Love occupies an important place in the work of many poets. Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov also paid much attention to this topic.
The poem “K***” (“I will not humiliate myself before you...”), written in 1832, is dedicated to Natalya Fedorovna Ivanova, with whom the young poet was then in love. The work is about disappointment, unrequited love, the betrayal of a girl who did not appreciate the sublime feelings of the lyrical hero, that is, the author himself. Offended by his feelings, the poet reproaches his beloved for the fact that she was not honest with him, did not live up to his hopes, but was only flirting, taking away the time that he could spend on creativity. This situation changed Lermontov's attitude towards women. His disappointment in love is understandable and cannot but evoke sympathy. The heroine did not appreciate the sincerity and strength of the poet’s feelings; he realized this with bitterness and now, probably, he will never be able to be happy and carefree in love.
I will not humble myself before you;
Neither your greeting nor your reproach
They have no power over my soul.
Know: we are strangers from now on.
You forgot: I am freedom
I won’t give it up for delusion;
And so I sacrificed years
Your smile and eyes,
And so I've seen for too long
You have the hope of young days,
And the whole world hated
To love you more.
Who knows, maybe those moments
What flowed at your feet,
I took away from inspiration!
What did you replace them with?
Perhaps a heavenly thought
And convinced by the strength of spirit
I would give the world a wonderful gift,
And for that immortality he gives me?
Why did you promise so tenderly?
Did you replace his crown?
Why weren't you there at first?
What did you finally become?
I'm proud! - forgive - love another,
Dream of finding love in another:
Anything earthly
I will not become a slave.
To foreign mountains, under the southern sky
I'll retire, maybe;
But we know each other too much
To forget each other.
From now on I will enjoy
And in passion I will swear to everyone;
I will laugh with everyone
But I don’t want to cry with anyone;
I'll start cheating shamelessly
So as not to love as I loved
Or is it possible to respect women?
When did an angel cheat on me?
I was ready for death and torment
And call the whole world to battle,
To your young hand
Madman! - shake again!
Not knowing the insidious betrayal,
I gave my soul to you;
Did you know the price of such a soul?
You knew: - I didn’t know you!
Performer: People's Artist of the USSR Leonid Markov
In 1966, Leonid Markov went to work at the Mossovet Theater. Here he played almost the entire classical repertoire: Lermontov, Turgenev, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy. Yuri Zavadsky took him in the hope that he would replace Nikolai Mordvinov in Masquerade. And if Nikolai Mordvinov played a nobleman - brilliant speech, straight back, in general, a gentleman, an aristocrat, then in Leonid Markov - Arbenin was a commoner who became a popular man, and for this he is hated in the world.
Leonid Markov knew how to focus on the personal, and not the social, drama of the hero; he created a character, not a type. He played many classical roles, but his characters, perhaps without realizing it, suffered from quite modern depression - the heavy shame of a strong man, exhausted by the grayness of Soviet “stagnation”.
In 1990, he was offered the role of Satan in the film Hotel Eden, and he accepted. Filming wrapped at the end of February 1991. However, on March 1, the technical director came running to Markov and said that during dubbing, one phrase spoken by his hero, that is, Satan, did not work out. The phrase was: “Disgrace on earth begins when a pure, bright soul appears on it.” Markov had to go to the tone studio and re-voice the phrase again. Immediately after this, he suddenly became ill and was taken to the hospital. There he died two days later.
The poem was written in 1832. Addressed to N.F. Ivanova, one of the poet’s acquaintances, who was the subject of his hobbies in his youth. Perhaps Lermontov dedicated the largest number of his poems to Natalya Fedorovna, the motive of which was: at the beginning of acquaintance - delight and admiration, and at the end - disappointed hopes and a vain thirst for love.
Ivanova Natalya Fedorovna
(From a portrait, drawn
artist V.F. Binneman)
* * *
Fragment of the poem's autograph
(page from Lermontov's notebook)
In addition to this poem, the following works by Lermontov were dedicated and addressed to Natalya Ivanova:
. "June 1831, 11 days"
. “To the album of N. F. Ivanova”
. "Vision"
. "Time for the heart to be at rest"
. “The Almighty has pronounced his verdict”
. “God grant that you never know”
. "Exhausted by melancholy and illness"
. "Why a magic smile"
. "When there are only memories"
. “I loved from the beginning of my life”
. "Instantly running through the mind"
. “I can’t languish in my homeland”
. “It wasn’t you, but fate was to blame”
. "Romance to Ivanova"
. "Sonnet"
. "I'm not worthy, maybe"
“K* (I will not humiliate myself before you...)” Mikhail Lermontov
I will not humble myself before you;
Neither your greeting nor your reproach
They have no power over my soul.
Know: we are strangers from now on.
You forgot: I am freedom
I won’t give it up for delusion;
And so I sacrificed years
Your smile and eyes,
And so I've seen for too long
You have the hope of young days
And the whole world hated
To love you more.
Who knows, maybe those moments
What flowed at your feet,
I took away from inspiration!
What did you replace them with?
Perhaps I am thinking heavenly
And I am convinced by the strength of spirit,
I would give the world a wonderful gift,
And for that immortality he gives me?
Why did you promise so tenderly?
You replace his crown,
Why weren't you there at first?
What I finally became!
I'm proud! - sorry! love another
Dream of finding love in another;
Anything earthly
I will not become a slave.
To foreign mountains, under the southern sky
I'll retire, maybe;
But we know each other too much
To forget each other.
From now on I will enjoy
And in passion I will swear to everyone;
I will laugh with everyone
But I don’t want to cry with anyone;
I'll start cheating shamelessly
So as not to love as I loved, -
Or is it possible to respect women?
When did an angel cheat on me?
I was ready for death and torment
And call the whole world to battle,
So that your young hand -
Madman! - shake again!
Not knowing the insidious betrayal,
I gave my soul to you;
Did you know the price of such a soul?
You knew - I didn’t know you!
In the summer of 1830, 16-year-old Mikhail Lermontov, while relaxing on a country estate, met Natalya Ivanova, the daughter of a famous Russian writer at that time. The girl captivates him not only with her beauty, but also reciprocates the young poet’s feelings. After an unsuccessful romance with Ekaterina Sushkova, who mercilessly ridiculed her young admirer, Lermontov again feels the taste of life. He is fascinated by his beloved and devotes his first timid poems to her, in which he hints at his feelings. Now it is difficult to establish for certain whether the young people had a love affair and whether they swore an oath of allegiance to each other, but Lermontov returned to Moscow inspired and completely cured of despondency.
It is known that the poet and his chosen one met several times at balls during 1830, which became the reason for Lermontov’s deep disappointment. He became convinced that he was just a passing hobby for Natalya Ivanova, and at parties she preferred to spend time in the company of more successful gentlemen, with whom she openly flirted. However, the final break between the lovers occurred in the summer of 1831. It is no longer possible to establish for certain what exactly happened between Lermontov and Ivanova. However, after returning to Moscow, the 17-year-old poet unexpectedly writes a play called “Strange People”, the prototype of the main character in which is his chosen one. According to the plot, a girl who has sworn an oath of fidelity to her beloved subsequently takes back her words and gives preference to another. It is likely that the same thing happened in real life, and Natalya Ivanova simply became interested in another young man.
One way or another, in the winter of 1832, 5 months after the fateful events, Mikhail Lermontov creates the poem “K* (I will not humiliate myself before you...),” a handwritten version of which he sends to the one he loved. In this work, the author seems to draw a line under this short novel, emphasizing: “we are strangers from now on.” Explaining his decision to finally break off relations with his beloved, the poet notes that he made too much of a sacrifice in the name of high feelings for someone who does not deserve it. “And the whole world hated you so that it could love you more,” the poet notes. At the same time, Lermontov considers the year and a half that this novel lasted to be irretrievably lost for poetry, since he indulged in pipe dreams instead of honing his literary style.
The poet considers himself deceived and insulted. But he blames this not only on his beloved, who was not at all what she wanted to appear to be. First of all, the author calls himself a “madman,” because he was led by his own feelings, which overshadowed the voice of reason. However, insight came quickly enough, and Lermontov wishes only one thing for his chosen one - “dream of finding love in another.”
As in the play, the poet directly indicates that the reason for the break in relations was that Natalya Ivanova preferred another young man to him. And this discouraged Lermontov so much that he finally became disillusioned with the fairer sex, asking: “Is it possible to respect women when an angel cheated on me?” However, from now on, the poet no longer intends to indulge himself in illusions and remain in delusions, believing that it is better to put an end to this love story than to sacrifice freedom for the sake of the illusion of happiness.
No one in the poet’s circle knew about the romance between Lermontov and Ivanova, so for a long time the poems marked with the initials of Natalya Ivanova, which in a year and a half totaled more than 30 pieces, remained the poet’s posthumous secret. Only in the middle of the last century did the literary critic Irakli Andronnikov manage to decipher the name of the mysterious stranger with whom Lermontov was in love, who shed light on the tragic love story of the young poet.
Read by Maxim Levchenko
I will not humble myself before you;
Neither your greeting nor your reproach
They have no power over my soul.
Know: we are strangers from now on.
You forgot: I am freedom
I won’t give it up for delusion;
And so I sacrificed years
Your smile and eyes,
And so I've seen for too long
You have the hope of young days
And the whole world hated
To love you more.
Who knows, maybe those moments
What flowed at your feet,
I took away from inspiration!
What did you replace them with?
Perhaps I am thinking heavenly
And I am convinced by the strength of spirit,
I would give the world a wonderful gift,
And for that immortality he gives me?
Why did you promise so tenderly?
You replace his crown,
Why weren't you there at first?
What I finally became!
I'm proud! - sorry! love another
Dream of finding love in another;
Anything earthly
I will not become a slave.
To foreign mountains, under the southern sky
I'll retire, maybe;
But we know each other too much
To forget each other.
From now on I will enjoy
And in passion I will swear to everyone;
I will laugh with everyone
But I don’t want to cry with anyone;
I'll start cheating shamelessly
So as not to love as I loved, -
Or is it possible to respect women?
When did an angel cheat on me?
I was ready for death and torment
And call the whole world to battle,
So that your young hand -
Madman! - shake again!
Not knowing the insidious betrayal,
I gave my soul to you;
Did you know the price of such a soul?
You knew - I didn’t know you!
1832
Mikhail Lermontov Reads Maxim Levchenko
I do not stop before thee;
Neither your greetings, nor thy reply
Have no control over my soul.
Know that we are strangers from now.
You forgot: I"m single
For zbluzhdenya not give;
And so I donated years
Your smile and eyes,
And so I saw too long
As you hope young days
And the whole world has hated,
To love you stronger.
Who knows, maybe those moments
That leaked at your feet,
I robbed the inspiration!
And what do you replace them?
Perhaps thoughts of heaven
And the fortitude convinced
I would have given the world a wonderful gift,
And for me it immortality?
Why so tenderly promised
You replace it with a crown,
Why were you not first
By what has become at last!
I"m proud! - Sorry! Love others,
Dream to find love in the other;
What impression whatsoever Earth
I"m not a slave to the forbearance of God.
To a stranger mountains under sky south
I retired, maybe;
But we too know each other,
To forget each other.
From now on, I will enjoy
And I will swear all the passions;
All I will laugh
And cry don't want anyone to;
I will begin to cheat outrageously,
So as not to love as I loved -
Ile respect women may
When I changed the angel?
I was ready to die and flour
And the whole world call to battle,
Mladen to your hand -
Madman - once again shake !
Not knowing treacherous betrayal,
I gave you a soul;
Such souls you knew miles price?
You know - I don't know!
1832
Mikhail Lermontov
For M.Yu. Lermontov's love is one of the strongest human feelings and the most natural manifestation of human relationships. Love, like poetry, takes possession of a person’s entire being, and all his internal forces come into motion. Lermontov was naturally amorous, ardent and very sincere. He idolized the chosen one of his heart, dedicated beautiful poems to her, and surrounded her with attention and tender care. But it often happened that the poet’s love was broken by the coldness, misunderstanding and even betrayal of his beloved.
That is why in the intimate lyrics of M.Yu. Lermontov has very few bright, joyful moods, those “wonderful moments” that were sung by Pushkin. Most often, Lermontov talks about loneliness, unrequited love, and the betrayal of a woman who did not appreciate the sublime feelings of a friend.
The poem “K***” (“I will not humiliate myself before you...”) is dedicated to Natalia Fedorovna Ivanova, to whom the poet dedicated more than twenty poems during the two years of their stormy romance.
Natalya Fedorovna was the daughter of the famous writer Fyodor Fedorovich Ivanov at that time. The poet met her in the summer of 1830 at the dacha of his relatives, the Stolypins. It was not far from Moscow, on Klyazma. Ivanova’s first poetic message was full of joyful hopes, happy expectations, admiration for young beauty:
... There was a light through the window
Spring warm day; and by the window
A maiden sat with a gentle face,
With eyes full of soul and life.
But the period of love and open reciprocity was short, so short that after a short period of time the poet will say: “I was flattered by love at first...”
In the summer of 1831, there was a strong rift in the relationship between Mikhail Yuryevich and Natalia Fedorovna. Something terrible happened. Returning to Moscow after his “initial dacha holiday,” the poet begins to write a play dedicated to the events that shocked him. The title of the play is “Strange Man.” In it, under the name of Vladimir Pavlovich Arbenin, Lermontov introduces himself, under the name of Natalia Fedorovna Zagorskina - Natalia Fedorovna Ivanova. Zagorskina cheats on Arbenina. Thoughtlessly preferring his friend Belinsky, she decides to marry him. She begins to show more and more coldness towards Arbenin, neglecting his passionate feelings.
The plot of the drama sheds light on what happened in the relationship between the poet and Ivanova. Lermontov had a hard time breaking up with his beloved girl, to whom he confided his secrets and dreams.
And so in 1832, six months after the fateful events, saying goodbye forever to “N.F.I.” - this is how he often titled poems dedicated to her, the poet writes the last poetic message to his beloved:
I will not humiliate myself before you,
Neither your greeting nor your reproach
They have no power over my soul.
Know that we are strangers from now on...
The hero regrets that in vain I “sacrificed years” to the insincere feelings of a girl who was simply flirting with him. The lyrical hero loves strongly and sacrificially, but he will not allow him to be treated condescendingly:
I'm proud! - sorry! Love someone else
Dream of finding love in another;
Anything earthly,
I will not become a slave.
Just like A.S. Pushkin in his famous “I loved you...”, M.Yu. Lermontov wishes his beloved joy and happiness with her other chosen one. But he no longer intends to believe in women’s coquetry; he has lost faith in the sincerity of love confessions. The poet is ready for revenge:
From now on I will enjoy
And in passion I will swear to everyone;
I will laugh with everyone
But I don’t want to cry with anyone...
But the frustration and anger of a deceived feeling give way to the sadness of loneliness and regret:
I was ready for death and torment
And call the whole world to battle,
So that your young hand -
Madman! – shake again!
The poem is not divided into stanzas. This creates the effect of excited, non-stop speech - confession. The author uses vivid epithets and metaphors that help him convey a complex state of mind (“heavenly thought”, “insidious betrayal”, “wonderful gift”, “I sacrificed years to your smile and eyes” - synecdoche). The composition is based on the technique of opposition: “love” - “betrayal”, “hope” - “delusion”, “hello” - “reproach”.
The poem is written in iambic pentameter using pyrrhic and spondee. The abundance of exclamatory sentences and rhetorical questions reflects the confused, excited nature of the narrative.
After this poem, Lermontov never dedicated poems to N.F. Ivanova. Oblivion became a kind of revenge for broken dreams and hopes. Only later, a year later, Lermontov would write in his diary and in N.F.I.’s album:
What a short date can do
Bring me some consolation,
The inevitable hour of parting
It came and I said: I'm sorry.
And a crazy verse, a farewell verse
I threw it in your album for you,
Like a single, sad trace,
Which I will leave here.
The poem amazes with its emotionality, sincerity, and high moral sense. It is a pearl of the intimate lyrics of the great poet.
