It is known that the roots "light poetry » go deep antiquity . "Light poetry" was reflected in the work of poets associated with the depiction and idealization of sensual pleasures: Sappho, Anacreon, Horace, Tibullus, Grecourt, Gresse and Guys.
In Russian literature, "light poetry", embodying intimate experiences and passions, arose already in classicism. Its most prominent representatives were Derzhavin and VV Kapnist. In the article “Speech on the Influence of Light Poetry on Language,” Batyushkov himself explained that this is the poetry of private, social life, in which the defining place belongs to terrestrial "passion of love". Its main types are poem, story, message, song, fable.
It was in the creation of "light poetry" that the poet saw his main feature and merit.
The poet willingly and often identifies love with voluptuousness, which is spiritualized sensuality.
The poetry of Batyushkov, the singer of love, is characterized by the cult of the human body (“On Parisian Women”, 1814). But at the same time, it is difficult to find a poet more modest in describing female beauty than the creator of " bacchantes » (1815). He speaks of female beauty in words of ecstatic admiration, love passion is spiritualized by him with reverent-aesthetic feelings.
But there is no fullness of life outside of male friendship, and the poet glorifies “friendship”, support in doubts and sorrows, support in defeats and victories ( "Friendship "). Love and friendship are inseparable from the game of feeling and mind ( "Advice friends"). happiness in love ( "My Penates"), in friendship ( "TO Phylise"), in a peaceful, modest life, inseparable from conscience ( "Lucky") the poet in a playful imagination turns even the other world into an earthly one, transferring the pleasures of love into it ( "Ghost"). Death is drawn by him in these verses, according to ancient mythology, as an organic transition to the blessed world of bliss
Singing of a man estranged from all social ties and civic duties, limiting his desires and aspirations to earthly pleasures, Batyushkov's "light poetry" takes humanistic character . But this is not isolation from society in the name of selfish selfishness and unbridled self-will, predatory and cynically violating the elementary rules of human society. According to Belinsky's definition, the poet's ideal, "graceful epicureanism" is associated with the ideas of enlightenment humanism. It protests against socio-political system oppression human personality, a challenge to the false morality of the ruling nobility and church-religious hypocrisy, the protection of the spiritual value of the human personality, its natural right to independence and freedom, to earthly joys and pleasures. In the conditions of the "dull" romanticism, which was sympathetically perceived by conservative circles, Batyushkov's epicureanism was the opposition of optimism to pessimism, earth to heaven. Batyushkov's epicureanism arises during the period of the accelerating growth of capitalist tendencies in the conditions of the feudal-serf system, "in an atmosphere of the collapse of the old world" that contributes to the emergence and strengthening of Batyushkov's oppositional, progressive-humanist, liberal-democratic convictions.
Epicureanism - the doctrine according to which the basis of human happiness is the satisfaction of vital needs, reasonable pleasure and peace [named after the ancient Greek materialist philosopher Epicurus]
The mood of the poet, perhaps, was supported by purely personal reasons. He was born in Vologda in 1787 into an old but impoverished noble family. Fascinated by art and literature, he involuntarily pulled the hated service strap. Military service brought him neither rank nor glory. His rare properties of disinterestedness and honesty did not bring him laurels in the civilian field either. Opposition ideology led Batyushkov to the “Free Society ...” Communication with members of this society, with the sons of Radishchev, with poets I.P. Pnin and A.P. his sympathetic response "Death to I.P. Pnin", as well as in messages to Zhukovsky and Vyazemsky ( "My Penates").
"light poetry" and Batyushkov's romanticism do not oppose each other. In his work, “light poetry” is a form of expressing a sharp conflict with social reality, its rejection and the author’s departure from the self-interest of the ruling circles, from rough life prose into the sphere of earthly pleasures, beauty and grace, into the world created by imagination, dream.
Batyushkov's poetry, denouncing dishonesty, treachery, high society, bureaucratic circles, at the same time retained faith in just enlightened monarch and glorified the tsar Seeing social vices, taking up arms against them, pointing out their carriers, Batyushkov, however, remained aloof from the liberation struggle.
Batyushkov became the head of the so-called. "light poetry", dating back to the tradition of anacreontics of the 18th century, the most prominent representatives of which were Derzhavin and Kapnist ("a model in syllable", as Batyushkov called it). The chanting of the joys of earthly life - friendship, love - was combined in Batyushkov's intimate friendly messages with the assertion of the poet's inner freedom, his independence from the "slavery and chains" of the feudal-absolutist social order, whose stepson he acutely felt himself. The program work of this kind was the message "My Penates" (1811-12, publ. 1814); An example of "light poetry" is the poem "Bacchae" (published in 1817). The patriotic enthusiasm that seized Batyushkov in connection with the war of 1812 brought him beyond the limits of "chamber" lyrics (the message "To Dashkov", 1813, the historical elegy "Crossing the Rhine", 1814, etc.). Under the influence of the painful impressions of the war, the destruction of Moscow and personal upheavals, Batyushkov is experiencing a spiritual crisis. Many poems are, as it were, pages of Batyushkov’s poetic autobiography. In terms of poetic mastery, Batyushkov’s models were the works of ancient and Italian poets. He translated the elegies of Tibullus, the poems of Tasso, Guys, and others. One of the most famous works of Batyushkov's elegy "Dying Tass" (1817) dedicated to the tragic fate of the poet - a topic that persistently attracted Batyushkov's attention. Batyushkov also wrote in prose (mostly essays, articles on literature and art; the most significant of them are " Evening at Cantemir”, “Walk to the Academy of Arts”) . Batyushkov's verse reached a high artistic perfection. Contemporaries admired his "plasticity", sculpture, Pushkin - "Italian" melodiousness Batyushkov prepared Pushkin's anthological poems. Batiushkov was weary of the narrowness of themes and motives, the monotony of the genres of his poetry. He conceived a number of monumental works filled with the content "useful to society, worthy of himself and the people", was fond of Byron's work (translation into Russian from Childe Harold's Wanderings). All this was cut short by mental illness, which forever stopped Batyushkov's literary activity. Batyushkov played a significant role in the development of Russian poetry: along with Zhukovsky, he was the immediate predecessor and literary teacher of Pushkin, who carried out much of what was started by Batyushkov.
Batyushkov K. N. Speech about the influence of light poetry on the language, read when joining the "Society of Lovers of Russian Literature" in Moscow. July ... 1816 // Batyushkov K. N. Experiments in poetry and prose / Academy of Sciences of the USSR; Ed. prepared I. M. Semenko. - M.: Nauka, 1977 . - (Lit. monuments). - S. 8-19.
SPEECH ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF LIGHT POETRY ON THE LANGUAGE,
read at entry
in the "Society of lovers of Russian literature"
in Moscow. July ...
1816.
The election of me as your fellow members is a new evidence, gracious sirs, of your indulgence. You turn attentive eyes to more than one talent, you reward weak labors and the slightest successes; because you mean important goal: the future wealth of the language, so closely associated with civic education, with enlightenment, and, consequently, with the prosperity of the country, the most glorious and vast in the world. According to my merits, I have no right to sit with you; but if zeal for literature is a virtue, then from the ardent desire to improve our language, solely because of my love for poetry, I can boldly say that your choice corresponds to the goal of society. My studies were unimportant, but uninterrupted. They were before you eloquent witnesses of my zeal and gave me the happiness to sit in the most ancient sanctuary of the Muses of the Russian Federation, which is reborn from the ashes along with the capital of the Russian kingdom and in time will be worthy of its ancient greatness.
Surveying mentally the vast field of literature, the immense labors and feats of the human mind, the precious treasures of eloquence and poetry, I sadly recognize and feel the weakness of my strength and the unimportance of my occupations; but I console myself with the thought that success even in the smallest branch of literature can be useful to our language. Epic, dramatic art, lyric poetry, history, spiritual and civil eloquence require great efforts of the mind, lofty and fiery imagination. Happy are those who steal the palm in these generations: their names become immortal; for the happy works of the creative mind do not belong exclusively to one people, but are made the property of all mankind. Especially the great works of the Muses have an influence on the new and raw language. Lomonosov is a clear example of this. He has transformed our language, creating patterns in all genders. He did the same in the difficult field of literature that Peter the Great did in the civil field. Peter the Great awakened the people, lulled into shackles of ignorance; he created for him laws, military strength and glory. Lomonosov awakened the language of the lulled people; he created for him eloquence and poetry, he tested his strength in all kinds and prepared for future talents the right tools for success. In his time he raised the Russian language to the highest possible degree of perfection—possible, I say, because tongue goes always on a par with the success of weapons and the glory of the people, with education, with the needs of society, with civic education and humanism. But Lomonosov, this giant in the sciences and in the art of writing, testing the Russian language in important ways, wanted to enrich it with the most tender expressions of Anacreon's muse. This great educator of our literature knew and felt that the language of an enlightened people must satisfy all its requirements and not consist of only grandiloquent words and expressions. He knew that among all peoples, both ancient and modern, light poetry, which can be called the charming luxury of literature, had an excellent place on Parnassus and provided new food for poetic language. The Greeks admired Omer and the three tragedians 1 , the eloquence of their historians 2 , the persuasive and impetuous eloquence of Demosthenes: but Vion, Mosch, 3 Simonides 4 , Theocritus 5 , the sage Theos 6 and the fiery Sappho were crowned by their contemporaries. The Romans, who conquered the Greeks with weapons, not with talent, imitated them in every way: Cicero, Virgil, Horace, Titus Livius and others competed with the Greeks. The important Romans, descendants of the stern Coriolans 7, listened to them with astonishment; but the erotic muse Catullus, Tibullus and Propertia did not reject. After the revival of the Muses 8 , Petrarch, one of the most learned men of his age, a lamp of theology and politics, one of the first creators of the glory of the resurgent Italy from the ruins of classical Rome, Petrarch, immediately following the stern Dant 9 , completed the formation of the magnificent Tuscan dialect, imitating Tibullus, Ovid and the poetry of the Moors, full of imagination and bliss. Maro 10 , the courtier of Francis I, known for his erotic poems, was one of the first founders of the French language, whose dominion, almost pernicious, extended to all peoples who had reached a high degree of enlightenment. In England, Waller, the singer of Zacharissa 12 , in Germany, Gagedorn 13 and other writers, the forerunners of the creator of the Messiah 14 and the great Schiller, hurried to sacrifice grace and speak the language of passion and love, the favorite language of the Muses, according to the profound Montagne. We have the successor of Lomonosov's lyre, Derzhavin, whose name alone the true talent pronounces with reverence - Derzhavin, an inspired singer of high truths 15, and in the winter of his days he loved to relax with the elder Feossky. In the footsteps of these poets, many writers have distinguished themselves in this kind, apparently so easy, but in fact having great difficulties and stumbling blocks, especially among us; for the Russian language, loud, strong and expressive, still retains a certain severity and stubbornness 16 that do not completely disappear even under the pen of an experienced talent, supported by science and patience.
The main advantages of the poetic style are: movement, strength, clarity. In large genera, the reader, carried away by the description of passions, blinded by the liveliest colors of poetry, can forget the shortcomings and irregularities of the style, and eagerly listen to the inspired poet or the character created by him. During a performance, what cold spectator will look for errors in the syllable, when Polyneices, deprived of a crown and inner peace, in tears, in despair, throws himself at the feet of an angry Oedipus? But these errors, instructive for talent, are noticed by an enlightened critic in the silence of his study temple: he weighs every word, every expression on the scales of strict taste; rejects the weak, falsely brilliant, unfaithful and teaches to enjoy the truly beautiful. In a light kind of poetry, the reader demands possible perfection, purity of expression, harmony in style, flexibility, smoothness; he demands truth in feelings and the preservation of the strictest propriety in all respects; he immediately becomes a strict judge, for his attention is not much diverted by anything. Beautifulness in the style is necessary here and cannot be replaced by anything. It is a secret, known to one talent and especially to the constant strain of attention to one subject: for poetry, even in small births, is a difficult art and requires all life and all the efforts of the soul; one must be born for poetry; this is not enough: being born, one must become a poet, in whatever way.
The so-called erotic and, in general, light kind of poetry originated with us from the time of Lomonosov and Sumarokov 18 . The experiences of their predecessors were of little importance: language and society had not yet been formed. We will not enumerate all kinds, divisions and changes of light poetry, which belongs less or more to important genera: but note that in the field of fine arts, as well as in the moral world, nothing beautiful and good is lost, brings usefulness and acts directly on the entire composition of the language. Poetic story of Bogdanovich 19, the first and charming flower of light poetry in our language, marked by a true and great talent; the witty, inimitable fairy tales of Dmitriev, in which poetry for the first time graced the conversation of the best society; the epistles and other writings of this poet, in which philosophy is enlivened by the unfading colors of the imagination 20 ; his fables in which he wrestled with Lafontaine and often defeated him; the fables of Khemnitzer 21 and the original fables of Krylov, whose witty, happy verses have become proverbs, for they show both the subtle mind of an observer of light and a rare talent; poems by Karamzin, filled with feelings, an example of clarity and harmony of thoughts; the Horatian odes of Kapnist 22; passion-inspired songs by Neledinsky 23; beautiful imitations of ancient Merzlyakova 24 ; Zhukovsky's ballads, radiant with imagination, often capricious, but always fiery, always strong; Vostokov's poems 25, in which one can see the excellent talent of the poet, saturated with the reading of ancient and German writers; finally, Muravyov's poems, which depict, as in a mirror, his beautiful soul; messages of the book<язя>Dolgorukova 26, filled with liveliness; some messages of Voeikov 27 , Pushkin 28 and other recent poets, written in a pure and always noble style 1: all these brilliant works of talent and wit less or more approached the desired perfection, and all - there is no doubt - benefited the poetic language, formed it, purified it , approved. So bright streams flowing in different bends along one constant inclination, uniting in a valley, form deep and vast lakes: these beneficial waters do not dry up from time to time; on the contrary, they increase and increase over the centuries, and eternally exist for the good of the land they irrigate!
In the first period of our literature, since the time of Lomonosov, we have written a lot in an easy way; but a small number of verses were saved from general oblivion. The main reason for this can be put not only a lack of talent or a change in language, but a change in society itself; his greater education and, perhaps, greater enlightenment, requiring from the language and writers a greater knowledge of the world and the preservation of its decorum: for this kind of literature constantly reminds of society; it is formed from its phenomena, oddities, prejudices, and must be a clear and faithful mirror of it. Most of the writers I have named spent their lives in the midst of the society of Catherine's century, which was so favorable to the sciences and literature; there they borrowed this humaneness and politeness, this nobility, which we see an imprint in their creations: in the best society they learned to guess the secret play of passions, to observe mores, to maintain all conditions and relations of the world and to speak clearly, easily and pleasantly. This is not enough: all these writers have enriched their thoughts in the diligent reading of foreign authors, some of the ancients, others of the latest, and stocked up with an abundant harvest of words in our ancient books. All these writers have true talent, tested by time; true love for the best, noblest of the arts, for poetry, and they respect, I dare say, idolize their art as the best asset of an educated person, a true gift from heaven, which gives us the purest pleasures in the midst of the worries and thorns of life, which gives us what we are we call immortality on earth - a lovely dream for exalted souls!
All births are good, except for the boring one 29 . In literature, all genders benefit language and learning. Only ignorant stubbornness dislikes and tries to limit the pleasures of the mind. True, enlightened love for the arts is indulgent and, so to speak, greedy for new spiritual pleasures. It does not limit itself to anything, does not want to exclude anything, and does not despise any branch of literature. Shakespeare and Racine, drama and comedy, the ancient exameter and iambic long ago appropriated by us, the Pindaric ode and the new ballad, the epic of Omer, Ariost and Klopstock, 30 so different in invention and form, are equally known to her, equally precious. She observes with curiosity the successes of the language in all kinds, does not shy away from anything, except that which can harm morals, the successes of education and sound taste (I take this word in a broad sense). She is pleased to notice the talent in the crowd of writers and is ready to give him helpful tips: she, as the poet says, is ready to hug
In the brave boy of the future poet! 31
Neither splits, nor envy, nor partiality, no prejudices are known to her. The benefit of the language, the glory of the fatherland: this is her noble goal! You, gracious sovereigns, are an excellent example, calling together talents from all sides, without partiality, without partiality. You say to each of them: carry, carry your treasures to the abode of the muses, open to every talent, every success; do a wonderful, great, holy deed: enrich, form the language of the most glorious people, inhabiting almost half of the world; equate the glory of his tongue with the glory of war, the success of the mind with the success of weapons. Important muses here give a friendly hand to their younger sisters, and the altar of taste is enriched by their mutual gifts.
And when is it more convenient to accomplish the desired feat? which place is better? In Moscow, so eloquent and in its ruins, near the fields, marked by hitherto unheard of victories, in the ancient fatherland of glory and the new greatness of the people!
So! since ancient times, everything has favored talent at Moscow University, 32 in the senior sanctuary of Russian muses. Here, their ardent lover happily contemplates the traces of enlightened and active patrons. The name of Shuvalov, 33 the first Russian philanthropist, merges here with the loud name of Lomonosov. Among the famous patrons of science, we find Kheraskov: the creator of Rossiyada visited these peaceful havens 34 ; he patronized this hotbed of sciences; he was the first to encourage the emerging talent and the glory of the writer combined with another glory, no less flattering for a noble soul, no less strong - with the glory of the patron of sciences. Muraviev 35, as a statesman, as a trustee, he took a lively part in the success of the University, to which he owed his education in his youth 2 . Under the guidance of the most glorious professors of Moscow, in the depths of his fatherland, he acquired this extensive information in all branches of the human mind, which foreign scholars often marveled at: for the blessings of mentors, he paid with blessings to this sanctuary of sciences; his name will be kind to kind and sensitive hearts, his name reminds of all merits, all virtues - extensive learning, approved on a solid foundation, on knowledge of ancient languages; he knew how to combine the rare art of writing with sincere meekness, with indulgence, characteristic of a great mind and kindest heart. It seemed that in his form one of these geniuses visited the earth, from these lamps of philosophy, who were once born under the happy sky of Attica to pour out practical and speculative wisdom, to console and edify mankind with an eloquent word and an eloquent example. You enjoyed his conversation; you read in his eyes the lively participation that he took in your success and glory; you know all the merits of this rare person ... and - forgive me a few words, in his remembrance with the purest gratitude torn out! - I owe him my education and happiness to sit with you, which I know how to appreciate, which I know how to be proud of.
And this man is so early stolen by death from the field of science and virtue! And he was not a witness to the great deeds of the monarch idolized by him and the glory of the people! He will not witness the new successes of literature in the happiest times for the sciences and enlightenment: for never, at no time have circumstances been so favorable to them. The temple of Janus 36 is closed by the hand of Victory, the inseparable companion of the monarch. His great soul enjoys the success of his mind in the country entrusted to him by holy providence, and every labor, every useful deed is generously rewarded. In recent times, in the person of a glorious writer 37, he encouraged all native talents: and there is no doubt that all noble hearts, all patriots with gratitude bless the hand that so generously rewards useful labors, constancy and pure glory of a writer known even in distant countries. , and which the fatherland should be proud of. A beneficent and perspicacious government, taking advantage of the happiest circumstances - the silence of the external and internal state, - again opens all paths to enlightenment. Under his leadership, sciences, arts and literature will flourish, stagnant in the midst of the noise of the military; all branches, all the abilities of the human mind will flourish, which only in inseparable and close union lead peoples to true prosperity, and make its glory strong and unshakable. Poetry itself, which is nourished by learning, grows and matures along with the formation of society, poetry will bear ripe fruits and bring new pleasures to sublime souls, born to love and feel graceful. Society will take a lively part in the successes of the mind - and then the name of the writer, scientist and excellent poet will not be wild to the ear: it will arouse in the minds all ideas about the glory of the fatherland, about the dignity of a useful citizen. In anticipation of this happy time, we will do everything that we can do. The active patronage of the guardians of education, to whom this society owes its existence; the zeal with which we embark on the most important works in literature; impartiality, which we wish to preserve in the midst of discordant opinions, not yet enlightened by sound criticism: everything promises us sure success; and we will reach, at least approach the desired goal, animated by the names benefits And glory guided by impartiality and criticism.
NOTES
A. The praise or censure of a private person is not a judgment of public taste. In enumerating the poets who distinguished themselves in the lighter kind of poetry, I tried to conform to public taste. Maybe I was wrong in many ways; but my opinion was said frankly, and the reader will sooner convict me of ignorance than of partiality. You need to have some courage to condemn the bad in literature; but even more courage is hardly needed for one who takes it into his head to praise that which is truly worthy of praise.
b. Good is never lost, especially the good done to the Muses: they are sensitive and grateful. They recorded in the tablets of glory the names of Shuvalov, Count Strogonov 38 and Count N. P. Rumyantsev 39 , who still honors them with his patronage. What good heart does not notice with the purest joy that they showered Muravyov's tomb with flowers? The scientist Richter, 40 the venerable writer of the History of Medicine in Russia, in his excellent speech delivered by him at the Moscow Medical and Surgical Academy, and Mr. Merzlyakov, a well-known professor at Moscow University, in the preface to the Virgil Eclogues, mentioned him with feeling, with fervor. Some of the poets, among them Mr. Voeikov in a letter to Emilius, and Mr. Burinsky, 41 who had been snatched away by death from the field of literature too early, spoke of him in their verses. The latter, having mourned the death of the brave general Glebov 42 , continues:
O Providence! I dare not grumble !..
But - weak - I can not help but cry in front of you:
There in glory, in happiness I contemplate the villain,
Here withers like grass, a meek and good man!
The stream of sorrowful tears has not dried up yet,
We also ...
Evil rock forever deprived us
The one who rejoiced with the happiness of Parnassus.
..................
Where are you, O Ants! direct embellishment,
Parnassus Russian lover, gentle friend?
Alas! why among the paths of goodness,
How your meek spirit matured in virtues,
Are you kidnapped early from our expectations?
Where is your passion for goodness? this soul of the chosen gift?
Where is the treasure of knowledge gathered early?
Where, where zeal in the chest burning heat
Serve the Fatherland, shining among the few
His direct sons who did honor to him?
The courtesy of the mind and the charm of the mores of the meek -
Everything is gone !..
Alas !..
Honor to your ashes!
Footnotes
1 See note A.
2 See note B.
Notes
SPEECH ON THE IMPACT OF LIGHT POETRY ON LANGUAGE
Written in the first half of 1816. First published: TOLRS, 1814, vol. VI, without author's notes. At a meeting of the "Society" it was read (not by Batyushkov himself, but by F. F. Kokoshkin) earlier than the date indicated in the title, May 26, 1816. In his own copy of "Experiments in Prose" Batyushkov crossed out the notes to "Speech" and made several minor corrections for its reprint as a preface to the second edition he planned of "Experiments in Poetry". This “speech”, thus, directly related Batyushkov to his own poetry and motivated the significance of the direction he had chosen. In theoretical terms, Rech has several plans. Batyushkov's general reasoning about verbal art is based on the hierarchy of genres traditional for classicism. But the role of small lyrical genres, with their small verse space, in improving
poetic language as such. Thoughts about the development of the national language and the inevitability of the changes taking place in it were expressed before Batyushkov by the Karamzinist P.I. "Criticism on a book called" Discourse on the old and new style ... "-" Moscow Mercury ", part IV, 1803). In the same place, Makarov wrote that the language "always follows the sciences, the arts, enlightenment, mores, and customs." E. Parny spoke about the impact of poésie fugitive on the language when he entered the French Academy (1803); Batiushkov used his "Speech" both in form and in essence. Another source of Batyushkov's "Speech" is Germaine de Stael's book "On Literature Considered in Connection with Social Institutions" (1800). Batyushkov was personally acquainted with Stal, who came to Russia in 1812. In the characteristics of individual poets, the influence of the opinions of M. N. Muravyov, known to Batyushkov from oral conversations with him, as well as from Muravyov’s posthumous collected works (“Experiences in History, Literature and Moral Teachings”, 1810), is noticeable. This influence is also reflected in the selection and characterization of German and English poets. The laudatory tone in the assessments of Russian contemporary poets is somewhat higher in Batyushkov's "Speech" than in his letters. In particular, this applies to I. M. Dolgorukov (see below), whose poems Batyushkov did not appreciate highly (cf. references in letters to N. I. Gnedich dated September 6, 1809 and P. A. Vyazemsky dated August 26, 1811 ), but had to reckon with the fact that Dolgorukov was an honorary member of the very Society that Batyushkov joined. The genre of speech during the introduction forced to observe the conditional forms of literary etiquette. On October 25, 1816, Batyushkov wrote to N. I. Gnedich from Moscow, paraphrasing a verse from Derzhavin’s “Monument”: “This speech made a splash here. You won't be surprised when you read it:
I spoke the truth to donkeys with a smile.
... admired ... three tragedians... - Three tragedians - Aeschylus (VI-V centuries BC), Sophocles (V century BC) and Euripides (V century BC).
... the eloquence of historians... - This refers to the “father of history” Herodotus (5th century BC), who became famous for the liveliness of the narrative, and his younger contemporary Thucydides (5th century BC), whose “History” was considered exemplary in antiquity syllable.
Vion(Bion) mosh(II century BC) - Greek poets who developed the bucolic (shepherd) genre.
Simonides(VI-V centuries BC) - Greek poet, distinguished by the relative simplicity of style.
Theocritus(IV-III centuries BC) - Greek poet, creator of the genre of idyll.
... sage of Theos- Anacreon.
Coriolanus(VI century BC) - a noble Roman; being an opponent of the plebeians, in the fight against them he went over to the side of the enemies of Rome and was killed by the latter for sparing Rome during the war.
After the revival of the muses... - This refers to the era transitional from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, when the active collection and commenting of ancient texts and the development of the ancient heritage began.
Petrarch, immediately following the stern Dante... - Petrarch was one of the first enthusiasts of the revival of ancient traditions, as well as the creator of the lyrics on Italian associated with Provencal and Sicilian lyrics and the Dolce Nuovo style school.
maro Clement (1496-1544) - one of the most significant figures of the early French Renaissance, the author of satirical and gallant verses; Batyushkov, apparently, knew Maro mainly as the author of the latter.
... peoples who have reached... - In "Experiments" a typo: "those who have not reached ... »
Waller Edmund (1605-1687) - English poet, distinguished by the elegance of style; in his love poems is sung under the name Zacharissa daughter of the Earl of Leicester.
Gagedorn Friedrich (1708-1754) - German poet of the early Enlightenment, author of "Anacreontic" poems.
14 ... creator of "Messiad"... - German poet F.-G. Klopstock (1724-1803).
... inspirational singer of high truths... - This is probably a line from Derzhavin's "Monument" (see above).
... saved... some harshness and stubbornness... - Wed. famous judgments of Batyushkov about the Russian language in a letter to N. I. Gnedich dated November 28 - December 5, 1811: “Guess what I'm starting to get angry at? For what? On the Russian language and on our writers who treat it mercilessly. And the language itself is rather bad, rude, it smells like Tatar. What are you? What u? What kind of w, shy, shchy, with, try?
During the performance, what a cold viewer... - It's about about the triumphal performances on the St. Petersburg stage of the tragedy by V. A. Ozerov "Oedipus in Athens", where the Theban king Oedipus and his son Polynices were the characters. Batyushkov positively regarded Ozerov's manner, but, choosing his tragedy as an example of the imperfection of the "syllable", he also made one feel the weak delineation of the characters. Many contemporaries explained the impression of Ozerov's tragedies by the play of E. S. Semenova, A. S. Yakovlev, V. A. Karatygin.
... since the time of Lomonosov and Sumarokov. - Next to this short review It is interesting to compare the history of Russian poetry with the scheme of the development of Russian literature in Batyushkov's notebook of 1817 (see pp. 420-422) and with the assessments that he gives to the same poets in the poem "My Penates".
Poetic story of Bogdanovich... - the poem "Darling", 1778 (a free adaptation of Lafontaine's gallant story "The Love of Psyche and Cupid", dating back to Apuleius' Metamorphoses). It had a strong influence on Russian poetry of the late 18th and early XIX V. up to "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by Pushkin.
... colors of imagination... - In "Experiences" a typo: colors of expression.
Chemnitzer Ivan Ivanovich (1745-1784) - poet, author of fables and poetic tales, combining didacticism with sensitivity.
... Horatian Odes of Kapnist... - "Imitations of Horace" by V. V. Kapnist (1758-1823).
Neledinsky- Neledinsky-Meletsky Yuri Alexandrovich (1752-1829), poet of the Karamzin circle, author of popular songs.
Merzlyakov Alexey Fedorovich (1778-1830) - poet and critic, professor at Moscow University, author of songs in the "Russian style" and arrangements of ancient poets.
East Alexander Khristoforovich (1781-1864) - poet and philologist, member of the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts. A supporter of high genres and solemn style; in the field of metrics he used Russian folk verse.
Dolgorukov Ivan Mikhailovich (1764-1823) - a third-rate poet who used in the 1800s. popularity among undemanding public, the author of the collection "Being of my heart". Was a member of the Society ... ”, for which Batyushkov wrote his “Speech”.
Voeikov Alexander Fedorovich (1779-1839) - poet and journalist, was known as the author of literary pamphlets.
... messages... Pushkin... - Vasily Lvovich Pushkin (1770-1830), uncle of A. S. Pushkin.
All births are good, except boring. — Quote from Voltaire's preface to his play The Prodigal Son.
Klopstock Friedrich Gottlieb (1724-1803) - German poet, author of the epic poem "Messiad".
In the brave boy of the future poet!- A verse by I. I. Dmitriev from "Message from the English poet Pop to Dr. Arbunot."
... everything favored talent at Moscow University... - "Society ... ”, which Batyushkov joined, was at Moscow University; Batyushkov's digression into the history of the University and some rhetoric of praise are connected with this.
Shuvalov Ivan Ivanovich (1727-1797) - Elizabethan nobleman and statesman; Together with Lomonosov, he founded Moscow University. He patronized the sciences and arts, supported Lomonosov.
... the creator of "Rossiyada" visited these peaceful shelters... - I mean the directorship and curatorship of M. M. Kheraskov at Moscow University.
Ants Mikhail Nikitich - was a trustee of Moscow University. Admiration for Muravyov is permeated with Batyushkov’s article specially dedicated to him “Letter to I.M.M.<уравьеву>-A<постолу>about the works of M. N. Muravyov”. See note. 1 to p. 509.
Temple of Janus... - Janus (Roman myth) - the patron god of all undertakings; the gates to his temple were opened in times of war and closed in times of peace.
... in the face of a glorious writer... - I mean N. M. Karamzin; Alexander I ordered his "History of the Russian State" to be printed at public expense.
Stroganov Alexander Sergeevich, Count (1733-1811) - patron and art connoisseur, in 1800-1811. - President of the Academy of Arts; Derzhavin's poem "A Song to an Art Lover" is dedicated to him.
Rumyantsev Nikolai Petrovich, Count (1754-1826) - a nobleman-philanthropist who provided extensive support to artists and scientists; founder of the Rumyantsev Museum in Moscow.
Richter Wilhelm Mikhailovich (1767-1822) - physician, professor at Moscow University.
Burinsky Zakhar Alekseevich (1780s - 1808) - appreciated by his contemporaries, now a little-known poet and translator, master and librarian of Moscow University.
... demise... General Glebov... - This refers to Glebov-Streshnev Petr Fedorovich (d. 1807), a participant in the hostilities of 1807, distinguished by courage and humanity.
"Light Poetry" an expression that denoted in France in the 17th - early 19th centuries poetic texts devoted to chamber, intimate topics (friendship and friendly feast, sensual love, praising female beauty) or interpreting “high” topics in an unexpected way (a witty and playful expression of philosophical motives). The concept of "light poetry" passed into other European literatures; it existed in Russian culture in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Distinctive features"light poetry" - a confidential tone, an attitude to reproduce secular "chatter", paradoxism, a tendency to indirect, periphrastic naming of the objects mentioned (especially in erotic poetry - in works depicting love joys, the beauty of a naked female body).
"Easy poetry" arose in precision salons and was a kind of rococo poetry. “The emblems of “light poetry” - banquet speeches, a friendly feast, cups of wine - form a stable complex of motives ... It uses ancient concepts and onomastics not for nomination, but to create stylistic halos and for euphemistic purposes. Euphemism, the aestheticization of everyday concepts lie at the very foundation of precision and rococo poetry. Their direct naming is taboo, just as erotic poetry taboos obscene concepts; a style of description is created that veils the subject area with the widespread use of metaphorical designations, allusions, allegories, metonyms, euphemisms. Such are “roses and lilies”, which have already turned into a linguistic metaphor, denoting the chest, “parks” - a periphrastic naming of death, etc. These are aestheticizing words, the role of which, however, is not only the “decoration” of style, but also the formation of the poetic “language of the initiates”. They are addressed to the cultural elite.”
"Light poetry" distinguishes the image of love relationships and confessions as a kind of "art of love"; sensual love is aestheticized. In "Easy Poetry" the concepts of "voluptuousness" (volupte), "laziness" (paresse) and "idleness" (oisivite) were given a positive meaning. The authors of "light poetry" in French literature In the 18th century there were young Voltaire, P.J.Bernard, J.B.Gresse, C.E.L.Chapelle, G.A.Cholier. In the late 18th - early 19th century, the traditions of "light poetry" were developed and rethought by E.D. Parni, the author of the book "Erotic Poems" (1778): elegiac poetics and individualization of the lyrical "I" are combined in Parny with a bold depiction of love passion, hedonistic motives and description of love as a gallant game, in which both frivolity and betrayal are acceptable as revenge for the coldness of the beloved.
Light poetry in Russia
In Russia, "light poetry" as a special direction is formed at the turn of the 1770-80s. One of the first works was a playful poem (“a fairy tale in verse”, or “an ancient story in free verse”) by I.F. Bogdanovich “Darling” (1778) - a free verse transcription of the French novel by J. Lafontaine “The Love of Psyche and Cupid” ( 1669). The story of Cupid and Psyche was recounted in the poem in a tone of casual "chatter", the description of their love is colored with light irony and aestheticized. The program poem - “Message about light poetry” (1783) was created by M.N. Muravyov, whose works influenced Russian “light poetry” In the 1790-1810s, the “Karamzinists” - followers of N.M. opposing the dying "high" poetic genres(ode, heroic poem) "middle" genres that were previously on the literary periphery: elegy, friendly message, album poems, madrigals, cultivating "light poetry". Three of Karamzin's messages became striking examples: "Message to Women" (1795), "To the Unfaithful" (1796) and "To the Faithful" (1796), combining morality with irony and defiant passion of love. The pinnacle achievements of Russian "light poetry" are the poems of K.N. The history and significance of Russian "light poetry" Batyushkov devoted "Speech on the influence of light poetry on the language" (1816). Imitations of “light poetry” by Batyushkov and Guys are found in the lyrics of A.S. Pushkin of the lyceum and St. Petersburg period. By the 1820s, when the romantic elegy and romantic poem became the dominant genres in Russian poetry, "light poetry" went to the literary periphery.
Interest in it revived in the Russian literature of the Silver Age at the turn of the 1920s. Poems that recreate the features of the style of "light poetry" were created by V.Ya.Bryusov, F.K.Sologub, M.A.Kuzmin. The traditions of "light poetry" are especially noticeable in Kuzmin's cycles "Love of this Summer" (1906), "Interrupted Tale" (1907), "Different Poems" (1907), "Rockets" (1908), "Deceived Deceiver" from the collection "Networks . The first book of poems "(1908). Kuzmin poeticizes "the spirit of trifles, charming and airy." His world is a game, masquerades, love walks, confessions. He resorts to stylistic clichés (“your tender gaze, sly and alluring”, “skillful kiss”), to the poetics of erotic allusions that do not go beyond the brink of propriety; uses the well-established metaphor of "light poetry" ("bitter arrows of love", "Cupid winged" as an allegorical designation of love feelings).
The phrase light poetry comes from french poesie fugitive.
K.N. Batyushkov 1787–1855
Konstantin Nikolayevich Batyushkov entered the history of Russian literature XIX V. as one of the founders of romanticism. His lyrics were based on "light poetry", which, in his view, was associated with the development of small genre forms (elegies, messages), put forward by romanticism to the forefront of Russian poetry, and the improvement literary language. All these products included in the 2nd volume of the collection "Experiments in verse and prose" (1817). In 1816, he wrote "Speech on the influence of light poetry on the language."
Batyushkov is the immediate predecessor of Pushkin. Early Russian poet romanticism (pre-romantic). Connecting Lit. discovery of classicism and sentimentalism, he became one of the founders of the new Russian. modern poetry.
B. was born into an old noble family. His mother Alexandra Grigoryevna died of souls. illness when he was 8 years old. Domash. raised and educated by his grandfather, Lev Andreevich Batyushkov. He studied in private boarding schools, was fluent in French, Italian. and lat.
In 1802-1807. served as an official in the Ministry of Education. In his youth, he thoroughly studied ancient poetry (Virgil, Horace), the philosophy of the French Enlightenment (Voltaire, Diderot, d'Alamaber), and the literature of the Italian Renaissance.
A huge influence on the formation of Batyushkov's cultural interests was exerted by his great-uncle, the writer M.N. Muravyov, who served as Deputy Minister of Public Education. Years later, after the death of his mentor, Batyushkov, in a letter of 1814 to V.A. Zhukovsky writes: "I owe him everything"
In his uncle's house, he meets the largest writers and cultural figures of Russia: G.R. Derzhavin, V.V. Kapnist, I.A. Krylov, A.E. Izmailov, V.A. Ozerov, N.A. Lvov, A.N. Olenin. Under their direct influence, Batyushkov's humanistic ideas are formed, interest in creativity is awakened, literary taste is formed, and spiritual self-improvement becomes the program of a lifetime. He has a need to find his own independent path in literature, to have his own position, independent of the opinion of the majority. It was at this time that Batyushkov began to form as a person capable of irreconcilable opposition to society.
Periodization of Batyushkov's work:
- according to Korovin:
1802–1808 - student period;
1809–1812 - the beginning of original creativity;
1812–1816 - spiritual and poetic crisis;
1816–1823 (the poet almost stops writing poetry in 1821) - attempts to overcome the crisis and reach new frontiers of creativity; tragic end creative development.
II) Moscow. Anoshkin school - Petrov
1802-1912 - the creation of "light poetry"
1812-1813, spring 1814 - the rejection of Epicureanism, the formation of a historical. thinking, interest in the ist. and personality. B. interprets preromantically.
ser. 1814 - 1821 - change of the pre-romantic world, enrichment of the pre-romantic world. trends.
Creative. the path begins in 1805. Batyushkov takes part in meetings of the “Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts”, attends A.N. Venison. At this time, his interest in ancient and Western European philosophy further strengthened. It is read by Epicurus, Lucretius, Montaigne.
In print, Batyushkov made his debut with the satire "Message to My Poems" (1805), and at the initial stage of the poet's work, satire became the leading genre. But in some works the motives of pre-romanticism are already showing through. He was attracted by the "light poetry" of antich. peace, love. lyrics Anacreon and Sappho, Horace and Tibula. He also became interested in the "light poetry" of the French poets Trikur and Guys.
In 1807, Batyushkov dramatically changes his life: he enrolls in civil uprising and goes on a campaign to Prussia. In May 1807, in one of the battles, a bullet hit the spinal cord, which later caused great physical suffering for the poet. But Batyushkov retired only in 1809.
After that, he led a camping lifestyle. This manifested itself in constant mental disorder, in acute attacks of "spleen", "wanderlust"; he did not live in one place for more than six months.
The satire Vision on the Banks of Lethe, published in 1809, opened the mature stage of Batyushkov's work. The author gave an assessment to modern authors: none of his contemporaries could stand the test in Leta (“the river of oblivion of poetry”). Batyushkov called I.A. Krylov the only poet worthy of immortality. "Vision ..." was published only in 1814, but became known immediately after writing and sold in many lists.
Due to illness, the poet did not go to the army during Patriotic War 1812, but experienced all the "horrors of war". “The terrible deeds of the vandals or the French in Moscow and its environs,” the poet writes, “deeds, unparalleled in history itself, completely upset my little philosophy and quarreled me with humanity.” He expressed his moods and feelings in the poem "To Dashkov" (1813). What he saw made Batyushkov rethink his work, and he abandoned the former theme of his works.
Batyushkov reflected his impressions of the battles and the everyday life of the army in the poems “The Captive”, “On the Ruins of the Castle in Sweden”, “Crossing the Rhine” and in the essays “Memories of Places, Battles and Travels”, “Journey to Sirey Castle”. Readers were surprised by the accuracy of the depiction of the war, the sensations of the Russian soldier.
In the period from 1810 to 1812, Batyushkov became close friends with N.M. Karamzin, V.A. Zhukovsky, P.A. Vyazemsky and other famous writers of that time. He becomes a representative of "light poetry", sings of love, friendship, the joy of life, the freedom of the individual. But the ecstasy of life and youth is combined in the poet with a premonition of a crisis. Contradictions were the main feature of Batyushkov's poems. (
In 1814-1817, Batyushkov is deservedly considered the first poet of Russia. But it was during this period that he experienced an ideological and psychological crisis. The poet refuses satire, rethinks the content of "light poetry". Philosophical and religious reflections, motives of tragic love, the artist's eternal discord with reality appear in his poems. Hopelessness becomes the main theme of many of his poems. (My genius, Separation, To a friend, Awakening, Taurida).
In 1817, Batyushkov's collection "Experiments in Poetry and Prose" was published. The first prose volume collected translations, philosophical articles, discourses on literature, studies on the writers of the past, and the first art history essay in Russian literature. In the second volume, the poems were combined according to genre: "Elegies", "Messages", "Mixture".
B.'s poetry followed the language. Karamzin's reforms, the purpose of which is to bring the books closer together. lang. with colloquialism, “refine” lang. as a means of expression ext. world chka, expand lexic. coloring sl.
The main motive of poetry: the glorification of love and life. The poetry of K.N. Batyushkov attracts with its lyrical penetration, the author's romantic aspiration for the ideal, euphony, musicality, "gold-string" of the verse. Despite the tragedy of personal fate, there is a lot of light and spiritual harmony in Batyushkov's poems.
Batyushkov's innovation lies in the fact that the feeling of disappointment receives a historical motivation, thanks to which the elegy becomes a meditation on the philosophical and historical theme of the bleak vicissitudes of a ruthless fate.("On the ruins of a castle in Sweden")
The result of sad reflections on the fate of man was the poem "To a friend", one of the poet's best. It is addressed to Prince P.A. Vyazemsky. In it Batyushkov says goodbye to youth.
That. Lyrics 1817-1821 - anthological. verse: elegy dying TASS, gazebo of muses, new edition of the dream message "To Nikita", and "To Turgenev".
The significance of Batyushkov's work was highly appreciated by Belinsky. He noted a sign of thinness. images and plasticity as chapters. distinguish. especially.
Batyushkov's work is the pinnacle of Russian pre-romanticism.
Batyushkov's lyrics have outlived their time and have not lost their charm even today. Its aesthetic value lies in the pathos of "social life", in the poetic experience of youth and happiness, the fullness of life and the spiritual inspiration of a dream. But the poet's historical elegies also retain their poetic appeal both in their humane moral tendency and in the vivid painting of lyric-historical paintings.
Periodization according to Korovin:
- The first period of creativity (1802-1812) is the time of the creation of "light poetry". Batyushkov was also its theorist. "Light Poetry" turned out to be the link that connected the middle genres of classicism with pre-romanticism. The article “Speech on the Influence of Light Poetry on Language” was written in 1816, but the author generalized in it the experience of the work of various poets, including his own. He separated "light poetry" from "important genera" - epic, tragedy, solemn ode and similar genres of classicism. The poet included in "light poetry" "small genera" of poetry and called them "erotic". The need for intimate lyrics, conveying in an elegant form ("polite", "noble" and "beautifully") the personal experiences of a person, he associated with the social needs of the enlightened age. The theoretical prerequisites revealed in the article on "light poetry" were significantly enriched by the poet's artistic practice.
His "light poetry" is "communal" (the poet used this word characteristic of him). Creativity for him is an inspired literary communication with loved ones. Hence the main genres for him are the message and the dedication close to it; the addressees are N.I. Gnedich, V.A. Zhukovsky, P.A. Vyazemsky, A.I. Turgenev (brother of the Decembrist), I.M. Muraviev-Apostol, V.L. Pushkin, S.S. Uvarov, P.I. Shalikov, just friends, often poems are dedicated to women with conditional names - Felisa, Malvina, Liza, Masha. The poet loves to talk in verse with friends and loved ones. The dialogical beginning is also significant in his fables, to which the poet also had a great inclination. The seal of improvisations, impromptu lies on small genres - inscriptions, epigrams, various poetic jokes. Elegies, having appeared already at the beginning of the poet's creative path, will become the leading genre in his further work.
Batyushkov high performance about friendship, a pre-romantic cult of "kinship of souls", "spiritual sympathy", "sensitive friendship".
Batyushkov's six verse letters to Gnedich were created between 1805 and 1811; they largely clarify the originality of his work at the first stage. The conventions of the genre by no means deprive Batyushkov's message of autobiography. The poet in verse conveyed his moods, dreams, philosophical conclusions.
- The second period of creativity. Participation in the events of the Patriotic War of 1812. Formation of Batyushkov's historical thinking.
1812-1813 and the spring of 1814 stand apart in an independent period of the poet's work, who survived a real turning point, a complete rejection of Epicureanism young years; at this time, the formation of Batyushkov's historical thinking takes place.
Participating in the events of the Patriotic War, he connected his historical mission of an eyewitness, a witness of outstanding achievements with writing. His letters of those years, especially N.I. Gnedich, P.A. Vyazemsky, E.G. Pushkina, D.P. Severin, at the same time passed the move historical events and the inner world of a person of that time, a citizen, a patriot, a very receptive, sensitive person.
In the letters of the second half of 1812 - confusion, anxiety for relatives and friends, indignation against the "vandals" of the French, the strengthening of patriotic and civic sentiments. A sense of history is formed and developed by Batyushkov in the code of the Patriotic War. He is increasingly aware of himself not just a spectator of events (“everything happens before my eyes”), but an active participant in them: “So, my dear friend, we have crossed the Rhine, we are in France. That's how it happened..."; "We entered Paris<...>amazing city." The historical significance of what is happening is clear: “Here, every day, then an era.”
The idea of the relativity of values in the light of history enters into letters and poems - and a central philosophical question, borne in the vicissitudes of time: "What is eternal, pure, immaculate?". And just as in his letters he declared that historical vicissitudes “transcend all conception” and everything seems as irrational as a dream, so in verses the reflective poet does not find an answer to questions about the meaning of history. And yet he does not leave the desire to understand its laws. - The third period of Batyushkov's creative development is from the middle of 1814 to 1821. The pre-romantic artistic world of the poet is modified, enriched purely romantic elements and trends. The lyrical "I" of his poems and his lyrical heroes not only dream and feel the fullness of happiness, but are immersed in thoughts about life. Batyushkov's philosophical interests and studies were reflected in the genre of elegies, which now occupy a central place in his poetry. In the elegies - the poet's lyrical reflection on human life, on historical being. Batyushkov's pre-romanticism received a civic content. The elegiac message "To Dashkov" was followed by original historical elegies. They reveal the first trends of romantic historicism. The romantic beginnings are strong in the elegy "The Dying Tass".
Batyushkov, poet. Born in Vologda. He belonged to an old noble family. He was brought up in St. Petersburg, in private foreign boarding schools. Except French He was fluent in Italian and later in Latin. He served in the military (he was a participant in three wars, including the foreign campaign of 1814) and petty bureaucratic service, and later in the Russian diplomatic mission in Italy. In 1822, he fell ill with a hereditary mental illness that had long been creeping up on him. Since 1802, he settled in the house of the writer M. N. Muravyov, his relative; Then he began to write poetry. He joined the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts. With the poetic satire "Vision on the Banks of the Leta" (1809), which became widespread in the lists, Batyushkov took an active part in the controversy with the "Conversation of Lovers of the Russian Word". Batyushkov was the first to use the word "Slavophile", which later became widely used. Batyushkov joined the Arzamas literary circle, which opposed the Conversation, which included representatives of new literary movements - from V. A. Zhukovsky and D. V. Davydov to the young Pushkin, whose powerful talent Batyushkov immediately appreciated. He became close to the circle of A. N. Olenin, where the cult of antiquity flourished. Batyushkov's works, published in magazines, were published in a separate edition in 1817 - "Experiments in verse and prose" (in 2 parts).
Batyushkov became the head of the so-called. "light poetry" dating back to the tradition of anacreontics of the 18th century, the most prominent representatives of which were G. R. Derzhavin and V. V. Kapnist ("a model in syllable", as Batiushkov called it). The chanting of the joys of earthly life - friendship, love - was combined in Batyushkov's intimate friendly messages with the assertion of the poet's inner freedom, his independence from the "slavery and chains" of the feudal-absolutist social system, whose stepson he acutely felt himself to be. The program work of this kind was the message "My Penates" (1811-12, publ. 1814); according to Pushkin, it "... breathes with some kind of intoxication of luxury, youth and pleasure - the style trembles and flows - the harmony is charming." An example of "light poetry" is the poem "Bacchae" (published in 1817). The patriotic enthusiasm that seized Batyushkov in connection with the war of 1812 brought him beyond the limits of "chamber" lyrics (the message "To Dashkov", 1813, the historical elegy "Crossing the Rhine", 1814, etc.). Under the influence of the painful impressions of the war, the destruction of Moscow and personal upheavals, Batyushkov is experiencing a spiritual crisis.
His poetry is increasingly colored in sad tones (elegy "Separation", 1812-13; "Shadow of a Friend", 1814; "Awakening", 1815; Melchizedek, 1821). Batyushkov's best elegies include My Genius (1815) and Tauris (1817). A significant contribution to the development of Russian poetry was Batyushkov's deep lyricism, combined with an unprecedented artistry of form. Developing the tradition of Derzhavin, he demanded from the poet: "Live as you write, and write as you live." Many poems are, as it were, pages of Batyushkov’s poeticized autobiography, in whose personality the features of a disappointed, aged early, bored “hero of time” are already visible, which later found artistic expression in the images of Onegin and Pechorin. With regard to poetic skill, Batyushkov's models were the works of ancient and Italian poets. He translated Tibull's elegies, poems by T. Tasso, E. Parny, and others. One of Batyushkov's most famous works, the elegy "The Dying Tass" (1817), is dedicated to the tragic fate of the poet - a topic that persistently attracted Batyushkov's attention.
The genres of “light poetry”, according to Batyushkov, require “possible perfection, purity of expression, harmony in style, flexibility, smoothness” and therefore are the best means for “education” and “improvement” of the poetic language (“Speech on the influence of light poetry on the language ", 1816). Batyushkov also wrote in prose, believing that this is also important school for the poet (mainly essays, articles on literature and art; the most significant of them are “Evening at Cantemir”, “Walk to the Academy of Arts”). Batyushkov's verse reached a high artistic perfection. Contemporaries admired his "plasticity", sculpture, Pushkin - "Italian" melodiousness ("Italian sounds! What a miracle worker this Batyushkov"). With his translations of "From the Greek Anthology" (1817-18) and "Imitations of the Ancients" (1821), Batyushkov prepared Pushkin's anthological poems. Batiushkov was weary of the narrowness of themes and motives, the monotony of the genres of his poetry. He conceived a number of monumental works filled with the content "useful to society, worthy of himself and the people", was fond of Byron's work (translation into Russian from Childe Harold's Wanderings). All this was cut short by mental illness, which forever stopped Batyushkov's literary activity. The poet remarked bitterly: “What can I say about my poems! I look like a man who did not reach his goal, but he carried a beautiful vessel filled with something on his head. The vessel fell off his head, fell and shattered, go and find out now what was in it. Pushkin, objecting to critics who attacked Batyushkov's poetry, urged them to "respect the misfortunes and unripe hopes in him." Batyushkov played a significant role in the development of Russian poetry: along with Zhukovsky, he was the immediate predecessor and literary teacher of Pushkin, who carried out much of what was started by Batyushkov.
