"She" N. Gumilyov
"She" Nikolai Gumilyov
I know a woman: silence,
Fatigue bitter from words
Lives in a mysterious shimmer
Her dilated pupils.Her soul is open eagerly
Only the copper music of the verse,
Before a life of valley and comfort
Arrogant and deaf.Inaudible and unhurried,
So strangely smooth is her step,
You can't call her beautiful.
But in it all my happiness.When I crave willfulness
And dared and proud - I'm going to her
Learn to wise sweet pain
In her languor and delirium.She is bright in the hours of languor
And holds lightning bolts in his hand,
And her dreams are clear, like shadows
On heavenly fiery sand.
Analysis of Gumilev's poem "She"
The relationship between Nikolai Gumilyov and Anna Akhmatova was not easy. Having met in early youth, the future spouses remained just friends for a very long time. When Gumilyov made an offer to his chosen one, he received a mild but decisive refusal. This was not surprising, since Akhmatova dreamed of a prince, whom she painted in her own imagination. Nikolai Gumilyov did not fit this fictional 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 very carefully kept this feeling in his heart and constantly nourished it with the help of observations of his wife, whom he did not consider a beauty. Moreover, the poet was convinced that he got a real witch as his wife, and now he is in her full power. Nevertheless, such a discovery did not prevent Gumilev 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 poems in a letter, and already at an advanced age she admitted that they touched her to the core. But at the moment when Gumilyov expected at least some manifestation of feelings from her, the poetess did not react to the message in any way.
The feigned coldness in the relationship with her husband 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 is counting on reciprocity. Gumilyov does not even realize how dearly he is loved. But Akhmatova considers it below her dignity to openly demonstrate feelings. It is for this reason that it seems to the author that "her soul is greedily open only to the copper music of the verse." At the same time, the chosen one of the poet remains “arrogant and deaf” to everything that surrounds her, not even noticing that the closest and dearest people need her.
But it is still quite enough for Gumilyov that he can call this mysterious and masterful woman his wife. “All my happiness is in it,” the poet notes, admiring the fact that Akhmatova “lives in a mysterious shimmer,” creating her own world, into which from time to time she lets only the elite. Gumilyov is also one of them, but he comes to his beloved only in order to "learn the wise sweet pain in her languor and delirium." Cheerful and romantic, he is a sharp contrast to 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 heavenly fiery sand."
The fact that the game of love and indifference has dragged on, Anna Akhmatova will understand too late, when Gumilyov is pretty tired of the company of his wife, who is always gloomy, restrained and indifferent to everything. 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 has chosen to realize his personal ambitions. Akhmatova, on the other hand, is not ready to accept 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 prefers 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.
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 answer.
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 name of the beloved is not included in the title. The pronoun "she" allows us to trace the feminine principle in alliance with the lyrical hero, which 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.
In the first three stanzas, the character traits and general appearance of the heroine are revealed. The fourth and fifth stanzas speak of the complexity and inconsistency of her character. The lyrical hero extols her, for him she is almost a goddess.
The theme of the poem is admiration for a woman, the beloved of a lyrical hero. Main idea: only love makes a person happy. The state of happiness makes it possible to consider the best features of the 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 into her soul. The poem is built as a penetration into the soul of the heroine.
In silence, where words are superfluous, cause bitter fatigue, a face appears close, close, on which only dilated pupils are visible. Through them, in them mysterious flicker (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 for the copper music of the verse (metaphor and epithet). This strange image goes back to the sound of wind instruments, pipes. It is about the power of talent with which a woman declares herself.
It is difficult for a 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 life of the valley and comfort" (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 a distant discourse 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 make no 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 he aspires to the love of an ordinary woman, in her all his happiness.
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 put all his victories at the feet of his beloved, with which he is “brave and proud”, for her he breaks stereotypes, craves self-will. Maybe it's about poetry. Gumilyov, who discovered poetic talent in Akhmatova, was struck by his strength, learned a lot from her, paying tribute to the “wise sweet pain” (epithet) that she poured out in verse.
The languor and delirium of the heroine, which the lyrical hero mentions, testify to the notes of misunderstanding on the part of the lyrical hero, although he highly appreciates the talent of a woman, but fears her inconsistency and impulsiveness. They say that it was these qualities, combined with coldness, that led to the gap between Gumilyov and Akhmatova.
The last stanza depicts a woman in everyday life: in the hours of languor, during sleep. The heroine appears before the reader in a guise similar to the divine. Even in hours of languor, she remains bright (an epithet), and she has lightning bolts in her hand (a metaphor). A woman combines the image of a formidable, striking, directly Zeus in a female form, and light, humility, which does not overshadow even languor.
The last two lines reveal the most intimate thing that a person has, hidden from outsiders - the world of dreams. They are in conflict with the languor, delirium, languor of a woman, because they are clear (epithet). By this quality, Gumilyov compares them with the shadows that lie on the sand. And the sand is not simple, but “heavenly fiery” (metaphorical epithets). Probably, Gumilyov saw such sand far from home, missing his beloved.
To create an exalted image, Gumilyov uses Old Slavonicisms: before, valley, gratifying, self-will, languor, thirst, languor.
Size and rhyme
The poem is written in iambic tetrameter. Cross rhyming, feminine rhyme alternates with masculine. A clear form, a well-balanced composition - everything conveys a male point of view on the female essence.
The relationship between Nikolai Gumilyov and Anna Akhmatova was not easy. Having met in early youth, the future spouses remained just friends for a very long time. When Gumilyov made an offer to his chosen one, he received a mild but decisive refusal. This was not surprising, since Akhmatova dreamed of a prince, whom she painted in her own imagination. Nikolai Gumilyov did not fit this fictional 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.
Gumilyov, 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 very carefully kept this feeling in his heart and constantly nourished it with the help of observations of his wife, whom he did not consider a beauty. Moreover, the poet was convinced that he got a real witch as his wife, and now he is in her full power. Nevertheless, such a discovery did not prevent Gumilev 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 poems in a letter, and already at an advanced age she admitted that they touched her to the core. But at the moment when Gumilyov expected at least some manifestation of feelings from her, the poetess did not react to the message in any way.
The feigned coldness in the relationship with her husband 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 is counting on reciprocity. Gumilyov does not even realize how dearly he is loved. But Akhmatova considers it below her dignity to openly demonstrate feelings. It is for this reason that it seems to the author that "her soul is greedily open only to the copper music of the verse." At the same time, the chosen one of the poet remains “arrogant and deaf” to everything that surrounds her, not even noticing that the closest and dearest people need her.
But it is still quite enough for Gumilyov that he can call this mysterious and masterful woman his wife. “All my happiness is in it,” the poet notes, admiring the fact that Akhmatova “lives in a mysterious shimmer”, creating her own world, into which from time to time she lets only the elect. Gumilyov is also one of them, but he comes to his beloved only in order to "learn the wise sweet pain in her languor and delirium." Cheerful and romantic, he is a sharp contrast to 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 heavenly fiery sand."
L.N. Gumilyov with his parents - Russian poets Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilyov (1886-1921) and Anna Andreevna Akhmatova (1889-1966). Tsarskoye Selo, circa 1916
The fact that the game of love and indifference has dragged on, Anna Akhmatova will understand too late, when Gumilyov is pretty tired of the company of his wife, who is always gloomy, restrained and indifferent to everything. 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 has chosen to realize his personal ambitions. Akhmatova, on the other hand, is not ready to accept 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 prefers 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.
******
She
Collection of "Pearls"
I know a woman: silence,
Fatigue bitter from words
Lives in a mysterious shimmer
Her dilated pupils.
Her soul is open greedily
Only the copper music of the verse,
Before a life of valley and comfort
Arrogant and deaf.
Inaudible and unhurried,
So strangely smooth is her step,
You can't call her beautiful.
But in it all my happiness.
When I crave willfulness
And dared and proud - I'm going to her
Learn to wise sweet pain
In her languor and delirium.
She is bright in the hours of languor
And holds lightning bolts in his hand,
And her dreams are clear, like shadows
On heavenly fiery sand.
