Sergei Yesenin white birch under mine. Sergey YeseninWhite birch tree under my window.... “The Lord came to torture people in love...”
Many people know the text of Yesenin’s poem “White birch under my window” by heart. This is one of the first masterpieces of the still young poet. The poem became known to a wide circle of readers in 1914 after it appeared on the pages of the fashionable literary magazine Mirok. It was written a year earlier. At that time, few could have imagined that the work of the poet, hiding under the pseudonym Ariston, would become so popular.
Before Yesenin, many people sang birch in their works. But not everyone was able to so subtly and accurately convey light sadness, tremulous joy and sincere sympathy at the same time. Of course, everyone will read and perceive the poem “Birch” differently. It can be viewed narrowly as admiring the beauty of nature and an original artistic description of what happens to a tree in winter.
But the poet put much more meaning into the image of the birch. These are memories of native places, an unrealistic hope of returning to childhood, the desire to feel happy again. Behind the description of the birch tree in the poem are hidden images of Russia, which the poet genuinely admired. It was in thoughts about the Motherland and in the feeling of falling in love with it that Sergei Aleksandrovich Yesenin drew strength and inspiration.
Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin
White birch tree under my window...
Poems
“It’s already evening. Dew…"
It's already evening. Dew
Glistens on nettles.
I'm standing by the road
Leaning against the willow tree.
There is great light from the moon
Right on our roof.
Somewhere the song of a nightingale
I hear it in the distance.
Nice and warm
Like by the stove in winter.
And the birches stand
Like big candles.
And far beyond the river,
It can be seen behind the edge,
The sleepy watchman knocks
A dead beater.
“Winter sings and echoes...”
Winter sings and echoes,
The shaggy forest lulls
The ringing sound of a pine forest.
All around with deep melancholy
Sailing to a distant land
Gray clouds.
And there's a snowstorm in the yard
Spreads a silk carpet,
But it's painfully cold.
Sparrows are playful,
Like lonely children,
Huddled by the window.
The little birds are cold,
Hungry, tired,
And they huddle tighter.
And the blizzard roars madly
Knocks on the hanging shutters
And he gets angrier.
And the tender birds are dozing
Under these snowy whirlwinds
At the frozen window.
And they dream of a beautiful
In the smiles of the sun is clear
Beautiful spring.
“Mother walked through the forest in Bathing suit...”
Mother walked through the forest in Bathing Suit,
Barefoot, with pads, she wandered through the dew.
The sparrow's feet pricked her with herbs,
The darling cried in pain from pain.
Without knowing the liver, a cramp seized,
The nurse gasped and then gave birth.
I was born with songs in a grass blanket.
The spring dawns twisted me into a rainbow.
I grew to maturity, grandson of the Kupala night,
The dark witch prophesies happiness for me.
Just not according to conscience, happiness is ready,
I choose bold eyes and eyebrows.
Like a white snowflake, I melt into blue,
Yes, I’m covering my tracks to the homewrecker fate.
“The bird cherry tree is pouring snow...”
The bird cherry tree is pouring snow,
Greenery in bloom and dew.
In the field, leaning towards escape,
Rooks walk in the strip.
Silk herbs will disappear,
Smells like resinous pine.
Oh, meadows and oak groves, -
I'm besotted with spring.
Rainbow secret news
Shine into my soul.
I'm thinking about the bride
I only sing about her.
Rash you, bird cherry, with snow,
Sing, you birds, in the forest.
Unsteady run across the field
I will spread the color with foam.
White birch
Below my window
Covered with snow
Exactly silver.
On fluffy branches
Snow border
The brushes have blossomed
White fringe.
And the birch tree stands
In sleepy silence,
And the snowflakes are burning
In golden fire.
And the dawn is lazy
Walking around
Sprinkles branches
New silver.
Grandmother's tales
On a winter evening in the backyards
A rollicking crowd
Over the snowdrifts, over the hills
We're going home.
The sled will get tired of it,
And we sit in two rows
Listen to old wives' tales
About Ivan the Fool.
And we sit, barely breathing.
It's time for midnight.
Let's pretend we don't hear
If mom calls you to sleep.
All fairy tales. Time for bed...
But how can you sleep now?
And again we began to shout,
We're starting to pester.
Grandmother will say timidly:
“Why sit until dawn?”
Well, what do we care?
Talk and talk.
‹1913–1915›
Kaliki passed through villages,
We drank kvass under the windows,
At churches in front of ancient gates
They worshiped the most pure Savior.
Wanderers made their way across the field,
They sang a verse about the sweetest Jesus.
Nags with luggage stomped past,
The loud-voiced geese sang along.
The wretched ones hobbled through the herd,
They spoke painful speeches:
“We all serve the Lord alone,
Placing chains on the shoulders.”
They took out the calicoes hastily
Saved crumbs for the cows.
And the shepherdesses shouted mockingly:
“Girls, dance! The buffoons are coming!”
I'm going. Quiet. Rings are heard
Under the hoof in the snow.
Only gray crows
They made noise in the meadow.
Bewitched by the invisible
The forest slumbers under the fairy tale of sleep.
Like a white scarf
A pine tree has tied up.
Bent over like an old lady
Leaned on a stick
And right under the top of my head
A woodpecker is hitting a branch.
The horse is galloping, there is a lot of space.
The snow is falling and the shawl is laying down.
Endless road
Runs off like a ribbon into the distance.
‹1914›
"The dozing bell..."
The dormant bell
Woke up the fields
Smiled at the sun
Sleepy land.
The blows came
To the blue skies
It rings loudly
Voice through the forests.
Hidden behind the river
White moon,
She ran loudly
Frisky wave.
Quiet Valley
Drives away sleep
Somewhere down the road
The ringing stops.
‹1914›
“Beloved region! The heart dreams..."
Favorite region! I dream about my heart
Stacks of the sun in the waters of the bosom.
I would like to get lost
In your hundred-ringing greens.
Along the boundary, on the edge,
Mignonette and riza kashki.
And they call to the rosary
Willows are meek nuns.
The swamp smokes like a cloud,
Burnt in the heavenly rocker.
With a quiet secret for someone
I hid thoughts in my heart.
I meet everything, I accept everything,
Glad and happy to take out my soul.
I came to this earth
To leave her quickly.
“The Lord came to torture people in love...”
The Lord came to torture people in love,
He went out to the village as a beggar.
An old grandfather on a dry stump in an oak grove,
He chewed a stale crumpet with his gums.
The dear grandfather saw a beggar,
On the path, with an iron stick,
And I thought: “Look, what a wretched thing,”
You know, he’s shaking from hunger, he’s sick.”
The Lord approached, hiding sorrow and torment:
Apparently, they say, you can’t wake up their hearts...
And the old man said, holding out his hand:
“Here, chew it... you’ll be a little stronger.”
“Go you, Rus', my dear...”
Goy, Rus', my dear,
The huts are in the robes of the image...
No end in sight -
Only blue sucks his eyes.
Like a visiting pilgrim,
I'm looking at your fields.
And at the low outskirts
The poplars are dying loudly.
Smells like apple and honey
Through the churches, your meek Savior.
And it buzzes behind the bush
There is a merry dance in the meadows.
I'll run along the crumpled stitch
Free green forests,
Towards me, like earrings,
A girl's laughter will ring out.
If the holy army shouts:
“Throw away Rus', live in paradise!”
I will say: “There is no need for heaven,
Give me my homeland."
Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin
White birch
Below my window
Covered with snow
Exactly silver.
On fluffy branches
Snow border
The brushes have blossomed
White fringe.
And the birch tree stands
In sleepy silence,
And the snowflakes are burning
In golden fire.
And the dawn is lazy
Walking around
sprinkles branches
New silver.
It is not for nothing that the poet Sergei Yesenin is called the singer of Russia, since in his work the image of his homeland is key. Even in those works that describe mysterious eastern countries, the author constantly draws a parallel between overseas beauties and the quiet, silent charm of his native expanses.
The poem “Birch” was written by Sergei Yesenin in 1913, when the poet was barely 18 years old.
Sergei Yesenin, 18 years old, 1913
At this time, he was already living in Moscow, which impressed him with its scale and unimaginable bustle. However, the poet remained faithful in his work native village Konstantinovo and, dedicating a poem to an ordinary birch tree, it was as if he was mentally returning home, to an old rickety hut.
The house where S. A. Yesenin was born. Konstantinovo
It would seem, what can you tell about an ordinary tree that grows under your window? However, it is with the birch tree that Sergei Yesenin associates the most vivid and exciting childhood memories. Watching how it changes throughout the year, now shedding its withered leaves, now dressing in a new green outfit, the poet became convinced that the birch tree is an integral symbol of Russia, worthy of being immortalized in poetry.
The image of a birch tree in the poem of the same name, which is filled with slight sadness and tenderness, is written with special grace and skill. The author compares her winter outfit, woven from fluffy snow, to silver, which burns and shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow in the morning dawn. The epithets with which Sergei Yesenin awards the birch are amazing in their beauty and sophistication. Its branches remind him of brushes of snow fringe, and the “sleepy silence” enveloping the snow-dusted tree gives it a special appearance, beauty and grandeur.
Why did Sergei Yesenin choose the image of a birch tree for his poem? There are several answers to this question. Some researchers of his life and work are convinced that the poet was a pagan at heart, and for him the birch tree was a symbol of spiritual purity and rebirth.
Sergei Yesenin at the birch tree. Photo - 1918
Therefore, in one of the most difficult periods of his life, cut off from his native village, where for Yesenin everything was close, simple and understandable, the poet is looking for a foothold in his memories, imagining what his favorite looks like now, covered with a blanket of snow. In addition, the author draws a subtle parallel, endowing the birch with the features of a young woman who is no stranger to coquetry and a love of exquisite outfits. This is also not surprising, since in Russian folklore the birch, like the willow, has always been considered a “female” tree. However, if people have always associated the willow with grief and suffering, which is why it got its name “weeping”, then the birch is a symbol of joy, harmony and consolation. Knowing Russian folklore very well, Sergei Yesenin remembered folk parables that if you go to a birch tree and tell it about your experiences, your soul will certainly become lighter and warmer. Thus, an ordinary birch tree combines several images at once - the Motherland, a girl, a mother - which are close and understandable to any Russian person. Therefore, it is not surprising that the simple and unpretentious poem “Birch,” in which Yesenin’s talent is not yet fully manifested, evokes a wide variety of feelings, from admiration to slight sadness and melancholy. After all, each reader has his own image of a birch, and it is to this that he “tryes on” the lines of this poem, exciting and light, like silvery snowflakes.
However, the author’s memories of his native village cause melancholy, since he understands that he will not return to Konstantinovo soon. Therefore, the poem “Birch” can rightfully be considered a kind of farewell not only to his home, but also to childhood, which was not particularly joyful and happy, but, nevertheless, one of the best periods of his life for the poet.
Even as a child, in the Ryazan province, running through the fields, riding a horse, swimming in the Oka, the future poet realized how beautiful the Russian land is. He loved his region, his country and glorified it in his works brightly, colorfully, using various means of expression.
The author has a special relationship with the birch tree. This character, sung by Sergei Alexandrovich many times, is shown in various works, at different times of the year, with different moods of both the lyrical hero and the tree itself. Yesenin literally breathed in the soul, and seemed to humanize the birch, making it a symbol of Russian nature. The Yesenin birch tree is a symbol of femininity, grace, and playfulness.
The history of the creation of the poem "Birch"
The beautiful and lyrical poetic work “Birch” belongs to the poetry of the early period of creativity, when a very young Ryazan guy, who was barely nineteen years old, was just beginning to enter the world of literature. He worked at that time under a pseudonym, so for a long time no one realized that this delightful work belonged to Sergei Alexandrovich.
Simple in imagery, but very impressive, the poem “Birch” was written by the poet in 1913, when he was eighteen years old and it belongs to his very first works. It was created at the moment when the young man had already left his native and close to his heart corner, but his thoughts and memories constantly returned to his native places.
“Birch” was first published in the popular literary magazine “Mirok”. This happened on the eve of the revolutionary upheavals in the country, in 1914. At a time when no one has yet famous poet, worked under the pseudonym Ariston. So far these were Yesenin’s first poems, which would later become the standard for describing Russian nature in poetry.
Birch
White birch
Below my window
Covered with snow
Exactly silver.
On fluffy branches
Snow border
The brushes have blossomed
White fringe.
And the birch tree stands
In sleepy silence,
And the snowflakes are burning
In golden fire.
And the dawn is lazy
Walking around
Sprinkles branches
New silver.
The Power of a Poem
Yesenin's poem "Birch" is an example of skillful and skillful verbal drawing. The birch tree itself has always been a symbol of Russia. This is a Russian value, this is a folklore zest, this is a connection with the past and future. We can say that the work “Birch” is a lyrical hymn to the beauty and wealth of the entire Russian land.
The main topics that Yesenin describes include the following:
Theme of admiration.
The purity and femininity of this Russian wood.
Revival.
The birch tree in the poem looks like a Russian beauty: she is just as proud and elegant. All its splendor can be seen on a frosty day. After all, around this lovely tree there is a fascinating picturesque picture of Russian nature, which is especially beautiful on frosty days.
For Sergei, the birch tree is a symbol of rebirth. Researchers of Yesenin’s creativity argued that he took his talent and strength for writing his new poetic masterpieces precisely from memories from his childhood. Birch in Russian poetry has always been a symbol of a joyful life; it helped a person not only to console himself on difficult and sad days for him, but also allowed him to live in harmony with nature. Of course, the brilliant Russian poet knew oral folklore and remembered folklore parables about how when things get difficult, difficult or disgusting in your soul, you just need to approach a birch tree. And this beautiful and gentle tree, having listened to all the experiences of a person, will ease his suffering. Only after a conversation with a birch tree, according to strange legends, a person’s soul becomes warm and light.
Artistic and expressive means
Admiring his native nature, in order to express all his love and admiration for it, Yesenin uses various artistic and expressive means:
★Epithets: golden fire, white birch, snowy border, sleepy silence.
★Metaphors: the birch tree is covered with snow, the border has blossomed with tassels, the snowflakes are burning in the fire, it goes around lazily, it sprinkles the branches.
★Comparisons: the birch tree was covered with snow “like silver.”
★Personification: “covered up” is a verb that has a reflexive suffix - s.
This use of artistic and expressive means allows us to emphasize beautiful image birch, its significance for the entire Russian people. The culmination of the entire work is achieved already in the third stanza, where each phrase contains some kind of expressive means. But critics of Yesenin’s work pay attention to the second line of this poem, where the space of the poet himself is indicated and limited. That is why the image of a birch is so close, understandable and familiar.
This poem was included in the very first cycle of Yesenin’s lyrics, which was written specifically for children and is educational in nature. This poem encourages and teaches children to love and admire their native nature, notice its slightest changes and be part of this big and beautiful world. Love for one’s native land is the main idea of this Yesenin’s work, which is deep in content but small in volume. The division into stanzas in this work violates the usual traditional construction poetic texts, but due to its deep content the reader does not even notice this. The parallel rhyme makes it easy to read.
The style and syntax of Yesenin’s poetic work is simple, which makes its content easy for any reader to understand. There is no clutter of consonants or vowels, there are no phonetic features that would make this poem difficult to understand. This makes it possible to ensure that even young children understand the plot of this poem. The poet uses a two-syllable meter for his text. Thus, the entire text is written in trochee, which makes it easy to remember.
Analysis of the poem
It is known that Yesenin has pleasant, warm childhood memories associated with the beautiful birch tree. Even in early childhood, the little Ryazan boy Seryozha loved to watch how this tree was transformed in any weather conditions. He saw this tree as beautiful with green leaves that played merrily in the wind. I watched as it became naked, throwing off its autumn outfit, exposing its snow-white trunk. I watched the birch tree flutter in the autumn wind, and the last leaves fell to the ground. And so, with the arrival of winter, the dear birch tree put on a wonderful silver outfit. Precisely because the birch tree is dear and beloved to the Ryazan poet himself, a part of his region and soul, he dedicates his poetic creation to it.
Let us dwell in more detail on the image of the birch tree, which was created by Evenin with such tenderness and love. The description of this tree reveals the sadness and sadness of Sergei Alexandrovich himself. After all, now he is torn away from his native corner, and his wonderful childhood time will not return again. But the simplest and most unpretentious story about a birch tree also shows the skill of the future great poet, whose name will remain forever in the memory of the people. With pleasant and special grace, the poetic master describes the outfit of the Russian beauty. The winter dress of the birch tree, according to the poet, is woven from snow. But even Sergei Alexandrovich’s snow is unusual! It is fluffy, and silvery, and iridescent, and multi-colored. The poet repeatedly emphasizes that it burns and shimmers in a special way, as if it contains all the colors of the rainbow, which are now reflected in the morning dawn.
The poetic and pictorial master describes in detail the words and tree branches, which supposedly remind him of fringe tassels, but only it is snowy, sparkling and lovely. All the words that the poet chooses to describe are exquisite, and at the same time simple and understandable to everyone.
In a simple poem, Sergei Yesenin combined several poetic images at once: the Motherland, mothers, girls. It’s as if he dressed his birch tree in women’s exclusive clothes and now rejoices at her coquetry. It seems that the poet himself is on the verge of discovering something new and mysterious in himself, something he has not yet explored, and therefore he associates love for a woman with a beautiful birch tree. Researchers of Yesenin’s work suggest that it was at this time that the poet fell in love for the first time.
Therefore, such a simple and seemingly so naive, at first glance, the poem “White Birch” evokes a huge range of different feelings: from admiration to melancholic sadness. It is clear that each reader of this poem draws his own image of a birch tree, to which he then addresses the beautiful lines of Yesenin’s work. “Birch” is a farewell message to one’s native place, to one’s parents’ home, to childhood, which was so joyful and carefree.
With this poem, Yesenin opened his way into the world of poetry and literature. The path is short, but so bright and talented.
White birch
Below my window
Covered with snow
Exactly silver.
On fluffy branches
Snow border
The brushes have blossomed
White fringe.
And the birch tree stands
In sleepy silence,
And the snowflakes are burning
In golden fire.
And the dawn is lazy
Walking around
sprinkles branches
New silver.
Analysis of the poem “Birch” by Yesenin
The poem "Birch" is one of the best examples landscape lyrics Yesenina. He wrote it in 1913 at the age of 17. The young poet was just beginning his creative journey. This work showed what strengths and possibilities a modest village boy conceals within himself.
At first glance, “Birch” is a very simple poem. But he expresses a great love for his country and nature. Many people remember the lines of the poem from school. It helps to cultivate a feeling of love for one’s land through the image of a simple tree.
Yesenin was not awarded the title of “folk singer” for nothing. In his works, throughout his life he continued to glorify the beauty of rural Russia. Birch is one of the central symbols of Russian nature, an invariable component of the landscape. For Yesenin, who had already become familiar with metropolitan life and had seen enough of it, the birch tree was also a symbol of his home. His soul was always drawn to his homeland, to the village of Konstantinovo.
Yesenin had an innate sense of an inextricable connection with nature. Animals and plants in his works are always endowed with human traits. In the poem “Birch” there are still no direct parallels between a tree and a person, but the love with which the birch is described creates the feeling of a female image. Birch is involuntarily associated with a young beautiful girl in a light, airy outfit (“covered with snow”). “Silver”, “white fringe”, “golden fire” are bright epithets and at the same time metaphors that characterize this outfit.
The poem reveals another facet of Yesenin’s early work. His pure and bright lyrics always contain an element of magic. Landscape sketches are like a wonderful fairy tale. Before us appears the image of a sleeping beauty, standing “in sleepy silence” in magnificent decoration. Using the technique of personification, Yesenin introduces a second character - the dawn. She, “walking around”, adds new details to the birch tree’s outfit. The plot of the fairy tale is ready. The imagination, especially a child’s, can further develop a whole magical story.
The fabulousness of the poem brings it closer to oral folk art. Young Yesenin often used folklore motifs in his works. The poetic comparison of a birch tree with a girl was used in ancient Russian epics.
The verse is written in alternating “idle” rhyme, the meter is trochaic trimeter.
“Birch” is a very beautiful lyrical poem that leaves only bright, cheerful feelings in the soul.
