Nikolai Gumilyov - She: Verse. "She" N

Who became Gumilyov’s wife in 1910, claimed that the text was about her. According to legend, Gumilyov sent her a poem in a letter written on a long journey as a declaration of love, but received no response.

Literary direction and genre

The poem is an example of Gumilyov's acmeistic intimate lyrics. The poet managed to create the image of his beloved without describing her appearance. For Gumilyov, the inner world is important, but it is so concrete that a woman is almost tangible.

Theme, main idea and composition

The poem consists of five stanzas. The lover's name is not included in the title. The pronoun “she” allows us to trace the feminine principle in conjunction with the lyrical hero, who is called the pronoun “I”. The poem is written in the first person. She is yin, a necessary part of the whole - the union of two hearts. The names of the characters in the poem are inappropriate. Therefore, it would be erroneous to analyze the poem only as a reflection of the relationship between Gumilyov and Akhmatova.

The first three stanzas reveal the character traits and general appearance of the heroine. The fourth and fifth stanzas speak of the complexity and contradictory nature of her character. The lyrical hero extols her, for him she is almost a goddess.

The theme of the poem is admiration for the woman who is the beloved of the lyrical hero. The main idea: only love makes a person happy. A state of happiness makes it possible to consider the best features of your beloved.

Paths and images

The poem begins with the statement that the lyrical hero knows the woman to whom he dedicated the poem. Verb I know here does not mean the fact of acquaintance, but rather knowledge in the biblical sense: the hero penetrates her soul. The poem is structured as an insight into the soul of the heroine.

In silence, where unnecessary words cause bitter fatigue, a face appears close, on which only dilated pupils are visible. Through them, in them mysterious flickering (epithet) the hero sees the soul described in the second stanza: it is also greedily open (metaphor), but not for the whole world, but only to the copper music of the verse (metaphor and epithet). This strange image goes back to the sound of wind instruments and trumpets. We are talking about the power of talent with which a woman declares herself.

It is difficult for the lyrical hero to understand how a soul open to poetry can be both arrogant and deaf (metaphors) to something else. This antithesis outlines the question, the problem of the lyrical hero. The beloved is arrogant and deaf “before the long and joyful life” (epithets). That is, the beloved does not accept the pleasures of earthly, material life, which gives joy to the lyrical hero.

In the third stanza, the point of view of the lyrical hero changes again. This is not a look of maximum intimacy, as in the first stanza, and not detached discussions about the inner world, as in the second. In the third stanza, the lyrical hero looks at the figure of his beloved. As in the first stanza, he highlights her ability to not make noise. Her smooth step inaudible And leisurely(epithets). The end of the third stanza becomes unexpected: “You can’t call her beautiful.” So the lyrical hero emphasizes that his beloved is an earthly woman, that it is the love of an ordinary woman that he strives for, and all his happiness lies in her.

The poem could well end with the third stanza. But it is important for the lyrical hero to show his own relationship with his beloved. In the fourth stanza she appears as a wise mentor. Like any man, the lyrical hero is ready to lay at the feet of his beloved all his victories, of which he is “brave and proud”; for her, he breaks stereotypes, craves self-will. Perhaps we are talking about poetry. Gumilyov, who discovered Akhmatova’s poetic talent, was amazed by its strength, learned a lot from her, paying tribute to the “wise sweet pain” (epithet) that she poured out in poetry.

The languor and delirium of the heroine, which the lyrical hero mentions, indicate notes of misunderstanding on the part of the lyrical hero, although he highly values ​​the woman’s talent, but fears her inconsistency and impulsiveness. They say that it was these qualities, combined with coldness, that led to the breakup between Gumilyov and Akhmatova.

The last stanza depicts a woman in everyday life: in hours of languor, during sleep. The heroine appears before the reader in an appearance similar to that of the divine. Even in hours of languor, she remains bright (epithet), and she has lightning in her hand (metaphor). The woman combines a formidable, striking image, like Zeus in female form, and light, humility, which does not overshadow even languor.

The last two lines reveal the most intimate thing a person has, hidden from outsiders - the world of dreams. They conflict with the languor, delirium, and yearnings of a woman, because they are clear (epithet). By this quality, Gumilev compares them to shadows that fall on the sand. And the sand is not simple, but “heavenly fiery” (metaphorical epithets). Gumilyov probably saw such sand far from home, missing his beloved.

To create a sublime image, Gumilyov uses Old Slavonicisms: before, dolnyaya, gratifying, self-will, languor, thirst, languor.

Meter and rhyme

The poem is written in iambic tetrameter. The rhyme is cross, female rhyme alternates with male rhyme. A clear form, a precise composition - everything conveys a male point of view on the female essence.

The relationship between Nikolai Gumilyov and Anna Akhmatova was very difficult. Having met in early youth, the future spouses remained just friends for a very long time. When Gumilev proposed to his chosen one, he received a gentle but decisive refusal. This was not surprising, since Akhmatova dreamed of a prince whom she drew in her own imagination. Nikolai Gumilyov did not fit this fictitious image at all, so for several years he unsuccessfully sought the favor of his beloved. Only a series of suicide attempts forced Akhmatova to reconsider her decision and agree to the marriage, which took place in 1910.

Gumilev, Akhmatova

From the very beginning, the family life of the two poets was difficult and rough. They did not want to give in to each other even in small things, they constantly quarreled and made mutual accusations. But at the same time, they were still truly happy, as only lovers can be happy. Nikolai Gumilyov kept this feeling very carefully in his heart and constantly fed it with the help of observations of his wife, whom he did not consider beautiful. Moreover, the poet was convinced that he had gotten a real witch as his wife, and now he was in complete power of her. However, such a discovery did not prevent Gumilyov from writing the poem “She” in 1912, filled with tenderness and warmth. He dedicated it to his beloved wife, from whom he was separated due to another trip. Akhmatova received the poems in a letter, and already in her old age she admitted that they touched her to the depths of her soul. But at that moment, when Gumilyov expected at least some manifestation of feelings from her, the poetess did not react to the message in any way.

Feigned coldness in relationships with my spouse was part of the game. The rules of which only Akhmatova knew. Therefore, the poet, in the very first lines of his poem, admits that in the eyes of his wife, “bitter fatigue from words” constantly lives. He sees that his feelings still remain unanswered, although he hopes for reciprocity. Gumilev has no idea how much he is loved. But Akhmatova considers it beneath her dignity to openly demonstrate her feelings. It is for this reason that it seems to the author that “her soul is greedily open only to the copper music of verse.” At the same time, the poet’s chosen one remains “arrogant and deaf” to everything that surrounds her, not even noticing that her closest and dearest people need her.

But for Gumilyov it is still quite enough that he can call this mysterious and headstrong woman his wife. “All my happiness is in her,” the poet notes, admiring the fact that Akhmatova “lives in a mysterious flicker,” creating her own world, into which from time to time she allows only a select few. Gumilev is also one of them, but comes to his beloved only in order to “learn wise sweet pain in her languor and delirium.” Cheerful and romantic, he represents a sharp contrast in comparison with the pale, indifferent to everything and full of inner nobility Akhmatova. However, the poet knows that in her soul she is pure and serene, and her dreams are clear, like “shadows on the fiery sand of heaven.”

L.N. Gumilyov with his parents - Russian poets Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilyov (1886-1921) and Anna Andreevna Akhmatova (1889-1966). Tsarskoe Selo, circa 1916

Anna Akhmatova will understand too late that the game of love and indifference has dragged on, when Gumilyov is pretty tired of the company of his always gloomy, restrained and indifferent wife. It will be very difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that his wife is making progress in the literary field, which he himself chose to realize his personal ambitions. Akhmatova, on the other hand, is not ready to come to terms with the generally accepted role of a wife and mother, who should only worry about home comfort and a delicious dinner. As a result, Gumilyov more and more often gives preference to travel over family, and even volunteers for the front after the outbreak of the First World War. His feelings for Anna Akhmatova are gradually fading away, although the poet admits that this woman left an indelible mark on his soul.

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She
Collection of "Pearls"

I know a woman: silence,
Fatigue is bitter from words,
Lives in a mysterious flicker
Her dilated pupils.

Her soul is open greedily
Only the copper music of verse,
Before a long and joyful life
Arrogant and deaf.

Silent and unhurried,
Her step is so strangely smooth,
You can't call her beautiful
But all my happiness is in her.

When I crave self-will
Both brave and proud - I go to her
Learn wise sweet pain
In her languor and delirium.

She is bright in the hours of languor
And holds lightning in his hand,
And her dreams are as clear as shadows
On the heavenly fiery sand.

“She” Nikolai Gumilyov

I know a woman: silence,
Fatigue is bitter from words,
Lives in a mysterious flicker
Her dilated pupils.

Her soul is open greedily
Only the copper music of verse,
Before a long and joyful life
Arrogant and deaf.

Silent and unhurried,
Her step is so strangely smooth,
You can't call her beautiful
But all my happiness is in her.

When I crave self-will
Both brave and proud - I go to her
Learn wise sweet pain
In her languor and delirium.

She is bright in the hours of languor
And holds lightning in his hand,
And her dreams are as clear as shadows
On the heavenly fiery sand.

Analysis of Gumilev’s poem “She”

The relationship between Nikolai Gumilyov and Anna Akhmatova was very difficult. Having met in early youth, the future spouses remained just friends for a very long time. When Gumilev proposed to his chosen one, he received a gentle but decisive refusal. This was not surprising, since Akhmatova dreamed of a prince whom she drew in her own imagination. Nikolai Gumilyov did not fit this fictitious image at all, so for several years he unsuccessfully sought the favor of his beloved. Only a series of suicide attempts forced Akhmatova to reconsider her decision and agree to the marriage, which took place in 1910.

From the very beginning, the family life of the two poets was difficult and rough. They did not want to give in to each other even in small things, they constantly quarreled and made mutual accusations. But at the same time, they were still truly happy, as only lovers can be happy. Nikolai Gumilyov kept this feeling very carefully in his heart and constantly fed it with the help of observations of his wife, whom he did not consider beautiful. Moreover, the poet was convinced that he had gotten a real witch as his wife, and now he was in complete power of her. However, such a discovery did not prevent Gumilyov from writing the poem “She” in 1912, filled with tenderness and warmth. He dedicated it to his beloved wife, from whom he was separated due to another trip. Akhmatova received the poems in a letter, and already in her old age she admitted that they touched her to the depths of her soul. But at that moment, when Gumilyov expected at least some manifestation of feelings from her, the poetess did not react to the message in any way.

Feigned coldness in relationships with my spouse was part of the game. The rules of which only Akhmatova knew. Therefore, the poet, in the very first lines of his poem, admits that in the eyes of his wife, “bitter fatigue from words” constantly lives. He sees that his feelings still remain unanswered, although he hopes for reciprocity. Gumilev has no idea how much he is loved. But Akhmatova considers it beneath her dignity to openly demonstrate her feelings. It is for this reason that it seems to the author that “her soul is greedily open only to the copper music of verse.” At the same time, the poet’s chosen one remains “arrogant and deaf” to everything that surrounds her, not even noticing that her closest and dearest people need her.

But for Gumilyov it is still quite enough that he can call this mysterious and headstrong woman his wife. “All my happiness is in her,” the poet notes, admiring the fact that Akhmatova “lives in a mysterious flicker,” creating her own world, into which from time to time she allows only a select few. Gumilev is also one of them, but comes to his beloved only in order to “learn wise sweet pain in her languor and delirium.” Cheerful and romantic, he represents a sharp contrast in comparison with the pale, indifferent to everything and full of inner nobility Akhmatova. However, the poet knows that in her soul she is pure and serene, and her dreams are clear, like “shadows on the fiery sand of heaven.”

Anna Akhmatova will understand too late that the game of love and indifference has dragged on, when Gumilyov is pretty tired of the company of his always gloomy, restrained and indifferent wife. It will be very difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that his wife is making progress in the literary field, which he himself chose to realize his personal ambitions. Akhmatova, on the other hand, is not ready to come to terms with the generally accepted role of a wife and mother, who should only worry about home comfort and a delicious dinner. As a result, Gumilyov more and more often gives preference to travel over family, and even volunteers for the front after the outbreak of the First World War. His feelings for Anna Akhmatova are gradually fading away, although the poet admits that this woman left an indelible mark on his soul.

I know a woman: silence,
Fatigue is bitter from words,
Lives in a mysterious flicker
Her dilated pupils.

Her soul is open greedily
Only the copper music of verse,
Before life, long and joyful
Arrogant and deaf.

Silent and unhurried,
Her step is so strangely smooth,
You can't call her beautiful
But all my happiness is in her.

When I crave self-will
And brave and proud - I go to her
Learn wise sweet pain
In her languor and delirium.

She is bright in the hours of languor
And holds lightning in his hand,
And her dreams are as clear as shadows
On the heavenly fiery sand.

Analysis of the poem “She” by Gumilyov

The poem “She” by Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilyov was created during the period of the poet’s transition from symbolism to acmeism. The image of a woman in the work is revealed both from a psychological and romantic point of view. The heroine of the poem is N. Gumilyov’s wife, poetess Anna Andreevna Akhmatova.

The poem “She” appeared in 1912 on the pages of the collection “Alien Sky”. The author at this time is 26 years old and he is married to his beloved woman - A. Akhmatova. In the same year, the couple had a son, Lev.

Genre: love lyrics, meter: iambic tetrameter with cross rhyme, 5 stanzas. According to the composition, it is conditionally divided into 3 parts. In the first, the poet looks as if from the outside at his beloved, in the second part there is a hint of the painfulness of their relationship, in the third he places the heroine on a pedestal, recognizing himself as a mere mortal in front of her. It’s like he’s in paradise, but the sand burns him, and the lightning in her hand doesn’t allow him to get closer, preventing them from understanding, accepting and holding each other.

The vocabulary is sublime, bookish, many short adjectives: dolney, languor, languor, thirst, before, self-willed, smooth, bright, arrogant, deaf. The form of the word “happiness” emphasizes the depth of the poet’s feelings. The third quatrain has something in common with. The poem stands out from the general range of world love lyrics in that its heroine is not just a beloved woman, but also a poet.

The poet describes her appearance in a few strokes: dilated pupils, smooth step, she cannot be called a typical beauty. He is shy in front of her silence, because even her step is “inaudible, unhurried,” and her coldness causes him pain. However, the lyrical hero is aware of the uniqueness of this meeting and relationship, values ​​this love, considers it one of a kind, a dream come true for any poet. It is known that his wife seemed to respond to his poems with her own poems. In the same 1912, she wrote that she.

There are many bright epithets: mysterious, copper, joyful, heavenly fiery, wise sweet. There is also a comparison: dreams are like shadows. Oxymoron: sweet pain. Metaphors: bitter fatigue, copper verse music, the soul is open. Hyperbole: holding lightning bolts in his hand.

A feeling that was unrequited for a long time, the difficult love of two talented people, N. Gumilyov and A. Akhmatova, formed the basis of the poem “She”. This work is a test of strength of a young poet who was looking for new paths in modern literature.