Poems by Osip Mandelstam Automatic translate

Osip Emilievich Mandelstam was born in Warsaw, when it was still part of the Russian Empire, in 1891. In an effort to avoid rampant anti-Semitism, Mandelstam moved to St. Petersburg, and life in the heart of the Russian Empire brought him into contact with the Russian symbolist movement. It may not have been exactly hatred at first sight, but Mandelstam’s reaction was strong enough that it eventually led him to become one of the leading figures in the acmeist movement in Russian poetry.

The conflict between these two schools boils down, in fact, to the preference for the use of incomprehensible symbols over relatively simple images and vice versa. Thus, Mandelstam’s position in the world of poetry is characterized by the fact that he belongs to those poets who write poetry for those who hate poetry. Accessibility is the main thing here, and if the poems of Osip Mandelstam seem too vague and abstruse to you, we strongly advise you not to read the works of Russian symbolists.

The collection "Stone", published in 1913, is a revelation of acmeist aesthetics: the expression of emotions and the observation of their influence on perception. Fortunately for Mandelstam, the poems were accepted in the Russian language in which St. Petersburg existed. Unfortunately for Mandelstam, he ended up in a far less organized but far more dangerous school: poets who were thought to treat Joseph Stalin with obvious yellowness.

The Egyptian Mark, Poems, and On Poetry found their audience, but Mandelstam’s fate spiraled downward after being accused of plagiarism, despite a defense that included one of Stalin’s favorites, Bukharin. In 1933, after publishing a sixteen-line satirical joke directed at a happily deranged mass murderer with a "cockroach" mustache, Mandelstam discovered that something much worse than anti-Semitism was growing in Russia. He voiced this plague, which took its victims suddenly and without remorse, in one of his most frequently cited observations about life in Russia:

“What are you complaining about, poetry is respected only here - they kill for it. After all, nowhere else…”.

Osip Mandelstam died of a heart attack while on his way to Siberia for a five-year hard labor in 1938.

“Not dead yet. Still lonely"

The person to whom this poem is addressed, although he must die, will not be alone, because their poor friend is with him. Together they contemplate the majesty of the plain, ignoring the darkness, the temperature, and the snowstorms.

Mandelstam advises the reader to live a quiet and unpretentious life, taking comfort even in the poorest conditions. He notes that every day and night in such conditions is a blessing, and the work done by the voice is flawless, without sin.

In his opinion, those who live like a shadow are unhappy, who are afraid even of a barking dog and are weak in the face of the wind. The one who himself lives only half, but at the same time begs for such small sums, in his opinion, is poor.

"Alone I look into the white face of frost"

Mandelstam notes how he looks at the frost, which is white in color. He has no destination, just as he himself has no definite place. Everything he wears is perfectly ironed, without a single wrinkle, showing every breath under his shirt.

Meanwhile, the sun shines on the misery below, calmly, on its own. The forest lives next to it, not worrying about the fact that it is surrounded by poverty. The snow on the ground crunches innocently when you step on it.

From the book "Stone": 6

A birch is described, blazing against a background of pale blue enamel, the color associated with each month of April. Evening comes slowly. A pattern is created, delicate and completely finished. As the artist works, demonstrating his skill, the glaze retains the image he painted, and at that moment, when his skill is obvious, he forgets about death.

From the book "Stone": 24

“The leaves barely breathe under the gusts of dark wind. Its color is black. Swallows flutter in a circular motion in the sky during the evening twilight. Mandelstam describes the state of his heart. It’s a loving heart, but it keeps dying. Twilight is gathering in it, the last glimmer of light becomes disapproving. Over the forest this evening, the moon begins to rise to its rightful place. Mandelstam ends the poem by asking two related questions: why the music stopped playing and why only this silence exists.

List of characters

"You"

One of the very important characters, it can be assumed, or maybe just a passing character in Osip’s poetry, is "you". This figure slips in a fluttering shawl and is the one who, along with the poetic persona, did not agitate a single soul, did not wake anyone up. This person, like the poetic person, is a self.

Servants

The servants together represent another character that collectively symbolizes society as they sleep while two people make their way outside. These servants may also represent social hierarchy as well as dogma. They represent everything that limits two lovers.

Children

It is interesting to note that collective characters are usually present in this poetry. Even so, children are seen as a collective individual. I’m talking about "children’s" books. Only "childish" thoughts are mentioned. Children represent the vanishing past - everything that has disappeared, that has receded.

Topics

Introspection

Mandelstam seems to prefer the poetic combined with solitude. He indulges in introspective moods, reflecting on his life and the world around him. In such poems as “Not yet dead. Still lonely," he reflects on the distinctions people make between themselves and others. Exploring his own attitude to death and existence, Mandelstam believes that he constantly connects with the people around him. His inner experience of the self both informs and benefits from his experience of the outer world, so that his self-expression becomes the method by which he reaches out to other people to engage them in relationship and creation.

Meditation for now

In his poetry, Mandelstam is a master of observing the present moment. He does not call it meditation, but in the Buddhist tradition the perfect observation of the passage of time is the purest form of meditation. Mandelstam writes poems such as "What am I to do with this body that they gave me" as detailed observations of individual moments. He notes how pleasant it is to breathe in and out. He notes the warmth of his breath and the regularity of his physical processes. Listening to his body, he feels a certain comfort and closeness of sensations, so completely individual and personal.

Striving for enlightenment

Constantly emphasizing the upward movement, Mandelstam demonstrates his preoccupation with the search for enlightenment, without further ado. This idea is reflected in the images directed upwards in several of his poems. For example, "Alone I look into the white face of frost" describes looking up at the blinding sun reflecting and sparkling on the falling snow.

And again in the poem “Insomnia. Homer. Tight canvas” he looks at the cranes on the industrial site, reflecting on their resemblance to ancient figures and grandiose conflicts. Finally, the moon sets the tone for Brothers Let’s Praise the Twilight of Freedom, both figuratively and literally. Mandelstam often portrays his gaze as directed upwards, directing his thoughts and aspirations to some higher source that overshadows human experience and identification with the ego.

Osip Mandelstam is a poet of individuality. He exalts social relationships, but at the same time tries to know other people through experiencing himself. He can easily be called an introspective author. Indeed, most of his poems are devoted to issues of self-identification, experiencing the present moment and relationships with other people.

Although he often refers to the concepts of loneliness and isolation, Mandelstam speaks rather pleasantly about these experiences. In the poem "Alone I look into the white face of frost" we are talking about a snow storm. In his loneliness, caused by the power of nature, the narrator finds deep satisfaction in observing the natural beauty of the world around him. Loneliness makes him feel personally honored by the sights and sensations of the storm, as if they were meant only for his eyes.

Even talking about death, Mandelstam does not lose confidence in himself. He is not afraid of loneliness, because he does not feel truly alone. Looking up, he sees a human connection in the people around him, though he may not know them personally. “Not dead yet. And yet alone” is a fairly direct statement of the interconnectedness of human beings. Mandelstam writes about a kind of self-induced suffering, which consists in self-isolation, despite the vitality and abundance of the surrounding world.