A nobleman should be made up of a sound mind. Odes of Derzhavin

The great Russian poet Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin left significant footprint in the history of not only Russian, but also world literature. He wrote poems glorifying the victory of Russian weapons, praised famous generals. In his poetry there are often philosophical motives, and anacreontic lyrics. But the most important place the poet's work is occupied by civic-accusatory poems addressed to persons endowed with great political power. Solemn style, pathos of denunciation, biblical imagery- all this was deliberately used by Derzhavin in his civil lyrics for expression own views and beliefs.

The ode “The Nobleman” stands out especially brightly among such poems, in which the author tried to draw social portrait a person standing close to the throne and appointed to carry out the will of the sovereign. “The scourge of the nobles” will later be called the poet A. S. Pushkin. And this characterization really accurately and aptly reflects the essence of Derzhavin's entire poetry. With unprecedented artistic energy before him, the author of The Nobles smashes the “block of gilded dirt”, proud of the “arms of the ancestors”, dressed in “Moroccan ribbons and stars”.

In the poem, before us in all colors, in all its undisguised essence, the royal favorite appears, openly robbing the country and the people, forcing innocent people to suffer. The author gives a brief but extremely apt description of such a nobleman:

Donkey stays donkey

Though shower him with stars;

Where should the mind act,

O! vain happiness hand,

Against natural order

A madman dressed up as a master Or a fool as a cracker.

And such a "master" spends his life "among games, among idleness and bliss."

Derzhavin's satire is full of angry feelings. Clothed in iambic tetrameters, with which odes used to be written, this satire took on odic expressiveness and power. In an effort to reach out to the sleeping mind of the nobleman, to show him real life, the poet uses repetitions that reinforce the angry pathos of the work: “There the waters flow in the leaks ... there the roses bloom in the middle of winter and the nymphs sing in the groves.” But what are all these good things and beauty for?

Is it for you to look at everything with a gloomy, indifferent eye,

Amid the joys seemed boring And in satiety yawned?

“Roses and lilies shine”, and the idle and soulless nobleman “sleeps peacefully”, blind to suffering and deaf to the voice of the people thirsting for help and protection.

The incriminating characterization of the royal favorite, who forgot about his public duty, is concretized in two contrasting pictures. Derzhavin depicts the luxurious life of the “second Sardanapal”, whose thoughts are occupied only with

So that purple, gold everywhere look In your halls admired Pictures in mirrors breathed, Musiya, marble and porcelain ...

All the desires and needs of such people are limited to the fact that the table is filled with delicious dishes, that Tokay pours thick wine, and the Levant is fat coffee with stars.

Against the background of this splendor and idleness, the humiliated position of people who depend on a high-ranking noble is especially acute:

And there is a wounded hero,

Like a harrier in battles turned gray ...

Sitting and waiting for you for an hour!

And there - the widow stands in the hallway And sheds bitter tears,

With a baby in my arms,

He wants your cover.

And there - on the stairway sunrise Came on crutches bent Fearless, that old warrior ... Whose hand in battle Saved you from death.

And there, - where the fat dog lies, The gatekeeper is proud of galloons, - There is a regiment of lenders, Who came to you for debts.

But the soulless “sybarite” is sleeping, to whom the “moment of peace” is “more pleasant than in the history of the ages”, he does not heed the “unfortunate voice”.

Derzhavin addresses the sybarite with angry words and a demand to wake up and heed the voice of conscience. However, does the concept of conscience exist for someone who strives to “live for himself only one, only the joys of being able to drink rivers”? In the mind of such an insignificant person, shame and conscience are “ weak souls anxiety", for him "there is no virtue", "there is no God". But the poet confidently threatens the villain with a fair trial, he is convinced that the hour of reprisal will come, that thunder will break out over the heads of indifferent fools.

Together with the condemnation of the nobles in the work, there is a belief that for our state the hour will come when the king will really be the head, and the nobles are “healthy members of the body”, who “all diligently do their duty”. However, when this time comes, the poet, like any other of his contemporary, could not foresee.

G. R. Derzhavin - the greatest poet XVIII century. The meaning and purpose of poetic creativity he saw it in depicting reality truthfully and in bright colors: "In heartfelt simplicity, talk about God and speak the truth to kings with a smile." His diverse poetic writings paved the way further development Russian literature. It is no coincidence that the name of this poet was remembered with warmth and gratitude by his poetic heirs, among whom was the great A. S. Pushkin.

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Not decoration of clothes
My muse glorifies today
Which in the eyes of the ignorant
Jesters dress up as grandees;
I do not sing a song of pomp;
Not idols behind the crystal,
Glittering with metal in kivots,
Hear my praise.

I want to honor dignity
who by themselves
Were able to earn titles
laudable deeds;
Whom no noble family, no dignity,
Neither happiness was decorated;
But who have earned valor
Respect from the citizens.

An idol put to shame,
Mindless mob seduces;
But if the artists in it look
Direct beauty does not feel, -
This is the image of a false rumor,
This is a block of gilded dirt!
And you, without the goodness of your soul,
Are not all nobles like that?

Not Persian pearls on you
And not the Brazilian stars are clear;
For eyes that love the truth
Only virtues are beautiful
They are the essence of mortal praise.
Caligula! your horse is in the Senate
Could not shine, shining in gold!
Good deeds shine.

Donkey stays donkey
Though shower him with stars;
Where should the mind act,
He just flaps his ears.
O! vain happiness hand,
Against natural order
The madman is dressed as a master,
Or in the hype of a fool.

Whatever you think of springs.
So that my husband can manage
You can’t wear masks for centuries,
And the truth must be revealed.
When not overthrown in battles, in courts,
In the councils of the royal comrades, -
Everyone thinks that I am Chupyatov
In Moroccan ribbons and stars.

Leaving the scepter, the throne, the chamber,
Being a wanderer, in dust and sweat,
Great Peter like a god
Shone with majesty at work:
Honored and in rags hero!
Catherine in low proportion
And not on the royal throne
She was a great wife.

And indeed, since pride is flattery
I would not have seized the arrogant mind, -
That our nobility, honor,
How could not elegance be sincere?
I am a prince - if my spirit shines;
Owner - if I own passions;
Bolyarin - since I am sick for everyone,
King, law, church friend.

The nobleman should be
The mind is sound, the heart is enlightened;
He must set an example
That his title is sacred,
That he is an instrument of power,
Support of the royal building;
All his thought, words, deeds
Should be - benefit, glory, honor.

And you, the second Sardanapal!
What do you strive for all thoughts run?
Is it for your age to flow
Among games, among idleness and bliss?
So that purple, gold everywhere look
In your halls admired,
The pictures in the mirrors breathed
Musiya, marble and porcelain?

Is that a spacious light for you,
Stretch out your servile hands,
For your whimsical dinner
Delicious dishes brings tribute,
Tokay - pours thick wine,
Levant - fat coffee with stars, -
To not want for the work of the world
A moment to quit you alone?

There the waters flow in the clearings
And, striving upward with noise, they sparkle;
There roses bloom in the middle of winter
And in the groves the nymphs sing
Or to look at everything
You are a gloomy, indifferent eye,
Among the joys seemed boring
And yawned in satiety?

Eagle, soaring in height,
Already the sun sees in the rays of midday -
But your hall is hardly dawn
Blushes through the scarlet veils;
Barely on shaking breasts
Circe lying with you
Roses and lilies shine
You sleep peacefully with her - and there? -

And there is a wounded hero,
Like a gray harrier in battle,
Your former boss,
In front of you who came
To accept your order in the service, -
Between your golden servants,
Having drooped with a laurel head,
Sitting and waiting for you for an hour!

And there! - the widow stands in the hallway
And sheds bitter tears
With a baby in my arms,
He wants your cover.
For your benefits, for honor
She lost her husband;
In you, knowing him before a friend,
She came to bring her prayer.

And there - on the staircase sunrise
Came bent on crutches
Fearless, old warrior
Decorated with three medals
Whose hand is in battle
Saved you from death
He wants to stretch out that hand
For a piece of bread from you.

And where the fat dog lies,
The gatekeeper is proud of galloons,
Lenders regiment stands,
Who came to you for debts.
Wake up, sybarite! - Are you sleeping,
Or only in sweet bliss you doze,
Do not heed the unfortunate voice
And in a perverted heart you think:

"I have a moment of my peace
More pleasant than in the history of the ages;
Live for yourself alone
Only joys to be able to drink rivers,
Only to sail with the wind, to oppress the mob with a yoke;
Shame, conscience - anxiety for weak souls!
No virtue! there is no god!” -
Villain, alas! - A Sound of Thunder!

Blessed is the people who are full
pious faith in God,
The king always keeps the law,
Honors morals, virtue strictly
The heirloom of wives, children;
In unanimity - bliss;
In justice - equality;
Freedom - in the bridle of passions!

Blessed are the people! - where is the king head,
The nobles are healthy members of the body,
All diligently do their duty,
Someone else's without touching the case;
The head does not wait on the feet of the mind
And does not take strength from the hands,
She offers her eyes and ears,
She commands herself.

With this solid knot of nature
If the kingdom only lives happy,
Nobles! - glory, celebration
You have no other way but to be truthful;
How to observe the people, love the king,
For the common good of them to try,
Do not bend like a snake before the throne,
Stand up and speak the truth.

O growing awake people,
Fatherly preserving morals!
When the whole mortal race is relaxed,
What glory are you not involved in?
What nobles are not in you? -
He was brave among the abusive sounds;
Here gave the fearless Dolgorukov
Monarch formidable answer.

And in our times I see
That I am glorious Camila,
Whose works, war
And old age did not tire the spirit.
From the thunder of sonorous victories
He descended into his hut of indifference,
And from the plow again obediently
He lives in the field of Mars.

You, hero! wishes husband!
Not luxury grandee glorious;
Idol of hearts, captor of souls,
Leader, laurel, olive crowned!
I sang a righteous song here.
You be glorified by it, console yourself,
Fight the storms again, be of good cheer
As a young eagle ascend.

Bet - and from your height
Through the darkness of the vague ether
Thunderous jet fly,
And, resting in the bosom of the world,
Raise up another king.
Stretch your late shine among the people,
How to pay his debt to nature
Blush evening dawn.

November 1794

Put to shame- exposed.

Everyone thinks that I am Chupyatov. - Gzhatsky merchant Chupyatov traded hemp in St. Petersburg. After the fire of his pantries, he declared himself bankrupt; to avoid trouble, he pretended to be crazy, hung on himself multi-colored ribbons and medals, as if sent by his bride, a Moroccan princess. The meaning of these poems by Derzhavin lies in the fact that anyone who does not have true merits before the state is similar in his orders to Chupyatov.

And there the widow stands in the passage.- “The widow of Kostogorov, who was the husband of the colonel, provided many services to Potemkin and was one of his close associates, had the misfortune, quarreling for him, to go to a duel with famous Ivan Petrovich Gorich, brave man, who already after was the general-in-chief; this one killed him with a shot from a pistol, as they said then, deliberately loaded with three bullets; After the death of her husband, the widow of Kostogorov, asking for the patronage of the prince, often went to him and stood with a baby in her arms, waiting on the stairs for his departure.

Not decoration of clothes
My muse glorifies today
Which, in the eyes of the ignorant,
Jesters dress up as grandees;
I do not sing a song of pomp;
Not idols behind the crystal *,
In kivots * shining with metal,
Hear my praise.

Idol, put to shame *,
Mindless mob seduces;
But if the artists in it look
Direct beauty does not feel -
This is the image of a false rumor,
This is a block of gilded dirt!
And you, without the goodness of your soul,
Are not all nobles like that?

Not Persian pearls * on you
And not Brazilian stars are clear *, -
For eyes that love the truth
Only virtues are beautiful
They are the essence of mortal praise.
Caligula! your horse is in the Senate
Could not shine, shining in gold:
Good deeds shine.

Donkey stays donkey
Although shower it with stars *;
Where should the mind act,
He just flaps his ears.
O! vain happiness hand,
Against natural order
The madman is dressed in the master
Or in the hype of a fool

Whatever you invent springs,
So that my husband buy * to manage,
You can’t wear masks for centuries *
And the truth must be revealed.
When not overthrown in battles, in courts,
In the councils of the tsar - comparators,
Everyone thinks I'm Chupyatov*
In Moroccan ribbons and stars.

Leaving the scepter, the throne, the chamber,
Being a wanderer, in dust and sweat,
Great Peter, like a god,
Shone with majesty at work:
Honored and in rags hero!
Catherine in low proportion
And not on the royal throne
She was a great wife.

And you, the second Sardanapal!*
What do you strive for all thoughts run?
Is it for your age to flow
Among games, among idleness and bliss?
So that purple, gold everywhere look
In your halls admired,
The pictures in the mirrors breathed
Musiya*, marble and porcelain?

Is that a spacious light for you,
Stretch out your servile hands,
For your whimsical dinner
Delicious dishes brings tribute,
Tokay * - pours thick wine,
Levant * - fat coffee with stars,
To not want for the work of the world
A moment to quit you alone?

Eagle, soaring in height,
Already the sun sees in the rays of midday, -
But your hall is hardly dawn
Blushes through the scarlet veils *;
Barely on shaking breasts
Circe lying with you
Roses and lilies shine
You sleep peacefully with her, - and there?

And there - the widow stands in the hallway
And sheds bitter tears
With a baby in my arms,
He wants your cover.
For your benefits, for honor
She lost her husband;
In you, knowing him before a friend,
She came to bring her prayer.

And there, where the fat dog lies,
The gatekeeper is proud of galloons, -
Lenders regiment stands,
Who came to you for debts.
Wake up, sybarite! Are you sleeping
Or only in sweet bliss you doze,
Do not heed the unfortunate voice
And in a perverted heart you think:

Blessed is the people who are full
pious faith in God,
The king always keeps the law,
Honors morals, virtue strictly
The heirloom of wives, children,
In unanimity - bliss,
In justice - equality,
Freedom - in the bridle of passions!

Blessed is the people! - where the king is the head,
The nobles are healthy members of the body,
All diligently do their duty,
Someone else's without touching the case;
The head does not wait on the feet of the mind
And does not take strength from the hands,
She offers her eyes and ears, -
She commands herself.

With this solid knot of nature
If the kingdom only lives happy, -
Nobles! - glory, celebration
You have no other way but to be truthful;
How to observe the people, love the king,
For the common good of them to try;
Do not bend like a snake before the throne,
Stand and speak the truth.

O wakeful Russian people,
Fatherly preserving morals!
When the whole mortal race is relaxed,
What glory are you not involved in?
What nobles are not in you? -
He was brave among the abusive sounds;
Here gave the fearless Dolgorukov *
Monarch formidable answer.

And in our times I see
That I am glorious Camille *,
Whose works, war
And old age did not tire the spirit.
From the thunder of sonorous victories
He descended into his hut indifferently,
And from the plow again obediently
He lives in the field of Mars.

Bet - and from your height
Through the darkness of the vague ether
Thunder jet fly
And, resting in the bosom of the world,
Raise another king.-
Stretch your late shine among the people,
How to pay his debt to nature
Blush evening dawn.

Gavrila Derzhavin, 1794

Analysis of the ode "Nobleman" G.R. Derzhavin according to plan.

History of creation.
The ode "Nobleman" was written in 1794. Its writing was preceded by important events in Derzhavin's life. In December 1791, he was encouraged in the service by the Russian Empress Catherine II and appointed as her cabinet secretary. Getting close to you famous poet, Catherine II hoped that in gratitude for her mercy, he would glorify her with his poems. Derzhavin viewed this appointment in a completely different way. He was not only a poet, but he served all his life, holding various positions in state apparatus. He developed his own understanding of the social duties of a person.
Derzhavin was not a radical thinker, he was not an enlightener - he considered it legitimate serfdom and was a supporter of the monarchy in Russia.
At the same time, Derzhavin was shocked by the misfortunes of the people. He saw how officials and landowners robbed subjects and "feeders of the fatherland." Robbery was carried out by officials - both small and large, in the courts and in the Senate, rootless nobles and noble princes, nobles close to the throne. The abuses of the authorities and the lawlessness that reigned throughout the empire aroused Derzhavin's indignation.
That is why Derzhavin perceived the appointment of cabinet secretary as a conscious invitation to him to the post of assistant to the empress, who would help with his advice to eradicate crimes in public institutions Russia.
But Catherine II was tired and bored with the impudent office-secretary, who constantly pestered her with his advice, teachings, demands. In the autumn of 1793, Catherine II relieved Derzhavin of his duties as cabinet secretary. But she did not want to quarrel with a prominent poet, because he was awarded high rank Privy Councilor, the Order of Vladimir of the second degree and was appointed senator. Derzhavin's dream of Catherine II, an enlightened monarch, collapsed. It turned out to be impossible to fulfill one's duty to the fatherland in the state field, to use the power of the empress to combat the lawlessness and crimes of high-ranking officials. And it was then that Derzhavin decided to turn to poetry. The creation of the satirical ode "The Nobleman" was such a fulfillment of the poet's civic duty.
Main themes and ideas.
In the ode there are attempts to depict a social portrait - a Russian nobleman. Thoughts about the appointment, rights and duties of nobles, dignitaries of the empire, people exercising administrative power in the country had long been ripening in Derzhavin. The poem is based on one of Derzhavin's Chilagai odes "On Nobility", but the text was rewritten and significantly expanded: the original ten stanzas turned into twenty-five. The ode "Nobleman" is an excited and inspired monologue of the author, i.e. namely Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, explaining how the first persons in the state should act and exposing their vices. These verses are for oratory. Then, who but Derzhavin could introduce into a pathetic ode filled with civic indignation such a wonderful comparison:
Donkey stays donkey
Though shower him with stars;
Where should the mind act,
He just flaps his ears.
An important feature of the ode characterizing high level literary skill Derzhavin, the circumstance was that in this work he presented a collective portrait of a nobleman, generalized it distinctive features. This is not Potemkin or Zubov, but Potemkin, and Zubov, and Bezborodko, and Naryshkin, and Panin, and Repnin, and many, many other well-born and "accidental", i.e. people whom Derzhavin knew, who were in favor with the tsarina, observed as a subordinate and as a writer, and then sketched in his beautiful ode. Derzhavin attacks the tsarina's favorites, who, having no merit, like Zubov, suddenly acquired big weight in the state. The satire in the ode is directed against the phenomenon of "nobility" in general. The poet, without skimping on colors, describes the luxurious lifestyle of the nobles, satiated with pleasures, living without the slightest concern for anything:
For your whimsical dinner
Delicious dishes brings tribute,
Tokay pours thick wine,
Levant - fat coffee with stars,
To not want for the work of the world
A moment to quit you alone?
Then there is an instant contrast, the nobleman at noon enjoying sleep in the arms of his Circe, "And there?" - the poet asks sternly and immediately answers:
And there is a wounded hero,
Like a harrier in battles turned gray ...
... And there - the widow is standing in the hallway
And sheds bitter tears...
... And there - at the staircase sunrise
Came bent on crutches,
Fearless, old warrior
Decorated with three medals
Whose hand is in battle
Saved you from death
He wants to stretch out that hand
For a piece of bread from you ...
"Wake up, sybarite!" - Derzhavin is indignant, and in conclusion indicates the true duties of state dignitaries:
... How to observe the people, love the king,
For the common good of them to try,
Do not bend like a snake before the throne,
Stand and speak the truth.
Positive heroes for Derzhavin are the generals Rumyantsev and Suvorov. The most prominent place in the gallery of portraits of Derzhavin is occupied by Suvorov. Derzhavin briefly and expressively recreates Suvorov's personal image, his individual portrait. This is precisely Suvorov, with all his habits and peculiarities of behavior inherent in him and only him.

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