Direction to Chaadaev. Analysis of the Poem “To Chaadaev”
Analysis of the poem
1. The history of the creation of the work.
2. Characteristics of a work of the lyrical genre (type of lyrics, artistic method, genre).
3. Analysis of the content of the work (analysis of the plot, characteristics of the lyrical hero, motives and tonality).
4. Features of the composition of the work.
5. Analysis of means of artistic expression and versification (presence of tropes and stylistic figures, rhythm, meter, rhyme, stanza).
6. The meaning of the poem for the poet’s entire work.
The poem “To Chaadaev” was written by A.S. Pushkin in 1818. It is addressed to a person whose friendship the poet valued very much. P.Ya. Chaadaev was five years older than Pushkin, he had rich life experience, an excellent education (Moscow University), and was a man of deep, encyclopedic mind. He took part in the Patriotic War of 1812, in 1816–1820. was an officer in the Life Guards Hussar Regiment. Chaadaev had a great influence on the young poet; Pushkin valued his friendship with him very much. The poet addressed several messages and the quatrain “To the Portrait of Chaadaev” to Pyotr Yakovlevich, in which he compares his senior comrade with the heroes of antiquity:
He is the highest will of heaven
Born in the shackles of royal service.
He would be Brutus in Rome, Pericles in Athens,
And here he is a hussar officer.
The message “To Chaadaev” became widespread in the lists. In a distorted form, without Pushkin’s knowledge, it was published in the almanac “Northern Star” for 1829. But it was completely printed only in 1901.
The genre of the work is a friendly message. The style is romantic, which combines the intonations of love and civil lyrics. However, the message refers to civil, freedom-loving poetry. Its main theme is the theme of freedom, this is the dream of the awakening of Russia.
As researchers have repeatedly noted, in this poem Pushkin writes on behalf of an entire generation that is only still realizing its goals and objectives. The message begins on a sad note: delight in life, love, hopes - all this turned out to be just a deception, a myth, a pipe dream. And this kind of loss often took place in the poet’s contemporary reality. Dreams of glory and freedom often turned into bitter disappointment when confronted with the realities of life. This was the case with Chaadaev. This is exactly what the poet talks about in the first lines of the poem:
Love, hope, quiet glory
Deception did not last long for us,
The youthful fun has disappeared
Like a dream, like morning fog...
However, then the poet’s sad tone gives way to a cheerful and life-affirming one:
But the desire still burns within us,
Under the yoke of fatal power
With an impatient soul
Let us heed the hope of the Fatherland
Holy moments of freedom
How a young lover waits
Minutes of a faithful date.
The inspired dream of “holy freedom” cannot be drowned out by either the difficulties of struggle or the “yoke of fatal power.” The poet here compares serving the Fatherland with a feeling of love, with the ardor of a young lover. At the same time, the important thing is that this heat of the soul should not burn out or cool down.
The poet’s appeal to his older friend is so persistent and inviting:
Comrade, believe: she will rise,
Star of captivating happiness,
Russia will wake up from its sleep,
And on the ruins of autocracy
They will write our names!
And this appeal is not to Chaadaev alone, but to the entire generation.
Compositionally, we can distinguish three parts in the work. The first part is the lyrical hero’s thoughts about the past, a kind of analysis of bygone feelings, attitudes, hopes characteristic of naive youth. The second part is an analysis of your feelings in the present. The center of the poem is a call to a friend and like-minded person:
While we are burning with freedom,
While hearts are alive for honor,
My friend, let's dedicate it to the fatherland
Beautiful impulses from the soul!
The third part is thoughts about the future, revealing the hero’s ardent faith in the idea of freedom, in the possibility of transforming Russia. At the end of the poem, the same motive appears as at the beginning - awakening from sleep. Only in the finale does this motive sound very broadly: this is no longer the individual attitude of the hero, but the attitude of the whole people, Russia. The intimate lyrical intonation here becomes civilly pathetic. In this sense, we can talk about a ring composition.
The message is written in iambic tetrameter, cross and ring rhymes are used. The entire work is divided into quatrains and a final five-line. Each group is independent in its intonation. Pushkin uses a variety of means of artistic expression: metaphor (“we are burning with freedom”, “desire is burning”, “Russia will rise from sleep”), epithets (“quiet glory”, “moments of holy freedom”), comparison (“Young fun has disappeared, Like a dream like morning fog"). The message uses “high” style vocabulary (“heed”, “fatherland”, “hope”), socio-political terms (“oppression”, “power”, “liberty”, “freedom”, “honor”, “autocracy” ).
Thus, in the romantic message “To Chaadaev” Pushkin moves away from romanticism in its traditional thematic embodiment. The main idea of the work is the idea of freedom and knightly service to the Fatherland.
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“My friend, let us dedicate our souls to the Fatherland with wonderful impulses!” Analysis of the poem “to Chaadaev”.
The theme of freedom continues in other poems of the poet, but the most striking and significant of the youthful freedom-loving works is “To Chaadaev” (1818).
Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev is one of the brightest and most remarkable personalities of Pushkin’s era.
Pushkin and Chaadaev met in 1816 in the Karamzin house. Chaadaev is 22 years old, he is a cornet of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, covered in the glory of the battles of the War of 1812, who reached Paris with the Russian army. Pushkin is a lyceum student, he is 17 years old. They quickly became close and, despite the age difference, became friends, and then friends. Pushkin admired Chaadaev, absorbed his freedom-loving speeches like a sponge, and drew his friend in the margins of his manuscripts.
This is the kind of person one of Pushkin’s best poems is addressed to.
Let's read it.
What does it sound like? What intonations predominate in it?
The poem sounds upbeat, solemn, it inspires to fight for the happiness of the Fatherland, calls to serve it. It is this high call that is the leading intonation of the work.
In what ways is the poem “To Chaadaev” consonant with the ode “Liberty”? What images of him resonate with her?
Both “To Chaadaev” and “Liberty” are devoted to the same theme, and in both works there is a passionate call to the fight for freedom:
"Tyrants of the world! Tremble! / And you, take heart and listen, / Arise, fallen slaves.”
“While we are burning with freedom, / While our hearts are alive for honor, / My friend, we will dedicate our souls to the Fatherland’s beautiful impulses!”
Many of the images in them have something in common: “an autocratic villain” - “the wreckage of autocracy”, “Holy liberty”, -unjust power” - “under the yoke of fatal power.”
Which of these images, in your opinion, is the leading image in the poem “to Chaadaev”? This is “Holy Liberty”, which the Fatherland and the lyrical hero of the poem crave; he awaits it “with languid hope.”
How do you see this “Liberty”? Draw a verbal portrait of her.
Ninth graders often draw the image of a young girl in a white dress standing on top of some cliff or rock. The wind blows her loose hair and flutters her dress. Clouds are rushing over the girl’s head, illuminated by the rays of the sun, and at the foot of the cliff the sea is raging...
What do you think in Pushkin’s poem suggested the image of a girl to you?
Yes, the very feeling of the poet, who is impatiently waiting for a meeting with “Holy Liberty,” “like a young lover awaits / The minutes of a faithful date.” He associates liberty with his beloved.
What does this comparison of the poet make you think about?
Liberty is desired for him just like his beloved: it evokes languor, trembling, hope in his heart...
How are the images of Liberty and the Fatherland connected in the poem?
The Fatherland calls for help (“Let us heed the call of the Fatherland”) because it suffers “under the yoke of fatal power,” it is waiting for liberation from it, waiting for “Holy Liberty.”
Freedom is what she needs, like air, like bread, like water... Think about the poet’s invoking words, full of youthful strength:
While we are burning with freedom,
While hearts are alive for honor,
My friend, let's dedicate it to the Fatherland
Beautiful impulses from the soul!
In what sense is the word “honor” used here?
Honor here is synonymous with conscience - an internal call to goodness, denial of evil, nobility. If “hearts are alive for honor,” it means that you will not remain indifferent to the fate of the Fatherland, which means you will join the battle for its freedom.
And thanks to the common efforts of the faithful sons of the Fatherland, the “star of captivating happiness” will certainly rise over Russia, that is, it will become free, only “debris” will remain from the autocracy, on which the names of those who
dedicated “the beautiful impulses of his soul” to the Fatherland.
Please note that this poem seems to be framed by the motif of a dream:
“youthful fun has disappeared, like a dream ...” and “Russia will awaken from sleep ...”,
What is the meaning of this motif at the beginning of the poem and what is it at the end?
At the beginning, the dream is an illusion associated with the hope for change, which ardent young hearts await “with languid hope.” In the end, the dream is associated with the centuries-old torpor of Russia in the shackles of slavery - serfdom, and it is from this torpor that the country must rise. The illusion of “quiet glory”, a peaceful appeal to justice dissipates, “like a dream, like morning fog”, the “calling of the Fatherland” becomes more audible.
It is those who hear this “calling” who are able to destroy Russia’s centuries-old sleep and return it to a free, full life.
Consider G. Klodt’s illustration for Pushkin’s poem “To Chaadaev.” What does it remind you of?(Emblem, coat of arms.)
PHOTO
Decipher the symbols of this emblem: the torch is a symbol of freedom burning in the chest of the lyrical hero, the chains are a symbol of slavery, the scrolls symbolize the poetic word, a call to action and at the same time their outlines resemble a lyre.
Why do you think the artist chose this style?
The poem itself is in many ways akin to the emblem of freedom fighters, this is evidenced by the images-symbols, images-emblems that we find in the work.
In the coat of arms and emblem, all symbols have their own meaning, carry a certain idea, they themselves unfold only when you look at them; Likewise, in Pushkin’s poem, images - symbols do not require explanation; they themselves lead both the visual and semantic series, suggesting thoughts, actions, deeds.
That is why this poem was so loved by the future Decembrists, and that is why copies of it were found on almost all those arrested in connection with the uprising.
ANOTHER ANALYSIS
This poem is one of the most famous
political works of Alexander Sergeevich
Pushkin. It is written in the genre of a friendly message -
nia. In the 19th century it was a common literary
tour genre, which Pushkin often turned to
co. A friendly message implies the utmost
sincerity, but this does not mean at all that poetry
the creation was created only for the named person - it
addressed to a wide range of readers.
It is known that Pushkin did not plan to publish
message “To Chaadaev”. However, the poem
recorded from the words of the poet during reading in a narrow
circle of friends, began to be passed from hand to hand
and soon became widely known, although omitted
it was highlighted only in 1829. Thanks to
the author gained the reputation of a freethinker, and
the poem is still called literary
anthem of the Decembrists.
The poem is addressed to one of the remarkable
neyshik people of his time and a close friend
Pushkin - Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev. At 16 years old
Chaadaev joined the Semenovsky Guards Regiment, with
which he traveled from Borodino to Paris. In 1818
the year when the poem was written, he served
in the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, later became famous
great philosopher and publicist. It was for Pushkin
an example of commitment to liberation ideas
(in 1821 Chaadaev became a member of the secret Decembrist
social society "Union of Prosperity").
in the first lines of the message “To Chaadaev” contains
there is a hint of the carefree youth of two young
of people. Peaceful pleasures and fun, hopes
Fortunately, dreams of literary fame bound the friends together:
Love, hope, quiet glory
Deception did not last long for us,
The youthful fun has disappeared
Like a dream, like morning fog...
The epithet quiet (glory) indicates that
friends dreamed of quiet, peaceful happiness. Talking about
that “young fun” has disappeared, Pushkin cites
a capacious and vivid comparison: “like a dream, like a morning
fog". And in fact, neither from sleep nor from morning
there is nothing left of the fog.
There is obvious disappointment in these lines
reign of Alexander 1. It is known that the first
the steps of the young emperor inspired his subjects
hope that his reign will be liberal
(Alexander 1 even discussed with his closest friends -
our plans for transforming Russia into a constitutional
monarchy), but this hope was not justified.
In conditions of political oppression and lack of rights, the “quiet
glory" was simply impossible.
Then the poet says: “We are waiting for... a moment of freedom-
ity of the saint ", the epithet of the saint testifies
about the high understanding of “liberty”. Comparison:
“How a young lover waits / For faithful minutes
dates,” emphasizes the poet’s passionate desire
wait for “holy freedom” And even confidence in
making this happen (sure date).
The poem contrasts two images:
“fatal power” and “fatherland”:
Under the yoke of fatal power
With an impatient soul
Let us heed the calling of the Fatherland.
The epithet fatal gains more power
(power) - cruel, inhuman. And the poet's homeland
calls her father; choosing from a range of synonyms
the most intimate and soulful meaning.
It is important to note that the poet speaks not only about his
feelings - it expresses the thoughts and desires of many
their like-minded people: “But there’s still something burning inside us -
Lanier"; “We wait with languid hope,”
What does the “star of captivating happiness” mean?
which one should rise? In political vocabulary
of that era, the word “star” often symbolized
revolution, and the rising of a star - victory in liberation
body struggle. No wonder the Decembrists Kondraty
Ryleev and Alexander Bestuzhev named their al-
manah "North Star". Of course, Pushkin did not
accidentally chose this word in a message addressed to
to your friends.
Addressing the reader with a fiery appeal:
“My friend, let’s dedicate / Beautiful souls to the fatherland
impulses,” the poet expresses confidence that
“Russia will awaken from sleep, / And on the ruins of self-government -
stya / / They will write our names!”, The words “the wreckage of sa-
autocracy" means the coming fall of the autocracy
viya. The poet calls for selfless service
homeland, to the fight for freedom. For him, the concepts of “pa-
triotism" and "freedom" are inseparable from each other. But
Pushkin understands that he will voluntarily make concessions
the king will not agree. That is why in recent
Society knew Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin not only as a talented poet, but also as a person sympathetic to the ideas of the Decembrists. The court considered him a freethinker, and the poet was sent into exile for his bold statements, and later his work was subject to strict censorship by the tsar. One of his early poems, “To Chaadaev,” the analysis of which is presented below, was called the anthem of the Decembrists.
History of writing and publication
The analysis of “To Chaadaev” should begin with the history of the creation of the poem. It was written by the poet in 1818 and was not originally intended for publication. The poem was recorded while Pushkin was reading it to close friends. Later, the creation was delivered to the recipient (Chaadaev), and the recording of the poem began to be passed from hand to hand.
The work was distributed secretly among St. Petersburg residents. It was published only in 1829 in the almanac “Northern Star” by M.A. Bestuzhev in a very modified form. From the moment of the creation of this message, Alexander Sergeevich gained the reputation of a freethinker and supporter of the ideas of the Decembrists.
Recipient's identity
The analysis of “To Chaadaev” should be continued with a short story about the personality of the poem’s addressee. This was Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev - one of Pushkin’s closest friends from his days at the Lyceum. When Alexander Sergeevich served in St. Petersburg with the rank of collegiate secretary, he often went to visit his friend. Pushkin shared with Chaadaev all his experiences and thoughts.
While still a lyceum student, the poet loved to discuss the socio-political situation in the country with Chaadaev. Therefore, the friends were connected not only by warm memories of their youth, but also by common aspirations. The message contained a call for the overthrow of the autocracy. But the poet himself did not at all strive to advertise his position. Alexander Pushkin soon forgot about his literary freethinking.
The message was delivered to Pyotr Chaadaev, who at that time was already a member of the society of future Decembrists, known as the “Union of Welfare.” Many of its members perceived Pushkin's poem as a call to action. Subsequently, after the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, the poet more than once reproached himself for imprudence. He believed that this message served as the impetus for an attempt to overthrow the autocracy. The story of the creation of “To Chaadaev” is an example of the power a word has. And if for Pushkin his call was simply literary free-thinking, then for the Decembrists this message became an anthem.
Genre of the work
One of the points of analysis of “To Chaadaev” is the determination of the genre in which the poem is written. It should be classified as a very popular genre of friendly message in Russia in the first half of the 19th century. This genre was distinguished by a free form of expression of thoughts, so the poem acquired the features of a confidential conversation between close people.
The addressees of the message were both real persons and fictional characters. This genre was not limited by various formal conventions. Therefore, in his works the author could communicate with the reader on equal terms, which gave a touch of trust to the poem.
The plot of the work
The basis of the plot of the poem “To Chaadaev” is reflections on the growing up of a person. The poet no longer harbors illusions about fame and love. Youthful dreams collided with harsh reality, and now the author already doubts the correctness of his views. The poet compares them to a dream, a fog, which dissipates just as quickly. Some of Alexander Sergeevich's contemporaries saw in this an allusion to Emperor Alexander the First, in whose reign the poet became disillusioned.
Then the poem “To Chaadev” continues with bursts of freethinking. Instead of naive youthful dreams, the poet receives a love of freedom and a sense of civic duty. For Alexander Sergeevich, such a transition was natural, and only each citizen’s awareness of his duty could make the country free.
But the poet did not deny that ardent impulses could meet with an obstacle in the person of those who did not want to change the social structure in the state. Alexander Sergeevich believed that all his strength should be devoted to serving the Motherland. And then, as a reward for their labors, their names will be remembered by their descendants.
Political subtext
In his message “To Chaadaev,” Pushkin also expressed dissatisfaction with the tsarist government. Emperor Alexander the First called himself a true liberal, and many expected from his rule reforms that would improve the lives of peasants. But all the talk about the abolition of serfdom remained just talk. And it is not surprising that the young poet became disillusioned with the autocracy.
Alexander Sergeevich no longer believed the royal promises. But the poet believed in people in whose hearts the fire of justice still burned. He believed in those for whom freedom and a sense of duty to the Fatherland were not an empty phrase. It was they, according to Pushkin, who were supposed to free Russia from autocracy. And then justice would reign in society.
What is this work about?
It is difficult to highlight the main idea of the poem "To Chaadaev." Most are accustomed to viewing it from a patriotic point of view. Therefore, for many, the main purpose of this message was to call the Decembrists to action. But initially this creation was not intended by the author for a large number of people.
Therefore, the main idea was not a call for the overthrow of the autocracy. This is an appeal to Chaadaev, whom the young poet admired. He was confident that his friend would go down in history, that his deed was good. And Pushkin expressed his admiration and confidence in this in a friendly message. He had a sincere conversation with his close friend, in which he touched on topics that worried him - the growing up of a person, the social situation in the country and admiration for Chaadaev and his ideas.
The rhythmic side of the poem
The poetic meter of “To Chaadaev” is Pushkin’s famous iambic tetrameter. The rhyming method is cross and ring. The message can be divided into quatrains and a final quintuple, in which the poet spoke about the future of Russia.
Literary tropes
Thanks to what means of expression did “To Chaadaev” become the anthem of the Decembrist movement? This is the socio-political vocabulary that the poet used when creating the message. This gave the friendly message a sublime (one might even say pathetic) and patriotic character. Of all the synonyms for the word “homeland,” Pushkin uses “fatherland,” which evokes a warmer response from readers.
Socio-political vocabulary was a distinctive feature of the poetry of the Decembrists. Therefore, the poet, who knew and was friends with many Decembrists, used it in writing a message to his friend. Pushkin contrasts power to the free people, using epithets. For autocratic power, he chooses the word “fatal” - this emphasizes its dark side, its reluctance to help the people. He characterizes freedom with the adjective “holy” - the poet emphasizes that freedom is the highest value for the people.
The poem itself is built on an antithesis - the opposition of youthful dreams and a sense of responsibility, civic duty, the tsarist regime, serfdom to an equal society in which all people are equal and free. This feature of the composition emphasized reflections on the maturation of the individual, how from a reckless, ardent youth the poet became a man who was not indifferent to the future of his country.
Criticism of the poem
Despite the fact that the message began to be passed from hand to hand and became known in society, nevertheless, some contemporaries criticized this literary freethinking. Some were indignant that the main characters should be Pushkin and Chaadaev - these freethinkers, secular jokers, dandies. But, most likely, the poet did not mean only them: Alexander Sergeevich may have written about the entire society of the Decembrists, who sought to make the life of society better.
Some of the poet's contemporaries reproached him for too frivolously comparing duty with a love date. But this was the peculiarity of the poet’s message: he combined personal experiences with a sense of patriotism.
The message “To Chaadaev” is an example of how Pushkin was able to inspire people with his poems. Alexander Sergeevich chose such words that they touched everyone’s heart and forced the Decembrists to act. This poem reflects the high ideals of A.S. Pushkin and his belief that a bright future will come for the Fatherland. In this poem, the political and lyrical directions are not opposed, but complement each other, creating a poem in which there is a place for both the poet’s personal experiences and a sense of patriotism.
Analysis of the poem “To Chaadaev”
The poem was written during the St. Petersburg period of A.S.’s work. Pushkin, in 1818, when Pushkin was under the strong influence of the personality of P.Ya. Chaadaev, one of the most remarkable minds of Pushkin's modern times.
O.E. Mandelstam wrote about Chaadaev: “The trace left by Chaadaev in the consciousness of Russian society is so deep and indelible that the question involuntarily arises: was he drawn across glass with a diamond? ... All those properties that Russian life was deprived of, which it did not even suspect, were deliberately combined in Chaadaev’s personality: enormous internal discipline, high intellectualism, moral architectonics and the coldness of the mask, the medals with which a person surrounds himself, realizing that in the centuries he is only a form, and in advance preparing a cast for his immortality.”
At this time, Pushkin communicates with people who are members of secret societies, future Decembrists. The ideas of civil freedom, service to the fatherland, discussed among these people, and echoes of conversations with Chaadaev are reflected in the poem.
Subject
The poem talks about the high ideals of freedom, the fight against “autocracy”, and declares the civic position of the lyrical hero.
Main thought (idea)
The idea of the poem is most fully expressed in the lines:
...While we are burning with freedom,
While hearts are alive for honor,
My friend, let's dedicate it to the fatherland
Beautiful impulses from the soul!..
The poet speaks of the need to combine “the soul’s beautiful impulses” with service to the fatherland, its good, with activities for the glory of the homeland.
The poet calls “freedom” a condition for the good of the fatherland, meaning not only personal freedom, but also civil rights.
Poetics
The genre of the poem “To Chaadaev” is a friendly message. It belongs to the civil type of lyrics. It is written in iambic pentameter and tetrameter, the rhyme system is cross, with alternating male and female rhymes.
The chosen harmonious form gives the poem a solemn sound.
Pushkin saturates the poem with vivid epithets: quiet glory, morning fog, youthful fun, fatal power, impatient soul.
Each of the epithets adds brightness and prominence to the image. For example, calling the “minute of freedom” sacred, Pushkin emphasizes his high understanding of this category, elevates the concept of freedom to the most brilliant pedestal, as if leaving all other values (power, fame, wealth) below.
The epithet “fatal” (power) is also endowed with strong energy - Pushkin emphasizes the severity and inevitability of the pressure of power on a person, on society, his oppression. The metaphorical image of “the wreckage of autocracy” is a contrast to this heaviness, the designated and inevitable path to its completion.
The metaphors of the poem are also vivid and strong:
... she will rise,
Star of captivating happiness...
This is how freedom looks in the poet’s mind—a captivating (alluring with a magical, enchanting, attractive) ideal, a star glowing in the darkness.
The image turns out to be romantic and sublime.
Russia will wake up from its sleep...
The poet sees the homeland as being under the power of torpor, sleep - like a fairy-tale sleeping beauty who is waiting for the hour of her awakening, liberation from the spell.
...And on the ruins of autocracy
They will write our names!..
Some of Pushkin's contemporaries were outraged by these lines: why should the names of two young dandies and daring disturbers of public peace, social scoundrels - Chaadaev and Pushkin be written on the ruins of the autocracy?
But it was precisely this type of behavior, demonstrating personal independence and combined with freedom-loving thoughts, that showed that autocracy did not last forever, that the ideas of freedom and civil service would sooner or later destroy the monolith of despotic rule.
One of the most remarkable places in the poem is a comparison:
...We wait with languid hope
Holy moments of freedom
How a young lover waits
Minutes of a free date.
Pushkin compares the high civic feelings with the impatience of a person in love, with his hopes and expectations of happiness.
Pushkin’s “serious” friends reproached him for such frivolity.
But this is precisely the feature of Pushkin’s lyrics - the combination of personal feeling with social pathos, the unity of the human personality.
The poem as a whole has high pathos; it expresses the ideals of civil society, freedom, and the fight against despotism.
The poem “To Chaadaev” was written by Pushkin during the “St. Petersburg” period, in 1818. At this time, the poet was strongly influenced by Decembrist ideas. Under their influence, his freedom-loving lyrics of these years were created, including the program poem “To Chaadaev.” Genre - friendly message.
The poem “To Chaadaev” sounds the theme of freedom and the fight against autocracy. It reflects the views and political sentiments that united Pushkin with his friend P. Ya. Chaadaev and with all the leading people of his time. It is no coincidence that the poem was widely distributed in lists and served as a means of political agitation.
Plot. At the beginning of the message, Pushkin says that the hopes that arose in society in the first years of the reign of Alexander I quickly disappeared. The oppression of the “fatal power” (the tightening of policies by the emperor after the war of 1812) makes people with progressive views and freedom-loving sentiments feel with particular acuteness “ calling of the fatherland" and impatiently awaiting the "moment of saintly freedom." The poet calls on “to dedicate your souls to beautiful impulses...” and to fight for its freedom. At the end of the poem, faith is expressed in the inevitability of the fall of the autocracy and in the liberation of the Russian people:
Comrade, believe: she will rise,
Star of captivating happiness,
Russia will wake up from its sleep,
And on the ruins of autocracy
They will write our names!
Pushkin's innovation lies in the fact that in this poem he combined civil, accusatory pathos with the almost intimate experiences of the lyrical hero. The first stanza brings to mind the images and aesthetics of sentimentalist and romantic elegy. However, the beginning of the next stanza dramatically changes the situation: a disappointed soul is contrasted with a soul full of courage. It becomes clear that we are talking about a thirst for freedom and struggle; but at the same time, the phrase “desire burns” also seems to hint at the fact that we are talking about the unspent power of love. The third stanza combines images of political and love lyrics. In the final two stanzas, love phraseology is replaced by civic and patriotic images.
If the ideal for Decembrist poetry was a hero who voluntarily renounces personal happiness for the sake of the happiness of his homeland, and from this position love lyrics were condemned, then in Pushkin political and love lyrics were not opposed to each other, but merged in a common impulse of love of freedom.
