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“And the tired traveler grumbled at God. . ." represents the ninth and final
poem from the cycle “Imitations of the Koran,” written in 1825. Pushkin,
relying on the Russian translation of M. Verevkin, freely rearranged fragments of suras, then
there are chapters of the Koran. Genre - parable.
Pushkin’s cycle “Imitations of the Koran” represents not just separate, although interconnected, episodes from the life of the prophet, but the most important stages of human destiny in general.
The final poem of the cycle “And the tired traveler grumbled at God. . ." is clearly parable in nature, and its plot is quite simple. "Tired Traveler"
thirsty due to the desert heat, focused on his physical
suffering. He “murmurs” against God, having lost hope of salvation, and does not realize
Divine omnipresence, does not believe in the Creator’s constant care for his
creation.
When the hero was about to completely lose faith in salvation, he sees a well of water and greedily quenches his thirst. After this he falls asleep for many years. Waking up, traveler
discovers that, by the will of the Almighty, he slept for many years and became an old man:
And the instant old man, overcome with grief,
Sobbing, his head drooped, trembling. .
But a miracle happens: God returns youth to the hero:
And the traveler feels both strength and joy;
Resurrected youth began to play in the blood;
Holy delights filled my chest:
And with God he sets off on his journey.
In this poem, Pushkin uses the mythological plot of “death -
revival”, due to which it has a generalizing character. The traveler is perceived
as a person in general. His “death” and “resurrection” symbolize the path of life
a person from error to truth, from unbelief to faith, from gloomy disappointment
to optimism. Thus, the “resurrection” of the hero is interpreted, first of all, as
spiritual rebirth.
The poem “Imitation of the Koran” is considered by many to be one of the most controversial works of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The poet's reasoning touches on the most painful topic - religious. He tried to convey to the reader that blind adherence to dogmas and misunderstanding of the essence of faith leads to the humiliation of personality, that someone can manipulate the consciousness of impersonal people.
The history of writing the poem “Imitation of the Koran” (Pushkin)
The analysis of a work must begin with the history of its writing in order to understand the poet’s motives. Upon returning from southern exile, the vibrant Pushkin had to while away the time for another 2 years in voluntary exile on the family estate of Mikhailovskoye. Voluntary, because his father volunteered to look after the obstinate poet.
Alexander Sergeevich was a man of an inquisitive mind and simply could not get bored in captivity. He developed a vigorous activity, visiting neighbors and pestering them with conversations. These were honest people; the poet behaved relaxedly with many and deigned to talk about politically incorrect topics. Including religious ones.
Conversations with Praskovya Osipova
Perhaps the most interesting interlocutor for Pushkin was Praskovya Aleksandrovna Osipova, a neighboring landowner. She liked Pushkin's lyrics, poems about nature, and thoughtful poems. The woman had a subtle mind, was inquisitive and, to the poet’s joy, deeply religious. The interlocutors could debate heatedly for hours on the topic of faith. Ultimately, Pushkin decided to express his arguments in poetic form, writing the 9-chapter poem “Imitation of the Koran” in 1825.
Pushkin based his analysis of religion on the Koran, the holy book of Muslims. Each chapter is based on a specific story from the life and deeds of the Prophet Mohammed. It is not known whether the brilliant writer convinced Praskovya Alexandrovna that he was right, but he definitely achieved heated debates among his colleagues.
Brief summary
Although the author wisely chose a foreign faith as a critical reflection, the work evoked a resonant response. A rare case occurred when there was no clear agreement with the poet’s conclusions. Did Pushkin envisage such a turn? “Imitation of the Koran” touches on too intimate feelings that are important for believers.
At first glance, this creation is about the deeds of the prophet. But just think about the text, and it becomes clear that the story is about ordinary people forced to blindly obey the once accepted dogmas and laws of the Muslim faith. Why should a warrior of Islam draw his sword and go to his death, even without knowing the reasons for the war, in the hope that “blessed are those who fell in battle”? Why are young Muslim women, having become “pure wives of the prophet,” doomed to celibacy?
After reading, the leitmotif of the work “Imitation of the Koran” becomes clear. The verse warns that while true believers tirelessly follow the commandments, there are people who use their feelings to achieve their own selfish goals.
Is Pushkin an atheist?
“Rise up, fearful one,” the poet calls. “Everyone has a personal answer to this” - this is the argument given by those who disagree with Pushkin’s peremptory appeal. Believers have a suitable saying for this: “To Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
By writing “Imitation of the Koran,” Pushkin exposed his analysis of contradictions in the religious environment. Everyone understood the allegorical meaning of the text. Even though we are talking about Islam, it means any faith (including Orthodox). The thought involuntarily arises that Alexander Sergeevich is an atheist (which in tsarist times was considered sedition). However, this is not true. It is known that Pushkin respected pious people and was tolerant of all religions. He firmly believed that blind worship does not contribute to spiritual enlightenment. Only by realizing yourself as a person can you reach God.
Correspondence of the poem to the text from the Koran
So how do you do the analysis? “Imitation of the Koran” is considered a difficult work among writers, because the text is based on the Koran. It is not enough to know the passages from the holy book that Pushkin used when writing the poem; an understanding of the intricacies of Islam is required. Numerous studies show that some of the quatrains quite accurately follow the logic of the Koran and are based on an accurate interpretation of the text from this book. However, Pushkin would not be himself if he did not introduce freedom into the interpretation of the text sacred to Muslims, especially since the essence of the poem itself implies certain changes, rebirth, and rejection of dogmas.
To understand the incredible complexity of interpreting the work, let’s consider not the entire verse of Pushkin’s “Imitation of the Koran,” but at least a few quatrains. The cycle, written in 1824, consists of nine chapters. It opens with the first chapter “I swear by the odd and even…”, consisting of four quatrains:
I swear by odd and even,
I swear by the sword and the right battle,
I swear by the morning star
I swear by the evening prayer:
No, I didn't leave you.
Who's in the shade of peace?
I introduced, loving his head,
And hid it from watchful persecution?
Was it not I who gave you something to drink on the day of thirst?
Desert waters?
Was it not I who gave your tongue
Mighty power over minds?
Take courage, despise deception,
Follow the path of righteousness cheerfully,
Love the orphans and my Koran
Preach to a trembling creature.
General analysis of the first chapter
The essence of the work of researchers of the work of the brilliant poet is to find a correspondence between the lines written by Pushkin and lines from the Koran. That is, in search of what information base the poet relied on when composing the work “Imitation of the Koran.” The verse is difficult to study, so it is extremely interesting for specialists.
First of all, it turned out that the central images of the first chapter: “vigilant persecution” and the “mighty power” of the tongue “over the minds” are absent in the Koran. Meanwhile, the textual dependence of the first and last stanzas of the poem on the Koran is beyond doubt. As if anticipating the interest of critics in this work, Pushkin left several remarks, which helped specialists make a more accurate analysis. “Imitation of the Koran,” for example, contains the poet’s note to the first stanza: “In other places in the Koran, Allah swears by the hooves of mares, by the fruits of the fig tree, by the freedom of Mecca. This strange rhetorical turn appears every minute in the Koran.”
Chapter 89 is closest to the first stanza. The commandments that Allah gives to his prophet in the poem are scattered throughout the text of the Koran. All researchers of the work note a particularly close connection between the last stanza and the first line of the second quatrain with the 93rd chapter of the Koran: “Your Lord has not abandoned you... Do not offend the orphans, do not take away the last crumbs from the poor, proclaim God’s mercy to you.” In stanzas 2 and 3, the direct dependence on the Koran is no longer so obvious.
Analysis of the second quatrain of the poem “Imitation of the Koran” (Pushkin)
This part is difficult to analyze. It talks about a miraculous salvation from persecution, but Pushkin scholars do not quite understand which story from the Koran this refers to. Researcher Tomashensky, for example, argued that there is no similar text in the Koran. However, his colleagues point out that there are references to the chase in the Koran, for example:
- Chapter 8: “God and his prophet brought the faithful to a safe place and sent down armies to punish the infidels.”
- Chapter 9: “As soon as they both hid in the cave, Mohammed consoled his minion: “Do not complain, God is with us.”
However, the persecution of Mohammed by the infidels is mentioned extremely briefly in the Koran. Fomichev suggested that Pushkin could have used the biography of Mohammed from the text of the Koran, translated into French, found in Dushkin’s library. This publication tells in some detail how Mohammed and his partner hid in a cave during their flight from Mecca, and Allah miraculously grew a tree at the entrance to the cave. Looking into the cave and seeing that the entrance was covered with cobwebs and that a dove had laid eggs there, the pursuers decided that no one had entered there for a long time, and passed by.
Unification of religions?
Perhaps Pushkin’s verse “Imitation of the Koran” is difficult to interpret for the reason that the poet introduced legends into the work not only from the Koran, but also from the Old Testament. After all, Pushkin respected all religions. The words about “vigilant persecution” make us remember another persecution - the persecution by the Egyptian pharaoh of Moses and his fellow tribesmen during the exodus from Egypt.
It is possible that when creating his poem, Pushkin had in mind the biblical story of the crossing of the Red Sea, identifying the prophet Mohammed with the prophet Moses. The foundations for such an identification are already laid in the Koran, where Moses is identified as the forerunner of Mohammed: Allah constantly reminds Mohammed of his great predecessor, his first prophet, Moses. It is no coincidence that most of the stories borrowed from the Bible into the Koran go back to the book of Exodus, which describes the acts of Moses.
Analysis of the third quatrain
The researchers correlated the first lines of this quatrain with the 11th verse of the 8th chapter of the Koran: “Do not forget... how I brought down water from heaven for your washing, so that you could be cleansed and be delivered from the evil of the devil.” However, Pushkin is talking about quenching thirst, and not about cleansing, about “desert waters”, and not about water sent down from the sky.
Perhaps Pushkin was hinting at another legend: how once on the road between Medina and Damascus, Mohammed could barely scoop up a ladle of water from a drying stream, but, having poured it back, he turned it into a bountiful source that fed an entire army. But this episode is missing from the Koran. Therefore, a number of researchers compared the first lines of the third stanza with the famous biblical story about how Moses gave water to the people who were exhausted from thirst in the desert, hitting a stone with a rod from which a source of water gushed out, because God commanded him to do so. This episode is mentioned twice in the Koran (chapters 2 and 7).
And yet - the Bible?
Let's go back to the background. What did Pushkin achieve? “Imitation of the Koran” was born in disputes with the landowner Osipova about the influence of religion on the minds of people. The poet expressed his point of view in poetic form. Perhaps Pushkin took into account that Osipova is closer to biblical stories, or it seemed interesting to him to combine several religions or to show that all religions are essentially similar.
It is known that it was while working on the cycle “Imitations of the Koran” that Pushkin felt the need to turn to the Bible. “I work for the glory of the Koran,” Pushkin writes to his brother in a letter dated the first days of November 1824. A little later, at the beginning of the 20th of November, he asks his brother to send him a book: “The Bible, the Bible! And French, of course.” Apparently, while working on the cycle, Pushkin became interested in both Muslim and biblical motifs.
Conclusion
Poetry lovers are inspired by reverent love and colorful nature. But Pushkin, first of all, is a citizen, philosopher, thinker. A fighter against injustice, tyranny, oppression. The work “Imitation of the Koran” is filled with the spirit of freedom, the call “Rise up, fearful one!”
“And the tired traveler grumbled at God...”
Date of writing: 1824.
DEDICATED TO P. A. OSIPOVA.
I swear by odd and even,
I swear by the sword and the right battle,
I swear by the morning star
No, I didn't leave you.
Who's in the shade of peace?
I introduced, loving his head,
And hid it from watchful persecution?
Was it not I who gave you something to drink on the day of thirst?
Desert waters?
Was it not I who gave your tongue
Mighty power over minds?
Take courage, despise deception,
Follow the path of righteousness cheerfully,
Love the orphans and my Koran
Preach to a trembling creature.
O pure wives of the prophet,
You are different from all wives:
The shadow of vice is also terrible for you.
Under the sweet canopy of silence
Live modestly: it behooves you
The celibate virgin's veil.
Keep true hearts
For those who are legitimate and bashful,
Yes, the evil gaze of the wicked
He won't see your face!
And you, O guests of Mohammed,
Flocking to his supper,
Avoid the vanities of the world
Confuse my prophet.
The guy has pious thoughts,
He doesn't like big talkers
And immodest and empty words:
Honor the feast with his humility,
And with chaste inclination
Confused, the prophet frowned,
Hearing the blind man approaching:
Run, let vice not dare
Show him bewilderment.
The list is given from the heavenly book
You, prophet, are not for the obstinate;
Calmly proclaim the Quran,
Without forcing the wicked!
Why is a person arrogant?
Because he came into the world naked,
That he breathes for a short time,
That the weak will die, just as the weak was born?
Because God will kill
And he will resurrect him - according to his will?
What from the sky protects his days
And in joys and in bitterness?
For giving him fruit,
And bread, and dates, and olives,
Blessing his works,
And the helicopter town, and the hill, and the cornfield?
But the angel will sound twice;
Heavenly thunder will strike the earth:
And brother will run from brother,
And the son will shrink away from his mother.
And everyone will flock to God,
Disfigured by fear;
And the wicked will fall,
Covered in flames and ashes.
With you from ancient times, O omnipotent one,
The mighty one thought he could compete,
Abundant with insane pride;
But you, Lord, humbled him.
You said: I give life to the world,
I punish the earth with death,
My hand is raised for everything.
I also, he said, give life,
And I also punish with death:
With you, God, I am equal.
But the boasting of vice fell silent
From the word of your wrath:
I will raise the sun from the east;
The earth is motionless - the sky is vaulted,
Creator, supported by you,
May they not fall on dry land and water
You lit the sun in the universe,
May it shine on heaven and earth,
Like flax watered with oil,
The crystal shines in the lamp.
Pray to the Creator; he is mighty:
He rules the wind; on a hot day
It sends clouds to the sky;
Gives the earth tree shade.
He is merciful: he is to Mohammed
Opened the shining Koran,
May we also flow towards the light,
No wonder I dreamed about you
In battle with shaved heads,
With bloody swords
In the ditches, on the tower, on the wall.
Hear the joyful cry,
O children of the fiery deserts!
Lead the young slaves into captivity,
Share the spoils of war!
You have won: glory to you,
And a laugh for the faint-hearted!
They are on a calling
We didn’t go, not believing the wondrous dreams.
Seduced by the spoils of battle,
Now in my repentance
Rekut: take us with you;
But you say: we won’t take it.
Blessed are those who fell in battle:
Now they have entered Eden
And drowned in pleasure,
Arise, fearful one:
In your cave
Holy lamp
It burns until the morning.
Heartfelt prayer,
Prophet, go away
Sad thoughts
Crafty dreams!
Until the morning I pray
Create humbly;
Heavenly book
Trading conscience before pale poverty,
Do not pour out your gifts with a calculating hand:
Complete generosity pleases heaven.
On the day of terrible judgment, like a fat field,
O prosperous sower!
She will reward your labors a hundredfold.
But if, having regretted the labors of earthly acquisition,
Handing a meager alms to a beggar,
You squeeze your envious hand, -
Know: all your gifts are like a handful of dust,
That the heavy rain washes the stone,
They will disappear - a tribute rejected by God.
And the tired traveler grumbled at God:
He was thirsty and hungry for shade.
Wandering in the desert for three days and three nights,
And the eyes are heavy with heat and dust
With hopeless melancholy he drove around,
And suddenly he sees a treasure trove under a palm tree.
And he ran towards the desert palm tree,
And greedily refreshed with a cold stream
The tongue and the apple of the eye burned heavily,
And he lay down and fell asleep next to the faithful donkey -
And many years passed over him
By the will of the ruler of heaven and earth.
The hour of awakening has come for the traveler;
He gets up and hears an unknown voice:
“How long ago did you fall asleep deeply in the desert?”
And he answers: the sun is already high
Yesterday was shining in the morning sky;
In the morning I slept deeply until the morning.
Look: you lay down young, and rose up old;
The palm tree has decayed and the well is cold
Dried up and dried up in the waterless desert,
Long covered by the sands of the steppes;
And the bones of your donkey turn white.”
And the instant old man, overcome with grief,
Sobbing, his head drooped, trembling...
And then a miracle happened in the desert:
The past has come to life in new glory;
The palm tree sways again with its shady head;
Once again the well is filled with coolness and darkness.
And the old bones of the donkey stand up,
And they clothed themselves with their bodies, and made a roar;
And the traveler feels both strength and joy;
Resurrected youth began to play in the blood;
Holy delights filled my chest:
And with God he sets off on his journey.
Notes
“The wicked,” writes Mohammed (chapter Awards), they think that the Koran is a collection of new lies and old fables." The opinion of these wicked, of course, fair; but despite this, many moral truths are presented in the Qur'an in a strong and poetic manner. Several free imitations are offered here. In the original, Alla speaks everywhere on his own behalf, and Mohammed is mentioned only in the second or third person.
In other places in the Koran, Allah swears by the hooves of mares, the fruits of the fig tree, the freedom of Mecca, virtue and vice, angels and man, and so on. This strange rhetoric appears every minute in the Koran.
“My prophet,” Allah adds, will not tell you this, for he is very courteous and modest; but I have no need to deal with you,” and so on. The Arab's jealousy still breathes in these commandments.
From the book Blind.
Bad physics; but what brave poetry!
Rating: / 20The poem “Imitation of the Koran” was written by Pushkin in 1825. This work consists of 9 poems written by the poet under the impression received from reading the Koran translated into Russian by M. Verevkin. In his work, the poet describes episodes from the life of the Prophet (PBUH) and a free exposition of some surahs of the Koran.
In the first poem Imitations of the Koran cycle Pushkin writes about the revelation of the Koran to the Prophet (PBUH), about the power of Allah and his mercy towards Muhammad (PBUH) and people. The poet’s words: “Love the orphans” are inspired by Surah Al-Maidat (“Alms”). A reminder that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) cared for the children of dead Muslims.
Second poem“Imitations” is dedicated to the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his life.
O pure wives of the Prophet.
You are distinguished from all wives:
Under the sweet canopy of silence
Live modestly: it behooves you
The celibate maiden's veil...
Based on surahs “Abasa”, “Al-Wakiat”, “Hajj” the third poem was written works.
Ayat of the Quran: “On the day you see him, every woman who feeds will forget the one she fed, and every bearer of a burden will lay down her burden. And you will see people drunk, but they are not drunk. But Allah’s punishment is severe” (Quran, 22:2). Pushkin retold it in the following words:
But the angel will sound twice;
And brother will run from brother,
And the son will shrink away from his mother
And everyone will flow before God
Disfigured by fear
And the wicked will fall
Covered in flames and ashes."
Next part- this is a free retelling of the meaning of the verse “Didn’t you see the one who argued with Ibrahim about his Lord because Allah gave him power? So Ibrahim said: “My Lord, Who gives life and kills.” He said: “I give life and I kill.” Ibrahim said: “Behold, Allah brings out the sun from the east, so bring it out from the west.” And the one who did not believe was confused: Allah does not directly lead unrighteous people!
Pushkin's definition of the Qur'an as the "Shining Qur'an" comes from the well-known definitions of the Last Scripture: "Clear, Glorious, Noble, Wise." Pushkin’s expression “let us too flow into the light” is his understanding of the essence of Islam.
Verse six The poem is dedicated to those who died in battles with idolaters and pagans. It talks about Paradise, which awaits the lost.
In the seventh verse Pushkin retells the Koran sura “The Family of Imran”. It begins with a call to the Prophet - “Arise!”
Arise, fearful one:
In your cave
Holy lamp
It burns until the morning.
Heartfelt prayer,
Prophet, go away
Sad thoughts...
“In your cave” - this refers to the cave of Mount Hira, in which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) prayed for a long time, in which on the night of the 27th of Ramadan in 610 the Koran was revealed.
Eighth poem Imitations of Pushkin's Koran are written in the form of a prayer based on many surahs of the Koran, which speaks of fair treatment of orphans and the poor.
Do not pour out your gifts with a calculating hand:
Complete generosity pleases heaven.
Zakat or alms is the duty of a Muslim. A person’s property is the property of Allah, from which a person is obliged to give zakat: “...If you know what is good in them; Give them something of your wealth that God has given you.”
In the last verse“Imitations of the Koran” Pushkin described his impressions of the Al-Bakarat sura (Koran, 2:261). In it, the poet uses a parable about a traveler who grumbled against God, about the mercy that was shown by the “Lord of heaven and earth” to this traveler:
He was thirsty and hungry for shade...
The past has come to life in new glory...
“Imitation of the Koran” by A.S. Pushkin, is his personal impression of reading the translation of the Koran and an attempt to use the style of the Koran in writing this work.
A.S. Pushkin. Poems "Imitations of the Koran" in full
I swear by odd and even,
I swear by the sword and the right battle,
I swear by the morning star
I swear by the evening prayer:
No, I didn't leave you.
Who's in the shade of peace?
I introduced, loving his head,
And hid it from watchful persecution?
Was it not I who gave you something to drink on the day of thirst?
Desert waters?
Was it not I who gave your tongue
Mighty power over minds?
Take courage, despise deception,
Follow the path of righteousness cheerfully,
Love the orphans and my Koran
Preach to a trembling creature.
O pure wives of the prophet,
You are different from all wives:
The shadow of vice is also terrible for you.
Under the sweet canopy of silence
Live modestly: it behooves you
The celibate virgin's veil.
Keep true hearts
For those who are legitimate and bashful,
Yes, the evil gaze of the wicked
He won't see your face!
And you, O guests of Mohammed,
Flocking to his supper,
Avoid the vanities of the world
Confuse my prophet.
The guy has pious thoughts,
He doesn't like big talkers
And immodest and empty words:
Honor the feast with his humility,
And with chaste inclination
His young slaves.
Confused, the prophet frowned,
Hearing the blind man approaching:
Run, let vice not dare
Show him bewilderment.
The list is given from the heavenly book
You, prophet, are not for the obstinate;
Calmly proclaim the Quran,
Without forcing the wicked!
Why is a person arrogant?
Because he came into the world naked,
That he breathes for a short time,
That the weak will die, just as the weak was born?
Because God will kill
And he will resurrect him - according to his will?
What from the sky protects his days
And in joys and in bitterness?
For giving him fruit,
And bread, and dates, and olives,
Blessing his works,
And the helicopter town, and the hill, and the cornfield?
But the angel will sound twice;
Heavenly thunder will strike the earth:
And brother will run from brother,
And the son will shrink away from his mother.
And everyone will flock to God,
Disfigured by fear;
And the wicked will fall,
Covered in flames and ashes.
With you from ancient times, O omnipotent one,
The mighty one thought he could compete,
Abundant with insane pride;
But you, Lord, humbled him.
You said: I give life to the world,
I punish the earth with death,
My hand is raised for everything.
I also, he said, give life,
And I also punish with death:
With you, God, I am equal.
But the boasting of vice fell silent
From the word of your wrath:
I will raise the sun from the east;
Raise him from sunset!
The earth is motionless - the sky is vaulted,
Creator, supported by you,
May they not fall on dry land and water
And they will not suppress us.
You lit the sun in the universe,
May it shine on heaven and earth,
Like flax watered with oil,
The crystal shines in the lamp.
Pray to the Creator; he is mighty:
He rules the wind; on a hot day
It sends clouds to the sky;
Gives the earth tree shade.
He is merciful: he is to Mohammed
Opened the shining Koran,
May we also flow towards the light,
And let the fog fall from your eyes.
No wonder I dreamed about you
In battle with shaved heads,
With bloody swords
In the ditches, on the tower, on the wall.
Hear the joyful cry,
O children of the fiery deserts!
Lead the young slaves into captivity,
Share the spoils of war!
You have won: glory to you,
And a laugh for the faint-hearted!
They are on a calling
We didn’t go, not believing the wondrous dreams.
Seduced by the spoils of battle,
Now in my repentance
Rekut: take us with you;
But you say: we won’t take it.
Blessed are those who fell in battle:
Now they have entered Eden
And drowned in pleasure,
Not poisoned by anything.
Arise, fearful one:
In your cave
Holy lamp
It burns until the morning.
Heartfelt prayer,
Prophet, go away
Sad thoughts
Crafty dreams!
Until the morning I pray
Create humbly;
Heavenly book
Read until morning!
VIII
Trading conscience before pale poverty,
Do not pour out your gifts with a calculating hand:
Complete generosity pleases heaven.
On the day of terrible judgment, like a fat field,
O prosperous sower!
She will reward your labors a hundredfold.
But if, having regretted the labors of earthly acquisition,
Handing a meager alms to a beggar,
You squeeze your envious hand, -
Know: all your gifts are like a handful of dust,
That the heavy rain washes the stone,
They will disappear - a tribute rejected by God.
And the tired traveler grumbled at God:
He was thirsty and hungry for shade.
Wandering in the desert for three days and three nights,
And the eyes are heavy with heat and dust
With hopeless melancholy he drove around,
And suddenly he sees a treasure trove under a palm tree.
And he ran towards the desert palm tree,
And greedily refreshed with a cold stream
The tongue and the apple of the eye burned heavily,
And he lay down and fell asleep next to the faithful donkey -
And many years passed over him
By the will of the ruler of heaven and earth.
The hour of awakening has come for the traveler;
He gets up and hears an unknown voice:
“How long ago did you fall asleep deeply in the desert?”
And he answers: the sun is already high
Yesterday was shining in the morning sky;
In the morning I slept deeply until the morning.
But a voice: “O traveler, you slept longer;
Look: you lay down young, and rose up old;
The palm tree has decayed and the well is cold
Dried up and dried up in the waterless desert,
Long covered by the sands of the steppes;
And the bones of your donkey turn white.”
And the instant old man, overcome with grief,
Sobbing, his head drooped, trembling...
And then a miracle happened in the desert:
The past has come to life in new glory;
The palm tree sways again with its shady head;
Once again the well is filled with coolness and darkness.
And the old bones of the donkey stand up,
And they clothed themselves with their bodies, and made a roar;
And the traveler feels both strength and joy;
Resurrected youth began to play in the blood;
Holy delights filled my chest:
And with God he sets off on his journey.
I
I swear by odd and even,
I swear by the sword and the right battle,
I swear by the morning star
I swear by the evening prayer:
No, I didn't leave you.
Who's in the shade of peace?
I introduced, loving his head,
And hid it from watchful persecution?
Was it not I who gave you something to drink on the day of thirst?
Desert waters?
Was it not I who gave your tongue
Mighty power over minds?
Take courage, despise deception,
Follow the path of righteousness cheerfully,
Love the orphans and my Koran
Preach to a trembling creature.
II
O pure wives of the prophet,
You are different from all wives:
The shadow of vice is also terrible for you.
Under the sweet canopy of silence
Live modestly: it behooves you
The celibate virgin's veil.
Keep true hearts
For those who are legitimate and bashful,
Yes, the evil gaze of the wicked
He won't see your face!
And you, O guests of Mohammed,
Flocking to his supper,
Avoid the vanities of the world
Confuse my prophet.
The guy has pious thoughts,
He doesn't like big talkers
And immodest and empty words:
Honor the feast with his humility,
And with chaste inclination
His young slaves.
III
Confused, the prophet frowned,
Hearing the blind man approaching:
Run, let vice not dare
Show him bewilderment.
The list is given from the heavenly book
You, prophet, are not for the obstinate;
Calmly proclaim the Quran,
Without forcing the wicked!
Why is a person arrogant?
Because he came into the world naked,
That he breathes for a short time,
That the weak will die, just as the weak was born?
Because God will kill
And he will resurrect him - according to his will?
What from the sky protects his days
And in joys and in bitterness?
For giving him fruit,
And bread, and dates, and olives,
Blessing his works,
And the helicopter town, and the hill, and the cornfield?
But the angel will sound twice;
Heavenly thunder will strike the earth:
And brother will run from brother,
And the son will shrink away from his mother.
And everyone will flock to God,
Disfigured by fear;
And the wicked will fall,
Covered in flames and ashes.
IV
With you from ancient times, O omnipotent one,
The mighty one thought he could compete,
Abundant with insane pride;
But you, Lord, humbled him.
You said: I give life to the world,
I punish the earth with death,
My hand is raised to everything.
I also, he said, give life,
And I also punish with death:
With you, God, I am equal.
But the boasting of vice fell silent
From the word of your wrath:
I will raise the sun from the east;
Raise him from sunset!
V
The earth is motionless - the sky is the vault,
Creator, supported by you,
May they not fall on dry land and water
And they will not suppress us.
You lit the sun in the universe,
May it shine on heaven and earth,
Like flax watered with oil,
The crystal shines in the lamp.
Pray to the Creator; he is mighty:
He rules the wind; on a hot day
It sends clouds to the sky;
Gives the earth tree shade.
He is merciful: he is to Mohammed
Opened the shining Koran,
May we also flow towards the light,
And let the fog fall from your eyes.
VI
No wonder I dreamed about you
In battle with shaved heads,
With bloody swords
In the ditches, on the tower, on the wall.
Hear the joyful cry,
O children of the fiery deserts!
Lead the young slaves into captivity,
Share the spoils of war!
You have won: glory to you,
And a laugh for the faint-hearted!
They are on a calling
We didn’t go, not believing the wondrous dreams.
Seduced by the spoils of battle,
Now in my repentance
Rekut: take us with you;
But you say: we won’t take it.
Blessed are those who fell in battle:
Now they have entered Eden
And drowned in pleasure,
Not poisoned by anything.
VII
Arise, fearful one:
In your cave
Holy lamp
It burns until the morning.
Heartfelt prayer,
Prophet, go away
Sad thoughts
Crafty dreams!
Until the morning I pray
Create humbly;
Heavenly book
Read until morning!
VIII
Trading conscience before pale poverty,
Do not pour out your gifts with a calculating hand:
Complete generosity pleases heaven.
On the day of terrible judgment, like a fat field,
O prosperous sower!
She will reward your labors a hundredfold.
But if, having regretted the labors of earthly acquisition,
Handing a meager alms to a beggar,
You squeeze your envious hand, -
Know: all your gifts are like a handful of dust,
That the heavy rain washes the stone,
They will disappear - a tribute rejected by the Lord.
IX
And the tired traveler grumbled at God:
He was thirsty and hungry for shade.
Wandering in the desert for three days and three nights,
And the eyes are heavy with heat and dust
With hopeless melancholy he drove around,
And suddenly he sees a treasure trove under a palm tree.
And he ran towards the desert palm tree,
And greedily refreshed with a cold stream
The tongue and the apple of the eye burned heavily,
And he lay down and fell asleep next to the faithful donkey -
And many years passed over him
By the will of the ruler of heaven and earth.
The hour of awakening has come for the traveler;
He gets up and hears an unknown voice:
“How long ago did you fall asleep deeply in the desert?”
And he answers: the sun is already high
Yesterday was shining in the morning sky;
In the morning I slept deeply until the morning.
But a voice: “O traveler, you slept longer;
Look: you lay down young, and rose up old;
The palm tree has decayed and the well is cold
Dried up and dried up in the waterless desert,
Long covered by the sands of the steppes;
And the bones of your donkey turn white.”
And the instant old man, overcome with grief,
Sobbing, his head drooped, trembling...
And then a miracle happened in the desert:
The past has come to life in new glory;
The palm tree sways again with its shady head;
Once again the well is filled with coolness and darkness.
And the old bones of the donkey stand up,
And they clothed themselves with their bodies, and made a roar;
And the traveler feels both strength and joy;
Resurrected youth began to play in the blood;
Holy delights filled my chest:
And with God he sets off on his journey.
Notes
- Imitation of the Koran - “The wicked, writes Mohammed (the head of the Reward), think that the Koran is a collection of new lies and old fables.” The opinion of these wicked ones is, of course, fair; but despite this, many moral truths are presented in the Qur'an in a strong and poetic manner. Several free imitations are offered here. In the original, Alla speaks everywhere on his own behalf, and Mohammed is mentioned only in the second or third person.
- In other places in the Koran, Allah swears by the hooves of mares, the fruits of the fig tree, the freedom of Mecca, virtue and vice, angels and man, and so on. This strange rhetoric appears every minute in the Koran.
- “My prophet,” Allah adds, will not tell you this, for he is very courteous and modest; but I have no need to deal with you,” and so on. The Arab's jealousy still breathes in these commandments.
- From the book Blind.
- Bad physics; but what brave poetry!
Analysis of the poem “Imitations of the Koran” by Pushkin
“Imitations of the Koran” occupy a special place in Pushkin’s work. This work was written by the poet during his exile in Mikhailovsky (1824-1826) and is based on a serious study of the Muslim holy book. In the eyes of an Orthodox person, this was a rather strange activity. But Pushkin was very passionate about the poetic language and deep philosophical reflections set forth in the Koran. In the “Notes” to the work, the author himself notes that he recognizes the sacred book as “a collection of ... fables” presented in a “strong and poetic manner.” Elsewhere, Pushkin cannot resist exclaiming: “What bold poetry!” The poet dedicated “Imitations of the Koran” to P. Osipova, with whom he often visited during his rural exile.
The work consists of nine independent parts. They don't have a common plot. Each part expresses the poet’s impressions of specific surahs (chapters) of the Koran. Pushkin gave some parts an autobiographical character, sometimes using a biblical worldview.
Part I is based on Sura 93; other episodes from the life of Mohammed are also used. In it, Allah addresses the chosen prophet with encouraging and parting words before preaching Islam.
Part II is based on two passages from Sura 33. It describes the prophet's marriage to the divorced wife of his adopted son. This act caused discontent among the invited guests, in response to which Mohammed uttered another prophecy.
Part III is a free transcription of Sura 30. In it, Mohammed is inspired to calmly and with full right to spread his religion, “without forcing the wicked.” Man is proud and self-confident, but on the Day of Judgment everyone will appear before the Creator, and the “wicked” will suffer their well-deserved punishment.
Part IV is based on an excerpt from Sura 2. It describes the competition of Allah with vice, which wanted to put itself on an equal footing with the Creator, but was defeated after the divine “word of wrath.”
Part V correlates with images from several suras (21, 24, etc.). The author subjected Muslim images to literary processing and created a majestic image of the Creator, to whom the entire universe is subject.
Part VI is based on suras 60 and 61. They describe the victory and capture of the city of Mecca by Muslims. Pushkin used Mohammed's vision foreshadowing victory. The last stanza glorifies the warriors who died in the holy war.
Part VIII is based on Sura 2. In the autograph, Pushkin indicated the title - “Alms”. Moral teaching has a biblical, not a Muslim meaning.
Overall, “Imitations of the Koran” is a brilliant example of artistic treatment of the sacred text. Pushkin was not limited by religious intolerance and treated the Koran as one of the masterpieces of world literature.
