History of creation. The poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands...” was written on August 21, 1836, that is, shortly before Pushkin’s death. In it, he sums up his poetic activity, relying on the traditions of not only Russian, but also world literature. The immediate model from which Pushkin started was Derzhavin’s poem “Monument” (1795), which became very famous. At the same time, Pushkin not only compares himself and his poetry with his great predecessor, but also highlights the features characteristic of his work.
Genre and composition. By genre characteristics Pushkin's poem is an ode, but it is a special variety of this genre. It came to Russian literature as a pan-European tradition, originating in antiquity. It is not for nothing that Pushkin took the lines from the poem by the ancient Roman poet Horace “To Melpomene” as the epigraph to the poem: Exegi monumentum - “I erected a monument.” Horace is the author of "Satire" and a number of poems that glorified his name. He created the message “To Melpomene” at the end of his creative path. Melpomene in ancient greek mythology- one of the nine muses, the patroness of tragedy, a symbol of performing arts. In this message, Horace evaluates his merits in poetry. Subsequently, the creation of this kind of poems in the genre of a kind of poetic “monument” became sustainable literary tradition It was introduced into Russian literature by Lomonosov, who was the first to translate Horace’s message. Then G.R. made a free translation of the poem with an assessment of his merits in poetry. Derzhavin, calling it “Monument”. It was there that the main genre features such poetic “monuments”. Finally this genre variety formed in Pushkin’s “Monument”.
Following Derzhavin, Pushkin divides his poem into five stanzas, using similar verse form and meter. Like Derzhavin's, Pushkin's poem is written in quatrains, but with a slightly modified meter. In the first three lines, like Derzhavin, Pushkin uses the traditional. The odic meter is iambic 6-foot (Alexandrian verse), but the last line is written in iambic 4-foot, which makes it stressed and puts a semantic emphasis on it.
Main themes and ideas. Pushkin's poem is. a hymn to poetry. His main topic- glorification of true poetry and affirmation of the high purpose of the poet in the life of society. In this, Pushkin acts as the heir to the traditions of Lomonosov and Derzhavin. But at the same time, given the similarity of external forms with Derzhavin’s poem, Pushkin largely rethought the problems posed and put forward his own idea of the meaning of creativity and its evaluation. Revealing the topic of the relationship between the poet and the reader, Pushkin points out that his poetry is largely addressed to a wide addressee. This is clear." Already from the first lines. ". "The people's path will not grow to it," he says about his literary "monument." The first stanza is a traditional statement of the significance of a poetic monument in comparison with other ways to perpetuate merits.. But Pushkin introduces here the theme of freedom, which is a cross-cutting theme in his work, noting that his “monument” is marked by a love of freedom: “He rose higher with the head of the rebellious pillar of Alexandria.”
The second, the stanza of all the poets who created such poems, affirms the immortality of poetry, which allows the author to continue to live in the memory of descendants: “No, all of me will not die - the soul in the treasured lyre / My ashes will survive and will escape decay.” But unlike Derzhavin, Pushkin, who experienced recent years life misunderstanding and rejection of the crowd, emphasizes that his poetry will find a wider response in the hearts of people close to him in spiritual make-up, creators, and this is not only about Russian literature, “about and about poets all over the world: “And I will be glorious, as long as in the sublunary world / at least one drinker will live.”
The third stanza, like Derzhavin’s, is devoted to the theme of the development of interest in poetry among the broadest sections of the people, previously unfamiliar with it, and widespread posthumous fame:
Rumors about me will spread throughout Great Rus',
And the spirit that is in her will call me. language,
And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now wild
Tungus, and friend of the steppes Kalmyk.
The main semantic load is carried by the fourth stanza. It is in it that the poet defines the main thing that constitutes the essence of his work and for which he can hope for poetic immortality:
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,
That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,
What's in my cruel age I praised freedom
And he called for mercy for the fallen.
In these lines, Pushkin draws the reader’s attention to the humanity and humanism of his works, returning to the most important problem late creativity. From the poet’s point of view, the “good feelings” that art awakens in readers are more important than its aesthetic qualities. This problem will become the second for literature half of the 19th century century, the subject of heated debate between representatives of democratic criticism and the so-called pure art. But for Pushkin the possibility of a harmonious solution is obvious: the last two lines of this stanza return us to the theme of freedom, but understood through the prism of the idea of mercy. It is significant that in the initial version, Pushkin wrote “after Radishchev” instead of the words “in my cruel age.” It was not only because of censorship considerations that the poet refused such a direct indication of the political meaning of love of freedom. More important for the author " The captain's daughter", where the problem of mercy and mercy was very acutely posed, the idea of goodness and justice in their highest, Christian understanding became established.
The last stanza is an appeal to the muse, traditional for “monument” poems:
By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,
Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown,
Praise and slander were accepted indifferently
And don't argue with a fool.
In Pushkin, these lines are filled with a special meaning: they return us to the ideas expressed in the program poem “The Prophet”. Their main idea is that the poet creates according to a higher will, and therefore he is responsible for his art not before people, who are often unable to understand him, but before God. Such ideas were characteristic of Pushkin’s late work and were expressed in the poems “The Poet”, “To the Poet”, “The Poet and the Crowd”. In them, the problem of the poet and society arises with particular urgency, and the fundamental independence of the artist from the opinions of the public is affirmed. In Pushkin’s “Monument” this idea acquires the most succinct formulation, which creates a harmonious conclusion to reflections on poetic glory and overcoming death through divinely inspired art.
Artistic originality. The significance of the theme and the high pathos of the poem determined the special solemnity of its overall sound. The slow, majestic rhythm is created not only due to the odic meter (iamb with pyrrhic), but also the widespread use of anaphora (“And I will be glorious...”, “And he will call me...”, “And the proud grandson of the Slavs...” ", "And for a long time I will be kind to those...", "And mercy to the fallen.."), inversions ("He ascended higher as the head of the rebellious pillar of Alexandria), syntactic parallelism and rows homogeneous members(“And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now the wild Tungus...”). The selection of lexical means also contributes to the creation of a high style. The poet uses sublime epithets (a monument not made by hands, a rebellious head, a treasured lyre, in the sublunary world, a proud grandson of the Slavs), large number Slavicisms (erected, head, drink, until). In one of the most significant artistic images The poem uses metonymy - “That I awakened good feelings with the lyre...”. In general everything artistic media create a solemn hymn of poetry.
The meaning of the work.
Pushkin's "Monument", continuing the traditions of Lomonosov and Derzhavin, has a special place in Russian literature. He not only summed up Pushkin's creativity, but also marked that boundary, that height poetic art, which served as a guide for all subsequent generations of Russian poets. Not all of them strictly followed the genre tradition of the “monument” poem, like A.A. Fet, but every time the Russian poet turns to the problem of art, its purpose and assessment of his achievements, he recalls Pushkin’s words: “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands...”, trying to get closer to its unattainable height.
I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,
The people's path to him will not be overgrown,
He ascended higher with his rebellious head
Alexandrian Pillar.
No, all of me will not die - the soul is in the treasured lyre
My ashes will survive and decay will escape -
And I will be glorious as long as I am in the sublunary world
At least one piit will be alive.
Rumors about me will spread throughout Great Rus',
And every tongue that is in it will call me,
And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now wild
Tungus, and friend of the steppes Kalmyk.
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,
That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,
That in my cruel age I glorified Freedom
And he called for mercy for the fallen.
By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,
Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown,
Praise and slander were accepted indifferently
And don't argue with a fool.
Pushkin A.S. “I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands.” Read by Sergei Bekhterev. Listen to the poem.
Analysis of the poem by A.S. Pushkin “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands”
A.S. Pushkin in his work “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” wrote prophetic lines. The poem was created a year before his death. And the author expressed confidence: his lyrics will be remembered for many centuries to come. He turned out to be right. Indeed, despite multiple changes of generations, transformations and simplifications of Russian literary language, even today his poems remain relevant, the images are clear and simple, inspiring good, bright deeds. Pushkin's lyrics have a creative mission. Indeed, “...the folk path to it will not be overgrown.”
Themes and genre
What monument did A.S. Pushkin talk about in his poem? Pushkin compares his fame with “ miraculous monument", which exceeds " Alexandria pillar"(monument to Alexander I). Moreover, the poet claims that his soul will exist forever, and creativity will spread throughout multinational Russia.
The poem touches on topics related to the importance of poetic creativity in the life of society. Personal freedom is expressed in the lines “.. He ascended higher by the head of the Alexandrian pillar.” This is how the poet figuratively expresses his difficult relationship with the king, based on mutual rejection. Known facts biographies of Pushkin became exiled by decree of the tsar. The main reason for such a difficult relationship is the growing popularity and influence of the poet in society, his ability to ignite many hearts with his creativity and call for goodness, humanity, and high ideas.
In the prophetic poem, Alexander Sergeevich still puts the importance of his talent above the sovereign, hinting at his immortality throughout the centuries.
Together with the first theme, the second one will smoothly intertwine - the poet’s mission in society. The author considers the main purpose of lyricists to touch human feelings, to call for mercy towards the weak. This, according to Pushkin, is the secret of people's love for his work.
And it complements the theme of the verse - the immortality of real lyrics. That is why the memory of Pushkin will live in the hearts of people.
“...No, all of me will not die - the soul is in the treasured lyre
My ashes will survive and decay will escape...”
In the poet's lines one can feel a mature, meaningful assessment of his own lyrics. It is not for nothing that the verse is called “ode to poetry.” And in terms of genre, Pushkin’s poem is an ode. She is characterized by a high style of presentation. The epigraph from Horace’s work “To Melpomene” gives a special sublimity.
Size and composition
Like the odes of Pushkin’s mentor G.R. Derzhavin's poem is written in iambic hexameter (Alexandrian verse), which gives it a solemn, majestic sound. This tradition comes from the time of Horace's ode. The verse is written in quatrains, read with arrangement, measuredly.
The structure of each stanza is noteworthy. The last line is shortened to iambic tetrameter, which gives it special emphasis.
The work, like Derzhavin’s “Monument,” consists of five stanzas. The verse begins with a statement about the construction of a monument. In subsequent stanzas, the idea of how Pushkin’s lyrics will make him immortal is developed. And the final stanza is addressed to the muse with a request for obedience:
“...Praise and slander were accepted indifferently,
And don’t argue with a fool.”
Images and artistic techniques
The verse is affirmative. This is facilitated by genre and size. But it strengthens the emphasis and convinces the reader more and more artistic technique, like anaphora. Each line begins with similar sounds: “And I will be glorious...”, “And he will call me...”. The poet also uses anaphora, listing the peoples who will remember him.
Epithets with a sublime meaning are clearly presented in the ode: in the sublunary world, the head of the rebellious, the proud grandson of the Slavs.
High style is expressed in the frequent use of ancient Slavic words.
Poem by A.S. Pushkin’s “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” became a sublime ode to poetry, setting a high bar for lyricists of subsequent eras.
I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,
The people's path to him will not be overgrown,
He ascended higher with his rebellious head
Alexandrian Pillar.
No, all of me will not die - the soul is in the treasured lyre
My ashes will survive and decay will escape -
And I will be glorious as long as I am in the sublunary world
At least one piit will be alive.
Rumors about me will spread throughout Great Rus',
And every tongue that is in it will call me,
And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now wild
Tungus, and friend of the steppes Kalmyk.
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,
That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,
That in my cruel age I glorified Freedom
And he called for mercy for the fallen.
By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,
Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown,
Praise and slander were accepted indifferently
And don't argue with a fool.
Analysis of the poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” by Pushkin
A draft of the poem was discovered after Pushkin's death. It dates from 1836. It was first published in the posthumous edition of the poet's works (1841).
The poem marked the beginning of a debate that continues to this day. The first question concerns the source that inspired Pushkin. Many considered the work to be a simple imitation of numerous odes by Russian poets on the theme of the monument. A more common version is that Pushkin took the main ideas from Horace’s ode, from which the epigraph to the poem was taken.
A more serious stumbling block was the meaning and significance of the work. The lifetime praise of his merits and the author’s conviction in his future glory caused criticism and bewilderment. In the eyes of contemporaries, this, at a minimum, seemed to be excessive conceit and insolence. Even those who recognized the poet’s enormous services to Russian literature could not tolerate such impudence.
Pushkin compares his fame to a “monument not made by hands”, which exceeds the “Alexandria Pillar” (monument to Alexander I). Moreover, the poet claims that his soul will exist forever, and his creativity will spread throughout multinational Russia. This will happen because throughout his life the author brought people ideas of goodness and justice. He always defended freedom and “called for mercy for the fallen” (probably for the Decembrists). After such statements, Pushkin also reproaches those who do not understand the value of his work (“don’t argue with a fool”).
Justifying the poet, some researchers stated that the verse is a subtle satire of the author on himself. His statements were considered a joke about his difficult position in high society.
Almost two centuries later, the work can be appreciated. The years have shown the poet's brilliant foresight of his future. Pushkin's poems are known all over the world and have been translated into most languages. The poet is considered the greatest classic Russian literature, one of the founders of the modern Russian language. The saying “I will never die” was completely confirmed. The name of Pushkin lives not only in his works, but also in countless streets, squares, avenues and much more. The poet became one of the symbols of Russia. The poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” is a well-deserved recognition of the poet, who did not expect this from his contemporaries.
Exegi monumentum
I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,
The people's path to him will not be overgrown,
He ascended higher with his rebellious head
Alexandrian Pillar.
No, all of me will not die - the soul is in the treasured lyre
My ashes will survive and decay will escape -
And I will be glorious as long as I am in the sublunary world
At least one piit will be alive.
Rumors about me will spread throughout Great Rus',
And every tongue that is in it will call me,
And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now wild
Tungus, and friend of the steppes Kalmyk.
That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,
That in my cruel age I glorified Freedom
And he called for mercy for the fallen.
By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,
Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown,
Praise and slander were accepted indifferently
And don't argue with a fool.
Pushkin, 1836
The poem is written on the theme of ode Horace « To Melpomene» ( XXX ode to book III), where the epigraph is taken from. Lomonosov translated the same ode to Horace; Derzhavin imitated her in his poem “ Monument».
Exegi monumentum- I erected a monument (lat.).
Alexandria pillar- Alexander Column, monument to Alexander I in St. Petersburg on Palace Square; Pushkin " I left St. Petersburg 5 days before the opening of the Alexander Column, so as not to be present at the ceremony along with the chamber cadets, my comrades" The reason, of course, was deeper - Pushkin did not want to participate in the glorification of Alexander I.
In the draft manuscript of the 3rd stanza, other nationalities living in Russia are also named who will name Pushkin: Georgian, Kyrgyz, Circassian. The fourth stanza originally read:
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,
That I have found new sounds for songs,
That, following Radishchev, I glorified Freedom
And he sang mercy.
Following Radishchev- as the author of the ode " Liberty" And " Traveling from St. Petersburg to Moscow».
I praised Freedom- this refers to Pushkin’s freedom-loving lyrics.
Called for mercy for the fallen- Pushkin speaks about his “ Stansach» (« In the hope of glory and goodness..."), about the poem " Friends", O " Pier of Peter I", maybe about " Hero”, - those poems in which he called on Nicholas I to return the Decembrists from hard labor.
The poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” has an unusual, even tragic history. His draft was discovered after the death of the writer and given to Zhukovsky for revision. He carefully made changes to the original, and the poem was placed in posthumous edition. Reading the verse “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is quite sad - the poet, as if anticipating death approaching the threshold, is in a hurry to create a work that will become his creative testament. No matter what class this creation is studied in, it can make a deep impression.
The main theme of the poem is not self-praise, as the poet’s ill-wishers believed, but reflections on the role of poetry in public life. It doesn’t matter whether a person decides to download it or read it online, Pushkin’s message will be quite clear to him: poetic word does not die, even if the creator dies. Remaining an imprint of his personality, it passes through centuries, carrying itself like a banner different peoples. This is a lesson about love for freedom, homeland and people that needs to be taught at any age.
The text of Pushkin’s poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” is filled with inspiration and admiration, there is a lot of tenderness in it and even the sadness that somehow slides between the lines is completely covered by the awareness of the fact that the poet’s soul is immortal. It is kept by the people themselves who care about literature.
Exegi monumentum.*
I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,
The people's path to him will not be overgrown,
He ascended higher with his rebellious head
Pillar of Alexandria.**
No, all of me will not die - the soul is in the treasured lyre
My ashes will survive and decay will escape -
And I will be glorious as long as I am in the sublunary world
At least one piit will be alive.
Rumors about me will spread throughout Great Rus',
And every tongue that is in it will call me,
And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now wild
Tungus, and friend of the steppes Kalmyk.
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,
That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,
That in my cruel age I glorified freedom
And he called for mercy for the fallen.
By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,
Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown;
Praise and slander were accepted indifferently
And don't challenge a fool.
____________________________
* “I erected a monument” (Latin). The epigraph is taken from the works
Horace, the famous Roman poet (65-8 BC).