The poem “Clenched my hands under a dark veil...” refers to the early work of A.A. Akhmatova. It was written in 1911 and was included in the collection “Evening”. The work relates to intimate lyrics. Its main theme is love, the feelings experienced by the heroine when parting with a person dear to her.
The poem opens with a characteristic detail, a certain gesture lyrical heroine: “Clenched her hands under a dark veil.” This image of the “dark veil” sets the tone for the entire poem. Akhmatova’s plot is given only in its infancy, it is incomplete, we do not know the history of the relationships between the characters, the reason for their quarrel, separation. The heroine speaks about this in half-hints, metaphorically. This entire love story is hidden from the reader, just as the heroine is hidden under a “dark veil.” At the same time, her characteristic gesture (“She clenched her hands…”) conveys the depth of her experiences and the severity of her feelings. Also here we can note Akhmatova’s peculiar psychologism: her feelings are revealed through gestures, behavior, and facial expressions. Dialogue plays a big role in the first stanza. This is a conversation with an invisible interlocutor, as researchers note, probably with the heroine’s own conscience. The answer to the question “Why are you pale today” is a story about the heroine’s last date with her loved one. Here he uses a romantic metaphor: “I made him drunk with tart sadness.” The dialogue here increases the psychological tension.
In general, the motif of love as a deadly poison is found in many poets. Thus, in the poem “Cup” by V. Bryusov we read:
Again the same cup with black moisture
Once again a cup with fire moisture!
Love, an undefeatable enemy,
I recognize your black cup
And the sword raised above me.
Oh, let me fall with my lips to the edge
Glasses of mortal wine!
N. Gumilyov has a poem “Poisoned”. However, the motive of poisoning there unfolds literally in the plot: the hero was given poison by his beloved. Researchers have noted the textual overlap between the poems of Gumilyov and Akhmatova. So, from Gumilyov we read:
You are completely, you are completely snowy,
How strangely and terribly pale you are!
Why are you shaking when you serve?
Should I have a glass of golden wine?
The situation is depicted here in a romantic way: Gumilyov’s hero is noble, in the face of death he forgives his beloved, rising above the plot and life itself:
I'll go far, far away,
I won't be sad and angry.
To me from heaven, cool heaven
White reflections of the day are visible...
And it’s sweet to me - don’t cry, dear, -
To know that you poisoned me.
Akhmatova’s poem also ends with the words of the hero, but the situation here is realistic, the feelings are more intense and dramatic, despite the fact that the poisoning here is a metaphor.
The second stanza conveys the hero's feelings. They are also indicated through behavior, movements, facial expressions: “He came out staggering, His mouth twisted painfully...”. At the same time, the feelings in the heroine’s soul acquire a special intensity:
I ran away without touching the railing,
I ran after him to the gate.
This repetition of the verb (“ran away”, “ran away”) conveys the sincere and deep suffering of the heroine, her despair. Love is her only meaning of life, but at the same time it is a tragedy full of insoluble contradictions. “Without touching the railing” - this expression emphasizes swiftness, recklessness, impulsiveness, and lack of caution. Akhmatova’s heroine does not think about herself at this moment; she is overwhelmed by acute pity for the one whom she unwittingly made to suffer.
The third stanza is a kind of culmination. The heroine seems to understand what she can lose. She sincerely believes in what she says. Here again the swiftness of her running and the intensity of her feelings are emphasized. The theme of love is coupled here with the motive of death:
Gasping for breath, I shouted: “It’s a joke.
All that has gone before. If you leave, I’ll die.”
The ending of the poem is unexpected. The hero no longer believes his beloved, he will not return to her. He tries to maintain external calm, but at the same time he still loves her, she is still dear to him:
Smiled calmly and creepily
And he told me: “Don’t stand in the wind.”
Akhmatova uses an oxymoron here: “He smiled calmly and creepily.” Feelings are again conveyed through facial expressions.
The composition is based on the principle of gradual development of the theme, plot, with a climax and denouement in the third quatrain. At the same time, each stanza is built on a certain antithesis: two loving people cannot find happiness, the desired harmony of relationships. The poem is written in three-foot anapest, quatrains, and the rhyme pattern is cross. Akhmatova uses modest means artistic expression: metaphor and epithet (“I made him drunk with tart sadness”), alliteration (“My mouth twisted painfully... I ran away from the railing without touching, I ran after him to the gate”), assonance (“Gasping, I shouted: “A joke All that was . If you leave, I will die."
Thus the poem reflects character traits early creativity Akhmatova. The main idea of the poem is the tragic, fatal disunity of loved ones, the impossibility of them gaining understanding and sympathy.
She clasped her hands under a dark veil...
“Why are you pale today?”
- Because I am tartly sad
Got him drunk.
How can I forget? He came out staggering
The mouth twisted painfully...
I ran away without touching the railing,
I ran after him to the gate.
Gasping for breath, I shouted: “It’s a joke.
All that has gone before. If you leave, I will die."
Smiled calmly and creepily
And he told me: “Don’t stand in the wind.”
Analysis of the poem “Clenched her hands under a dark veil” by Akhmatova
Russian poetry has given great amount brilliant male samples love lyrics. The more valuable are love poems written by women. One of them was A. Akhmatova’s work “Clenched her hands under a dark veil...”, written in 1911.
The poem appeared when the poetess was already married to. However, it was not dedicated to her husband. Akhmatova admitted that she never truly loved him and married only out of pity for his suffering. At the same time, she religiously maintained marital fidelity and had no affairs on the side. Thus, the work became an expression of the poetess’s inner love yearning, which did not find its expression in real life.
The plot is based on a banal quarrel between lovers. The reason for the quarrel is not indicated, only its bitter consequences are known. The heroine is so shocked by what happened that her pallor is noticeable to others. Akhmatova emphasizes this unhealthy pallor in combination with a “black veil”.
The man is not in better position. The heroine indirectly indicates that she was the cause of the quarrel: “she got him drunk.” She cannot banish the image of her loved one from her memory. She did not expect such a strong manifestation of feelings from a man (“the mouth twisted painfully”). In a fit of pity, she was ready to admit all her mistakes and achieve reconciliation. The heroine herself takes the first step towards. She catches up with her loved one and tries to convince him to consider her words a joke. In the cry of “I will die!” there is no pathos or well-thought-out pose. This expression sincere feelings a heroine who repents of her actions.
However, the man had already pulled himself together and made a decision. Despite the fire raging in his soul, he calmly smiles and utters a cold, indifferent phrase: “Don’t stand in the wind.” This icy calm is more terrible than rudeness and threats. She does not leave the slightest hope for reconciliation.
In the work “Clenched Hands Under a Black Veil,” Akhmatova shows the fragility of love, which can be broken because of one careless word. It also depicts the weakness of a woman and her fickle character. Men, in the poetess's mind, are very vulnerable, but their will is much stronger than women's. The decision made by a man can no longer be changed.
Each verse of Anna Andreevna Akhmatova concerns the finest strings human soul, although the author does not use many means of expression and figures of speech. “Clenched her hands under a dark veil” proves that the poetess could say quite a lot about the complex in simple words, accessible to everyone. She sincerely believed that the simpler the language material, the more sensual, vibrant, emotional and life-like her poems became. Judge for yourself...
Features of Akhmatova's lyrics. Thematic groups
A. A. Akhmatova proudly called herself a poet; she did not like it when the name “poetess” was applied to her; it seemed to her that this word belittled her dignity. And indeed, her works stand on a par with the works of such grandiose authors as Pushkin, Lermontov, Tyutchev, Blok. As an Acmeist poet, A. A. Akhmatova devoted great attention word and image. Her poetry had few symbols, few figurative means. It’s just that every verb and every definition was selected with special care. Although, of course, Anna Akhmatova paid great attention women's issues, that is, such topics as love, marriage, There were many poems dedicated to fellow poets, the topic of creativity. Akhmatova also created several poems about the war. But, of course, the bulk of her poems are about love.
Akhmatova’s poems about love: features of the interpretation of feelings
In almost no poem by Anna Andreevna, love was described as a happy feeling. Yes, she is always strong, bright, but fatal. Moreover tragic outcome events can be dictated by various reasons: inconsistency, jealousy, betrayal, indifference of a partner. Akhmatova spoke about love simply, but at the same time solemnly, without diminishing the significance of this feeling for any person. Often her poems are eventful, in them one can distinguish a unique analysis of the poem “Clenched her hands under a dark veil” confirms this idea.
The masterpiece called “The Gray-Eyed King” can also be classified as love poetry. Here Anna Andreevna talks about adultery. The gray-eyed king - the beloved of the lyrical heroine - dies by accident while hunting. But the poetess slightly hints that the husband of this very heroine had a hand in this death. And the ending of the poem sounds so beautiful, in which a woman looks into the eyes of her daughter, the colors... It would seem that Anna Akhmatova managed to elevate a banal betrayal to a deep poetic feeling.
A classic case of misalliance is depicted by Akhmatov in the poem “You are my letter, dear, don’t crumple.” The heroes of this work are not allowed to be together. After all, she always has to be nothing to him, just a stranger.
“Clenched hands under a dark veil”: theme and idea of the poem
IN in a broad sense The theme of the poem is love. But, to be more specific, we are talking about separation. The idea of the poem is that lovers often do things rashly and without thinking, and then regret it. Akhmatova also says that loved ones sometimes show apparent indifference, while in their souls there is a real storm.
Lyrical plot
The poetess depicts the moment of parting. The heroine, having shouted unnecessary and offensive words to her lover, hurries up the steps after him, but, having caught up, she can no longer stop him.
Characteristics of lyrical heroes
Without characterizing the lyrical hero, it is impossible to make a full analysis of the poem. “Clenched Hands Under a Dark Veil” is a work in which two characters appear: a man and a woman. She said stupid things in the heat of the moment and gave him “tart sadness.” He - with visible indifference - tells her: “Don’t stand in the wind.” Akhmatova does not give any other characteristics to her heroes. Their actions and gestures do this for her. This characteristic feature throughout Akhmatova’s poetry: do not talk about feelings directly, but use associations. How does the heroine behave? She clasps her hands under the veil, she runs so that she does not touch the railing, which indicates the greatest tension of mental strength. She doesn't speak, she screams, gasping for breath. And there seems to be no emotion on his face, but his mouth is twisted “painfully,” which indicates that to the lyrical hero it doesn't matter, his indifference and calmness are ostentatious. Suffice it to recall the verse “Song last meeting", which also says nothing about feelings, but reveals inner excitement, the deepest experience, a seemingly ordinary gesture: the heroine puts a glove on her left hand on her right hand.
An analysis of the poem “Clenched her hands under a dark veil” shows that Akhmatova constructs her poems about love as a lyrical monologue in the first person. Therefore, many mistakenly begin to identify the heroine with the poetess herself. This is not worth doing. Thanks to the first-person narration, the poems become more emotional, confessional and believable. In addition, Anna Akhmatova often uses direct speech as a means of characterizing her characters, which also adds liveliness to her poems.
A. Akhmatova is a special lyricist, poet, endowed with the gift of penetrating into those nooks and crannies of the human soul that are hidden from prying eyes. Moreover, this soul, rich in feelings and experiences, is female. Main feature her work is considered to be the creation of fundamentally new love lyrics, opening up to the reader original character women.
The poem “Clenched her hands under a dark veil...” was written by Akhmatova in 1911, during the period of her early work. It was included in the poet’s first poetry collection, “Evening,” reflecting the ideological orientation of the book as a whole. At first creative path Anna Andreevna participated in the poetic association “Workshop of Poets”, recited her poems on the “tower” of Vyacheslav Ivanov, and a little later joined the Acmeists. Belonging to the acmeistic movement is reflected in her lyrics, especially in the collection “Evening”, in which the main theme is a love drama, a clash of characters, often turning into a demonic game. Tragic motives, contrasting images, their objectivity - all this is characteristic of both Acmeism in general and Akhmatova’s work.
“I clenched my hands under a dark veil...” is a poem written by Akhmatova a year after their wedding to Nikolai Gumilyov. It has no dedication, but is an ideal example of psychological lyrics reflecting aspects of complex human relationships and personal experiences.
In 1911 – 1912 Akhmatova travels around Europe. Impressions from the trips influence the poems of her first collection, imprinting on them the disappointment and rebellion characteristic of the romantic worldview.
Genre, size, direction
“I clenched my hands under a dark veil...” is a work of the lyrical genre, which is characterized by the transmission of subjective impressions and experiences, a reflection of the fullness of feelings, built on emotionality and expression.
The poem is written in an anapest - a three-syllable poetic meter with stress on the last syllable. Anapest creates a special melody of the verse, giving it rhythmic originality and dynamics. The type of rhyme is cross. Strophic division is carried out according to the traditional pattern, representing a quatrain.
Akhmatova’s work dates back to the first half of the 20th century, conventionally called the Silver century. In the 1910s. A fundamentally new aesthetic concept in literature and art, called modernism, was developed. Akhmatova belonged to the Acmeist movement, which became one of the main ones in the modernist movement. The poem “Clenched her hands under a dark veil...” is written in the traditions of Acmeism; it reflects the drama of feelings through the specifics of things, creating a subjective image based on dynamic details.
The image of the heroine
The lyrical heroine of the poem is experiencing love drama, which itself unwittingly leads to a tragic outcome. It is unknown who is to blame for the breakup, but the heroine blames herself for her lover’s departure, noting that she “filled” her beloved’s heart with sadness, causing him pain.
The poem is plot-driven because it is filled with movement, both mental and physical. Repenting of what happened, the heroine remembers the face and movements of her lover, full of suffering. She tries to stop him by running down the stairs, “without touching the railing.” But trying to catch up with a departing love only aggravates the pain of loss.
Having called out to the hero, she admits with all sincerity: “It was all a joke. If you leave, I’ll die.” In this impulse, she shows the full strength of her feeling, which she refuses to let go. But he rejects the possibility happy ending, throwing back an insignificant phrase to her. Fading love relationship inevitable, because her guilt before the hero is too great. In the final remark of her lover, the heroine hears, albeit bitter, calm indifference. The dialogue between the characters is probably the last.
Gives genuine tragedy to the images and situation color scheme and image dynamics. Events follow each other with the precision of frames, each of which contains a detail that determines the state of the characters. Thus, the deathly pallor of the heroine comes into contrast with the “black veil” - an adornment symbolizing grief.
Topics and issues
The theme of the poem is undoubtedly love. Akhmatova is a master of love lyrics containing deep psychologism. Each of her poems is a brilliant composition, in which there is a place not only for personal perception, but also for a storyline.
“I clenched my hands under a dark veil...” is the story of a breakup between two loving people. In a small poem, Akhmatova raises whole line problems related to human relationships. The theme of parting leads the reader to the problem of forgiveness and repentance. To loving people tend to hurt each other in a quarrel with offensive and cruel words. The consequences of such recklessness can be unpredictable and sometimes sad. One of the reasons for the separation of the heroes is resentment, the desire to hide true feelings under the guise of indifference to the grief of another. Indifference in love is one of the problems of the poem.
Meaning
The poem reflects the impossibility of finding happiness and love harmony where misunderstanding and resentment reign. An insult inflicted by a loved one is experienced most severely, and mental stress leads to fatigue and indifference. Akhmatova’s main idea is to show the fragility of the love world, which can be destroyed with just one wrong or rude word. The inevitability of a tragic outcome leads the reader to the idea that love is always acceptance of another, and therefore forgiveness, rejection of selfishness and ostentatious indifference.
The poetess, who became one of the symbols of her generation, for the first time showed the universal human nature of female feelings, their fullness, strength and such dissimilarity from the motives and problems of male lyrics.
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The poem “Clenched her hands under a dark veil” was written by Anna Akhmatova in 1911, a year after her wedding to Gumilyov. Please leave this point in memory, as it will be useful in further analysis of the strings for their deep understanding.
The poem does not have a complete basis for depicting feelings; the poetess compressed it so that each line had its own weight. Let's pay attention to keywords works “dark veil”, “tart sadness”, “joke” and “don’t stand in the wind”. In 1911, the relationship with Gumilyov was in its prime, so it is unlikely that the lines were written based on the real pain of parting; rather, it was the fear of separation.
The first line sets the tone for the entire poem:
She clasped her hands under a dark veil.
Clenched hands symbolize the pain of separation, and the dark veil is mourning for yesterday's relationship. The heroine of the poem experiences the pangs of parting with her loved one, which is why she is pale and clasps her trembling hands under the cover of a dark veil. The sadness is tart and the heroine drinks it to her drunken lover, trying to bring him back. Why tart? Because just yesterday in its place there was the joy of intimacy, and there were no clouds in the sky.
Dear, does not succumb to the spell and leaves, reeling from the astringency of sadness. The heroine runs after him all the way to the gate, which symbolizes complete separation - the boundary of the relationship. She says she will die if he leaves, but nothing can reignite the fire in the man's heart. He is cold and calm:
Smiled calmly and creepily
The phrase “Don’t stand in the wind” kills. They run after you, literally throw themselves on your neck, and in response you show steely coldness. Where is the last kind word, where is the farewell glance? The last phrase says that there are no more emotions, everything has gone out, and the ash has cooled down.
It seems to me that with this poem Akhmatova inoculates herself against separation - it is better to experience some of the pain in advance in your imagination, then when parting it will be a little easier.
... The separation was still far away - a whole 10 years. Let me remind you that Gumilyov was shot in 1921, but this was not the only blow of fate for Anna Akhmatova.
She clasped her hands under a dark veil...
“Why are you pale today?”
- Because I have tart sadness
Got him drunk.
How can I forget? He came out staggering
The mouth twisted painfully...
I ran away without touching the railing,
I ran after him to the gate.
Gasping for breath, I shouted: “It’s a joke.
All that has gone before. If you leave, I will die."
Smiled calmly and creepily
And he told me: “Don’t stand in the wind.”
January 1911.