In the early 1910s, Gumilyov became the founder of a new literary school - acmeism. In many ways, the principles of acmeism were born as a result of Gumilyov's theoretical understanding of his own poetic practice. Moreover, as the short history of this trend has shown, from major poets only Gumilyov turned out to be a “real” acmeist (in addition to pre-revolutionary lyrics, the principles of acmeism were embodied in the poems of the penultimate collection of the poet “Tent”).

The key categories in acmeism were the categories of autonomy, balance, concreteness. The "place of action" of the lyrical works of the acmeists is earthly life, the source of eventfulness is the activity of the person himself. The lyrical hero of the acmeist period of Gumilyov's work is not a passive contemplator of life's mysteries, but an organizer and discoverer of earthly beauty. The poet believes in the creative power of the word, in which he values not volatility, but the constancy of semantic qualities. In the poems of the collection "Alien Sky" (the pinnacle of Gumilev's acmeism) - moderation of expression, verbal discipline, balance of feeling and image, content and form.

From the lush rhetoric and decorative flamboyance of the first collections, Gumilyov gradually moves on to epigrammatic rigor and clarity, to a balance of lyricism and epic descriptiveness. “His poems are poor in emotional and musical content; he rarely talks about intimate and personal experiences; ... avoids the lyrics of love and the lyrics of nature, too individual confessions and too heavy self-deepening, - V. Zhirmunsky wrote in 1916. - To express his mood, the poet creates an objective world of visual images, tense and vivid, he introduces a narrative element into his poems and gives them a semi-epic character - a ballad form. The search for images and forms, in their strength and brightness corresponding to his worldview, attracts Gumilyov to the image exotic countries, where in colorful and colorful visions he finds a visual, objective embodiment of his dream. Gumilyov's muse is the "muse of distant wanderings" ...

The poetics of Gumilyov's late lyrics is characterized by a departure from the formal principles of acmeism and the growth of intimate confessional lyricism. His poems are filled with a sense of anxiety, eschatological visions, feelings of existential tragedy. The pathos of conquest and optimistic daring is replaced by the position of tragic stoicism, courageous perception. Sensually perceived images in his poems are transformed by bold metaphors and unexpected comparisons. Often a poetic composition is built on the deployment of a key metaphor, which by the end develops into a symbol. The poet is now not satisfied with the colorful objectivity of descriptions, he sees life much deeper than its outward signs. Gumilyov's late lyrics, in their tone and deep content, are much closer to symbolism than to acmeism.

Comparative analysis of poems

"Captains" and "Canzone II"

Among many other poets silver age N. Gumilyov stands out

the significance of the evolution that has taken place in his lyrics. It is no coincidence that many

memoirists who left memories of him, critics and researchers

Gumilyov's poetry was written primarily about the noticeable qualitative growth of his

creativity, about the thematic and stylistic transformation of poetry.

In parallel with the expansion of the thematic content of Gumilyov's lyrics

gradually deepened, and the growth of the formal skill of the poet was only

external expression of the spiritual growth of his lyrical hero. Between

poems of the first three collections of Gumilyov and the masterpieces of his last

poetic book - not only continuity (it is, of course, palpable), but also

contrast. Sometimes this contrast is even interpreted as a gap or

unexpected metamorphosis. So, according to Vyach. Ivanova, poetic fate

Gumilyov "reminiscent of the explosion of a star, before its destruction it is suddenly bright

erupted ...<…>"Pillar of Fire" and immediately adjacent to

This collection of poems is immeasurably higher than everything that preceded it.

Let's compare the first poem of the cycle " Captains", published in

the first issue of Apollo magazine in 1909, and " Canzone II, included

in Gumilyov's last collection "Pillar of Fire":

From the cycle "Captains" "Canzone II"

In the polar fields and in the south, And we are not at all in the world, but somewhere

Along the bends of green swells, In the backyards of the world among the shadows.

Between the basalt and pearl rocks Sleepily flips through the summer

The sails of the ships rustle. Blue pages of clear days.

The swift-winged ones are led by captains, Pendulum, diligent and rude,

Discoverers of new lands, unrecognized groom of time,

For those who are not afraid of hurricanes

Who has known the maelstroms and stranded. Their heads are pretty.

Whose is not the dust of lost charters - Every road is so dusty here,

The chest is soaked with sea salt, Every bush wants to be dry,

Who's a needle on a torn map that won't lead a unicorn

Marks his daring path, Under the bridle to us a white seraph.

And, having ascended the trembling bridge, And in your only innermost sadness,

Remembers the abandoned port, Honey, there is a fiery dope,

Shaking off the blows of the cane What's in this cursed outback -

Shreds of foam from high boots, Just like the wind from distant lands.

Or, discovering a riot on board, Where all the sparkle, all the movement,

A pistol rips from his belt, Pene is all - we live there with you.

So gold is pouring from lace, Here is only our reflection.

With pinkish Brabant cuffs. Filled with a rotting pond.

Let the sea rage and lash April 1921

The crests of the waves rose into the sky, -

Not one trembles before a thunderstorm,

None will turn the sails.

Are these hands given to cowards,

That sharp, confident look

What can on enemy feluccas

Unexpectedly throw a frigate

Marked by a bullet, sharp iron

Chase giant whales

And take in the multi-star night

Protective light beacons?

June 1909

The first of them became a kind of business card for readers of the 1910s.

poet card. In the foreground in it - created by the imagination of the poet

a collective image of captains, a pictorial projection of the poet's ideas about

ideal of contemporary man. This person, close to the lyrical hero

early Gumilyov, finds himself in the romance of wandering. He is drawn by the line

receding horizon and the inviting twinkling of a distant star - away from

home comfort and everyday life of civilization. The world opens up to him, as if the first

to a man of pristine freshness, he promises a series of adventures, joy

discoveries and the heady taste of victories.

Gumilyov's hero is seized with a thirst for discovery, for him "as if not all

stars counted. He came into this world not as a dreamy contemplator, but

a strong-willed participant in the life unfolding before his eyes. 'Cause reality

consists for him of successive moments of pursuit, struggle,

overcoming. It is characteristic that in the central fourth and fifth stanzas

poem, the image of the “captain” appears at the moment of confrontation - first with

furious sea element ("trembling bridge", "shreds of foam"), and then with

sailor team ("mutiny on board").

grammatical plural("captains lead") within one

complex sentence changes to singular (“who ... notes ...

remembers ... or ... vomits"). This syntactic inconsistency

manifests the vacillation inherent in the early Gumilyov between “general” and

"close-ups" of the image. On the one hand, the general "marine" background

poems are created by sweeping conventionally romantic contrasts

("polar - southern", "basalt - pearl", "malstroms - stranded"), with

the other - close-up served "exquisite" substantive details

(“shreds of foam from high over the knee boots”, “gold ... from pinkish Brabant cuffs”).

Although the poem was written by Gumilyov two years before

organizational design of acmeism, there are already noticeable trends

acmeist stylistic reform, primarily setting the awakening of

a reader of plastic, and not musical (as with the symbolists) ideas. AT

the opposite of symbolism, imbued with the "spirit of music", acmeism will

focus on the roll call with the spatial arts - painting,

architecture, sculpture.

"Captains" is built as a poetic description of a painting

(what do you think of this picture?). The sea background is spelled out with

standard techniques of marine art (“rocks”, “hurricanes”,

"shreds of foam", "crests of waves"). In the center of the pictorial composition is the ascended

over the elements and the crowd of sailor extras, a strong man, as if descended from

pages of R. Kipling's prose (Gumilyov was fond of the work of this English

writer).

However, in the appearance of the captain there are more theatrical accessories,

deliberate dandyism than specific signs of a risky profession. In him -

no hint of the hardships of ship life, even the metonymy "salt of the sea",

getting on a par with the fashionable "cane", spectacular "high over the knee boots"

"Captains" Nikolai Gumilyov

On the polar seas and in the south,
Along the bends of the green swells,
Between basalt rocks and pearl
The sails of the ships rustle.

The swift-wings are led by captains,
Discoverers of new lands
Who is not afraid of hurricanes
Who has known maelstroms and stranded,

Whose is not the dust of lost charters, -
The chest is soaked with the salt of the sea,
Who is the needle on the torn map
Marks his audacious path

And, having ascended the trembling bridge,
Remembers the abandoned port
Shaking off the blows of the cane
Shreds of foam from high boots,

Or, discovering a riot on board,
From behind the belt tears a gun,
So gold is pouring from lace,
With pinkish Brabant cuffs.

Let the sea rage and lash
The crests of the waves rose into the sky,
Not one trembles before a thunderstorm,
None will turn the sails.

Are these hands given to cowards,
That sharp, confident look
What can on enemy feluccas
Unexpectedly throw a frigate

Marked by a bullet, sharp iron
Chase giant whales
And take in the multi-star night
Protective light beacons?

All of you, paladins of the Green Temple,
Over the cloudy sea, following the rhumb,
Gonzalvo and Cook, La Perouse and de Gama,
Dreamer and king, Genoese Columbus!

Hanno the Carthaginian, prince of Senegambius,
Sinbad the Sailor and mighty Ulysses,
About your victories thunder in praise
Gray ramparts, running into the cape!

And you, royal dogs, filibusters,
Stored gold in a dark port,
Wandering Arabs, seekers of faith
And the first people on the first raft!

And all who dare, who want, who seek,
Who are disgusted with the countries of their fathers,
Who laughs defiantly, whistles mockingly,
Listening to the precepts of the gray-haired sages!

How strange, how sweet to enter your dreams,
Your cherished whisper names,
And suddenly guess what anesthesia
Once the depth gave birth to you!

And it seems - in the world, as before, there are countries
Where no human foot has gone
Where giants live in sunny groves
And pearls shine in clear water.

Fragrant resins flow from the trees,
Patterned leaves murmur: "Hurry,
Here the bees of pure gold soar,
Here the roses are redder than the purple of kings!”

And dwarfs with birds argue for nests,
And the profile of the face of the girls is gentle ...
As if not all the stars were counted,
As if our world is not open to the end!

Just look through the cliffs
royal old fort,
Like merry sailors
Hurry to a familiar port.

There, having grabbed cider in the tavern,
Talking grandfather is talking
What to defeat the sea hydra
Maybe a black crossbow.

Black mulattos
And guess, and sing,
And the smell of sweet rushes
From cooking meals.

And in spitting taverns
From dusk to morning
Throwing a number of decks of infidels
Curly sharpie.

Good on the docks of the port
And loiter and lie down
And with the soldiers from the fort
Start fights at night.

Ile with noble foreign women
Boldly beg for two sous,
Sell them monkeys
With a copper hoop in the nose.

And then turn pale with anger
Clamp the amulet in the floor,
You're losing at dice
On the trampled floor.

But the call of dope is silent,
Drunken words incoherent years,
Only the mouthpiece of the captain
He will call them to sail.

But there are other areas in the world
The moon of agonizing languor.
For higher power, supreme prowess
They are forever unattainable.

There are waves with sparkles and splashes
incessant dance,
And there it flies abruptly
The Flying Dutchman's ship.

Neither reef nor shallow will meet him,
But, a sign of sadness and misfortune,
Saint Elmo's lights are shining
Having dotted its board and gear.

The captain himself, gliding over the abyss,
Holding on to a hat,
Bloody, but iron,
It clings to the helm - another.

Like death, his comrades are pale,
Everyone has the same thought.
This is how the corpses look at the conflagration,
Inexpressible and gloomy.

And if at a transparent hour, morning
Swimmers in the seas met him,
They were always tormented by an inner voice
A blind harbinger of sadness.

Vatage violent and warlike
So many stories stacked up
But all the more terrible and all the more mysterious
For the brave sea-foamers -

About the fact that somewhere there is an outskirts -
There, beyond the Tropic of Capricorn! -
Where is the captain with the face of Cain
It was a terrible road.

Analysis of Gumilyov's poem "Captains"

Nikolai Gumilyov was a romantic at heart and dreamed of distant lands. He managed to carry out his plan and visit several scientific expeditions. But a few years before his travels, he created a small cycle of poems called "Captains", in which notes of nostalgia are clearly traced. Having read books about the life of sailors, the young poet was ready to escape from the gray reality to the ends of the world in order to only feel the taste of salt on his lips and experience an incomparable feeling of freedom.

The cycle "Captains" was created in the summer of 1909, when Nikolai Gumilyov was visiting Maximilian Voloshin in Koktebel. There is a version that it was written together with a group of poets who discussed every line. However, according to the memoirs of Alexei Tolstoy, the poet locked himself in his room for several days in a row, working on The Captains, and only after that he presented the poems to the court of his friends.

The cycle consists of four works, which are united by the common idea of romance and travel. In the first of his poems, Gumilyov admires how "the sails of ships rustle between basalt and pearl rocks." The image of the "discoverers of new lands" is so sweet to the poet that he mentally travels with them and in his own fantasies he experiences all the trials that his heroes go through. Paving the way on the map, suppressing a ship riot, encounters with pirates and the school of survival during a storm - all these components of marine life inspire the author and make him dream of exploits. The courage of people who every day fight against the elements of the sea cannot leave Gumilyov indifferent. “Are cowards given these hands, this sharp, confident look?” The poet asks.

The second poem of the cycle is a hymn to the discoverers and pirates who cannot imagine a calm life on land. They are attracted by danger and the need to constantly take risks in order to achieve their own goals. “How strange, how sweet it is to enter your dreams, whisper your cherished names,” the author notes. It seems to him that "in the world, as before, there are countries where no human foot has set foot." And it is Gumilyov who sees himself as the person who will someday make a new discovery and visit the place where “roses are redder than the purple of kings.”

However, no matter how new countries attract sailors, sooner or later they return to their native port, full of new impressions. And it is the meeting with the motherland that is dedicated to the third poem of the cycle "Captains". The land gives them what they were deprived of in their wanderings. Women, pubs, games of cards and dice, attempts to find out their fate from a fortune-teller ... But when "the call of dope ceases", each sailor remembers his true destiny. And then for him there is nothing more important than the "mouthpiece of the captain", who again calls for sailing.

The final poem of the cycle is dedicated to sea legends and mysteries, one of which is the story of Flying Dutchman- a ghost ship. It is a symbol of death and portends it to anyone who encounters this ghost in the sea. The author does not have an answer to the question of where this ship came from and what goals it pursues. But one thing is clear - the legend of the Flying Dutchman is the most terrible, and this makes it even more attractive in the eyes of every true sailor. True, Gumilyov nevertheless gives his interpretation of such a myth, noting that the ghost ship shows everyone the way to the edge of the world. There, "where the captain with the face of Cain lay down a terrible road." It leads only in one direction, but those who dare to follow it to the end will be able to learn the secrets of the universe, although they will pay for it with their own lives. And the poet is convinced that every captain has a moment in his life when he dreams of meeting the Flying Dutchman in the vast expanses.

This poem belongs to one of the first collections of Gumilyov, when "the muse of wanderings has not yet left him." In this poem, he glorifies the courage, strength and valor of the “discoverers of new lands”, this image combines the captain navy and a Spanish pirate. His captains are people who lived at the time when America was discovered, so the image of the captain resembles the heroes of the then novels.

Many features of his early work are very clearly manifested here: exoticism, a riot of colors: “gold from lace”, “... pinkish ... cuffs”; A set of feelings, love for lush interior and exterior decoration, rigor of form.

The courage of the lyrical hero who is trying to find his happiness beyond the line of being is emphasized.

Gumilyov in this poem acts as a romantic poet, much here is idealized and exaggerated.

We liked this poem very much for its exoticism, and we especially liked the lyrical hero, reminiscent of an adventurer.

Analysis of the poem "Slave"

The poem was written by Gumilyov under the impression he received while traveling in Africa through Abyssinia. Gumilyov was struck by the situation of the indigenous inhabitants of this country, slavery still existed in it, and it was the situation of the oppressed Negroes that served as the reason for writing this poem. Therefore, the theme here is: the oppressed and the oppressors.

A feature of the poem is that the narration is conducted from the faces of lyrical heroes - slaves. They speak of their oppressed misery:

We have to clean his things.

We must guard his mules,

And in the evening there is corned beef,

that got spoiled during the day.

As if in opposition to them, another lyrical hero becomes - a “European”, a slave owner:

He sits under the shade of a palm tree,

Wrapping your face in a veil of earth,

He puts a bottle of whiskey next to him,

And whips foaming slaves.

He is mockingly called brave, because his strength, courage lies only in a sharp saber and a “lashing whip” and “long-range weapon”. Through the words of the slaves, it is felt that Gumilyov condemns, despise this arrogant, soulless, evil coward who can feel stronger only by oppressing the powerless.

The almost complete absence of epithets can also be attributed to the features of the poem. And since the story is being told on behalf of the oppressed, in my opinion, the author wanted to emphasize by this that the slaves cannot feel anything except anger and strong hatred for the “European”, which at the end of the poem turns into a threat:

He [a European] has a delicate body

It will be sweet to pierce him with a knife.

This is the essence of the poem. Gumilyov says that the humiliations that the indigenous people were subjected to will not go unnoticed and, sooner or later, they will take revenge on the uninvited guests from Europe and regain their freedom.

On the polar seas and in the south,
Along the bends of the green swells,
Between basalt rocks and pearl
The sails of the ships rustle.

The swift-wings are led by captains,
Discoverers of new lands
Who is not afraid of hurricanes
Who has known maelstroms and stranded,

Whose is not the dust of lost charters, -
The chest is soaked with the salt of the sea,
Who is the needle on the torn map
Marks his audacious path

And, having ascended the trembling bridge,
Remembers the abandoned port
Shaking off the blows of the cane
Shreds of foam from high boots,

Or, discovering a riot on board,
From behind the belt tears a gun,
So gold is pouring from lace,
With pinkish Brabant cuffs.

Let the sea rage and lash
The crests of the waves rose into the sky,
Not one trembles before a thunderstorm,
None will turn the sails.

Are these hands given to cowards,
That sharp, confident look
What can on enemy feluccas
Unexpectedly throw a frigate

Marked by a bullet, sharp iron
Chase giant whales
And take in the multi-star night
Protective light beacons?

All of you, paladins of the Green Temple,
Over the cloudy sea, following the rhumb,
Gonzalvo and Cook, La Perouse and de Gama,
Dreamer and king, Genoese Columbus!

Hanno the Carthaginian, prince of Senegambius,
Sinbad the Sailor and mighty Ulysses,
About your victories thunder in praise
Gray ramparts, running into the cape!

And you, royal dogs, filibusters,
Stored gold in a dark port,
Wandering Arabs, seekers of faith
And the first people on the first raft!

And all who dare, who want, who seek,
Who are disgusted with the countries of their fathers,
Who laughs defiantly, whistles mockingly,
Listening to the precepts of the gray-haired sages!

How strange, how sweet to enter your dreams,
Your cherished whisper names,
And suddenly guess what anesthesia
Once the depth gave birth to you!

And it seems - in the world, as before, there are countries
Where no human foot has gone
Where giants live in sunny groves
And pearls shine in clear water.

Fragrant resins flow from the trees,
Patterned leaves murmur: "Hurry,
Here the bees of pure gold soar,
Here the roses are redder than the purple of kings!”

And dwarfs with birds argue for nests,
And the profile of the face of the girls is gentle ...
As if not all the stars were counted,
As if our world is not open to the end!

Just look through the cliffs
royal old fort,
Like merry sailors
Hurry to a familiar port.

There, having grabbed cider in the tavern,
Talking grandfather is talking
What to defeat the sea hydra
Maybe a black crossbow.

Black mulattos
And guess, and sing,
And the smell of sweet rushes
From cooking meals.

And in spitting taverns
From dusk to morning
Throwing a number of decks of infidels
Curly sharpie.

Good on the docks of the port
And loiter and lie down
And with the soldiers from the fort
Start fights at night.

Ile with noble foreign women
Boldly beg for two sous,
Sell them monkeys
With a copper hoop in the nose.

And then turn pale with anger
Clamp the amulet in the floor,
You're losing at dice
On the trampled floor.

But the call of dope is silent,
Drunken words incoherent years,
Only the mouthpiece of the captain
He will call them to sail.

But there are other areas in the world
The moon of agonizing languor.
For a higher power, a higher prowess
They are forever unattainable.

There are waves with sparkles and splashes
incessant dance,
And there it flies abruptly
The Flying Dutchman's ship.

Neither reef nor shallow will meet him,
But, a sign of sadness and misfortune,
Saint Elmo's lights are shining
Having dotted its board and gear.

The captain himself, gliding over the abyss,
Holding on to a hat,
Bloody, but iron,
It clings to the helm - another.

Like death, his comrades are pale,
Everyone has the same thought.
This is how the corpses look at the conflagration,
Inexpressible and gloomy.

And if at a transparent hour, morning
Swimmers in the seas met him,
They were always tormented by an inner voice
A blind harbinger of sadness.

Vatage violent and warlike
So many stories stacked up
But all the more terrible and all the more mysterious
For the brave sea-foamers -

About the fact that somewhere there is an outskirts -
There, beyond the Tropic of Capricorn! -
Where is the captain with the face of Cain
It was a terrible road.

Analysis of the poem "Captains" by Gumilyov

Nikolai Gumilyov from his youth dreamed of distant lands and sea voyages. Later, having matured, he made several scientific expeditions. However, the cycle of poems "Captains" appeared much earlier.

History of creation

The cycle consists of four poems, which were written by the author in 1909, when he was visiting in Koktebel. There is a version that the works were created by a group of poets. However, according to the memoirs of Alexei Tolstoy, Gumilyov closed himself in his room for several evenings in a row and worked on the cycle. And then I read poems to the guests.

Topic

The poems reveal the theme of traveling by sea, which is typical of the era of romanticism. In the center is a multifaceted image of a sailor. And in each work it is revealed from different sides.

The first part describes the ideal captain in the eyes of the author. This is a fearless and strong man who defies the elements of the sea and marks on the map "his impudent path." Such a navigator arouses admiration in the lyrical hero. After all, this is the undisputed leader, he is not afraid of storms and hurricanes and can easily cope with the riot of sailors.

The second poem is dedicated to travelers and sailors. Gumilyov names some names: these are the discoverers of the 14th-18th centuries, the ancient colonizers, and even the mythical and fairy tale characters. But the poet focuses on unknown heroes: pirates, people who were looking for faith, as well as those who first sailed not on a ship, but on a raft. But all these faces, belonging to different eras, are united by common features: the rejection of traditions and gray everyday life. At the same time, the lyrical hero argues that there are lands in the world that have not been discovered so far. And this thought plunges the author into romantic dreams.

But no matter how long the journey continues, the sailors return to their native port. And this is the subject of the third part of the series. Having set foot on land, sailors rush to taverns to tell their stories about distant lands over a bottle of cider. They are accustomed to freedom and therefore take everything from this respite: they participate in fights, play cards and sell monkeys to noble women. But as soon as the captain's mouthpiece is heard, they leave their entertainment and go back on board.

The basis for the fourth part was the legend of the ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman. According to legend, this is a harbinger of death for every sailor who sees him at sea. But Gumilyov has his own interpretation of this myth. The author believes that the ship points the way to the edge of the world. And the one who dares to follow it will know all the secrets of the universe. Even if you have to pay for it with your life.

Thus, the cycle of Nikolai Gumilyov "Captains" is four poems that open up different aspects of the life of sailors for readers. And their main idea is to admire the images of captains and sailors, the author's desire to repeat their fate and experience amazing adventures that can only happen in distant lands.

Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilyov

On the polar seas and in the south,
Along the bends of the green swells,
Between basalt rocks and pearl
The sails of the ships rustle.

The swift-wings are led by captains,
Discoverers of new lands
Who is not afraid of hurricanes
Who has known maelstroms and stranded,

Whose is not the dust of lost charters -
The chest is soaked with the salt of the sea,
Who is the needle on the torn map
Marks his audacious path