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V. Ya. Bryusov wrote the poem “To the Young Poet” in 1896. Perhaps it was some kind of dedication to himself. This is a kind of instruction to the younger generation of poets and creative people. You can read a brief analysis of “To the Young Poet” according to the plan, which can be used when studying the work in a literature lesson in 9th grade.
The material was prepared jointly with a teacher of the highest category, Kuchmina Nadezhda Vladimirovna.
Experience as a teacher of Russian language and literature - 27 years.
Brief Analysis
History of creation - the poem appeared in 1896, Bryusov at this time was a young poet, full of energy and desire to create.
The theme is the purpose of poetry, the role of its creator in life, the sublimity of the activities of poets, the need for them to distance themselves from other people.
Composition - conventionally, three main parts can be distinguished in the poem - these are three testaments, or instructions, that the lyrical hero gives to the young poet, representing the entire new generation of poets.
Genre : lyric poem.
The poetic meter is dactyl (three-syllable meter with stress on the first syllable), feminine rhyme is used, accurate and inaccurate, and a cross rhyme method.
Metaphors – “with a burning gaze”, “love infinitely”.
Comparisons - “I will fall as a defeated fighter.”
Epithets – “limitless”, “thoughtlessly”, “aimlessly”.
Slavicisms (obsolete words) - “testament”, “now”, “with a look”, “fall”, “future”.
History of creation
This is a rare case when the exact date of composition of the work is known - 1896, July 15. The form of instruction in which the twenty-three-year-old Bryusov puts his ideas suggests that this work is by no means a lyrical testament, as it might be considered at first glance, but a programmatic verse. Indeed, in poetic form the author sets out three basic principles of symbolism, called “covenants”.
Written so early and with an interesting history of creation, the work will be released in 1897, taking a worthy place in the collection “This is Me,” where many of the questions that worried the young Bryusov are set out with “childish audacity.”
Subject
The poem “To the Young Poet” is dedicated to the theme of poetry, the search for its place in the life of the poet himself and his readers. He believes that a poet is a special person who is detached from other people, therefore he gives the fictional young poet, a collective image of all creative youth, advice on what he should be and what role he should play in the world: “Pale young man... now I give you three covenant..."
And, if at the beginning of the poem we imagine a bright image in front of us - this is “a pale young man with a burning gaze.” He is young, interested, full of strength and desire to create, and this is noticeable in his gaze; then at the end of the poem, having received instructions, he suddenly changes: now he stands before us “with a confused look.”
These changes are associated with doubts that have arisen in him: will he be able to justify his assignment and fulfill it? This is difficult, but this is the only way the lyrical hero sees the poet.
Theme and idea
The work is dedicated entirely to poetry and its place in the author’s life. A creative individual is a person who is different from the rest. The generalized image of the hero in creation is given instructions:
- what to strive for;
- what should be done to make the world around us better.
In the first lines, Bryusov paints a spectacular image of a young man who is not in good health with a burning gaze - young, inspired, full of strength and desire to create - “a pale young man with a burning gaze.”
At the conclusion of the poem, after important parting words and teachings have been given, the image is transformed. From this moment on, a completely different poet appears before the reader - with an embarrassed look.
It is impossible to carry out the instructions received by the poet from the very beginning. Only the “young man with a burning gaze” will not give up and will fight for his place in the sun until victory. The boy is excited by the poetic purpose, pushing him to all sorts of thoughts. If he listens to advice, he will be considered a real poet.
Composition
The composition of the poem is built according to the type of instruction. It consists of three stanzas containing covenants.
In the first part, the poet gives advice not to think about what is happening now, but to direct your thoughts into the future: “don’t live in the present, only the future is the domain of the poet.” This is explained by the desire of the symbolists of that time to move away from the hated reality and go into a beautiful, more perfect world - the world of poetry.
The second advice may confuse the reader and surprise him, because the poet calls on him to love only himself, not to show sympathy for others: “don’t sympathize with anyone, love yourself infinitely.” But such a position can also be justified by the direction to which Bryusov identified himself, as well as by his personal qualities, which were characterized by a certain selfishness. It is also worth remembering the poet’s youth, a time characterized by narcissism, audacity, and self-confidence.
With his third advice, Valery Yakovlevich asks the young man to be devoted to art - “only to it, thoughtlessly, aimlessly.” Nothing should be more important than poetry in the life of a poet, Bryusov believes.
Analysis of Bryusov’s poem “To the Young Poet”
Valery Bryusov is considered to be one of the founders of symbolism in Russia. He advocated introducing people to art, and young poets directly to symbolism, considering this movement to provide maximum opportunities for the development of creativity.
In 1896, he created a poem called “To the Young Poet,” which takes the form of a dedication and is addressed to aspiring writers.
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The form of dedication was not new for Russian literature. Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Nekrasov and other poets already resorted to it in their work. Bryusov in his work gives three instructions to the future possible successor. All of them are presented in the imperative mood. This fact indicates that the author does not ask, but almost demands, conjures to do what is specified. After all, he has lived on Earth for quite a few years, has experience behind him and is worried about the business he started, longing for it to find admirers and continue to exist and develop. But these are not just the three testaments of the poet, this, among other things, is a briefly formulated program of the Symbolists. Such artists should look to the future, love themselves and worship only art.
The lyrical hero, who in the poem is Bryusov himself, encourages the young poet to think about the future. After all, the picture of tomorrow may depend on his thoughts and actions. This is where the call to think about yourself comes from. The quality of the artist’s inner world determines whether his works will be read.
The meaning of life for a poet should be art. Only for his sake is it worth being in this world. The poet even forbids sympathy. And this call is alarming at first. But once you turn to the theory of symbolism, you understand that all works of this direction are built on contemplation, on the ability to see beauty. And when a person is immersed in other people's problems, he will not be able to contemplate the beauty around him.
This poem cannot boast of an abundance of figurative and expressive means. Among those used, we can name only the epithets “pale youth”, “burning eyes”, inversion “defeated fighter” and comparison of death with the fall of a fighter defeated in battle. In general, it is strict, laconic, clearly structured and in its entire composition and style resembles a program. It looks like a journalistic work.
In the work you can notice the images of two heroes: the lyrical hero himself and the addressee of his appeal. At first glance, the lyrical hero even seems authoritarian. After all, he instructs, tells you what to do and what to avoid. But it’s enough to read the last lines of the poem to understand that this is not so.
The lyrical hero understands that the work of his life is not yet perfect and is afraid that without clear control after his death, it may sink into oblivion. The hero, on the contrary, is dreamy. He believes and hopes that the next generations will be better: more talented, more hardworking.
How does Bryusov see the poet of the future? At the beginning of the poem, this is a young man full of energy and strength. In the last lines, the combination “with a burning gaze” is replaced with “with a confused gaze.” The responsibility that Bryusov wants to place on his shoulders turns the young man into an embarrassed and quiet one. But in his heart he is still ready for achievements, because he painfully loves the work he is doing.
Thus, in this poem, Bryusov managed to display the program of the Symbolists and at the same time leave a testament to descendants in such a simple way.
Genre
The genre of this work is a lyric poem. It reflects the most intimate thoughts and feelings of the lyrical hero. The poet stood at the origins of symbolism in our country. He was persistent in his desire to distance himself somewhat from the outside world, which seemed too imperfect and dirty to him. His thoughts are philosophical in nature.
The poem is written in trimeter - dactyl. The poet used the cross method of rhyming (ABAB), female rhyme: accurate (burning - present, covenant - poet) and inaccurate (sympathize - art).
Summary
The poem begins with an address to a pale young man, but with a burning gaze. The lyrical hero says that he wants to leave three covenants:
- The first is to always look to the future. The poet's task is not to describe the present. He needs to be able to anticipate events. In part, this helps to get away from the hated reality and immerse yourself in the world of poetry.
- The second parting word is not at all unambiguous. In it, the lyrical hero calls on the young man to love only himself. This behavior is typical of youth, and there is nothing wrong with it. Self-confidence and audacity are the eternal companions of youth.
- In the third testament, the lyrical hero calls to worship only art and serve it in any circumstances. It is this that should be above all else in the life of a poet. After the instructions of the lyrical hero, the young man becomes embarrassed. He begins to be tormented by doubts about whether he can cope with such tasks.
The lyrical hero sums up the conversation. If the poet accepts the covenants, then he can die peacefully. He will still have worthy followers, and that's very good.
Means of expression
The means of expression used by the poet are not so abundant and varied, but they are enough to convey the poet’s thoughts and understand the meaning of his message. Bryusov uses several epithets : “limitless”, “mindlessly”, “aimlessly”, and metaphors : “with a burning gaze”; comparison : “I will fall as a defeated fighter” In addition, the outdated words appropriately included in the text give a special sound to the poem: “testament”, “now”, “with a look”, “will fall”, “future”. This once again emphasizes a certain sublimity of the poet’s activity and places him above everyday problems.
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Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov
A pale young man with a burning gaze, Now I give you three covenants: Accept the first: do not live in the present, Only the future is the domain of the poet.
Remember the second thing: don’t sympathize with anyone, love yourself infinitely. Keep the third: worship art, only it, thoughtlessly, aimlessly.
A pale young man with a confused look! If you accept my three covenants, I will silently fall as a defeated fighter, Knowing that I will leave the poet in the world.
Valery Bryusov is rightfully considered one of the founders of Russian symbolism - a literary and artistic movement that gained enormous popularity at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Despite the fact that symbolism itself was a kind of protest to various moral teachings, dogmas and traditions, Valery Bryusov still did not deny himself the pleasure of composing a short rhymed treatise in which he outlined the basic principles of this movement in literature. The poem “To the Young Poet,” written in 1896, is a kind of parting word to future writers, whom Valery Bryusov certainly wants to see as symbolists. In his opinion, they should be quite selfish and ruthless towards others, and their main goal in life should be serving art.
Since symbolism completely denies connection with the current moment, and its followers are devoid of earthliness and place the spiritual much higher than the material, Valery Bryusov advises his followers to live not in the present, but in the future. He encourages them to dream and embody their dreams in poetry, believing that this will help them completely abstract from the outside world , become self-sufficient people, a kind of demigods who will be worshiped by ordinary people.
We should not forget that the end of the 19th century was marked by massive popular unrest and the politicization of society, in which revolutionary ideas began to prevail. They not only ran counter to the work of the Symbolists, but were also considered absolutely destructive in this environment. Materialism cannot rule the world, since all human actions and aspirations are based on his spiritual strength. However, Valery Bryusov never denied a different point of view, believing that only time has the right to judge people and show which of them was right. As a result, Bryusov’s poems became classics, and revolutionary ideas faded away over time, demonstrating to the world their utopianism and inconsistency.
Probably foreseeing this, in the poem “To the Young Poet” Valery Bryusov calls on his followers to love themselves “infinitely.” This implies not only narcissism, but also an awareness of one's own uniqueness . Indeed, every person is unique and in some way a work of art. But in order to learn to see the best qualities in yourself and cultivate them, you need to give up the anchor that firmly holds a person to the ground, forces him to buy fashionable clothes and listen to the opinions of others. Meanwhile, Valery Bryusov is convinced that no one is able to appreciate the rich spiritual world of a true poet except himself. Therefore, in this case, narcissism is not a destructive trait, but a means of self-defense and spiritual development, thanks to which a true writer learns to understand his inner world and reveal it to others in his works.
If everything is quite clear with the love of art, and no one will argue that a true poet must serve his muse faithfully throughout his life, then Valery Bryusov’s call not to sympathize with anyone is shocking at first. However, these lines also have their own hidden meaning, which lies in the fact that compassion is a serious obstacle to contemplation and spiritual quests of the Symbolists. After all, it is enough just once to become interested in the spiritual world of another person and show participation in his fate in order to instantly become bogged down in other people’s problems. This, according to Bryusov, is a real betrayal of poetry, which should be subtle, sublime and completely devoid of the touch of vulgarity caused by contact with earthly existence.
Text: pishi-stihi.ru
