Pushkin is the first Russian poet who devoted himself entirely to art, moreover, the first who refused all public service for the sake of the right to be a poet. With all his creativity he sought to answer the question “what is poetry?” The topic of the purpose of poetry and the mission of the poet has two aspects: social and philosophical. From the lyceum bench, defending his right to study literature and literature only, Pushkin entered into an open conflict with society. Society never came to terms with this: a striking example of this is the awarding of Pushkin by Nicholas I the title of chamber cadet - decent for young man and an unworthy adult man. The tsar sought to “squeeze” the free poet into a certain social unit, making it clear that he did not recognize any social status for the writer. Sufficiently unwilling state system“recognizing” literature was caused by fear of its influence on the minds and played a role in the formation of a special attitude towards creators in Russia. Indeed, no literature in the world was as aware of its prophetic mission as Russian. And here the social and philosophical aspects of the problem of the purpose of poetry come together. Young Pushkin, influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, which Professor Kunitsin preached at the Lyceum, influenced by conversations with Chaadaev, with the future Decembrists, sees the purpose of poetry in service common cause- the cause of liberating Russia from an outdated state system. In the ode "Liberty" he defines it this way:

I want to sing Freedom to the world,

Smite vice on thrones.

Since the Mikhailovsky period, a cycle of poetic declarations has opened in Pushkin’s work, affirming in the minds of Russian readers a new, not yet seen in Russia, high social status of the poet and poetry.

Pushkin endured the second exile hard and painfully. The poet not only survived, but also rose to a new level in his creative development. What saved the poet from death was his closeness to people's life, faith in his creative powers, in the great significance of the artistic word.

Poetry is like a comforting angel,

She saved me, and I was resurrected in soul, -

He later wrote in a draft of the poem “Again I visited...”. The theme of creativity has attracted many poets. It occupies a significant place in Pushkin's lyrics. He speaks about the high purpose of poetry and its special role in more than one poem. Poetry is a difficult and responsible matter, Pushkin believes. And the poet differs from mere mortals in that he is given the ability to see, hear, understand what an ordinary person does not see, does not hear, does not understand.

The poet influences him with his gift. His influence on people is so great that the poet himself must be an example of civil behavior, showing steadfastness, intransigence to social injustice, and be a strict and demanding judge towards himself. True poetry, according to Pushkin, should be humane, life-affirming, and awaken good, humane feelings. In his poems “The Poet and the Crowd”, “To the Poet”, “Echo”, “Prophet”, “I have erected a monument to myself not made by hands”, he talks about the freedom of poetic creativity, about the complex relationship between the poet and the authorities, the poet and the people.

G. Krasnukhin believes that “Pushkin’s poet is not a preacher to whom listeners reverently listen, but their opponent, defending their own sovereignty from them, not recognizing their right to the so-called “social order.” Finally, the poet is like an echo, which although and responds “to every sound,” but does not itself know the response—there is “no response” to it.

The poet should not delight or surprise the crowd either with angry invective addressed to it or with its monstrous revelations. Pushkin compared this to buffoonery, to trickery, understanding what curiosity each such moral teacher arouses in the crowd and how easily such curiosity is satiated. It would be a sham on the part of the poet to put all this into an artistic form that can amaze the imagination with an unusual rhyme, an unprecedented trope, and an exciting periphrasis. That is why Pushkin refuses the “social order” of the crowd, because such an order has nothing to do with the moral nature of poetry.

In his poems about the duty of a poet, Pushkin wrote about the three commandments of art that make up the moral trinity: to awaken good feelings in souls, to affirm freedom as the main human value and to call for mercy.

Pushkin wrote: “Poet! Do not value the people’s love,” but this only meant: do not allow yourself to be made an idol and remember that such love is transitory. Do not be deceived by enthusiasm, flattery, or the exalted heed of the crowd: “You are your own supreme court", so judge yourself according to the eternal laws of art! Grossman L., “Notes of D'Arshiac: St. Petersburg Chronicle of 1836.” M., "TERRA", 1997, pp. 20-25.

The poem "The Prophet" was written in 1826. The content of the poem was inspired by the events of December 14, 1825 and Pushkin’s grief over the death of “brothers, friends, comrades.” This poem is narrative, it depicts the process of gradual rebirth into a wise prophet. The text is full of Slavicisms, giving the speech a solemn, upbeat tone, which is organically connected with the biblical theme. But the Christian myth, the biblical coloring is just a garment, an artistic device. Behind the allegory and symbolism, reality itself clearly emerges, Pushkin’s thoughts about the high purpose of the poet. All that everyday content that fills the hearts and minds of busy people, their whole world should become a dark desert for a true poet... He thirsts for spiritual satisfaction and drags towards it. Nothing more is required on his part: the hungry and thirsty will be satisfied...

The poet-prophet, with sophisticated attention, penetrated into the life of nature, higher and lower, contemplated and heard everything that happened, from the direct flight of angels to the winding course of reptiles, from the rotation of the heavens to the vegetation of plants. What's next? He who has gained his sight to see the beauty of the universe feels the more painfully the ugliness of human reality. He will fight her. His action and weapon is the word of truth. But in order for the word of truth, coming from the thorn of wisdom, not only to sting, but to burn the hearts of people, it is necessary that this thorn itself be kindled by the fire of love.

As we see, Pushkin attaches exceptional importance to the worldview of the poet-prophet. Without clear views on life and creativity, a poet cannot bring the truth to people, awaken “good feelings” in them, or influence their morality.

In the poem, the final quatrain takes on special significance, where every word is full of deep meaning. These lines contain an explanation of what happened to the prophet. “Prophetic apples” are given to him in order to see the whole diverse, colorful world; a sensitive ear is needed in order to hear the pulse of life, in whatever forms it manifests itself, and to sing equally of both “sublime” and “low” objects.

The idea of ​​the citizenship of creativity is expressed with particular force in the lines: “With a verb, burn the hearts of people.”

There is a lot of debate about who is hiding behind the main character of the poem - a poet or a prophet. Apparently, it’s both. Pushkin for the first time felt in mature Russian literature its special purpose in Rus', inherited from pre-Petrine literature - to be the Word, combining an artistic image and the gift of prophecy.

The poet, who is a faithful servant of God, is an echo of the Russian people, for he is the bearer of the people's shrine. But at the moment of creativity, the poet must be incorruptible. “A true poet is not something separate from the people; he is their own organ, their hearing, eye and voice,” V.S. rightly says. Nepomnyashchy. And the “Monument” to Pushkin is not an act of the artist realizing his “merits,” but an act of affirming the great mission of the poet, that he, the poet, is subject only to the command of God. Literature. Textbook-reader. M., "Enlightenment" 2005, p. 142-146.

The poem "The Wanderer" was written in 1835. in its concept it is close to such poems as “To the Poet” and “Echo”, in its figurative system and allegorical form it is close to “The Prophet”, and in general it is closely connected with Pushkin’s late lyrics, in which he affirmed the ideal freedom of the artist and his the right to independent creativity, emphasized the special place of the creator in society. The problem of a genius misunderstood by his contemporaries was often developed by the poet and found artistic embodiment in “The Wanderer.”

"The Wanderer" differs from other poems in that in it the poet resorts to a narrative form, which helps to more fully reflect the reality and world around him.

“The Wanderer” is based on the plot of the book “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by the English writer Puritan John Bunyan (1628-1688). Pushkin deviated far from the original, retaining only the allegorical form of the narrative. His wanderer is a “spiritual worker,” in other words, a creator, a thinker. The theme of the poem is a reflection on the fate of the creator. His fate is not easy; it is difficult for him to choose the “right path” in the world around him. Who will help the wanderer in choosing the path? Only he can make your choice. And he does it. This is the idea of ​​the poem.

In Rus', wanderers were people who made a pilgrimage on a pilgrimage. In other words, a wanderer is a person close to God, who prefers spiritual life to everything worldly and vain. Pushkin also calls him a “spiritual worker.” That inner work that does not allow the wanderer to live peacefully, the way everyone else lives, brings him closer to the heroes of the poems “Poet”, “Echo”, “Prophet”.

The wanderer’s suffering is explained not only by the awareness of the inevitability of death and the short duration of human existence, but also by the misunderstanding that arises between the “spiritual worker” and the people around him.

A detailed description of the hero’s mental torment conveys not only the degree of hopelessness and despair, but also the enormous internal work happening in the soul:

I was suddenly overcome with great sorrow

And crushed and bent with a heavy burden,

Hanging my head, wringing my hands in anguish,

I poured out my souls of pierced torment in screams

And he repeated bitterly, tossing about like a sick person:

"What will I do? What will become of me?"

Even the consolations of loved ones, “the healing peace of sleep,” did not reduce the wanderer’s despair:

But grief became more oppressive hour by hour;

My soul is full

Longing and horror; painful burden

It weighs me down.

I lay down, but all night I cried and sighed

And he didn’t close his heavy eyes for a moment.

We cried and sighed with despondency.

The twice repeated “everything cried and sighed” is intended to emphasize the hopelessness of the position of the “spiritual worker.” The fear of death weighs down with a “heavy burden,” a “painful burden.” The word “despondency” is used by the poet three times: “my despondency,” “close despondency,” and finally, “languishing with despondency.” The last phrase is not perceived as tautological, because its purpose is to draw our attention to the mental state of the wanderer. Sorrow (“great sorrow”, “sorrow was more oppressive from hour to hour”), melancholy, horror - this is the range of feelings that the wanderer experiences. He no longer “wanders,” but wanders.

I went wandering again...

Why, wandering alone, am I crying so bitterly?

The noun “wanderer” is formed from the verb “to wander”; from the verb “to wander” another noun is formed - “tramp”; in Ozhegov, “tramp” is an impoverished, homeless person wandering without specific occupations. The transformation of a wanderer into a vagabond occurs literally before our eyes: a person who has lost his life’s guidelines is incapable of a full spiritual life; sad, depressing thoughts and feelings dominate him.

Comparisons (“like a slave plotting a desperate escape”, “a traveler hurrying to spend the night before the rain”) used by the poet also reduce, already at the lexical level, the idea of ​​the high mission of the former wanderer. Suffering is compared to a “chain rope,” and this confirms our idea that the image of the wanderer is, of course, allegorical, that Pushkin in his poem affirms the creator’s right to freedom and independence.

Pushkin often addresses the theme of freedom and independence in his works. For him in the thirties this issue became especially important. At this time, the poet was overcome by a feeling of alienation from environment, an irresistible desire to break out of it. There was only one way of liberation from the hostile atmosphere - escape. It was impossible, but Pushkin dreamed about it. He wrote to his wife: “God grant that I see you healthy, your children safe and alive! Don’t give a damn about St. Petersburg, resign, run away to Boldino, and live as a master.” It is clear why the theme of loneliness appeared in a number of Pushkin’s poetic works in the thirties.

The theme of loneliness can be seen in "The Wanderer". Misunderstanding is shown not only by those people surrounding the wanderer, but also by those whom he considers closest. They do not fully understand it, they do not see the “right path” chosen by the hero of the poem:

Both the children and the wife shouted to me from the doorway,

May I come back soon. Screams them

My friends were attracted to the square;

One scolded me, the other scolded my wife

He gave advice, others regretted each other,

Who reviled me, who made me laugh,

Who suggested turning back the neighbors by force;

Others were already chasing me...

He scolded, pitied, reviled, made fun of him, offered to turn him back by force... No one remained indifferent to the act of the wanderer. But among these strong human passions there is only one thing missing - understanding.

poet poetry Pushkin creativity

There is another image in the poem - a young man with a book. The image is symbolic. The book is a symbol of wisdom and omniscience. It is the young man who gives the wanderer advice to leave the alien world and thereby gain immortality. But the “gate of salvation” is called “narrow.” The symbolic path is barely illuminated, the “narrow gates of salvation” clearly cannot accept the crowd, this path of the chosen ones. The wanderer must decide for himself whether he will follow this path, despite the fact that everyone dissuades him, considers him crazy, and is not going to follow him. And he makes his choice:

...but I'm even more

I hurried to cross the city field,

In order to see quickly - leaving those places,

Salvation is the right path and the narrow gate.

Resorting to allegorical form and allegorical images, Pushkin reflected on both his own fate and the fate of the poet in general in Russia.

Pushkin often resorts to archaisms in his poems. The significance of the topic raised required a high style, so the poet turns to archaic, solemn vocabulary: sorrow, bent, heavy, revered, listening, gaze, dragging, asked, know, finger, behold, etc. At the same time, the wanderer is the flesh of those people , among whom he is destined to live. Therefore, the words of high style are clearly contrasted with colloquial words and colloquial expressions: exposed, with head down, wringing hands, screams, horror, if, with a wave of my hand, I collapse, from here, thorn, go, vilify, turn back by force.

The fate of the prophet ("Prophet") and the fate of the wanderer can be compared. In “The Wanderer,” the poet continues to reflect on the fate of a genius, persecuted and misunderstood by his contemporaries (“Poet,” “To the Poet,” “Echo”). These reflections, despite the allegorical form chosen by Pushkin, are closely related to reality and testify to the poet’s creative maturity and realistic orientation. Literature. Textbook-reader. M., "Enlightenment" 2005, p. 147-154.

The poem "The Poet", written in 1827, is the quintessence of Pushkin's reflections on the essence of the poet. The poet appears in the poem as a complex being, marked by God, endowed with part of his creative power, but at the same time as an ordinary, earthly person. The author even fully admits that the poet may be “the most insignificant of all” among the “insignificant children of the world.” Change begins in him only when God sends him inspiration.

The poet is transformed - he is no longer one of many people drawn into the everyday bustle, but an extraordinary person: his hearing becomes sensitive, he is able to hear the “divine verb”. He evaluates his former life as “the fun of the world”; people’s rumors depress him - he is preparing to utter new words about the world. This is no longer rumor, but the words of a poet, in whom there is nothing ordinary or vulgar. The poet's soul awakens:

The poet's soul will stir,

Like an awakened eagle.

He becomes proud, “wild and harsh,” that is, he plunges into himself, into his creative thoughts. A poet cannot create when he is among ordinary people, in the bustle of the world. Inspiration requires solitude, freedom from everyday life. Let us remember the wonderful words from the poem “October 19,” written in 1825:

The service of the muses does not tolerate fuss;

The beautiful must be majestic...

The poet runs away from the bustle of the world “to the shores of desert waves, /Into the wide, noisy oak groves...”. Of course, the banks and oak groves where the poet is directed are a poetic convention. These "geographical" points are symbols of peace and solitude. The poet runs away from the bustle so that “the lyrical voice becomes louder, / Creative dreams become more vivid.” You can hear the world and express it in words only away from human noise and small everyday worries.

Pushkin, as it were, “stops the moment” - before the poet, captured at the moment of inspiration: he is “full of both sounds and confusion.”

There is no visual image here. It is replaced by psychological details that convey the beginning of the creative process, when chaotic, discordant sounds crowd into the poet’s soul, overwhelmed by the “confusion” of thoughts and feelings. Literature. Textbook-reader. M., "Enlightenment" 2005, p. 154-156.

One of Pushkin’s last poems, “I have erected a monument to myself not made by hands,” was written on August 21, 1836.

V.F. Khodasevich believed that this poem was a belated response to Delvig’s Lyceum poem “Two Alexanders,” where Delvig predicted that Alexander I would glorify Russia as a statesman, and Pushkin as the greatest poet.

However early XIX century will subsequently be called the Pushkin era, and not the era of Alexander I. Delvig died in 1831, Alexander I - in 1825.

The leading theme in the poem is the theme of the poet and poetry. It puts forward the problem of poetic glory, poetic immortality and overcoming death through glory.

The genre specificity of the poem is dictated by tradition: the poems are written as a kind of imitation of Derzhavin’s poem “Monument”, which, in turn, is a reworking of Horace’s ode “To Melpomene”, known to the Russian reader from Lomonosov’s translation.

Pushkin borrowed the epigraph to his poem from Horace: “Exegi monumentum” (“I erected a monument…”).

Horace (Lomonosov translation):

I erected a sign of immortality for myself

Higher than the pyramids and stronger than copper.

What stormy Aquilon cannot warm,

Neither many centuries, nor the caustic antiquity.

I won’t die at all, but death will leave me

Great is my part, as soon as I end my life

I will grow in glory everywhere,

While great Rome controls the light.

Where Avfid makes noise with fast streams,

Where Davnus reigned among the common people,

My fatherland will not remain silent.

That my ignorant family was not an obstacle to me,

To bring Aeolian poetry to Italy

And be the first to ring the Alcean lyre.

Proud of righteous merit, muse

And crown the head with the Delphic laurel.

Derzhavin:

I erected a wonderful, eternal monument to myself,

He is harder than metals and higher than the pyramids,

Neither a whirlwind nor a fleeting thunder will break it,

And time's flight will not crush it.

So! - all of me will not die, but part of me is big,

Having escaped from decay, he will live after death,

And my glory will increase without fading,

How long will the universe honor the Slavic race?

Rumors will spread about me from the White Waters to the Black Waters,

Where the Volga, Don, Neva, the Urals flow from Riphean;

Everyone will remember this among countless nations,

Like in obscurity I became famous for that

That I was the first to dare in a funny Russian syllable

To proclaim Felitsa’s virtues,

Talk about God in simplicity of heart

And speak the truth to kings with a smile.

Oh Muse! be proud of your just merit,

And whoever despises you, despise them yourself;

With a relaxed, unhurried hand

Crown your brow with immortality.

("Monument", 1795) A.S. Pushkin. Selected works. M., " Fiction" 1978, T. - 1, pp. 283-285.

Pushkin, continuing the tradition, tries to show what his services to Russia are:

And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,

That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,

That in my cruel age I glorified freedom

And he called for mercy for the fallen.

But in Pushkin’s understanding, the poet is not a descriptor in honor of nobles and tsars, he is “an echo of the Russian people.” “Free pride”, “modest, noble lyre”, the desire to serve only freedom with his poetry, the refusal to glorify kings, the consciousness of a deep connection with the people - all this remained unchanged in Pushkin’s views throughout his entire creative life. Literature. Textbook-reader. M., "Enlightenment" 2005, p. 156-159.

In many of Pushkin’s poems we see the poet’s opposition to the secular society among which he lives. He calls this society contemptuously and angrily: “crowd” and “rabble”, that is, from the ignorant persecutors of the poet, from secular society, from “proud ignoramuses” and “noble fools”.

In Pushkin’s time, not only almost all lyceum students wrote poetry, but also the highly educated layer of the nobility was quite strong in literature, poetry was revered in salons; the inability to write poetry was considered bad manners.

In 1826-1836, Pushkin created a number of poems on the topic of the poet and poetry, in which the author develops his views on the tasks of the poet: freedom of creativity, following his own path determined by his high calling, independence from serving the secular crowd.

In addition, the idea of ​​the poet’s tragic fate in life runs through all his creativity. Zhukovsky once developed this same topic. He was talented, but nevertheless, poets used to be kept at the “court” as lackeys and jesters. Pushkin avoided the fate of his childhood idol. Already early poetry Pushkina, in terms of the richness of her thoughts and artistic level, was almost no different from the works of the then recognized masters of Russian poetry. Assembling the achievements of contemporary literature into his poetry, Pushkin, already at the Lyceum, strives to follow “his own path.” Pushkin demands truth and expression of feelings from poetry, he is far from the classicism of Zhukovsky, he does not agree with his teacher Derzhavin, who believed that poetry should “soar” above the world, Pushkin is a poet of reality. He is strong in all genres of poetry: ode, friendly message, elegy, satire, epigram - everywhere Pushkin was brave, his poetic style cannot be confused with other poets.

In the work of every poet, sooner or later a turning point begins, when he must comprehend why he writes poetry? Pushkin had no such choice; he knew that everyone needed poetry to bring light and freedom to this world. Later, a hundred years later, Mayakovsky very accurately assessed the poet’s work, saying: “Poetry is the same mining of radium, mining in a gram, labor in a year, you exhaust a single word for a thousand tons of verbal ore.” Grossman L., "Notes of D'Arshiac: St. Petersburg Chronicle of 1836". M., "TERRA", 1997, pp. 48-51.

He confessed in his poems,

involuntarily carried away by delight

A.S. Pushkin.

The topic of the poet and poetry has always been interesting to me, because I also try to write poetry. And although I cannot be called a poet, I have already experienced that feeling of joy when individual words suddenly begin to form into stanzas, and they, in turn, into a poem. Sometimes I have a question: what did such geniuses of Russian literature as Derzhavin, Pushkin, Lermontov feel? What thoughts came to them at that distant time, what was their view of society, how did it relate to their inner world?

It is impossible to answer this question without getting acquainted with the works of great writers.

In my life A.S. Pushkin entered as a child. As a preschooler, I enjoyed his poems and fairy tales... They amazed me with their beauty and completeness of content, inexhaustible energy of life, sincerity and melodiousness. Himself open to the whole world, Pushkin managed to make his verse open to the reader.

As I got older, I recognized M.Yu. Lermontov. Despite the fact that his poetry is very different from Pushkin's poetry, it has an amazing power of emotional impact. “Borodino” fascinates with the sincere naturalness of patriotism, “Sail” with the anxiety of search and desire for freedom, “Mtsyri” with the inflexibility of impulse, the will of the hero, not broken by a tragic duel with circumstances... Since then, the names of these great poets have been inseparable for me:

Pushkin is a rainbow all over the earth,

Lermontov - the milky way over the mountains...

(Vl. Nabokov)

Poetry G.R. Derzhavina arose for me much later, when I wondered where the creativity of Pushkin and Lermontov and their famous followers, which they enjoy to this day, originated from.

It was Derzhavin who made Russian poetryXVIII- XIX centuries, one that we now love so much and whose beauty we admire so much. Before this, compatriot poets only discussed death, old age, and various moralizing subjects in poetic form. Odopists were supposed to hide their identity, as if the truth itself was speaking through their lips.

Derzhavin appeared in literature at the end of classicism and, being sensitive to new poetic trends, could not remain a true classicist. Freed from the shackles of normativity that shackled him, Derzhavin’s rare talent unfolded with lightning speed and poetic power. The organizing center of Derzhavin’s poetry is increasingly becoming the image of the author, uniform in all works. And as a person, and not a conditionally abstract “piit,” he sees the personal shortcomings of the nobles, their “sky-blue gazes.”

In his work, Derzhavin pays great attention to the theme of the poet and poetry. Speaking about poetry, he emphasizes its true purpose:

This gift of the gods is only to honor

And to learn their ways

Should be addressed, not to flattery

And the dark praise of people.

This is how Felitsa instructs the “Murza” poet. Derzhavin himself sees his main merit in the fact that he “said the truth to the kings with a smile.”

The poet dared to do many things for the first time in Russian literature. In particular, he was the first to speak out loud about his poetic immortality. The author determines posthumous fame depending on the choice of heroes whom he glorified:

I will exalt you, glorify you,

I myself will be immortal by you!

The same heroine (Felitsa) must “take with her” to the “temple of glory” the “meager image” of the poet (“My idol”). But in other works Derzhavin could pompously proclaim:

The bone worm will devour my enemies,

And I am Piit and will not die.

Two of Derzhavin’s imitations of the Roman poet Quintus Horace Flaccus are devoted entirely to the theme of poetic immortality: “Swan” and “Monument”. Of these, the second is the most famous.

So! - all of me will not die, but part of me is big,

Having escaped from decay, he will live after death,

And my glory will increase without fading,

How long will the universe honor the Slavic race?

The concept of Derzhavin’s immortality includes the people’s memory of his glorious creative path. After all, the poet’s poetry had a social purpose.

Everyone will remember this among countless nations,

Like obscurity, I became known for this...

Horace explains the reason for his poetic immortality succinctly and modestly: he was the first to translate Greek melodies into the Italian style. Derzhavin’s explanation is more spacious and applies not only to purely poetic merits, although to them too:

That I was the first to dare in a funny Russian syllable

To proclaim Felitsa’s virtues,

Talk about God in simplicity of heart

And speak the truth to kings with a smile.

In conclusion, Derzhavin adds an important thought:

Oh Muse! be proud of your just merit,

And whoever despises you, despise them yourself...

It was later picked up and expanded by Pushkin in his variation on the same theme - the famous poem “I erected a monument to myself...”

As a successor to Derzhavin’s poetic work, A.S. Pushkin, however, often criticizes him, since he has a different view of life and a different civic position of the poet from Derzhavin’s. The court poet was quite conservative at heart; he put above all else the state, headed by a wise king. In his world, good is good, evil is evil, and if rebels shake the foundations of a state, then this is also evil that must be fought.

It is no wonder that Derzhavin’s freedom seems heavy and clumsy to the pro-Decembrist Pushkin. He will call his predecessor’s poems “a bad translation from some wonderful original - an unflattering assessment, but understandable. Pushkin, who gave Russian poetry a measure of beauty, must have been irritated by the bizarre bulk of Derzhavin’s odes.

But it was Derzhavin that Pushkin owed his main achievement - liberation from predetermined rules when choosing a poetic word. Derzhavin's heaviness became a pedestal for Pushkin's lightness. The defeated teacher gave way to the victorious student.

Pushkin's active creativity began while still at the Lyceum. During his studies, his civic position began to take shape, which was intended to serve the liberation of Russia from the oppressive state system, the poet’s desire for independence in creativity, and the recognition of poetic work as hard work. (“Delvig, 1817,” To N.Ya. Pluskova, 1818)

Of particular interest is the ode “Liberty,” written in 1817. In it, the poet speaks out against the despotism of autocracy and serfdom.

Tyrants of the world! tremble!

And you take courage and listen,

Arise, fallen slaves!

The ode is an example of civil poetry, examples of which Pushkin could find in Radishchev and Derzhavin. She is imbued with romantic pathos. But in comparison with Derzhavin, Pushkin proclaims in it the responsibility of kings before the law, which is the guarantee of the freedom of peoples.

Realizing the true purpose of the poet and poetry, seeing him in service to his people and the Fatherland, the author painfully experiences the imperfection of his poetic language in the emotional impact on the reader.

How to achieve the spiritual liberation of the people, to open their eyes to the order of things that destroys human dignity, where “wild slavery” and “skinny slavery” reigns? (“Village”) the poet exclaims with bitterness and hope:

There seems to be a barren heat burning in my chest,

And hasn’t the fate of my life given me a formidable gift?

But no matter how difficult the super task of poetry may be, A.S. Pushkin steadily strives to achieve it, finding precise visual means to embody the spiritual ideals of the high intensity of the soul.

Thus, in the poem “The Dagger,” Pushkin condemns the mass terror of the Jacobins and at the same time glorifies the “punishing dagger” as the “secret guardian” of freedom, “the last judge of shame and resentment.” Many Decembrists perceived this poem as a call to overthrow the autocracy.

After the defeat of the Decembrist uprising, philosophical motifs begin to sound more and more powerfully in Pushkin’s lyrics - thoughts about the meaning and purpose of life, about the poet and his purpose, about the relationship between the poet and society. The freedom-loving soul is oppressed by the presence of gendarmerie censorship, which recognizes only official literature and rejects everything living, courageous, and progressive. In the poem “Message to the Censor,” the author affirms the desire to create according to the laws established over oneself, rejecting useless censorship:

Like a tiresome eunuch you wander among the muses;

Neither ardent feelings, nor the brilliance of the mind, nor taste,

Not the syllable of the singer of “Feasts”, so pure, noble, -

Nothing touches your cold soul.

A.S. Pushkin sincerely tried to awaken freedom-loving motives and self-esteem among the people, but in vain: his disappointment in serving society was reflected in the poem “The Desert Sower of Freedom.”

And he cut my chest with a sword,

And he took out my trembling heart,

And coal blazing with fire,

I pushed the hole into my chest.

This is how the transformation of the prophet ends: the poet comes to the idea that he must not only console, delight people and give them pleasure with his creativity, but instruct the reader, lead him along.

However, with the all-conquering kindness of the poet, the idyll in the relationship of A.S. Pushkin was never with his readers. Let us remember “Conversation between a bookseller and a poet” (1824):

Blessed is he who hid to himself

Souls are high creatures

And from people, as from graves,

I didn’t expect any reward for the feeling!

This position of the poet’s detachment from the crowd is expressed in the poems “To the Poet” (1830), “Echo” (1831), “The Crowd is Deaf” (1833), “Gnedich” (1832), “The Wanderer” ( 1835), "From Pindemonti" (1836)

The degree of alienation between the poet and the reader A.S. Pushkin realizes tragically in the lyrics:

... The crowd is deaf,

Blind lover of winged novelty,

Arrogant minions change every day,

And they roll knocking from step to step

Their idols, yesterday crowned with her.

Meanwhile, Pushkin always had hope for reader recognition. This hope sounds like a prophecy, breaking out despite the tragic loneliness of the poet during his lifetime.

At the end of his short life, A.S. Pushkin, as if anticipating his imminent death, decides to sum up his poetic activity. This result was the poem “I have erected a monument to myself...” (1836). In the very first lines, the poet reveals his secret of poetic immortality and liberation from captivity: earthly death reveals eternal life:

No, all of me will not die - the soul is in the treasured lyre

My ashes will survive and decay will escape -

And I will be glorious as long as I am in the sublunary world

At least one piit will be alive.

Then Pushkin proclaims the main value and measure of any poet - nationality:

And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,

That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,

That in my cruel age I glorified freedom,

And he called for mercy for the fallen.

These lines affirm the humanistic idea of ​​creativity. The poet, according to Pushkin, should try to make people better, not reproach them for ignorance and darkness, but show them the true path. And here he is obliged to listen only to the dictates of his own heart...

By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,

Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown;

Praise and kindness were received indifferently,

And don't argue with a fool.

The “Monument” began with a rebellion, and ended with an incantation, a call to humility, but to such humility that rejects any dependence on vanity (resentment, crown, praise, slander). This poem is a feat of the poet, capturing all the beauty of his personality.

M.Yu. solves the theme of the poet and poetry in his own way. Lermontov. Taking up the baton of his predecessor, he created a broader and more complex image of the poet. This complexity is explained by the living conditions that were associated with the consequences of the defeat of the Decembrists. “There are no two poets so significantly different,” wrote V.G. Belinsky, like Pushkin and Lermontov. Pushkin is a poet of the inner feeling of the soul; Lermontov is a poet of merciless thought and truth. Pushkin's pathos lies in the sphere of art itself as art; The pathos of Lermontov’s poetry lies in moral questions about the fate of the human person.” Pushkin’s noble and bright poetry developed on the basis of hope and trust in life, faith in the limitless possibilities of man. And the tension of the people's forces in the Patriotic War of 1812, and the rise national identity nourished this hope and faith.

The bright and direct, open view of the world, the rapture of life is replaced by an era of disappointment, skepticism and “longing for life.” The era of Pushkin is being replaced by the era of Lermontov. These eras were separated by 1825, the year of the uprising and defeat of the Decembrists. And in Lermontov’s poetry, the theme of loneliness sounds from the very first lines.

“In... Lermontov’s lyrical works,” wrote V.G. Belinsky, - one can see an excess of indestructible fortitude and heroic strength in expression; but there is no longer hope in them, they strike the reader’s soul with joylessness, lack of faith in life and human feelings, with a thirst for life and an excess of feelings... Nowhere is there Pushkin’s revelry at the feast of life; but everywhere questions that darken the soul, chill the heart... Yes, it is obvious that Lermontov is a poet of a completely different era and that his poetry is a completely new link in the chain of historical development of society...”

Pushkin had the opportunity to experience the bitterness of misunderstanding, and his voice sometimes sounded like the voice of one crying in the desert. The poet-prophet was not always clear to those around him in his predictions, and his poetry sometimes raised the question: “What benefit does it give us?”

Lermontov experienced not only loneliness and misunderstanding. He is already a distinctly tragic figure. The death of the poet in the world of evil is inevitable. This was suggested to Lermontov by the fate of his brilliant predecessor. The poem “The Death of a Poet” was written hot on the heels of events and under the direct impression of them. Although we are talking about the tragic fate of a particular person, Lermontov interprets what is happening as a manifestation of the eternal struggle of good against evil and cruelty. The poet dies at the hands of insignificant people. He is a proud, independent personality, a marvelous genius, an unprecedented phenomenon and therefore alien in an environment living with envy, greed, slander, the pursuit of happiness, understood as wealth, high titles and ranks, a privileged position in society... The heavenly collided with the earthly, the low with high, “ice with fire.”

The poet-prophet is an image introduced into literary use by Pushkin. It’s the same with Lermontov. The image of a punishing dagger also appears in his mind. In the poem “The Poet,” Lermontov builds a lyrical composition on comparing his colleague in the pen with a dagger, recalling those distant times when the poet’s passionate word found its way into the hearts of listeners, when his work was a service, and not a torment of loneliness:

It used to be that the measured sound of your mighty words

Ignite the fighter for battle.

The crowd needed him like a cup for feasts,

Like incense during prayer hours.

Your verse, like God's spirit, hovered over the crowd,

And the echo of noble thoughts

Sounded like a bell on a veche tower

On days of national celebrations and troubles.

But the emptiness and callousness of the surrounding world force the poet to withdraw into himself, to abandon high service to people, and this, according to Lermontov, is tantamount to a rusty dagger blade. Calling on the poet to hear the call of the time, Lermontov for the first time in his work uses the image of a “mocked prophet.”

Will you wake up again, mocked prophet?

You cannot snatch your blade from a golden sheath,

Covered with the rust of contempt?

As in the poem "The Poet", the theme of prophecy arises in "The Journalist, the Reader and the Writer". “Prophetic speech”, “mocked prophet” - these persistently repeated images will receive a tragic conclusion in the poem “Prophet”, which will be the result of Lermontov’s thoughts about the fate and purpose of a real poet. He deliberately chooses the poetic form of Pushkin’s “Prophet”. His work is written in the same meter and sounds like a direct continuation of Pushkin’s poem, in which “God’s voice” calls to the prophet:

Arise, prophet, and see and hear,

Be fulfilled by my will

And, bypassing the seas and lands,

Burn the hearts of people with your verb!

This is the main purpose of the seer, his duty to the world and to himself. And it doesn’t matter how his words are perceived by those to whom they are intended. Lermontov heard the call of his predecessor and followed it:

Since the eternal judge

The prophet gave me the all-vision

I read in people's eyes

Pages of malice and vice.

I began to proclaim love

And the truth is pure teachings.

All my neighbors are in me

They threw stones madly...

Lermontov's prophet, having sprinkled ashes on his head, runs away from people into the desert, where only the stars and a dumb creature listen to him gratefully. When he occasionally appears in the “noisy city,” the wise elders point their fingers at him, instilling in the children:

Look at him, children,

How gloomy and thin and pale he is.

Look how naked and poor he is,

The ridiculed prophet, at whom the finger is pointed as if he were a holy fool, - scary image. Only sadness and longing await him. Compared to Pushkin's hero, he moves only backward. For Pushkin, a seer is a bearer of the word of God, filled with all that is purest and brightest. In Lermontov’s poem, the prophet, without refusing the gift of the Almighty, bears the heavy cross of misunderstanding, cruelty and contempt of those around him, making his way through the crowd and addressing it with an instructive speech.

In an era of state instability, Lermontov remained the custodian and continuer of the lofty behests of his predecessors. His poet-prophet is the bearer of sublime truths. Poetic ideals still correlate with the ideals of Pushkin's time. His poems are full of bitterness, a feeling of loneliness, disunity in the kingdom of arbitrariness and darkness, as Herzen called the Nicholas era. This gave Lermontov's poetry a tragic character.

The question of what a poet should be, what his role in society is, what the tasks of poetry are, have always worried and will continue to worry supporters of art for the people. Therefore, the theme of the purpose of the poet is a central theme not only of poetry XIXcentury, it also permeates the work of modern poets, for whom the fate of the Motherland and the people is their destiny.

G.R. Derzhavin, A.S. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov as representatives of the advanced circles of Russian societyXVIII- XIXcenturies led the further movement of literature forward and determined its subsequent development.

Russian reality, Pushkin’s spiritual closeness to the Decembrists were the school in which the poets’ views on the essence of art, on the place and role of poetry in the life of society were formed. Considering the fact that the great poets wrote at different times, we can talk about the unique idea of ​​each of them about their poetic muse.

The image of Derzhavin's muse remained unchanged throughout his entire work. She was distinguished by her good-natured nature, simplicity, homeliness and privacy.

A.S. To Pushkin, the muse seemed like a “fickle friend,” a “bacchanal,” “a district young lady, with a sad thought in her eyes, with a French book in her hands,” and most often she was called upon to “burn the hearts of people with a verb.”

M.Yu. Lermontov created his own poetic image of the muse, which is sharply different from Pushkin’s. At first she is full of sadness and disappointment, and then she passionately desires to find herself and her place in life, full of faith and hope.

For Derzhavin, the poet is a kind of variation of the sacred funnyman, whose task is “to speak the truth to the kings with a smile,” jokingly and jokingly teach the rulers, warn them and correct them - “and in jokes I will proclaim the truth.”

For Pushkin, the goal of poetry is poetry. The prophetic calling of the poet frees him from the need to bring any worldly benefit with his poems. He selflessly serves only God (“God’s command, O muse, be obedient...”) and harmony. Poetry is akin to life itself, it is just as unpredictable.

M.Yu. perceives both poetry and reality much deeper and more tragically. Lermontov. A poetic analysis of the soul leads the poet only to new and new questions - and so on until his life was cut short. As a poet of insoluble doubts, he entered the history of Russian literature.

However, such individual views on creativity do not detract from the main – the true purpose of the poet and poetry, the purpose that the poets saw in serving their people, the Fatherland. In everything they wrote about, the progressive man of the time was evident; it was not reconciliation with reality that was evident, but an active will and desire to destroy everything that oppressed, suppressed, crippled the people and the life of the individual.

Bowing before the great predecessor, following in his footsteps, but going in rebellion, continuing, but not imitating - this is one of the remarkable properties that distinguish the personalities of true Poets.

List of used literature.

1. V. Khodasevich "Derzhavin"

2. P. Palmarchuk "The Word and Deed of Derzhavin"

3. I. Podolskaya "Derzhavin"

4. S. Andreevsky "Lermontov"

5. V. Belinsky “Poems by M.Yu. Lermontov"

6. I. Andronikov "Image of the Poet"

7. V. Nedzvetsky "The Poet and His Fate"

8. V. Nepomnyashchy "Pushkin's Lyrics"

9. V. Guminsky “The life of Pushkin’s “Monument” in time”

10. B. Bobylev "Without demanding a crown..."

11. F. Dostoevsky "Pushkin"

12. N. Gogol “A few words about Pushkin”

13. N. Sechina "A.S. Pushkin. Lyrics"

The topic of our lesson is the theme of the poet and poetry in Pushkin’s lyrics of the late 1820s. We will talk about two poems: the poem “The Prophet,” written in 1826, and the poem “The Poet and the Crowd,” written in 1828.

Topic: Russian literature of the 19th century

Lesson: The theme of the poet and poetry in the lyrics of A.S. Pushkin. ("The Prophet", "The Poet and the Crowd")

Judging by the chronology, we are in Pushkin’s second St. Petersburg period, after Mikhailovsky exile, where, according to the established tradition, the source of which was Pushkin himself, his muse began to acquire more and more life-like features, reminiscent of Pushkin’s realism. However, some themes in Pushkin's work begin to be developed based on romantic traditions. And first of all, this concerns the topic of the poet and poetry. Let us recall that in Pushkin’s work it is precisely the themes of poetry that acquire the character of the world in which the highest degree of human freedom can be realized. That is why this romantic tradition becomes an important support for the implementation of the plans that will be discussed. Before starting a conversation about specific Pushkin works, let us recall that in the poetry of the romantics, in the poetry of Pushkin’s teachers (Zhukovsky, Batyushkin), among the civil romantics (Ryleev) and Pushkin’s closest lyceum friend V.K. Kuchelbecker's theme of the poet and poetry acquired a special character. She went beyond the ideas of what poets and poetic creativity could imagine. Under the pen of the romantics, the poet acquired the appearance of an ideal person who perceives the world around him in his own way. His poetic talent is not a conversation about poetry, it is not a conversation about writing poetry, it is a conversation about a special vision of the world, about a special experience of the world, which is not accessible to everyone. Romantic poets, of course, separated from the crowd and turned into a rather lonely, on the one hand, and on the other hand, a circle of people united by a common sacred union who turned out to be close and related to each other, rather in such a spiritual sense. It is no coincidence that Pushkin chooses some metaphorical moves to develop the theme of the poet and poetry. In one case, the figure of a poet appears before us, metaphorically represented by the figure of a prophet, in another case - by the image of a priest. There is something in common between them, because both of them are intermediaries between the world of gods and the world of people. The language of the gods is incomprehensible to an ordinary person, because the gods speak a language inaccessible to ordinary human understanding. Between the world of divine language and the world of people, an intermediate figure necessarily arises - the figure of the prophet, the figure of the priest, whose mission and goal is to make that language intelligible and understandable to at least some extent, because it is inaccessible to the human mind to fully decipher and understand the full extent of the divine idea . In all Pushkin's poems, the effect of understatement, a certain mystery and inaccessibility to ordinary human understanding is preserved, because in the concept the poet retains his mystery and incomprehensibility to ordinary human consciousness. In order to somehow get closer to understanding these Pushkin works, it makes sense to turn to the direct meanings and meanings of these metaphors that Pushkin refers to.

It was clear to a literate reader of the 19th century, well acquainted with the biblical tradition, that many of the motifs of Pushkin’s poem go back to the text of the Old Testament, namely to the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Therefore, it makes sense to turn to this text to see what exactly Pushkin borrowed from there and how he revised the text of this book. There is also a need to note the fact that the very figure of the prophet in the biblical tradition arises in an unexpected way, in the sense that the biblical prophets are not some outstanding personalities, but ordinary Hebrew shepherds, on whose heads this divine mission suddenly fell unexpectedly : go and tell the Jewish people the necessary words of God. Therefore, in almost all biblical books one and the same close plot is found, which is familiar to us as the election of the prophet. This is the first encounter of an unexpecting man with God. It was this very place that attracted Pushkin’s attention. The first thing Isaiah experiences when he hears the voice of God is his own uncleanness. He, being an ordinary person, turns out to be sinful, at least original sin. And when he finds out that he needs to carry the Word of God, the first thing he asks is to cleanse his unclean lips from this sin. And then a six-winged seraph appears, who takes coal from the altar and burns Isaiah’s lips with it, removing this sin from him and making it possible for these human lips to carry the Word of God. And then Isaiah hears the text that he needs to carry to the rebellious house of Israel: “You will see with your eyes and will not see, with your ears you will hear and will not hear, for the heart of this people has become hardened, and they will not come to me so that I can heal them.”.

Rice. 2. Prophet Isaiah (J.B. Tiepolo) ()

From here it is clear that Pushkin uses some motifs from this book in his poem, but in a deeply transformed form.

If we are talking about the poem “Prophet”, then let us recall that in the 19th century in the popular anthology in which the best works of Russian poets were published, which was published by Galakhov,

this poem was once printed with the note - Isaiah. Pushkin actually reworks the book “The Prophet Isaiah,” thereby hinting that in his poem he does not at all strive to create a poetic image of the biblical prophet. Or, at least, not only that, because circumstances make us think that this is a metaphor for the poet and his poetic ministry:

We are tormented by spiritual thirst...

And this is already news, because if this divine mission fell unexpectedly on the biblical prophet, then Pushkin’s lyrical hero is tormented by spiritual thirst. This means that the subsequent meeting with the seraphim and God arises as a response to his spiritual thirst, to his experiences, to the lack of spiritual support, the spiritual meaning of his life.

Rice. 4. Six-winged seraph (M.A. Vrubel, 1905) ()

Then, in response to spiritual thirst, a six-winged seraphim is sent to meet him. This character from the spiritual hierarchy is mentioned only once in the book “Prophet Isaiah”. Then a certain transformation occurs with the Pushkin prophet. It is easy to see that the transformation concerns the very parts that God remembers when offering Isaiah his prophetic mission - the eyes, ears and heart:

With fingers as light as a dream
He touched my eyes.
The prophetic eyes have opened,
Like a frightened eagle.
He touched my ears–
And they were filled with noise and ringing:

And he came to my lips,
And my sinner tore out my tongue,
And idle and crafty,
And the sting of the wise snake
My frozen lips
He put it with his bloody right hand.
And he cut my chest with a sword,
And he took out my trembling heart,
And coal blazing with fire,
I pushed the hole into my chest.

If in Isaiah this six-winged seraph still touched his lips with coal, then in Pushkin’s poem he suddenly appears instead of the heart. In the end, this amazing metamorphosis ends with a completely paradoxical image of a corpse appearing before us; a person is destroyed in his certain natural, human, natural quality. All his senses have changed. From the point of view of the prophetic book, they were cleansed. And then this lying corpse is resurrected by the voice of God:

“Rise up, prophet, and see and listen,
Be fulfilled by my will,
And, bypassing the seas and lands,
Burn the hearts of people with the verb."

And still mysteries remain. One of the most significant is, of course, what was revealed to the prophet in the process of this transformation? Perhaps the only place that explains something is this fragment:

And I heard the sky tremble,
And the heavenly flight of angels,
And the reptile of the sea underwater,
And the valley of the vine is vegetated.

It would seem that we have before us a certain picture of the world, but pay attention, at least what can be extracted from Pushkin’s text is surprising in itself. Ordinary people still see the sea, but the prophet also discovers a “reptile underwater passage”, he sees the seabed. An ordinary person sees the sky, but Pushkin’s prophet sees the flight of angels, something beyond the scope of human vision. He sees a certain picture of the universe from top to bottom. And as if simultaneously, at the same time. Because when we look at the heavens, we do not see what is happening under our noses, under our feet; when we look at our feet, we do not see the heavens. And only the prophet is given the opportunity to see in a stereoscopic image at the same time everything that is impossible to see with human vision. There is another greater biblical tradition behind it all. You see, the entire universe is the creation of God, in which his wisdom is embodied. But again, in our ordinary human earthly practice we do not at all feel our life as filled with divine providence, divine meaning. Rather, on the contrary, all around us we see only inconsistencies, only troubles, evil, which every time prevents us from realizing our human dream. And you need to take some strange, unusual position in order to, through all the imperfections of the world, in such an unusual, almost fantastic way, discover the divine harmony behind it all and, of course, be ashamed of your own imperfection. Moreover, the theme that permeates this entire poem from its beginning to the final line, “With the verb, burn the hearts of people,” becomes the theme of fire, also represented by different metaphors. First, it is a six-winged seraphim (from Hebrew - fiery), because its function is precisely to incinerate the sins of the world with this divine fire. This is a coal, blazing with fire, which arises instead of the former human heart in the chest of the prophet. And finally, his mission is “to burn the hearts of people with the verb.” It becomes clear that this poet-prophet must perform almost the same operation on people as the seraphim performed on him. It must make people see, hear, and perceive the world around them differently. But in order for this transformation to occur, essentially each of us must kill the ordinary person within ourselves and revive the spiritual one. In the poem “Prophet”, after all, its lyrical hero conducts the conversation from his own name"I".

When it comes to Pushkin and his works, each of them could play its own independent role in the history of Russian culture and poetry. What looks completely complete and harmonious in Pushkin’s work could diverge in different directions in the perception of subsequent poets. What we mean is the fact that, suppose, the theme of the poet and poetry, developed in the poem “Prophet,” subsequently served to develop that direction in Russian poetry, which is usually called civil poetry. This is understandable, because in this case the poet acted as a public figure whose purpose was to try to remake the world around him. And this fit well into a certain tradition, which Pushkin also relies on. First of all, these are the traditions of civil poetry, civil romanticism (the tradition of Ryleev) and his lyceum friend Kuchelbecker, who at that moment (in 1826) had already been convicted in the Decembrist case, and his further fate has not yet been determined. On the other hand, the poem “The Poet and the Crowd” will turn out to be a kind of symbol and basis for the development of a diametrically opposite direction in the development of Russian poetry, a direction that thought of itself and built itself in direct opposition to the socially significant understanding of the poet’s poetry. This is the so-called pure art. And the only authority and ideal embodiment of the poet in his pure form in our tradition will be the poetry of A.A. Feta:

Not for everyday worries,
Not for gain, not for battles,
We were born to inspire
For sweet sounds and prayers.

It is these lines that will become a kind of poetic symbol of Fet’s entire work.

But in the poem “The Poet and the Crowd” we see a slightly different situation, a different picture. This is not a lyrical monologue, which unfolds as if on behalf of a lyrical character. This is a kind of dramatic scene, which is now staged in the form of a dialogue, presented, on the one hand, by the priest, and on the other hand, by this very unenlightened crowd. Moreover, Pushkin paints this most dramatic scene, now relying on another tradition - not the Old Testament, not the Bible, not the Christian, but the ancient tradition, in this case the Greco-Roman one. This is not accidental, because it was antiquity that gave birth to this particularly cultural phenomenon, which is commonly called dialogue. Therefore, it is no coincidence that this dialogue unfolds between these characters. From an external point of view, the topic of this dialogue seems to unfold in connection with the fact that the priest’s song is being discussed here. One must believe that he nevertheless conveys a certain voice, a certain will of God, which he is trying to convey to people. On the other hand, this voice and this song turn out to be incomprehensible to the crowd:

Poet of inspired lyre
He rattled his absent-minded hand.
He sang– and cold and arrogant
There are uninitiated people around
I listened to him senselessly.

On the one hand, he listens, but on the other, he is meaningless, because he does not understand what he is singing. But this senseless crowd is trying to figure out what’s going on, trying to comprehend in their human categories what is happening before their eyes:

And the stupid mob interpreted:
“Why does he sing so loudly?
In vain hitting the ear,
To what goal is he leading us?
What is he strumming about? what does it teach us?
Why do hearts worry, torment,
Like a wayward sorcerer?
Like the wind, his song is free,
But like the wind and barren:
What good does it do us?”

The crowd is trying to pull out one of the criteria by which the poet’s song could be interpreted - benefit. And suddenly he hears in response:

Be silent, senseless people,
Day laborer, slave of need, of worries!
I can't stand your impudent murmur,
You are a worm of the earth, not a son of heaven;

You would benefit from everything - worth it's weight
Idol you value Belvedere.
You don’t see any benefit or benefit in it.
But this marble is God!.. so what?
The stove pot is more valuable to you:
You cook your food in it.

It becomes clear that the purpose of poetry is not benefit at all, but something else. Which one is not yet entirely clear. Then the unenlightened crowd will not calm down again. She still won't be able to understand what's going on. She will then try to draw a lesson from this poet’s song:

No, if you are heaven's chosen one,
Your gift, divine messenger,
For our benefit, use:
Correct the hearts of your brothers.
We are cowardly, we are treacherous,
Shameless, evil, ungrateful;
We are cold-hearted eunuchs,
Slanderers, slaves, fools;
Vices nest in a club within us.
You can, loving your neighbor,
Give us bold lessons,
And we will listen to you.

Amazing recognition from the crowd. Firstly, it suddenly turns out that she is all filled with a bunch of vices, but she does not at all object to poets correcting these same vices. Still, the theme is that some benefit, some meaning must be discovered in this meaningless song. And suddenly in response the poet says something unexpected:

Go away– what's the matter
To the peaceful poet before you!
Feel free to turn to stone in depravity,
The voice of the lyre will not revive you!
You are as disgusting to my soul as coffins.
For your stupidity and malice
Have you had so far
Scourges, dungeons, axes;
–Enough of you, crazy slaves!
In your cities from the noisy streets
Sweep away the rubbish– useful work!–
But, forgetting my service,
Altar and sacrifice
Do the priests take your broom?
Not for everyday worries,
Not for gain, not for battles,
We were born to inspire
For sweet sounds and prayers.

Only in the poet’s very last answer does he refer to the figure of the priest, to the figure of the mediator between the world of the Gods and the world of people. Symbols of this priestly service appear - an altar, a sacrifice. And if you do not understand the meaning of the divine work of the priest, then it is not his duty to explain it to the unenlightened crowd. The riddle still remains unsolved, unless one imagines the most obvious. The goal of poetry is poetry, the goal of art is art, self-sufficient within itself, not requiring any justification for its existence.

The story of the creation of the poem “The Prophet” may itself look like a separate story. Let us remember that Pushkin wrote this poem when the news of the Decembrist uprising reached him. Sitting in Mikhailovskoye, he knew about the impending uprising from I.I., who once came to visit him. Pushchina. Therefore, when the news of the uprising reached Pushkin, Pushkin’s closest friends, who were in the thick of events, informed him about the events that were unfolding in St. Petersburg. It was obvious that the lion's share of the Decembrists, telling Nicholas I about where they got their freedom-loving ideas from, quite openly named Pushkin and quoted his poems. Therefore, how Pushkin’s subsequent fate could unfold was a problem and a mystery for Pushkin himself. And it is on this occasion that he composes “The Prophet,” because the impetus for writing this poem will be the news of the tragic defeat of the Decembrist uprising, of Pushkin’s friends who suffered in this story. Here there is reason to remember Kuchelbecker, in whose work the image of the poet primarily came into contact with the image of the prophet and whose tradition is continued by Pushkin. In general, Pushkin was preparing a worthy response to the emperor. True, later many specific historical circumstances associated with the creation of this poem were excluded by Pushkin from the text of “The Prophet,” and he himself acquired a broader, universal, symbolic meaning than history itself.

Before us are two poems with two diametrically directed ideas of the poet and poetic service. If in the poem “The Prophet” the poet, fulfilling a divine mission, must “burn the hearts of people with his verb,” that is, carry out a socially significant task of correcting people, then in the case of the poem “The Poet and the Crowd,” a diametrically opposite situation emerges before us. We are talking about art as such, which exists in a form that does not require any additional justification for its existence. Let me remind you that, from Pushkin’s point of view, this does not have to be perceived as some kind of contradiction, which is difficult to resolve by the poet himself. In reality, both topics will one day come together in one place. This will be the famous poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands”,

Rice. 6. Autograph of the poem “Monument” ()

where the immortality of the poet and his work will be represented in the form of glory:

And I will be glorious as long as I am in the sublunary world

At least one piit will be alive.

Because it is clear that poets will first of all appreciate that same artistic mastery, that same highest aristocratism of the artist, which brilliantly unfolds in the poetic form of Pushkin’s works. But as for the rumor that will spread throughout Rus', this great Rus' will value the poet for something completely different. For this:

That in my cruel age I glorified Freedom

And he called for mercy for the fallen.

It is no coincidence that “Monument” will end with an amazing combination of Christian and ancient traditions:

By the command of God, O muse, be obedient.

We will talk later about how the theme of the poet and poetry developed in other, later works of Pushkin.

1. Sakharov V.I., Zinin S.A. Russian language and literature. Literature (basic and advanced levels) 10. M.: Russian Word.

2. Arkhangelsky A.N. and others. Russian language and literature. Literature (advanced level) 10. M.: Bustard.

3. Lanin B.A., Ustinova L.Yu., Shamchikova V.M. / ed. Lanina B.A. Russian language and literature. Literature (basic and advanced levels) 10. M.: VENTANA-GRAF.

1. Russian literature and folklore ().

1. Swipe comparative characteristics some poems by different authors of the 18th-19th centuries. and tell us what is new and unique about the theme of the poet and poetry in Pushkin’s work.

2. Analyze Pushkin’s poems (“The Prophet”, “The Poet and the Crowd”) from the point of view of their imagery.

3. *Based on the analyzed poems of Pushkin, write an essay-reflection on the topic: “Personal qualities that a true poet should have.”

The article presents a small selection of poems devoted to the theme of poetry and the fate of the poet, and their brief analysis. This selection will help graduates taking the Unified State Exam in Literature when writing a detailed answer in task 16, where it is necessary to compare the given excerpt from the lyric text with other poems with similar themes and quote them.

He is being pursued by blasphemers:
He catches the sounds of approval
Not in the sweet murmur of praise,
And in the wild cries of anger...

Nekrasov's poem is built on an antithesis. The first part is devoted to poets who do not touch on current, topical topics, do not use satire in their work and, thus, find a large number of admirers of his work: “And his contemporaries are preparing a monument to him during his lifetime...”. The second part of the poem reflects the creative life of a rebel poet, one who writes sharply, sincerely, and does not try to please. He remains honest with readers and, above all, with himself, and in his works he shows the truth of life without embellishment. Despite the fact that such a poet does not find recognition during his lifetime (“And every sound of his speeches produces harsh enemies for him”), Nekrasov notes that after his death, great works will be understood and appreciated even by those who previously criticized them. Thus, the author of the poem reflects the following point of view: a genius poet is a person who is not afraid to express his civic position in poems, is not afraid of being misunderstood and does not strive for fame, and who sees the meaning of his life in the opportunity to speak through his creativity.

Mayakovsky "An Extraordinary Adventure..."

I will pour my sunshine,
and you are yours,
in poetry.

The author depicts a dialogue between the poet and the sun, thereby as if likening the person who creates the poems to a luminary shedding light on the earth. The poet, just like the star, dispels the darkness, but only does this in the soul of each individual reader. Mayakovsky’s message is important: you need to work hard and hard, and then the constructions can become for people that very sunshine, warming and illuminating the path of life:

Always shine, shine everywhere,
until the last days of the Donetsk,
shine - and no nails!
This is my slogan and the sun!

Tvardovsky “The whole essence is in one single covenant...”

During my lifetime I worry about one thing:
About what I know better than anyone in the world,
I want to say. And the way I want.

In most of his poems, Tvardovsky calls on people to always be honest, to say only what they think. He depicted contemporary life and a Russian man with an open soul. Lyrical work“The whole essence is in one single covenant...” was no exception, but here Tvardovsky draws attention to the special purpose of the poet. The only purpose of creativity for him is to express thoughts and feelings through his lines. The creator must speak openly and directly, without lies and falsehood - this is the only possible condition for the existence of art. The work is structured as a monologue-declaration, that is, as a proclamation of one’s truth, which for lyrical hero is an undeniable truth.

Pushkin "Poet"

But only a divine verb
It will touch sensitive ears,
The poet's soul will stir,
Like an awakened eagle.

In Pushkin’s view, the poet is a sublime, heavenly creature - this is exactly how Alexander Sergeevich describes him in his works. Therefore, at the beginning of the poem, the life of the creator in the everyday world is reflected, in which there is no place for sublime ideas and dreams. He suffocates and feels worthless, being part of this routine and prosaic life: “And among the insignificant children of the world, perhaps he is the most insignificant of all.” The second half of the poem is devoted to the very moment of creativity, when the muse comes to the poet and he becomes not involved in the world of ordinary people. The author emphasizes that a creative person cannot live without inspiration; only in the presence of it does he become truly free and happy; the usual earthly life is alien to him. And it is at the moment of creating his works that he can be alone with his art.

Balmont "Higher, higher"

Higher, higher, everything is behind me,
Enjoy the heights
Get caught in my net,
I sing, I sing, I sing.

In the poem “Higher, Higher,” Balmont described the creative process. He portrays the poet as a creator, a creator who touches the soul of everyone who reads his poem: “I touched the souls of strangers, like strings, but my strings.” Another image that Balmont’s metaphorical nature suggests to us is that of a lyricist as a musician who, with the help of words, creates a work that plays on the strings of a person’s soul. The poem can also be considered as the process of reading this work: “With the fluttering of sonorous wings, I fogged, intoxicated.” Indeed, with each line you read, you become more and more immersed in the artistic world of Balmont and you yourself unconsciously become a part of it.

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Composition

Russian classical literature has given the world magnificent examples of poetic creativity. The poems of Pushkin, Lermontov, Nekrasov became true masterpieces. One of the main topics for these great masters of words was the problem of the purpose and place of poetry in life, the purpose of the poet, his role in society.

A. S. Pushkin, with all his creativity, asserted the unity of poetry and real life. For him, the poet was a person endowed with a divine gift. The muse should not turn away from people, considering it unworthy to pay attention to simple plots. For Pushkin, a poet is a prophet capable of influencing society with his creativity. The poem “The Prophet” is dedicated to this topic, in which the voice of the author is heard calling on the poet:

“Arise, prophet and leader, and listen,

Be fulfilled by my will,

And, bypassing the seas and lands,

Burn the hearts of people with the verb."

A poet can see and feel what others cannot. But he is obliged to dedicate his gift to people, and not languish with “spiritual thirst” or go into the transcendental heights of dreams and dreams. This is the deep conviction of Pushkin himself, who in the poem “Monument” addresses the muse with instructions:

By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,

Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown,

Praise and slander were accepted indifferently

And don't challenge a fool.

A. S. Pushkin until his death remained devoted to his convictions, faith in the high purpose of poetry, the power and abilities of a poet-citizen, poet-prophet.

These views were fully shared by Pushkin’s successor M. Yu. Lermontov. The same motives sound in his work, but time has left its mark on the poet’s poems. During the years of reaction, the poet's fate was very difficult. In the poem “The Poet,” Lermontov compares the poet to a dagger, which used to be a formidable weapon that served its master faithfully. And now the dagger has become a toy, no one needs it. So the poet lost his purpose and exchanged his mighty voice for gold. Previously, the poet’s words raised the spirit of people, sounded “like a bell on a veche tower on days of celebration and troubles of the people.” It pains Lermontov to observe how petty and deceptive it has become poetic creativity. He asks bitterly, hoping for a better future:

Will you wake up again, mocked prophet?..

You cannot snatch your blade from its golden scabbard,

Covered with the rust of contempt?..

Lermontov himself experienced the full severity of the position of the poet-prophet in his contemporary society. In the poem “The Prophet,” the hero faces a completely different fate than the hero of Pushkin’s poem of the same name. People did not need the “God’s gift” of the prophet; he had to live in the forest, hide from people:

I began to proclaim love

And the truth is pure teachings:

All my neighbors are in me

They threw stones wildly.

This is exactly what their “neighbors” did with Pushkin and Lermontov, whose lives were cut short in the prime of their creative powers. Pushkin died, Lermontov fell in a duel, but in Russia there was a man who continued the work of great artists.

N. A. Nekrasov dedicated all his work to the Russian people. The poet's lyrics served as a model of citizenship for his contemporaries. A poet, first of all, must be a citizen, Nekrasov said, and serve the people:

It's a shame to sleep with your talent.

It’s even more shameful in a time of grief

The beauty of the valleys, skies and sea

And sing of sweet affection...

Nekrasov calls on poetry to be an expression of people's interests. The poet is obliged to write about the people and for the people:

Be a citizen! Serving art

Live for the good of your neighbor,

Subordinating your genius to feeling

All-embracing love...

The same theme is heard in the poem “Elegy”. Nekrasov argues that poetry cannot forget about the suffering and aspirations of the common people, because this is precisely its high purpose. The most worthy for the lyre:

Remind the crowd that the people are in poverty

While she rejoices and sings.

To arouse the attention of the powers that be to the people...

Nekrasov's poetry, like the lyrics of Pushkin and Lermontov, had a huge influence on the minds and hearts of people. These great Russian poets raised poetic creativity to unattainable heights, earning fame and recognition from their descendants. And Nekrasov’s words can be safely attributed to each of genius poets Russia:

I dedicated the lyre to my people...

Pushkin and Lermontov are two geniuses of Russian literature, two great Russian poets. At different times they created their masterpieces. The heyday of Pushkin’s creativity occurred during a period of social upsurge in Russian society. A.S. Pushkin was well acquainted with many of those who “went into the fire for the honor of the Fatherland.” Lermontov worked during the years of reaction that came after the defeat of the uprising on Senate Square. However, Lermontov's poetry is as freedom-loving as Pushkin's lyrics, and patriotic motives are strong in the poems of both poets.

From a young age, A.S. Pushkin was concerned with the theme of Russia, its people, and glorious history. In his romantic poems, the poet glorifies the free Motherland:

Tremble, tyrant! The hour of fall is near!

You will see a hero in every warrior,

Their goal is either to win or to fall in the heat of battle

For Rus', for the holiness of the altar.

The young poet graduated from the Lyceum, his poetic skill grew. The theme of patriotism never ceased to be heard in Pushkin’s works. True patriotism for him was associated with the struggle for freedom. The poet calls for selfless service to his native country. This is the main idea of ​​the poems “To Chaadaev”, “Village”, and the ode “Liberty”. The message “To Chaadaev” reflects the views that united the poet with the future Decembrists. Pushkin calls on his friend to fight for the freedom of Russia. Love for her is inseparable from the struggle for her happiness:

While we are burning with freedom,

While hearts are alive for honor,

My friend, let's dedicate it to the fatherland

Beautiful impulses from the soul!

In a friendly message, the poet poses the problem of the unity of personal and public interests. The image of the poet reflected in the poem is beautiful with the strength and spontaneity of patriotic feeling. The poem “Village” with great poignancy raises the problem of the abolition of serfdom and the liberation of the country from slavery. Pushkin is outraged by what is happening in the country that he loves so much. It is impossible to admire our native nature as long as the “wild lordship” oppresses the “skinny slavery.” The poet asks with pain in his heart:

I'll see, oh friends! The people are not oppressed

And slavery, which fell due to the king’s mania,

And over the fatherland of enlightened freedom

Will the beautiful dawn finally rise?

But Pushkin believes that “she will rise, a star of captivating happiness.” And after the defeat of the Decembrist uprising, he remained faithful to the ideals of the progressive people of the era. In the poems “In the depths of the Siberian ores...”, “Arion”, Pushkin glorifies the great feat of the Decembrists, accomplished for the benefit of the country. In the 30s, patriotism in Pushkin’s lyrics was especially pronounced during the days of the Polish uprising. The poet appears neither as a defender of the monarchy nor as an enemy of the Polish people, but as a Russian patriot thinking about the fate of Russia:

But you, tormentors of the chambers,

Easy-tongue twists,

You, the rabble of the disastrous alarm,

Slanderers, enemies of Russia!

In the poem “Monument,” which is a kind of summing up of his poetic activity, Pushkin says that he always remained a humanist, a freedom-lover and a patriot. Until his death, the poet was true to his ideals.

Pushkin's death “awakened” Lermontov. The previously unknown poet became familiar to every Russian person. Hatred of serfdom, thirst for freedom, protest against autocracy made him related to the progressive people of the era. A true example of Lermontov’s civic lyricism was the poem “The Death of a Poet,” in which the Russian poet’s response to a great loss was heard. The poet was keenly concerned with the topic of human social behavior. A poet-citizen, Lermontov loved his homeland with great love. He wished happiness to his country, the Russian people, contrasting his patriotism with official patriotism:

I love the Fatherland, but with a strange love!

My reason will not defeat her.

Nor glory bought with blood,

Nor the peace full of proud trust...

The poet admires Russian nature and folk holidays. Lermontov hates the “country of slaves”, the “country of masters”. He refers to the glorious period in the life of Russia, which defeated Napoleon. The poet speaks about the strength of Russian character, about the courage of the common people who defended their Motherland:

We'll go and break the wall,

Let's stand with our heads

For your homeland!

Lermontov glorifies the feat of arms, the heroism of the people in the war:

The enemy experienced a lot that day,

What does Russian fighting mean?

Our hand-to-hand combat!..

This is true patriotism! This is exactly how Lermontov understood the feeling of love for Russia, and this was reflected in the poet’s works.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the poetry of Pushkin and Lermontov. A. S. Pushkin laid the foundation of Russian poetry, M. Yu. Lermontov “took up the banner” from the hands of the murdered Pushkin. Both citizen poets sang of a Russia free from “slavery and chains.” And with this they deserved historical immortality, love and gratitude of their descendants.