What assessment does the author of zadonshchina give? Analysis of the work “Zadonshchina”

In the “History of the Russian State” in 1817, later it began to prevail in the literature) took place on September 8, 1380 on the Kulikovo field, between the Don and Nepryadva (according to the latest research by Professor S. N. Azbelev - at its source, in the Old Russian language “ mouth", from Volov Lake).

The exact date of creation of "Zadonshchina" is unknown: it could have been written between the date of the battle itself and the end of the 15th century, to which the earliest surviving list (Kirillo-Belozersky) dates back. The manuscript mentions a Bryansk boyar, later a priest in Ryazan, and Sophony is the probable author of the story.

Textual criticism

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Notes

Some publications

• Jan Frček. Zádonština: staroruský žalozpěv o boji Rusů s Tatary r. 1380. Rozprava literárně dějepisná. Kritické vydání textů // Práce Slovanského Ústavu v Praze. Svazek XVIII, 1948. (Five manuscripts published and collated.)
• Zadonshchina: A Word about Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich and his brother Prince Vladimir Andreevich, who defeated their adversary Tsar Mamai / Afterword by S. Shambinago; General editing by F. M. Golovenchenko. - [M.]: OGIZ - State. art publishing house liters, . - 48 s. - 3,000 copies.(in translation)
• “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” and monuments of the Kulikovo cycle: On the question of the time of writing “The Tale” / Ed. D. S. Likhacheva and L. A. Dmitrieva. - M.-L.: Science, 1966.(All six manuscripts published)
• Zadonshchina: Praise to Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich and his brother Prince Vladimir Andreevich / Compiled by E. N. Lebedev; Afterword by Ph.D. I. V. Lyovochkina; Artist Alexey Shmarinov. - M.: Sovremennik, 1980. - 106 p. - 3,000 copies.(Facsimile reproduction of the manuscript from the State Historical Museum)
• Zadonshchina. / Preparation and comments by Dr. A. A. Zimina. Artist A. Makarov. - Tula, Priokskoe prince. ed., 1980. - 128 p. - 100,000 copies.
• Legends and stories about the Battle of Kulikovo / L. A. Dmitriev, O. P. Likhacheva (text preparation). Academy of Sciences of the USSR. - L.: Science, Leningrad. department, 1982. - 424 p. - (Literary monuments). - 30,000 copies.(Summary text)
• Zadonshchina: Collection (Zadonshchina. Chronicle story about the massacre on the Don. The legend of Mamaev's massacre). - M.: Fiction, 1982.(Summary text. Luxurious gift volume with illustrations by Ilya Glazunov)
• Monuments of the Kulikovo cycle / Ed. B. A. Rybakova. . - St. Petersburg. : Russian-Baltic Information Center BLITZ, 1998. - ISBN 5-86789-033-3.(Four best preserved manuscripts published)

Literature

• Azbelev S. N. Folklorism of “Zadonshchina” and “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” // Literature of Ancient Rus': Collection of scientific works / Rep. ed. N. I Prokofiev; Moscow State teacher Institute named after V.I. Lenin. - M.: MGPI, 1981. - 160 p.
• Azbelev S. N. Folklorism of “Zadonshchina” // Dmitry Donskoy and the Renaissance of Rus': Events, monuments, traditions: Proceedings of the anniversary scientific conference “Dmitry Donskoy - statesman, commander, saint.” (Tula - Kulikovo field, October 12–14, 2000) / Editorial team: V.P. Gritsenko, M.I. Gonyany, V.A. Kasatkin; Rep. ed. A.N. Naumov; State military history and nature museum-reserve "Kulikovo Field"; Tula State univ. - Tula: Tula Polygraphist, 2001. - 288 p. - ISBN 5-88422-274-2.
• Azbelev S. N. Kulikovo victory in folk memory: Literary monuments of the Kulikovo cycle and folklore tradition. - St. Petersburg. : Dmitry Bulanin, 2011. - 312 p. - (Studiorum Slavicorum Orbis). - 500 copies. - ISBN 978-5-86007-667-9.(in translation)

Links

• .
• The ancient Russian text is transliterated into modern Cyrillic.
• Academician D. S. Likhacheva
• (inaccessible link - story , copy)
• //Ancient Rus'. Questions of medieval studies. 2004. No. 2(16). pp. 34-43.

Excerpt characterizing Zadonshchina

When Pierre, having run around courtyards and alleys, came back with his burden to Gruzinsky’s garden, on the corner of Povarskaya, at first he did not recognize the place from which he had gone to fetch the child: it was so cluttered with people and belongings pulled out of houses. In addition to Russian families with their goods, who were fleeing here from the fire, there were also several French soldiers in various attire. Pierre did not pay attention to them. He was in a hurry to find the official’s family in order to give his daughter to his mother and go again to save someone else. It seemed to Pierre that he had a lot more to do and quickly. Inflamed from the heat and running around, Pierre at that moment felt even more strongly than before that feeling of youth, revival and determination that overwhelmed him as he ran to save the child. The girl now became quiet and, holding Pierre’s caftan with her hands, sat on his hand and, like a wild animal, looked around her. Pierre occasionally glanced at her and smiled slightly. It seemed to him that he saw something touchingly innocent and angelic in this frightened and painful face.
Neither the official nor his wife were in their former place. Pierre walked quickly among the people, looking at the different faces that came his way. Involuntarily he noticed a Georgian or Armenian family, consisting of a handsome, very old man with an oriental face, dressed in a new covered sheepskin coat and new boots, an old woman of the same type and a young woman. This very young woman seemed to Pierre the perfection of oriental beauty, with her sharp, arched black eyebrows and a long, unusually tenderly ruddy and beautiful face without any expression. Among the scattered belongings, in the crowd in the square, she, in her rich satin cloak and a bright purple scarf covering her head, resembled a delicate greenhouse plant thrown out into the snow. She sat on a bundle somewhat behind the old woman and motionlessly looked at the ground with her large black elongated eyes with long eyelashes. Apparently, she knew her beauty and was afraid for it. This face struck Pierre, and in his haste, walking along the fence, he looked back at her several times. Having reached the fence and still not finding those he needed, Pierre stopped, looking around.
The figure of Pierre with a child in his arms was now even more remarkable than before, and several Russian men and women gathered around him.
– Or lost someone, dear man? Are you one of the nobles yourself, or what? Whose child is it? - they asked him.
Pierre answered that the child belonged to a woman in a black cloak, who was sitting with the children in this place, and asked if anyone knew her and where she had gone.
“It must be the Anferovs,” said the old deacon, turning to the pockmarked woman. “Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy,” he added in his usual bass voice.
- Where are the Anferovs! - said the woman. - The Anferovs left in the morning. And these are either the Marya Nikolaevnas or the Ivanovs.
“He says she’s a woman, but Marya Nikolaevna is a lady,” said the yard man.
“Yes, you know her, long teeth, thin,” said Pierre.
- And there is Marya Nikolaevna. “They went into the garden, when these wolves swooped in,” the woman said, pointing at the French soldiers.
“Oh, Lord have mercy,” the deacon added again.
- You go over there, they are there. She is. “I kept getting upset and crying,” the woman said again. - She is. Here it is.
But Pierre did not listen to the woman. For several seconds now, without taking his eyes off, he looked at what was happening a few steps away from him. He looked at the Armenian family and two French soldiers who approached the Armenians. One of these soldiers, a small, fidgety man, was dressed in a blue overcoat belted with a rope. He had a cap on his head and his feet were bare. The other, who especially struck Pierre, was a long, stooped, blond, thin man with slow movements and an idiotic expression on his face. This one was dressed in a frieze hood, blue trousers and large torn boots. A little Frenchman, without boots, in a blue hiss, approached the Armenians, immediately, saying something, took hold of the old man’s legs, and the old man immediately began hastily to take off his boots. The other, in a hood, stopped opposite the beautiful Armenian woman and silently, motionless, holding his hands in his pockets, looked at her.
“Take, take the child,” said Pierre, handing over the girl and addressing the woman imperiously and hastily. - Give it to them, give it to them! - he shouted almost at the woman, putting the screaming girl on the ground, and again looked back at the French and the Armenian family. The old man was already sitting barefoot. The little Frenchman took off his last boot and clapped the boots one against the other. The old man, sobbing, said something, but Pierre only caught a glimpse of it; all his attention was turned to the Frenchman in the hood, who at that time, slowly swaying, moved towards the young woman and, taking his hands out of his pockets, grabbed her neck.
The beautiful Armenian woman continued to sit in the same motionless position, with her long eyelashes lowered, and as if she did not see or feel what the soldier was doing to her.
While Pierre ran those few steps that separated him from the French, a long marauder in a hood was already tearing the necklace that she was wearing from the neck of the Armenian woman, and the young woman, clutching her neck with her hands, screamed in a shrill voice.
– Laissez cette femme! [Leave this woman!] - Pierre croaked in a frantic voice, grabbing the long, hunched soldier by the shoulders and throwing him away. The soldier fell, got up and ran away. But his comrade, throwing away his boots, took out a cleaver and menacingly advanced on Pierre.
- Voyons, pas de betises! [Well, well! Don’t be stupid!] – he shouted.
Pierre was in that rapture of rage in which he remembered nothing and in which his strength increased tenfold. He rushed at the barefoot Frenchman and, before he could take out his cleaver, he had already knocked him down and was hammering at him with his fists. An approving cry from the surrounding crowd was heard, and at the same time a mounted patrol of French lancers appeared around the corner. The lancers trotted up to Pierre and the Frenchman and surrounded them. Pierre did not remember anything of what happened next. He remembered that he had beaten someone, he had been beaten, and that in the end he felt that his hands were tied, that a crowd of French soldiers was standing around him and searching his dress.
“Il a un poignard, lieutenant, [Lieutenant, he has a dagger,”] were the first words that Pierre understood.
- Ah, une arme! [Ah, weapons!] - said the officer and turned to the barefoot soldier who was taken with Pierre.
“C"est bon, vous direz tout cela au conseil de guerre, [Okay, okay, you’ll tell everything at the trial," said the officer. And after that he turned to Pierre: “Parlez vous francais vous?” [Do you speak French? ]
Pierre looked around him with bloodshot eyes and did not answer. His face probably seemed very scary, because the officer said something in a whisper, and four more lancers separated from the team and stood on both sides of Pierre.
– Parlez vous francais? – the officer repeated the question to him, staying away from him. - Faites venir l "interprete. [Call an interpreter.] - A small man in a Russian civilian dress came out from behind the rows. Pierre, by his attire and speech, immediately recognized him as a Frenchman from one of the Moscow shops.
“Il n"a pas l"air d"un homme du peuple, [He does not look like a commoner," said the translator, looking at Pierre.
– Oh, oh! ca m"a bien l"air d"un des incendiaires," the officer blurred. "Demandez lui ce qu"il est? [Oh, oh! he looks a lot like an arsonist. Ask him who he is?] he added.
-Who are you? – asked the translator. “The authorities must answer,” he said.
– Je ne vous dirai pas qui je suis. Je suis votre prisonnier. Emmenez moi, [I won't tell you who I am. I am your prisoner. Take me away,” Pierre suddenly said in French.
- Ah, Ah! – the officer said, frowning. - Marchons!
A crowd gathered around the lancers. Closest to Pierre stood a pockmarked woman with a girl; When the detour started moving, she moved forward.
-Where are they taking you, my dear? - she said. - This girl, what am I going to do with this girl, if she’s not theirs! - the woman said.
– Qu"est ce qu"elle veut cette femme? [What does she want?] - asked the officer.
Pierre looked like he was drunk. His ecstatic state intensified even more at the sight of the girl he had saved.
“Ce qu"elle dit?” he said. “Elle m”apporte ma fille que je viens de sauver des flammes,” he said. - Adieu! [What does she want? She is carrying my daughter, whom I saved from the fire. Farewell!] - and he, not knowing how this aimless lie escaped him, walked with a decisive, solemn step among the French.
The French patrol was one of those that were sent by order of Duronel to various streets of Moscow to suppress looting and especially to capture the arsonists, who, according to the general opinion that emerged that day among the French of the highest ranks, were the cause of the fires. Having traveled around several streets, the patrol picked up five more suspicious Russians, one shopkeeper, two seminarians, a peasant and a servant, and several looters. But of all the suspicious people, Pierre seemed the most suspicious of all. When they were all brought to spend the night in a large house on Zubovsky Val, in which a guardhouse was established, Pierre was placed separately under strict guard.

A poetic story about the events of the Battle of Kulikovo, in contrast to the documentary "Legend", is given in another monument of ancient Russian literature - "Zadonshchina". The story is dedicated to the glorification of the victory of Russian troops over the Mongol-Tatar hordes. The author drew his factual material from the chronicle story, and his literary model was “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” - he used the poetic plan and artistic techniques of the “Tale”. The story compares the events of the past and present. This manifests itself, according to D.S. Likhachev, the pathos of historical design. The fight against the Polovtsians is interpreted here as a struggle for national independence.

"Zadonshchina" expresses the author's poetic attitude to the events of the Battle of Kulikovo. His story, as in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” is transferred from one place to another: from Moscow to the Kulikovo field, again to Moscow, to Novgorod, again to the Kulikovo field. The present is intertwined with memories of the past. The author himself described his work as “pity and praise for Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich.” “Pity” is a cry for the dead. “Praise” is glory to the courage and military valor of the Russians, says one of the modern scientists.

"Zadonshchina", like "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", does not seek to consistently describe the entire course of events; its goal is different - to glorify the victory of the Russians, to glorify Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich and his brother - Prince Vladimir Andreevich of Serpukhov. This idea forced the author to consciously contrast the episodes of the Russian defeat in Igor’s campaign with the victorious battle on the Don. The author of "Zadonshchina" sees in the Battle of Kulikovo an important historical milestone: the defeat on Kalka began the time of "sorrow and sadness", and it ended with the victory in the battle on the Kulikovo Field.

The text of "Zadonshchina" is correlated with "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". The author consciously compares events, seeing in “The Lay” an aesthetic model to follow. To explain his idea to the reader, he prefaced it with a preface, composed in epic tones. “Let us come together, brothers and friends, Russian sons, let us compose word for word and exalt the Russian land, cast sorrow on the eastern country, proclaim victory over the filthy Mamai, and give praise to Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, and to his brother Prince Vladimir Andreevich...” 1 .

The author turns to the past of Rus': "... let us remember the times of the first years and praise the prophetic Boyan, a skilled guslar in Kyiv. That Boyan laid his skillful fingers on the living strings and sang glory to the Russian princes... And I praise with songs and with wild words under the harp and this Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich..." 2.

In “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” menacing omens accompany the march of the Russian troops: “wolves howl, foxes bark at Russian shields.” In "Zadonshchina" the same ominous signs accompany the campaign of the Tatar troops: the impending death of the Tatars makes birds fly under the clouds, eagles squeal, wolves and foxes howl. In the "Word" - "children of demons" (Polovtsians) by clicking the field "partition"; in "Zadonshchina" - "Russian sons fenced wide fields with a wedge." In the Lay, “black ground under the hooves” was sown with the bones of Russians. In "Zadonshchina" - "black ground under the hooves of Tatar bones" was sown. Everything that was addressed in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” to the Russian land, in “Zadonshchina” was addressed to its enemies.

The result of the battle is sad: it is scary and pitiful to hear crows cawing over human corpses, to see grass stained with blood. Nature itself expresses sympathy for the dead - the trees bowed to the ground in sadness. The sad news that many died near the Don reached Moscow. The wives wailed for the murdered women; their crying was compared to the pitiful singing of birds. The women in their crying seem to echo each other, the polyphonic crying grows, spreads, so the Kolomna wives began to wail, as if “the shuras sang pitiful songs early.” In the wives’ cries there is not only “pity” and grief, but also a strong-willed call to “drain the Don with helmets, and dam the Sword River with Tatar corpses,” “close the gates of the Oka River,” so that the filthy can no longer come to Russian land.

In the composition "Zadonshchina" the crying of the Moscow and Kolomna wives is the turning point of the battle. “And, having shouted the cry, Prince Vladimir Andreevich rushed with his army to the shelves of the filthy Tatars...” Thus, the cries and cries of Russian women merge with battle cries and calls on the Kulikovo field.

In "Zadonshchina" there is no detailed depiction of the decisive moment of the battle; the central place in the story of the final victory is occupied by the dialogue between Vladimir Andreevich and Dmitry Ivanovich. Vladimir Andreevich encourages his brother and calls on him not to give in, not to hesitate: “The Tatars are already trampling our filthy fields and have beaten a lot of our brave squad - so many human corpses that greyhound horses cannot gallop: they are wandering in blood up to their knees” 3. Dmitry Ivanovich’s battle call and his appeal to Prince Vladimir Andreevich are based on the image of a “chalice” (“enchantment”), which goes back to the symbolic comparison of a battle with a feast. Dmitry Ivanovich tells the soldiers that here, on the Kulikovo field, is “your Moscow sweet honey,” and he calls on Vladimir Andreevich to drink the “honey circle spell” and attack the Tatar army with his strong regiments.

Swiftly and powerfully, burning with the desire to drink the “honey spell of the circle”, the Russian regiments are advancing - the wind roars in the banners, the Russian sons blocked the fields with a cry, the filthy regiments turned back, beat and flogged them mercilessly. The author depicts the confusion and helplessness of his enemies with such artistic details: the Tatars run, covering their heads with their hands, fleeing from swords, their princes fall from their horses. The confusion and fear were so strong that the Tatars gnashed their teeth and tore their faces. Their emotional state is also conveyed by the monologue-cry: “We, brothers, will no longer be in our own land, and we will no longer see our children, and we will not caress our wives, but we will caress the damp earth, but we will kiss the green grass, and we will go to Rus' with our army.” We should not go around and ask tribute from the Russian princes" 4 .

It is important that the enemies themselves admit their complete defeat; the author can only add that “the Tatar land groaned, filled with troubles and grief,... their joy has already waned.” Now, across the Russian land, which for a long time had been “gloomy” and “saddened,” “joy and rejoicing” spread, and the glory of victory spread across all lands.

Mamai, a once formidable conqueror, flees to Kafa. It is known that Mamai fled there some time after the Battle of Kulikovo and was killed there. But the author of "Zadonshchina" does not mention the death of Mamai, he only cites the caustic, mocking speech of the Friags (Genoese), woven from folklore images. The Friags compare Mamai with Batu and are ironic: Batu filled the entire Russian land with small forces, and Mamai came with nine hordes, and was left alone, “with no one to spend the winter in the field with.” Their words are especially caustic: “Apparently, the Russian princes thoroughly treated you... Apparently, they got very drunk at the fast Don on the Kulikovo field, on the feather grass.” The expressions “heavily treated”, “drunk heavily on the grass-feather grass” (that is, to death) again return to the image of the “battle-feast” and the “cup of honey”, but now in an ironic meaning. It is not the news of Mamai’s death, but ridicule in the mouths of other peoples that degrades the honor and glory of the once powerful enemy. In the minds of ancient Russian warriors, ridicule and disrepute were a disgrace worse than death, which is why they preferred death on the battlefield to defeat and captivity.

The author of "Zadonshchina" contrasts the inglorious end and loneliness of Mamai with the spiritual unity of Russian princes and warriors. He returns to the description of what is happening on the Kulikovo field, and ends the story with a scene of “standing on the bones”: on the battlefield, the victors gather the wounded, bury the dead, and count their losses. “It’s scary and sad” to look at the site of the battle - “Christian corpses lie like haystacks.” Dmitry Ivanovich and all the survivors pay tribute to those who laid down their heads “for the holy churches, for the Russian land, for the Christian faith.” 300 thousand soldiers took part in the Battle of Kulikovo on the Russian side, and 253 thousand were “cut” by Mamai. 5 Addressing the fallen, Dmitry Donskoy said: “Forgive me, brothers, and bless me in this century and in the future” 6. Having gained honor and a glorious name for themselves, brothers Dmitry Ivanovich and Vladimir Andreevich return home to the glorious city of Moscow.

“Pity and praise” - this is how the author himself defined the emotional mood and meaning of his work. He did not set out to give an accurate, detailed account of the movement, the deployment of troops, or the course of the battle itself. The entire text of "Zadonshchina" consists mainly of speeches, monologues, laments, dialogues, appeals, appeals. "Zadonshchina" is an emotional response to the Battle of Kulikovo, the glory of the great victory, and not a historical story.

The connection between “Zadonshchina” and oral folk art is palpable. This is manifested in folklore imagery, repetitions, epithets, comparisons, as well as in the crying of Russian women for fallen soldiers (their appeal to the wind, the Don, the Moscow River). Symbolic images of folk poetry (geese, swans, falcons, gyrfalcons, wolves, eagles) are constantly present in the work.

The national-patriotic pathos of the literary monument is emphasized by the lyrical proclamation of the idea of ​​unity and unity of all the forces of the Russian land.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1. Re-read the text. Why can “Zadonshchina” be considered a poetic expression of the author’s attitude to the events of the Battle of Kulikovo?
2. How is the story structured?
3. How is the patriotic idea expressed, the glorification of the Russian victory and the glorification of Dmitry Donskoy? Please provide the text.
4. What genre of folk art resembles the beginning of "Zadonshchina"?
5. What does the author want to talk about, remembering Boyan from “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”?
6. How does the author introduce the theme of the present and past of Rus' into the narrative? Why and for what does he glorify the Russian princes who “stood up for the Christian faith”?
7. How are events developing? Tell us about the ceremonial gatherings and marching, about the deeds of Russian soldiers and use the author’s description.
8. Which of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo does the author talk about in most detail and why? How is Peresvet portrayed? What role do the words: “It is better to be killed than captured” play in characterizing his personality? What is the author's assessment of the hero?
9. How does the author’s mood and description of events change after the defeat of the Russians (nature, wives’ lamentations, the spread of sad news throughout Rus')?
10. How does the cry of Russian wives respond to the actions of the princes and motivate them to a new battle? What is the outcome of the battle? Tell us about the flight of the Tatars, their crying.
11. Show, referring to the text, that “Zadonshchina” is an emotional response to the Battle of Kulikovo. How does the nature of the author’s depiction of events meet this goal? What does the author's voice sound like?
12. Why does the author end the story by listing the names of those killed in the Battle of Kulikovo?
13. Show that the narrative is also factual and historical in nature.
14. What is the meaning of Dmitry Donskoy’s words after the battle: “Forgive me, brothers, and bless me in this century and the future”? How do they characterize the prince?
15. The author defines the ideological and artistic meaning of his story as “pity” and “praise.” Is he right? Prove based on content.
16. Trace the connections of "Zadonshchina" with oral folk art (folklore images and artistic techniques).
17. How does “Zadonshchina” relate to “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” (poetic plan and artistic techniques)? Find common artistic images, constant epithets, comparisons.
18. Prepare a message: ““Zadonshchina” and “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”.” Compare the works by theme, plot, composition.
19. Compare the descriptions of battle scenes in “The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu,” “The Tale of the Massacre of Mamaev,” and “Zadonshchina.” What are the similarities and differences between these descriptions?

The purpose of this article is to provide information about such a great monument as “Zadonshchina”. Year of creation, author, compositional and artistic features - we will discuss all these issues with you.

Historical conditions

In 1380, an event took place that played a big role in the life of not only Russia, but the whole world. This means in which the Tatars were defeated. This event once and for all dispelled rumors about the invincibility of the enemy, and gave Russia hope of getting rid of the long-term yoke. It also served as a prerequisite for the unification of the principalities around the center, Moscow, which marked the beginnings of the future state. So it is not surprising why the great victory was so often covered in the literary monuments of the ancient Russian era. Researchers are talking about the Kulikovo cycle, which includes the work that interests us.

“Zadonshchina”: year of creation, general information

A glorious monument of literature, a highly artistic creation... Indisputable proof of the authenticity of “The Lay...” - all these characteristics apply to the military story called “Zadonshchina”. Who wrote it is a controversial and unlikely to be resolved question. There are suggestions that the author was Sofoniy Ryazantsev. This name is indicated by the text of “Zadonshchina” and another work - “Tales of the Massacre of Mamayev”. Literary scholars have no other information about Ryazantsev. But the reference to his name suggests that Zephanius created some kind of literary monument that has not reached us. The unknown author, from whose pen “Zadonshchina” came out, was guided by him. The exact year of creation of this military story is unknown (which is not surprising for ancient Russian literature). They assume this: the work was a direct response to events, which means that the time of creation of “Zadonshchina” falls on the turn of the 80-90s

The story is presented in six lists. Scientists date the earliest one that has reached us to the 1470s. Its other name is the Euphrosynus list. The variant is an abbreviation of some original lengthy text and therefore has a large number of errors, distortions, and omissions. By the way, only in Efrosin’s list the name “Zadonshchina” is used. The year of creation of the latest version of the story is also not established (approximately the 17th century), and there the work is designated as “The Lay of ... Prince Dmitry Ivanovich.” The same applies to all other versions of the literary monument. They are also defective, but allow literary scholars to reconstruct the original text.

Composition and plot

The glorification of the victory of Russian troops over the enemy - this is the plot outline of “Zadonshchina”. At the same time, the author consciously draws a parallel with “The Word...”, however, the appeal to the great monument is not explained by blind imitation, but by a deliberate comparison of the present and the past (and not in favor of the latter). The mention of the “Word...” makes it clear that it was solely the disagreement of the princes that brought trouble to the Russian land. But this is a thing of the past; now victory has been won over the conquerors. Similarities with “The Word...” are found both at the level of individual techniques (transferring the narrator from one geographical point to another in an instant) and plot components. For example, the sun is shining for Dmitry Donskoy on the way before the start of the battle - this is how “Zadonshchina” narrates. The author of “The Lay...” (also anonymous, by the way) mentions the eclipse as a bad omen.

The story consists of two parts. They are preceded by an introduction, with the help of which the author sets the reader up in a special, solemn mood, and also informs him of the true goals pursued by the creation of “Zadonshchina”. The introduction also emphasizes the optimistic tone of the story, indicating that Moscow - as the current center of statehood - is a continuation of Kyiv, etc. The first part of the work is “pity”. The narrator depicts the defeat of the Russian troops, the mourning of the dead by the princesses and noblewomen. However, nature suggests: soon the “filthy” will be defeated. This is what happened in “praise”, when the enemies took to their heels, and the Russians received rich booty.

Artistic Features

The poetics of “Zadonshchina” is largely determined by its similarity with “The Word...”. The reader is faced with the same anthropomorphic images and epithets that are clearly of folklore origin. At the same time, there are more images that have religious significance, and there are no references to paganism at all. This story differs significantly from the pretext. The work “Zadonshchina” is very heterogeneous in style. Thus, along with poetic texts there are fragments that are very reminiscent of business prose. Its traces are also evident in chronological details and close attention to the titles of princes.

"Zadonshchina" and "The Word..."

As already mentioned, “Zadonshchina” is also valuable because it is proof of the authenticity of the “Word”. The latter is called into question not only because before the sudden discovery of the monument by Musin-Pushkin in 1795, no one had ever seen “The Word...”, but also because of the extraordinary artistic value of the poem. This suggested the idea of ​​a fake (and there were precedents). Its mention in “Zadonshchina” should have put an end to the dispute, but... Suggestions arose that this “Word...” was created following the example of the supposedly subsequent monument. Well, the question of the origin of both works of ancient Russian writing has remained completely unresolved.

At the end of the XIV - beginning of the XV centuries. a poetic story about the Battle of Kulikovo was written - “Zadonshchina”, preserved in six copies, two editions. The oldest list that has reached us dates back to the 70s of the 15th century; the list has no end, there are many omissions. Lists of the 16th and 17th centuries. are also defective, but on their basis S.K. Shambinago reconstructed the consolidated text of “Zadonshchina”. A textual analysis of the surviving copies of “Zadonshchina” was carried out by R. P. Dmitrieva.

"Zadonshchina" is dedicated to the glorification of the victory of Russian troops over the Mongol-Tatar hordes; its author drew factual material from the chronicle story, and the literary model was "The Tale of Igor's Campaign."

The use of the poetic plan and artistic techniques of “The Lay of Igor’s Campaign” in “Zadonshchina” is determined by the entire ideological and artistic concept of this work, where the events of the past were deliberately compared with contemporary events: if “The Lay” called on the Russian princes to unite to fight the “steppe”, then “ Zadonshchina" glorified the unity of the Russian princes, thanks to which the victory over the foreigners was won. The author not only compared, but also contrasted them. As D.S. Likhachev notes, “the convergence of the events of the past and the present is the pathos of the historical plan of “Zadonshchina.” The fight against the Polovtsians and the Mongol-Tatars was interpreted as a struggle against a “wild field” for national independence.

The poetic plan of "Zadonshchina" consists of two parts: "pity" and "praise". They are preceded by a short introduction. It aims not only to set the listener in a high solemn mood, but also to determine the thematic content of the work: to give “praise” to Dmitry Ivanovich, his brother Vladimir Andreevich and "to bring sorrow to the eastern country." The author emphasizes that the purpose of his story "to rejoice the Russian land" praise "songs and loud loud words" great-grandsons of the Grand Dukes of Kyiv Igor Rurikovich, Vladimir Svyatoslavich and Yaroslav Vladimirovich. "Zadonshchina" emphasizes the genealogical connection of the Moscow princes with the Kyiv princes, noting that the new political center of Rus' - Moscow - is the heir of Kyiv and its culture. For the same purpose, the prophetic Boyan is praised "a proud buzzer in Kyiv." In his address to the Russian princes, Dmitry classifies them as "nest" Grand Duke Vladimir of Kyiv. To raise the political prestige of the Moscow prince, the author of "Zadonshchina" calls Vladimir Svyatoslavich "Tsar of Russia".

Military valor and courage of the princes are characterized in “Zadonshchina” by the same methods as in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”: “Dmitry Ivanovich and his brother Prince Vladimer Ondreevich, having tortured their minds with strength and sharpened their hearts with courage and filled with the military spirit.”

The first part of "Zadonshchina" - "pity" describes the gathering of Russian troops, their march, the first battle and defeat. The gathering of Russian troops in "Zadonshchina" is depicted by the stylistic means of "The Lay": “They are marching in Moscow, glory is ringing throughout the Russian land. Trumpets are blowing on Kolosh, tambourines are being beaten in Serpokhov, the fortunes of the Don are standing on the great breez.”

The warriors of Andrei Polotsky and Dmitry Bryansky, like the marks of Vsevolod, “They were wrapped under trumpets and carried around under helmets, and a copy of them was fed in the Lithuanian land.”

Nature in “Zadonshchina” is on the side of the Russians and foreshadows defeat "filthy": "And their troubles are already(enemies. – V. K) The birds graze, they fly under the clouds, the crows often crow, and the loaches speak in their speech, the eagles lighten up, and the wolves howl menacingly, and the foxes break bones.” But Dmitry Ivanovich “The sun... will shine clearly on the rise, the path will tell.”

The first bloody battle ends in the defeat of the Russians: “It was terrible and pitiful to see then, the grass was shed with blood, and the wood bowed tightly to the ground”; “Across the Rezan land, near the Don: neither ratai nor shepherds call, but often crows crow, zogzitsi forge a corpse for the sake of a human being.”

The fallen soldiers are mourned by their wives: princesses and boyars. Their laments are built, like Yaroslavna’s lament, on an appeal to the wind, the Don, and the Moscow River.

The second part of "Zadonshchina" - "praise" glorifies the victory won by the Russians when the regiment of Dmitry Bob rock Volynets emerged from an ambush. The enemies fled, and the Russians got rich booty: “...Russian wives splashed with Tatar gold,” “merriment and riot spread across the Russian land and Russian glory rose up against the filthy blasphemers.”

The style of the narration of "Zadonshchina" is joyful and major. Its author is imbued with the consciousness of the end of the period "tight" And "sadness". Compared to “The Word,” “Zadongqing” is more abstract and “psychologizes” the action. So, Novgorodians complain that they are not in time to help Dmitry. The Russian princes who have gathered make a speech to Dmitry. Andrey Polotsky is talking with Dmitry Bryansky, Dmitry Ivanovich is talking with Vladimir Andreevich, the brave Peresvet is talking with Oslyabya, Dmitry is making a solemn speech "on the bone" after the victory.

The Christian element in “Zadonshchina” is significantly strengthened in comparison with “The Lay” and there are no pagan mythological images at all. Pious reflections, prayer appeals are put into the mouths of the heroes, religious fiction is introduced (Boris and Gleb say a prayer "for one's relatives"), Russian troops are fighting for "saints of the church, for the Orthodox faith." Dmitry Ivanovich and Vladimir Andreevich are fighting "for the Russian land and for the peasant faith." All this testifies to the increased role of the church in the Moscow state.

Complex metaphorical images of the “Word”, symbolism associated with pagan mythology, are alien to the author of “Zadonshchina”.

Unlike The Lay, he makes wider use of some techniques of oral folk poetry. Thus, negative comparisons are extremely common in “Zadonshchina”: "...as eagles flocked from all over the midnight country; it was not the eagles that flocked together that the princes of Russia...", or "the gray wolves... howl, they want to step on the Russian land on the swords. That was not the gray wolves, but the abomination of the Tatars..."

Symbolic images of folk poetry: “geese”, “swans”, “falcons”, “gyrfalcons”, “wolves”, “eagles” are constantly present in “Zadonshchina”.

In the style of "Zadonshchina" there are significant traces of business prose of the 15th century, reflected in chronological clarifications, titles of princes, genealogical formulas, a list of those killed, and the monotony of methods for introducing direct speech.

At the same time, the poetic structure of “Zadonshchina” is characterized by strophicity, which is emphasized by the same beginnings: “And the prince spoke to them...”, “And Ondrei said a word...”, “And Dmitry spoke to him...”; “Already like the eagles have flown together...”, “Already the wind has raised the radiance...”, “Already the carts have creaked...”

Emphasizing the political role of Moscow and the Moscow prince in the fight against the Mongol-Tatars, "Zadonshchina", apparently, deliberately did not mention the betrayal of the Ryazan prince Oleg. The author directed all his pathos, lyrically excited and pathetic, towards promoting the idea of ​​unity, the unity of all the forces of the Russian land around Moscow, emphasizing that it was only thanks to the unity of forces that the historical victory was won and the princes and Russian warriors got for themselves "honor and glorious name."

• Cm.: Dmitrieva R. P. The relationship between the lists of "Zadonshchina" and "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" // "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" and monuments of the Kulikovo cycle. M.; L., 1966. R.P. Dmitrieva questioned whether “Zadonshchina” was written by the former Bryansk boyar, who later became a priest, Zephanius Ryazanets. According to her observations, Zephaniah owned a work that has not reached us, which A. A. Shakhmatov conventionally called “The Tale of the Massacre of Mamaev.” This “Word” was used by the unknown compiler of “Zadonshchina” (see: TODRL. L., 1979. T. 34. P. 21).
• Likhachev D. S. Man in the literature of Ancient Rus'. M., 1970. P. 81.

Standing somewhat apart in the cycle of stories about the Battle of Kulikovo is a work briefly called “Zadonshchina,” which has different titles according to the lists. The timing of the text's creation remains controversial. The most substantiated point of view is that “Zadonshchina” was written in the 80s. XIV century, since in 1392 the two cities mentioned in it - Tarnovo and Ornach - were captured and destroyed: one by the Turks, the other by the Tatars. The author of the work is also unknown; the hypothesis about the authorship of Zephanius Ryazan, which was actively discussed in the scientific press, has not been thoroughly confirmed. Most researchers come to the conclusion that he was the author of some literary work about the Battle of Kulikovo, which has not reached us and preceded “Zadonshchina.”

Composition

The greatest attention to the work from the moment of its discovery was attracted by the fact that the author took “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” as a model of the narrative. But “Zadonshchina” did not become an imitation, following the sample text in everything; it is an independent work of art, which was undoubtedly influenced by two more traditions - folklore and the tradition of chronicle military stories. In the construction of the text, the author interweaves features of a military story and “The Word...”. The introduction is focused mainly on the poetic monument of the 12th century; it mentions Boyan, previously known only from the text of “The Words...”. But at the end of the fragment the time of the event is established (“And from the Kalat army to the Momayev massacre is 160 years”), which has no analogy in the “Word...”. The further text of "Zadonshchina" generally repeats the structural three-part scheme of the military story. However, within each of the parts the narrative is built on the basis of individual episodes-pictures, which alternate with the author’s digressions, both of which are often directly oriented towards the text of the earlier monument. At the same time, they are not in all respects similar to the “Word...”. First of all, “Zadonshchina” is characterized by documentary elements that are absent in the work of the 12th century. and expressed in the widespread use of digital data, for example in the speech of the Lithuanian princes: “And the brave Lithuanians are with us 70,000 chained armies”; the number of Novgorod soldiers is indicated: “And with them 7000 troops,” etc. There are lists of names of governors leading units of the army; boyars who died in the first half of the battle; losses of warriors from different lands at the end of the battle. These elements are associated with the tradition of military stories. The same range of documentaries includes three cases of mentioning dates according to the church calendar, for example: “And they fought from morning until noon on Saturday on the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God.” This is how the dates of events were often indicated in chronicles.

Basically, in “Zadonshchina” the chronological principle of narration characteristic of a military story is preserved, while in “The Lay...” one of the most important features of the composition can be considered historical digressions, correlated with the destinies of the main characters and the author’s idea. Minor deviations from the chronological order in “Zadonshchina” can be explained by various reasons. The passage predicting the victory of the Russian princes at the beginning of the battle (“Shibla glory to the Gallic Gates...”), although it uses the images of the “Word...”, but follows the military chronicle tradition, which allowed predictions of the outcome of the battle before it began, mainly in the form of a mention of the Divine protection of one of the parties.

Another case of fragments moving through time cannot be explained unambiguously. This is a transfer of Peresvet’s speech addressed to Dmitry, and Oslyabi’s prophecy addressed to Peresvet, after the story about the death of the boyars in battle, while both remarks could only have been spoken before the battle, since Peresvet died at the very beginning. The most likely reason for this rearrangement is the relative compositional freedom of the text, built on the basis of a chain of episodes-pictures depicting the main moments of events. It is also possible that it arose during the process of rewriting the text, especially since all known copies of the monument contain defects. These minor chronological violations of the text do not change the very principle of the narrative, which is close to a military story.

A significant difference between the composition “Zadonshchina” and the composition “The Lay of Igor’s Campaign” is the smaller number of lyrical fragments. They are represented by the author's digressions, most often inspired by the text of an earlier monument, and the laments of Russian wives, which were created in imitation of Yaroslavna's lament, but occupy a different compositional place. Yaroslavna's lament is placed towards the end of the work, when the story about Igor's campaign has already been completed and the princes' call for unity has been made, immediately before the story of Igor's escape from captivity, which is symbolically caused by the lament. The wives' cries in "Zadonshchina" break the story of the Battle of Kulikovo, completing the story of its first half, which was extremely difficult for the Russian army, in which many soldiers died. They add additional emotional nuance to the story of the battle, but do not carry any symbolic meaning. In addition, each of the four laments is many times shorter than Yaroslavna’s lament, uses one image of him, often adding to it stylistic turns from other passages of “The Lay...”.

Of the other lyrical genres unknown to the text of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” “Zadonshchina” uses prayers, one of which is only mentioned, and the other is given in the text. Both were spoken by Dmitry Ivanovich before the battle. In military stories already in the 12th century. Similar fragments began to appear, and in the era of the Battle of Kulikovo they became widespread. The appearance of this genre in “Zadonshchina” is due to the fact that the text contains the motif of God’s patronage of the Russian army, sounding in the author’s remarks and in the refrain taken from “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, but modified. This very motif was widespread in military stories, where it was embodied in formulas of God’s wrath or the protection of one of the parties. In “The Word...” it sounds only in one fragment.

Thus, the lyrical fragments in “Zadonshchina” are few in number and are connected both with the tradition of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” and with the tradition of military stories.

Heroes of "Zadonshchina"

The main character of "Zadonshchina", Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, is presented, both in chronicles and in "The Tale of the Massacre of Mamayev", as an ideal hero. First of all, he is the unifier of the forces of the Russian princes, and in this regard, undoubtedly, continues the tradition of the image of Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Kyiv in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” But at the same time, the traits of a brave warrior and commander characteristic of Igor are transferred to him; the author directly borrows the characterization of this hero, giving it to Dmitry and Vladimir. They paint the image of the prince-defender of Rus', his speeches and actions during the preparation of the campaign and in its process. In general, the image of the main character is similar to the chronicle works of that era, and only certain stylistic means connect him with “The Word...”. At the same time, it must be recognized that “The Long Chronicle Tale” and “The Tale of the Massacre of Mamayev” paint the image of the main character in a more versatile and detailed way, paying close attention to his personality and inner world.

Other princes are depicted in “Zadonshchina” within the framework of the chronicle military tradition in one or two strokes: they emphasize the desire to unite all the forces of Rus' and military valor. Only in the images of Dmitry and Andrei Olgerdovich is the influence of the image of Igor and Vsevolod in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” noticeable.

The enemies of Rus' are depicted more schematically than in other monuments of the Kulikovo cycle. Mamai and his warriors appear only at the moment of flight from the battlefield, and the author conveys the fear and disappointment of the enemies through their gestures and direct speech. The depiction of enemies in “Zadonshchina,” as in “The Lay...” and in the tradition of the military story, is schematic and one-sided; The use of Russian folklore in the speech of the Tatars can be noted as a new feature.

Artistic media in “Zadonshchina”

The visual and expressive means of “Zadonshchina” are also associated with the combination of the three indicated traditions, although the leading influence in this area undoubtedly belongs to “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” (up to direct borrowings). The folklore influence is most noticeable in the use of negative comparisons (in contrast to “The Lay...”, where their function was usually metaphors-symbols, which, on the contrary, were almost never used by the author of “Zadonshchina”).

So, “Zadonshchina” is a monument created at the intersection of three artistic traditions (folklore, the tradition of the military story, in ideological and partly stylistic terms - “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”). Based on the structure of the text, the ways of depicting the heroes, the predominance of the epic narrative rather than the emotional-lyrical principle, the tradition of the military story should be recognized as the leading one, accordingly classifying the work as a genre of military story.