"Smart Devil" Nikolai Gumilyov

My old friend, my faithful Devil,
Sang me a song:
“All night the sailor swam in the abyss,
And at dawn he went to the bottom.

Waves rose all around,
They fell, they frothed again,
Before him rushed, whiter than foam,
His great love.

He heard the call as he swam:
"Oh, trust me, I will not deceive" ...
But remember, - said the clever Devil, -
He went to the bottom at dawn."

Analysis of Gumilyov's poem "Smart Devil"

The motive of death naturally arises in Gumilyov's poetic system: his brave lyrical subject is accustomed to balancing on the edge of danger. In multiple reflections last minutes life, the image of Lucifer arises, which represents the shadow side of the personality of a courageous romantic. The wording "my friend", which defines the relationship between the hero and the prince of darkness, is not without an element of outrageousness. The appearance of the dark beginning is interesting to the fearless seeker, who is simultaneously aware of the probability of deception coming from the infernal essence.

The poetic text of The Clever Devil, created at the turn of 1905-1906, begins with definitions that combine shocking and oxymoron. Lucifer is not only an "old" but also a "faithful" friend of the hero. Satan, who communicates with the lyrical subject on an equal footing, tells a parable about a sailor.

The courageous image of a sailor from a parable song is similar to Gumilev's heroes - hunters, warriors and conquerors. The character struggled with the raging sea, described as "waves-walls", until dawn. In the noise of the elements, the sailor, remembering his love, heard the voice of the sweetheart, who called for faith. At dawn, the forces ran out, and the navigator "went to the bottom."

Satan ironically depicts human love. The epithet "great" and the comparison "whiter than foam", applied to a high feeling, "breaks" the sad ending of the parable. The conclusion to which the devil brings the interlocutor denies the saving power of love and calls into question the concept of female fidelity.

The prince of darkness from Gumilev's text is disingenuous in front of his comrade, deliberately not mentioning one important circumstance: a proud and honest sailor, relying on his own strength, did not compromise his faith and ask the devil for a deal. The sailor lost his body, but saved his soul. The fact that the character passed away at the dawn of the sun reinforces the idea of ​​salvation. He realized the most important right of a courageous person to “choose death himself”, which the poet formulated in the poem “Choice” three years later.

Gumilyov's contemporaries saw a link between "The Clever Devil" and Sologub's creation "When I swam in a stormy sea ..." In the last of the poems, the image of a "father"-devil appears, who does a good deed - saves a drowning hero. Noble act does not change the dark nature of Satan's power, and the lyrical subject is forced to drag out a "sick, evil life", glorifying his master.

"Smart Devil" Nikolai Gumilyov

My old friend, my faithful Devil,

Sang me a song:

“All night the sailor swam in the abyss,

And at dawn he went to the bottom.

Waves rose all around,

They fell, they frothed again,

Before him rushed, whiter than foam,

His great love.

He heard the call as he swam:

But remember, - said the clever Devil, -

He went to the bottom at dawn."

Analysis of Gumilyov's poem "Smart Devil"

The motive of death naturally arises in Gumilyov's poetic system: his brave lyrical subject is accustomed to balancing on the edge of danger. In the many-sided reflections of the last minutes of life, the image of Lucifer appears, which represents the shadow side of the personality of a courageous romantic. The wording "my friend", which defines the relationship between the hero and the prince of darkness, is not without an element of outrageousness. The appearance of the dark beginning is interesting to the fearless seeker, who is simultaneously aware of the probability of deception coming from the infernal essence.

The poetic text of The Clever Devil, created at the turn of 1905-1906, begins with definitions that combine shocking and oxymoron. Lucifer is not only an "old" but also a "faithful" friend of the hero. Satan, who communicates with the lyrical subject on an equal footing, tells a parable about a sailor.

The courageous image of a sailor from a parable song is similar to Gumilev's heroes - hunters, warriors and conquerors. The character struggled with the raging sea, described as "waves-walls", until dawn. In the noise of the elements, the sailor, remembering his love, heard the voice of the sweetheart, who called for faith. At dawn, the forces ran out, and the navigator "went to the bottom."

Satan ironically depicts human love. The epithet "great" and the comparison "whiter than foam", applied to a high feeling, "breaks" the sad ending of the parable. The conclusion to which the devil brings the interlocutor denies the saving power of love and calls into question the concept of female fidelity.

The prince of darkness from Gumilev's text is disingenuous in front of his comrade, deliberately not mentioning one important circumstance: a proud and honest sailor, relying on his own strength, did not compromise his faith and ask the devil for a deal. The sailor lost his body, but saved his soul. The fact that the character passed away at the dawn of the sun reinforces the idea of ​​salvation. He realized the most important right of a courageous person to “choose death himself”, which the poet formulated in the poem “Choice” three years later.

Gumilyov's contemporaries saw a link between "The Clever Devil" and Sologub's creation "When I swam in a stormy sea ..." In the last of the poems, the image of a "father"-devil appears, who does a good deed - saves a drowning hero. A noble deed does not change the dark nature of Satan's power, and the lyrical subject is forced to drag out a "sick, evil life", glorifying his master.

Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilyov

My old friend, my faithful Devil,
Sang me a song:
“All night the sailor swam in the abyss,
And at dawn he went to the bottom.

Waves rose all around,
They fell, they frothed again,
Before him rushed, whiter than foam,
His great love.

He heard the call as he swam:
"Oh, trust me, I will not deceive" ...
But remember, - said the clever Devil, -
He went to the bottom at dawn."

The motive of death naturally arises in Gumilyov's poetic system: his brave lyrical subject is accustomed to balancing on the edge of danger. In the many-sided reflections of the last minutes of life, the image of Lucifer appears, which represents the shadow side of the personality of a courageous romantic. The wording "my friend", which defines the relationship between the hero and the prince of darkness, is not without an element of outrageousness. The appearance of the dark beginning is interesting to the fearless seeker, who is simultaneously aware of the probability of deception coming from the infernal essence.

The poetic text of The Clever Devil, created at the turn of 1905-1906, begins with definitions that combine shocking and oxymoron. Lucifer is not only an "old" but also a "faithful" friend of the hero. Satan, who communicates with the lyrical subject on an equal footing, tells a parable about a sailor.

The courageous image of a sailor from a parable song is similar to Gumilev's heroes - hunters, warriors and conquerors. The character struggled with the raging sea, described as "waves-walls", until dawn. In the noise of the elements, the sailor, remembering his love, heard the voice of the sweetheart, who called for faith. At dawn, the forces ran out, and the navigator "went to the bottom."

Satan ironically depicts human love. The epithet "great" and the comparison "whiter than foam", applied to a high feeling, "breaks" the sad ending of the parable. The conclusion to which the devil brings the interlocutor denies the saving power of love and calls into question the concept of female fidelity.

The prince of darkness from Gumilev's text is disingenuous in front of his comrade, deliberately not mentioning one important circumstance: a proud and honest sailor, relying on his own strength, did not compromise his faith and ask the devil for a deal. The sailor lost his body, but saved his soul. The fact that the character passed away at the dawn of the sun reinforces the idea of ​​salvation. He realized the most important right of a courageous person to “choose death himself”, which the poet formulated in the poem “Choice” three years later.

Gumilyov's contemporaries critics saw the echo of "The Clever Devil" with Sologub's creation "When I swam in a stormy sea ...". In the last of the poems, the image of the "father" - the devil, who does a good deed - saves the drowning hero, arises. A noble deed does not change the dark nature of Satan's power, and the lyrical subject is forced to drag out a "sick, evil life", glorifying his master.