Alexander Alexandrovich Blok
Maria Pavlovna Ivanova
Under the embankment, in the unmown ditch,
Lies and looks as if alive,
In a colored scarf thrown on her braids,
Beautiful and young.
Sometimes I walked with a sedate gait
To the noise and whistle behind the nearby forest.
Walking all the way around the long platform,
She waited, worried, under the canopy.
Three bright eyes rushing -
Softer blush, cooler curl:
Perhaps one of those passing by
Look more closely from the windows...
The carriages walked in the usual line,
They shook and creaked;
The yellow and blue ones were silent;
The green ones cried and sang.
We got up sleepy behind the glass
And looked around with an even gaze
Platform, garden with faded bushes,
Her, the gendarme next to her...
Just once a hussar, with a careless hand
Leaning on the scarlet velvet,
Slipped over her with a tender smile,
He slipped and the train sped off into the distance.
Thus the useless youth rushed,
Exhausted in empty dreams...
Road melancholy, iron
She whistled, breaking my heart...
Why, the heart has been taken out a long time ago!
So many bows were given,
So many greedy glances cast
Into the deserted eyes of the carriages...
Don't approach her with questions
You don’t care, but she’s satisfied:
With love, mud or wheels
She is crushed - everything hurts.
Alexander Blok's poem "On railway", written in 1910, is part of the Odin cycle and is one of the illustrations pre-revolutionary Russia. The plot, according to the author himself, is inspired by the works of Leo Tolstoy. In particular, “Anna Karenina” and “Sunday”, the main characters of which die, unable to survive their own shame and having lost faith in love.
The picture, which Alexander Blok masterfully recreated in his work, is majestic and sad. A young woman lies on the railway embankment beautiful woman, “as if alive,” but from the first lines it is clear that she died. Moreover, it was not by chance that she threw herself under the wheels of a passing train. What made her commit this terrible and senseless act? Alexander Blok does not give an answer to this question, believing that if no one needed his heroine during her life, then after her death there is especially no point in looking for motivation for suicide. The author only states a fait accompli and talks about the fate of the one who died in the prime of life.
It is difficult to understand who she was. Either a noble noblewoman or a commoner. Perhaps she belonged to a fairly huge caste of ladies prostitute. However, the fact that a beautiful and young woman regularly came to the railway and followed the train with her eyes, looking for a familiar face in the respectable carriages, speaks volumes. It is likely that, like Tolstoy's Katenka Maslova, she was seduced by a man who subsequently abandoned her and left. But the heroine of the poem “on the railway” before last moment she believed in a miracle and hoped that her lover would return and take her with him.
But the miracle did not happen, and soon the figure of a young woman constantly meeting trains on the railway platform became an integral part of the dull provincial landscape. Travelers in soft carriages, carrying them to a much more attractive life, glanced coldly and indifferently at the mysterious stranger, and she aroused absolutely no interest in them, just like the gardens, forests and meadows flying past the window, as well as the representative figure of the policeman who was on duty at the station.
One can only guess how many hours, full of secret hope and excitement, the heroine of the poem spent on the railway. However, no one cared about her at all. Thousands of people carried multi-colored carriages into the distance, and only once did the gallant hussar give the beauty a “tender smile,” meaning nothing and as ephemeral as a woman’s dreams. It should be taken into account that collective image The heroine of Alexander Blok’s poem “On the Railroad” is quite typical for the early 20th century. Fundamental changes in society have given women freedom, but not all of them have been able to properly use this invaluable gift. Among the representatives of the fairer sex who were unable to overcome public contempt and were forced to be doomed to a life full of dirt, pain and suffering, of course, is the heroine of this poem. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, the woman decides to commit suicide, hoping in this simple way to immediately get rid of all her problems. However, according to the poet, it is not so important who or what killed the young woman in her prime - a train, unhappy love or prejudice. All that matters is that she is dead, and this death is one of thousands of victims for the sake of public opinion, which puts a woman on a much lower level than a man, and does not forgive her even the most insignificant mistakes, forcing her to atone for them with her own life.
“On the Railroad” Alexander Blok
Maria Pavlovna Ivanova
Under the embankment, in the unmown ditch,
Lies and looks as if alive,
In a colored scarf thrown on her braids,
Beautiful and young.Sometimes I walked with a sedate gait
To the noise and whistle behind the nearby forest.
Walking all the way around the long platform,
She waited, worried, under the canopy.Three bright eyes rushing -
Softer blush, cooler curl:
Perhaps one of those passing by
Look more closely from the windows...The carriages walked in the usual line,
They shook and creaked;
The yellow and blue ones were silent;
The green ones cried and sang.We got up sleepy behind the glass
And looked around with an even gaze
Platform, garden with faded bushes,
Her, the gendarme next to her...Just once a hussar, with a careless hand
Leaning on the scarlet velvet,
Slipped over her with a tender smile,
He slipped and the train sped off into the distance.Thus the useless youth rushed,
Exhausted in empty dreams...
Road melancholy, iron
She whistled, breaking my heart...Why, the heart has been taken out a long time ago!
So many bows were given,
So many greedy glances cast
Into the deserted eyes of the carriages...Don't approach her with questions
You don’t care, but she’s satisfied:
With love, mud or wheels
She is crushed - everything hurts.
Analysis of Blok’s poem “On the Railroad”
Alexander Blok’s poem “On the Railway,” written in 1910, is part of the “Odin” cycle and is one of the illustrations of pre-revolutionary Russia. The plot, according to the author himself, is inspired by the works of Leo Tolstoy. In particular, “Anna Karenina” and “Sunday”, the main characters of which die, unable to survive their own shame and having lost faith in love.
The picture, which Alexander Blok masterfully recreated in his work, is majestic and sad. A young beautiful woman lies on the railway embankment, “as if alive,” but from the first lines it is clear that she died. Moreover, it was not by chance that she threw herself under the wheels of a passing train. What made her commit this terrible and senseless act? Alexander Blok does not give an answer to this question, believing that if no one needed his heroine during her lifetime, then after her death there is even less point in looking for motivation for suicide. The author only states a fait accompli and talks about the fate of the one who died in the prime of life.
It is difficult to understand who she was. Either a noble noblewoman or a commoner. Perhaps she belonged to a fairly huge caste of ladies of easy virtue. However, the fact that a beautiful and young woman regularly came to the railway and followed the train with her eyes, looking for a familiar face in the respectable carriages, speaks volumes. It is likely that, like Tolstoy's Katenka Maslova, she was seduced by a man who subsequently abandoned her and left. But the heroine of the poem “on the railway” until the last moment believed in a miracle and hoped that her lover would return and take her with him.
But the miracle did not happen, and soon the figure of a young woman constantly meeting trains on the railway platform became an integral part of the dull provincial landscape. Travelers in soft carriages, carrying them to a much more attractive life, glanced coldly and indifferently at the mysterious stranger, and she aroused absolutely no interest in them, just like the gardens, forests and meadows flying past the window, as well as the representative figure of the policeman who was on duty at the station.
One can only guess how many hours, secretly full of hope and excitement, the heroine of the poem spent on the railway. However, no one cared about her at all. Thousands of people carried multi-colored carriages into the distance, and only once did the gallant hussar give the beauty a “tender smile,” meaning nothing and as ephemeral as a woman’s dreams. It should be borne in mind that the collective image of the heroine of Alexander Blok’s poem “On the Railroad” is quite typical for the beginning of the 20th century. Fundamental changes in society have given women freedom, but not all of them have been able to properly use this invaluable gift. Among the representatives of the fairer sex who were unable to overcome public contempt and were forced to be doomed to a life full of dirt, pain and suffering, of course, is the heroine of this poem. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, the woman decides to commit suicide, hoping in this simple way to immediately get rid of all her problems. However, according to the poet, it is not so important who or what killed the young woman in the prime of life - a train, unhappy love or prejudice. The only important thing is that she is dead, and this death is one of thousands of victims for the sake of public opinion, which places a woman on a much lower level than a man and does not forgive her even the most insignificant mistakes, forcing her to atone for them with her own life.
Today, almost everyone has it: works can be purchased in the form of collections in bookstores or get acquainted with their electronic versions using the Internet. However, if it is not difficult to read the works of great lyricists, then it turns out to be more difficult to understand them. Today we turn to the work of such a well-known poet as Alexander Alexandrovich Blok. “On the Railroad” (the analysis of the poem will be presented later) is a curious creation in every sense, and here’s why.
From the history of creation: the influence of L. N. Tolstoy’s books on the poet
The poem “On the Railroad” was created by the poet in June 1910. It had several indirect sources at once. It was at this time that Alexander Alexandrovich reread the novel “Resurrection” by L.N. Tolstoy, and as a result, his own creation turned out to be an unconscious imitation of one of the episodes in the story of Katyusha Maslova and Nekhlyudov. One day, a girl who was at a small station saw him, Nekhlyudov, sitting in a comfortable red velvet chair on a passing train, in an expensive first-class compartment.
The general mood of the poem, its tone and plot components refer the reader to another Tolstoy novel - “Anna Karenina”, main character which resulted in her throwing herself under a train. Connected by the theme of the death of a young, beautiful Russian woman with tragic fate All listed works, including the one that Blok wrote - “On the Railroad.” Analysis of the poem also requires this biographical information.
Reflections of the poet and real cases of female deaths
Another impetus for the creation of the poem was the poet’s personal thoughts, which he shared in a letter with his friend, Evgeniy Ivanov. Alexander Alexandrovich wrote about how indifferently he watched people, as if rushing in front of him on a train. He stood alone on the platform and saw them - cheerful, sad, boring, drunk... Later, in 1910, Eugene shared with the poet a story he had personally seen about how one day, driving past the Strelninsky parks, he saw a young woman next to a ditch. a girl, almost a teenager (13-15 years old), who was poisoned. The gathered onlookers and summer residents stood at a distance from her.
It was Ivanov’s sister and close friend Blok’s mother, Maria Pavlovna, whom the poet immensely respected for her kindness and responsiveness, is dedicated to this creation.
Blok, “On the Railroad”: analysis of the poem from the point of view of the plot
This lyrical work immediately introduces the reader to a world of hopeless melancholy. In the first stanza we already see a dead young woman, and it becomes a pity that her life was cut short so soon. Nothing indicates violent death: most obviously, she herself decided to end her own existence. The author then describes why this happened, revealing her past. The matter was hidden in the girl’s desire to love and be loved, but a poor, uneducated, naive provincial, she could not count on being taken seriously and, regularly going out on the platform in anticipation of happiness, remained unnoticed. Only once did the rich dandy hussar “slipped over her with a tender smile” - and the train with him rushed off into the distance. The girl could not bear the torment of her tormented heart and the impulses of her hot youth, as a result of which she committed suicide.
Symbolism of the poem
What hidden meanings put Blok into his creation? “On the Railway” (the analysis of the symbolist poet’s poem cannot but touch upon this category) is a system of the most diverse semantic combinations. Images of a train and railroad refer the reader to the motif life path, and it is no coincidence that the work belongs to the “Motherland” cycle, in which many other poems have the image of a road as their central element. This road contains the history of the development of the entire country.
The female image is not only the personification of all ruined Russian women (which is a qualitatively new, different from the previous, view of the poet; this is obvious, for example, in comparison with the image Beautiful lady), but also a symbol of Russia itself.
It is no coincidence that the girl gave “so many” bows to passing trains (the motive of idolatry); it is not for nothing that the line “The heart has long been taken out!” (motive of sacrifice). All this refers the reader to paganism, so characteristic of initial stages formation of Rus'. Despite the tragic outcome, the heroine is described by the poet as alive, which means that Blok did not make a terrible omen for the future of the entire state. On the contrary, despite the feeling of a key refraction of eras, he continued to believe in the beauty of “poor Russia”, respected its inner purity and holiness in the same way as he respects it in the dead girl.
Thus, the analysis of the poem “Railway” (Block), presented briefly or fully (depending on the need), reflects a huge life-affirming force.
Paths and artistic means of expression
Linguistic analysis of Blok’s poem “On the Railway” allows us to understand how widely the author used all the resources at his disposal. Here we find comparisons (“like a living thing”), epithets (“with a decorous gait,” “three bright eyes”), contrasts (“Yellow and blue were silent, in green they cried and sang”: the carriages of the first colors were intended for representatives of high society, indifferent to the fate of the country and the lives of those around him, while ordinary people rode in green carriages).
The author actively resorts to sound recording (“noise and whistle”), which makes it possible to create, on the one hand, constant tension in the situation, and on the other, its routine, immutability (“The carriages walked in a familiar line, trembled and creaked”). Flower painting, as it were, completes the picture of a closed, hopeless world (“With faded bushes”). Who did Alexander Blok blame for creating such a reality? “On the Railroad” (analysis of the poem from the point of view of the use artistic means allows us to establish this) - this is a reproach to the entire society, a desire to rivet the attention of everyone to existing problems, especially those in power. They are called by the poet “sleepy” and are depicted as observing everything with an “even gaze.”
Size, rhythm, stanza
If we analyze Blok’s poem “Railway” according to plan, then the analysis cannot be considered complete and complete without identifying the formative components. Thus, this lyrical work is written in alternating iambic pentameter and tetrameter, conveying the melancholy, measuredness, and monotony of an unchanging life. The total number of stanzas is 9, 4 lines each (36 lines in total). The ring composition closes the story and returns the reader to the beginning: “She is crushed,” and she can never be returned.
How did you express it syntactically? main idea of his creation A. A. Blok? “On the Railway” (the analysis of the poem has almost come to an end) presents the reader with many punctuation marks: it is as if one has to step over them, “stumble”, and stop. The last point of the final stanza adds sharpness to the conclusion of the poem and is a sentence: this is the finale, nothing can be returned.
A. Blok's poem "On the Railway" begins with a description of the death of the heroine - a young woman. The author returns us to her death at the end of the work. The composition of the verse is thus circular and closed.
On the railway
Maria Pavlovna Ivanova
Under the embankment, in the unmown ditch,
Lies and looks as if alive,
In a colored scarf thrown on her braids,
Beautiful and young.
Sometimes I walked with a sedate gait
To the noise and whistle behind the nearby forest.
Walking all the way around the long platform,
She waited, worried, under the canopy...
The name of Alexander Blok is closely connected in the reader’s mind with such a movement as symbolism, which is also very close to me. After all, all the poets who belonged to this school looked at all the events happening in this world in a completely different way than, for example, realists or adherents of romanticism did. In the poetry and prose of the Symbolists there are always some mysterious symbols, the solution to which sometimes takes a long time to ponder. But Blok often went beyond symbolism. When reading his poems, it seems that the poet has been “put on” these frames; he feels cramped. That is why the topic “Bloc and Symbolism” is very attractive to me. In my work I will try to find out Blok’s attitude to symbolism, the reason for his disagreements, and then his break with the symbolist poets.
A poet who has left a noticeable mark on the history of literature inevitably belongs to one or another literary direction. But he never belongs to just one literary movement. This fully applies to the work of one of the greatest Russian poets of the 20th century. - Blok. Blok can be considered as a successor and completer of the traditions of the great Russian literature of the 19th century in - both as the founder of new Russian poetry of the 20th century, and as the heir and continuer of romantic traditions, as the author of inspired prophecies about the death of the old world - and as the creator of the first poem about October revolution. All these approaches are justified by the richness and versatility of Blok’s creativity.
In the piercing cycle “Motherland”, all the poems are filled with sadness and pain, boundless melancholy, which have haunted Rus' for a long time and have not let go. Only two works are dedicated to images of people, and not the Motherland as a whole. A. Blok spoke about the colorless life of a young girl. An analysis of the poem “On the Railroad” will be given below.
Under the measured rumble of iambic
It goes slowly and, in fact, scary description the existence of a young girl somewhere in the depths of Russia who does not know how to hold on to her fleeting youth. Her painful daily visits to the station are shown with empty hopes for some (what?) changes in life. After all, she is “beautiful and young,” Blok characterizes her. On the railway will show this) life will squeeze the heart and soul of the heroine with such unbearable melancholy that from the first stanza it is clear how scary and quickly she will end her life and hopes.
In the quagmire of life
In the terrible monotony of the heroine’s life, there was only one entertainment - going to the station in the evening, dressed up. The whole tedious, wearisome day ended with the arrival at a fast train, through the windows of which one could look and see another life - bright and elegant. And her cheeks flushed, and her curls curled more steeply, and the heroine, standing next to the gendarme near the faded dusty bushes, was exhausted in empty dreams, bogged down in inertia. From afar I saw three bright headlights of a rushing train, and the cars, shaking and creaking, went and went past, without stopping, and the melancholy tore my heart: again she stood there, no one needed. The train flashed by, looked at the carriages - and that was it, and there was nothing more.
Sheer indifference, even if you shout or don’t shout, no one cares about her. An eventless existence takes place at a small stop (and Blok vividly describes it), on the railway. Analysis of the poem says that the heroine has nowhere to apply her strength, feelings, intelligence, beauty.
Just one just once
The hussar drew attention to her just once, casually leaning his elbows on the scarlet velvet. He smiled tenderly, glanced over - and there was nothing more left.
Time does not wait, the train rushed off into the distance. But for a second she was appreciated. This is both wonderful and humiliating. Useless youth rushed by like a train. What then? And now there is nothing but dull monotony, except petty affairs that stultify and coarse the mind and soul. What then? Is it really necessary to grow old so colorlessly so that no one will rejoice at her lively, cheerful character and the tender charm of her youth? The bitterness, regrets, and hopeless melancholy that consume the heroine are shown by Blok (“On the Railroad”). Analysis of the poem does not allow us to hope for any changes in the heroine’s life.
Sharp turn
How many times the poor thing had to walk through the woods to the station, how many times she had to stand under the canopy, how many times she had to walk the long platform, only she and the Almighty know. After all, I was so irresistibly drawn from this quiet place to where life is seething and changing every day. And nothing happened. And then came an instant desire to put an end to the sleepy fog of life (Blok says) on the railway forever. Analysis of the poem speaks of the girl’s spontaneous, but not accidental, decision to smile farewell and without desire, like into a pool, throw herself under the train.
A terrible beginning and a terrible end
Like a musical rondo, the first and last quatrains begin and end an abruptly cut short, miserable, wretched life, which did not even blossom, and could not blossom in full force. And now, as if alive, with open, frozen eyes, she lies in an unmown ditch, having rolled off the rails and under an embankment. Actually, she did not die now, but back when her hopes were smoldering and fading away with each passing day.
Physically alive, she was already dying when she cast greedy glances at the windows of the carriages. What questions might arise for her now? And would the girl want to answer them? After all, no one cares. Everything is just empty curiosity. This is how Blok narrates (“On the Railroad”). Analysis of the poem only states, like a doctor, the fact of death.
Russia
The girl is lonely and not needed by anyone, neither herself nor people. What about Russia without a daughter? She herself is a beggar, lying dozing, humiliated and wild. This is how Blok saw her at a crossroads, on the railroad. The analysis done by the poet, like a scalpel, reveals its chaotic nature and disastrous path. But this is precisely the kind of poet who loved and hated her immensely at the same time. Contradictively, with a bleeding heart, Blok looked with bitterness at what was happening on the railway. He carried out an analysis of Russian reality throughout the entire cycle of poems “Russia”. “On the Railroad” is a piece of the mosaic from which “Russia” was formed - boundless melancholy.
The poet’s heart is crying, blood is flowing from it on the Kulikovo Field. And the artist himself does not know what to do with himself, let alone give advice and recipes to the children of Russia. One thing he knows for sure is that “the heart cannot live in peace,” Blok. “On the Railway” (analysis of the verse makes us understand this) is a piercing cry of the soul, tearing the hearts of both the poet and the heroine of the work. Vulgarity, savagery and age-old darkness triumph.
Reading Blok out loud
Poems should be perceived by ear, like music, because this is the only way to hear the sounds and understand, feel how the images come together.
Let's start with the language of metaphors. The carriages, yellow and blue, are intended for wealthy people who can afford to travel in first and second class, which is not specified by the poet, and the green ones are for poverty, because this is clear to contemporaries without explanation. In addition, this quatrain has interesting sound assonances and alliterations: the repeated syllables “li” soften the menacing sound of the wheels and make it more melodious. The soft repetition of “l” 10 times in the quatrain about the hussar softens the inevitability of a fleeting meeting of the eyes of strangers. The whistling and hissing “s” and “zh” emphasize the rapid movement of the composition. If you read carefully and say it out loud, this expressive coloring will be heard. And the technique in the composition, when the denouement precedes the story, strengthens the image of the railway created later as a symbol of the rut of life, from which one cannot turn either to the right or to the left. The tenses of verbs are also important. In the first and last quatrains, the verb forms are used in the present tense, and this also strengthens it reverse composition. The image of the path, having passed through the entire poem, becomes central, oppressive and killing a person. This is how Blok “On the Railway” builds. The analysis is given briefly. They can be supplemented further.
The essence of Blok’s world is terrible and filled with scattering evil, soulless and indifferent, human stupidity, hopeless, majestic, endless. But no, this is not the end, says the poet. There are also forests, clearings, fogs, rustling in the oats. Beauty exists outside of people. It can and should be seen.
