I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,
It won't grow on him folk trail,
He ascended higher with his rebellious head
Alexandrian Pillar.
No, all of me will not die - the soul is in the treasured lyre
My ashes will survive and decay will escape -
And I will be glorious as long as I am in the sublunary world
At least one piit will be alive.
Rumors about me will spread throughout Great Rus',
And every tongue that is in it will call me,
And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now wild
Tungus, and friend of the steppes Kalmyk.
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,
That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,
What's in my cruel age I praised Freedom
And he called for mercy for the fallen.
By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,
Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown,
Praise and slander were accepted indifferently
And don't argue with a fool.
Analysis of the poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” by Pushkin
A draft of the poem was discovered after Pushkin's death. It dates from 1836. It was first published in the posthumous edition of the poet's works (1841).
The poem marked the beginning of a debate that continues to this day. The first question concerns the source that inspired Pushkin. Many considered the work to be a simple imitation of numerous odes by Russian poets on the theme of the monument. A more common version is that Pushkin took the main ideas from Horace’s ode, from which the epigraph to the poem was taken.
A more serious stumbling block was the meaning and significance of the work. The lifetime praise of his merits and the author’s conviction in his future glory caused criticism and bewilderment. In the eyes of contemporaries, this, at a minimum, seemed to be excessive conceit and insolence. Even those who recognized the poet’s enormous services to Russian literature could not tolerate such impudence.
Pushkin compares his fame to a “monument not made by hands”, which exceeds the “Alexandria Pillar” (monument to Alexander I). Moreover, the poet claims that his soul will exist forever, and his creativity will spread throughout multinational Russia. This will happen because throughout his life the author brought people ideas of goodness and justice. He always defended freedom and “called for mercy for the fallen” (probably for the Decembrists). After such statements, Pushkin also reproaches those who do not understand the value of his work (“don’t argue with a fool”).
In justifying the poet, some researchers stated that the verse is a subtle satire of the author on himself. His statements were considered a joke about his difficult position in high society.
Almost two centuries later, the work can be appreciated. The years have shown the poet's brilliant foresight of his future. Pushkin's poems are known all over the world and have been translated into most languages. The poet is considered the greatest classic of Russian literature, one of the founders of the modern Russian language. The saying “I will never die” was completely confirmed. The name of Pushkin lives not only in his works, but also in countless streets, squares, avenues and much more. The poet became one of the symbols of Russia. The poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” is a well-deserved recognition of the poet, who did not expect this from his contemporaries.
History of creation. The poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands...” was written on August 21, 1836, that is, shortly before Pushkin’s death. In it he sums up his poetic activity, relying on the traditions of not only Russian, but also world literature. The immediate model from which Pushkin started was Derzhavin’s poem “Monument” (1795), which became very famous. At the same time, Pushkin not only compares himself and his poetry with his great predecessor, but also highlights the features characteristic of his work.
Genre and composition. According to genre characteristics, Pushkin's poem is an ode, but it is a special variety of this genre. It came to Russian literature as a pan-European tradition, originating in antiquity. It is not for nothing that Pushkin took the lines from the poem by the ancient Roman poet Horace “To Melpomene” as the epigraph to the poem: Exegi monumentum - “I erected a monument.” Horace is the author of "Satire" and a number of poems that glorified his name. He created the message “To Melpomene” at the end of his creative path. Melpomene in ancient greek mythology- one of the nine muses, the patroness of tragedy, a symbol of performing arts. In this message, Horace evaluates his merits in poetry. Subsequently, the creation of this kind of poems in the genre of a kind of poetic “monument” became sustainable literary tradition It was introduced into Russian literature by Lomonosov, who was the first to translate Horace’s message. Then G.R. made a free translation of the poem with an assessment of his merits in poetry. Derzhavin, calling it “Monument”. It was there that the main genre features such poetic “monuments”. This genre variety was finally formed in Pushkin’s “Monument”.
Following Derzhavin, Pushkin divides his poem into five stanzas, using similar verse form and meter. Like Derzhavin's, Pushkin's poem is written in quatrains, but with a slightly modified meter. In the first three lines, like Derzhavin, Pushkin uses the traditional. The odic meter is iambic 6-foot (Alexandrian verse), but the last line is written in iambic 4-foot, which makes it stressed and puts a semantic emphasis on it.
Main themes and ideas. Pushkin's poem is. a hymn to poetry. His main topic- glorification of true poetry and affirmation high purpose poet in the life of society. In this, Pushkin acts as the heir to the traditions of Lomonosov and Derzhavin. But at the same time, given the similarity of external forms with Derzhavin’s poem, Pushkin largely rethought the problems posed, and put forward his own idea of the meaning of creativity and its evaluation. Expanding the theme of the relationship between the poet and the reader, Pushkin points out that his poetry is to a greater extent addressed to a wide addressee. This is clear." Already from the first lines. "."The folk path to it will not be overgrown," he says about his literary "monument." The first stanza is a traditional statement of significance poetic monument in comparison with other ways to perpetuate merits.. But Pushkin also introduces here the theme of freedom, which is “cross-cutting” in his work, noting that his “monument” is marked by a love of freedom: “He rose higher as the head of the rebellious pillar of Alexandria.”
The second, the stanza of all the poets who created such poems, affirms the immortality of poetry, which allows the author to continue to live in the memory of descendants: “No, all of me will not die - the soul in the treasured lyre / My ashes will survive and will escape decay.” But unlike Derzhavin, Pushkin, who experienced recent years life misunderstanding and rejection of the crowd, emphasizes that his poetry will find a wider response in the hearts of people close to him spiritually, creators, and we're talking about not only about Russian literature, “about and about poets all over the world: “And I will be glorious, as long as in the sublunary world / at least one drinker will live.”
The third stanza, like Derzhavin’s, is devoted to the theme of the development of interest in poetry among the broadest sections of the people, previously unfamiliar with it, and widespread posthumous fame:
Rumors about me will spread throughout Great Rus',
And the spirit that is in her will call me. language,
And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now wild
Tungus, and friend of the steppes Kalmyk.
The main semantic load is carried by the fourth stanza. It is in it that the poet defines the main thing that constitutes the essence of his work and for which he can hope for poetic immortality:
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,
That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,
That in my cruel age I glorified freedom
And he called for mercy for the fallen.
In these lines, Pushkin draws the reader’s attention to the humanity and humanism of his works, returning to the most important issue late creativity. From the poet’s point of view, the “good feelings” that art awakens in readers are more important than its aesthetic qualities. This problem will become the second for literature half of the 19th century century, the subject of heated debate between representatives of democratic criticism and the so-called pure art. But for Pushkin the possibility of a harmonious solution is obvious: the last two lines of this stanza return us to the theme of freedom, but understood through the prism of the idea of mercy. It is significant that in initial version Pushkin, instead of the words “in my cruel age,” wrote “following Radishchev.” Not only because of censorship reasons, the poet refused such a direct reference to political meaning love of freedom. More important for the author " The captain's daughter", where the problem of mercy and mercy was very acutely posed, the idea of goodness and justice in their highest, Christian understanding became established.
The last stanza is an appeal to the muse, traditional for “monument” poems:
By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,
Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown,
Praise and slander were accepted indifferently
And don't argue with a fool.
In Pushkin, these lines are filled with a special meaning: they return us to the ideas expressed in the program poem “The Prophet”. Their main idea is that the poet creates according to a higher will, and therefore he is responsible for his art not before people, who are often unable to understand him, but before God. Such ideas were characteristic of Pushkin’s late work and were expressed in the poems “The Poet”, “To the Poet”, “The Poet and the Crowd”. In them, the problem of the poet and society arises with particular urgency, and the fundamental independence of the artist from the opinions of the public is affirmed. In Pushkin’s “Monument” this idea acquires the most succinct formulation, which creates a harmonious conclusion to reflections on poetic glory and overcoming death through divinely inspired art.
Artistic originality. The significance of the theme and the high pathos of the poem determined the special solemnity of its overall sound. The slow, majestic rhythm is created not only due to the odic meter (iamb with pyrrhic), but also the widespread use of anaphora (“And I will be glorious...”, “And he will call me...”, “And the proud grandson of the Slavs...” ", "And for a long time I will be kind to those...", "And mercy to the fallen.."), inversion ("He ascended higher as the head of the rebellious pillar of Alexandria), syntactic parallelism and series homogeneous members(“And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now the wild Tungus...”). Creation high style promotes and selection lexical means. The poet uses sublime epithets (a monument not made by hands, a rebellious head, a treasured lyre, in the sublunary world, a proud grandson of the Slavs), large number Slavicisms (erected, head, drink, until). In one of the most significant artistic images The poem uses metonymy - “That I awakened good feelings with the lyre...”. In general everything artistic media create a solemn hymn of poetry.
The meaning of the work.
Pushkin's "Monument", continuing the traditions of Lomonosov and Derzhavin, stands at the forefront of Russian literature. special place. He not only summed up Pushkin's creativity, but also marked that boundary, that height poetic art, which served as a guide for all subsequent generations of Russian poets. Not all of them strictly followed the genre tradition of the “monument” poem, like A.A. Fet, but every time the Russian poet turns to the problem of art, its purpose and assessment of his achievements, he recalls Pushkin’s words: “I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,” trying to get closer to its unattainable height.
What is a verse? Rhymed lines conveying some kind of thought, nothing more. But if poems could be decomposed into molecules, consider the percentage of components, then everyone would understand that poetry is much more complex structure. 10% text, 30% information and 60% feelings - that's what poetry is. Belinsky once said that in every feeling of Pushkin there is something noble, graceful and tender. It was these feelings that became the basis of his poetry. Was he able to convey them in full? This can be said after the analysis “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” - last work great poet.
remember me
The poem “Monument” was written shortly before the poet’s death. Here lyrical hero Pushkin himself spoke. He reflected on his difficult fate and the role he played in history. Poets tend to think about their place in this world. And Pushkin wants to believe that his work was not in vain. Like every representative creative professions, he wants to be remembered. And with the poem “Monument” he seems to sum up his creative activity, as if to say: “Remember me.”
The poet is eternal
“I erected a monument to myself not made by hands”... This work reveals the theme of the poet and poetry, the problem of poetic fame is comprehended, but most importantly, the poet believes that fame can defeat death. Pushkin is proud that his poetry is free, because he did not write for the sake of fame. As the lyricist himself once noted: “Poetry is a selfless service to humanity.”
While reading the poem, you can enjoy its solemn atmosphere. Art will live forever, and its creator will certainly go down in history. Stories about him will be passed on from generation to generation, his words will be quoted, and his ideas will be supported. The poet is eternal. He the only person who is not afraid of death. As long as people remember you, you exist.
But at the same time solemn speeches saturated with sadness. This verse is last words Pushkin, who put an end to his work. The poet seems to want to say goodbye, finally asking for the very least - to be remembered. This is the meaning of Pushkin’s poem “Monument”. His work is full of love for the reader. Until the end he believes in strength poetic word and hopes that he managed to fulfill his responsibility.
Year of writing
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin died in 1837 (January 29). After some time, a draft version of the poem “Monument” was found among his notes. Pushkin indicated the year of writing as 1836 (August 21). Soon the original work was handed over to the poet Vasily Zhukovsky, who made some literary corrections to it. But only four years later this poem saw the world. The poem “Monument” was included in the posthumous collection of the poet’s works, published in 1841.
Disagreements
There are many versions of how this work was created. The history of the creation of Pushkin’s “Monument” is truly amazing. Researchers of creativity still cannot agree on any one version, putting forward assumptions ranging from extremely sarcastic to completely mystical.
They say that A. S. Pushkin’s poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands” is nothing more than an imitation of the work of other poets. Works of this kind, the so-called “Monuments,” can be traced in the works of G. Derzhavin, M. Lomonosov, A. Vostokov and other writers of the 17th century. In turn, adherents of Pushkin’s work claim that he was inspired to create this poem by Horace’s ode Exegi monumentum. The disagreements between Pushkinists did not end there, because researchers can only guess about how the verse was created.
Irony and debt
In turn, Pushkin’s contemporaries received his “Monument” rather coolly. They saw in this poem nothing more than a praise of their poetic talents. And this was, at the very least, incorrect. However, admirers of his talent, on the contrary, considered the poem as a hymn to modern poetry.
Among the poet’s friends there was an opinion that there was nothing in this poem but irony, and the work itself was a message that Pushkin left for himself. They believed that in this way the poet wanted to draw attention to the fact that his work deserves greater recognition and respect. And this respect should be supported not only by exclamations of admiration, but also by some kind of material incentives.
By the way, this assumption is in some way confirmed by the records of Pyotr Vyazemsky. He was with the poet good relations and could safely assert that the word “miraculous” used by the poet had a slightly different meaning. Vyazemsky was confident that he was right and repeatedly stated that the poem was about the status in modern society, not about cultural heritage poet. The highest circles of society recognized that Pushkin had remarkable talent, but they did not like him. Although the poet’s work was recognized by the people, he could not earn a living from this. To provide himself with a decent standard of living, he constantly mortgaged his property. This is evidenced by the fact that after Pushkin’s death, Tsar Nicholas the First gave the order to pay all the poet’s debts from the state treasury and assigned maintenance to his widow and children.
Mystical version of the creation of the work
As you can see, studying the poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands,” an analysis of the history of creation suggests the existence of a “mystical” version of the appearance of the work. Supporters of this idea are sure that Pushkin felt his imminent death. Six months before his death, he created a “monument not made by hands” for himself. He put an end to his career as a poet by writing his last poetic testament.
The poet seemed to know that his poems would become a role model, not only in Russian, but also in world literature. There is also a legend that once a fortune teller predicted his death at the hands of a handsome blond man. At the same time, Pushkin knew not only the date, but also the time of his death. And when the end was already near, he took care to sum up his work.
But be that as it may, the verse was written and published. We, his descendants, can only guess what caused the poem to be written and analyze it.
Genre
As for the genre, the poem “Monument” is an ode. However this special variety genre. The ode to oneself came to Russian literature as a pan-European tradition, dating back to ancient times. It’s not for nothing that Pushkin used lines from Horace’s poem “To Melpomene” as an epigraph. IN literal translation Exegi monumentum means "I have erected a monument." He wrote the poem “To Melpomene” at the end of his creative career. Melpomene is ancient Greek muse, patroness of tragedies and performing arts. Addressing her, Horace tries to evaluate his merits in poetry. Later, works of this kind became a kind of tradition in literature.
This tradition was introduced into Russian poetry by Lomonosov, who was the first to translate Horace’s work. Afterwards, relying on ancient works, G. Derzhavin wrote his “Monument”. It was he who determined the main genre features of such “monuments”. This genre tradition received its final form in the works of Pushkin.
Composition
Speaking about the composition of Pushkin’s verse “Monument”, it should be noted that it is divided into five stanzas, where the original forms and poetic meters. Both Derzhavin and Pushkin’s “Monument” is written in quatrains, which are somewhat modified.
Pushkin wrote the first three stanzas in the traditional odic size- iambic hexameter, but the last stanza is written in iambic tetrameter. When analyzing “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands,” it is clear that it is on this last stanza Pushkin makes the main semantic emphasis.
Subject
The work “Monument” by Pushkin is a hymn to the lyrics. Its main theme is the glorification of real poetry and the affirmation of the poet’s honorable place in the life of society. Even though Pushkin continued the traditions of Lomonosov and Derzhavin, he largely rethought the problems of the ode and put forward his own ideas regarding the assessment of creativity and its true purpose.
Pushkin is trying to reveal the theme of the relationship between the writer and the reader. He says his poems are for the masses. This can be felt from the first lines: “The people’s path to him will not be overgrown.”
“I erected a monument to myself not made by hands”: analysis
In the first stanza of the verse, the poet asserts the significance of such a poetic monument in comparison with other merits and monuments. Pushkin also introduces here the theme of freedom, which is often heard in his work.
The second stanza, in fact, is no different from that of other poets who wrote “monuments”. Here Pushkin exalts the immortal spirit of poetry, which allows poets to live forever: “No, all of me will not die - the soul is in the cherished lyre.” The poet also focuses on the fact that in the future his work will find recognition in more wide circles. In the last years of his life, he was not understood or accepted, so Pushkin pinned his hopes on the fact that in the future there would be people who were close to him spiritually.
In the third stanza, the poet reveals the theme of the development of interest in poetry among ordinary people who were unfamiliar with it. But it’s the last stanza that deserves the most attention. It was in it that Pushkin explained what his creativity consisted of and what would ensure his immortality: “Praise and slander were accepted indifferently and do not challenge the creator.” 10% text, 30% information and 60% feelings - this is how Pushkin turned out to be an ode, a miraculous monument that he erected to himself.
Comparative analysis of works by different authors
Scenario plan for a literature lesson in 9th grade according to the program by V.Ya. Korovina.
Educational technology research activities
on comparative analysis of works by different authors.
The people's path to him will not be overgrown,
He ascended higher with his rebellious head
Alexandrian Pillar.
My ashes will survive and decay will escape -
At least one piit will be alive.
Rumors about me will spread throughout Great Rus',
10
And every tongue that is in it will call me,
Tunguz, and friend of the steppes Kalmyk.
That in my cruel age I glorified Freedom
By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,
Praise and slander were accepted indifferently,
20
And don’t argue with a fool.
I erected a monument to myself, not made by hands,
The people's path to him will not be overgrown,
He ascended higher with his rebellious head
Alexandrian Pillar.
No, all of me will not die - the soul is in the treasured lyre
My ashes will survive and decay will escape -
And I will be glorious as long as I am in the sublunary world
At least one piit will be alive.
Rumors about me will spread throughout Great Rus',
10
And every tongue that is in it will call me,
And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and now wild
Tungus, and friend of the steppes Kalmyk.
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,
That I awakened good feelings with my lyre,
That in my cruel age I glorified Freedom
And he called for mercy for the fallen.
By the command of God, O muse, be obedient,
Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown,
Praise and slander were accepted indifferently
20
And don’t argue with a fool.
Variants and discrepancies
“I ERECTED A MONUMENT TO MYSELF NOT MADE BY HANDS”
(Page 424)
Rumors about me [will spread] throughout Great Rus'
And every tongue in it will call me -
And [grandson of the Slavs], and Fin and now semi>wild
[Tunguz] [Kyrgyz] and Kalmyk -
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people
What new sounds for songs I found
That in the wake of Radishchev I glorified freedom
[And about>glow>>]
To your calling, O Muse, be obedient
Without fear of insult, without demanding a crown
Crowds of praise and [expletive] were received with indifference
And don't argue with a fool
B. White autograph options.
(LB 84, l. 57 vol.)
3 Started: ABOUT> <н> >
5 No, I won’t die - the soul is in the immortal lyre
6 It will outlive me and flee from decay -
9 Rumors will spread about me throughout Great Rus'
12 Tunguz and the Kalmyk son of the steppes.
14-16
What new sounds for songs I found
That, following Radishchev, I glorified freedom
And sang mercy
14 That I awakened good feelings in songs
17 To your calling, O muse, be obedient
18 Do not be afraid of insult, without demanding a crown;
19 Praise and slander were accepted indifferently
Under the text: 1836
Aug.<уста> 21
Kam.<енный>spicy<ов>
Notes
Dated August 21, 1836. It was not published during Pushkin’s lifetime. First published in 1841 by Zhukovsky in the posthumous edition of Pushkin's works, vol. IX. pp. 121-122, with censorship distortions: 4 Napoleonic pillar; 13 And for a long time I will be kind to those people; 15 That the charm of living poetry was useful to me.
The restored original text was published by Bartenev in the note “On Pushkin’s poem “Monument”” - “Russian Archive” 1881, book. I, No. 1, p. 235, with facsimile. The initial versions were published by M. L. Goffman in the article “Posthumous Poems of Pushkin” - “Pushkin and His Contemporaries”, no. XXXIII-XXXV, 1922, pp. 411-412 and D. P. Yakubovich in the article “Rough autograph of the last three stanzas of the “Monument”” - “Pushkin. Temporary of the Pushkin Commission", vol. 3, 1937, pp. 4-5. (preliminary partial publication - in “Literary Leningrad” dated November 11, 1936 No. 52/197) See publication in