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

indicating that "Час победы" is a continuation of a single narrative begun in "В черту."
In the second poem, the devil returns after a long absence, amused by the poet's
inaction—the rings are still whole; the poet appears to have been biding his time in long
meditations or dreams (долгие мечтания). After the devil threatens to make the still
unbroken links of the ring even stronger, the poet slaps him in the face with the devil's
own glove and cries that only blood can forge and break his ring. The devil's cloak is
blown away revealing his previously hidden face. The poet looks into his familiar eyes
and watches as he fades into emptiness. By the end of the poem, the poet's victorious
ring has unbent itself into a fiery line: В этот час победное кольцо мое/В огненную
выгнулось черту.
The images of the ring and line suggest the contradictory patterns in Gippius's
spiritual life—striving to attain a direct path to God (the line), she often finds herself
trapped in an alternating cycle (ring) of doubt and faith. By the end of "Час победы" she
has declared victory over this seemingly endless cycle. Having recognized the devil (Я
взглянул в глаза его знакомые), she has claimed the ring as her own (победное кольцо
мое), and succeeded in straightening it into a line. This appears to be a final victory. By
themselves "В черту" and "Час победы" create a complete narrative—the goal set out in
the title of the first poem is reached in the last line of the second.
Gippius, however, resists such finality. The emphasis on the hour of victory in
"Час победы," both in the title and in the final lines (В этот час) raises the possibility
that this is only a temporary victory. After the hour has passed, the devil may yet return.
This potential return is further suggested by the identical description of the devil's exit in
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