the cambridge introduction to russian poetry

This page intentionally left blank The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Poetry The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Poetry presents the major themes, forms, genres, and styles of Russian poetry. Using examples from Russia’s greatest poets, Michael Wachtel draws on three centuries of verse, from the beginnings of secular literature in the eighteenth century up to the present day. The first half of the book is devoted to concepts such as versification, poetic language, and tradition; the second half is organized along genre lines and examines the ode, the elegy, ballads, love poetry, nature poetry, and patriotic verse. All poetry appears in the original followed by literal translations. This book is designed to give readers with even a minimal knowledge of the Russian language an appreciation of the brilliance of Russian poetry. It will be an invaluable tool for students and teachers alike. michael wachtel is Professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Princeton University. He is the author of Russian Symbolism and Literary Tradition: Goethe, Novalis, and the Poetics of Vyacheslav Ivanov (1994) and The Development of Russian Verse: Meter and its Meanings (Cambridge, 1998). The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Poetry MICHAEL WACHTEL cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UK First published in print format isbn-13 978-0-521-80881-1 isbn-13 978-0-521-00493-0 isbn-13 978-0-511-21058-7 © Michael Wachtel 2004 2004 Information on this title: www.cambrid g e.or g /9780521808811 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. isbn-10 0-511-21235-6 isbn-10 0-521-80881-2 isbn-10 0-521-00493-4 Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org hardback p a p erback p a p erback eBook (EBL) eBook (EBL) hardback For Nathaniel and Benjamin Erasmus, whose joy in language reminds me daily why poetry exists Contents Preface page ix Acknowledgments x Note on translations and transliterations xi Introduction 1 Part I Concepts Chapter 1 Versification: how to do things with words 15 Meter 17 Rhyme 28 Stanza 30 Chapter 2 Poetic language 35 Lexicon 35 Sound 40 Tropes and syntax 44 Chapter 3 Tradition and the individual talent 50 Citation 52 Topos 57 Genre 60 vii viii Contents Part II Interpretation Chapter 4 From the ode to the elegy (and beyond) 65 Chapter 5 The ballad 81 Chapter 6 Love poetry 95 Chapter 7 Nature poetry 110 Chapter 8 Patriotic verse 127 Conclusion: poetry and pattern 146 Bibliography 156 Suggested further reading 158 Index of poetic terms 160 Index of names and works 162 [...]... wrote for their peers and, especially, for their friends Accordingly, the themes of poetry now concentrated on the personal (friendship, longing, love) rather than the civic Even the language of poetry changed Influenced by the French-flavored ´ ´ Russian of Nikolai Karamzin [Hиколaй Кaрaмзин], poetry sounded much closer to the spoken idiom than it had in the previous century The first few decades of the nineteenth...Preface The achievements of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy notwithstanding, Russian literature is a tradition of poetry, not prose, and Russian readers have always recognized it as such This poetry has been poorly served in translation and remains one of the great rewards for foreigners willing to invest the effort in learning the language This book is not a history of Russian poetry, but rather a guide to reading,... Gavrila Derzhavin [Гaврилa д eржaвин], the most inventive and aesthetically significant poet of the century In the early decades of the nineteenth century, Russian poetry changed direction Poets emerged from the ranks of the aristocracy Most served the country in some capacity, but not as poets State-sponsored poetry ceased to exist, and the salon replaced the court as the primary venue Instead of an audience... will never achieve the concentration and variety of patterning found in poetry Introduction 5 The present book is conceived of as an introduction to Russian poetry, not a literary history However, the task of introduction will be simplified if the reader has at least a rough knowledge of who the leading poets were, when they lived, and what “school” or “movement” they represented The following thumbnail... extent to which the demise of the USSR altered the landscape of Russian poetry On the one hand, poets experienced an unprecedented sense of freedom For the first time in Russian history, censorship was abolished For the first time in living memory, poets could write without giving a thought to political expediency, without depending on the state as the sole sponsor and publisher of literature On the other... educated class took it upon themselves to create Russian poetry Most of these pioneers spent time abroad, so their innovations tended to be adaptations of models they encountered in Europe’s most advanced countries However, historical and social circumstances specific to Russia also left their mark Most obviously, Russian poets were completely dependent on the patronage system Without support from the ruling... nineteenth century marked a rebirth of interest in poetry and the dawn of Russia’s “Silver Age” (as the period from the 1890s to the early 1920s has come to be known) The term is somewhat misleading, since in quantity of excellent poets and quality of work the “Silver Age” is not inferior to the “Golden Age.” The first phase of the “Silver Age” saw ´ ´ the ascent of Russian Symbolism After Valery Briusov’s [Baлeрий... reader (or poet) must know In the second part, these concepts are applied to the interpretation of specific poems, always set in the context of other poems that share their formal qualities, themes, or genres Students without much prior exposure to poetry are urged to read the first section in its entirety before beginning the second Within the second section, however, the chapters need not be read consecutively... In poetry, on the other hand, the presentation becomes part of the message Every aspect of the word (sound, spelling, placement on the page) is potentially meaningful If the newspaper writer aims for immediate and unambiguous communication, the poet seeks to communicate in such a way that the audience will want to read (or hear) again, so that the individual word becomes maximally expressive and the. .. each of them is with his / Newspaper (with ´ ´ his / Eczema!)” In this case, exact repetition at the end of the line helps us to recognize the symmetry of what follows Both lines conclude with the same truncated prepositional phrase, leaving the object of the preposition to the beginning of the next line These grammatically parallel words (“Gazetoi” and “Ekzemoi” are both feminine nouns in the instrumental . intentionally left blank The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Poetry The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Poetry presents the major themes, forms, genres, and styles of Russian poetry. Using examples. Meanings (Cambridge, 1998). The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Poetry MICHAEL WACHTEL cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge. achieve the concentration and variety of patterning found in poetry. Introduction 5 The present book is conceived of as an introduction to Russian poetry, not a literary history. However, the task