History of creation
This poem begins a collection of poems by Yuri Zhivago, the main character of B. L. Pasternak’s novel “Doctor Zhivago.” The exact date of writing this particular poem cannot be determined. The entire novel was written over 10 years, from 1945 to 1955. Some critics are inclined to believe that “Winter Night” was written in 1954-1955, while others insist on 1946, linking this poem with the poet’s last lover, Olga Ivinskaya.
Speaking about the novel “Doctor Zhivago” itself, it can be noted that in the Soviet Union it was not accepted, they did not even publish it, since they considered the work anti-Soviet. But it was enthusiastically received abroad! It was for this novel that Boris Leonidovich was awarded the Nobel Prize. The writer refused the award, but this did not save him from persecution and oppression by the Soviet government.
In the USSR, the novel “Doctor Zhivago”, and therefore the poem “Winter Night” itself, were published only in 1988.
“Winter Night” (Shallow, shallow all over the earth.), analysis of Pasternak’s poem
B. Pasternak's poem "Winter Night", which is a fusion of philosophical and love lyrics, is included in the "notebook of Yuryev's writings" in the novel "Doctor Zhivago" and plays the role of an additional connecting element in the compositional structure of the work.
The exact date of creation of the poem is unknown. A number of researchers date its writing to the winter of 1946, linking the poem with the poet’s last love and muse, Olga Ivinskaya. Other versions consider it appropriate to talk about 1954-1955. the time of completion of work on the novel. The poem gained fame after the first publication of the novel in the USSR in 1988.
In a poem that combines the features of impressionism and symbolism . Themes of love and nature are closely intertwined . Pasternak synchronizes the life of nature and human feelings: a snowstorm outside the window accompanies a whirlwind of love passion, and fancy snow patterns on the windows turn into patterns of shadows on the ceiling. Landscape sketches form a parallel with the inner world of man.
of the work is based on the antithesis of fire and ice, the two elements confront and interact with each other. A cold blizzard of universal proportions sweeps everything around, covering the windows with a swarm of snow flakes. But a lonely candle still resists the elements of the surrounding world. In the ring composition, the last stanza does not exactly repeat the first. In it, in contrast to the endless action in the first stanza (“melo, melo…”), the absence of repetition and an indication of the time of action (February) marks the end, the end of the winter storm. The affirmation of the victory of hope and life sounds in the last line: “The candle was burning.”
The main idea of the work is a person’s confrontation with the storms of life in both the external and internal world. The lyrical hero resists both the merciless blizzard and the internal “heat of temptation.” The use of a number of words that have opposite meanings (“temptation,” “angel,” “cruciform”) allows the poet to show the confusion of the hero’s soul, trying to determine where is good and where is evil. A person can only oppose the cold, hostile world with the love and fire of his soul. Before love, cold and darkness recede, the world becomes homely and recognizable: there are shoes, a night light, a ceiling, and a candle.
The feelings of the lyrical hero are conveyed through the image of a candle, which carries the most important semantic load: the candle, as a symbol of hope and quiet happiness, continues to burn on the table, despite the pressure of the outside world, becoming a symbol of the quivering fire of love, warming and illuminating human life. It is no coincidence that the image of a burning candle is cross-cutting in the novel, runs through the entire work and reaches its culmination in the poem by Yuri Zhivago.
Iambic tetrameter and the alternation of male (first and third lines) and female (second and fourth lines) rhymes with cross rhyme convey a strong emotional coloring of the poem. Interruption of rhythm - shortened second and fourth lines - give the work dynamism and expression.
The poem is full of various means of expression . metaphors (the heat of temptation, tears from a night light), personifications (shadows flew in, a snowstorm sculpted on the table), epithets (illuminated ceiling, snowy, gray haze), refrain (“The candle was burning on the table. The candle was burning.”). The poet introduces repetitions (“chalk, chalk…”) and inversion (the candle burned, flakes flew, shadows fell) into “Winter Night.” The alliteration of the sounds “m”, “l”, “s”, “v” and the assonance help to feel the images of the poem .
In one of Pasternak’s most heartfelt poems, man and the Universe, a moment and eternity, merged together, causing the candle flame to burn as a symbol of life and hope.
Genre, direction, size
The poem “Winter Night” is a philosophical lyric. Boris Leonidovich writes about eternal values, about love, intertwining his thoughts with images of nature, which he admired and was constantly inspired by.
It can be assumed that the poem “Winter Night” was written impressionistically. Impressionism is a blurry, unclear picture that reflects the impression of something. Impressionism is distinguished by a long “aftertaste” that fills all thoughts after reading, as if the author’s thoughts, not reflected on sheets of paper, continue in the reader’s imagination, becoming even more blurred.
The meter of the poem “Winter Night” is an alternation of iambic tetrameter and iambic bimeter, which adds a certain musicality to the work. Cross rhyme with alternating male and female rhymes.
Composition
The poem “Winter Night” consists of 8 stanzas. The composition is circular, the first and last quatrains are repeated. “Winter Night” is built on an antithesis, an interweaving of a picture of a cold winter night and hot passion, symbolized by a burning candle.
The poem “Winter Night” can be divided into 4 semantic parts.
- Part 1 – the first three quatrains. In them, the poet writes about a blizzard that swept “all over the earth to all its limits,” which “sculpted circles and arrows on the glass.” Already in this part, the author compares cold and heat, comparing snow flakes with a swarm of midges that flies towards the flame.
- Part 2 – the “hot” part. In the next two quatrains the author describes two lovers. But the poet writes about them carefully, implicitly, drawing attention to their shadows cast on the ceiling.
- The 3rd part is generalizing, connecting. In the next two stanzas, the poet combines what he wrote about in the two previous parts, creating a fuzzy image of what is happening.
- The 4th part is the last stanza, which returns the reader to the first quatrain, closing the composition.
Images and symbols
The lyrical hero of the poem “Winter Night” is Yuri Zhivago, the main character of the novel “Doctor Zhivago”, a person who has a keen sense of life, for whom historical events are less significant and interesting than the spiritual world. Many believe that the image of Yuri Zhivago is as close as possible to the image of Pasternak himself, that is, the poet himself, Boris Leonidovich, can be considered a lyrical hero.
The central image of the poem “Winter Night” is a candle. A candle is a symbol of life, light, warmth, and also protection.
“The candle was burning on the table, the candle was burning.”
This refrain is repeated four times in the work. The poem begins with a candle, it ends with a candle, the author constantly concentrates the reader’s attention on the candle, “interrupting” it either with the cold image of winter, a prickly blizzard, or with the image of love, passion, represented in the work by the shadows of crossed arms, legs, as well as falling shoes and dripping wax.
Winter in the poem “Winter Night” is a kind of figurative definition of enemy force, perhaps an image of the Soviet government, the new system, which “swept into all directions,” “flew... to the window frame,” “sculpted... circles and arrows.” The line “it was raining all month in February” does not seem accidental, since February is a “revolutionary month”, the time of the overthrow of the tsar and the creation of a new system that disrupted peaceful life. February is the frostiest month, which also does not contradict the constructed image.
The antagonist of “winter” is a love scene seen by Yuri Zhivago through the window. The shadow theater on the ceiling, which appeared due to the burning night lamp, shows the intertwining of the arms and legs of lovers. The poet uses the word “crossing,” derived from the word “cross,” which denotes the significance of what is happening, naturalness and, most importantly, sublimity. The penultimate stanza of the poem confirms this assumption:
“The candle was blown from the corner, And the heat of temptation Raised, like an angel, two wings in a cross shape.”
The candle in the poem is also a symbol of love, which illuminates and warms with its quiet but bright flame.
“Winter Night”: analysis. Pasternak's poem "Winter Night"
Interesting features of the works are revealed by their analysis. Pasternak's poem "Winter Night" is distinguished by its great depth of meaning. You will be convinced of this by reading this article. The author's photo is presented below.
Winter night. What appeared in your mind's eye when you said these words? Perhaps peace and quiet, a full moon, cozy, light snow and a scattering of stars across the black sky? Or perhaps you imagined a blizzard outside the window, a dance of nature spirits, a whirlwind of snow flakes and the only quiet haven in this place - a house with a candle burning on the table.
Time of creation of the work
Pasternak's poem "Winter Night" was written in 1946. The war ended quite recently. It would seem that nothing threatens the resulting calm. However, the storms of global upheaval have not yet subsided and, perhaps, will never subside. Where to look for salvation? What can help a person not to get lost in the whirlpool of passions, to preserve his fragile inner peace? Boris Pasternak gives the answer in this work: the home is an abode of peace and hope. However, this answer is ambiguous, as our analysis shows. Pasternak's poem "Winter Night" is much more complex. To prove this, let's look at it in more detail.
Taking the antithesis
Let's return to the poem that interests us and try to understand what the author wanted to tell the reader, what thoughts Pasternak expressed in an orderly series of rhyming lines. This work is a poem of doubt, flight, departure. It is no coincidence that it is built entirely on the device of antithesis (contrast). From stanza to stanza, the refrain follows the repeated words “the candle was burning. ". As you know, a candle is a symbol of hope, purity, solitude, and quiet happiness. This light, which is the center of the Universe for the lyrical hero, is easy to extinguish. One light breath is enough for this. And now the “heat of temptation” raises “crosswise” “two wings”, like an angel.
Fire, heat is a symbol of passions and emotions. However, this is the “heat of temptation.” But the fire of a candle is the torch of a solitary, quiet life. The author depicted in the work one element in two forms, diametrically opposed. However, the basis of the work is still the antithesis of ice and fire. This is confirmed by his further analysis.
Pasternak’s poem “Winter Night” in the first stanza has the following contrast: “chalk all over the earth” and “the candle was burning.” The first two lines of the poem plunge us into winter, a blizzard, and a swarm of snow flakes. The cold element is the queen of “the whole earth,” the whole world, to which everything is subordinated. And only a lonely candle bravely confronts this snow queen, who is furious and outraged by this.
Who won?
The work is reminiscent of Pushkin’s “Demons” in the confrontation between the struggle of the spirits of existence and nature, the incessant wild dance and candles, symbolizing the lonely human soul. However, this is a completely different result. If Pushkin’s demons, depicted in the image of the elements, break the resistance of a lost traveler by overturning his cart, then here a beacon of hope, a small light cannot completely defeat external forces. The last stanza is a repetition of the first: “it was snowy all month” and “the candle burned.”
The main idea of the work
Let's continue our analysis. Pasternak's poem "Winter Night" is characterized by the fact that the last two lines of these stanzas coincide, but not the first. Note that in the first stanza there is no sense of time - action merges with infinity. This is emphasized by the repetition of the word “melo”. The poem “Winter Night” begins with the next line: “It’s shallow, it’s shallow all over the earth. ". Analyzing it, we note that in the last stanza, unlike the first, clear time boundaries are set (“in February”). In addition, the word “chalk” is no longer repeated. This means that the winter storm is not endless, it has an end.
“The candle was burning” as the final line affirms the victory of hope and life. This struggle, sometimes unjustified, everyday, ends with the victory of a pure source of light, which bravely defended the right to life. The main idea of the work is precisely the confrontation with various life storms of both the internal and external world. The ring composition, as well as the emotional coloring of the poem, serve to reveal it. If you look closely at the work and listen to the sound of the words, you can understand that it is very colorful and bright.
Poetic meter of “Winter Night”, its features
Pasternak’s poem “Winter Night” is written in “ancient, antediluvian” (Khodasevich’s words) iambic, reflecting most of all a strong emotional coloring. What's wrong with this, it would seem? Iambic tetrameter, traditional. But pay attention to the 2nd and 4th lines of each stanza. You can notice that they are shortened - only 2 feet. In the 1st and 3rd lines, moreover, a masculine rhyme is used, and in the 2nd and 4th, a feminine one.
Of course, this is not accidental. The colors in the poet’s palette, which add brightness to the emotional mood of the work, are the techniques used. The lines were shortened and the antithesis of ice and fire was highlighted. She becomes noticeable and attracts attention.
Alliteration technique
However, there is no rudeness or cruelty here. This is facilitated by the use of alliteration (repetition of “e”, “l”). This technique gives lightness and sonority to the blizzard. We hear the crystal clinking of ice floes, but at the same time we feel lifeless. This also plays on antithesis - a device that makes Pasternak’s poem “Winter Night” so expressive.
Analysis of the description of the external world
Antithesis is also used in the description of the external world, which is colorless, cruel, and fussy. “Everything was lost” in the snowy darkness. In this world it is easy to disappear, to disappear. He will easily absorb everything unusual and alien to him. And when describing a world in which a candle reigns, the author uses words denoting homely, simple things - these are “two shoes”, “ceiling”, “tears”, “wax”, “dress”, “night light”, etc. Here cozy and nice, but even here echoes of another world can still be heard, there is a place for doubt and struggle.
The inner world of the lyrical hero
The external world of this poem is thus quite clearly outlined. If you analyze the nouns used in the work, they almost all relate to its description. On the contrary, it is quite difficult to imagine the inner world of the lyrical hero of this work. Almost nothing is said about it, it is given only in separate strokes. The reader can only guess about the feelings possessing the lyrical hero. The analysis of B. L. Pasternak’s poem “Winter Night” presented in this article will help you with this. Penetration into the spiritual world of the lyrical hero makes us reflect and think. Like any other lyrical work of Boris Pasternak, “Winter Night” is characterized by powerful philosophical potential.
"The Heat of Temptation"
“The heat of temptation”, doubts took possession of the soul of the lyrical hero. This heat is insidious, which for some reason is compared to an angel. Temptation, as you know, is the prerogative of Satan, and an angel is a symbol of purity and purity. Again, vice is assigned a symbol of purity - the word “cruciform”. This is an indicator of the confusion of the soul of the lyrical hero, who cannot understand where is good and where is evil. The only guideline, the only straw for him is the symbolic “candle”, which serves as a bastion of hope and faith. It depends on the hero himself whether it will go out or shine. It is precisely this thought that Pasternak’s poem “Winter Night” ultimately suggests.
Let’s finish our analysis here, since we have described the main features of the work. We hope this information was useful to you. It is possible to describe the poem “Winter Night” by Pasternak for a very long time and in detail. A full analysis of it reveals some other features. However, we have noted the most important thing and invite the reader to reflect on the work for himself.
Topics, problems, mood
As in other lyrical works of Boris Leonidovich, here there is an interweaving of three “eternal” themes: love, nature, creativity. This time the shamrock is turned towards the reader with “love”.
The battle of good and evil, a person’s confrontation with various adversities, all-conquering love are the main themes of the work “Winter Night”, reflecting the main events occurring in the poem.
The problem raised by the poet in the poem “Winter Night” can be considered the “immodesty” of the authorities, the resulting chaos, the “curiosity” of the new Soviet system, which is not ashamed to “spy” on people, confuse, oppress them.
Without giving such great importance to winter in the work, one can discern in it an axiom, which is the leitmotif of all the poet’s love lyrics: “Love is the purest of all that the Universe knows...”.
The mood of the poem “Winter Night” is very cozy, filled with hope and love.
main idea
“The candle was burning on the table, the candle was burning.”
This constant image, this constant of the poem reflects the meaning of the poem “Winter Night”. It reflects that eternal thing that always supports us.
A small, courageous light, boldly “looking” into the face of a huge storm, blizzards, gives us an example of perseverance, dedication, and courage. It is a symbol of love that has supported and supports each of us, warming us from the inside. This is the main idea of the poem “Winter Night”.
Analysis of the poem by B.L. Pasternak “Winter Night”
The poem “Winter Night” (1946) is based on the technique of antithesis, that is, on the opposition of fire (candles) and cold (winter, blizzard). The couplet follows as a refrain from stanza to stanza: “The candle was burning on the table, / The candle was burning.” A candle is a symbol of hope, quiet happiness, solitude and purity. This light, which is for the lyrical hero the center of the Universe, the center of his world.
The first lines of the poem immerse the reader in the winter world, where snow flakes and blizzards reign supreme:
Chalk, chalk all over the earth
The candle opposes the boundless, cold, snowy space:
The candle was burning on the table,
The main idea of the work is to confront the storms of life in the outside world. Both the ring composition of “Winter Night” and the emotional coloring of the work serve to reveal it. The outside world is described in the poem as bustling, chaotic, cruel and colorless. It’s easy to get lost in it, to disappear. And the part of the world where the candle reigns is described completely differently. To describe it, the author uses words denoting simple, homely things - “ceiling”, “two shoes”, “wax”, “tears”, “night light”, “dress” and so on.
The confrontation between the two central images is resolved in the last stanza of the poem, which inaccurately repeats the first. It is no coincidence that in the final lines the image of a candle appears, which affirms the victory of life and hope.
