F.I. Tyutchev looked at the world as a poet all his life, without claiming this title. For more than 20 years he lived abroad, serving there as a diplomat - this was his life’s work. But it was precisely the longing for his homeland that awakened in him those wonderful feelings, thanks to which his descendants can read his great poems. In this article we will analyze Tyutchev’s “These Poor Villages.”
The author's love for the Motherland
F.I. Tyutchev, being outside Russia, missed her very much, and considered every visit here a personal holiday. Loving his homeland, he, of course, realized how behind it was from progressive Europe. At the same time, the poet was never ashamed of his origin. In 1855, Tyutchev published “These Poor Villages” from his pen. It is in this work that he explains why poor Russia with its hungry and dilapidated villages is dearer to him than well-fed and polished Europe. And it's all about the great Russian people! Nuggets and geniuses, kind and sympathetic, patient people know how to carry a heavy burden with real nobility, which a European has never even dreamed of.
The poet calls Russia “the land of long-suffering.” He knows that the country is imperfect. But Tyutchev also knows that as long as the Russian people are rich internally, they will endure anything! He considers spirituality to be the main quality of the people, because Russia, according to F.I. Tyutchev, is a country chosen by God.
F.I. Tyutchev “These poor villages”: analysis of contrasts
The most important contrast in the work is the opposition between pride and humility. Pride is a mortal sin that obscures a person’s vision, and humility is the path to salvation for Christians. This is where the deep subtext of the verse lies, covering religious and philosophical themes.
The work amazes the reader with another contrast - the contrast between the wretched appearance of the villages and the great fortitude of the Russian people. Constant longing for the Motherland makes the poet-philosopher look at it differently. He writes with sadness about the nature of Russia, its villages, abandoned and lonely. Gray dilapidated huts and paths leading into the fields evoke a painful feeling of melancholy in his heart.
But it is precisely this landscape that can harmonize with the pure and humble soul of the Russian person.
Tyutchev “These poor villages”: division into stanzas
The poem as a whole is narrative and descriptive lyrics. In it, the poet shares his feelings and mood with readers. Tyutchev’s analysis of “These Poor Villages” must also be carried out from the point of view of division into stanzas. The verse consists of three stanzas. In the first stanza, we, together with the author, see “poor villages” and “the land of long-suffering.” Tyutchev sympathizes with the people living here. Anaphora (“these-this”, “edge-edge”) gives a special expressive color to the lines, enhancing the parallelism and expressiveness of the words. Exclamatory intonation draws the reader's attention to the problem. In the second stanza we talk about the mystery of the Russian soul, which a foreigner, “the gaze of foreigners,” can never understand. The third stanza shows the idea of the poem, its meaning. Tyutchev believes that God did not abandon the Russian land, he blessed it. Tyutchev’s analysis of “These Poor Villages” helps to understand how much the author believes in the happy future of his Motherland.
The symbol of light in Tyutchev’s lyrics
The value of the human soul - humility, kindness, spirituality - this is what the poet values in the Russian people. It is to them that he endows with secret light and blesses. Light is a stable symbol of all the lyrics of F.I. Tyutchev, it is associated with the highest earthly value. The dim beauty of Russia is still illuminated by this invisible light. But one must not confuse the author’s liberalism with revolutionism. It is known that he was against the Decembrist uprising. But no one will dare to accuse Tyutchev of lack of patriotism.
It is not for nothing that the analysis of Tyutchev’s poem “These Poor Villages” reveals interesting alliterations. The sounds “R” and “S” are heard in every stanza; they seem to be identified with the words Russia and Rus.
Tyutchev writes his great work using cross-female rhymes.
These poor villages
This meager nature
The native land of long-suffering,
You are the edge of the Russian people!
He won't understand or notice
Proud look of a foreigner,
What shines through and secretly shines
In your humble nakedness.
Dejected by the burden of the godmother,
All of you, dear land,
In slave form the king of heaven
He came out blessing.
Analysis of the poem “These Poor Villages” by Tyutchev
Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev is a famous Russian writer and lyricist, deservedly recognized as a classic. His poetry is distinguished by the unity of themes and images, and some call his poems “fragments”, as if they are parts of one large whole - all of Tyutchev’s poetry.
The poem “These Poor Villages” refers to political lyrics. It was written on August 13, 1855 and reflects the poet’s view of the state of the country. At the time of writing the work, serfdom in Russia had not yet been abolished, which affected the work. Tyutchev speaks in a veiled form about the humble tolerance of the Russian people and their inability to resist the authorities. The Russian people are poor and unfree, and the country is exhausted.
Despite the political theme of the poem, Tyutchev uses Christian motifs and the image of Christ, calling him “the king of heaven.” He says by this that Russia has its own unique path, and the Russian people are illuminated by a “secret” light, which represents a deep religious feeling, faith, patriarchy, which is characteristic of the Russian people. One of Tyutchev’s main thoughts in this work is that Russian people, meek and humble by nature, are saved by their patience, their hope and faith in the light.
The poem is written in trochee tetrameter, and the rhyme here is cross and mostly feminine. The entire work is based on allegories (“the king of heaven in a slave form”). Metaphors, epithets (“the edge of long-suffering”, “humble nakedness”, “foreign gaze”) and periphrases (“burden of the cross”, “king of heaven”) are used as expressive means, and the contrast between “native” and “foreign” is clearly visible. .
From the first lines, the poet calls to see the reality around people. Villages in the eyes of the lyrical hero, who reflects the view of Tyutchev himself, are “poor,” nature is “scarce.” However, the exclamation “You are the land of the Russian people!” clearly makes it clear that the hero loves his country and his people and even admires them. In the second stanza, the author veiledly compares the “humble nakedness” of our country with the “proud gaze of a foreigner.”
Fyodor Tyutchev’s lyrical work “These Poor Villages” reveals the poet from an unexpected side. Here we see the classic not as a researcher of the inner world of man, the world of feelings, but as a humanist artist who studies and draws various aspects of human life, and this poem clearly reflects the oppressive feeling of injustice.
Written in 1855, the poem is an expression of the poet's view of the state of Russia. This work is political lyrics.
Tyutchev was interested in politics throughout his life, but there was no freedom of speech as such at that time, and therefore he was forced to formalize his thoughts in veiled lines of poetry.
The main theme of the work
The main idea of "Poor Villages" is a condemnation of the tsar's internal policies and serfdom, which existed on the territory of our country for quite a long time. The lines “native land of long-suffering” are precisely about this.
Tyutchev writes about the lack of freedom of the Russian people and indirectly points to his inability to resist the authorities.
The lines “poor villages” and “scarce nature” are an indication of the poverty and humiliation of the people, as well as the general depletion of the country.
And although the lyrical hero experiences mental pain, seeing the true state of things, he still remains proud of his homeland, as evidenced by the line with the exclamation: “You are the land of the Russian people!”
The fate of Russians appears in the lines of the poem not only as an unfair burden, but also as something sacred. Tyutchev exalts the people and glorifies their humility, indirectly mentioning Christian values in the poem. The “proud gaze” of foreigners is contrasted with the calmness and meekness of Russian residents.
In this context, the author mentions that the Russian people are under the protection of Jesus Christ - the “king of heaven” who blesses our lands. At the same time, in the poem the image of Christ and the image of the Russian people seem to come closer and become one. This is evident from the expressions “in a slavish state” and “depressed by a burden.”
The symbolism of the poem and the means used
Size: tetrameter trochee. The type of rhyme in the poem is cross.
You should also pay attention to the abundance and alternation of the sounds “s” and “r”. The first is muffled, and the second is sonorous. This sets the rhythm and reflects the general direction: humility and slavish obedience are contrasted with blessing and pride in one’s homeland.
Means of expression:
- Allegories (king of heaven);
- Metaphors (foreign gaze, edge of long-suffering);
- Epithets (humble, meager, poor).
Basic symbols:
1. Christ
The work is not just filled with Christian motifs.
First and foremost, Christ is an expression of the Hero archetype. Bringing together Christ and ordinary people in his lines, the author secretly declares the heroism of the Russian people.
In Tyutchev’s poetics, light is usually interpreted as an expression of something higher and a sign of blessing.
In addition, in a broad sense, light is a symbol of renewal and hope.
Author's message
This poem is a kind of message to the Russian people, as well as the author’s “heartfelt cry” about the injustice and imperfection of the political and economic realities during which he lived.
Tyutchev analyzes the main problems inherent in our mentality and draws a small conclusion. The Russian people by nature are humble martyrs who are saved by patience and faith.
Already in his youth, Fyodor Tyutchev decided that he would devote his life to the social and political direction. It would seem that at the age of nineteen he had already gone to Germany to resolve diplomatic issues. However, his stay in European countries also gave him a unique experience that he could use in his literary poems.
Travels abroad instilled in the poet a love of romanticism, in the style of which he began to depict many of his creative works. Observing the life and culture of Europeans, Tyutchev understood that the Russians were still very far from reaching such a high level. However, in his brothers-in-arms he saw something beautiful that was not present in the inhabitants of Europe.
Leaving his diplomatic career, Tyutchev plunged headlong into literary art. The poem “These poor villages...” reveals the author’s thoughts. He is trying to say that his homeland is much sweeter for his soul, regardless of all the shortcomings and problems that reigned throughout its territory.
Tyutchev’s opinion coincided with the thoughts of another lover of Russia, Nekrasov. The author of the poem did not try to hide from readers all the poverty and misery that the Russian people feel. He openly talks about the hellish work that workers do every day. However, now, he omits all those difficulties and glorifies his native lands, which are part of mighty Russia.
In the flow of creative work we are also talking about the strongest spiritual education that lives in the soul of the Russian people. The author notes that God himself left the Russian lands, blessing them. And this became a real reward and support for those people who do hellish work every day and withstand the painful trials of fate.
Tyutchev lived, felt, and thought like a poet. Meanwhile, he never claimed to be a poet. He called his “poetic exercises” “scribbling on paper”, did not strive to publish, was not interested in the assessment of his fellow writers, and did not even collect poetry. They were in letters to relatives and friends, they were found forgotten in books and business papers, on bills and travel documents.
F. Tyutchev's lyrics are usually called philosophical. Russian poetry knows philosophical poems, when poets directly expressed their views, applying them to a specific case, illustrating them with images. This cannot be said about Tyutchev. His poetry is the human “I” with its eternal questions in the face of the world, first of all, in the face of nature. But Tyutchev's lyrics, often called the lyrics of nature, are not just poeticization of certain landscapes. With him, even when it comes to a local picture, we always find ourselves in front of the whole world.
Tyutchev’s organic, innate and strengthened humility was also affirmed in his aesthetic exploration and understanding of the world. And more and more this strengthened the poet in the conviction that without faith it is impossible for a person to truly exist in this world. He was clearly aware of the imperfection, inconsistency, weakness, and sometimes destructiveness of the volitional manifestations of his own human “I,” and proud self-aggrandizement became overtly obvious to him.
Tyutchev's civic-philosophical poetry is in many ways close to the views of the Slavophiles in their spiritual striving for Truth. However, in life the poet had to overcome these problems on his own and alone. A true feat was required from the poet, and he accomplished this feat.
Torn away from Russia in his youth, when he was eighteen years old, confined to distant Munich, left to his own devices, Tyutchev alone experiences in a foreign land the entire process of internal development, from youth to mature courage. He returns to Russia when he is already in his fifties. The poet spent twenty-two years of the best time of his life abroad.
Love for Russia, faith in its future, conviction in its supreme historical calling possessed the poet powerfully, persistently, completely, from his earliest years until his last breath. They lived in him to the extent of some elemental force, more powerful than any other personal feeling. Russia was for him the highest interest in life.
One of the poet’s prophetic revelations, left unanswered by his contemporaries, turned out to be addressed over their heads right into the bed of time - the revelation about Russia:
These poor villages
This meager nature
The native land of long-suffering,
You are the land of the Russian people.
Tyutchev was not alone in Russian poetry in compassion for his people. But it was his just thoughts that were filled with a pious and loving attitude. The poet is not limited to just external comprehension of the concept of “Russia”:
He won't understand or notice
Proud look of a foreigner,
What shines through and only shines
In your humble nakedness.
The most important thing here is the contrast between pride and humility. These concepts are sometimes comprehended only at a religious level. Pride is the source of world evil, humility is the basis of salvation, without which it is impossible. In the Christian meaning, pride obscures the vision, humility opens true vision.
Tyutchev gives a genuine understanding of the external wisdom of his native land: behind poverty hides humility, illuminating patience and submission to the will of Christ:
Dejected by the burden of the godmother,
All of you, dear land,
In slave form, the King of Heaven
He came out blessing.
Without naming it directly, the poet leads the reader to the most important concept for him - Holy Rus'. This poem has deep religious and philosophical overtones and sound. Many contemporaries have already noted that in terms of the power of lyrical feeling, this poem in all our poetry has very few equals. At the same time, many critics noted that even if the landscape of “poor villages” may seem picturesque, then applying an aesthetic standard to such phenomena as the deprivation of the Russian people, the scarcity of the Russian land means having a hard heart.
The poem is striking in the contrast between the external ugliness and the internal greatness of the spirit of the people. A constant feeling of melancholy was caused in Tyutchev by scarcity, poverty, which he saw in Russian life and transferred to Russian nature. With what melancholy sadness he writes about the impression of complete abandonment and loneliness that these gray huts and paths lost in the fields invariably evoke. But it is precisely this kind of life that is in harmony with the long-suffering and humility of the Russian people.
The poetic revelation of Tyutchev, who expressed his most cherished thoughts about Russia, about its high calling and faithful service, has firmly entered the cultural consciousness of our people. Lines from the poem “These poor villages...” are often quoted by poets and writers, historians and priests, publicists and politicians. It, like a litmus test, highlights the depths of a person’s inner world, the direction of his spiritual aspirations and religious quests. In essence, the attitude towards Tyutchev’s revelation is an attitude towards the choice of life path.
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