Fine expressive means for rulers and judges. Analysis of the poem “To Rulers and Judges” by Derzhavin
Theme of the poem: injustice, inaction of kings, appeal to God for justice. Images: the lyrical hero is a restless, worried person fighting for justice.
History of creation. The poem was written in 1780, but was not allowed for publication by censorship, in 1788 it was published in the magazine “Zerkalo”, in 1795 Derzhavin included the work in a handwritten collection presented to Catherine I, after which he met extreme coldness in the palace.
A stanza is a quatrain, there are 7 stanzas in total. Thematically, the verse can be divided into 3 parts. The first 3 stanzas are a reminder to kings of their responsibilities to the people; Stanza 4 is the sad result of these admonitions: representatives of the authorities and the law did not live up to expectations, turned out to be blind and deaf to the pleas of the people (“They don’t listen! They see - and they don’t know!
Covered with bribes of tow..."); Verses 5-7 - a demand for the punishment of the guilty, an indication that all people are mortal and will appear before God's judgment, but God's judgment seems distant, and the author in the 7th stanza begs God to punish the guilty during their lifetime: (“Come, judge, punish the evil ones").
The work is distinguished by its brevity and conciseness. Ode and satire merge in it.
The intonation of the poem is passionate, excited, it is replete with rhetorical questions and exclamations (“How long, rivers, how long will you have mercy on the unjust and evil?”, “And you will fall like that, Like a withered leaf falling from the tree! And you will die like that, Like your last slave will die! Rise, O God! God of the righteous! ") - to convey the emotional state of the hero.
The “angry ode”, born from the pen of Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin, shocked Russia at the end of the 18th century. Gabriel Romanovich, who had extensive experience in serving the state in high ranks, was so struck by lawlessness and injustice that he poured out all his indignation in an ode to “Rulers and Judges.” This work received a huge public response and shook the author’s stable position.
This was probably due to the fact that France was then shaken by revolutionary slogans, which were based on the paraphrased Psalm 81.
The main theme of the poem
The first version of the ode was called "Psalm 81". This is due to the fact that this psalm, written by King David, served as the basis for the work.
Derzhavin addresses his poem to officials, calling them “earthly gods.” He asks them how long this lawlessness will continue. He threatens them with punishment from higher powers. He is trying to convey to them that there is no significant difference between them and other people. All are mortal and all are equal before the Lord. Derzhavin calls for following the same laws of justice for everyone.
The semantic content of the ode can be divided into two parts. In the first, Gabriel Romanovich explains what exactly those in power should do. He explains their role and responsibilities to the common people. The second part is accusatory in nature. In it, the author points out the indifference and corruption of power. He prophesies a higher court for the guilty, where their bribes will not solve anything. Derzhavin does not take on the role of Judge, he only reminds the “blind” of His supreme justice.
His appeal is similar to both harsh reprimand of disobedient children and the powerless cry of a loving father at the same time. His angry lines embarrassed not only those around him, but also the empress, who was quite favorable towards the poet. Even Catherine saw revolutionary motives in the ode, which the author did not even think of putting into it.
Structural analysis of the poem
Derzhavin was an innovative poet of his time. "To Rulers and Judges" was written in a manner typical of him, but very progressive for that era. The author himself calls his work an angry ode. But it would be more accurate to call it a spiritual ode, since it is based on one of the main religious treatises - the Psalter. In addition, Gavriil Romanovich uses exclamations and vocabulary typical of this style. Particular solemnity is given to the work not only by the use of Slavicisms, but also by frequent appeals, rhetorical questions and exclamations. Anaphors and syntactic repetitions make the text of the poem more intense.
The poet creates vivid images of the victims of his exposure - officials who are corrupt and blind to the troubles of the people. The work has a special sound that attracts the listener's attention from the first lines. It is simply impossible to recite it quietly and unemotionally. The special system itself brings the speaker to the desired level of expression.
Conclusion
Derzhavin, who so vehemently accused officials, sincerely believed in the integrity of the Empress. He believed that the august person was surrounded by deceitful flatterers and Catherine simply did not know the real state of affairs.
It’s sad to realize that the work written by Derzhavin almost three centuries ago is still relevant today. The ode, which caused a lot of anger and gossip, unfortunately, did not change the situation in any way.
G.R. Derzhavin. "To Rulers and Judges"
History of creation
From 1786 to 1788 Derzhavin served as governor of the Tambov province. As in other services, here he was active and tried to change a lot in the existing order of the region. But he soon realizes that local nobles are hindering his transformation, and the ideals of education, duty and justice arouse open hostility from officials. He sees how the law is violated in high government positions, and the violators do not receive any punishment. He tries to restore order, but does not find like-minded people. It was at this time, in 1787, that he wrote the civil ode “To Rulers and Judges.”
As the basis for this work, Derzhavin took a previously written poem on a biblical theme, which was called “Psalm 81.”
Psalm - This biblical song addressed to god. The author of such songs is considered to be the Old Testament King David.
Derzhavin translated the ancient work into modern language, filled it with accusatory content and gave the poem a new title: “To Rulers and Judges.”
Main themes and ideas of the poem
Based on the biblical text, the author talks about the modern life of the Russian state. In his native country, laws are violated with impunity, the weak are oppressed, untruth and evil triumph, and there is nowhere to look for justice. We can only trust in God, only he can restore order in the country. And if the Lord asks the rulers how they carry out the laws established by them?
The Almighty God has risen and judges
Earthly gods in their host;
How long, river, how long will you be
Spare the unrighteous and evil?
Your duty is: to protect the laws,
Don't look at the faces of the strong,
No help, no defense
Do not leave orphans and widows.
Your duty: to save the innocent from harm,
Give cover to the unlucky;
To protect the powerless from the strong,
Free the poor from their shackles.
They won't listen! They see - but they don’t know!
Covered with bribes of tow:
Atrocities shake the earth,
Untruth shakes the skies.
The poet angrily denounces the “unrighteous and evil.” The author reminds them that people endowed with power still remain people, and not omnipotent gods. Therefore, they should remember the highest punishment, how easily they violated the law of justice established by God himself. This is the main idea of the poem.
And you will fall like this.
Like a withered leaf falling from the tree!
And you will die like this,
How your last slave will die!
Of course, this work was perceived as a revolutionary proclamation. Indeed, in the last quatrain the poet calls for justice against the unjust government.
Resurrect, God! God of the right!
And they heeded their prayer:
Come, judge, punish the evil ones
And be one king of the earth!
The artistic originality of the poem
On the one hand, this the work can be classified as a spiritual ode, because it is based on the biblical text. The vocabulary and images of the poem indeed resemble a psalm, for example, the following words are used: in a host; they don’t listen; covered with bribes of tow; listen to their prayer. Author includes rhetorical exclamations, questions, appeals:“How long will you have mercy on the unjust and evil?”; “Kings! I thought you gods were powerful..."; “Rise up God! Good God! Thanks to such techniques an oratorical sound is created that convinces readers that the poet is right.
On the other hand, this poem is aimed at awakening the reader’s consciousness, arousing a desire to correct vices, it is a kind of warning, instruction from the “rulers”.
What is the meaning of this ode? Of course, Derzhavin was not a revolutionary, he was a monarchist, and his poem did not intend to cause a rebellion in society. But the lack of justice in the country greatly outraged him. In the future, a similar theme will appear in the works of Pushkin, Lermontov and other poets.
Derzhavin in this ode acts as an innovator: he combines Old Slavonic vocabulary with commonly used words, speaks about power from the point of view of universal, moral ideals. The poet does not glorify the ruler, as should be the case in an ode to classicism, but exposes the vices of kings and nobles.
History of creation. Derzhavin's unusually courageous, decisive and independent character was evident in everything, including in his poetic work. One of his poems almost caused expulsion and disgrace. It was an ode to “Lords and Judges” written in 1787, which the author called an “angry ode.”
Service in high government positions, including work as a governor, convinced Derzhavin that laws were constantly being broken in the Russian Empire. His fight against this phenomenon as a high-ranking civil servant was unsuccessful: he did not find support either in society or in the government. Lawbreakers successfully avoided deserved punishment. But at the same time, the poet firmly believed that Catherine herself was a virtuous monarch, surrounded by evil dignitaries. Indignation and anger needed an outlet. And then the poet decided to write an arrangement of the 81st Psalm - this is how biblical hymns addressed to God were called in ancient times. Their author is the Old Testament king David, whose writings make up one of the most poetic books of the Old Testament - the Psalter.
The theme of this psalm turned out to be in tune with the spirit of the times. It is no coincidence that this 81st psalm was paraphrased by the Jacobins during the French Revolution in Paris, and the people sang it in the streets of the city, expressing indignation at King Louis XVI, who was subsequently executed.
Derzhavin made the first version of his transcription of Psalm 81 several years before its publication. He gave the poem to the St. Petersburg Bulletin. But the publishers, “frightened”, cut it out of the magazine’s already printed book. In the new version, written five years later, the poet even strengthened the accusatory pathos of the poem. He managed to achieve its publication. Moreover, he removed the previous title - “Psalm 81” - and published work under its title “To Rulers and Judges”.
Main themes and ideas. The content of Derzhavin’s ode, based on a biblical text, is connected with the poet’s contemporary life in the Russian state. It is here that he sees the violation of justice, the violation of laws, the oppression of the weak, the triumph of untruth and evil, the analogy of which he finds in the Old Testament history:
How long, rivers, how long will you be
Spare the unrighteous and evil?
The need to subordinate everyone to the single law of supreme truth and justice is affirmed by Derzhavin in this poem, as in many others;
Your duty is: to protect the laws,
Don't look at the faces of the strong,
Do not leave orphans and widows without help, without defense.
Your duty: to save the innocent from harm, to provide cover to the unfortunate;
To protect the powerless from the strong,
Free the poor from their shackles.
But in real life, he sees the evasion of this supreme law by those in power, who must first of all monitor compliance with the laws:
They won't listen! They see - but they don’t know!
Covered with bribes of tow:
Atrocities shake the earth,
Untruth shakes the skies.
That is why the voice of the poet-accuser of the “unrighteous and evil” sounds so angry. He asserts the inevitability of punishment for those “evil” rulers who do not obey the highest law of truth and justice - this is the main idea and main idea of Derzhavin’s ode:
And you will fall like this.
Like a withered leaf falling from the tree!
And you will die like this,
How your last slave will die!
It is not surprising that the ode to “Rulers and Judges” was perceived not only by the court circle, but even by the empress, who was usually favorable to Derzhavin, as a revolutionary proclamation. After all, it talks about the fact that unrighteous power cannot be durable; it will inevitably face the wrath of God and fall. The poet seeks to warn the empress about this, in whose virtue he continued to believe. Otherwise, such “rulers and judges,” as the author states in the final quatrain of the ode, will inevitably be replaced by those who will be guided by the ideals of goodness and justice:
Resurrect, God! God of the right!
And they heeded their prayer:
Come, judge, punish the evil ones
And be one king of the earth!
Artistic originality.
An innovative poet, Derzhavin boldly goes to destroy the norms of classicism that were already familiar to his time and creates his own special poetic system. At the end of his life, Derzhavin, summing up the results of his work, writes “Explanations on Derzhavin’s works,” containing a kind of auto-commentary to the works, and finishes the work “ Discussions about lyric poetry, or about odes,” where he sets out his theory of literature and the history of world lyric poetry, explains his creative method and style. It is here that he speaks in detail about those genre varieties of ode that appear in his work starting with “Felitsa”. If the poet classifies this work as a mixed ode, the author calls the poem “To Rulers and Judges” an angry ode. If we follow tradition, then it would have to be attributed to the genre of spiritual ode, which was well developed by that time in Russian literature - after all, it is based on the biblical text. Moreover, in Derzhavin’s ode the vocabulary and many images really remind us of biblical poetry: in a host of them; covered with bribes of tow; listen to their prayers, etc. The solemn style of the ode is created not only due to the abundance of Slavicisms, but also with the help of special syntactic means: rhetorical exclamations, questions, appeals: “how long will you spare the unrighteous and evil?”; “Kings! I thought you gods were powerful..."; “Rise up God! Good God! In addition, the poet uses the technique of anaphora and syntactic repetitions: “Your duty is: to preserve the laws...”, “Your duty: to save the innocent from harm...”; “They don’t listen! They see and don’t know!”
All this gives the poem an oratorical sound, which helps the author to maximize the attention of readers and listeners. After all, of course, what we have before us is not so much a spiritual ode as, using the author’s definition, an “angry” ode, that is, one that is designed to express the bitterness of the author, who sees the depravity of his contemporary life, and to reflect the accusatory pathos of the poem, which should awaken in readers not only anger, but also the desire for cleansing and correction of vices.
The meaning of the work. We know that Derzhavin himself did not put a revolutionary meaning into his work; he was a monarchist in his political convictions, but such a vividly and emotionally expressed protest against the “unjust and evil” began to be perceived by many as a political proclamation. The author of “Felitsa,” praising the “virtues” of the empress and sincerely believing in her wisdom and justice, in the ode “To Rulers and Judges” appeared in a completely new guise: he became an angry denouncer of the vices of rulers who trampled on law and morality, and thereby opened literature one of its most important trends. Subsequently, it received brilliant development in the works of Pushkin, Lermontov and many other remarkable Russian writers of subsequent decades. But for the contemporary reader, this work may also turn out to be close and understandable: after all, the vices of the unjust government, its desire to act in its own, and not the public, state interests, trampling laws and justice, unfortunately, remain relevant today.
