Eternal questions in Derzhavin's poems: analysis of the ode “to Felitsa. "Felitsa" (Derzhavin): analysis of the ode Derzhavin felitsa main characters
Ode "Felitsa"(1782) - the first poem that made the name of Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin famous, and became an example of a new style in Russian poetry.
The ode got its name from the name of the heroine "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus", the author of which was Catherine herself and this name, which translated from Latin means happiness, is also named in Derzhavin's ode, glorifying the empress and satirically characterizing her environment.
The history of this poem is very interesting and revealing. It was written a year before publication, but Derzhavin himself did not want to publish it and even concealed the authorship. And suddenly, in 1783, news spread around St. Petersburg: an anonymous ode appeared “ Felitsa", Where the vices of famous nobles, close to Catherine II, to whom the ode was dedicated, were brought out in a humorous form. Petersburg residents were surprised by the courage of the unknown author. They tried to get it, read it, rewrite it. Princess Dashkova, close to the Empress, decided to publish an ode, Shouting in the very magazine where Catherine II herself collaborated.
On the next day, Dashkova found the empress in tears, and in her hands was a magazine with Derzhavin's ode. The Empress asked who wrote the poem, in which, as she herself said, she portrayed her so accurately that she moved her to tears. This is how Derzhavin tells the story.
V " Felice Derzhavin acted as a bold innovator, combining the style of a laudatory ode with individualization of characters and satire, introducing elements of low styles into the high ode genre. Subsequently, the poet himself defined the genre of "Felitsa" as a "mixed ode". Derzhavin argued that, in contrast to the traditional ode for classicism, where state officials, military leaders were praised, the solemn event was glorified, in a "mixed ode", "the poet can talk about everything."
Reading the poem " Felitsa”, You are convinced that Derzhavin really managed to introduce into poetry the individual characters of real people, boldly taken from life or created by the imagination, shown against the background of a vividly depicted everyday environment. This makes his poems vivid, memorable and understandable not only for people of his time. And now we can read with interest the poems of this wonderful poet, separated from him by a huge distance of two and a half centuries.
Classicism forbade combining a high ode and satire related to low genres in one work. But Derzhavin does not even simply combine them in describing the different persons deduced in the ode, he does something completely unprecedented for that time. "God-like" Felitsa, like other characters in his ode, is also shown everyday ("You often walk on foot ..."). At the same time, such details do not diminish her image, but make her more real, humane, as if it was precisely written off from nature.
But not everyone liked this poem as much as the empress. It puzzled and alarmed many of Derzhavin's contemporaries. What was so unusual and even dangerous about him?
On the one hand, the ode "Felitsa" creates a completely traditional image of a "godlike princess", which embodies the poet's idea of the ideal of the Reverend Monarch. While clearly idealizing the real Catherine II, Derzhavin at the same time believes in the image he painted:
Give, Felitsa, instruction:
How to live magnificently and truthfully,
How to tame the excitement of passions
And be happy in the world?
On the other hand, in the poet's poems there is a thought not only about the wisdom of power, but also about the negligence of the performers concerned about their own benefit:
Everywhere temptation and flattery lives,
Pasha oppresses everyone with luxury.
Where does virtue dwell?
Where does a rose without thorns grow?
In itself, this idea was not new, but behind the images of the nobles, painted in the ode, the features of real people clearly stood out:
I circle my thought in chimeras:
I kidnap captivity from the Persians,
Then I turn arrows to the Turks:
That, having dreamed that I am a sultan,
I frighten the universe with my gaze;
Then suddenly, I was seduced by the outfit,
I will go to the tailor for a caftan.
In these images, the poet's contemporaries easily recognized the favorite of the Empress Potemkin, her confidants Alexei Orlov, Panin, Naryshkin. Drawing their brightly satirical portraits, Derzhavin showed great courage - after all, any of the nobles hurt by him could have dealt with the author for this. Only Catherine's favorable attitude saved Derzhavin.
But even to the empress, he dares to give advice: to follow the law, which is subject to both kings and their subjects:
You alone are only decent
Princess, create light from darkness;
Dividing Chaos into spheres harmoniously,
To strengthen their integrity with a union;
Out of disagreement - agreement
And from the ferocious passions happiness
You can only create.
This favorite idea of Derzhavin sounded bold and was expressed in simple and backward language.
The poem ends with a traditional praise to the Empress and wishing her all the best:
Heavenly I ask for strength
Yes, their winged sapphire wings,
They keep you invisible
From all diseases, anger and boredom;
Yes, the sounds of your deeds in posterity,
Like the stars in the sky, they will excite.
Listen to Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa"
Ode "Felitsa"
Godlike princess
Kirghiz-Kaysatsky hordes!
Whose wisdom is incomparable
Has discovered the right traces
Young Tsarevich Chlorus
Climb that high mountain
Where a rose without thorns grows
Where virtue dwells -
She captivates my spirit and mind,
Let me find her advice.
Come on, Felitsa! instruction:
How to live magnificently and truthfully,
How to tame the excitement of passions
And be happy in the world?
Your voice excites me
Your son is escorting me;
But I am weak to follow them.
Restless with the vanity of life,
Today I rule myself
And tomorrow I'm a slave to whims.
Without imitating your murzas,
You often walk on foot
And the food is the simplest
Happens at your table;
Do not value your peace,
You read, write in front of the tax
And all from your pen
Shedding bliss on mortals;
You don't play cards like this
Like me, from morning to morning.
You don't like masquerades too much
And you can't even step into the bed;
Keeping customs, rituals,
You don't donkishot yourself;
You can't saddle a Parnassian horse,
You don't enter the spirits in the assembly,
Do not go from the throne to the East;
But walking the path of meekness,
With a beneficent soul
Useful days you spend current.
And I, having slept until noon,
I smoke tobacco and drink coffee;
Turning everyday life into a holiday,
I circle my thought in chimeras:
I kidnap captivity from the Persians,
I turn arrows to the Turks;
That, having dreamed that I am a sultan,
I frighten the universe with my gaze;
Then suddenly, seduced by the outfit,
I will go to the tailor for a caftan.
Or am I rich at a feast,
Where they give me a holiday
Where the table shines with silver and gold,
Where there are thousands of different dishes:
There is a glorious Westphalian ham,
There are links of Astrakhan fish,
There are pilaf and pies,
I wash down the waffles with champagne;
And I forget everything
Amid wines, sweets and aroma.
Or in the middle of a beautiful grove
In the gazebo where the fountain is making noise,
At the sound of a sweet-voiced harp,
Where the breeze barely breathes
Where everything represents luxury to me,
He catches thoughts to the joys,
Tumbles and revives the blood;
Lying on a velvet sofa
Young girls are tender feelings,
I pour love into her heart.
Or a magnificent train
In an English carriage, golden,
With a dog, a jester or a friend
Or with a beauty
I walk under the swing;
I drop into the shanks to drink honey;
Or, as it bores me,
According to my inclination to change,
With a hat on one side,
I'm flying on a high-spirited runner.
Or music and singers
Organ and bagpipes suddenly,
Or fist fighters
And I amuse my spirit with a dance;
Or, take care of all matters
Leaving, I go hunting
And I amuse myself with the barking of dogs;
Or over the Neva banks
I amuse myself with horns at night
And rowing of daring rowers.
Or, sitting at home, I will leper,
Playing fools with his wife;
I get along with her on the dovecote,
Sometimes we frolic in blind man's eyes;
I'm having fun with her,
I look for it in my head;
Then I like to rummage in books,
I enlighten my mind and heart,
I read Polkana and Bova;
I sleep behind the Bible, yawning.
Such is, Felitsa, I am depraved!
But the whole world looks like me.
Whoever is noble in wisdom,
But every person is a lie.
We do not walk the light in ways,
We run debauchery for dreams.
Between a bummer and a grouch
Between vanity and vice
Did anyone find it by accident
The path of virtue is straight.
I found it - but I shouldn't be mistaken
We, weak mortals, in this way,
Where reason itself stumbles
And he must follow the passions;
Where are the learned ignoramuses for us,
How is the darkness among travelers, darkening the eyelids?
Everywhere temptation and flattery lives,
Pasha oppresses everyone with luxury.
Where does virtue dwell?
Where does a rose without thorns grow?
You alone are only decent
Princess! create light from darkness;
Dividing Chaos into spheres harmoniously,
To strengthen their integrity with a union;
Out of disagreement agreement
And from the fierce passions happiness
You can only create.
So the helmsman, sailing through the pont,
Sailing the roaring wind
Knows how to steer the ship.
You just won't offend one,
You don't offend anyone
You see the foolishness through your fingers
Only one cannot bear evil;
You rule your misdeeds by condescension,
You don't crush people like a wolf of sheep,
You know directly their value.
They are subject to the will of kings, -
But God is more just more,
Who lives in their laws.
You think sensibly about merit,
You give honor to the worthy,
You do not count him as a prophet,
Who can weave only rhymes,
What is this crazy fun
Good caliphs honor and glory.
You condescend in the lyre mood:
Poetry is kind to you
Nice, sweet, useful,
Like delicious lemonade in summer.
The rumor is about your actions
That you are not in the least proud;
Amiable both in business and in jokes,
Pleasant in friendship and firm;
That you are indifferent in adversity,
And in glory she is so magnanimous
That she renounced and reputed wise.
They also say falsely
That if it is always possible
Tell you the truth.
It is also unheard of a thing,
Worthy of you alone
As if you were brave to the people
About everything, both manifest and at hand,
And you allow to know and think,
And you don't forbid about yourself
And the story and fiction to speak;
As if the most crocodiles,
All your mercies to the zoils,
You always tend to forgive.
The tears of the pleasant rivers seek
From the depths of my soul.
O! if people are happy
There must be their destiny,
Where is the meek angel, the peaceful angel,
Hidden in the porphyry lordship,
From heaven sent down the scepter to wear!
There you can whisper in conversations
And, without fear of execution, at dinners
Do not drink for the health of kings.
There, with the name of Felitsa, you can
Scrape the slip of the line in the line,
Or a portrait inadvertently
Drop it to the ground.
There are no buffoonery weddings,
They are not fried in ice baths,
They do not snap into the mustache of nobles;
Princes do not cackle hens,
Pets don't laugh at them
And they don't smear the face with soot.
You know, Felitsa! right
And men and kings;
When you educate manners
You don't fool people like that;
In your rest from business
You write lectures in fairy tales
And you repeat to Chlorine in the alphabet:
“Do not do anything bad,
And the wicked satyr himself
You will make a despicable liar ”.
Are you ashamed to be reputed to be that great
To be scary, unloved;
The she-bear is decently wild
Vomit animals and pour their blood.
Without extreme distress in a fever
Tom lancets need money,
Who could do without them?
And it is glorious to be that tyrant,
Great in atrocity Tamerlane,
Who is great in goodness like God?
Felitsa glory, glory to God,
Who pacified the abuse;
Who is sira and wretched
Covered, clothed and fed;
With a radiant eye
Fools, cowards, ungrateful
And gives its light to the righteous;
Equally enlightens all mortals,
It rests the sick, heals,
Good creates only for good.
Who granted freedom
To jump into foreign areas,
Let his people
Silver and gold seek;
Which allows water
And he does not prohibit cutting wood;
Orders and weaving, and spinning, and sewing;
Unleashing mind and hands
Orders to love trading, science
And find happiness at home;
Whose law, right hand
They give both mercy and judgment.
Broadcast, wise Felitsa!
Where is the rogue different from the honest?
Where does old age not roam the world?
Finds the merit of bread?
Where revenge does not drive anyone away?
Where does conscience with truth dwell?
Where do virtues shine? -
At the throne is it yours!
But where does your throne shine in the world?
Where, branch of heaven, do you bloom?
In Baghdad? Smyrna? Cashmere? -
Listen, wherever you live -
Taking my praises to you,
Do not think that hats or beshmet
For them I wished from you.
Feel the goodness of the pleasantness
Such is the wealth of the soul,
What Croesus did not collect.
I ask the great prophet
Yes, I will touch the dust of your feet,
Yes, your words are the sweetest current
And I will enjoy seeing!
Heavenly I ask for strength
Yes, their winged sapphire wings,
They keep you invisible
From all diseases, anger and boredom;
Yes, the sounds of your deeds in posterity,
Like the stars in the sky, they will excite.
_____________________________________
1. For the first time the ode was published in the magazine "Interlocutor", 1783, part 1, page 5, without a signature, under the title: St. Petersburg. Translated from Arabic 1782 ". (return)
Commentary by J. Grot
1. In 1781 was printed, in a small number of copies, written by Catherine for her five-year-old grandson, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus. Chlorine was the son of a prince, or tsar of Kiev, during the absence of his father, kidnapped by the khan of Kirghiz. Wanting to believe the rumor about the boy's abilities, the khan ordered him to find a rose without thorns. The prince went on this errand. On the way he met the Khan's daughter, the cheerful and amiable Felitsa. She wanted to go to see off the prince, but her stern husband, the Sultan of the Grump, prevented her from doing that, and then she sent her son, Reason, to the child. Continuing on his way, Chlor was subjected to various temptations, and among other things, he was invited into his hut by Murza Lentyag, who, with the temptations of luxury, tried to divert the prince from an enterprise that was too difficult. But Reason forcibly carried him further. Finally they saw in front of them a steep rocky mountain on which a rose without thorns grows, or, as one young man explained to Chlorus, virtue. With difficulty climbing the mountain, the prince plucked this flower and hurried to the khan. The khan sent him along with the rose to the Kiev prince. “This one was so happy about the arrival of the tsarevich and his successes that he forgot all the melancholy and sadness…. Here the fairy tale will end, and whoever knows more will say the other. "
This tale gave Derzhavin the idea to write an ode to Felitsa (the goddess of bliss, according to his explanation of this name): since the empress loved funny jokes, he says, this ode was written in her taste, at the expense of her entourage.
2. The poet called Catherine the Kirghiz-Kaisak princess because he had villages in the then Orenburg region, next to the Kyrgyz horde, subservient to the empress. Now these estates are located in the Buzulutsky district of the Samara province.
V.A.Zapadov's commentary
3. Your son is accompanying me. - In the fairy tale of Catherine, Felitsa gave her son Reason to guide the prince Chlorus.
4. Not imitating your murzas - that is, courtiers, nobles. Derzhavin uses the word "murza" in two ways. When Murza speaks about Felitsa, the author of the ode is meant by Murza. When he speaks, as it were, of himself, then the murza is a collective image of the noble-courtier.
5. You read, write before the deposit. - Derzhavin has in mind the empress's legislative activity. Naloy (obsolete, vernacular), more precisely "lectern" (church) - a high table with a sloping top, on which icons or books are placed in the church. Here it is used in the sense of "table", "desk".
6. You can't saddle a Parnassian horse. - Catherine did not know how to write poetry. Arias and poems for her literary works were written by her secretaries of state Elagin, Khrapovitsky and others. Parnassian horse - Pegasus.
7. You do not enter the spirits in the assembly, You do not go from the throne to the East - that is, you do not attend Masonic lodges, meetings. Catherine called the Masons "a sect of spirits" (Khrapovitsky's Diary. M., 1902, p. 31). Masonic lodges were sometimes called "East" (Grotto, 2, 709-710).
Freemasons in the 80s. XVIII century - members of organizations ("lodges") that professed a mystical-moralistic doctrine and were in opposition to Catherine's government. Freemasonry was divided into different streams. One of them, Illuminati, belonged to a number of leaders of the French Revolution of 1789.
In Russia, the so-called "Moscow Martinists" (the largest of them in the 1780s were N. I. Novikov, a remarkable Russian educator, writer and publisher, his assistants in publishing, I. V. Lopukhin, S. I. Gamaleya and others) were especially hostile towards the empress. They considered her the invader of the throne and wanted to see on the throne the "legitimate sovereign" - the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich, the son of Emperor Peter III, deposed from the throne by Catherine. Paul, while it was to his advantage, was very sympathetic towards the "Martinists" (according to some testimonies, he even adhered to their teachings). Masons have become especially active since the mid-1780s, and Catherine composes three comedies: "Siberian Shaman", "Deceiver" and "Seduced", writes "The Secret of an Anti-Stupid Society" - a parody of the Masonic charter. But she managed to defeat Moscow Freemasonry only in 1789-1793. with the help of police measures.
8. And I, having slept until noon, etc. - "Refers to the whimsical disposition of Prince Potemkin, like all three following couplets, who was going to war, then practicing in dresses, in feasts and all kinds of luxuries" (Ob. D., 598).
9. Zug - a team of four or six horses in pairs. The right to drive in a train was the privilege of the upper nobility.
10. I am flying on a high-spirited runner. - This also applies to Potemkin, but “more to gr. Al. Gr. Orlov, who was a hunter before the horse race ”(Ob. D., 598). Several new breeds of horses were bred at Orlov's stud farms, of which the most famous breed of the famous "Orlov trotters".
11. Or fist fighters - also refers to A. G. Orlov.
12. And I amuse myself with barking dogs - refers to PI Panin, who loved hunting with dogs (Ob. D., 598).
13. I amuse myself at night with horns, etc. - “Refers to Semyon Kirillovich Naryshkin, who was then a jägermeister, who was the first to start horn music” (Ob. D., 598). Horn music is an orchestra consisting of serf musicians, in which only one note can be extracted from each horn, and all together are like one instrument. Walks of noble nobles along the Neva, accompanied by a horn orchestra, were common in the 18th century.
14. Or, sitting at home, I will leper. - "This verse generally refers to the ancient customs and amusements of Russians" (Ob. D., 958).
15. I read Polkan and Bova. - “Refers to the book. Vyazemsky, who loved to read novels (which often the author, serving in his team, read in front of him, and it happened that he and the other dozed and did not understand anything) - Polkana and Bovu and famous old Russian stories "(Ob. D., 599 ). Derzhavin is referring to the translated novel about Bove, which later turned into a Russian fairy tale.
16. But every person is a lie - a quote from the Psalter, from the 115 psalm.
17. Between a bummer and a grouch. Lentyag and the Grouse are characters from the tale of Prince Chlorus. “As far as is known, she meant the first book. Potemkin, and under another book. Vyazemsky, because the former, as mentioned above, led a lazy and luxurious life, and the latter often grumbled when, as the manager of the treasury, money was demanded from him ”(Ob. D., 599).
18. Dividing Chaos into spheres harmoniously, etc. - an allusion to the establishment of provinces. In 1775, Catherine published the "Establishment of Provinces," according to which the whole of Russia was divided into provinces.
19. That she has renounced and reputed wise. - Catherine II with feigned modesty rejected from herself the titles "Great", "Wise", "Mother of the Fatherland", which were presented to her in 1767 by the Senate and the Commission for the development of a draft of a new code; she did the same in 1779, when the St. Petersburg nobility offered to accept her the title of “Great”.
20. And you allow to know and think. - In the "Instruction" of Catherine II, compiled by her for the Commission for the development of a draft of a new code and which was a compilation of the works of Montesquieu and other philosophers-educators of the 18th century, there are indeed a number of articles, a summary of which is this stanza. However, it is not for nothing that Pushkin called the "Order" "hypocritical": a huge number of "cases" of people arrested by the Secret Expedition have come down to us precisely on charges of "speaking" "indecent", "obscene" and other words addressed to the Empress, the heir to the throne, book ... Potemkin, etc. Almost all of these people were severely tortured by the "whip-fighter" Sheshkovsky and severely punished by secret courts.
21. There you can whisper in conversations, etc., and the next stanza is an image of cruel laws and customs at the court of Empress Anna Ioannovna. As Derzhavin notes (Ob. D., 599–600), there were laws according to which two people, whispering among themselves, were considered malefactors against the empress or the state; who did not drink a large glass of wine, "for the health of the tsarina that was offered", who accidentally dropped a coin with her image, were suspected of malicious intent and ended up in the Secret Chancellery. A mistake, a correction, scraping, a mistake in the imperial title entailed a lash punishment, as well as the transfer of the title from one line to another. At court, crude jester's "amusements" were widespread, such as the famous wedding of Prince Golitsyn, who was a jester at court, for which an "ice house" was built; titled jesters sat in baskets and cackled chickens, etc.
22. You write lectures in fairy tales. - Catherine II wrote for her grandson, in addition to "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlor", "The Tale of Tsarevich Fevey".
23. Don't do anything bad. - "Instructions" to Chlorus, translated into verse by Derzhavin, is in the appendix to the "Russian alphabet for teaching youth to read, printed for public schools at the highest command" (St. Petersburg, 1781), which was also composed by Catherine for her grandchildren.
24. Lancet means - that is, bloodshed.
25. Tamerlane (Timur, Timurleng) - Central Asian commander and conqueror (1336-1405), distinguished by extreme cruelty.
26. Which pacified the battle, etc. - “This verse refers to the time of peace, at the end of the first Turkish war (1768–1774 - V.Z.) flourished in Russia, when many philanthropic institutions were made by the empress, like then: an orphanage, hospitals and others. "
27. Who granted freedom, etc. - Derzhavin lists some laws issued by Catherine II, which were beneficial to the noble landowners and merchants: she confirmed the permission given by Peter III to the nobles to travel abroad; allowed landowners to develop ore deposits in their possessions for their own benefit; lifted the prohibition to cut wood on their lands without government control; "Allowed free navigation on the seas and rivers for trade", etc.
D.'s first most original work is a poem. 1779 "Ode to birth in the north
porphyry youth (dedicated to the grandson of Catherine 11 - Alexander 1)
This is the verse. D. changed almost all the canonical signs of a solemn high
odes, created an original ode in which the high began to connect with the image
being, everyday life, high style is combined with the middle.
A) rejection of 4-foot iambic, replacing with 4-foot chorea.
B) rejection of the odic stanza, wrote "in solid text"
C) the ode turns into a kind of song, folk. stylization, inherent in trochee, (dance size).
D) D. abandoned the images characteristic of the ode, lyric. disorder, odic hovering.
Having lined up. into verse. novelty plot, which is deployed. against a recognizable background
(Russian winter)
e) principle. the image of the addressee changes. He refuses to portray the addressee as
Supreme Being. For him, a monarch is a "man on the throne" who has the usual, but
positive traits. The power of the monarch is based on the fact that he knows how to manage his
passions.
The development of this theme is also present in other odes ("Felitsa", the ode "Grandee")
Even the image of Peter, traditionally deified in Russian literature of the 19th century. comprehending. D. in
human scale, was portrayed as a "worker on the throne." This was developed by Pushkin.
D., summing up his thin. search, he defined his own ode as "the ode of the hostel." (verse. "Discourse on lyric poetry or ode" Such an ode is open
all the impressions of being, lets in everyday life. pictures, praises openness to the world, skill
appreciate life in all its forms. There is no division into high and low. The first word
Analysis of the ode "Felitsa". (1782) Used characters from a fairy tale invented by Ek. 11 his grandson Alru. At first glance, a laudatory ode dedicated to the Empress.
Felitsa is the image of Catherine 11, Murza is a collective image of the court nobles from her
environment (both specific persons and autobiographical features of the author are guessed.).
objects of praise (Ekat.) and satire - her nobles. Departure from the traditions of classics-ma especially
perceptible in the show of Felitsa - Ek. eleven . Instead of depicting an “earthly goddess,” we find a portrait of a real person. The portrait is not official, ceremonial, but painted. other
paints. D. saw in Ek. 11 the ideal of a humane ruler, an example of all kinds
virtues. He wanted to see a man on the throne, a wise, enlightened empress.
However, she is shown in her daily chores. In everyday life, in ordinary life, she
behaves very modestly, not differing from others, except perhaps in love of poetry, indifference
“Without imitating your murzas,
You often walk on foot
And the food is the simplest
Happens at your table;
Do not value your peace,
You read, write before the deposit ...
In "Felitsa" D. overcame another tendency of the classics: in addition to praise, he was enthusiastic. in relation to Ek. , there is no less satire and irony in relation to
nobles., laughing at their vices. It was also unusual that there was a departure from the high syllable and style obligatory for this genre, there were many colloquial, colloquial words and expressions: “having slept until noon”, “to the tailor in a caftan”, “having a hat on one side” ... ..
The whole ode is written in that "funny Russian syllable", the invention of which D. considered one
of his main services to Russian poetry, i.e. a combination of joke, gaiety, irony with the seriousness and importance of the topics raised in this work.
Sometimes the maturity of Derzhavin's talent should be considered the end of the 1770s, when the first odes appeared in the capital's press, marked by the maturity of skill, depth of thought and feeling. They did not receive a well-deserved assessment right away. In 1783, the ode "Felitsa" was published in the magazine founded by Princess Dashkova. Oda received the highest approval, and the path of literary and political activity in the name of the interests of the noble empire was opened for Derzhavin. Gavrila Romanovich did not expect that one of his odes, written in a simple and casual manner, would attract everyone's attention to its author. In the ode "Felitsa" we see the ideal of an enlightened ruler, mother of the people, whom he would like to see in the person of the empress. The success of the ode was a matter of chance. Derzhavin's close friends begged the poet for the manuscript, made several copies and distributed it to the reading community. “Everyone who can read Russian has it in his hands”. People who were not stupid and open liked the ode. The author writes in the first person:
And I, having slept until noon,
I smoke tobacco and drink coffee;
Turning everyday life into a holiday,
I circle my thought in chimeras ...
But it is in this manner of writing that he describes modern society, its shortcomings. His ode was assessed by the nobles as "sedition", in it they recognized themselves. In addition to the high poetic merits of the ode, the fact that Derzhavin, in a half-joking form, expressed a number of topical reproaches to the highest nobility and at the same time raised several serious questions to the empress herself, and the main one among them: “But where does your throne shine in the world? ? " The ode "Felitsa" clearly shows the vices of the nobles close to Catherine:
We do not walk the light in ways,
We run debauchery for dreams.
Between a bummer and a grouch
Between vanity and a prophet
Did anyone find it by accident
The path of virtue is straight.
The royal court tries to "tame" Derzhavin, but then it turns out that he dedicated "Felitsa" to Ekaterina not for the sake of generosity and not for the sake of a diamond snuffbox with chervonets. He fought with her for "orphans and widows." Under his pen, the fantastic “princess of the Kirghiz-Kaisak horde” turned into the ideal of the enlightened ruler, the mother of the people, whom he would like to see in the person of the empress. He's writing:
You just won't offend one,
You don't offend anyone
You see the foolishness through your fingers
Only one cannot bear evil;
You rule your misdeeds by condescension,
You don't crush people like a wolf of sheep,
You know directly their value.
He asks her for advice:
Give, Felitsa, instruction:
How to live magnificently and truthfully,
How to tame the excitement of passions
And be happy in the world?
In the ode "Felitsa" the distinctive quality of Derzhavin the poet - the ability to "speak the truth to the tsars with a smile," was first manifested. Derzhavin's adherence to principles and citizenship was based not on some philosophical doctrine, not a well-thought-out political platform, but on the elementary, accessible to everyone, adherence to the obvious moral principles inherent in people by nature, but in the overwhelming majority of cases trampled by people themselves.
The title of Derzhavin's famous ode reads as follows: “An ode to the wise Kirghiz-Kaisak princess Felitsa, written by some Murza who has lived in Moscow for a long time, and who live on business in St. Petersburg. Translated from Arabic in 1782 ”. Felitsa (Latin felix - happy) meant Catherine II, and "murza" appeared in the ode either as the author's own "I" or as a collective name for Catherine's nobles. Derzhavin's authorship was disguised. When typing the ode (see its full text and summary), the editors of "Interlocutor" made a note to the title: "Although the name of the author is unknown to us, we know that this ode was definitely composed in Russian."
Derzhavin. Felitsa. Oh yeah
For all the "laudable" tone, Derzhavin's poems are very sincere. He speaks to the empress, lists the positive aspects of her reign. Catherine is credited, for example, with the fact that she does not destroy people like a wolf destroys sheep:
You rule by condescension;
Like a wolf sheep, you don't crush people ...
...........................................
Are you ashamed to be reputed to be that great
To be scary, unloved;
The she-bear is decently wild
Vomit animals and drink their blood.
In the ode "Felitsa" Catherine received no less edification than her grandees. Derzhavin clearly told her that the tsar must observe laws that are the same both for him and for his subjects, that these laws are based on "divine will," and therefore are generally binding. Derzhavin never tired of reminding the three tsars with whom he had to deal with this.
Derzhavin spoke very freely about the previous reigns, comparing the reign of Felitsa with them:
There are no buffoonery weddings,
They are not fried in ice baths,
They do not snap into the mustache of nobles;
Princes do not cackle hens,
Pets don't laugh at them
And they don't smear the face with soot.
It was here - as contemporaries understood - about the morals at the court of Anna Ioannovna. The names of the jester princes were still remembered.
Derzhavin showed the new monarch in an unusual way - as a private person:
Without imitating your murzas,
You often walk on foot
And the food is the simplest
Happens at your table;
Do not value your peace,
You read, write before the tax ...
Following this, a number of allusions to great nobles were scattered in the ode. Their whims and favorite pastimes were immortalized in verses:
Or a magnificent train,
In an English carriage, golden,
With a dog, a jester or a friend
Or with a beauty
I walk under the swing;
I drop into the shanks to drink honey;
Or, as it bores me,
According to my inclination to change,
With a hat on its back,
I'm flying on a high-spirited runner.
Or music and singers
Organ and bagpipes suddenly,
Or fist fighters
And with a dance I amuse my spirit ...
Derzhavin in his "Explanations" indicated that he observed the nobles familiar to him - Potemkin, Vyazemsky, Naryshkin, Orlov, saw the addiction of one to fist fights and horses, the other to horn music, the third to panache, etc. and depicted them whims in verse, creating a generalized portrait of a courtier, collecting typical features together. Later, in the ode to The Nobleman, he will take special care of this topic and give a sharp satirical picture in which one can guess the characteristics of individual figures of the era.
In "Felitsa" Derzhavin's penchant for accurate descriptions of everyday life and his ability to create vivid, multi-colored pictures, which are still inaccessible to other modern poets, are manifested:
There is a glorious Westphalian ham,
There are links of Astrakhan fish,
There are pilaf and pies, -
I wash down the waffles with champagne
And I forget everything
Amid wines, sweets and aroma.
Or in the midst of a beautiful grove,
In the gazebo where the fountain is making noise,
At the sound of a sweet-voiced harp,
Where the breeze barely breathes
Where everything represents luxury to me ...
Derzhavin introduced into his ode another, domestic, way of life, typical for some provincial nobleman, although living in the capital:
Or, sitting at home, I will leper,
Playing fools with his wife;
I get along with her on the dovecote,
Sometimes we frolic in blind man's eyes;
I'm having fun with her,
Then I'm looking for it in my head ...
With a sense of freedom and ease, Derzhavin talked in his ode about a wide variety of subjects, spicing up moralizing with a sharp word. He did not miss the opportunity to speak out about literature. The fifteenth stanza of the ode is devoted to this theme. Derzhavin says to the queen:
You think sensibly about merit,
You give honor to the worthy,
You do not count him as a prophet,
Who can weave only rhymes ...
Of course, Derzhavin attributed these lines to himself, he considered himself "worthy", because he knew how to do something other than weaving rhymes, namely, he was an official and an administrator. Lomonosov once said about Sumarokov that he, "apart from his poor rhyme, knows nothing." Derzhavin also argued that a person, first of all, should be an employee in the state, and poetry, poetry is something that can be done “during free hours”.
The definition of poetry, included by Derzhavin in the ode to Felitsa, is widely known:
Poetry, beloved to you
Nice, sweet, useful,
Like delicious lemonade in summer.
The poet talks about the view of literature that Catherine could have. But Derzhavin himself set the task of poetry to be pleasant and useful. In A Letter on Historical Anecdotes and Notes (1780), the poet praises this kind of writing, saying that it is “pleasant and useful. It is pleasant because the selected and briefly described narrative does not make any reader bored, but, so to speak, consoles him in passing. It is useful for the fact that he brings history to life, decorates it and contains and makes with his notes conveniently the longest in memory. " This formula goes back to Horace, who said: "Omne tulit punetum, qui miscuit utile dulci" (Everything brings that which combines business with pleasure).
In a letter to Kozodavlev, Derzhavin remarked about the ode "Felitsa": "I don’t know how the public will think of such an essay that has not yet been in our language." In addition to the boldness of the conversation with the empress and the nobles, Derzhavin also had in mind the literary features of the ode: the combination of satire and pathos, high and low words, topical allusions, the convergence of verses with life.
The innovative meaning of "Felitsa" was perfectly understood and formulated by the poet Yermil Kostrov in his "Letter to the creator of an ode composed in praise of Felitsa", published in "Interlocutor".
You have found a new path and a new one, -
he says, referring to Derzhavin, who guessed that Russian poetry needs a new direction.
Our ears are almost deaf from the loud lyre tones,
And it's full, it seems, for the clouds to fly ...
Frankly, it is clear that out of fashion
Soaring odes have already emerged.
You knew how to lift yourself up among us with simplicity!
Kostrov believes that Derzhavin "restored a new taste to poetry,"
Without a lyre, without a violin,
And not saddle, moreover, the Parnassian runner, -
that is, without needing the obligatory attributes of odic poetry, playing not on the "lyre", but on the whistle - a simple folk instrument.
The success of Felitsa was complete and brilliant. O. Kozodavlev, M. Sushkova, V. Zhukov wrote welcoming poems to Derzhavin, in addition to Kostrov. Critical remarks also appeared - they found their place in the same magazine "Interlocutor", but with Derzhavin's objections.
The empress sent Derzhavin a gold snuffbox sprinkled with diamonds with five hundred ducats - "from Orenburg from the Kirghiz princess." In response to the gift, Derzhavin wrote a poem "Thanks to Felice", in which he noted what might have liked in his ode - "in an unhypocritical syllable, simplicity is pleasing." This simplicity, the unexpected combination of satire and pathos, lofty odic concepts and everyday colloquial speech were confirmed in the poet's further work.
Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", a summary of which is given in this article, is one of the most famous works of this Russian poet of the 18th century. He wrote it in 1782. After the publication, Derzhavin's name became known. In addition, the ode has become a clear example of a new style in Russian poetry.
Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", the summary of which you are reading, got its name from the heroine of "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus". The author of this work is Empress Catherine II.
In his work, Derzhavin calls the ruler of Russia herself by this name. By the way, it translates as "happiness". The essence of the ode boils down to the glorification of Catherine (her habits, modesty) and a caricatured, even mocking depiction of her pompous surroundings.
In the images that Derzhavin describes in the ode "Felitsa" (there is no short summary in Briefly, but it is in this article), one can easily recognize some persons close to the empress. For example, Potemkin, who was considered her favorite. And also Counts Panin, Orlov, Naryshkin. The poet skillfully depicts their mocking portraits, while demonstrating a certain courage. After all, if one of them was very offended, he could easily deal with Derzhavin.
He was saved only by the fact that Catherine II greatly liked this ode and the empress began to treat Derzhavin favorably.
Moreover, even in the very ode "Felitsa", a summary of which is given in this article, Derzhavin decided to give advice to the empress. In particular, the poet advises that she obey the law that is the same for everyone. The ode ends with the praise of the empress.
The uniqueness of the work
After reviewing the summary of the ode "Felitsa", one can come to the conclusion that the author violates all the traditions in which such works were usually written.
The poet actively introduces colloquial vocabulary, does not shy away from non-literary expressions. But the main difference is that he creates the empress in human form, refusing her official image. It is noteworthy that many were embarrassed and disturbed by the text, but Catherine II herself was delighted with it.
Empress image
In Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", a summary of which contains the semantic quintessence of the work, the Empress first appears before us in the usual god-like image. For a writer, she is an example of an enlightened monarch. At the same time, he embellishes her appearance, piously believing in the depicted image.
At the same time, thoughts not only about the wisdom of power, but also about the dishonesty and low level of education of its performers slip through the poet's poems. Many of them are only interested in their own benefit. It should be admitted that these ideas have appeared before, but never before have real historical figures been so recognizable.
In the ode to "Felitsa" by Derzhavin (a brief summary of "Briefley" cannot yet offer) the poet appears before us as a brave and courageous discoverer. He makes an amazing symbiosis, complementing the laudatory ode with personality traits and witty satire.
History of creation
It was Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", a summary of which is convenient for general acquaintance with the work, that made the poet's name. Initially, the author did not think about printing this poem. He did not advertise it and concealed the authorship. He seriously feared revenge from influential nobles, whom he portrayed in a bad light in the text.
Only in 1783 the work became widespread thanks to Princess Dashkova. A close associate of the empress published it in the magazine "Interlocutor of lovers of the Russian word." By the way, the ruler of Russia herself gave her texts to it. According to Derzhavin's recollections, Catherine II was so moved when she read the ode for the first time that she even began to cry. It was in such touched feelings that Dashkova herself discovered her.
The Empress certainly wished to know who the author of this poem was. It seemed to her that everything in the text was depicted as accurately as possible. In gratitude for Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", a summary and analysis of which are given in this article, she sent a golden snuffbox to the poet. It contained 500 ducats.
After such a generous tsarist gift, literary fame and success came to Derzhavin. Not a single poet knew such popularity before him.
Thematic diversity of Derzhavin's works
Giving a characterization of Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa", it should be noted that the performance itself is a humorous sketch from the life of a Russian ruler, as well as nobles especially close to her. At the same time, the text raises important issues of the state level. This is corruption, the responsibility of officials, their concern for statehood.
Artistic features of the ode "Felitsa"
Derzhavin worked in the genre of classicism. This trend strictly forbade combining several genres, for example, high ode and satire. But the poet decided on such a bold experiment. Moreover, he not only combined them in his text, but also did something unprecedented for the literature of that very conservative time.
Derzhavin simply destroys the traditions of a laudatory ode, actively using reduced, colloquial vocabulary in his text. He even uses frank vernaculars, which, in principle, were not welcomed in literature in those years. Most importantly, she paints Empress Catherine II as an ordinary person, refusing her classic ceremonial description, which was actively used in such works.
That is why in the ode one can find descriptions of everyday scenes and even a literary still life.
Derzhavin's innovation
The everyday, everyday image of Felicia, behind which the empress is easily guessed, is one of Derzhavin's main innovations. At the same time, he manages to create the text so as not to reduce its image. On the contrary, the poet makes him real and human. Sometimes it seems that the poet writes it from nature.
While reading the poem "Felitsa", one can be convinced that the author managed to introduce into poetry the individual characteristics of real historical characters, taken from life or created by his imagination. All this was shown against the background of everyday life, which was depicted in the most colorful way. All this made the ode understandable and memorable.
As a result, in the ode "Felitsa" Derzhavin skillfully combines the style of a laudatory ode with the individualization of real heroes, and also introduces an element of satire. Ultimately, in an ode that belongs to a high style, there are many elements of a low style.
Derzhavin himself defined its genre as a mixed ode. He argued that it differs from a classical ode in that in a mixed genre the author has a unique opportunity to talk about everything in the world. So the poet destroys the canons of classicism, the way is opened for the poem for new poetry. This literature is being developed in the work of the next generation author - Alexander Pushkin.
The meanings of the ode "Felitsa"
Derzhavin himself admitted that it was a great merit that he decided on such an experiment. The well-known researcher of his work, Khodasevich, notes that Derzhavin was most proud of the fact that he was the first Russian poet to speak in a "funny Russian syllable," as he himself called it.
But the poet was aware that his ode would be, in fact, the first artistic embodiment of Russian life, would become the embryo of a realistic novel. Khodasevich also believed that if Derzhavin had lived to see the publication of Eugene Onegin, he would undoubtedly have found echoes of his work in it.
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