THE BOOK OF POEMS IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY ... - TopReferat
THE BOOK OF POEMS IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY ... - TopReferat
THE BOOK OF POEMS IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY ... - TopReferat
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Muni (or, in the case of Путем зерна, his memory) carries in each book. The constancy<br />
of this opening feature is broken in the 1927 edition of Путем зерна in which<br />
Khodasevich eliminates the dedication. Not only is he distinguishing the third edition<br />
from earlier editions of Путем зерна, but also from his earlier books—the books of his<br />
decadent youth.<br />
"Ручей" and "Элегия"<br />
Khodasevich more specifically ties the first two editions of Путем зерна to<br />
Счастливый домик with his choice of opening poems: "Элегия" (СД) and "Ручей"<br />
(ПЗ). Both "Элегия" and the first stanza of "Ручей" were written in the summer of 1908<br />
at Khodasevich's family dacha in Gireevo. Both poems begin with the imperative<br />
"взгляни," and each describes a rushing stream (ручей). In "Элегия" the stream is part<br />
of a potential, idyllic scene:<br />
Взгляни, как наша ночь пуста и молчалива:<br />
Осенних звезд задумчивая сеть<br />
Зовет спокойно жить и мудро умереть,—<br />
Легко сойти с последнего обрыва<br />
В долину кроткую.<br />
Быть может, там ручей,<br />
Еще кипя, бежит от водопада,<br />
Поет свирель, вдали пестреет стадо,<br />
И внятно щелканье пастушеских бичей.<br />
…<br />
Страна безмолвия! Безмолвно отойду<br />
Туда, откуда дождь, прохладный и привольный,<br />
Бежит, шумя, к долине безглагольной...<br />
…<br />
See how our night is empty and silent:<br />
The pensive network of autumn stars<br />
Calls [us] to live quietly and die wisely,—<br />
To descend lightly from the last precipice<br />
Into the gentle valley.<br />
Perhaps, a stream there,<br />
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