The river of times in its aspiration is a genre. Poem by G.R. Derzhavin "The river of times in its striving ...". Perception, interpretation, evaluation. Expressive reading by heart. Analysis of the River of Times in its quest

[What I'm going to write about is apparently well known to everyone who is interested in such things (keywords: Derzhavin's alleged acrostic, Anna Komnin's "Alexiada", "Der Strom der Zeiten" map by Friedrich Strass, "The Wall Chart of World History "by Edward Hull).]

Many collections of Derzhavin's poems end with the following passage:

The river of times in its aspiration
Takes away all the affairs of people
And drowns in the abyss of oblivion
Peoples, kingdoms and kings.
And if that remains
Through the sounds of lyre and trumpet
That eternity will be devoured by the mouth
And the common fate will not go away.

This was the last thing that Derzhavin wrote. The notes usually write that this is the first stanza of the unfinished poem "Corruption". Derzhavin wrote it not even on paper, but on a "slate" board, and died a few days later. As far as I understand, the board with the unwritten fragment was taken to the museum and shown in this form either for a long time, or even until now.
I have several questions at once. First, how do you know what the poem was supposed to be called? Derzhavin himself wrote the title on the board, or is it such a convention? How is it known that this is just a passage, and not a finished poem? Surely literary critics can give an authoritative answer to this, for example, this: apparently, Derzhavin could not write such a short poem on such a fundamental topic; it's more like an introduction, a short description of the subject; it was obviously supposed to be followed by the development of the theme in small details - in general, most of all it seems that a solid poem like the ode "To the death of Prince Meshchersky" was conceived ("The verb of the times! The ringing of metal!").
At some point, several people noticed that the first letters of the lines formed something that seemed not entirely meaningless: RUINACHTI. Many believe that Derzhavin was going to write an acrostic: the first word is "ruin", and then ... yes, what then, you probably won't recognize it. There are several versions, for example: this is an abbreviated word for "honor", or: it is part of the word "honor" in some form, for example, "the ruin of the honored" - let's not forget that this is just the beginning of the poem! There is also a version: Derzhavin first wanted to write an acrostic; the first five lines he formed into the word "ruin", and then it did not work; so he was going to continue it as an ordinary poem, not an acrostic - but just then he died.
First of all, it's curious how old this hypothesis is - that there was at least an attempt to write an acrostic. Did anyone notice "right away", at the beginning of the 19th century, that the first letters add up to something like that? If so, then, probably, no one suggested that "it was him on purpose", otherwise it would have been widely known (most likely it would have been mentioned in the same notes). Meanwhile, Gasparov writes that he noticed himself (apparently, in the 60s), and mentions another person, M. Halle, who also noticed and wrote an article defending (unconvincingly, according to Gasparov) one of the versions. This means that it was not widely known.
Should I believe that there was an acrostic? I just think: firstly, they wrote so many poems there at the beginning of the 19th century! Why not admit that in one of them 5 letters accidentally formed into a word? Secondly, is the ruin really the kind of thing in honor of which Derzhavin might want to write an acrostic? In fact, it is incomprehensible here: it seems that in the 19th century this word had some kind of touch of romance, made people think about ancient times, that everything passes, and the cities that once flourished are now in ruins - well, to the theme of the poem is quite suitable. Third, was Derzhavin inclined to such games? By the way, acrostic is usually found in poems "on occasion", or playful ones. And relatively short ones - unless this is some kind of special exercise, and the longer such a poem, the more irregularities in it - not quite clear phrases, not quite suitable words - since you have to attract words specifically for the sake of the letter. And here, again, it seems that a serious, fundamental and long poem was planned, and there were no irregularities, every word in its place. On the other hand, why not imagine 73-year-old Derzhavin, who wrote the word "ruin" on the blackboard in a column and tries to start a poem with these letters and continue as it happens? Here the acrostic did not even "go wrong" (as Gasparov put it), but simply was not supposed to go beyond the fifth line.

Recently, Omri Ronen wrote in which he mentions that he once noticed that this passage from Derzhavin is very similar to the first phrase of Anna Komnin's "Alexiada":

The stream of time in its irrepressible and eternal flow entails everything that exists. He plunges into the abyss of oblivion both insignificant events and great, worthy of memory; vague, as the tragedy says, he makes it clear, and hides the obvious. However, the historical narrative serves as a reliable protection against the flow of time and, as it were, restrains its irrepressible flow; it absorbs what is remembered and does not allow it to perish in the depths of oblivion.

The first two phrases are so similar to the first four lines of Derzhavin that you immediately begin to think - could Derzhavin read this? Had not "Alexiada" been translated into Russian by that time? However, why Russian? Derzhavin could probably read French or German. Is there somewhere a list of books from Derzhavin's library (as there is a list of books belonging to Pushkin)? If there was such a list, and it would have included "Alexiada" (and if only with these lines underlined! Or - lying open in this place near the very board!) - it would probably be possible to try to draw conclusions. And so - if this amazing coincidence does not deprive us of our vigilance, then we will notice that further the texts just diverge: Anna Komnin writes that only a historical narrative can protect the past from complete oblivion, and Derzhavin - on the contrary: that in the end this will not help.
The similarity of these texts was noticed a few years ago by lj-user i_shmael: several literate people are discussing what could and could not. Several comments say that the "river of time" is a "topos", a common place, an image passing from work to work, so it is absolutely unnecessary to assume direct (or, for example, through one intermediary) borrowing. This opinion seems very reasonable, moreover, it is supported by examples, and also explains the discrepancy in the continuation: it is logical that the very first, instant, development of the image will be similar for different authors, and then each goes to his own side.

Returning to the standard notes to Derzhavin, we find there that Derzhavin began writing this poem, looking at the "historical map" hanging in his office called "The River of Times, or the Emblematic Image of World History" by the German Friedrich Strass (I think Derzhavin there was a Russian version of this "map"). It seems that this fact greatly weakens the hypothesis that Derzhavin's text comes [more or less] directly from "Alexiada": since we know that the impetus for writing the poem was the map, which is called "The River of Times", why try to search another (direct) source. Actually, everything is consistent with the idea of \u200b\u200b"topos".
What was that card? Can we find it on the Internet? Not immediately, after an unsuccessful search with the word Fluß, I found about what I needed (the search was also made more difficult by the fact that the same name, Friedrich Strass, was at the jeweler's who invented "rhinestones" (which are so called in his honor)). Here it is: Straß, Friedrich: Der Strom der Zeiten oder bildliche Darstellung der Weltgeschichte von den ältesten bis auf die neuesten Zeiten [Friedrich Strass. The flow of time, or a graphic representation of world history from ancient to modern times]:

This copy is dated to about 1828, so Derzhavin had a copy of an earlier version. It seems that this very Friedrich Strass made many versions of this map during his life, changing it in accordance with recent events. One of them was sold on ebay; it looks like it differs from the previous one below.

Yeah, I think I'm in this place, but I also have a similar map! This is The Wall Chart of World History, which looks like this:

It was first released in 1890 (by Edward Hull) - i.e. it is closer in time to the Strass maps than to the present day - and since then it has been released from time to time in an updated form. My edition is 1990, the names that end the corresponding branches are Reagan, Thatcher, Mitterrand, Gorbachev. The most recent "major events" are the California earthquake and the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The beginning of the map is the creation of the world, which is marked 4004 BC (yes, there is such a version), Adam and Eve, Cain, Abel ("the first Martyr"). At first, there were only biblical characters, and only in 2300 BC Canaanites, Egyptians, Chaldeans, Greeks and Chinese emerge from the Tower of Babel. At some point the Russians appear; their first rulers: 862 Ruric; 878 Igor; 900 Olega, Regent. After "Olegi" the mysterious Spendoblos appears ... Search for this word in Google leads primarily to sports sites, but still it is possible to find out what Svyatoslav means (in Greek he was called Σφενδοσθλάβος).
Here is a piece of this map - it is clear that the authors did not set it as their goal that it looked exactly like a river (or, for example, a tree) - the Russian branch is also visible in this photo: "Ivan IV," The Terrible ": Promotes Commerce, & c ., but cruel ":

Nice cards, actually. Probably, there are many people who more or less imagine what, and even in what order, there were kings in France or England, but do not know which of them was at the same time at least with the same Ivan the Terrible. Without pretending to be more, sometimes pleasing with their simplifications (although, probably, they, on the contrary, annoy someone), they to some extent "protect from the flow of time" the most famous names - in fact, showing us this flow.

Literature and Library Science

And if that remains Through the sounds of the lyre and the trumpet That eternity will be devoured by the throat And the common fate will not go away. The author reflects on eternity that absolutely all human deeds and aspirations will sooner or later be forgotten. The expression of the poem is created by the concentration of metaphors, the river of times, the abyss of oblivion, the mouth of eternity, and the phonetic organization of the repetition [p] defines the tense tonality of the octopus; sequence of stressed vowels in the third and penultimate lines o o e e o o. There are 2 images in the poem: images of time and eternity.

Poem by G.R. Derzhavin "The river of times in its striving ...". Perception, interpretation, evaluation. Expressive reading by heart.

History of creation

By the end of the 18th century, Derzhavin achieved a lot: he was a senator, a minister, and argued with the tsars. But there were many ministers, senators, secretaries of state, but he was still one - the poet Derzhavin. Somehow it happened by itself that everyone recognized him as a genius. Of course, Derzhavin was primarily a courtier, a careerist. In his eyes, the order was more important than the ode. But over the years, he realized that it was in literature that the key to his immortality was. And this was always desired by his proud, ambitious soul. It is no coincidence that he translated "Monument" from Latin into Russian. He thought that it was his poems that would become an eternal monument to him ...

But no! Years passed, he grew weaker, lost his sight, and gradually an eternal and sad truth was revealed to his gaze, which was inaccessible to him, young.

In the summer of 1816, in his beloved Zvanka, his estate in the Novgorod province, he began work on a new work. But the poet's creative plans were not destined to come true: death interrupted work. Only a few lines have come down to us, written down - which in itself is symbolic - on a slate board.

For reference. A slate board is a black mineral board on which people write with a slate pencil.

Two days before his death on July 6, 1816, he inscribed her formula on a slate board:

R eka of times in his aspiration

Have carries all the affairs of people

AND drowns in the abyss of oblivion

H arods, kingdoms and kings.

AND if anything remains

H the sound of the lyre and trumpet,

T about eternity will be devoured

AND common fate will not go away.

Perception, interpretation, evaluation

The philosophical work "The River of Times in its Striving ..." is the poet's attempt to present his view on the question of the meaning of life. Poems make you think about what will remain of the deeds of a person after his death. The author reflects on eternity, on the fact that absolutely all human deeds and aspirations will sooner or later be forgotten. Indeed, everything goes away someday. Human actions can be evil and good, noble or not, but they are not eternal. Time passes and everything is forgotten. New people come who do not remember what came before them. The only thing that matters is what is now, because everything else just doesn't matter.

There is nothing eternal on earth, so it makes no sense to attach too much importance to the actions and actions of a person. The fate of everything earthly is too fragile and ephemeral, everything exists only for a moment."Eternal" philosophical problems are brought by the author into the subtext of the work.

The poem is permeated with a pessimistic feeling. Its author is an elderly man, wise with the experience of years, perhaps an old man, calmly and wisely looking at the worldly vanity. He has nowhere to rush, he knows the value of life.

The expression of the poem is created by the concentration of metaphors (river of times, abyss of oblivion, mouth of eternity) and phonetic organization (repetition [p] determines the tense tonality of the eight-line; the sequence of stressed vowels in the third and penultimate lines (o-o-e // e-o-o)).

There are 2 images in the poem: images of time and eternity. Both time and history in Derzhavin's poem have an end and do not imply either the triumph of progress or the establishment of harmony: the words carries away, drowns, devoured, oblivion, abyssand the throat are close in meaning "death", "loss", "end", "nothingness". The prevalence of these signs on "all the affairs of people"

In the first quatrain, imperfective verbs are used, denoting the duration of the process and the repetition of the laws of history, which continue to operate as long as earth time passes. In the second quatrain, the perfect form, which gives the verbs the meaning of the limit, serves as a kind of metaphor for the end of world history.

The image of time is compared with the image of eternity, and the plan of the present is constantly replaced by the plan of the future. (That will be devoured by the throat of eternity).If in everyday linguistic consciousness eternity is usually reduced to a temporal duration that has no beginning or end, then Derzhavin, speaking of eternity, avoids specific temporal characteristics and dimensions. On the one hand, eternity is dynamic for him (it will be devoured), on the other, in accordance with the poetic tradition of the 18th century, it approaches Chaos, which for ancient philosophers and poets was embodied in the image of the abyss.

The incomprehensibility of eternity in Derzhavin's poem is reflected in the rejection of its expanded figurative characterization. If the image of history (time) is built on the basis of a chain of closely related metaphors and is detailed (time is a river with a turbulent current, rushing to the "abyss of oblivion"), then eternity in the text has only one figurative feature - the whole devouring mouth.

The word fate turns out to be ambiguous in the last line: on the one hand, it has here the meaning of "fate, destiny", on the other hand, it realizes the meaning of "immutable law",

Output

In Derzhavin's poem, the motive of the court develops, which has several aspects: it is the determination of the true value of the actions of people, and the summing up, and the establishment of the place of art in history, and the judgment of time over man, and the overcoming of time itself.

You can listen to the audio recording of the poem "The River of Times in its Pursuit ...". The text is read by the Honored Artist of Russia Alexander Dmitrievich Fedorov.

We have come to the last page of Derzhavin's work. Already a very old man, a few weeks before his death, he wrote his last poem. It is short, only eight lines:

The river of times in its striving Carries away all the affairs of people And drowns in the abyss of oblivion Peoples, kingdoms and kings. And if anything remains Through the sounds of the lyre and the trumpet, Then eternity will be devoured by the throat And the common fate will not go away!

The poet went into Eternity. And he looked into her philosophically calmly, sadly and wisely. No one can escape the mighty stream of time. All of us living on earth are united by this stream, which is rapidly carrying us away. And yet, there is still hope that something remains from each generation of people, remains "through the sounds of the lyre and trumpet." Otherwise, the connection of times would be broken. And Derzhavin's symbolic image of the "river of times" would not have sounded with such authentic force, would not have remained in our memory for a long time.

Literature

1. Derzhavin G.R. Compositions with explanatory notes by Ya.K. Grotto: In 9 volumes. SPb., 1864-1884.
2. Derzhavin G.R. Poems. L., 1933.
3. Derzhavin G.R. Poems. L., 1947.
4. Derzhavin G.R. Compositions. M., 1985.
5. Belinsky V.G. Derzhavin's works // Belinsky V.G. Coll. cit .: In 3 volumes, Moscow, 1948.Vol. 2.
6. Gukovsky G.A. Russian poetry of the 18th century. L., 1927.
7. V.A. Zapadov Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin. M .; L., 1965.
8. Serman I.Z. Russian poetry of the second half of the 18th century. Derzhavin // History of Russian poetry: In 2 volumes. L., 1968.Vol. 1.
9. A.V. Zapadov Poets of the 18th century (M.V. Lomonosov, G.R.Derzhavin). M., 1979.
10. Dictionary of literary terms. M., 1974.
11. Dal V.I. Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language: In 4 volumes. M., 1979-1980.
12. Literary encyclopedia of terms and concepts. M., 2001.

Read also the other topics in Chapter VI:

River of times. July 20, 2016 marks exactly 200 years since Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin passed away into eternity

Text: Arseny Zamostyanov
Collage Year of Literature.RF

We remember Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin most often thanks to not too respectful, although, of course, benevolent lines of Pushkin about the old man who went down to the grave and blessed him. Meanwhile, before the meeting with the young genius in the Lyceum in 1815, which went down in history, the 72-year-old (at that time) poet and statesman managed to gain lasting fame and admiration for himself - both contemporaries and descendants.
Arseny Zamostyanov, a poet who defended his dissertation on Derzhavin's work and wrote a book about him, and since last year, editor-compiler of Derzhavin's 10-volume edition of the publishing house Narodnoe obrazovanie, talks about this to the Year of Literature. It's hard to believe, but this is the first multivolume collection of Derzhavin's works since the 19th century (it was published well in the Soviet years, but in one volume). The first five volumes have already appeared, the sixth volume is in the printing house.

The river of times in its aspiration
Takes away all the affairs of people
And drowns in the abyss of oblivion
Peoples, kingdoms and kings ...
This is how the poem begins, which Gavriil Romanovich brought out on a slate board in his bedroom three days before his death. Having written eight lines, the poet did not have time to finish it. And this is symbolic: Gabriel Derzhavin's “river of times” flows - into eternity.

In the role of the river of times - of course, Volkhov. There is no better candidate. The last river in the life of a real privy councilor and many orders of the knight, retired justice minister Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin. He was born on the Kazan land, was interested in the Bulgar and Horde antiquities, but fell in love with the North. I fell in love with the land, which is reasonably considered the cradle of Russian statehood. He settled on the Novgorod land, spent the best days of his retired life on Zvanka - in the estate on the banks of the Volkhov. There he died two hundred years ago. According to leaf calendars, this is a significant date.

Immediately I remember the 1937th, 100th anniversary of the duel and death of Pushkin, which turned into the largest multi-part literary festival. We have heard that here was the devilish plan of Stalin, who hated humanity so much that he celebrated the date of the assassination of Pushkin. Well, Stalin, as you know, is responsible for everything. But in this case, he only took advantage of an old tradition. The date of birth of our distant ancestors was not interested. They often could not even name the exact year of their own birth. And not unknown peasants, but such aristocrats as, for example, the Suvorovs. And the death of an outstanding person is always an event of national significance. This is memorable. This is truly a milestone in history. Therefore, the twenty-five years since Derzhavin's death and fifty years in the literary world have not passed without a trace.
The death of Derzhavin began. Before us is that rare case when the last poem of the poet is known to all initiates, although Gavrila Romanovich was not a suicide and died at an old age, retired, in his own estate:

The servant was Mars I, Themis,
And now - a retired poet ...
In the Zvan office of Derzhavin, there was a map-table, famous at that time. "The River of Times, or the Emblematic Image of World History from Ancient Times to the End of the Eighth Century"... This map was compiled by the German scientist Frederic Strass. He sketched the history of civilizations in the form of river flows. Derzhavin peered at this novelty - and indulged in thought ...

The retired Privy Councilor remained an astounding poet even in old age.

The history of Russian poetry is rich - a spring has been beating for three and a half centuries. But which of the sixty-year-old and seventy-year-old poets can compare with Derzhavin? And his last poem - unfinished, perhaps a rough draft - cannot be deleted from any Russian anthology.

I am old - young in spirit for sins ...

The river of times ... The mysterious octopus is perhaps the beginning of the extensive ode "Intenseness" conceived by Derzhavin. Although not always the first lines written become the beginning of a poem. Many optimistic assessments of his own posthumous fate are scattered in Derzhavin's poetry: "But I drink and I will not die." Not without reason he hoped to remain on earth and serve for the good of justice. And then he suddenly fell into sadness, almost reaching black despondency. It is easiest to assume that in the following verses the poet would formulate the antithesis of despondency, turn to the Almighty and be comforted in prayer. But the ode is called "Corruption" - and God alone knows where this topic would lead Derzhavin. In his old age, he again turned to spiritual lyrics - and even during the days of the war with foreign invaders, he worked on a lengthy ode "Christ". Russian regiments fought in France, driven Napoleon fought with his last strength, throwing boys into battle. Then the winners - monarchs and diplomats - decided the future of humanity in the Austrian capital. It would seem that Derzhavin should have gone deep into the weaving of political calculations, but he wrote:

Who are you? And how to portray
Your greatness and insignificance
To agree with incorruption,
To merge opportunity with impossibility?
You are God - but You suffered from torment!
You are a man - but revenge was alien!
You are mortal - but you have made the scepter of death!
You are eternal - but Your spirit is old!
The result was a huge theological ode about Christ, an excited meditation on the God-man, written at the limit of the outgoing forces. And now - the river of times in its striving ...
This stream devours everything - both good and bad. And Napoleon and Suvorov. Batyev and Maratov - and the great martyrs. The eternal mill is like those that can be found in Zvanka and in Arakcheevskiy Grizin.

Everything passes, "Everything of eternity will be devoured by a muzzle", but is our efforts in vain? Optimists and lovers of life in old age often fall into misanthropy. Could it be Derzhavin too?

An unfinished sketch - or is it a sharpened fresco? Derzhavin was skeptical about his capabilities in small poetic form. Epigrams, inscriptions - how strong were Sumaroks in these laconic genres! Perhaps Derzhavin underestimated himself: "On the bird", the inscriptions on the portrait of Lomonosov and on the character of Emperor Paul - aren't these the poet's victories?
And eight lines of the unwritten ode "Intenseness" made up a mysterious, but complete poem. By and large, no sequel was required. And the consoling antithesis, let it be implied, remains in the subtext.
Eight lines - and not a single accidental or doubtful word. “The sounds of the lyre and the trumpet” - is it really possible to define Derzhavin's poetry, in general, the poetry of the 18th century, more clearly and clearly? Trumpet is Homeric's line, heroic. Lyra is Derzhavin's anacreontic and his philosophical reflections in verse. The very concept of "River of Times" is connected, as was often the case with Derzhavin, with a visible object. In 1816, these eight lines were published in the journal "Son of the Fatherland". First publication! There was also a short note: “Three days before his death, looking at his famous historical map“ The River of Times ”hanging in his office, he began the poem“ Corruption ”and managed to write the first verse.”
Which route did the old poet intend to lead the ship of a philosophical ode?

This secret will never be revealed. The poet died.

There are eight lines left on the slate - no more, no less. And no consolation. "All eternity will be devoured by a gore"... And this is a life-loving, full-blooded Derzhavin. Not even warm, but hot in any poem, in any remark. Probably, this is for the best - the poem has become bitter, stronger, there is not a single superfluous, accidental word in it. We know these eight lines by heart. And Murza has a lot of life-affirming lines (Derzhavin liked to call himself this Tatar title) and without that there are many ...
One may get a deceptive impression: what if Derzhavin became disillusioned at the end of his days, fell into despondency, so unusual for him in his mature years? This happens with strong people: losing their health, they panic, turn sour. But this is not about Derzhavin!

In old age, despite his ailments, he wrote almost the best poems - yes, at least these last eight lines ...

He always lived with new poems, happy moments when you feel the power over the word, when you take your breath away from the flight - and inspiration (let's call it that) did not leave him to the end.
After the capture of Paris, Derzhavin decided to write a word of praise to Emperor Alexander. In the summer of 1814, he asked his niece, Praskovya Nikolaevna Lvova, to read aloud to him panegyrics to various historical figures. Some made him sleepy, but Antoine Tom's praise to Marcus Aurelius liked the old man. But in the end Derzhavin interrupted the reading: “I have written a lot in my life, now I have grown old. My literary career is over, now let the young sing! "... The following entry has also been preserved in his archive:

And yet he wrote even in the last summer - and how he wrote! And the life of Zvan dragged on slowly. Only childless old people fall in love with dogs as much as Derzhavin does with his Taika. He always wore it in his bosom, stroked it ... We know about those days from the notes of Praskovya Lvova.

Already bowing my brow I stand ...

One damp evening, while playing solitaire, he felt sick, he curled up, began to rub his chest. A doctor was called. Derzhavin moaned, even screamed in pain. But he fell asleep in the office, on the couch. Waking up, he cheered up. He was persuaded to go to Petersburg, to the doctors - the old man only laughed. Jokes, maps, Voltaire's readings began again ... A few days later, on July 8, at breakfast he announced: "Thank God, it became easier for me." Tame birds flew about the room, amusing him. I had to refuse lunch: the doctors recommended abstinence in food. But for dinner he ordered fish soup - and ate three plates. It was then that he felt ill. The doctor prescribed sage, Lvova advised me to drink tea with rum. “Oh, it's hard! Oh, it's sickening. Lord, help me, a sinner ... I did not know that it would be so hard. It should be so. It should be so. God help me…"
Late in the evening, the pain dulled. He asked everyone for forgiveness for worrying: "Without me they would have slept for a long time." And he gave his word to Daria the next morning to go to Petersburg. And suddenly he raised himself a little, took a deep breath - and everything was quiet. The doctor looked confusedly at Lvova. The room was filled with sobs of women. July 8th is the 20th according to the new style.

On the slate board remained eight lines written in chalk - the same ones.
His body was covered with a simple muslin - from flies. The neighbor - Tyrkov - kept jabbering: “I must tell the sovereign. The Emperor loved him so much, he will certainly want to say goodbye. " The emperor was indeed nearby - in Gruzina near Arakcheev, this is a neighboring estate. But no ... The sons of Kapnist and Lvov were standing at the coffin, and Felitsa's grandson was absent, and he did not know in time about Derzhavin's death. The servants got drunk in those days - one must think, from mournful thoughts. The time of the last service came on July 11th. The priests gathered around the coffin. “What impatience he was in doing good!” - said Praskovya Lvova. To the funeral singing, the coffin was transferred to a boat, and the funeral procession headed to the Khutynsky monastery.

And I drink, and I will not die ...

Those letters on the slate board have long been erased - they, of course, managed to be rewritten, that is why “Derzhavin's last poem” appeared in our anthologies. After all, our poetic anthology does not begin with Pushkin at all. In the 18th century, a whole anthology was created, which the poets of Pushkin's Golden Age read carefully and indifferently.
The weakness of the poetry of the 18th century is that, following the attitudes of classicism (and even sentimentalism!), Poets become predictable. But Derzhavin broke all the canons. He is a poet, extremely “wrong” and biased. It was not for nothing that Derzhavin suppressed all attempts of his friends to edit his powerful, but wild talent. And Derzhavin's ode is always a mixture of eulogy and satire, reality and fantasy, delight and self-irony. Incidentally, it was for this that Catherine fell in love with him. After all, "Felitsa" is not a solemn ode, it is just a clever and witty conversation at the level of poetic images. And it seemed to the Empress amusing - in contrast to the pompous odes of Vasily Petrov.
Therefore, it turned out to be necessary now for Baratynsky, now for Sluchevsky, now for Tsvetaeva, now for Mandelstam, now for Brodsky. And the list goes on and on. Poets have always found gold nuggets in the heaps of Derzhavin's tongue-tied tongue. And when Pushkin's harmony was fed up, they turned to Derzhavin's chaos.
Although there is much more relatedness between Pushkin and Derzhavin than disconnecting. Without “Felitsa” with its “funny Russian style”, in which irony was easily intertwined with pathos, “Eugene Onegin” would hardly have taken place.

Now the balalaika is sweet to me
Yes, the drunken stamp of the trepak
In front of the tavern threshold.
My ideal now is the mistress
My desires are peace
Yes, a soup pot, but a big one. -

This is from Onegin. And this was clearly overheard by Derzhavin. And to your health! And in "Poltava" Pushkin did not do without the rhythms and rattling of Derzhavin's battle odes - such as "On the capture of Izmail."
In "Felitsa" that liberated tone is found, in which irony and self-irony becomes more important than satire. In this case, for example,

in the genre of spiritual poetry, Derzhavin remains unsurpassed. After all, it is also surprisingly diverse. When he was thrown into a religious fervor, he created wonderful formulas for "God", angrily preached in "To the Lords and Judges."

At the same time - he owned a "funny Russian style" and did not disdain low themes. And he did not keep them in the closet of the poetic kitchen. Sometimes he expressed the main thoughts in the most "amusing" verses!

And how many winged expressions he gave us even before Krylov and Griboyedov. "It's never too late to learn", "The homeland and the smoke is sweet and pleasant to us", "Where the table was of food, there is a coffin", "The donkey will remain a donkey, although shower it with stars", "Moderation is the best feast", "Excessive praise - mockery! " or - let's listen! - "Life is an instant gift from heaven" ...

Well, and most importantly and recognized by all - Derzhavin was the first to leave a psychological self-portrait. He showed his life in detail, cheerfully, without hidden rooms. He did not hide his own weaknesses and vices. And I found poetic charm in such down-to-earth frankness: “There are two sips of coffee; I will snort for a minute " Well, the detailed and sumptuous Derzhavin gastronomic descriptions are remembered by many. Sometimes they are quoted without naming the author. I would like to compare such poetry with painting - and with excellent:

Sheksninsk gold sterlet,
Kaymak and borsch are already standing;
Crafted in wine, punch, shining
Now with ice, now with sparks, they beckon;
Incense pours from the incense burners,
The fruits among the baskets are laughing
The servants dare not die,
Waiting for you around the table;
The hostess is stately, young
Ready to lend a hand.

The taste of these dinners is not fizzled out. Perhaps, the first Russian poets, he became simply a pleasant and useful interlocutor - sharp, emotional, to whom you listen, because he does not shout or get up on stilts. It is no coincidence that success came to him after the publication of "Felitsa" in the magazine "Interlocutor".

However, Derzhavin could both shout and bend him for his sweet soul. But he distinguished himself from his contemporaries in his humanity. Earthly charm! Life-loving poetry:

In a word: burned love if the flame,
I fell, rose in my century.
Give it up, sage! my stone on the coffin,
If you are not human.

Initially, Derzhavin wanted to write a poem Inspiration, which would tell about the frailty of this world, but he could not realize his own plan, since the frailty called for him. Therefore, from the conceived verse, only the beginning remained, which went to the descendants called the River of Times .. - on the first line. The poem was written by Derzhavin almost just before his departure from the world, and this fact makes the verse more valuable, as it speaks of the author's keen premonition and understanding of his own position and the essence of the world.

The river of times .. is, as they say, the author's swan song and even the understatement that is here (if you know about the general idea) is also a very symbolic element. The poet, as if on the verge of death, talks about the frailty of the entire universe and breaks off mid-sentence, leaves his own body, which just recently breathed, wanted and wrote poetry.

Nevertheless, even if we consider this unfinished poem, there is an opportunity to learn a lot and think about a lot. Noteworthy is the acrostic, which was created thanks to the first lines of the text. The content includes two words: the ruin of honor.

Probably Derzhavin wanted to continue this verse, but even from these words the general motive is clear. It is about understanding the temporality of all existence. Kingdoms and kings become ruins, they become nothing.

Of course, there is always hope to perpetuate oneself in history thanks to such instruments as the sounds of the lyre and trumpet, that is, thanks to art, fame, the memory of descendants. However, even such an eternity is only a convention in the face of real eternity, which will still swallow any evidence, any remnants of memory and glory. Before time, a person is powerless, he can practically oppose nothing to this devouring factor, which will swallow both the wise poet and the stupid beggar, the beauty and the beast, good and disgusting deeds.

The poet uses appropriate comparisons in order to emphasize this fact - "he will be devoured by the muzzle of eternity", "he is drowning in the abyss of oblivion." Derzhavin, describing such a reality, not only does not indulge himself with illusions, but also does not lose heart about the current situation. Recall that he wrote a poem on the verge of his own death, but at the same time quite calmly looked at the river of times and just felt like a part of this common destiny.

Option 3

The work is one of the last works of the poet, related to his philosophical lyrics, and has a literary incompleteness, since it remains a fragment of an unfinished poem, the title of which was planned by the author in the form of "Corruption".

The compositional structure of the poem is brief and consists of eight lines, created under the impression of the painting "River of Times", depicting world history in the form of eternity and time, the images of which are depicted in verses.

The main theme of the work is the image of the power of time, manifested in transience and bending before itself in the abyss of oblivion, the country, peoples and each person individually.

The author's intention of the work reveals the value of each life moment, investing in it a special philosophical meaning, since any person in a certain period of time finds himself in front of the entrance to eternity. The poet compares time with the flow of water, emphasizing to the image of time its power and irreversibility.

The poet expresses the imperious influence of time on a person's life through the use of means of artistic expression in the form of numerous metaphors of personification, as well as the use of imperfect verbs to enhance the duration and repetition of the temporal process.

The poetic dimension of the poem is a four-foot trochee combined with cross rhyming, expressing the tension and expression of the work, written in a state of gloomy and formidable fatalism, demonstrating the poet's pessimistic mood on the eve of his own death.

The images of eternity and time in the poem are identified by the poet with a lack of harmony and the presence of a certain irreversible, incomprehensible process. At the same time, the author does not give a detailed description of the image of eternity, positioning it as the only feature - an all-consuming vent, an abyss, while the image of time is presented by the poet in detail, in the form of a certain interconnected chain.

Sensing the imminence of death, the poem conveys the painful state of mind of the author, who has lost hope of immortality.

Analysis of the River of Times in its quest

This poem by the remarkable poet Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin was written by him in 1816 on July 6. The poet wrote the poem while at that time in his estate in the Novgorod province. The poem with the philosophical title "River of Times" was not completed, what is presented to the reader is just a few initial lines. Death ruined the poet's plans and his creation was not destined to be finished.

Not only the title of the poem refers to philosophical science, but also its content. Gabriel Derzhavin was a rather versatile person, initially his career was a priority, but in the end he came to the conclusion that it was creativity that would give him memory in the minds of people. Consequently, towards the end of his life, Derzhavin paid more attention to some ideas, thoughts. The poem was written after some thought, when, due to his age, the poet realized what was hidden before him in his youth. This is what he wanted to put into his creation. Even if it is not finished, it still retains the main idea and very catchy, catchy words that are incredibly selected. Thanks to the vocabulary of the poem, it has an all-consuming meaning, large-scale.

"The river of times in its striving carries away all the affairs of people" - this is how Derzhavin's poem begins. In this line, the reader for the first time comes across the idea that time has no boundaries, it is fleeting and everything that people do, no matter how grandiose it may be, does not matter. The poet emphasizes the power of time through the precise connection of a few words. "Drowns peoples, kingdoms and kings in the abyss of oblivion." How skillfully the words were chosen: drowns a catchy verb that gives meaning to force, the abyss of oblivion is hopelessness, its enormity. How long is the time and how pitiful everything is in front of it, because it "drowns" entire nations, states, everything that seems great to people.

Then Derzhavin tells the reader that if something remains, something that could pass through time “through the sounds of the lyre and trumpet,” that is, which became famous, important for people, incredible in time, then eternity will be ruthless. Everything will change in eternity and will not leave the intended, common destiny.

This poem, although it is an unfinished work, clearly fulfilled the dream of Gabriel Derzhavin to remain in human memory. From the idea, its transmission, to the vocabulary, everything is fine in the "River of Time". The most important thing that you can understand for yourself from the poem is that no one is capable and nothing is able to withstand eternity, and time is its soul, much can carry away during its river.