Sharypkin. Finn's confession in the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila".

FINN'S CONFESSION IN THE POEM "RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA"

Researchers who studied the literary and folklore origins of “Ruslan and Lyudmila” have not yet managed to sufficiently explain convincingly that part of the poem (song one), in which the prophetic old man Finn tells Ruslan the story of his life. P. A. Pletnev, the author of an article on the Finnish theme in Russian poetry, wrote to J. K. Groth (February 24, 1841): “Of course, this is not a description of Finland, not a folk legend, not a scientific opinion: this is a whim, youthful fun imagination, but borrowed

from dark, ancient stories..." Pletnev did not specify whose stories these were. M. Khalansky suggested that “Ruslan’s meeting with the virtuous wizard, the old man Finn, who lives in a cave, most closely resembles the meeting of Alyosha Popovich with the old wizard, depicted by N. Radishchev in his poem “Alyosha Popovich” canto 2 (ed. 1801, pp. 44-49)...". But the cave is an obligatory attribute of the Ossianic landscape, and in the said poem by N. Radishchev there are no plot and phraseological correspondences to Finn’s story. V. Sipovsky admitted: “Until now, I have not been able to find anything similar to the episode of Finn and Naina in the literature preceding Pushkin, Russian and foreign, - meanwhile, the borrowing of this inserted story is immediately felt.”

It has been established that Finn's confession contains echoes of the "Song of Harald the Bold" - a medieval Icelandic skaldic poem placed (in a French translation) in the book by Paul-Henri Malle "Monuments of the poetry and mythology of the Celts, in particular the ancient Scandinavians." The compositional element common to the “Song of Harald” and to Finn’s confession is pointed out. Each verse of the skaldic poem “ends with the refrain:

The maiden who lives in Gard, adorned with gold rings, rejects me.

The chorus - this external connection with the “Song of Harald” - is easy here (in “Ruslan and Lyudmila” - D. Sh

.) catches the eye. Pushkin put it into Naina’s mouth:

Shepherd, I don’t love you, Hero, I don’t love you.”

“The Song of Harald the Bold” was translated by N. Lvov and Bogdanovich, Karamzin and Batyushkov. Therefore, the opinion was expressed that “soon after Karamzin and Batyushkov, under the fresh impression of their translations, Pushkin noted Harald’s song with his attention in “Ruslan and Lyudmila.” <…> He slightly parodied it in Finn's story about his glorious exploits and love failure. <…> Finn’s autobiography corresponds to Harald’s autobiography, and in its poetic presentation, Pushkin echoes both the language of Karamzin’s prose and individual sparkles of Batyushkov’s poetic translation.” Karamzin and Batyushkov meant a lot to Pushkin, the author of “Ruslan and Lyudmila,” but the connection between the Old Scandinavian ballad and the Ossianic-style story of the prophetic old man is not too great.

The publication of a sketch of a previously unknown poem by K. F. Ryleev “from Scandinavian life about the knight Olbrovna and the beautiful Rusla” sheds additional light on the question of the literary source of Finn’s confession. This sketch, made after the publication of “Ruslan and Lyudmila,” is, according to Yu. G. Oksman, “a clear imitation of the characteristic details of the style and composition of Pushkin’s youthful poem”; Moreover: “the first sixteen lines of this passage by Ryleev evoke Finn’s story about his struggle for Naina in the first song of Ruslan and Lyudmila.”

Ryleev:

On the far shores of a foreign land He slaughtered foreign troops for nine months and stained their green plains with innocent blood. The inconstancy of stormy moisture, the threatening depths of the seas, did not cool his courage. Alien rulers gave us feasts in castles on the mountain, bore gifts with humility, offered their services and, trembling with shameful bonds, bought both our friendship and alliance with a shameful tribute.

Pushkin:

We have been ten years of snow and waves Crimson with the blood of enemies. Rumor spread: the kings of a foreign land were afraid of my audacity, Their proud squads fled the northern swords. We fought cheerfully, we fought menacingly, shared tributes and gifts, and sat down with the vanquished at friendly feasts.

Further, the differences between the poetic texts of Pushkin and Ryleev are very significant. Pushkin is laconic, Ryleev is verbose. Ryleev's text, compared to Pushkin's, is filled with a large number of details omitted by Pushkin. But, as Yu. G. Oksman noted, “both thematically, rhythmically, metrically, and lexically and phraseologically, these sketches do not yet go beyond the student’s variations, made as if on the margins of “Ruslan and Lyudmila.” The beginning of the story about Rusla and Olbrovna resembles the beginning of Finn's confession.

Ryleev:

Once, under an oak fire, sitting on a blackened stump, sometimes in the evening twilight, thoughtfully bowing his head, “O king of singers! - he said to me, - Why such a long silence? Almost, almost in fascination

You don’t bring, young skald, the soul of a yearning friend And in your living story You won’t tell us the hoary legends of antiquity in your leisure time? The dear country of Olbrovna is full of his fatherland, but Isnel does not know who he was...

Pushkin:

Ruslan lies down on the soft moss Before the dying fire; He seeks to fall asleep, Sighs, slowly turns around... In vain! The Knight finally: “I can’t sleep, my father! What to do: I am sick at heart, And sleep is not a dream, how sickening it is to live. Let me refresh my heart with Your holy conversation. Forgive my impertinent question. Open up: who are you, blessed one, Fate’s incomprehensible confidant? Who brought you to the desert?

Pushkin’s Finn tells about himself, and Ryleev’s “king of singers” talks about the knight Olbrovna. And yet, both poets, in similar terms and in the same sequence, speak about the similar fate of their heroes. Both Olbrown and Finn, young shepherds, happily indulged in the innocent amusements of “wild poverty”; both Ryleev and Pushkin recall with elegiac sadness this wonderful time in the lives of their heroes.

Ryleev:

Under a stone (sim) was my answer! - This brave knight rests with the tender friend of his youth! The oak groves of Scania thundered with rumors of his deeds: Having boiled with a brave soul, Fifteen times the mighty Olbrovn overthrew the fierce Bears with His strong hand And tamed their ferocity Before the trembling crowd. Fifteen times his arrow, the daring eagle's lad, suddenly cut off life, And from the foggy clouds, With the joyful shouts of the shooters, plunged into the green valley.

Pushkin:

Sighing with a sad smile, the Old Man replied: “Dear son, I have already forgotten the distant homeland, the gloomy land. A natural Finn, In the valleys known to us alone, Chasing the herd of the surrounding villages, In my carefree youth I knew Some dense oak groves, Streams, caves of our rocks and wild poverty fun...

Here the idyll of serene youth is interrupted. Both Olbrown and Finn experience the sweet but cruel torments of first love. They meet their lovers, Rusla and Naina, respectively, who are destined to play a fatal role in their fate. Both of them, Olbrown and Finn, are trying to achieve the love of beautiful girls.

Ryleev:

One day He met the beautiful Rusla in the wilderness; He looked - and the fire of passionate love replaced the souls with freedom... Since then, every day, at dawn, From the dark depths of the forests, With the loud barking of gray dogs, Before the young beauty, To gain her love, He appeared with a wild goat Or with the skins of wolves. Stern and proud to this day, - So finally he said to her: “I spent lonely days in the desert, Like an orphan. The loves of languor are pleasant, And the bliss of the feelings of the young Olbrovna’s soul were incomprehensible... O Rusla, my beautiful friend, You poured an ardent flame from the lovely eyes into my soul, You turned a stone into my heart, You made me feel, You resurrected my youth...

Pushkin:

Then, near our village, like a sweet flower of solitude, Naina lived. Between her friends She thundered with beauty. One morning I drove My flocks into a dark meadow, blowing the bagpipes; There was a stream in front of me. One young beauty was weaving a wreath on the shore. I was attracted by my destiny... Ah, knight, it was Naina! I came to her - and the fatal flame was my reward for the daring gaze, And I recognized love with my soul With its heavenly joy, With its painful melancholy.

However, Ryleev’s sketch is not an original composition, written specifically in imitation of Pushkin’s, not a poem “from Scandinavian life,” but a translation of an inserted excerpt from the first song of the poem “Isnel and Aslega” by Evariste-Désiré Parni. True, the Russian poet increased the number of stanzas compared to the French original, introduced epithets and metaphors that were not in the original; and yet this is a poetic translation from Parni, in places literal (cf. pp. 32-34):

Pendant neuf mois sur des rives lointaines Il promena son glaive destructeur;

De l'Océan les orageuses plaines Ne firent point reculer sa valeur. Les rois tremblans l'invitaient à des fêtes, Et leurs trésors achetaient son oubli. De ses succès son cœur enorgueilli Se proposait de nouvelles conquêtes. Un soir assis près d'un chêne enflammé, Il me disait: “Ami de mon enfance, Roi de concerts, pourquoi ce long silence? Parle, retrace à mon esprit charmé Des temps passés les nobles aventures. Le nom d'Olbrown que tout bas tu murmures Pour mon oreille est encore nouveau..." - "A quelques pas s'elève son tombeau, Lui dis je; il dort aupres de son amie. Dans les forêtes qui couvrent la Scanie Par son adresse Olbrown était connu: Vingt fois de l'ours à ses pieds abattu Son bras nerveux sut dompter la furie; Frappé par lui d'un trait inattendu, Vingt fois des cieux l'aigle tomba sans vie. Dans l'âge heureux d'aimer et d'être aimé, Aus doux désirs son cœur long-temps fermé De la beauté méconnaissait l'empire: Il voit Rusla, se détourne, et soupire. A ses genoux il portait chaque jour. D'un sanglier la hure menaçante, Et d'un chevreuil la dépouille sanglante. Il méritait, il obtint son amour. A mes regards tu seras toujours belle, Répète Olbrown; un sourire charmant Dit que Rusla sera toujours fidèle; Et pour sceller cette union nouvelle, Chaucun toucha la pierre du Serment, etc.

For nine months on foreign shores he slayed enemies with his sword; the stormy expanses of the ocean did not moderate his courage. The rulers, trembling, invited him to festivities and bought his indulgence with treasures. Proud of his successes, he dreamed of new campaigns. One evening, sitting by a burning oak tree, he said to me: “My childhood friend, the king of singers, what caused such a long silence? Speak, enchant my soul with the tale of the glorious deeds of days gone by. The name Olbrovna, which you constantly whisper, is completely unfamiliar to me.” “His grave is a few steps from here,” I told him, “he is there, next to his girlfriend. In the forests that cover Scania, he was famous for his agility: his mighty hand tamed the ferocity of fifteen bears that fell at his feet. Struck by his irresistible arrow, fifteen eagles fell from the sky lifeless. When he entered the happy time of love, his heart, which had not known sweet pleasures for so long, did not know the power of beauty: but then he sees Rusla, turns away, sighs.

Every day he laid the terrible head of a boar or the bloody carcass of a roe deer at her knees. He was worthy of love, and he achieved it. You will always captivate my gaze, Olbrovn repeats; With a charming smile, Rusla says that she will always remain faithful and in order to seal this new union, everyone has sworn to

sacred stone."

It follows that Ryleev wrote his passage in the margins not so much of “Ruslan and Lyudmila” as of “Isnel and Aslegi,” and this poem served as one of the main literary sources for Finn’s confession. It can be assumed that Ryleev, translating Parni, did not so much imitate Pushkin as compete with him in poetic fidelity to the spirit of the French original, classic for the pre-romanticists. If this is so, then Ryleev did not understand Pushkin’s plan: Pushkin did not imitate Guys, but overcame him.

Guys, the most famous poet of French pre-romanticism in Russia, “was considered in his time as a renovator of intimate lyricism,” and his elegies “were a kind of type that defined the general properties of the genre.” Russian reader of the first quarter of the 19th century. was well acquainted with the large lyric-epic poem by Guys “Isnel et Asléga”, written “in imitation of the Scandinavians” (Isnel et Asléga, poème en quatre chants, imité du Scandinaves, 1802; last version: 1808). The literary sources of this poem are Ossian and the skaldic poems known from Malle’s book, primarily “The Song of Harald the Bold”, as well as “The Mortal Song of Ragnar Lothbrok” (Aslega is the heroine of the “Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok”, retold by Malle). Excerpts from “Isnel and Aslegi” were translated by Batyushkov, Denis Davydov, Orest Somov, A. Krylov, A. Prozhin, V. I. Tumansky and many others. The very topic touched upon by Parni worried Russian poets, for whom the ancient North was not only a land of exoticism, but also the cradle of Russian history. Guys' imitators were attracted by the French poet's art of combining an epic plot with lyrical self-expression, a historical theme with revealing the world of intimate experiences, anacreontic moods with elegiac ones, erotic motifs with Ossianic landscape sketches, avoiding falsehood in the expression of tender feelings, and writing in a simple and noble poetic language.

For the young Pushkin, the poems of the Guys served as “the most significant and undoubted example”; the poet knew “Isnel and Aslega” well already at the Lyceum and subsequently “was captivated by the elegiac guys for a long time.” Parni's influence on Pushkin is felt in his Lyceum "imitations of Ossian." In the poem "Kolna" we read:

The source of swift Kalomona, Running to distant shores,

I see that your waves are indignant, like a muddy stream over the rocks, with the brilliance of the night stars, they sparkle through the dormant, deserted forest, they rustle and the roots water the trees woven into a dark roof. Kolna loved your mossy shore, When the shadow poured across the sky; You are mature when you are involuntary in love, Here Kolna gave herself to a friend.

Researchers took Pushkin at his word that this was indeed a complete imitation of Ossian. S. A. Vengerov wrote in his commentary to this poem: “A comparison of Pushkin’s imitation with the source of this imitation (i.e. with Ossian - D. Sh.) <...

> shows us that the young poet undoubtedly contributed a lot of individuality here <...> the military details are significantly reduced, and the love ones are just as significantly extended. Even details appeared, such as verses 11-12:

You are mature when you are involuntary in love, Here Kolna gave herself to a friend,

which are not at all in the original." The idea of S. A. Vengerov was developed by B. V. Tomashevsky, who argued that “a landscape that does not have an exact correspondence either in Ossian or in his French imitators <...> we find in “Kolna” of 1814. <…> We see that the entire landscape belongs to Pushkin, who gave it a characteristic flavor.”

But there cannot be an “exact correspondence” in a free poetic arrangement by a poet like Pushkin. A rather close correspondence to the quoted Pushkin lines is contained in that part of “Isnel and Aslegi”, which talks about the love of Olbrovn and Rusla:

La nuit descend; l'étoile pacifique S'assied au nord sur un lit de frimas. Prés d'un terrent qui roule avec fracas Ses flots bourbeux, s'élève un toit rustique; De vieux sapins le couvrent de leurs bras. C'est là qu'Olbrown a dirigé ses pas.

Night has fallen; the northern star sank onto an icy bed. A rural roof can be seen near the stream, which roars its muddy waters. Old pines shade it with their branches. This is where I sent my

Olbrown's feet

And then it tells how, “involuntarily in love,” Rusla gave herself to a friend:

Trois fois il frappe, et trois fois il écoute Si l'on répond à ses voeux empressés. <…> La porte cède à la main qui la touche.

De la pudeur il ménagea les droits. Rusla honteuse a voilé son visage; Elle rougit de ses premiers désirs, Elle rougit de ses premiers plaisirs, etc.

He knocks three times and listens three times to see if there is an answer to his prayers. ... The door gives way to a hand that lightly touches it. He spared the rights of modesty; Shyly, Rusla covered her face. The first desires and the first joys make her blush, etc.

And these poems by Guys S.A. Vengerov cited in his commentary to another Ossian poem by Pushkin - “Osgar”, as “especially closely matching, if not in content, then in the most characteristic details.” As for “Evleg”, then in relation to it “Ossian has absolutely nothing to do with it”: this is a translation of an excerpt from the fourth song of “Isnel and Aslegi”. Thus, one of the main literary sources of all Pushkin’s Ossianic poems was Parni’s poem “Isnel and Aslega”.

The image of Finn absorbed the features of all the heroes of the poem Guys: Isnel, Olbrovna, and Egil. Finn, unable to unite with his beloved, plans to leave his native shores, swim across the sea with his squad and “earn the right to love with the glory of war.”

And everything became wild and gloomy for me: My native bush, the shadow of the oak trees, The joyful games of the shepherds - Nothing consoled my melancholy. In despondency, the heart dried up and sluggishly. And finally I decided to leave the Finnish fields; To cross the faithless depths of the seas With a brotherly squad, And with the glory of war to earn the proud attention of Naina. I called brave fishermen to look for danger and gold. For the first time, the quiet land of our fathers Heard the swearing sound of damask steel and the noise of unpeaceful shuttles. I sailed into the distance, full of hope, with a crowd of fearless fellow countrymen...

A similar fate befalls Isnel, a poor shepherd who is not allowed to marry the chieftain's daughter Aslegu:

“Chère Asléga, fille de la beauté, Ton regard seul à mon coeur attristé Rend le bonheur; ta présance est ma vie: Mais ton amant sera-t-il ton époux? Malgré nos voeux, quel obstacle entre nous! Dans un palais où brille la richesse Ton heureux père élève ta jeunesse…

Du, mien, helas! je n'eus pour héritage Qu' un toit de chaume, un glaive, et son courage" <…> Isnel s'éloigne: autour de lui se range De ses guerriers la brillante phalange; Tous à grands cris appellent combats, Et leurs regards promettent le trépas. Leur jeune chef à leur tête se place, Et par ces mots enflamme leur audace: “Braves amis, nos pères ont vaincu; De leur acier l'éclair a disparu: Brillons comme eux au milieu du carnage. Leur front jamais n'a connu la pâleur; Jamais la mort n'étonna leur courage; Ils l'insutaient par un souris moqueur. <…> Marchons, amis; “Le brave doit me suivre.”

“Dear Aslega, maiden of beauty, only your gaze makes my sad heart happy; to be with you is to me to live: but will your lover become your husband? How many things hinder our desires! In a palace shining with luxury, your happy father cherished your youth... And I, alas, only inherited a thatched roof, a sword and my courage...” Isnel moves away: a brilliant phalanx of his comrades gathers around him; everyone rushes into battle with loud cries, and their gaze speaks of contempt for death. The young leader leads their ranks and ignites their enthusiasm with these words: “Friends, brave men, our fathers have won victories; but the lightning of their swords went out; like them, let us flash our swords in the thick of the battle. They never turned pale with fear, the horror of death never deprived them of courage; they despised death with a mocking smile... Forward, friends; He who is brave will follow me.”

On campaigns, Finn's heart, “full of Naina,”

Under the noise of battle and feasts, It languished in secret torment, Searched for the Finnish shores. It's time to go home, I said, friends! Let's hang idle chain mail in the shadow of our native hut. He said - and the oars rustled: And, leaving fear behind us, We flew into the bay of our homeland with proud joy.

The same thing happens to Isnel after he listened to the story of the skald Egil about Rusla and Olbrovna:

Isnel écoute, et son ame se trouble; A chaque mot sa tristesse redouble;

Mille pensers tourmentaient son esprit. <…> Le lendemain il dit à ses héros: “Amis, la gloire a suivi nos drapeaux, Et nos succès passent notre espérance: Arrêtons-nous, et que notre imprudence Ne risque point le fruit de nos travaux.” Avec transport les guerriers obéissent Au champ natal ils rettournent joyeux: Et, déposant l'acier victorieux, Devant l'amour leurs courages fléchissent.

Isnel listens, and his soul is seized with anxiety; with every word his sadness increases; many thoughts torment his mind... The next day he says to his heroes: “Friends, our banners are overshadowed with glory, and we have succeeded beyond all expectations; Let’s stop, let’s not recklessly risk the fruits of our victories.” The warriors obeyed with delight, joyfully returned to their native fields, and, having removed their victorious armor, forgot about military courage for the sake of love.

S. A. Vengerov wrote, commenting on Pushkin’s “Osgar”: “...the Belle Rusla guy <...> has an example of <...> fidelity, with Pushkin everything is based on betrayal and revenge.” Indeed, both Aslega and Rusla are virtuous, and Naina is the embodiment of narcissism and deceit. But Guys also has a heroine, Aïna, about whom the main narrator, Egil, unlucky in love, sighs in vain. Finn ends his confession with a bitter lament:

Why tell, my son, What is there no strength to retell? Ah, and now alone, alone, Asleep in my soul, at the door of the grave, I remember grief, and sometimes, As if a thought was born about the past, A heavy tear rolls down my gray beard.

Egil's lament frames the entire first canto of the poem:

Braves guerriers, qui poursuivez la gloire, Pourquoi d'Egill troubler le long repos, Et l'inviter à des hymnes nouveaux? Des temps passés le scalde est la mémoire; Mais tous les ans je succombe, et ma voix resemble au vent qui survit à l'orage; Son souffle à peine incline le feuillage, Et son murmure expire au fond des bois. <…> Chère Aïna, des belles la plus belle, A mes regrets je suis encore fidèle, Et ton image est toujours dans mon coeur.

Brave warriors seeking glory, why disturb Egil’s long-standing peace and ask him to sing new hymns? Time has been kind to the skald's memory; but the years have gradually broken me, and my voice is like a breeze that has survived the storm; his breath barely shakes the leaves, and his whisper fades away in the thicket of the forests. ... Dear Aina, beauty of beauties, I am still

true to my sadness, and your image is always in my heart

Isn't this where the name of Pushkin's heroine comes from - Naina?

Of course, Pushkin did not imitate Parni, but freely varied the theme he had given. According to P. Morozov, Pushkin’s “attitude towards the French poet was quite free: Pushkin was not born a copyist, accurate translation was not akin to his nature...”. He “grabbed only the general, guiding motive of the alien original and then gave it a unique treatment.” In the 1820s, the attitude of the Russian reader towards Parni changed dramatically: against the backdrop of the successes of Russian literature, after meeting Byron and Walter Scott, the poem “Isnel and Aslega” as a whole could not help but seem pseudo-historical, overly sensitive, and conventionally abstract to Russian romantics by content; it produced “an indefinite impression, which is always obtained when dissimilar styles are mixed in one work.” While reserving for himself the “tender” lyrical Guys, Pushkin rejected the false-epic Guys; this is stated in the fifth song of “Ruslan and Lyudmila”:

I am not Homer: in lofty verses He can sing alone The dinners of Greek squads, And the ringing and foam of deep cups. Dearest, in the footsteps of the Guys, I should glorify with a careless lyre And nakedness in the shadow of the night, And the kiss of tender love.

The glorification of knightly adventures, love encounters at a spring, a starry night, the elegiac sighs of an epic old man are “common places” of pre-romantic poetry; but in Guys these commonplaces received a crystallized, generalized, typical expression; they seemed ripe for ironic parody and their subsequent overcoming. This is what Pushkin did in the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”.

D. Sharypkin

Style and character of the poem

Having amazed his contemporaries (not everyone reacted to it with unambiguous enthusiasm; the noise of critics did not subside until 1830), the poem still delights with its wealth of imagination and light content. The pictures that appear before the reader are bright and full of liveliness and brilliance. This is a description of the wedding feast at Prince Vladimir, depicting the customs of ancient Rus', and the tragic murder of the sleeping Ruslan, and the death of a living head. The fight between the Kievites and Ruslan in the sixth song is magnificent. Using the poetic achievements of his predecessors (Zhukovsky, Dmitriev and Batyushkov), the author began the fusion of various language styles, creating a new literary language.

This article will reveal the images of Finn and Naina and characterize Lyudmila from the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”.