Taras Bulba is the main character of the story of the same name by N.V. Gogol. This is an old Zaporozhye Cossack, a Cossack colonel, a “knight”, the main thing in whose life is the Sich, war, Cossack friendship and honor. The scale of his personality is epic. The meaning of his life is to serve the Fatherland, the people.

When Gogol published the first volume of Dead Souls, he was immediately declared a Russian Homer. Nikolai Vasilievich agreed with this statement: he already believed that he had been sent down to show Russia the right path to glory and prosperity and conceived the third volume of the poem, in which he would reveal the secret of the revival of the Fatherland ... "Dead Souls" were supposed to become the Russian "Odyssey", but " Taras Bulba", rewritten by 1842 (the first version - 1835), - "Iliad".

The protagonist of the Russian Iliad is truly epic. He greets his sons who have returned from the bursa not with tears and kisses, but with a test, albeit a joking one, - he fights with Ostap on his fists: “And father and son, instead of greeting after a long absence, began to cuff each other ... ”Only one night he allows his sons to stay at home: a man's job is to fight.

Taras does not think about his wife, her desires: a real man serves his homeland and comrades. He takes his sons and goes to the Sich, the capital of the Cossacks. This time is approximately 1637 - 1638, when Kyiv was under the rule of the Commonwealth, there were constant skirmishes and battles between the Cossacks and Poles, which escalated into an uprising.

Taras incites his comrades to fight against the Poles, and near Dubno, which the Cossacks are besieging, the hero loses his son: Andriy goes over to the side of the enemy in order to be close to his beloved. In battle, Taras meets his son and kills him with his own hands - there is no excuse or reason for betrayal.

And at the same time, Ostap - the second son - was taken prisoner by the Poles. In order to rescue him, Taras crosses the border in Yankel's cart under the bricks - no one shifted the bricks, no one checked, because no one could have thought that a person could hide under such a weight.

But Taras could. He seems to be able to do anything and fear nothing. He knows no doubts, whole, as if made from a block of marble. When Ostap is being tortured, his arms and legs are broken, and “their terrible grunt was heard among the dead crowd,” Taras only repeats: “Good, son, good!” And only to the dying call of Ostap does the father answer: “I hear!”

This almost biblical scene (parallel: before the execution, Jesus prays to the Father) makes the image of Taras completely epic, integral, embodied the triumph of the Spirit over flesh and passion.

And after the death of his son, Taras remains a hero worthy of Homer. He gathers an army and mercilessly kills Polish soldiers, pans, spares neither women nor children: “This is for you, enemy Poles, a commemoration for Ostap!” - only Taras said. And he sent such a commemoration for Ostap in every village ... "

Taras dies in flames, tied by the Poles to a tree. But even at this moment, he does not think about himself, but about saving his comrades - he directs the detachment with a cry so that the fighters can get away from the chase.

Characteristics of the hero

Taras Bulba is a hero. In the high and original sense of the word. Each of his actions - revelry, war, raising sons, relations with "warrior friends" - is filled with physical and spiritual power, monumentality, breadth and uncompromisingness.

He is a folk hero, the personification of an independent, proud spirit. It embodies everything that attracts people so much: strength, nobility, intelligence, courage, loyalty to the Motherland and camaraderie: “There are no ties holier than camaraderie!”

For Taras, there is nothing more precious than the Fatherland and faith. Therefore, without a doubt, he leads his sons into battle, without hesitation kills Andriy, who betrayed the shrine - his homeland and comrades.

This image is not new: its ideal version is epic heroes. Why does Gogol turn to him? Does he want to tell us something new, super epic?

The image of the hero in the work

(- Well, let's get on the fists! - said Taras Bulba, rolling up his sleeves, - I'll see what kind of person you are in a fist!)

Let us recall that Gogol wrote "Taras Bulba" at the moment of plans for the continuation of "Dead Souls". He needs people-heroes who can change and transform Russia. The writer finds them far, far away, which in the haze of time is all completely romantic and sublime.

As Gukovsky writes, Gogol “tells him (the reader) ... in you are all the beginnings of Taras and his associates; wake up…” Become a patriot, selflessly devoted to your homeland, faith. Apparently, this is why the story "Taras Bulba" turned out to be so popular now, on a new wave of patriotism and self-awareness of oneself as part of one's country.

The question may arise: is an editor needed at all when publishing a work of fiction, one of the masterpieces of the literary work of the great Russian writer N.V. Gogol? Without hesitation, I will answer that I need it, I definitely need it!

The thing is that for the first time I read the famous story by N.V. Gogol was still in the 5th-6th grade of the then best secondary school No. 1 in Buynaksk. But then already, while reading “Taras Bulba”, the meaning of many words that Nikolai Vasilyevich boldly introduced into his text, I simply did not understand, but only guessed what was being said.

But even in the hands of such a master of translating the works of Russian classics into the Avar language, which was the Dagestan linguist-Avar scholar and literary critic Sh.I. Mikailov, something required a new edition. The thing is that a number of words that N.V. Gogol, needs interpretation, clarification. But in 1949, Shikhabudin Ilyasovich Mikailov was intensively engaged in frontal research of Avar dialects and dialects. But this was the speech of the so-called free societies, which did not at all obey the Khunzakh nutsals (khans, if you like). These "free societies" (gIandalazul bo, karalazul bo, gyideril bo) did not even pay taxes to the Khunzakh khans. They lived their own lives, which largely determined the development of their skills for a completely independent life, the creation of their own adats, i.e. habits of internal and external relationships. There is every reason to believe that in many ways the well-known multilingualism in Dagestan was facilitated by just such a way of life of these “free societies”.

Now it becomes clear to me why Sh.I. Mikailov, who created his own Dagestan school of frontal study of each language in terms of dialectics, turned to this brilliant work of the great Russian writer. The fact is that life, the internal structure of the Avar free societies were very similar to the life of the freemen that existed in the Zaporizhzhya Sich in Ukraine in the developed and late Middle Ages. The end of this "free life" was put by the first Russian autocrat-emperor Peter I in 1700.

In addition to the actual Zaporizhian-Ukrainian words such as “kuren”, “outskirts”, “pannochka”, “gentry”, “gentry”, many highly specialized terms associated with the Roman Catholic Church required explanation. Here are words such as "bursa", "lictor", "rector" and even "pope". I tried to give all the words of this kind in footnotes in my interpretation.

As for the spelling and alphabet, we decided to leave them with the Epoch Publishing House in the form in which this translation was published in 1952.

The significance and significance of such translations into Avar and other Dagestan literary languages, their usefulness and expediency were best described by one of the leading Dagestan literary critics, Doctor of Philology, Honored Worker of Science of the Russian Federation Professor SM. Khaibullaev. When I asked him: “Sirazhudin! Is it advisable to republish translations of Russian classics today? After all, the 21st century is in the yard!”, Sirazhudin Magomedovich (Avar, a native of the Khunzakh region of the Republic of Dagestan) answered me: “Kazbek! How can you (we use “you” with him – K.M.) say that? After all, you traveled all over Avaria up and down, and therefore you should know that Avar children, even if they are students in grades 5-6, do not speak Russian very well. They do not understand much even from oral everyday Russian speech. I must tell you that the people of my generation studied the real Russian language not according to Russian language textbooks, not according to the rules that we are forced to learn and cram, but precisely according to these translations of Russian classics into Avar. Look what a good deed the Epoch publishing house has started. In one book, both the Russian text and a magnificent translation into the Avar language. This is very convenient: if the student does not understand something in the Russian version of Taras Bulba, he immediately opens the right place in its Avar counterpart and immediately understands how to pronounce this word or sentence in Avar. True, there is one “but”. After receiving this book, some, even many, will decide that this is a trifling matter, and will begin to translate the Russian classics into the Avar language en masse. But here lies the danger - such people (whether they are linguists or literary critics) must know and, most importantly, feel not only Russian, but also the Avar language as your father knew it ... ".

I listened with interest to Sirazhudin Magomedovich, and then I thought: after all, this book (“Taras Bulba” by N.V. Gogol, translated into the Avar language by Sh.I. schools. And after all, they are almost without exception the native languages ​​of their parents, i.e. Dagestan languages ​​are not known at all. Here such translations would help them.

Why not draw the attention of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Dagestan to the first and very useful experience of the Epoch publishing house? Why not think of the directorate of the Institute of Pedagogy. Takho-Godi about systematically starting to translate Russian classics (small works) into Dagestan literary languages? Just do not put this business "on a stream" in which our own children and grandchildren can drown.

Kazbek Mikailov, Caucasian linguist

“Turn around, son!” How funny you are! What are these priestly cassocks on you? And that's how everyone goes to the academy? - With these words, old Bulba met his two sons, who studied in the Kiev bursa and came home to their father.

His sons had just dismounted from their horses. They were two burly fellows, still looking sullenly, like newly graduated seminarians. Their strong, healthy faces were covered with the first fluff of hair that a razor had not yet touched. They were very embarrassed by this reception of their father and stood motionless, their eyes downcast on the ground.

- Stop, stop! Let me take a good look at you,” he continued, turning them around, “what long scrolls you have on! What scrolls! There were no such scrolls in the world. And run one of you! I'll see if he flops to the ground, tangled in the floors.

Don't laugh, don't laugh, dad! Finally the eldest of them said.

- Look at how gorgeous you are! Why not laugh?

- Yes, even though you are my father, but if you laugh, then, by God, I will beat you!

- Oh, you, such a son! How, father? .. - said Taras Bulba, stepping back a few steps in surprise.

- Yes, even dad. I won’t look for offense and I won’t respect anyone.

How do you want to fight me? is it on fists?

- Yeah, whatever it is.

- Well, let's get on the fists! - said Taras Bulba, rolling up his sleeves, - I'll see what kind of person you are in a fist!

And the father and son, instead of greeting after a long absence, began to cuff each other in the sides, and in the waist, and in the chest, either retreating and looking around, then advancing again.

- Look, good people: the old one has gone crazy! totally crazy! - said their pale, thin and kind mother, who stood at the threshold and had not yet had time to hug her beloved children. - The children came home, they were not seen for more than a year, and he conceived who knows what: to fight with his fists!

- Yes, he beats nicely! - said Bulba, stopping. - By God, it's good! - he continued, recovering a little, - so, at least not even try. Good will be a Cossack! Well, that's great, son! let's greet! And the father and son began to kiss. - Good, son! That's how you beat everyone, as you beat me; don't let anyone down! And yet you are wearing a funny decoration: what kind of rope is hanging? And you, beybas, why are you standing and lowering your hands? - he said, turning to the younger one, - why don't you, son of a dog, beat me?

- Here's what I came up with! said the mother, who was meanwhile embracing the youngest. - And such a thing will come to mind, so that a native child would beat his father. Yes, it’s like before now: the child is young, has traveled so much, is tired (this child was more than twenty years old and exactly a sazhen in height), he should now need to rest and eat something, but he makes him beat!

After graduating from the Kiev Academy, two of his sons, Ostap and Andriy, come to the old Cossack colonel Taras Bulba. Two burly fellows, whose healthy and strong faces have not yet been touched by a razor, are embarrassed by the meeting with their father, who makes fun of recent seminarians over their clothes. The eldest, Ostap, cannot stand the ridicule of his father: “Even though you are my father, but if you laugh, then, by God, I will beat you!” And father and son, instead of greeting after a long absence, quite seriously hit each other with cuffs. A pale, thin and kind mother tries to reason with her violent husband, who is already stopping himself, pleased that he has tested his son. Bulba wants to “greet” the younger one in the same way, but he is already hugging him, protecting his mother from his father.

On the occasion of the arrival of his sons, Taras Bulba convenes all the centurions and the entire regimental rank and announces his decision to send Ostap and Andriy to the Sich, because there is no better science for a young Cossack than the Zaporozhian Sich. At the sight of the young strength of his sons, the military spirit of Taras himself flares up, and he decides to go with them to introduce them to all his old comrades. The poor mother sits all night over the sleeping children, not closing her eyes, wishing that the night would last as long as possible. Her dear sons are taken from her; they take it so that she will never see them! In the morning, after the blessing, the mother, despairing of grief, is barely torn off from the children and taken to the hut.

The three riders ride in silence. Old Taras recalls his wild life, a tear freezes in his eyes, his graying head droops. Ostap, who has a stern and firm character, although hardened over the years of training in the bursa, retained his natural kindness and was touched by the tears of his poor mother. This alone confuses him and makes him lower his head thoughtfully. Andriy is also having a hard time saying goodbye to his mother and home, but his thoughts are occupied with memories of a beautiful Polish girl whom he met just before leaving Kyiv. Then Andriy managed to get into the beauty's bedroom through the fireplace chimney, a knock on the door forced the Polish woman to hide the young Cossack under the bed. As soon as the worry had passed, the Tatar woman, the lady's maid, took Andrii out into the garden, where he barely escaped from the woke servants. He once again saw the beautiful Polish woman in the church, soon she left - and now, lowering his eyes into the mane of his horse, Andriy thinks about her.

After a long journey, the Sich meets Taras with his sons with his wild life - a sign of the Zaporizhian will. Cossacks do not like to waste time on military exercises, collecting abusive experience only in the heat of battle. Ostap and Andriy rush with all the ardor of youths into this rampant sea. But old Taras does not like an idle life - he does not want to prepare his sons for such an activity. Having met with all his companions, he thinks out how to raise the Cossacks on a campaign, so as not to waste the Cossack prowess on an uninterrupted feast and drunken fun. He persuades the Cossacks to re-elect the Koschevoi, who keeps peace with the enemies of the Cossacks. The new Koschevoi, under the pressure of the most militant Cossacks, and above all Taras, decides to go to Poland in order to mark all the evil and shame of faith and Cossack glory.

And soon the entire Polish south-west becomes the prey of fear, the rumor running ahead: “Cossacks! The Cossacks showed up! In one month, young Cossacks matured in battles, and old Taras is pleased to see that both of his sons are among the first. The Cossack army is trying to take the city of Dubna, where there is a lot of treasury and rich inhabitants, but they meet desperate resistance from the garrison and residents. The Cossacks besiege the city and wait for the famine to begin in it. Having nothing to do, the Cossacks devastate the surroundings, burn out defenseless villages and unharvested grain. The young, especially the sons of Taras, do not like this kind of life. Old Bulba reassures them, promising hot fights soon. On one of the dark nights, Andria is awakened from sleep by a strange creature that looks like a ghost. This is a Tatar, a servant of the very Polish woman with whom Andriy is in love. The Tatar whispers that the lady is in the city, she saw Andriy from the city rampart and asks him to come to her or at least give a piece of bread for her dying mother. Andriy loads the sacks with bread as much as he can carry, and the Tatar woman leads him through the underground passage to the city. Having met with his beloved, he renounces his father and brother, comrades and homeland: “The homeland is what our soul is looking for, which is dearest to her. My fatherland is you." Andriy stays with the lady to protect her to the last breath from her former comrades.

Polish troops, sent to reinforce the besieged, pass into the city past drunken Cossacks, killing many while sleeping, and capturing many. This event hardens the Cossacks, who decide to continue the siege to the end. Taras, looking for his missing son, receives a terrible confirmation of Andriy's betrayal.

The Poles arrange sorties, but the Cossacks are still successfully repelling them. News comes from the Sich that, in the absence of the main force, the Tatars attacked the remaining Cossacks and captured them, seizing the treasury. The Cossack army near Dubna is divided in two - half goes to the rescue of the treasury and comrades, half remains to continue the siege. Taras, leading the siege army, delivers an impassioned speech to the glory of camaraderie.

The Poles learn about the weakening of the enemy and come out of the city for a decisive battle. Among them is Andriy. Taras Bulba orders the Cossacks to lure him to the forest and there, meeting with Andriy face to face, he kills his son, who even before his death utters one word - the name of the beautiful lady. Reinforcements arrive at the Poles, and they defeat the Cossacks. Ostap is captured, the wounded Taras, saving from the chase, is brought to the Sich.

Having recovered from his wounds, Taras forces the Jew Yankel to secretly smuggle him to Warsaw with big money and threats to try to ransom Ostap there. Taras is present at the terrible execution of his son in the town square. Not a single groan escapes under torture from Ostap's chest, only before his death he cries out: “Father! where are you! do you hear all this?" - "I hear!" - Taras answers over the crowd. They rush to catch him, but Taras is already gone.

One hundred and twenty thousand Cossacks, among whom is the regiment of Taras Bulba, go on a campaign against the Poles. Even the Cossacks themselves notice the excessive ferocity and cruelty of Taras towards the enemy. This is how he avenges the death of his son. The defeated Polish hetman Nikolai Pototsky swears an oath not to inflict any further offense on the Cossack army. Only Colonel Bulba does not agree to such a peace, assuring his comrades that the requested Poles will not keep their word. And he leads his regiment. His prediction comes true - having gathered their strength, the Poles treacherously attack the Cossacks and defeat them.

And Taras walks all over Poland with his regiment, continuing to avenge the death of Ostap and his comrades, ruthlessly destroying all life.

Five regiments under the leadership of the same Pototsky finally overtake the regiment of Taras, who has come to rest in an old ruined fortress on the banks of the Dniester. The battle lasts for four days. The surviving Cossacks make their way, but the old ataman stops to look for his cradle in the grass, and the haiduks overtake him. They tie Taras to an oak tree with iron chains, nail his hands and lay a fire under him. Before his death, Taras manages to shout to his comrades to go down to the canoes, which he sees from above, and leave the chase along the river. And at the last terrible moment, the old chieftain thinks about his comrades, about their future victories, when old Taras will no longer be with them.

The Cossacks leave the chase, row together with oars and talk about their chieftain.

retold

After graduating from the Kiev Academy, two of his sons, Ostap and Andriy, come to the old Cossack colonel Taras Bulba. Two burly fellows, whose healthy and strong faces have not yet been touched by a razor, are embarrassed by the meeting with their father, who makes fun of recent seminarians over their clothes. The eldest, Ostap, cannot stand the ridicule of his father: “Even though you are my father, but if you laugh, then, by God, I will beat you!” And father and son, instead of greeting after a long absence, quite seriously hit each other with cuffs. A pale, thin and kind mother tries to reason with her violent husband, who is already stopping himself, pleased that he has tested his son. Bulba wants to “greet” the younger one in the same way, but he is already hugging him, protecting him from his father and mother. And soon the entire Polish south-west becomes the prey of fear, a rumor running ahead: “Cossacks! The Cossacks showed up! In one month, young Cossacks matured in battles, and old Taras is pleased to see that both of his sons are among the first. The Cossack army is trying to take the city of Dubna, where there is a lot of treasury and rich inhabitants, but they meet desperate resistance from the garrison and residents. The Cossacks besiege the city and wait for the famine to begin in it. Having nothing to do, the Cossacks devastate the surroundings, burn out defenseless villages and unharvested grain. The young, especially the sons of Taras, do not like this kind of life. Old Bulba reassures them, promising hot fights soon. On one of the dark nights, Andria is awakened from sleep by a strange creature that looks like a ghost. This is a Tatar, a servant of the very Polish woman with whom Andriy is in love. The Tatar whispers that the lady is in the city, she saw Andriy from the city rampart and asks him to come to her or at least give a piece of bread for her dying mother. Andriy loads the sacks with bread as much as he can carry, and the Tatar woman leads him through the underground passage to the city. Having met with his beloved, he renounces his father and brother, comrades and homeland: “The homeland is what our soul is looking for, which is dearest to her. My fatherland is you." Andriy remains with the lady to protect her to the last breath from her former comrades. Five regiments led by the same Pototsky finally overtake the regiment of Taras, who has taken rest in an old ruined fortress on the banks of the Dniester. The battle lasts for four days. The surviving Cossacks make their way, but the old ataman stops to look for his cradle in the grass, and the haiduks overtake him. They tie Taras to an oak tree with iron chains, nail his hands and lay a fire under him. Before his death, Taras manages to shout to his comrades to go down to the canoes, which he sees from above, and leave the chase along the river. And at the last terrible moment, the old chieftain thinks about his comrades, about their future victories, when old Taras will no longer be with them.

The Cossacks leave the chase, row together with oars and talk about their chieftain.

Edition 1842 I - Turn around, son! How funny you are! What are those priestly cassocks on you? And that's how everyone goes to the academy? - With these words, old Bulba met his two sons, who studied in the Kiev bursa and came home to their father. His sons had just dismounted from their horses. They were two burly fellows, still looking sullenly, like newly graduated seminarians. Their strong, healthy faces were covered with the first fluff of hair that a razor had not yet touched. They were very embarrassed by this reception of their father and stood motionless, their eyes downcast on the ground. - Stop, stop! Let me take a good look at you,” he continued, turning them around, “what long scrolls you have on! What scrolls! There were no such scrolls in the world. And run one of you! I'll see if he flops to the ground, tangled in the floors. - Don't laugh, don't laugh, dad! - finally said the eldest of them. - Look at you, how magnificent! Why not laugh? - Yes, even though you are my father, but if you laugh, then, by God, I will beat you! - Oh, you, such a son! How, father? .. - said Taras Bulba, stepping back in surprise a few steps back. - Yes, even dad. I won’t look for offense and I won’t respect anyone. - How do you want to fight with me? is it on fists? - Yeah, whatever it is. - Well, come on fists! - said Taras Bulba, rolling up his sleeves, - I'll see what kind of person you are in a fist! And the father and son, instead of greeting after a long absence, began to cuff each other in the sides, and in the waist, and in the chest, either retreating and looking around, then advancing again. - Look, good people: the old one has gone crazy! totally crazy! - said their pale, thin and kind mother, who stood at the threshold and had not yet had time to hug her beloved children. - The children came home, they were not seen for more than a year, and he conceived who knows what: to fight with his fists!