A brief analysis of the ode to the day of the accession to the throne of Elizabeth Petrovna: theme, idea, main characters, artistic means (M. V. Lomonosov). Analysis of the poem "The Ascension of Elizabeth. Ode "Lomonosov Themes in the ode on the day of the ascension

07.09.2020

Let us turn to the analysis of one of the best odes of Lomonosov "On the day of the accession to the All-Russian throne of Her Majesty the Empress Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, 1747". The term "ode" (from the Greek "ωδή, which means song) was established in Russian poetry, thanks to Trediakovsky, who, in turn, borrowed it from Boileau's treatise. In the article "Discourse on the Ode", Trediakovsky described this genre as follows: "In the ode noble, important, rarely tender and pleasant matter is always and certainly described, in speeches very poetic and magnificent." addressed thematically to "noble and important matter": peace and tranquility in the country, the wise rule of an enlightened monarch, the development of domestic sciences and education, the development of new lands and the prudent use of wealth in old lands.

Lomonosov developed in practice and approved for decades to come the formal features of the genre, or, in other words, its poetics. In the ode we meet large-scale images; majestic style, raising the described pictures above the ordinary; "magnificent" poetic language, saturated with Church Slavonicisms, rhetorical figures, colorful metaphors and hyperbole. And at the same time - the classical rigor of construction, the "harmony of the verse": a seasoned iambic tetrameter, a stanza of ten lines, an inviolable scheme of flexible rhyme ababvvgddg.

Let's start the analysis of the text from the first stanza:

Joy of kings and kingdoms of the earth, Beloved silence, Bliss of villages, fences of cities, If you are useful and red! Around you the flowers are dazzling And the classes in the fields turn yellow; Treasures full of ships Dare in the sea for you; With a generous hand You pour Your wealth over the earth.

As if from a bird's eye view, the poet surveys villages, cities, earing grain fields, ships plowing the seas. They are all fanned and protected by "blissful silence" - peace and tranquility in Russia. The ode is dedicated to the glorification of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, but even before her appearance in the ode, the poet manages to express his main and cherished idea: peace, not war, contributes to the prosperity of the country. The Empress, who enters the ode in the next stanza, turns out, according to artistic logic, to be derived from this all-encompassing peaceful silence (“His soul is quieter marshmallow”). Very interesting move! On the one hand, the poet maintains the parameters of a laudatory genre (“there can be nothing more beautiful than Elizabeth in the world”). But on the other hand, from the first lines of the work, he firmly outlined his author's position. And then the lyrical voice of the poet, and not the projection on the image of the empress, will more and more clearly lead the development of the narrative. The dominant role of the lyrical hero in the ode is Lomonosov's undoubted artistic achievement in this traditional classic genre.

Lomonosov strives to maintain the compositional norms of the genre, that is, the principle of constructing an odic poem. In the introductory part, the subject of chanting and the main idea of the work are stated (although, as we have seen, the poet reversed them). This is the thesis. The main part substantiates, proves the stated thesis about the greatness and power of the glorified object. And, finally, the conclusion (or finale) gives a look into the future, into the further prosperity and power of the glorified phenomena. The norms of classicism are rationalistic, therefore one compositional part of the work strictly and consistently follows the prescribed other.

The introductory part, or, as it is also called, the exposition, occupies twelve stanzas in this Lomonosov ode. The poet glorifies Elizabeth against the background of her predecessors on the throne strictly following one after another. In the royal portrait gallery, the father of the current ruler, Peter I, is especially highlighted. This is the poet's idol. It is clear to the reader from the detailed and highly pathos characterization of Peter that it was from him that the daughter took over the baton of great deeds.

From the fourteenth stanza, the ode enters its main part. The idea is expanding, and its artistic implementation suddenly begins to show new, non-traditional features. The lyrical pathos passes from the dynasty of rulers to the majestic image of the Fatherland, to its inexhaustible natural resources, enormous spiritual and creative possibilities:

This glory to You alone, Monarchine, belongs, Your vast power, Oh, how it thanks You! Look at the high mountains, Look at your wide fields, Where is the Volga, the Dnieper, where the Ob flows; Wealth in them is hidden Science will be frank, What blooms with Your generosity.

That's where the scope for the inspiration of the lyrical hero! The virtues of the "beautiful Elizabeth" are gradually fading into the background. The poet's thoughts are now occupied with something else. The thematic direction of the ode itself is changing. And the author himself is now not just an ode writer. He is a patriotic scientist who draws the attention of readers to the burning problems for Russia. The development of science will help to master the wealth of the North, the Siberian taiga and Far East. Russian sailors, with the help of cartographers, discover new lands, paving the way to "unknown peoples":

There, the wet fleet's path turns white, And the sea tries to give way: Columbus of Russia through the waters Hastens to announce Your bounties to unknown peoples.

Pluto itself, the mythical owner of underground riches, is forced to yield to the developers of the minerals of the Northern and Ural (Riphean) mountains. By the way, let us recall that Lomonosov perfectly studied the mining business:

And behold Minerva strikes Into the tops of the Riphean with a spear. Silver and gold run out In all your inheritance. Pluto in the clefts is restless, That the metal from the mountains is betrayed into the hands of the Rosses Draga, Which nature has hidden there; From shine daylight He gloomy averts his gaze.

And yet, the main thing that will bring Russia into the ranks of world powers is, according to the poet, new generations of people: educated, enlightened, Russian youth devoted to science:

O you, whom the Fatherland expects from its bowels, And desires to see such, Which it calls from foreign countries, Oh, your days are blessed! Dare, now you are encouraged, To show by your zeal, That the Russian land can give birth to its own Platos And quick-witted Newtons. Science nourishes young men, Gives joy to the old, happy life decorate, In an accident, cherish; There is joy in domestic difficulties And in distant wanderings is not a hindrance, Science is used everywhere: Among the peoples and in the desert, In the city garden and alone, In sweet peace and work.

The topic of the decisive role of science and education in the development of the country was stated, as we remember, by Cantemir. Trediakovsky served science with his work and throughout his life. And now Lomonosov perpetuates this theme, puts it on a poetic pedestal. Exactly so, because the two stanzas just quoted are the culmination of the ode, its highest lyrical peak, the pinnacle of emotional animation.

But here the poet, as it were, catches on, remembering that the ode is dedicated to an official event: the annually celebrated date of the accession to the throne of the empress. The final stanza is again directly addressed to Elizabeth. This stanza is obligatory, ceremonial, and therefore, I think, not the most expressive. The poet rhymes with an effort the boring word "unstumbling" with the epithet "blessed":

To you, O Mercy Source, O Angel of our peaceful years! The Almighty is an assistant to him, Who dares with his pride, Seeing our peace, Rise up against you with war; The Builder will keep you unstumbling in all ways And your blessed life He will compare with the number of Your bounties.

Obviously not the best line! Let's try to put the question as follows: if the genre of the classic ode is an expression of certain political and state views, then in the Lomonosov ode whose views are these views to a greater extent, the empress or the poet himself? In answering this question, the third stanza is especially important. In it, Elizabeth is presented as a peacemaker who stopped all wars for the sake of peace and happiness of the Russians:

When She ascended the throne, As the Most High gave her a crown, She returned You to Russia, She put an end to the war; Having accepted you, she kissed you: - I am full of those victories, - she said, - For which blood is flowing. I delight in Ross's happiness, I do not change with their calmness For the whole West and East.

But in reality, Elizabeth was not a peacemaker at all! The militant ruler conceived new and new campaigns on the borders Russian state. Military battles were a heavy burden on the families of Russian working people. How little the real Elizaveta Petrovna corresponded to the ideal of the ruler of the country, which is recreated in the work! And what a person one had to be not just a brave, but a daring person to praise the Empress for a foreign policy opposite to that which she had established with regard to military operations! With his ode, Lomonosov told Elizaveta Petrovna that Russia needs peace and does not need war. The pathos and style of the work are peacemaking, not invocative-aggressive. The stanzas become beautiful and magnificent in terms of the abundance of expressive means when the poet enters the theme of the world together with the sciences and demands that the “fiery”, that is, military, sounds be silenced:

Be silent, fiery sounds, And cease to waver the light: Here in the world, Elizabeth deigned to expand science. You impudent whirlwinds, do not dare Roar, but humbly divulge Our names are beautiful. In silence, listen, O universe: Behold, Lyra is admiring, To pronounce great names.

Lomonosov's metaphors are especially colorful. Metaphor (in Greek metaphora´ means transfer) is an artistic technique that combines different phenomena or objects into one image, transferring the properties of these different objects to each other. Because phenomena or objects are compared within the image, it receives additional emotional and semantic meanings, its boundaries are moved apart, the image becomes voluminous, bright and original. Lomonosov loved metaphors precisely for their ability to combine dissimilar details into a coherent grandiose picture, to bring to the main idea of the work. “Metaphor,” he noted in his “Rhetoric” (1748), “ideas seem much more lively and magnificent than simply.” Artistic thinking of Lomonosov was essentially, as they would say now, synthesizing.

Here is one example of Lomonosov's metaphor. The fifth stanza from the ode "On the day of the ascension ...":

In order for a word to be equal to them, The abundance of our strength is small; But we can't help singing Your praises; Your bounty encourages Our spirit and urges us to run, Like a capable wind in a swimmer's bluff Breaks through the waves, It leaves the shore with joy; Feed flies between the water depths.

Most of the space in this stanza is occupied by a complex and ornate metaphor. More often metaphors are in several words or in one sentence. Here you are amazed at the scale of the metaphorical image. To isolate it, you have to think carefully about the text. Before us is an exquisite compliment to the Empress. The poet complains that he does not have lofty words equal to the virtues of Elizabeth, and yet he decides to sing these virtues. At the same time, he feels himself like an inexperienced swimmer who ventured alone "through the ravines of the wave" to cross the "Pont" (that is, the Black Sea). The swimmer is guided and supported along the way by a "capable", that is, fair, wind. Similarly, the poetic spirit of the author is kindled and directed by the wonderful deeds of Elizabeth, her "bounties."

To communicate the grandeur and scope of thought to the ode, Lomonosov had to resort to difficult turns of speech. In his "Rhetoric" he theoretically substantiated the legitimacy of the "decoration" of the poetic style. Each phrase, obeying the high odic style, should give rise to a feeling of pomp and splendor. And here, in his opinion, even inventions are commendable: for example, such "sentences in which the subject and predicate are conjugated in some strange, unusual or miraculous way, and thus constitute something important and pleasant." G.A. Gukovsky figuratively and accurately spoke about this poet’s desire for both colorful splendor and harmonious harmony: “Lomonosov builds whole colossal verbal buildings that resemble the huge palaces of Rastrelli; his periods, by their very volume, by their very rhythm, give the impression of a gigantic upsurge of thought and pathos. The groups of words and sentences symmetrically located in them, as it were, subordinate the immense element of the present and the future to human thought and the human plan.

The splendor and magnificence of the poetic style help Lomonosov to recreate the powerful energy and colorful visualization of the paintings described. Here, for example, in the ode of 1742 is a surprisingly vivid picture of a military battle, in the center of which is a personified image of Death. From the contemplation of this image goosebumps run on the skin:

There the horses with their stormy feet Lift thick dust to the sky, There Death between the Goth regiments Runs, furious, from rank to rank, And opens its jaw to greed, And stretches out its cold hands, Their proud expulsion of the spirit.

And what wonderful horses with "stormy legs"! In ordinary speech it is impossible to express it this way, in poetic speech it is possible. Moreover, the "stormy legs" of the horses, raising thick dust to the sky, are almost a cosmic image. Held at the same time on a very thin poetic blade. A little to the side, and everything will fall into absurdity.

Half a century later, the poet-innovator, the founder of Russian romanticism V.A. Zhukovsky, describing a special state of mind inspired by the twilight descending in rural silence, writes: "The soul is full of cool silence." He will amaze his contemporaries with an unprecedentedly bold combination of words. "Can silence be cool!" - severe critics will reproach the poet. But after all, Lomonosov was the first in Russian poetry to resort to bold combinations of words and concepts in his metaphorical style!

Let's start the analysis of the text from the first stanza:

That's where the scope for the inspiration of the lyrical hero! The virtues of the "beautiful Elizabeth" are gradually fading into the background. The poet's thoughts are now occupied with something else. The thematic direction of the ode itself is changing. And the author himself is now not just an ode writer. He is a patriotic scientist who draws the attention of readers to the burning problems for Russia. The development of sciences will help master the riches of the North, the Siberian taiga and the Far East. Russian sailors, with the help of cartographers, discover new lands, paving the way to "unknown peoples":

There, the wet fleet's path turns white, And the sea tries to give way: Columbus of Russia through the waters Hastens to announce Your bounties to unknown peoples.

And yet, the main thing that will bring Russia into the ranks of world powers is, according to the poet, new generations of people: educated, enlightened, Russian youth devoted to science:

O you, whom the Fatherland expects from its bowels, And desires to see such, Which it calls from foreign countries, Oh, your days are blessed! Dare, now you are encouraged, To show by your zeal, That the Russian land can give birth to its own Platos And quick-witted Newtons. Science nourishes young men, Gives joy to the old, Decorates in a happy life, Protects in an accident; There is joy in domestic difficulties And in distant wanderings is not a hindrance, Science is used everywhere: Among the peoples and in the desert, In the city garden and alone, In sweet peace and work.

But in reality, Elizabeth was not a peacemaker at all! The militant ruler conceived new and new campaigns on the borders of the Russian state. Military battles were a heavy burden on the families of Russian working people. How little the real Elizaveta Petrovna corresponded to the ideal of the ruler of the country, which is recreated in the work! And what a person one had to be not just a brave, but a daring person to praise the Empress for a foreign policy opposite to that which she had established with regard to military operations! With his ode, Lomonosov told Elizaveta Petrovna that Russia needs peace and does not need war. The pathos and style of the work are peacemaking, not invocative-aggressive. The stanzas become beautiful and magnificent in terms of the abundance of expressive means when the poet enters the theme of the world together with the sciences and demands that the “fiery”, that is, military, sounds be silenced:

Here is one example of Lomonosov's metaphor. The fifth stanza from the ode "On the day of the ascension ...":

An ode to the day of the accession to the throne of Elizabeth Petrovna is the work of Lomonosov from 1747. It is entirely dedicated to the new Empress. The genre of the ode itself implies strong exaltation, admiration.

Artistic means here occupy one of the main places, since with the help of vivid epithets, metaphors and comparisons, Lomonosov speaks of the queen as the sun, as the mother of peoples, as a great personality whose fame has spread throughout the world.

The main characters of the ode are Elizabeth herself, her father, with whom Lomonosov compares his daughter, and the author himself, from whose lips in question.

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The main theme and idea is the creation of a weighty image of the queen, which would serve as a support for her powerful reign. Many people have never seen the queen with their own eyes, but with the help of the ode they got the impression that they were ruled by a goddess.

Oda also made it possible to show all the advantages of the reign of the queen. She led a peaceful international policy, was wise, developed science, cared for the new generation, always delved into people's problems.

Ode of Lomonosov is considered the best ode of that time, as she was ahead of all other works with her artistic sketches, style and idea.

Updated: 2017-08-08

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For Lomonosov, poetry was a branch of rhetoric (the science of eloquence - the ability to speak beautifully and convincingly). And in order to convince the listener, strict rules were invented, set out by Lomonosov in the work, which was called “Rhetoric”. The meaning of the rules was to teach poets to state any statement in as much detail as possible. All deviations from the theme of the statement were supposed to help its disclosure. According to this principle, odes were also built.
The theme of "Ode on the Day of the Ascension ..." is the enlightenment of Russia, but it is given gradually, "behind" the glorification of the Empress. “Terms” - this is how Lomonosov called the words that made up the theme - are “scattered” in the work, given through images, but after reading the theme is clearly defined:

Then divine sciences
Through mountains, rivers and seas
Stretched out their hands to Russia
To this monarch, saying:
“We are prepared with the utmost care
File in the Russian genus new
The fruits of the purest mind ...

... Dare now encouraged
Show with your care
What can own Platos
And quick-witted Newtons
Russian land to give birth.

The poet acts not so much on the mind as on the emotions and imagination of the reader. Therefore, the images of Lomonosov, which delighted some of the poet's contemporaries and aroused indignation in others, are very unusual:

Silence, fiery sounds,
And stop wavering the light;
Here in the world to expand science
Elizabeth did.
You impudent whirlwinds, do not dare
Roar, but meekly divulge
Our times are wonderful.
In silence, listen, universe:
Se wants the lyre admiring
Say great names ...

Such personifications are taken by Lomonosov from ancient rhetorical traditions; they not only decorate the work, but also have a deep meaning.
The main theme that worries the poet throughout all his works is the fate of Russia. According to Lomonosov, God (the Builder) guards this country and sends wise rulers to it. Lomonosov considered Peter the Great to be one of the wisest monarchs, whom he sang not only in odes, but also in the poem "Peter the Great".
He is also sung in the "Ode on the day of the ascension ...":

Terrible strange deeds
The creator of the world from the beginning
With his own destinies
Glorify yourself in our day;
Sent a Man to Russia
What has not been heard from the century ...

After the loss of the great Man by Russia, the years of darkness came:

…But ah, cruel fate!
Immortality worthy husband,
Our happiness is the reason
To the unbearable sorrow of our souls
Jealously rejected by fate,
He plunged us into deep weeping!
Inspiring our sobs to our ears,
The tops of Parnassus groaned,
And the muses cried out
Into the heavenly door is the most radiant spirit...

But grace came with the arrival of Elizabeth - "the bliss of the villages, the joy of the cities." Under Elizabeth - Silence (in Hebrew, "Elizabeth" is "peace", "silence") wars stop, and the long-awaited peace comes. Through many good deeds, the poet shows the main thing - patronage of the sciences, which will give Russia a lot, including the discovery of treasures, "which India boasts of" (minerals, which are rich in "warm countries").
All good deeds are done or will be done under Elizabeth, which is what the poet calls for, saying that the Almighty will be an assistant in the good deeds of the empress:

To you, oh mercy source
O angel of our peaceful years!
The Almighty is on that assistant,
Who dares with his pride,
Seeing our peace
Aoynoi to rise up against you;
The Creator will keep you
In all ways flawless
And your life is blessed
Compare with the number of your generosity.

The goal of the poet is to convince the reader of the undeniable truth, and since the poet addresses the monarch in the work, it means that he must convince him as well. That is why, according to Lomonosov, the role of the poet in the state is very important.

"Ode on the day of the accession to the throne of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, 1747" was written in "high calm" and glorifies the daughter of Peter I. Paying tribute to the virtues of the Empress, her "mild voice", "kind and beautiful face", the desire to "expand science", the poet starts talking about her father, whom he calls "a man who has not been heard of since ages." Peter I is the ideal of an enlightened monarch who gives all his strength to his people and state. In the ode of Lomonosov, the image of Russia is given with its vast expanses, enormous wealth. This is how the theme of the Motherland and service to it arises - the leading one in the work of Lomonosov. Closely connected with this theme is the theme of science, the knowledge of nature. It ends with a hymn to science, an appeal to young men to dare for the glory of the Russian land. Thus, the educational ideals of the poet found expression in the "Ode of 1747".
Faith in the human mind, the desire to know the "mysteries of many worlds", to reach the essence of phenomena through the "small sign of things" - these are the themes of the poems "Evening-black reflection", "Two astronomers happened together at a feast ...", etc. In order to in order to benefit the country, one needs not only diligence, but also education, Lomonosov argues. He writes about the "beauty and importance" of the doctrine, which makes a person a creator, a spiritually active person. "Use your own mind," he calls in the poem "Listen, please ...".

Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov is known not only as an outstanding scientist, but also as a talented writer and poet who made a great contribution to Russian literature. One of his famous works is "Ode on the day of the accession to the All-Russian throne of Her Majesty Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1747." We offer brief analysis"Ode on the Accession of Elizabeth to the Throne" according to a plan that will help in preparing for a lesson in literature in grade 8.

Brief analysis

History of creation- The poem was written in 1747.

Theme of the poem- Glorification of the great achievements of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

Composition- The composition conditionally consists of three parts: in the first part the monarch is glorified, in the second - the riches and opportunities of Russia are described, in the third part laudatory words are again raised to the wise ruler.

Genre- Oh yeah.

Poetic size– Iambic tetrameter using cross, adjacent and encircling rhymes.

Metaphors – « give ... mind fruit.

epithets – « generous”, “earthly”, “great”, “deep”, “cruel”.

Comparisons – « the soul of her marshmallow is quieter", "the sight is more beautiful than paradise."

Avatars – « whirlwinds, do not dare to roar”, “Mars was afraid”.

Hyperbola – « through mountains, rivers and seas.

Slavisms – « city”, “daughter”, “vyya”, “behold”.

History of creation

"Ode on the day of the ascension ..." was written by Mikhail Vasilyevich in 1747, on the sixth anniversary of a significant event - the accession to the throne of Elizabeth Petrovna. In his work, he noted positive sides the reign of the new empress, who continued the good undertakings of Peter I.

Elizabeth came to grips with the restructuring of the Academy of Sciences: she approved a new staff and a new decree, doubled the funds needed for the needs of the academy, and supported science and Russian scientists in every possible way.

In the same period, the question of Russia's possible entry into a new war was very urgent. The coalition of Austria, Holland and England offered the Russian government to take part in the war against France and the German states for the right to receive the Austrian inheritance.

In his work, Lomonosov not only glorifies Elizabeth for her desire to bring Russia to a new level in the matter of education, but also warns against entering the war, insisting on a peaceful program for the development of the state.

Topic

The central theme of the work is the glorification of the great deeds of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who, according to the author, chose the right course in governing the Russian state.

The main idea of the work is duty to one's Fatherland, serving which is the highest reward and honor for every person, whether it be a simple worker or a monarch.

In fact, the ode is a message addressed not only to the empress, but also to the contemporaries and descendants of the poet. He passionately dreams of the prosperity and well-being of Russia, her spiritual development, life in peacetime, without wars and hardships.

Composition

The composition of the work fully complies with the basic rules for constructing an ode and consists of three conditional parts, logically related to each other.

In the first part of the poem, the poet expresses his delight and praises the empress, her services to the fatherland. He also glorifies the past achievements of the state and its rulers, with special admiration recalls Peter I and his famous reforms. According to the author, it was from him that Elizabeth took over the baton of great deeds.

In the second part, the poet gradually departs from the personality of the ruler and focuses on the majestic image of Russia, with its endless expanses, inexhaustible natural wealth and huge creative and spiritual potential. He sees the strengthening and enrichment of the state in the development of sciences, and the future of the country - in educated, enlightened young people.

The final part of the work again glorifies the monarch for his deeds aimed at the good of the fatherland.

Genre

The work is written in the ode genre, which was Lomonosov's favorite literary genre. This is a solemn work, designed to glorify a significant person or an important event, and Mikhail Vasilyevich had no equal in the skill of writing odes.

The poetic size of the work is iambic tetrameter, also Lomonosov's favorite size. He used it with great skill, giving the poem a special solemnity, sonority and musicality.

Rhyming in this work also deserves special attention. The first four lines are characterized by cross rhymes, followed by 2 lines with adjacent rhymes, and encircling rhymes complete the poem.

means of expression

The work is distinguished by an amazing variety of artistic means, with the help of which the ode acquires a solemn, high style. Among them comparisons(“the soul of her marshmallow is quieter”, “the sight is more beautiful than paradise”), personifications("Whirlwinds, do not dare to roar", "Mars was afraid"), hyperbole("through mountains, rivers and seas"), Slavicisms(“hail”, “daughter”, “vyya”, “behold”), metaphors(“Submit ... mind fruit”).

A special place is occupied by incredibly colorful and imaginative epithets: "generous", "earthly", "great", "deep", "cruel".

Thanks to the skillful use of expressive means, the author manages to fully reveal his creative intent.