For a long time I wanted to write a series of articles with a general title included in the title of this material. Unknown to most admirers of Rubtsov’s work, the poet’s lines are literally scattered throughout the archives. White and draft manuscripts of poems, typewritten sheets corrected by the poet, are sometimes supplemented with notes by the poet Nikolai Rubtsov. It is not uncommon to find several versions of a poet’s famous lines that change the tone and substance of well-known and beloved poems. TO known versions verses, quatrains lost in drafts are added. Sometimes entire original poems can be found among repetitions and samples in the poet’s drafts. Does the general public need to know about this? Some will say there is no point, but others will sincerely rejoice at the opportunity to look into the creative laboratory of a genius. With all this, it will no longer occur to anyone to talk only about the inspired work of the poet, seeing how much empty verbal material he had to discard when creating his masterpieces. How much soul labor was required from him for one thing - to find the right word, expressive rhyme. It's no secret that Rubtsov repeatedly uses his favorite image or a successful line in different poems. But this does not come from a lack of imagination, but from the ultimate goal of his poems, in which he deliberately uses only spiritual, understandable to the people, simple words, expressions and images. The last statement, of course, applies only to the mature poems of N.M. Rubtsov, from about 1964. Most of the examples given below have never been published or taken into account in research books about the poet Rubtsov; they are still unknown to readers. Well, it will be all the more interesting for those who want to get to know them. The first article in the series will focus on the poem now known as “In Minutes of Music.”
Poem "In moments of music." The path to perfection
This poem is an absolute masterpiece of the poet N.M. Rubtsov’s lyrics, written in the summer of 1966 during his stay in Altai. This follows from the dating of the work, but it was not published there. The priority of the first publication can be shared by the brilliant collection of poems “Star of the Fields” and the newspaper “Vologda Komsomolets” dated April 2, 1967. The poem is also published by Rubtsov in the collection “The Soul Keeps” and is included in the collection “ Green flowers. The title of the poem was also not immediately established. Rubtsov’s autographs are signed as “In moments of sad music,” “About the yellow stretch, about love,” “Don’t talk about anything.” The brilliant poet, working on this work, appears before us as a great worker of poetry. Analysis of the process of writing the poem “In Minutes of Music” was made possible thanks to notebooks poet Rubtsov, preserved by V.V. Korotaev. I think it’s time to forget the old legends that Rubtsov wrote everything in his head, without drafts, simply going through the options in his mind. Anyone who writes poetry will tell you that not only the sound and reproduction of the poem by ear is important, but it is also important to see what is written, evaluate the rhythm, rhymes, and general layout of the stanzas of the poem, and it is almost impossible to do this without notes. An example from the practice of the same Nikolai Rubtsov, when editor Likhanova corrected his awkward line in the poem “Green Flowers” - “and even here I’m missing something” to the one currently being printed - “and even here something is missing.” The poem has become indisputable in form and content. Let us prove these provisions using the example of the poem “In Minutes of Music,” or rather, using the example of draft notes that were preserved in three notebooks of Nikolai Rubtsov, containing working versions of stanzas and lines this poem. It’s strange, but until now it was believed that the poem had no variants or earlier versions...
First, Nikolai Rubtsov gropes for the theme of the poem. She seems to satisfy him, and he writes down the first version of the poem almost completely. Published for the first time. VGMZ. Account 3718360 – 3718361.
In moments of sad music
And the intermittent sound of birches.
I see birds under the gray sky
Difficult perceivers
Over a frozen pond.
Shut up, violinist! The time has come
Forget about the past forever,
The soul is already tired of flying
For food in previous years.
But the strings cry, cry, cry,
And again it seems like a dream,
That I'm excited and young
That I'm desperately in love.
But, apparently, the poet is not satisfied, and how many other options does he try to improve this poem, how great is his determination when he feels that something worthwhile should come out (options of stanzas are published for the first time).
Be quiet, violins! Let it be gone
The one that is always remembered
The soul is already tired of flying
For food in previous years.
Silence the violins!
No need for music, (then?)
The soul is already tired of flying
For food in previous years.
Even if it doesn’t work out with this stanza, N.M. Rubtsov spares no time, paper, and drives his imagination along the thorny roads of rhymes and images.
But the farewell hour lasts, lasts
And our meeting had nothing to do with it.
In moments of sad music
Don't talk about anything.
In the next quatrain, only one word changes in the second line, “But our will has nothing to do with it,” or in the next one another image is tried, but there is no continuation.
In moments of sad music
The last ship I see...
Rubtsov is dissatisfied, he experiments especially long and painfully, rearranges lines in one stanza, moves stanzas for more artistic expression, but the goal supposedly eludes and harmony slips away. He understands this and, like a knight with an open visor, storms the unyielding fortress of the lyrical stanza and the entire poem.
And I see under the gray sky
Birds continue with difficulty
Your way without the sun, your way without faith
Over a frozen pond.
And we are alone under the gray sky
Among the extinct fields,
Cranes flying past.
Now the poet has decided on the main thoughts and lines of the stanza. But inspiration insists - try again! The following are six options for a seemingly ready-made stanza. This is the work of a real poet...
And a path without sun, a path without faith
Cranes flying past
And the first snow under the gray sky
Among the extinct fields...
And a path without sun, a path without faith
Cranes driven by cold -
Among the extinct fields.
And silence under the gray sky
Among the extinct fields,
And a path without sun, a path without faith
Cranes driven by cold.
And a path without sun, a path without faith
Cranes driven by the wind,
And the path of people under the gray sky
Among the extinct fields...
And the first snow under the gray sky
Among the extinct fields,
And a path without sun is a path without faith
Cranes driven by snow.
And a path without sun, a path without faith
Cranes driven by the wind,
And the first snow under the gray sky
Among the extinguished fields!
Not all versions of this stanza of the poem are given yet. It seemed that a line had been found that would hold the stanza together, but it also changes place, is placed either at the beginning or at the end of the stanza, suddenly an unexpected continuation appears and everything starts all over again. And in the interval between searches, a bright insight suddenly comes
The soul has long been tired of wandering
In former love, in former hops,
The time has come to understand,
That I love ghosts too much.
And here's one more line
“But still in unstable dwellings...”
It clearly requires development, and it will appear in the notebook, but for now, on another page of N.M. Rubtsov’s draft we read the ending of the future poem “In Minutes of Music”
And still under the low sky
I see clearly, to the point of tears
And the sound of gusty birches.
There was a great desire to compose a special version of Rubtsov’s work from the lines that were not included. But the poet himself left this confusion and achieved the desired balance in one of his best poems. Therefore, let us leave these poetic searches and drafts of his as an example of his rare diligence. In this regard, there is some confidence that Rubtsov worked just as carefully not only on this masterpiece of his, but also on other poems. It’s just that their drafts were destroyed by the poet or, unfortunately, were not preserved due to the lack of housing or a place where they could be stored. It turns out that in his head N.M. Rubtsov was simply polishing his unsettled lines, looking for those the only words among a breed of empty comparisons and epithets. Nikolai Rubtsov sometimes left early versions in their typewritten or handwritten versions in his archive, refining them and turning them into more expressive ones. He kept them, sometimes not having the opportunity to reprint his poems. Vyacheslav Belkov said that Rubtsov has almost no difference between a draft autograph and a white one. But perhaps the poet Rubtsov did not keep the drafts at all, did not value them, considered them waste material and threw them away. Memories have been preserved in which entire suitcases of Rubtsov’s manuscripts appear, which then disappeared somewhere. This does not apply to his dear memorable newspaper clippings, documents, notes from friends and acquaintances, letters from publishing houses and magazines, contracts for the publication of works, many other papers of which were collected in the poet’s last apartment on Yashin Street.
And here in front of you is an almost completed initial version of the poem, as yet undated and without a title. VGMZ (Vologda State Museum-Reserve) No. 3718357.
In moments of sad music
And the sound of gusty birches,
And a path without sun, a path without faith
The last birds under the gray sky
Over the frozen pond,
And the chill of the first snowflakes
And the darkness that followed...
The river has long been overgrown,
There is no trace of the stretch for a long time,
The soul has long been tired of flying
For food in past years,
Try to stop them! -
Calling to each other, the violins cry
About the yellow stretch, about love,
As if time has nothing to do with it...
In moments of sad music
Don't talk about anything...
In this notebook, the poem “In Minutes of Music” is written only in this version. In this particular case, Rubtsov uses an old notebook, apparently from his studies at the Kirov Mining and Chemical College. This conclusion can be made by comparing the handwriting in which this poem is written and the poems “Caravans” and “And the tea smelled like resin.” Their beautiful youthful handwriting and themes are clearly different from the late Rubtsovsky handwriting with his characteristic features. An empty space simply turned up in this notebook, and the poet wrote down this initial version. But he turned out to be clearly intermediate on the path to perfection, although the first and two last stanzas Nikolay Rubtsov will leave the work in the final version.
Next full version The poem already has a writing date of 05/30/66 and a title that differs from what is generally accepted now. VGMZ No. 3718361.
Don't talk about anything
In moments of sad music
And the sound of gusty birches...
The soul has been tired of burning for a long time, -
To wander in the past, as if drunk,
The time has come to understand,
That I love ghosts too much.
But still in unsteady dwellings -
Try to stop them! -
Calling to each other, the violins cry
About the yellow stretch, about love,
And still under the low sky
I see clearly, to the point of tears
And the sound of gusty birches,
As if the farewell hour is eternal,
It's as if time has nothing to do with it.
In moments of sad music
Don't talk about anything...
But even in this version, containing only five stanzas, there are discrepancies with the final version of six stanzas. They relate to the second stanza. The version was written down by Nikolai Rubtsov without corrections and is essentially white, although also intermediate. In this form it existed only for a day, because it was already 31.05.66. Rubtsov writes another Belova full text poem, calling it “In moments of sad music.” In this almost final version, the poet again returned to the line on which he had worked so hard, making it the second and making the final adjustment to the third stanza, which acquired a classic look and is now printed everywhere. So, the final version is dated by the author on 05/31/66. VGMZ No. 3718361.
In moments of sad music
In moments of sad music
And the sound of gusty birches.
And a path without sun, a path without faith
Wind-driven cranes
And the first snow under the gray sky
Among the extinguished fields!
The soul has long been tired of wandering, -
In former love, in former hops,
The time has come to understand,
That I love ghosts too much.
But still in unsteady dwellings -
Try to stop them! -
Calling to each other, the violins cry
About the yellow stretch, about love,
And still under the low sky
I see clearly, to the point of tears
And the sound of gusty birches,
As if the farewell hour is eternal,
It's as if time has nothing to do with it.
In moments of sad music
Don't talk about anything...
The poem came out, everything fell into place. But the second quatrain still haunts the poet. And he improves it once again, rearranging the lines in the stanza. And in this perfect version it is published in “Star of the Fields”. The words “driven by the wind” are still replaced by “driven by the snow.”
So, in this work we recalled the early and finalized versions of the poem “In Minutes of Music” by the poet. All intermediate versions of the poem recorded by the poet are given, were the result his poetic work is only short time. Rubtsov’s generous talent provided researchers with such a rare opportunity to look into his drafts, almost into his creative laboratory. In this sense, the most important are those signed and dated white versions, which the poet himself at a certain stage considered to be a completed poem. This work shows the stages of the poet Rubtsov's rough work on one of his most perfect poems. What is the poet looking for? Of course, there is also an unexpected strong continuation, development of the theme, lyrical motifs, the greatest expressiveness, elusive authenticity, but most importantly, the poet seeks and finds the harmony of the poem, its music, its mood. Nikolai Rubtsov painfully searches for the lofty and simple words of fading nature, the image of man dissolved in it, and those heavenly sounds that only he hears. But these same sounds do not allow him to falsify, to strike the wrong note within the work. Rubtsov feels birth good work worthy of his talent and he is ready to work on the word - image until exhaustion. Fortunately, this time not only his memory is at hand, he has notepads and a pen at hand, which, apparently, his Altai friends provided him with.
Rubtsov records all stages creative process work on the poem “In moments of music.” Today these poems are sung by classical singers and bards, and folk performers. The poem cannot leave anyone indifferent. After reading this material, you will have to part with some legends about the poet and you will have to understand that the classical precision and supposed simplicity of Rubtsov’s lines is not only his enormous talent, but also the hardest work on the word and image. This conclusion screams out from Rubtsov’s drafts available today to researchers of his work.
"In moments of music..." analysis of the work - theme, idea, genre, plot, composition, characters, issues and other issues are discussed in this article.
For the worldview of N.M. Rubtsov is characterized by an elegiac view of the world, perception of the surrounding reality through the prism of music. In the poem “In Minutes of Music” this is a sad cry of violins, which harmoniously merges with other images sounding world: the noise of gusty birches, the voice of a close woman.
N.M. Rubtsov acutely felt the finitude of existence. The motive of farewell literally wanders from one poem of the poet to another. N.M. Rubtsov is primarily interested in the wandering of a lonely soul lyrical hero. Initially, the theme of farewell in the poem “In Minutes of Music” is associated with the scene of the hero’s specific separation from his beloved woman. The general minor tonality is emphasized by the details of the autumn landscape: the low gray sky, the first snow, the sound of gusty birches. Numerous repetitions (“a path without sun, a path without faith”, “in former love, in former hops”, “as if the farewell hour is eternal, As if time has nothing to do with it”) give the poem melodic smoothness and musicality. The picture created by the author is dynamic. N.M. Rubtsov constantly deepens the motif of variability, illusoryness, and the fragility of existence.
It is important that the theme of farewell does not drown out the strength in this work love feeling lyrical hero. The music of violins filled with suffering still sounds in his soul. And every time the hero hears this sad music, he is transported in his memories to that yellow reach where he once said goodbye to his beloved.
The path of spiritual quest of the lyrical hero in the poem “In Minutes of Music” is compared with “the path without the sun, the path without faith of the cranes driven by the snow.” Disturbing memories and the sad cry of the violins bring tears to the lyrical hero.
At the end of the work, the theme of farewell is filled with a different content: this is no longer just the separation of two close people, but the lyrical hero’s reflection on the eternity of the farewell hour. The love storyline is summarized by a philosophical view of the world. To understand the lyrical hero’s views on the world, the antithesis of eternity and fragility is important. Time seemed to stop for him at the moment of parting with his beloved. He himself is aware of the deep contradiction between his perception of time and its real irreversible movement.
Thus, the elegiac reflections of the lyrical hero in moments of music about the insoluble contradictions between dreams and reality are perhaps the most important moments in his life. At this time, the hero analyzes his life path, remembers the most difficult ones, but at the same time important points and sums up the events lived, preparing for the farewell hour.
“In moments of sad music...” Nikolay Rubtsov
In moments of sad music
I imagine the yellow reach
And the woman’s farewell voice,
And the sound of gusty birches,And the first snow under the gray sky
Among the extinct fields,
And a path without sun, a path without faith
Cranes driven by snow...The soul has long been tired of wandering
In former love, in former hops,
The time has come to understand,
That I love ghosts too much.But still in unstable dwellings -
Try to stop them! -
Calling to each other, the violins cry
About the yellow stretch, about love.And still under the low sky
I see clearly, to the point of tears,
And the yellow reach and the close voice,
And the sound of gusty birches.As if the farewell hour is eternal,
As if time has nothing to do with it...
In moments of sad music
Don't talk about anything.
Analysis of Rubtsov’s poem “In moments of sad music...”
The poem “In Minutes of Music” refers to love and philosophical lyrics. His composition is a move from the particular to the universal. First, Rubtsov tells readers about parting with a woman dear to his heart. Heavy state of mind the lyrical hero’s mood is aggravated by the gloom of the landscape that surrounded him in the painful moment of separation. He remembers the first snow under gray sky, faded fields, absence of sun. The poet paints a picture late autumn or early winter in middle lane Russia. Nature is in transitional state. There is no longer that joy from the golden leaves, the earth has not yet had time to be completely covered with snow shining in the sun.
In the third stanza, the lyrical hero tries to abandon the depressive worldview and forever part with the ended relationship. He admits that he “loves ghosts too much”, that “the soul is tired of wandering in past love, past intoxication.” However, it is extremely difficult for him to forget the past forever. Periodically, memories return, and there is practically no escape from them. Final stanza - philosophical view on the problem of separation. The hero's reasoning reaches a completely different level. Im picking up the most difficult problem passage of time. When a person is happy, the minutes fly by, they are in a hurry. Entire hours fly by as if in an instant. Difficult ones are another matter. life situations. When people find themselves in them, it seems as if time freezes, does not move at all. This is exactly what happens at the hour of separation.
The most important role in the poem “In Minutes of Music” is played by the motive of the spiritual quest of the lyrical hero. The path of the soul is implicitly compared with the path of the cranes driven by the first snow - “a path without sun”, “a path without faith”. It is difficult for her to find peace, she wanders in the dark. It seems that the long-standing separation from the woman he loved is not least to blame. Perhaps it was because of her that the hero’s soul lost its bearings for a long time, if not forever.
Rubtsov's poem is distinguished by its musicality. The memories of the lyrical hero are not only pictures of nature, but also sounds - “the farewell voice of a woman”, “the noise of gusty birches”, crying violins. In almost every stanza, Rubtsov uses unity of command. There are other types of repetitions in the work. Their presence gives the poem musicality and smooth songfulness. It is not without reason that composers have more than once taken Nikolai Mikhailovich’s text as the basis for their compositions.
