It is these lines from the unforgettable "Goblin Reserve" that come to mind when you read the following study on the topic "Farewell, unwashed Russia" and the history of the penetration of this masterpiece into all textbooks. So, let's start praying.
"The manuscript of the first poem has come down to us. Lermontov's hand. The second appeared in the lists in the early 70s of the XIX, then in the Russian Starina magazine under his name 46 (!) Years after the fatal duel. Moreover, the canonical "pasha" in that publication in the lists is preceded by “leaders”, there is a variant of “tsars.” Neither the draft nor Lermontov's autograph is known.
1. Motherland
I love my homeland, but with a strange love!
My mind won't defeat her.
Nor glory bought with blood
Nor full of proud trust peace,
No dark antiquity cherished legends
Do not stir in me a pleasurable dream.
But I love - for what, I do not know myself -
Her steppes are cold silence,
Her boundless forests sway,
The floods of her rivers are like seas;
On a country road I like to ride in a cart
And, with a slow gaze piercing the shadow of the night,
Meet around, sighing about an overnight stay,
The trembling lights of sad villages;
I love the smoke of the burnt stubble,
In the steppe, an overnight convoy
And on a hill in the middle of a yellow field
A couple of whitening birches.
With joy, unknown to many,
I see a complete threshing floor
Thatched hut,
Carved shuttered window;
And on a holiday, dewy evening,
Ready to watch until midnight
To the dance with stomping and whistling
To the sound of drunken men.
2. Farewell, unwashed Russia
Farewell, unwashed Russia,
Country of slaves, country of masters.
And you, blue uniforms,
And you, their devoted people.
Perhaps behind the wall of the Caucasus
I will hide from your pashas,
From their all-seeing eye
From their all-hearing ears.
The historian P. Bartenev, a well-known archeographer and bibliographer, publicly called himself the discoverer. In a private letter, he refers to a certain "original hand of Lermontov", never shown to anyone. Nobody saw him. Mysteriously disappeared. Later, in his journal "Russian Archive", Bartenev prints a postscript: "Written down from the words of the poet by a contemporary." A genuine record of that unnamed "contemporary" has also not yet been found. Strange loss, agree.
Now let's look at both works through the eyes of a reader inexperienced in the art of poetry. If both works belong to the same author, then he describes some completely different Russia. Loves the first. He calls his feeling “strange”, because, when viewed from the outside, “sad villages” with “thatched huts”, not bright, plain nature poor in shapes and colors and disastrous “river floods” cannot cause “consolation” . But Russia for Lermontov and for those to whom he addresses lyrical recognition is the Motherland. And this gives "weirdness" an individual sense of joyful amazement. If our poet, for example, were a Frenchman traveling around the empire (like the Marquis de Custine, who was initially set up for hostility), he would certainly have noted mocking, scolding peasants at a village holiday. But in love with his poor, imperfect homeland, the Moscow nobleman hears not foul language, but "talking"; and not men, but complaisant "peasants".
In the second poem, the author (Lermontov? Another?) does not "jump in a cart along a country road", looking around the surroundings with an enamored look. He, as much as possible, flees from Russia, in a hurry to leave the same Motherland, which in the poem of the same name he "loved with a strange love." He wants to be "behind the wall of the Caucasus" surrounded by foreign landscapes, among the tribes for whom he is an enemy, for a conqueror. He dreams of "hiding" either from some "leaders", or from "pashas", although the empire he serves is Russian, not Ottoman (and a mediocre poet, drunk, will not write such nonsense). He does not notice nature, which touched him from childhood, does not hear "the talk of drunken peasants." Now he has them only "people obedient to blue uniforms", slaves from the "country of slaves and masters." The author refuses to call her Motherland, she is ... "Unwashed Russia".
You might think that the poet, on the run, was not up to the selection of definitions; wove into the line that came to the irritated mind, if only to the rhythm.
But Lermontov is not like that. In its originals, every word is meaningful. No, he could not change the genius with which the Creator awarded him. He would not dare to dirtyly distort the opening line of "Farewell to the Sea", which was written by his idol, a slave of honor: "Farewell, free element!" The publicist P. Krasnov noted in "Unwashed Russia" "a crooked style, poor comparisons and a complete lack of depth, so characteristic of Lermontov ... The analysis shows a complete discrepancy with Lermontov's style. Thus, "blue uniforms", "pashas" are not found in the author of "Motherland" nowhere else." "Rudeness, clumsiness of lines" was seen in this poem by G. Klechenov.
ABOUT RUSSIAN BANK AND EUROPEAN BASINS
The main thing that immediately catches the eye, causes bewilderment and internal protest, is the insult to the Fatherland - from the first line. Lermontov, a nobleman and patriot, who spoke with love in his writings about the common people, nowhere, in a single word, notes the bodily uncleanliness of the lower classes. “By the way,” writes P. Krasnov, “the phrase “unwashed Russia”, if anything is remarkable, is its meanness and turning the situation upside down. steam bath, at least once a week, cannot be compared not only to European peasants who washed twice in their lives, but also to the most refined French nobles, who washed, at best, once a year, and invented perfume and cologne to beat off the unbearable the stench of an unwashed body, and to noblewomen who wore flea caps."
Your humble servant, dear reader, was honored after the Second World War, at a young age, to visit Europe, where our father's military roads brought our family. Remember, this was the middle of the 20th century. In the Siberian town where we, the Sokurovs, come from, almost every yard had a bathhouse (or one for 2-3 yards). The same is in the villages. In the Magyar Nyiregyhaza, in the Galician Sambir, at first there was nowhere to wash. Separate middle-class apartments had bathrooms, but running water did not work immediately. In the common people's quarters, the townspeople used common speakers on the streets, splashed in the kitchen in basins. For the villagers - a river and a well, no problem. In winter, firewood, peat and coal were used only for cooking and heating the home. So it was right to exclaim: "Hello, unwashed Europe!"
A LITTLE DOUBT, FOR decency
And yet, I will make a theoretical assumption: what if Lermontov really wrote both poems under the influence of a lousy mood! More precisely, "one of the two" Lermontovs, separated in his physical body by some event that changes a person's consciousness, priorities, views on himself and the environment. We know the hooligan atheist and Pushkin, who invented republican views for himself, during the first seven years after the Lyceum. And we know a completely different Pushkin, settled down, recognizing God, a supporter of enlightened autocracy, whom he remained until his last days. The fateful village of Mikhailovskoye - "a haven of tranquility, work and inspiration" made it such. The process of rebirth, in an intensive phase, lasted from 1824 to 26. He almost divided the poetic life of a genius in its printed period in two: 9 years before the northern exile and 10 after.
Lermontov wrote Rodina in 1841, shortly before his death. "Unwashed Russia" could theoretically appear under his pen when, after a vacation, he returned to his regiment in the Caucasus in the same year. If such a daring challenge to power appeared in 1837, when the author of the poem "The Death of a Poet" was already going to go to war with the highlanders by the Highest order, then such a "volley of mud" towards the throne would have been immediately heard by everyone. It turns out that between two poems, sharply opposite in tone, a few months, if not weeks, or even days. This time period is not enough for the worldview rebirth of a person, especially the Byronic mindset. This conclusion would be weighty in reasoning, if we were guessing, wrote - did not write "unwashed Russia" a man whom critics and thoughtful readers predicted to take the place of the early departed Pushkin. However, there is nothing to guess. The author is known. Let's just clarify: the author of the fake.
PARTNER IN CRIME
When it comes to the appearance in the Light of God of the scandalous poem "Farewell, unwashed Russia", first in the lists, then in the press, the bibliographer Bartenev invariably appears. There are no other witnesses. This man devoted his whole life to finding and publishing unknown materials and literary and biographical documents about Russian writers. We are also grateful to him for the revival of interest in Pushkin, after Pisarev's furious debunking of it. But the famous archeographer had, as they say, "a stigma in a cannon." Sometimes, for the sake of increasing the impact on the interested public, for the sake of increasing the number of subscribers to his magazine, for the sake of "sensational discoveries", he went to funny pranks, which somehow imperceptibly and nicely turned into serious forgeries. Moreover, he cautiously collaborated with Herzen, who at one time was "awakened by the Decembrists" and who "called Russia to the ax" at a safe distance from London. The uncensored press required "revealing" works by recognized poets and prose writers. If there were not enough such works, they were composed "under well-known names" by quick-witted liberal verses. Bartenev himself did not shine with writing talents. Somehow he mastered a few lines with the help of borrowings from Pushkin, but honestly admitted to his poetic mediocrity. To his luck, a like-minded person showed up, a master of versification, who became a friend, the same one with a puffy face that introduced himself as Mitriy-Mitrich.
MYSTIFIER
D. D. Minaev in post-reform Russia deservedly enjoyed the fame of a caustic satirist, a talented parodist and a demonically cheerful hoaxer. Was a drink is not a fool, the soul of the company. He successfully (well, almost originals!) parodied the classics of poetry, from Dante to Pushkin (the latter, for the amusement of the scoffers, he ridiculed with a parody novel "Eugene Onegin of Our Days"). Prose writers got it from him, even Leo Tolstoy.
Once (it was in 1873), when the publisher of the Russian Archive was in particular need of a fresh revealing document of the autocracy, Minaev brought a miraculously discovered poem to a friend, which began with the striking, with the smell of an unwashed folk body, the words "Farewell, unwashed Russia."
"Pushkin, or what?" - Asked Bartenev, remembering the first line of the famous message "To the Sea", written when the disgraced poet said goodbye to the "free elements", going to Mikhailovskoye. "No, Lermontov," answered Minaev, tipsy, according to his custom. After reading all the eight lines, Bartenev, on reflection, agreed. The same Minaev, grinning in his beard, recently introduced him to the satirical poem "Demon", which contained the following lines:
"Imp rushes. No interference
He does not see on the night air.
On his blue uniform
The stars of the ranks of all are sparkling."
Although there was no signature, Bartnev understood without explanation who the author of this other "Demon" was. The "blue uniform" betrayed the writer of "Unwashed Russia" with his head, especially since, the bibliographer knew, Lermontov never used this phrase anywhere. However, there was no reason for Herzen's informant to expose the hoaxer.
Alas, this time Bartenev was mistaken. As our contemporary V. Khatyushin wrote, the parodic abomination of Minaev disguised as a democrat, sounding blasphemous and disgusting, survived both tsarism and socialism (including developed socialism ") and feels comfortable in the post-Soviet era. And, unbearably, it has become part of the literary Lermontov's legacy.
UNION OF SCITTERS AND IGNORANTS
P. Krasnov called the introduction of this fake into textbooks, starting with Soviet ones, an act of a competent ideological war; its unlimited replication. In fact, "screaming Russophobia", expressed in poetry, has become, as it were, the calling card of the great poet. And all efforts to refute the authorship of Lermontov by such authoritative researchers as Academician Skatov, for example, are nullified by ignoramuses and conscious scoundrels. Recently, in one of the "TV shows" public writer Bykov once again savored "unwashed Russia", allegedly quoting Lermontov. Well, with the ignoramuses it is clear. And what is the goal of the "conscious scoundrels"? After all, thanks to the authority of Lermontov, who was vilely “set up” here, each new generation from school years gets used to seeing the Motherland “unwashed”, that is, in the guise of a world bum, untidy, smelly, wretched against the backdrop of a clean, well-groomed, thickly fragrant French perfume, but saving water of the West. Who is interested in the Russophobic stamp insanely planted in the subconscious of people who read in Russian? Of course, those forces that aim to manipulate the consciousness of the inhabitants of a huge country, which for the Atlantic world is like a bone in the throat, like an annoying log, which lies for centuries on the path of their universal expansion.
Compatriots, be vigilant and selective! Read the real Lermontov - Motherland, Borodino, and almost everything he wrote. On the centenary of the poet, the Bulletin of Literature responded with the following words: “Lermontov is the pride and glory of Russian poetry, to whom, along with other “heroes of the pen,” we owe the strength of our national feelings ... After all, Lermontov, no doubt, was one of those poets who taught us love our homeland and made us proud of it ... ". V.O. Klyuchevsky wrote: "... remember Lermontov's HOMELAND... Poetry, warmed by the personal feeling of the poet, becomes a phenomenon of folk life, a historical fact. Not a single Russian poet has been so able to deeply penetrate the people's feeling and give it artistic expression like Lermontov.
“I love the Fatherland, but with a strange love”
Perhaps the theme of the motherland is the main one in the work of all the great Russian writers. She finds a peculiar refraction in the lyrics of M. Yu. Lermontov. In some ways, his sincere thoughts about Russia coincide with those of Pushkin. Lermontov is also not satisfied with the present homeland, he also wishes her freedom. But in his lyrics there is no Pushkin's ardent optimistic confidence that "she, the star of captivating happiness, will rise." His penetrating and merciless gaze of the artist reveals those negative aspects of Russian life that make the poet feel a sense of hatred for them and, without any regret, part with the fatherland.
Farewell, unwashed Russia,
Country of slaves, country of masters,
And you, blue uniforms,
And you, their devoted people.
In Lermontov's chased laconic lines, the evil that causes his anger and indignation is concentrated to the limit. And this evil is the slavery of the people, the despotism of autocratic power, the persecution of dissent, the restriction of civil liberties.
The feeling of sorrow for the oppressed homeland permeates the poem "Complaints of the Turk". The sharp political content makes the poet resort to allegory. The title of the poem points to the despotic state regime of Turkey, in which the national liberation struggle of the Greeks under its rule was waged. These anti-Turkish sentiments found sympathy in Russian society. At the same time, the true meaning of the poem, directed against the hated autocratic-feudal regime of Russia, was quite clear to progressive-minded readers.
There early life is hard for people,
There, behind the joys, reproach rushes,
There a man groans from slavery and chains! ..
Friend! this land ... my homeland!
Yes, Lermontov was not satisfied with the Nikolaev Russia of the 30s of the XIX century, which accounted for his creative maturity. What nourished Lermontov's love for the motherland? Maybe her glorious heroic past? Lermontov, like Pushkin, admired the courage, resilience, and patriotism of the Russian people, who defended the freedom of their native country during the terrible years of the Patriotic War of 1812. The most striking heroic event of this war, which was already history for Lermontov, he dedicated the wonderful poem “Borodino”. Admiring the feat of the Russian heroes of the past, the poet involuntarily recalls his generation, which passively endures oppression, without making an attempt to change the life of his fatherland for the better.
Yes, there were people in our time,
Not like the current tribe:
Bogatyrs - not you!
They got a bad share:
Not many returned from the field...
Do not be the Lord's will,
They wouldn't give up Moscow!
In the poem “Motherland”, Lermontov nevertheless says that this “glory bought with blood” cannot give him “pleasant dreams”. But why is this poem filled with some kind of bright, Pushkin mood? There is no rebellious angry spirit characteristic of Lermontov here. Everything is quiet, simple, peaceful. Even the poetic rhythm here gives the work smoothness, slowness and majesty. At the beginning of the poem, Lermontov speaks of his "strange" love for his homeland. This oddity lies in the fact that he hates autocratic-feudal Russia, the country of "blue uniforms", and with all his heart loves the people of Russia, its discreet but charming nature. In "Motherland" the poet draws folk Russia. Pictures dear to the heart of every Russian person appear before the mind's eye of the poet.
But I love - for what, I do not know myself -
Her steppes are cold silence,
Her boundless forests sway,
The floods of her rivers are like seas.
The artist draws here three successively changing images-landscapes: steppe, forest and river, which are typical of Russian folklore. After all, in folk songs the steppe is always wide, free. With its immensity, infinity, it attracts the poet. The image of a heroic, mighty forest enhances the impression of the power and scope of Russian nature. The third image is the river. Unlike the fast, impetuous mountain rivers of the Caucasus, they are majestic, calm, full-flowing. Lermontov emphasizes their strength by comparison with the seas. This means that the greatness, scope and breadth of native nature evokes in the poet "pleasant dreams" about the great future of Russia and its people. These reflections of Lermontov echo the thoughts of other great writers of Russia - Gogol and Chekhov, who saw in their native nature a reflection of the national spirit of their people. An ardent love for rural, rural Russia is permeated with all Lermontov's poem.
I love the smoke of the burnt stubble,
In the steppe a nomadic convoy
And on a hill in the middle of a yellow field
A couple of whitening birches.
With joy unknown to many
I see a complete threshing floor
Thatched hut,
With carved shutters window ...
The severity of the servitude of the people makes the poet with particular joy to see the few "traces of contentment and labor" that still exist in peasant life. He seems to lead the reader through the forest and steppes, along a country road to the village, to a simple hut and stops to admire the daring Russian dance "with stomping and whistling to the voice of drunken peasants." He is endlessly pleased with the sincere folk fun at the holiday. One can feel the poet's ardent desire to see the Russian people happy and free. Only her, people's Russia, the poet considers his true homeland.
I love my homeland, but with a strange love!
My mind won't defeat her.
Nor glory bought with blood
Nor full of proud trust peace,
No dark antiquity cherished legends
Do not stir in me a pleasurable dream.
But I love - for what, I do not know myself -
Her steppes are cold silence,
Her boundless forests sway,
The floods of her rivers are like the seas;
On a country road I like to ride in a cart
And, with a slow gaze piercing the shadow of the night,
Meet around, sighing about an overnight stay,
The flickering lights of sad villages.
I love the smoke of the burnt stubble,
In the steppe, an overnight convoy,
And on a hill in the middle of a yellow field
A couple of whitening birches.
With joy unknown to many
I see a complete threshing floor
Thatched hut,
Carved shuttered window;
And on a holiday, dewy evening,
Ready to watch until midnight
To the dance with stomping and whistling
To the sound of drunken men.
Analysis of the poem "Motherland" by Lermontov
In the late period of Lermontov's work, deep philosophical themes appear. The rebelliousness and open protest inherent in his youth are replaced by a more mature outlook on life. If earlier, when describing Russia, Lermontov was guided by lofty civic ideas associated with martyrdom for the good of the Fatherland, now his love for the Motherland is expressed in more moderate tones and resembles Pushkin's patriotic poems. An example of such an attitude was the work "Motherland" (1841).
Lermontov already in the first lines admits that his love for Russia is “strange”. At that time it was customary to express it in grandiloquent words and loud statements. This was fully manifested in the views of the Slavophils. Russia was declared the greatest and happiest country, having a very special path of development. All shortcomings and troubles were ignored. Autocratic power and the Orthodox faith were declared a guarantee of the eternal well-being of the Russian people.
The poet declares that his love does not have any reasonable grounds, it is his innate feeling. The great past and the heroic deeds of the ancestors do not evoke any response in his soul. The author himself does not understand why Russia is so incredibly close and understandable to him. Lermontov perfectly understood the backwardness of his country from the West, the poverty of the people and their slavish position. But it is impossible not to love your own mother, so he is delighted with the pictures of the immense Russian landscape. Using bright epithets (“borderless”, “whitening”), Lermontov depicts a majestic panorama of his native nature.
The author does not speak directly about his contempt for the life of high society. It is guessed in the loving description of a simple rural landscape. Lermontov is much closer to a trip on an ordinary peasant cart than a walk in a brilliant carriage. This allows you to feel the life of the common people, to feel your inseparable connection with them.
At that time, the opinion prevailed that the nobles differ from the peasants not only in education, but in the physical and moral structure of the body. Lermontov, on the other hand, declares the common roots of the whole people. Otherwise, how else can one explain the unconscious admiration for village life. The poet is happy to exchange fake metropolitan balls and masquerades for a "dance with stomping and whistling."
The poem "Motherland" is one of the best patriotic works. Its main advantage lies in the absence of pathos and the enormous sincerity of the author.
Motherland and people... What short words. But what great meaning they have. For each person, the concept of homeland is associated with various aspects and aspects of life. For M. Yu. Lermontov, it is life itself, it is part of his fiery, passionate, sincere soul. Lermontov could not imagine himself without a homeland, without Russia. But Russia could not be imagined without the Russian people. Therefore, all his lyrics are imbued with a reverent love for the motherland and a great sense of national heroism. I love my homeland, but with a strange love! My mind will not defeat her, - the poet admits in the poem "Motherland". This love came from the very heart, which was infinitely dear to “the cold silence of the steppes”, and “forests of boundless swaying”, and “the floods of its rivers, like seas”, and “the trembling lights of sad villages”. Lermontov subtly felt the beauty of Russian nature, he was close and dear to the poetic life of the people: I love the smoke of the burnt stubble, In the steppe the overnight convoy And on the hill among the yellow fields A couple of whitening birches. His heart was filled with tenderness and warmth when he saw straw-covered peasant huts, windows “with carved shutters”, when he watched cheerful folk festivities. Surrounded by native nature, primordially Russian peasant landscape, the poet's heart was filled with calmness and harmony. Only in his homeland could he, at least for a short time, feel truly happy. When the yellowing field is agitated, And the fresh forest rustles at the sound of the breeze, And the crimson plum hides in the garden Under the shade of a sweet green leaf; When, sprinkled with fragrant dew, On a ruddy evening or in the morning at a golden hour, From under a bush, a silver lily of the valley amiably nods its head to me; When the icy spring plays along the ravine And, plunging the thought into some kind of vague dream, It babbles to me a mysterious saga About the peaceful land from which it rushes, - Then the anxiety of my soul humbles itself ... ... And I can comprehend happiness on earth ... In these lines Lermontov says with the very heart, only true, strong feelings appear here, the main of which is the feeling of love for the native land. But the poet's view of his beloved homeland was by no means idealized. His soul, striving for harmony and happiness, was not worried about either “glory bought with blood”, “nor peace full of proud trust”, “nor cherished legends of dark antiquity”. He perfectly saw all the hardships of the life of his people, their suffering, was indignant at the serfdom, the gendarmerie empire with its division into masters and slaves, into gendarmes and "the people obedient to them." Lermontov saw all the sores on the body of his native land, he saw and did not understand the slavish obedience of the people, he rebelled against his humility, voicelessness and immobility. And the poet's heart was torn to pieces. Because he still loved and could not stop loving everything that he called "my home." In this house he is "condemned to suffer", but only in it can he be calm. That is why Lermontov called his love for his homeland “strange” - it combined happiness and pain, the desire to do everything possible for his native land and the consciousness of his own impotence. Love for Russia is inextricably linked in the heart of the poet with love for the great capital - Moscow. It is she who is the central image of the poem "Borodino", in which the author openly swore allegiance to his homeland. It was Moscow that taught the poet to appreciate the freedom and independence of the people, it was she who showed the real heroic character of the Russian people. It was here that M. Yu. Lermontov was formed as a poet and as a citizen, here his mighty mind manifested itself, thought made itself known, great philosophical ideas were born. The poet treasured the civil deeds of his ancestors, who knew how to stand up for the truth, for human dignity, for the honor of the fatherland. Therefore, in his poems, he constantly glorifies the Russia of the people, which he loves with all his soul, with all his heart, "truly holy and reasonable." And, recalling the heroic past of the Russian people, Lermontov looks with sadness and doubt at future generations, whom life "torments, like a smooth path without a goal."
~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~
I love my homeland, but with a strange love!
My mind won't defeat her.
Nor glory bought with blood
Nor full of proud trust peace,
No dark antiquity cherished legends
Do not stir in me a pleasurable dream.
But I love - for what, I do not know myself -
Her steppes are cold silence,
Her boundless forests sway,
The floods of her rivers are like seas;
On a country road I like to ride in a cart
And, with a slow gaze piercing the shadow of the night,
Meet around, sighing about an overnight stay,
The trembling lights of sad villages;
I love the smoke of the burnt stubble,
In the steppe, an overnight convoy
And on a hill in the middle of a yellow field
A couple of whitening birches.
With joy, unknown to many,
I see a complete threshing floor
Thatched hut,
Carved shuttered window;
And on a holiday, dewy evening,
Ready to watch until midnight
To the dance with stomping and whistling
To the sound of drunken men.
Year of writing: 1841
Analysis of the poem "Motherland" by Lermontov
The creative heritage of the Russian poet and writer Mikhail Lermontov includes many works that express the civil position of the author. However, the poem "Motherland", written by Lermontov in 1941, shortly before his death, can be classified as the most striking example of patriotic lyrics of the 19th century.
Writers who are contemporaries of Lermontov can be divided into two categories. Some of them sang the beauty of Russian nature, deliberately turning a blind eye to the problems of the village and serfdom. Others, on the contrary, tried to reveal the vices of society in their works and were known as rebels. Mikhail Lermontov, in turn, tried to find a golden mean in his work, and the poem “Motherland” is rightfully considered the crown of his aspirations to express his feelings for Russia as fully and objectively as possible.
One consists of two parts, different not only in size, but also in concept. The solemn introduction, in which the author confesses his love for the Fatherland, is replaced by stanzas that describe the beauty of Russian nature. The author admits that he loves Russia not for its feats of arms, but for the beauty of nature, originality and bright national color. He clearly shares such concepts as the homeland and the state, noting that his love is strange and somewhat painful. On the one hand, he admires Russia, its steppes, meadows, rivers and forests. But at the same time, he is aware that the Russian people are still oppressed, and the stratification of society into rich and poor is becoming more pronounced with each generation. And the beauty of the native land is not able to veil the "trembling lights of sad villages."
Researchers of this poet's work are convinced that by nature Mikhail Lermontov was not a sentimental person. In his circle, the poet was known as a bully and a brawler, he liked to taunt fellow soldiers and resolved disputes with a duel. Therefore, it is all the more strange that from his pen were born not bravura patriotic and not accusatory lines, but subtle lyrics with a touch of slight sadness. However, there is a logical explanation for this, which some literary critics adhere to. It is believed that creative people have amazing intuition, or, as it is commonly called in literary circles, the gift of foresight. Mikhail Lermontov was no exception and, according to Prince Peter Vyazemsky, he foresaw his death in a duel. That is why he hastened to say goodbye to everything that was dear to him, removing for a moment the mask of a jester and a hypocrite, without which he did not consider it necessary to appear in high society.
However, there is an alternative interpretation of this work, which, undoubtedly, is the key in the poet's work. According to the literary critic Vissarion Belinsky, Mikhail Lermontov not only advocated the need for state reforms, but also had a presentiment that very soon Russian society with its patriarchal way of life would change completely, completely and irrevocably. Therefore, in the poem "Motherland" sad and even nostalgic notes slip through, and the main leitmotif of the work, if you read it between the lines, is an appeal to posterity to love Russia as it is. Do not praise its achievements and merits, do not focus on social vices and the imperfection of the political system. After all, the homeland and the state are two completely different concepts that you should not try to bring to a common denominator, even from good intentions. Otherwise, love for the Motherland will be seasoned with the bitterness of disappointment, which the poet, who experienced this feeling, was so afraid of.
Analysis of the poem "Motherland" by Lermontov (2)
Lermontov's poem "Motherland" is studied in literature classes in grade 9. In our article you can find a complete and concise analysis of "Motherland" according to the plan.
History of creation - the poem was written as a declaration of love to the Motherland in 1841, a few months before the death of the poet.
The theme is love for the motherland, true patriotism, edged with pictures of native nature.
Composition - two stanzas of different volume, containing philosophical reflections and a declaration of love for the motherland with a listing of pictures of native nature.
Genre - thought. The second stanza is very close to an elegy.
The poetic size is iambic six-foot, turning into five- and four-foot with cross-rhyming (the work has both a pair and a ring rhyming method). Feminine rhyme prevails.
Metaphors - "glory bought with blood", "cold silence of the steppes", "borderless swaying forests", "a couple of birches".
Epithets - "dark antiquity", "cherished giving", "pleasant dreaming", "cold silence", "sad villages", "boundless forests", "dewy evening".
Comparison - "the floods of her rivers, like the seas."
History of creation
In 1841, Lermontov was returning from the Caucasus on vacation to resolve the issue of resignation and engage in literary work. A long absence from his homeland played a role, inspiring the poet to write the most beautiful poem - a declaration of love. The simple Russian beauty of nature was so contrasting with the Caucasian highlands that the poet created beautiful lines, poignant and sincere.
It was written on March 13 and was originally called "Fatherland", but when it was published, it was decided to change the title to "Motherland" (it is devoid of civil pathos, softer and more melodic, which corresponds to the understanding of patriotism that permeates the poem). Longing for the motherland and awareness of its value, closeness sounds the main motive in the poem. The poem merged both real landscapes and individual natural sketches taken by the poet from the memories and impressions of another period.
Topic
The theme of love for the motherland, the landscape beginning and patriotism, deep, folk, personal, practically devoid of a state or civil component. Her traces are only at the beginning of the poem, then the pictures of everyday life and native landscapes push aside the pathos and solemn tone.
Lermontov's love is very personal and sincere, he loves the lights in the windows of rural houses, the smells of fires, thatched huts, birch trees that lined the road. The author characterizes his love as “strange”, because he himself does not understand its roots and causes, but a strong all-consuming feeling shines through in every line of the poem. Only a pure mind, a huge talent, can write this. Lermontov has no love for secular life, he the ""laws"" of high society, intrigues, defiance, rumors, the meaninglessness of the existence of the nobility and the empty Russian reality became disgusting.
The main idea of the poem- love for the motherland is a strong feeling beyond understanding, given from above. The idea of the poem is to reveal the essence of a person - a patriot (the author himself), who faithfully loves his homeland, attached to it with all his heart. The lyrical hero presents his feeling as something personal: they love their loved one so much, despite his shortcomings, strongly and selflessly.
Composition
The first semantic part of the poem - the stanza - consists of 6 verses. They are philosophical in nature and clearly define the lack of connection between the lyrical hero's attachment to the history of the country, its glory and heroism. He loves his homeland, not the country, not for something, but in spite of everything that she did to the poet. The second stanza - 20 lines - is a recognition of the lyrical hero in true filial love for the motherland. A kind of semantic antithesis is also expressed by the selection of vocabulary: at the beginning of the poem - sublimely, solemnly, and in the second stanza - simple, colloquial, with everyday descriptions.
Genre
The lyrical poem is close to the genre of thought, which was characteristic of the work of the Decembrists. The second stanza - the largest in volume - meets all the requirements of the elegy genre. In the first stanza, the author gives three negatives that could be a reason for love for the motherland, but did not. The second stanza is a pure declaration of love with an amazing, and very original in its simplicity, description of native landscapes: there is no evidence, no reasons, only the “fact of love” itself. The poem combines iambic 6, 5 foot, sometimes turning into a four-foot, more traditional for the author.
means of expression
Metaphors: ""glory bought with blood", "cold silence of the steppes", "borderless swaying forests", "a couple of birches"".
Comparison: ""the floods of her rivers are like the seas"".
The anaphora in the first stanza makes the lyrical hero’s thoughts emotional and sublime: “Neither glory bought with blood, nor rest full of proud confidence, nor cherished legends of dark antiquity ....” The anaphora in the second stanza gives song and elegiacity to the poem: “The cold silence of her steppes , its forests of boundless swaying ... ". "
The exclamatory sentence, which is the first verse of the work, expresses its central thought: "I love my homeland, but with a strange love!"
