Surprisingly, the first two lines of this lyrical poem by Boris Pasternak have long become aphorisms. Moreover, they are quoted in different situations and with different emotional coloring: - with bitterness and a sense of doom, and sometimes sarcasm; "And you are beautiful without convolutions"- with humor or irony. Poetic lines in which there is a frank antithesis, took on a life of their own and ceased to be associated with people directly with Pasternak's poem. Well, this situation can be corrected by understanding what the author wrote about and what underlay his work.
The biography of the writer shows that the poem "To love others is a heavy cross", dated 1931, had its addressees and more than a specific life plot. The first line of the poem expresses the whole burden of life with the poet's first wife, the artist Evgenia Lurie, who was once passionately loved by him, who was engaged in creativity around the clock and did not touch everyday life at all. As a result, the poet was forced to master the skills of a housewife and completely lost interest in the prospect of indulging the whims of a “bohemian” wife.
The second line of the poem should be taken almost literally. It was dedicated to the new muse of the poet, which was fundamentally different from its predecessor. At the time of the meeting with Bris Pasternak, she was married to his friend pianist Heinrich Neuhaus, but, involuntarily breaking conventions, she completely fascinated the poet with her spontaneity and naivety. Apparently, in contrast to Evgenia, his wife, Zinaida Neuhaus significantly won with her earthiness and lack of "convolutions". Under this metaphor the poet implies both the simplicity of the nature of his new muse, and the lack of intelligence (a special case when this is perceived as a virtue).
Interest in Zinaida, with whom the poet married after the divorce, later justified itself, since Pasternak lived with his second wife for many more years in spiritual and domestic comfort. “Strange, a mystery,” someone will say. And he will be right. Even for the poet of "charm" himself, his wife's "secret" was "The solution of life is tantamount to". That is, it is incomprehensible, and therefore, probably, it is interesting.
The poet's heart is sweet and "Rustle of Dreams", and "rustle of news and truths", of which, thanks to his wife, his serene family life consists. Obviously, metaphor "rustle of news and truths" means talking about simple and understandable, and therefore real things that the poet accepts with all his heart. A "Rustle of Dreams" can mean both frequent discussion of dreams, and light and happy Days dream-like. This assumption is confirmed by the phrase: "Your meaning, like air, is disinterested", - in which there is a characteristic comparison - "like air". This is how the lyrical hero of the poem sees his beloved. But Pasternak also notices the sources of such an easy disposition and attitude to life: “You are from a family of such foundations,” and this causes him undeniable approval. Surprisingly, an intelligent and intelligent person, in whose head there is a constant creative process, is pleased ...
Easy to wake up and see
Shake verbal rubbish from the heart
And live without clogging in the future,
Without getting dirty? … What does the poet mean? Perhaps not just verbal rubbish, but the rubbish of long and painful showdowns. To them, he contrasts the families of other "bases" and sums up: "All this is not a big trick".
A simple but melodic poem, consisting of 3 stanzas, is easily remembered by the reader thanks to the iambic tetrameter(disyllabic foot with stress on the second syllable) and cross rhyme.
Pasternak, having discovered in his new lover a noticeable confusion and misunderstanding of his poems, made a promise that he would write poetry especially for Zinaida in a simpler and more understandable language. The work “To love others is a heavy cross” may well be a confirmation that the poet sought to be understood by his wife and, most likely, achieved his goal.
Morozova Irina
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Loving others is a heavy cross,
And you are beautiful without convolutions,
And the charms of your secret
The solution to life is tantamount to.
In the spring, the rustle of dreams is heard
And the rustle of news and truths.
You are from a family of such foundations.
Your meaning, like air, is disinterested.
Easy to wake up and see
Shake verbal rubbish from the heart
And live without clogging in the future,
All this is a little trick.
Analysis of the poem "To love others is a heavy cross" by Pasternak
B. Pasternak's work always reflected his personal feelings and experiences. He devoted many works to his love relationship. One of them is the poem "To love others is a heavy cross." Pasternak was married to E. Lurie, but his marriage could not be called happy. The poet's wife was an artist and wanted to devote her whole life to art. She practically did not do housework, putting him on her husband's shoulders. In 1929, Pasternak met his friend's wife, Z. Neuhaus. He saw in this woman an ideal example of the mistress of the family hearth. Literally immediately after they met, the poet dedicated a poem to her.
The author compares his love for his wife with carrying a "heavy cross". Creative activities once brought them closer, but it turned out that for family life This is not enough. E. Lurie, for the sake of writing a new picture, neglected her direct female duties. Pasternak had to cook and wash himself. He realized that two gifted people are unlikely to be able to create an ordinary cozy family.
The author contrasts his new acquaintance with his wife, and immediately points out her main advantage - "you are beautiful without convolutions." He hints that E. Lurie is well educated, you can talk with her on equal terms about the most complex philosophical topics. But "learned" conversations will not bring happiness in family life. Z. Neuhaus almost immediately admitted to the poet that she did not understand anything in his poems. Pasternak was touched by this simplicity and gullibility. He realized that a woman should be valued not at all for having a great mind and education. Love is a great mystery that cannot be based on the laws of reason.
The poet sees the secret of the charm of Z. Neuhaus in the simplicity and disinterestedness of her life. Only such a woman is able to create a calm family atmosphere and bring happiness to her husband. Pasternak is ready to descend from transcendental creative heights for her sake. He really promised Z. Neuhaus that he would part with vague and obscure symbols and begin to write poems in a simple and accessible language (“verbal rubbish ... shake out”). After all, this is “not a big trick”, but the long-awaited family happiness will be the reward for it.
Pasternak was able to recapture his friend's wife. In the future, the couple still experienced family troubles, but Z. Neuhaus greatly influenced the poet and his work.
In 1921, Bunin wrote: The sadness of space, time, form haunts me all my life. And all my life, consciously and unconsciously, every now and then I overcome them. But for joy? Yes and no. I thirst and live not only in my present, but also in my past life and thousands of other people's lives, contemporary to me, and the past of the entire history of all mankind with all its countries. I constantly yearn to acquire someone else's and transform it into myself.
The novel "The Life of Arseniev" is a completely new type of Bunin's prose. It is perceived unusually easily, organically, because it constantly awakens associations with our experiences. At the same time, the artist leads us along such a path, to such manifestations of personality that a person often does not think about: they seem to remain in the subconscious. Moreover, as he works on the text of the novel, Bunin removes the “key” to unravel his main search, which he first speaks openly about. Therefore, it is instructive to turn to early editions, preparations for the novel.
If we talk about Bunin's pessimism, then it is of a different origin than the pessimistic sermons of Sologub, Merezhkovsky and other decadents. Batyushkov completely arbitrarily interprets the following words of Leconte de Lisle quoted by Bunin: “I envy you in your calm and gloomy coffin, I envy you to free yourself from life and get rid of the shame of thinking and the horror of being a man.”
Writing
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak is a remarkable poet and prose writer of the 20th century. He can be fully called an aesthete writer, subtly and deeply feeling beauty. He has always been a connoisseur of natural and pristine beauty, which, of course, was reflected in his work. And, as a vivid example of all of the above, I would like to pay special attention to such a poem by Pasternak as "To love others is a heavy cross ...".
The first thing that catches your eye in this work is the simplicity and lightness of the style. It is very short, consisting of only three quatrains. But in this brevity lies one of its greatest virtues. Thus, each word is, as it were, more valued, has greater weight and meaning. Analyzing the author's speech, one cannot but pay attention to the amazing naturalness of the language, simplicity and even some colloquialism. The literary and linguistic bar has been reduced to almost everyday speech, take at least such a phrase as "All this is not a big trick." Although there is also a bookish style, for example, the opening phrase of the work “To love others is a heavy cross.” And here I would like to note that this phraseological phrase contains a clear allusion to biblical motifs that are so frequent in the works of Boris Pasternak.
How can you determine the theme of this poem? It would seem that the work is an appeal of a lyrical hero to his beloved woman, admiration for her beauty:
Loving others is a heavy cross,
And you are beautiful without convolutions,
And the charms of your secret
The solution to life is tantamount to.
The question arises - what is the secret of the charm of his beloved? And then the writer gives us the answer: her beauty lies in her naturalness, simplicity (“And you are beautiful without convolutions”). The next quatrain takes us to a deeper semantic level of the work, to reflections on the essence, nature of beauty in general.
What is beauty according to Pasternak? This is natural beauty, without artificiality, without pomposity and frills. In this poem, we again encounter the so-called "theory of simplicity" of the poet, simplicity, which is the basis of life, of all things. And female beauty should not contradict, but organically fit into the overall huge and global picture of universal beauty, which all God's creatures equally possess. Beauty is the only and main truth in the poet's world:
In the spring, the rustle of dreams is heard
And the rustle of news and truths.
You are from a family of such foundations.
Your meaning, like air, is disinterested.
The last line of this quatrain is especially symbolic. How profoundly metaphorical is the expression "selfless air"! Thinking about it, you understand that nature is actually disinterested, it gives us the opportunity to breathe and, accordingly, live without asking for anything in return. So beauty, according to Pasternak, should be disinterested, like air, it is something that belongs to everyone equally.
In this poem, the poet delimits two worlds - the world of natural beauty and the world of people, everyday squabbles, "verbal rubbish" and petty thoughts. The image of spring as a time of rebirth and rebirth is symbolic: “In spring, the rustle of dreams and the rustle of news and truths are heard.” And the lyrical heroine herself is like spring, she is “from the family of such foundations”, she is like a fresh breath of the wind, she is a guide from one world to another, the world of beauty and naturalness. In this world there is only room for feelings and truths. Getting into it, it would seem, is easy:
Easy to wake up and see
Shake verbal rubbish from the heart
And live without clogging in the future,
All this is not a big trick.
Beauty is the key to this new and wonderful life, but is everyone able to see true beauty in simple and artless things?.. Is it possible for each of us to “wake up and see clearly”…
It should be noted the features of the author's presentation of the lyrical hero and the lyrical heroine of this poem. They seem to remain behind the scenes, they are unclear and vague. And each of us can involuntarily imagine himself and his beloved in the place of the heroes. Thus, the poem becomes personally significant.
Referring to the composition of the poem, it can be noted that the author chose a fairly easy-to-perceive meter (iambic tetrameter), which once again confirms his intention to emphasize the simplicity and uncomplicated form, which recedes before the content. This is also proved by the fact that the work is not overloaded with artificially created paths. Its beauty and charm is in its naturalness. Although it is impossible not to notice the presence of alliteration. “The rustle of dreams”, “the rustle of news and truths” - in these words, the frequent repetition of hissing and whistling sounds creates an atmosphere of peace, silence, tranquility and mystery. After all, you can only talk about the main thing the way Pasternak does it - quietly, in a whisper ... After all, this is a secret.
Finishing my reflection, I involuntarily want to paraphrase the author himself: reading other poems is a heavy cross, but this is really “beautiful without convolutions”.
This poem was written in 1931. The creative period since 1930 can be called special: it was then that the poet glorifies love as a state of inspiration and flight, comes to a new understanding of the essence and meaning of life. Suddenly, he begins to understand earthly feeling differently in its existential, philosophical meaning. An analysis of the poem "To love others is a heavy cross" is presented in this article.
History of creation
The lyrical work can be called a revelation, since in it Boris Pasternak captured a difficult relationship with two significant women in his life - Evgenia Lurie and Zinaida Neuhaus. The first lady was his wife at the very beginning of his literary path, and the poet met the second much later. Evgenia was about the same circle as the poet, he knew how she lives and breathes. This woman understood art, and literature in particular.
Zinaida, on the other hand, was a person far from bohemian life, she did an excellent job with the daily duties of a hostess. But for some reason, at some point, it was a simple woman who turned out to be more understandable and closer to the refined soul of the poet. No one knows why this happened, but after a short time, Zinaida became the wife of Boris Pasternak. Poetic analysis“To love others is a heavy cross” emphasizes the depth and anguish of this difficult relationship with two women. Involuntarily, the poet compares them, analyzes his own feelings. These are the individual conclusions Pasternak comes to.
"To love others is a heavy cross": analysis
Perhaps one of the most mysterious poetic creations can be considered this poem. The semantic load in this lyrical work is very strong, it takes the breath away from real aesthetes and excites the soul. Boris Pasternak himself (“To love others is a heavy cross”) called the analysis of his own feelings the greatest mystery that is beyond solution. And in this poem, he wants to understand the essence of life and its integral component - love for a woman. The poet was convinced that the state of being in love changes everything inside a person: significant changes take place with him, his ability to think, analyze, and act in a certain way is being revised.
The lyrical hero feels a sense of reverence for a woman, he is determined to act for the benefit of the development of a great and bright feeling. All doubts recede, fade into the background. He is so amazed by the grandeur and beauty of the state of wholeness that has opened up to him that he experiences delight and rapture, the impossibility of living on without this feeling. The analysis “To love others is a heavy cross” reveals the transformation of the poet's experiences.
The state of the lyrical hero
In the center is the one who experiences all the transformations in the most direct way. the lyrical hero changes with each new line. His former understanding of the essence of life is replaced by a completely new understanding and acquires a shade of existential meaning. What does the lyric hero feel? He suddenly found a safe haven, a person who can love him wholeheartedly. In this case, the lack of education, the ability to think high is perceived by him as a gift and grace, as evidenced by the line: "And you are beautiful without convolutions."
The lyrical hero is ready to devote himself until the end of his days to unraveling the secret of his beloved, which is why he compares it with the mystery of life. An urgent need for change awakens in him, he needs to free himself from the burden of previous disappointments and defeats. An analysis of “To love others is a heavy cross” shows the reader how deep and significant changes took place with the poet.
Symbols and Meanings
This poem uses metaphors that a simple man in the street will seem incomprehensible. To show the full power of the ongoing rebirth in the soul of the hero, Pasternak puts certain meanings into words.
"Rustle of dreams" personifies the mystery and incomprehensibility of life. This is something truly elusive and piercing, which cannot be comprehended only by the mind. It is also necessary to connect the energy of the heart.
"The rustle of news and truths" means the movement of life, regardless of external manifestations, upheavals and events. Whatever happens in the outside world, life continues its inexorable movement in an amazing way. Against everything. Contrary.
"Verbal rubbish" symbolizes negative emotions, experiences of the past, accumulated grievances. The lyrical hero speaks of the possibility of renewal, of the need for such a transformation for himself. The analysis “To love others is a heavy cross” emphasizes the importance and necessity of renewal. Love here becomes a philosophical concept.
Instead of a conclusion
The poem leaves a pleasant feeling after reading. I would like to remember for a long time about it and about the meaning that it contains. For Boris Leonidovich these lines are a revelation and open secret transformation of the soul, and for readers - another reason think about your own life and its new possibilities. An analysis of Pasternak's poem "To love others is a heavy cross" is a very deep disclosure of the essence and meaning of human existence in the context of a single human existence.
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