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THE BOOK OF POEMS IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY ... - TopReferat

THE BOOK OF POEMS IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY ... - TopReferat

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in "За что?," can now release its quiet tears. The poet has discovered something familiar,<br />

even native in the sound of the rain. She has rediscovered her spiritual path, even in<br />

exile.<br />

Shortly after this cycle, Gippius placed the poem "Прорезы," originally written in<br />

1918 while Gippius was still living in Russia. In this poem, the poet again expresses her<br />

love for her native land:<br />

И я люблю мою родную Землю,<br />

Как мост, как путь в зазвездную страну.<br />

And I love my native Land,<br />

Like a bridge, a path to a country beyond the stars.<br />

Here, however, there is no hint of despair or desperation. The "native land" appears to<br />

have taken on a universal meaning—the land of her birth is the earthly world, a bridge or<br />

transition to the unearthly realm of heaven. By capitalizing the word "Земля," Gippius<br />

grants the literal land entry into the spiritual realm.<br />

While the title, "Прорезы," seems to suggest a break in this connection, Gippius<br />

treats these cuts or gaps as apertures that allow for movement between the two realms. In<br />

the opening stanza, she lists some of the "promises and signs" which are present "here,"<br />

in mundane reality (Здесь—только обещания и знаки), specifically describing "A<br />

radiating gap, a cut in the gloom…" ("Сияющий прорыв, прорез на мраке…") By<br />

choosing a form of the book's central word, radiance, to modify the gap, Gippius<br />

highlights its positive, creative nature. This and other intangible and elusive signs<br />

promise to transport the poet from the earthly to the heavenly world.<br />

In the final stanza, Gippius points to yet another "gap," proclaiming her love for<br />

her "high window," which, like her native land, ultimately unites these two worlds:<br />

116

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