about it, because all these earthly troubles are only temporary. He must always think about the eternal. For this, you need to love yourself infinitely. After all, only by filling, saturating his inner world, the symbolist will be able to create. And the main theme of his work is his own emotional experiences, but in no way connected with the present.
As can be understood from the third testament, only art is eternal and significant for the symbolist. He needs to give himself completely, without a trace. Art is religion and the meaning of life.
It is worth noting the fact that in the third quatrain, the gaze of the young man, to whom the entire poem is addressed, changes. Now the lyrical hero says about him: “A pale young man with an embarrassed look!” I think that before this appeal, the young man was burning with the desire to become a poet, but he did not think about what hard work it was, how many conditions you need to fulfill in order to become a real creator. This responsibility confuses the young man, makes him wonder if he is ready for this. But, if he dares to accept these precepts, he can become such a master, before whom the lyrical hero bows:
If you accept my three commandments,
Silently I will fall as a defeated fighter,
Knowing that I will leave the poet in the world.
In these lines, we can see the hope of the lyrical hero that the next generation will be more perfect, will be able to fulfill these three precepts. For him, art is an eternal struggle, but he is ready to lose to the future generation if it will benefit creativity.
Thus, this poem very succinctly and clearly conveys the poetic program of the Symbolists. In addition, this is a testament to descendants, a call to them. The lyrical hero wants to see in the future generation not just worthy successors, but more perfect creators, capable of devoting their whole lives to art.

A pale young man with burning eyes,
Now I give you three covenants:
First accept: do not live in the present,
Only the future is the realm of the poet.
Remember the second: do not sympathize with anyone,
Love yourself endlessly.
Keep the third: worship art,
Only to him, recklessly, aimlessly.
A pale young man with an embarrassed look!
If you accept my three commandments,
Silently I will fall as a defeated fighter,
Knowing that I will leave the poet in the world.

Analysis of the poem "To the Young Poet" by Bryusov

There is a version that Valery Bryusov dedicated the poem written in 1896 to himself. These lines are reminiscent of instructions to the young generation of creative people. At the time of writing the work, the poet was a little over twenty years old.

Central motif

The poem is entirely devoted to poetry and what place it occupies in the life of the poet and his readers. Creative person usually - this is a special personality that is not like other people. The collective image of the poet in the poem is given advice: how to be and what needs to be done for this world.

At the beginning of the work, the author draws vivid image"Pale young man with burning eyes" - young, enthusiastic, with a large reserve of strength and desire to create. At the end of the poem, after the teaching of important precepts, this image changes. Now the poet stands before us "with an embarrassed look."

The requirements that were presented to him are initially impossible to fulfill. But the poet is not ready to give in and will fight for his place in the world of literature to the end. The poetic destiny disturbs the young man, leads him to various thoughts. If a young man accepts all the instructions, then he will be considered a true creator of the word.

Composition

The poem contains 3 stanzas with testaments to the young poet.

  1. In the first part, the author urges not to think about what is happening in this moment and live with an eye to the future. The symbolists of that time separated themselves from reality and lived in a world of dreams.
  2. In the second part we will find a call to love only ourselves and not show mercy to others. This position can be explained by the youth of the poet; during this period, people are characterized by insolence and self-confidence.
  3. At the end of his work, Bryusov asks the young man to remain devoted to art; After all, this is the most important thing in the life of every creative person.

Expressive means

The work cannot boast of abundant and varied linguistic means, but they are quite enough to correctly assess the position of the poet. It's worth mentioning here:

  • epithets (limitless, aimless);
  • metaphors (with burning eyes);
  • obsolete words (covenant, now).

The poem is published in the second collection of Bryusov's "This is me". The work belongs to the genre of philosophical lyrics. The poet can be confidently called the founder of Russian symbolism. The main goal of this literary movement is the formation of everything new. Bryusov skillfully arranged the basics of symbolism into a poetic form.

Comparative analysis of A.S. Pkshkin's poems

"To the Poet" (1830) and V. Bryusov "To the Young Poet" (1896)

V. Bryusov

The young poet

A pale young man with burning eyes,

Now I give you three testaments

only the future is the realm of the poet

Remember the second: do not sympathize with anyone,

Love yourself endlessly.

Keep the third: worship art,

only to him, recklessly, aimlessly.

A pale young man with an embarrassed look!

If you accept my three commandments,

A.S. Pushkin

To the Poet (1830)

Poet! do not value the love of the people.

You will hear the judgment of a fool and the laughter of the cold crowd:

You are the king: live alone. Dear free mind,

Go where your free mind takes you,

Improving the fruits of your favorite thoughts,

Not demanding rewards for a noble feat.

They are in you yourself, you yourself are your highest court;

You know how to evaluate your work more strictly.

Are you satisfied with it, demanding artist?

Satisfied? So let the crowd scold him

And spits on the altar where your fire burns

And in childish playfulness your tripod shakes.

Russian poetry is one of the remarkable phenomena of world culture.

The poems of Russian poets are distinguished by high humanity, a bright look

life, richness of thought and the ability to convey the subtlest shades of feelings and

mood.

True Russian poetry has always, in all difficult and terrible times, been at its best. From generation to generation, her freedom-loving character, fighting, perky spirit, unbroken faith in a beautiful future were passed on.

Many of the poets thought about the task, role and fate of poetry and the poet in contemporary society. Derzhavin, Pushkin, Lermontov, Nekrasov, Blok, Mayakovsky, Gumilyov, Bryusov, Tvardovsky... left their reflections on this subject. All of them firmly knew about the unenviable, difficult fate of the poet. But, probably, everyone was in solidarity with Pushkin, who proudly proclaimed: “My lot has fallen: I choose the lyre! “

Before me are two poems that are separated by time. More

half a century separates the sonnet of A.S. Pushkin “To the Poet” (1830) from a poem-message by V.Ya. Bryusov "To the Young Poet" (1895).

The first thing that catches your eye is the similarity of names. Continuity

titles in Russian poetry has been known since the time of G.R. Derzhavin. It says

about the continuity of not only themes, ideas, but also about the poet's own vision

problems, supplementing the theme with their own, different from others, world outlook.

Both poems are devoted to the theme of the poet and poetry.

The form is similar. This is a monologue addressed to a colleague, to a fellow writer.

The idea is similar.

worship art,

Only to him, undividedly, aimlessly.

(at Bryusov)

Not demanding rewards for a noble feat

(at Pushkin)

This means that both Pushkin and Bryusov were worried and worried about the same questions:

what should a poet be, what qualities should he have, what will he be,

who will replace them. Therefore, both poets choose the same poetic

form - a friendly message in which they unobtrusively give their time-tested advice.

The similarity is also felt in the composition: both go from thesis to conclusion. But

Pushkin's advice is more reasoned than Bryusov's, for whom everything is left behind the line, he only hints, states.

For example, Bryusov:

First accept: do not live in the present,

Only the future is the realm of the poet.

Pushkin:

Poet! do not value the love of the people.

Enthusiastic praise will pass a moment's noise;

You will hear the judgment of a fool and the laughter of the cold crowd;

But you remain firm, calm and gloomy.

Of course, this is due to the time of writing. Pushkin wrote his sonnet during the years of the “black reaction” that came as a result of the defeat of the Decembrist uprising. On himself he experienced both the “judgment of a fool” and “the laughter of the crowd.” Feature for Pushkin: he uses the paraphrase “cold crowd” - this is high society /. But the poet went where the free mind leads. He was afraid that not all of his fellow writers would remain “solid”, “calm”. Therefore, explaining in such detail, he convinces his companion to follow “the free road. Free from the “crowd”, from the “fool”, for “you are the king: live alone”… Improving the fruits of your favorite thoughts. The poet is king. Great comparison! “We know how to evaluate our work more strictly”

After all, the poet is a “exacting artist”, he knows how to admit his mistakes, true to his word and purpose.

V.Ya. Bryusov is a man of another time. His letter was written in 1896. In Russia, the era of timelessness, a revolutionary situation is brewing. Russian symbolist poets experienced the problem of personality with excruciating tension. We see this in this poem. The poet believes that “only the future is the realm of the poet.” He must be preached, waited for, glorified. Bryusov, a symbolist, is characterized by prophetic sensations. And his advice to the young, aspiring poet is prophetic parting words, which he gives in a confidential manner:

First accept: do not live in the present.

Remember the second: do not sympathize with anyone.

Keep the third: worship art.

V.Ya. Bryusov considered art to be valuable in itself. He was often criticized for rationalism, reproached for the cold that penetrated his poetry. But the poet put hard work, selfless work above, hence “worship art, only it, undividedly, aimlessly.”

Both poets do not refer to a separate, specific person (although the names are given in the singular). They address the intended interlocutor, their followers. Thus, poems acquire a universal meaning.

Strophic, syntactic and logical construction of poems are subject to the creative intent of the poets.

A.S. Pushkin - the purpose of the poem is to instill self-confidence. If the poet is satisfied with his work, “let the crowd scold him and spit on the altar where your fire burns ...” Pushkin believes that a real poet will treat himself in the strictest way, constantly improve his work.

V.Ya. Bryusov - the desire to help the young man "with a burning gaze" to love himself, i.e. believe in own forces, with honor to fulfill the duty of the poet, to the end proudly carry the banner of Poetry, worship art, i.e. to honor those whom you follow, not to stumble, not to put out the fire of your young heart.

If you accept my three commandments,

Silently I will fall as a defeated fighter,

Knowing that I will leave the poet in the world.

The ending of Bryusov's poem is associative.

I recall the words of Zhukovsky dedicated to Pushkin: "To the winner - to the student from the defeated teacher."

The poems are identical in structure and style. Both use one-part sentences (this creates a trusting atmosphere), non-union sentences, appeals. Pushkin's address consists of one word: "Poet!" For Bryusov, it is common: “a pale young man with a burning look,” “a pale young man with an embarrassed look ...” A change in one adjective - an epithet can say a lot. The reader will conjecture and present this image, which the author thus gives in dynamics. The alleged lyrical hero is a young, inexperienced young man who does not know life. But on the other hand, he is full of desire and fire to embark on a thorny path. The author uses a wonderful metaphorical epithet - “with a burning gaze, which helps us to imagine this “pale” youth. He is both frightened and excited - he is listening to the master of symbolist poetry! The author warns him against temptations, life's difficulties. And with his advice, he confused the hero, i.e. made me think.

The inversions used by Bryusov help to feel the author's inner need for a parting word. This is not a desire to teach - this is a desire to teach, to support.

In Pushkin, the alleged interlocutor is faceless. The reader cannot imagine it, "see". Here you can see the poet himself. Therefore, Bryusov's poem is more specific.

Pushkin's poem is richer and more varied in the use of visual means. The abundance of epithets (“enthusiastic praises”, “minute noise”, “cold laughter of the crowd”, “free way”, “free mind”, “noble feat” ...) creates the image of the poet himself, talented, courageous, firm in his convictions, freedom-loving . Freedom for him is the fullness of life, its saturation, diversity. With the antithesis of “the crowd is a poet,” Pushkin defends the “sovereignty” of the poet.

You are the king: live alone. By the road of the free

Go where your free mind takes you.

Pushkin chooses freedom - complete, unlimited, unconditional freedom.

nothing.

Using the paraphrases “the laughter of a cold crowd”, “the crowd scolds him”, “the court of a fool”, the author vividly and convincingly draws a society in which he lived so uncomfortable and hard.

Comparison and metaphors convince the reader that poetry is sacred for the author, it is an “altar”, “where ... the fire burns”, i.e. soul, desire to serve the Fatherland, “good feelings”.

V.Ya. Bryusov has practically no visual means, except for the metaphorical epithet “a young man with a burning gaze”.

But his verse is melodious. This is facilitated by inversion, anaphora, assonance (vowels o, and, e - lingering, melodious), alliteration (sonor: '' l '' -

the most sonorous, melodic consonant, ‘’ p ‘’ – gives strength, energy).

Everything in the poem is internally connected with each other, everything is unidirectional, it is said in a single outburst of feelings, as if in one breath.

All clauses in the poem are feminine. A continuous female rhyme throughout the poem is not common (of the poets of the 19th century, it is characteristic of Fet). Women's rhymes, unlike men's, are more drawn out. A continuous female rhyme gives the poem a greater degree of compositional conciseness. Thanks to female rhyme, each verse and stanza is not completely finished in terms of intonation. AT last word There is no final intonation strike in the verse, so you involuntarily wait for the continuation.

The verses are not dissected - each verse requires the next. But in the end all the power of the poem is concentrated. It is such that not a single word can be added to it:

Silently I will fall as a defeated fighter,

Knowing that I will leave the poet in the world.

He believes in continuity, in the fact that bright poetic talents will not run out on earth.

Bryusov uses a four-foot dactyl. The poem consists of three quatrains with cross rhyming. The rhyme is exact, open and closed.

Pushkin's sonnet traditionally consists of 2 quatrains and 2 tertsinas.

The rhyme is precise, closed. This gives the poem solemnity, majesty. This is partly due to caesuras (pauses in the middle of a poetic line), which enhance the rhythm of the poem. Male rhyming alternates with female, which gives the flow of speech the necessary smoothness and flexibility.

Both poems are saturated with social and political sound.


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