The main idea of ​​the ode is felitsa. Felitsa. Derzhavin G.R. Analysis of the ode. Personal beginning in ode

"Felitsa" is one of Derzhavin's best creations. In it, the fullness of feeling was happily combined with the originality of the form in which the Russian mind is visible and the Russian speech is heard. Despite its significant magnitude, this ode is imbued with an inner unity of thought, from beginning to end is sustained in tone. Embodying modern society, the poet subtly praises Felitsa, comparing himself to her and satirically depicting his vices.

V. G. Belinsky

G.R.Derzhavin dedicated many works to representatives of the supreme state power: monarchs, nobles, persons at court. The pathos of these works is not only laudatory, but also accusatory, as a result of which some of them can be attributed to satirical. And yet they are vivid, original examples of the poet's civic poetry. Among the best poems of the civil cycle belongs the ode "Felitsa", dedicated to Empress Catherine II.

The image and name of Felitsa, a wise and virtuous Kirghiz princess, is taken by the author from "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus", which the Empress herself wrote for her grandson, the future Emperor Alexander I. who was famed that he was a "reasonable child", and ordered him to find a rare flower, a symbol of virtue - a rose without thorns. The khan's daughter, princess Felitsa, helped the prince to carry out the difficult task by giving him Reason as a guide to her son.

In the early 80s of the 18th century, when Felitsa was being created, Derzhavin was not yet closely acquainted with the Empress. He knew about Catherine only by "hearing" and sincerely believed that she was in fact the one whom she seeks to impersonate - the keeper of the sciences, a modest and just queen who sacredly honors the laws and cares about the welfare of the people, sharing with the simple people all their needs and problems. Therefore, at its core, the poem is sustained in the spirit of a laudable ode extolling the merits of the empress.

At the same time, Derzhavin's ode differs in many respects from the praise poems traditional in those days.

The author's innovation is manifested in the combination of genres - ode and satire, and in the application of a new meter and new rhyme, and in a combination of high and low style, and in the novelty of the writer's socio-political views. But the main difference lies in the very interpretation of the image of the ruler.

Derzhavin's image of Felitsa is multifaceted. On the one hand, she is an enlightened monarch, on the other, a private person. For the first time, the author allows himself a detailed description of Catherine's appearance, her habits, lifestyle, character traits:

Without imitating your murzas,

You often walk on foot

And the simplest food Happens at your table;

Do not value your peace

You read, you write before the deposit And to all of your pen You shed the bliss of mortals;

You don't play cards like this

Like me, from morning to morning.

You don't like masquerades too much

And you can't even step into the bed;

Keeping customs, rituals,

Do not donkishotstvuesh yourself ...

At the same time, it should be said that Derzhavin's term "donkishot" means a violation of socially accepted customs and decency. This behavior was inherent in many public people before Catherine. And the author sincerely admires the wisdom of the new empress, who strove to follow the "customs" and "rites" in everything.

When speaking of the monarch, the poet does not resort to generalizations, as other writers did before him. He dwells in detail on the very specific merits of the ruler: on her patronage of trade and industry, on her contribution to the development of sciences and crafts.

In Derzhavin's view, Catherine is the "god"

Who gave freedom to ride in foreign regions,

Allowed his people to search for Srebr and gold;

Which permits water And does not prohibit cutting the forest;

Orders and weaving, and spinning, and sewing;

Unleashing mind and hands

Orders to love trading, science And to find happiness at home.

Based on the content of the Commission's Order on the Drafting of a New Code (1768), written by the Empress, the author of Felitsa endowed his heroine with tact, justice, mercy and condescension:

You just won't offend one,

You don't offend anyone

You see the tomfoolery through your fingers

Only one cannot bear evil;

You rule your misdeeds by condescension,

You don't crush people like a wolf of sheep,

You know directly their value.

Unlike her predecessors and predecessors, Catherine did not use sophisticated methods of intimidating subordinates. She deliberately abandoned absurd persecutions for "crimes against majesty", expressed in a thoughtlessly spoken word or careless handling of "images" and attributes of the monarch: portraits, books, decrees, etc. common people it was possible to "both know and think", it was allowed "to speak both reality and fiction," while not fearing severe punishment.

Glorifying the empress for her wise and merciful decrees, Derzhavin notes that now ordinary people could be calm

… Whisper in conversations And, without fear of execution, at dinners Don't drink for the health of the kings.

There, with the name of Felitsa, you can scrape the slip of the line in the line

Or inadvertently dropping her portrait on the ground.

Derzhavin's merit is also the suppression of wars and disagreements, and the fact that in her humane actions she is similar to God himself, who “covered, clothed and fed the poor and the poor,” who does only good, “rests the sick, heals,” does justly "Both mercy and judgment."

The author portrays mercy, justice, “conscience with truth”, wisdom in making decisions, decrees, laws, modesty, kindness as the main virtues of Catherine (“You are ashamed to be reputed to be great so that you can be terrible and unloved”). Her reign seems to be a real paradise on earth:

Pleasant river tears are streaming From the depths of my soul.

O! if people are happy there should be their destiny,

Where is the meek angel, the peaceful angel,

Hidden in the porphyry lordship,

From heaven sent down the scepter to wear!

However, with all the enthusiasm of the poet, who praises the merits of the monarch, ironic notes are sometimes traced in the description of the image of the empress. Felitsa “enlightens morals”, writes “in the fairy tales of instruction,” but the author points out that poetry is “kind to her ... like delicious lemonade in summer”. And yet Catherine's great virtues crowd out and cover up all her little flaws. And presented in a bright, new, original style, they become even more noticeable and significant. That is why this one ode to Derzhavin served to glorify the policy of Catherine II and enhance her popularity much more than the odes of all the official odographers. The poet was summoned to court, awarded and elevated to the post of governor.

Derzhavin's civil odes are addressed to persons endowed with great political power: monarchs, nobles. Their pathos is not only laudatory, but also accusatory, as a result of which Belinsky calls some of them satirical. Among the best of this cycle belongs "Felitsa", dedicated to Catherine II. The very image of Felitsa, a wise and virtuous Kyrgyz princess, was taken by Derzhavin from "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus", written by Catherine II. The ode was published in 1783 in the magazine "Interlocutor of lovers of the Russian word" and was a resounding success. Previously known only to a narrow circle of friends, Derzhavin became the most popular poet in Russia. "Felitsa" continues the tradition of Lomonosov's laudable odes and at the same time sharply differs from them in a new interpretation of the image of an enlightened monarch. The ode "Felitsa" was written at the end of the 18th century. It reflects new stage enlightenment in Russia. Enlighteners now see in the monarch a person who has been entrusted by society with the care of the welfare of citizens. Therefore, the right to be a monarch imposes on the ruler numerous duties in relation to the people. In the first place among them is legislation, on which, according to the educators, the fate of the subjects depends first of all. And Derzhavin Felitsa acts as a gracious monarch-legislator. The question arises as to what facts Derzhavin had, what he relied on when creating the image of his Felitsa - Catherine, whom he did not know personally during those years. The main source of this image was an extensive document written by Catherine II herself - "Order of the Commission on the Drafting of a New Code". Derzhavin's innovation manifested itself in Felitsa not only in the interpretation of the image of the enlightened monarch, but also in the bold combination of laudatory and accusatory principles, ode and satire. The previous literature did not know such works, since the rules of classicism clearly distinguished these phenomena. The ideal image of Felitsa is contrasted with negligent nobles (in the ode they are called "murzas"). In "Felitsa" the most influential persons at court are depicted: Prince GA Potemkin, Count Orlovs, Count PI Panin, Prince AA Vyazemsky. Later in the "Explanations" to "Felitsa" Derzhavin will name each of the nobles by name, but these comments were not necessary for his contemporaries. The portraits are made so expressively that the originals were easily guessed. Catherine sent separate copies of the ode to each of the above-named nobles, highlighting those lines that related to the addressee.

Godlike princess

Kirghiz-Kaysatsky hordes!

Whose wisdom is incomparable

Has discovered the right traces

Young Tsarevich Chlorus

Climb that high mountain

Where a rose without thorns grows

Where virtue dwells -

She captivates my spirit and mind,

Let me find her advice.

Come on, Felitsa! instruction:

How to live magnificently and truthfully,

How to tame the excitement of passions

And be happy in the world?

Your son is escorting me;

But I am weak to follow them.

Restless with the vanity of life,

Today I rule myself

And tomorrow I'm a slave to whims.

Without imitating your murzas,

You often walk

And the food is the simplest

Happens at your table;

Do not value your peace

You read, write in front of the tax

And all from your pen

Shedding bliss on mortals;

You don't play cards like this

Like me, from morning to morning.

You don't like masquerades too much

And you can't even step into the bed;

Keeping customs, rituals,

You don't donkishot yourself;

You can't saddle a Parnassian horse,

To the spirits - you don't enter the assembly,

Do not go from the throne to the East;

But walking the path of meekness,

With a beneficent soul

Useful days you spend current.

And I, having slept until noon,

I smoke tobacco and drink coffee;

Turning everyday life into a holiday,

I circle my thought in chimeras:

I kidnap captivity from the Persians,

I turn arrows to the Turks;

That, having dreamed that I am the sultan,

I frighten the universe with my gaze;

Then suddenly, seduced by the outfit,

I will go to the tailor for a caftan.

Or am I rich at a feast,

Where they give me a holiday

Where the table shines with silver and gold,

Where there are thousands of different dishes;

There is a glorious Westphalian ham,

There are links of Astrakhan fish,

There are pilaf and pies,

I wash down the waffles with champagne;

And I forget everything

Amid wines, sweets and aroma.

Or in the middle of a beautiful grove

In the gazebo where the fountain is making noise

At the sound of a sweet-voiced harp,

Where the breeze barely breathes

Where everything represents luxury to me,

He catches thoughts to the joys,

Tumbles and revives the blood;

Lying on a velvet sofa

Young girls are tender feelings,

I pour love into her heart.

Or a magnificent train

In an English carriage, golden,

With a dog, a jester or a friend

Or with a beauty

I walk under the swing;

I drop into the shanks to drink honey;

Or, as it bores me,

According to my inclination to change,

With a hat on one side,

I'm flying on a high-spirited runner.

Or music and singers

Organ and bagpipes suddenly,

Or fist fighters

And I amuse my spirit with a dance;

Or, take care of all matters

Leaving, I go hunting

And I amuse myself with the barking of dogs;

Or over the Neva banks

I amuse myself with horns at night

And rowing of daring rowers.

Or, sitting at home, I will leper,

Playing fools with his wife;

I get along with her on the dovecote,

Sometimes we frolic in blind man's eyes;

I'm having fun with her,

I look for it in my head;

Then I like to rummage in books,

I enlighten my mind and heart

I read Polkana and Bova;

I sleep behind the Bible, yawning.

Such is, Felitsa, I am depraved!

But the whole world looks like me.

Whoever is noble in wisdom,

But every person is a lie.

We do not walk the light in ways,

We run debauchery for dreams.

Between a bummer and a grouch

Between vanity and vice

Did anyone find it by accident

The path of virtue is straight.

I found it - but I shouldn't be mistaken

We, weak mortals, in this way,

Where reason itself stumbles

And he must follow the passions;

Where are the learned ignoramuses for us,

How is the darkness among travelers, darkening the eyelids?

Everywhere temptation and flattery lives,

Pasha oppresses everyone with luxury. -

Where does virtue dwell?

Where does a rose without thorns grow?

You alone are only decent

Princess! create light from darkness;

Dividing Chaos into spheres harmoniously,

To strengthen their integrity with a union;

Out of disagreement agreement

And from the ferocious passions happiness

You can only create.

So the helmsman, sailing through the pont,

Sailing the roaring wind

Knows how to steer the ship.

You just won't offend one,

You don't offend anyone

You see the foolishness through your fingers

Only one cannot bear evil;

You rule your misdeeds by condescension,

You don't crush people like a wolf of sheep,

You know directly their value.

They are subject to the will of kings, -

But God is more just more,

Living in their laws.

You think sensibly about merit,

You give honor to the worthy,

You do not count him as a prophet,

Who can weave only rhymes,

What is this crazy fun

Good caliphs honor and glory.

You condescend in a lyre mood;

Poetry is kind to you

Nice, sweet, useful,

Like delicious lemonade in summer.

The rumor is about your actions

That you are not in the least proud;

Amiable both in business and in jokes,

Pleasant in friendship and firm;

That you are indifferent in adversity,

And in glory she is so magnanimous

That she renounced and reputed wise.

They also say falsely

That if it is always possible

Tell you the truth.

It is also unheard of a thing,

Worthy of you! one,

As if you were brave to the people

About everything, both manifest and at hand,

And you allow to know and think,

And you don't forbid about yourself

And the story and fiction to speak;

As if the most crocodiles,

All your favors to the zoils

You always tend to forgive.

The tears of the pleasant rivers seek

From the depths of my soul.

O! if people are happy

There should be your destiny,

Where is the meek angel, the peaceful angel,

Hidden in the porphyry lordship,

From heaven sent down the scepter to wear!

There you can whisper in conversations

And, without fear of execution, at dinners

Do not drink for the health of kings.

There, with the name of Felitsa, you can

Scrape the slip of the line in the line,

Or a portrait inadvertently

Drop her to the ground,

There are no buffoonery weddings,

They are not fried in ice baths,

Do not snap into the mustache of the nobles;

Princes do not cackle hens,

Pets don't laugh at them

And they don't smear the face with soot.

You know, Felitsa! Right

And men and kings;

When you educate manners

You don't fool people like that;

In your rest from business

You write lectures in fairy tales,

And you repeat to Chlorine in the alphabet:

“Don't do anything bad,

And the wicked satyr himself

You will make a despicable liar ”.

Are you ashamed to be reputed to be that great

To be scary, unloved;

The she-bear is decently wild

Vomit animals and drink their blood.

Without extreme distress in a fever

Tom lancets need money,

Who could do without them?

And it is glorious to be that tyrant,

Great in atrocity Tamerlane,

Who is great in goodness like God?

Felitsa glory, glory to God,

Who pacified the abuse;

Who is sira and wretched

Covered, clothed and fed;

With a radiant eye

Fools, cowards, ungrateful

And gives its light to the righteous;

Equally enlightens all mortals,

It rests the sick, heals,

Good creates only for good.

Who granted freedom

To jump into foreign areas,

Let his people

Silver and gold seek;

Which permits water,

And the forest does not prohibit cutting;

Orders and weaving, and spinning, and sewing;

Unleashing mind and hands

Orders to love trading, science

And find happiness at home;

Whose law, right hand

They give both mercy and judgment. -

Broadcast, wise Felitsa!

Where is the rogue different from the honest?

Where does old age not roam the world?

Does he get the merit for his bread?

Where revenge does not drive anyone away?

Where does conscience with truth dwell?

Where do virtues shine?

At the throne is it yours!

But where does your throne shine in the world?

Where, branch of heaven, do you bloom?

In Baghdad, Smyrna, Cashmere?

Listen, wherever you live -

Taking my praises to you,

Do not think that hats or beshmet

For them I wished from you.

Feel the goodness of the pleasantness

Such is the wealth of the soul,

What Croesus did not collect.

I ask the great prophet

Yes, I will touch the dust of your feet,

Yes, your words are the sweetest current

And I will enjoy seeing!

Heavenly I ask for strength

Yes, their winged sapphire wings,

They keep you invisible

From all diseases, anger and boredom;

Yes, the sounds of your deeds in posterity,

Like the stars in the sky, they will excite.

In 1782, the still not very famous poet Derzhavin wrote an ode dedicated to the "Kirghiz-Kaisak princess Felitsa". The name of the ode was "To Felice". A difficult life taught the poet a lot, he knew how to be careful. The ode glorified the simplicity and humanity of Empress Catherine II's treatment of people and the wisdom of her reign. But at the same time in the usual, and even in a rude colloquial language, she narrated about luxurious amusements, about the idleness of Felitsa's servants and courtiers, about "murzas" who are by no means worthy of their ruler. In the murzas, Catherine's favorites were transparently guessed, and Derzhavin, wanting the ode to fall into the empress's hands as soon as possible, was at the same time afraid of this. How the autocrat will look at his bold trick: a mockery of her favorites! But in the end, the ode was on Catherine's table, and she was delighted with her. Far-sighted and intelligent, she understood that the courtiers should be put in their place from time to time, and hints of an ode are an excellent occasion for this. Catherine II herself was a writer (Felitsa is one of her literary pseudonyms), which is why she immediately appreciated the artistic merits of the work. Memoirists write that, having summoned the poet to her, the empress generously rewarded him: she presented a golden snuff-box filled with gold ducats.

Derzhavin became famous. The new literary magazine "Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word", which was edited by the Empress's friend Princess Dashkova, and published in it by Catherine herself, opened with the ode "To Felitsa". They started talking about Derzhavin, he became a celebrity. Was it only the successful and bold dedication of the ode to the Empress? Of course not! The reading public and fellow writers were struck by the very form of the work. The poetic speech of the "high" odic genre sounded without exaltation and tension. Lively, figurative, mocking speech of a person who understands well how it works real life... The empress, of course, was spoken of commendably, but also not pompously. And, perhaps, for the first time in the history of Russian poetry as about a simple woman, not a celestial:

Without imitating your murzas,

You often walk

And the food is the simplest

Happens at your table.

Enhancing the impression of simplicity and naturalness, Derzhavin dares to make bold comparisons:

You don't play cards like this

Like me, from morning to morning.

And, moreover, he frivolous, introducing into the ode details and scenes obscene by the secular norms of that time. Here is how, for example, a courtier-murza, an idle lover and an atheist spends his day:

& nbs p; Or, sitting at home, I will leper,

Playing fools with his wife;

I get along with her on the dovecote,

Sometimes we frolic in blind man's eyes,

I'm having fun with her,

I look for it in my head;

Then I like to rummage in books,

I enlighten my mind and heart:

I read Polkana and Bova,

I sleep over the Bible, yawning.

The work was filled with funny and often sarcastic allusions. For those who love to eat and drink well Potemkin ("I drink champagne waffles / And I forget everything in the world"). At Orlov, boasting magnificent excursions ("a magnificent train in an English, golden carriage"). On Naryshkin, who is ready to give up all business for the sake of hunting ("I take care of all matters / Leaving, I go hunting / And amuse myself with barking dogs"), etc. In the genre of a solemn praiseworthy ode has never been written like that. Poet E.I. In his poetic "Letter to the creator of an ode composed in praise of Felitsa, princess of Kirghizkaisatskaya" there are lines:

Frankly, it is clear that out of fashion

Soaring odes were already hatched;

You knew how to lift yourself up among us with simplicity.

The Empress brought Derzhavin closer to her. Remembering the "fighting" properties of his nature and incorruptible honesty, he sent him to various revisions, which usually end in noisy indignation of the tested. The poet was appointed governor of Olonets, then Tambov provinces. But he did not hold out for a long time: he too zealously and imperiously cracked down on local officials. In Tambov, things went so far that the governor of the region, Gudovich, filed a complaint to the empress in 1789 about the "arbitrariness" of the governor who did not take into account anyone or anything. The case was referred to the Senate Court. Derzhavin was dismissed and ordered to live in Moscow until the end of the trial, as they would say now, under recognizance not to leave.

And although the poet was acquitted, he was left without a position and without the favor of the empress. Once again, one could rely only on oneself: on enterprise, talent and good luck. And do not lose heart. In the autobiographical Notes, compiled at the end of his life, in which the poet speaks of himself in the third person, he admits: “There was no other way but to resort to his talent; the number of September, that is, on the day of the coronation of the empress, he handed her over to the court<...>The Empress, having read it, ordered her favorite (meaning Zubov, Catherine's favorite - LD) to invite the author to dinner with him the next day and always take him into her conversation. "

Ode "Felitsa"(1782) - the first poem that made the name of Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin famous, which became an example of a new style in Russian poetry.

The ode got its name from the name of the heroine "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus", the author of which was Catherine herself and this name, which in Latin means happiness, is also named in Derzhavin's ode, glorifying the empress and satirically characterizing her environment.

The history of this poem is very interesting and revealing. It was written a year before publication, but Derzhavin himself did not want to publish it and even concealed the authorship. And suddenly, in 1783, news spread around St. Petersburg: an anonymous ode appeared “ Felitsa", Where the vices of famous nobles, close to Catherine II, to whom the ode was dedicated, were brought out in a humorous form. Petersburg residents were surprised by the courage unknown author... They tried to get it, read it, rewrite it. Princess Dashkova, close to the Empress, decided to publish an ode, Shouting in the very magazine where Catherine II herself collaborated.

On the next day, Dashkova found the empress in tears, and in her hands was a magazine with Derzhavin's ode. The Empress asked who wrote the poem, in which, as she herself said, she portrayed her so accurately that she moved to tears. This is how Derzhavin tells the story.

V " Felice Derzhavin acted as a bold innovator, combining the style of a laudatory ode with individualization of characters and satire, introducing elements of low styles into the high ode genre. Subsequently, the poet himself defined the genre of "Felitsa" as a "mixed ode". Derzhavin argued that, in contrast to the traditional ode for classicism, where statesmen, military leaders were praised, the solemn event was glorified, in a "mixed ode", "the poet can talk about everything."

Reading the poem " Felitsa", You are convinced that Derzhavin really managed to introduce into poetry individual characters boldly taken from life or created by the imagination real people, shown against the background of a vividly depicted household environment. This makes his poems vivid, memorable and understandable not only for people of his time. And now we can read with interest the poems of this wonderful poet, separated from him by a huge distance of two and a half centuries.

Classicism forbade combining in one work a high ode and satire related to low genres. But Derzhavin does not even simply combine them in the characterization different persons, derived in an ode, he does something completely unprecedented for that time. "God-like" Felitsa, like other characters in his ode, is also shown everyday ("You often walk on foot ..."). At the same time, such details do not diminish her image, but make her more real, humane, as if it was precisely written off from nature.

But not everyone liked this poem as much as the empress. It puzzled and alarmed many of Derzhavin's contemporaries. What was so unusual and even dangerous about him?

On the one hand, the ode "Felitsa" creates a completely traditional image of a "godlike princess", which embodies the poet's idea of ​​the ideal of the Reverend Monarch. While clearly idealizing the real Catherine II, Derzhavin at the same time believes in the image he painted:

Give, Felitsa, instruction:

How to live magnificently and truthfully,

And be happy in the world?

On the other hand, in the poet's verses there is a thought not only about the wisdom of power, but also about the negligence of the performers concerned with their own benefit:

Everywhere temptation and flattery lives,

Pasha oppresses everyone with luxury.

Where does virtue dwell?

Where does a rose without thorns grow?

In itself, this idea was not new, but behind the images of the nobles, painted in the ode, the features of real people clearly stood out:

I circle my thought in chimeras:

I kidnap captivity from the Persians,

Then I turn arrows to the Turks:

That, having dreamed that I am the sultan,

I frighten the universe with my gaze;

Then suddenly, I was seduced by the outfit,

I will go to the tailor for a caftan.

In these images, the poet's contemporaries easily recognized the favorite of the Empress Potemkin, her confidants Alexei Orlov, Panin, Naryshkin. Drawing their brightly satirical portraits, Derzhavin showed great courage - after all, any of the nobles hurt by him could have dealt with the author for this. Only Catherine's favorable attitude saved Derzhavin.

But even to the empress, he dares to give advice: to follow the law, which is subject to both kings and their subjects:

You alone are only decent

Princess, create light from darkness;

Dividing Chaos into spheres harmoniously,

To strengthen their integrity with a union;

Out of disagreement - agreement

You can only create.

This favorite idea of ​​Derzhavin sounded bold and was expressed in simple and backward language.

The poem ends with a traditional praise to the Empress and wishing her all the best:

Heavenly I ask for strength

They keep you invisible

Listen to Derzhavin's ode "Felitsa"

Ode "Felitsa"

Godlike princess
Kirghiz-Kaysatsky hordes!
Whose wisdom is incomparable
Has discovered the right traces
Young Tsarevich Chlorus
Climb that high mountain
Where a rose without thorns grows
Where virtue dwells -
She captivates my spirit and mind,
Let me find her advice.

Come on, Felitsa! instruction:
How to live magnificently and truthfully,
How to tame the excitement of passions
And be happy in the world?
Your voice excites me
Your son is escorting me;
But I am weak to follow them.
Restless with the vanity of life,
Today I rule myself
And tomorrow I'm a slave to whims.

Without imitating your murzas,
You often walk on foot
And the food is the simplest
Happens at your table;
Do not value your peace
You read, write in front of the tax
And all from your pen
Shedding bliss on mortals;
You don't play cards like this
Like me, from morning to morning.

You don't like masquerades too much
And you can't even step into the bed;
Keeping customs, rituals,
You don't donkishot yourself;
You can't saddle a Parnassian horse,
You don't enter the spirits in the assembly,
Do not go from the throne to the East;
But walking the path of meekness,
With a beneficent soul
Useful days you spend current.
And I, having slept until noon,
I smoke tobacco and drink coffee;
Turning everyday life into a holiday,
I circle my thought in chimeras:
I kidnap captivity from the Persians,
I turn arrows to the Turks;
That, having dreamed that I am the sultan,
I frighten the universe with my gaze;
Then suddenly, seduced by the outfit,
I will go to the tailor for a caftan.

Or am I rich at a feast,
Where they give me a holiday
Where the table shines with silver and gold,
Where there are thousands of different dishes:
There is a glorious Westphalian ham,
There are links of Astrakhan fish,
There are pilaf and pies,
I wash down the waffles with champagne;
And I forget everything
Amid wines, sweets and aroma.

Or in the middle of a beautiful grove
In the gazebo where the fountain is making noise
At the sound of a sweet-voiced harp,
Where the breeze barely breathes
Where everything represents luxury to me,
He catches thoughts to the joys,
Tumbles and revives the blood;
Lying on a velvet sofa
Young girls are tender feelings,
I pour love into her heart.

Or a magnificent train
In an English carriage, golden,
With a dog, a jester or a friend
Or with a beauty
I walk under the swing;
I drop into the shanks to drink honey;
Or, as it bores me,
According to my inclination to change,
With a hat on one side,
I'm flying on a high-spirited runner.

Or music and singers
Organ and bagpipes suddenly,
Or fist fighters
And I amuse my spirit with a dance;
Or, take care of all matters
Leaving, I go hunting
And I amuse myself with the barking of dogs;
Or over the Neva banks
I amuse myself with horns at night
And rowing of daring rowers.

Or, sitting at home, I will leper,
Playing fools with his wife;
I get along with her on the dovecote,
Sometimes we frolic in blind man's eyes;
I'm having fun with her,
I look for it in my head;
Then I like to rummage in books,
I enlighten my mind and heart
I read Polkana and Bova;
I sleep behind the Bible, yawning.

Such is, Felitsa, I am depraved!
But the whole world looks like me.
Whoever is noble in wisdom,
But every person is a lie.
We do not walk the light in ways,
We run debauchery for dreams.
Between a bummer and a grouch
Between vanity and vice
Did anyone find it by accident
The path of virtue is straight.

I found it - but I shouldn't be mistaken
We, weak mortals, in this way,
Where reason itself stumbles
And he must follow the passions;
Where are the learned ignoramuses for us,
How is the darkness among travelers, darkening the eyelids?
Everywhere temptation and flattery lives,
Pasha oppresses everyone with luxury.
Where does virtue dwell?
Where does a rose without thorns grow?

You alone are only decent
Princess! create light from darkness;
Dividing Chaos into spheres harmoniously,
To strengthen their integrity with a union;
Out of disagreement agreement
And from the ferocious passions happiness
You can only create.
So the helmsman, sailing through the pont,
Sailing the roaring wind
Knows how to steer the ship.

You just won't offend one,
You don't offend anyone
You see the foolishness through your fingers
Only one cannot bear evil;
You rule your misdeeds by condescension,
You don't crush people like a wolf of sheep,
You know directly their value.
They are subject to the will of kings, -
But God is more just more,
Living in their laws.

You think sensibly about merit,
You give honor to the worthy,
You do not count him as a prophet,
Who can weave only rhymes,
What is this crazy fun
Good caliphs honor and glory.
You condescend in the lyre mood:
Poetry is kind to you
Nice, sweet, useful,
Like delicious lemonade in summer.

The rumor is about your actions
That you are not in the least proud;
Amiable both in business and in jokes,
Pleasant in friendship and firm;
That you are indifferent in adversity,
And in glory she is so magnanimous
That she renounced and reputed wise.
They also say falsely
That if it is always possible
Tell you the truth.

It is also unheard of a thing,
Worthy of you alone
As if you were brave to the people
About everything, both manifest and at hand,
And you allow to know and think,
And you don't forbid about yourself
And the story and fiction to speak;
As if the most crocodiles,
All your mercies to the zoils,
You always tend to forgive.

The tears of the pleasant rivers seek
From the depths of my soul.
O! if people are happy
There should be your destiny,
Where is the meek angel, the peaceful angel,
Hidden in the porphyry lordship,
From heaven sent down the scepter to wear!
There you can whisper in conversations
And, without fear of execution, at dinners
Do not drink for the health of kings.

There, with the name of Felitsa, you can
Scrape the slip of the line in the line,
Or a portrait inadvertently
Drop it on the ground.
There are no buffoonery weddings,
They are not fried in ice baths,
Do not snap into the mustache of the nobles;
Princes do not cackle hens,
Pets don't laugh at them
And they don't smear the face with soot.

You know, Felitsa! right
And men and kings;
When you educate manners
You don't fool people like that;
In your rest from business
You write lectures in fairy tales
And you repeat to Chlorine in the alphabet:
“Don't do anything bad,
And the wicked satyr himself
You will make a despicable liar ”.

Are you ashamed to be reputed to be that great
To be scary, unloved;
The she-bear is decently wild
Vomit animals and pour their blood.
Without extreme distress in a fever
Tom lancets need money,
Who could do without them?
And it is glorious to be that tyrant,
Great in atrocity Tamerlane,
Who is great in goodness like God?

Felitsa glory, glory to God,
Who pacified the abuse;
Who is sira and wretched
Covered, clothed and fed;
With a radiant eye
Fools, cowards, ungrateful
And gives its light to the righteous;
Equally enlightens all mortals,
It rests the sick, heals,
Good creates only for good.

Who granted freedom
To jump into foreign areas,
Let his people
Silver and gold seek;
Which allows water
And the forest does not prohibit cutting;
Orders and weaving, and spinning, and sewing;
Unleashing mind and hands
Orders to love trading, science
And find happiness at home;

Whose law, right hand
They give both mercy and judgment.
Broadcast, wise Felitsa!
Where is the rogue different from the honest?
Where does old age not roam the world?
Does he get the merit for his bread?
Where revenge does not drive anyone away?
Where does conscience with truth dwell?
Where do virtues shine? -
At the throne is it yours!

But where does your throne shine in the world?
Where, branch of heaven, do you bloom?
In Baghdad? Smyrna? Cashmere? -
Listen, wherever you live -
Taking my praises to you,
Do not think that hats or beshmet
For them I wished from you.
Feel the goodness of the pleasantness
Such is the wealth of the soul,
What Croesus did not collect.

I ask the great prophet
Yes, I will touch the dust of your feet,
Yes, your words are the sweetest current
And I will enjoy seeing!
Heavenly I ask for strength
Yes, their winged sapphire wings,
They keep you invisible
From all diseases, anger and boredom;
Yes, the sounds of your deeds in posterity,
Like the stars in the sky, they will excite.

_____________________________________
1. For the first time, the ode was published in the magazine "Interlocutor", 1783, part 1, page 5, without a signature, under the title: St. Petersburg. Translated from Arabic 1782 ". (return)

Commentary by J. Grot
1. In 1781 was printed, in a small number of copies, written by Catherine for her five-year-old grandson, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus. Chlorine was the son of a prince, or tsar of Kiev, during the absence of his father, kidnapped by the khan of Kirghiz. Wanting to believe the rumor about the boy's abilities, the khan ordered him to find a rose without thorns. The prince went on this errand. On the way he met the khan's daughter, the cheerful and amiable Felitsa. She wanted to go to see off the prince, but her stern husband, the Sultan of the Grump, prevented her from doing that, and then she sent her son, Reason, to the child. Continuing on his way, Chlor was subjected to various temptations, and among other things, he was invited into his hut by Murza Lentyag, who, with the temptations of luxury, tried to divert the prince from an enterprise that was too difficult. But Reason forcibly carried him further. Finally they saw in front of them a steep rocky mountain on which a rose without thorns grows, or, as one young man explained to Chlorus, virtue. With difficulty climbing the mountain, the prince plucked this flower and hurried to the khan. The khan sent him along with the rose to the Kiev prince. "This one was so delighted with the arrival of the tsarevich and his successes that he forgot all the melancholy and sadness .... Here the fairy tale will end, and whoever knows more will say another."

This tale gave Derzhavin the idea to write an ode to Felitsa (the goddess of bliss, according to his explanation of this name): since the empress loved funny jokes, he says, this ode was written in her taste, at the expense of her entourage.

2. The poet called Catherine the Kirghiz-Kaisak princess because he had villages in the then Orenburg region, next to the Kyrgyz horde, subservient to the empress. Now these estates are located in the Buzulutsky district of the Samara province.

V.A.Zapadov's commentary

3. Your son is accompanying me. - In the fairy tale of Catherine, Felitsa gave her son Reason to guide the prince Chlorus.

4. Not imitating your murzas - that is, courtiers, nobles. Derzhavin uses the word "murza" in two ways. When Murza speaks about Felitsa, the author of the ode is meant by Murza. When he speaks, as it were, of himself, then the murza is a collective image of the noble-courtier.

5. You read, write before the deposit. - Derzhavin has in mind the empress's legislative activity. Naloy (obsolete, vernacular), more precisely "lectern" (church) - a high table with a sloping top, on which icons or books are placed in the church. Here it is used in the sense of "table", "desk".

6. You can't saddle a Parnassian horse. - Catherine did not know how to write poetry. Arias and poems for her literary works were written by her secretaries of state Elagin, Khrapovitsky and others. Parnassian horse - Pegasus.

7. You do not enter the spirits in the assembly, You do not go from the throne to the East - that is, you do not attend Masonic lodges, meetings. Catherine called the Masons "a sect of spirits" (Khrapovitsky's Diary. M., 1902, p. 31). Masonic lodges were sometimes called "East" (Grotto, 2, 709-710).
Freemasons in the 80s. XVIII century - members of organizations ("lodges") that professed a mystical-moralistic doctrine and were in opposition to Catherine's government. Freemasonry was divided into different streams. One of them, Illuminati, belonged to a number of leaders of the French Revolution of 1789.
In Russia, the so-called "Moscow Martinists" (the largest of them in the 1780s were N. I. Novikov, a remarkable Russian educator, writer and publisher, his assistants in publishing, I. V. Lopukhin, S. I. Gamaleya and others) were especially hostile towards the empress. They considered her the invader of the throne and wanted to see on the throne the "legitimate sovereign" - the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich, the son of Emperor Peter III, deposed from the throne by Catherine. Paul, while it was to his advantage, was very sympathetic towards the "Martinists" (according to some testimonies, he even adhered to their teachings). Masons have become especially active since the mid-1780s, and Catherine composes three comedies: "Siberian Shaman", "Deceiver" and "Seduced", writes "The Secret of an Anti-Stupid Society" - a parody of the Masonic charter. But she managed to defeat Moscow Freemasonry only in 1789-1793. with the help of police measures.

8. And I, having slept until noon, etc. - "Refers to the whimsical disposition of Prince Potemkin, like all three following couplets, who was going to war, then practicing in dresses, in feasts and all kinds of luxuries" (Ob. D., 598).

9. Zug - a team of four or six horses in pairs. The right to drive in a train was the privilege of the upper nobility.

10. I am flying on a high-spirited runner. - This also applies to Potemkin, but “more to gr. Al. Gr. Orlov, who was a hunter before the horse race ”(Ob. D., 598). Several new breeds of horses were bred at Orlov's stud farms, of which the most famous breed of the famous "Orlov trotters".

11. Or fist fighters - also refers to A. G. Orlov.

12. And amuse myself with barking dogs - refers to PI Panin, who loved hunting with dogs (Ob. D., 598).

13. I amuse myself at night with horns, etc. - “Refers to Semyon Kirillovich Naryshkin, who was then a jägermeister, who was the first to start horn music” (Ob. D., 598). Horn music is an orchestra consisting of serf musicians, in which only one note can be extracted from each horn, and all together are like one instrument. Walks of noble nobles along the Neva, accompanied by a horn orchestra, were common in the 18th century.

14. Or, sitting at home, I will leper. - "This verse generally refers to the ancient customs and amusements of Russians" (Ob. D., 958).

15. I read Polkan and Bova. - “Refers to the book. Vyazemsky, who loved to read novels (which often the author, serving in his team, read in front of him, and it happened that he and the other dozed and did not understand anything) - Polkana and Bovu and famous old Russian stories "(Ob. D., 599 ). Derzhavin is referring to the translated novel about Bove, which later turned into a Russian fairy tale.

16. But every person is a lie - a quote from the Psalter, from the 115 psalm.

17. Between a bummer and a grouch. Lentyag and the Grouch are the characters of the tale about Prince Chlorus. “As far as is known, she meant the first book. Potemkin, and under another book. Vyazemsky, because the former, as mentioned above, led a lazy and luxurious life, and the latter often grumbled when, as the manager of the treasury, money was demanded from him ”(Ob. D., 599).

18. Dividing Chaos into spheres harmoniously, etc. - an allusion to the establishment of provinces. In 1775, Catherine published the "Establishment of Provinces," according to which all of Russia was divided into provinces.

19. That she has renounced and reputed wise. - Catherine II with feigned modesty rejected from herself the titles "Great", "Wise", "Mother of the Fatherland", which were presented to her in 1767 by the Senate and the Commission for the development of a draft of a new code; she did the same in 1779, when the St. Petersburg nobility offered to accept her the title of “Great”.

20. And you allow to know and think. - In the "Instruction" of Catherine II, compiled by her for the Commission for the development of a draft of a new code and which was a compilation of the works of Montesquieu and other philosophers-educators of the 18th century, there are indeed a number of articles, summary which is this stanza. However, it is not for nothing that Pushkin called the "Order" "hypocritical": a huge number of "cases" of people arrested by the Secret Expedition have come down to us precisely on charges of "speaking" "indecent", "obscene" and other words addressed to the Empress, the heir to the throne, book ... Potemkin, etc. Almost all of these people were severely tortured by the "whip-fighter" Sheshkovsky and severely punished by secret courts.

21. There you can whisper in conversations, etc., and the next stanza is an image of cruel laws and customs at the court of Empress Anna Ioannovna. As Derzhavin notes (Ob. D., 599–600), there were laws according to which two people, whispering among themselves, were considered malefactors against the empress or the state; who did not drink a large glass of wine, "for the health of the tsarina that was offered", who accidentally dropped a coin with her image, were suspected of malicious intent and ended up in the Secret Chancellery. A mistake, a correction, scraping, a mistake in the imperial title entailed the punishment of lashes, as well as the transfer of the title from one line to another. At the court, rude buffoonish "amusements" were widespread, such as the famous wedding of Prince Golitsyn, who was a buffoon at court, for which " ice house"; titled jesters sat in baskets and cackled chickens, etc.

22. You write lectures in fairy tales. - Catherine II wrote for her grandson, in addition to "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus", "The Tale of Tsarevich Fevey".

23. Don't do anything bad. - "Instructions" to Chlorus, translated into verse by Derzhavin, is in the appendix to the "Russian alphabet for teaching youth to read, printed for public schools at the highest command" (St. Petersburg, 1781), which was also composed by Catherine for her grandchildren.

24. Lancet means - that is, bloodshed.

25. Tamerlane (Timur, Timurleng) - Central Asian commander and conqueror (1336-1405), distinguished by extreme cruelty.

26. Who pacified the battle, etc. - “This verse refers to the then peaceful time, at the end of the first turkish war(1768–1774 - VZ) flourished in Russia, when many philanthropic institutions were made empress, such as: an educational home, hospitals and others. "

27. Who granted freedom, etc. - Derzhavin lists some laws issued by Catherine II, which were beneficial to the noble landowners and merchants: she confirmed the permission given by Peter III to the nobles to travel abroad; allowed landowners to develop ore deposits in their possessions for their own benefit; lifted the prohibition to cut wood on their lands without government control; "Allowed free navigation on the seas and rivers for trade", etc.

In 1782, the still not very famous poet Derzhavin wrote an ode dedicated to the "Kirghiz-Kaisak princess Felitsa". Oda was called that "To Felitsa" ... A difficult life taught the poet a lot, he knew how to be careful. The ode glorified the simplicity and humanity of Empress Catherine II's treatment of people and the wisdom of her reign. But at the same time in the usual, and even in a rude colloquial language, she narrated about luxurious amusements, about the idleness of Felitsa's servants and courtiers, about "murzas" who are by no means worthy of their ruler. In the murzas, Catherine's favorites were transparently guessed, and Derzhavin, wanting the ode to fall into the empress's hands as soon as possible, was at the same time afraid of this. How the autocrat will look at his bold trick: a mockery of her favorites! But in the end, the ode was on Catherine's table, and she was delighted with her. Far-sighted and intelligent, she understood that the courtiers should be put in their place from time to time, and hints of an ode are an excellent occasion for this. Catherine II herself was a writer (Felitsa is one of her literary pseudonyms), which is why she immediately appreciated the artistic merits of the work. Memoirists write that, having summoned the poet to her, the empress generously rewarded him: she presented a golden snuff-box filled with gold ducats.

Derzhavin became famous. The new literary magazine "Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word", which was edited by the Empress's friend Princess Dashkova, and published in it by Catherine herself, opened with the ode "To Felitsa". They started talking about Derzhavin, he became a celebrity. Was it only the successful and bold dedication of the ode to the Empress? Of course not! The reading public and fellow writers were struck by the very form of the work. The poetic speech of the "high" odic genre sounded without exaltation and tension. Lively, figurative, mocking speech of a person who understands well how real life works. The empress, of course, was spoken of commendably, but also not pompously. And, perhaps, for the first time in the history of Russian poetry as about a simple woman, not a celestial:

Your Murzas are not imitating, You often walk, And the food is the simplest Happens at your table.

Enhancing the impression of simplicity and naturalness, Derzhavin dares to make bold comparisons:

You don't play cards like me, from morning to morning.

And, moreover, he frivolous, introducing into the ode details and scenes obscene by the secular norms of that time. Here is how, for example, a courtier-murza, an idle lover and an atheist spends his day:

Or, sitting at home, I will leper, Playing fools with my wife; Now I get along with her on the dovecote, Sometimes we frolic in blind man's buff, Sometimes I have fun with her, Then I look for it in my head; Then I love to rummage in books, I enlighten my mind and heart: I read Polkan and Bova, I sleep over the Bible, yawning.

The work was filled with funny and often sarcastic allusions. For those who love to eat and drink well Potemkin ("I drink champagne waffles / And I forget everything in the world"). At Orlov, boasting magnificent excursions ("a magnificent train in an English, golden carriage"). On Naryshkin, who is ready to give up everything for the sake of hunting ("I take care of all matters / Leaving, I go hunting / And amuse myself with barking dogs"), etc. In the genre of a solemn praiseworthy ode, it has never been written like that. Poet E.I. Kostrov expressed a general opinion and at the same time a slight annoyance at the successful opponent. In his poetic "Letter to the creator of an ode composed in praise of Felitsa, princess of Kirghizkaisatskaya" there are lines:

Frankly, it is clear that the hovering odes have already gone out of fashion; You knew how to lift yourself up among us with simplicity.

The Empress brought Derzhavin closer to her. Remembering the "fighting" properties of his nature and incorruptible honesty, he sent him to various revisions, which usually end in noisy indignation of the tested. The poet was appointed governor of Olonets, then Tambov provinces. But he did not hold out for a long time: he too zealously and imperiously cracked down on local officials. In Tambov, things went so far that the governor of the region, Gudovich, filed a complaint to the empress in 1789 about the "arbitrariness" of the governor who did not take into account anyone or anything. The case was referred to the Senate Court. Derzhavin was dismissed and ordered to live in Moscow until the end of the trial, as they would say now, under recognizance not to leave.

And although the poet was acquitted, he was left without a position and without the favor of the empress. Once again, one could rely only on oneself: on enterprise, talent and good luck. And do not lose heart. In his autobiographical Notes, compiled at the end of his life, in which the poet speaks of himself in the third person, he admits: “There was no other way but to resort to his talent; the number of September, that is, on the day of the coronation of the empress, he handed her over to the court<…>The Empress, having read it, ordered her favorite (meaning Zubov, Catherine's favorite - LD) to invite the author to dine with him the next day and always take him into her conversation. "

Read also the other topics in Chapter VI.