Gumilyov Nikolai Stepanovich captains. "Captains", analysis of the cycle of poems by Gumilyov

The article presents an analysis of Gumilyov's poem "Captains". You will learn the content of each of its four parts, as well as what images, ideas, artistic features are characteristic of each of them.

Before starting "Captains", we note that this is one of the most significant creations of Nikolai Stepanovich. It fully reflects the nature of the poet. Nikolai Gumilyov was a subtle romantic who dreamed of traveling. Unexplored spaces and the secrets associated with them have always attracted N. S. Gumilyov. It would be logical to start the analysis of the poem "Captains" with the history of the creation of this cycle.

The history of the creation of the cycle

The author managed to realize the dream of distant lands after the birth of this work. Nikolai Stepanovich (his portrait is presented above) made a research trip. However, when creating the cycle, in 1909, he was still full of dreams. It should be assumed that another factor that prompted Nikolai Gumilyov to create "Captains" is that at that time he was in Koktebel, a seaside city located on the coast of Crimea. Another Russian poet lived in this city, and Gumilyov went to visit him.

There is a version according to which the work was created jointly with a whole group of poets who discussed each line. Nevertheless, according to the memoirs left by Alexei Tolstoy, Nikolai Gumilyov locked himself in a room for several days in a row, working on The Captains, and only then presented his poems to the court of his friends. Apparently, sea air, old dreams - all this inspired Gumilyov to create the cycle that interests us.

Composition

Gumilyov N. included 4 works in the cycle. An analysis of the poem "Captains" allows us to notice that they are connected by a common theme and the idea of freedom. The works are united by images and romantic pathos. As the analysis of Gumilyov's poem "Captains" shows, each of them is a certain part of the whole, devoted to a separate topic. Let us characterize each of them in turn.

First poem in the cycle

In the cycle, the first poem includes only 4 stanzas. The author achieves a clear rhythm with the help of cross-rhyme, incomplete (reeds/bridge) and full (pearl/southern). The size of this poem is an anapaest. The general idea is conveyed to the reader with the help of a consistent composition. And it consists in the fact that adversity is not terrible for brave captains, because their life is devoted to sea adventures. The author creates a collective image of these captains with the help of characteristic vocabulary and epithets.

Collective image of the conquerors of the sea

The first work of the cycle of interest to us has become the calling card of such an author as N. S. Gumilyov. The poem "Captains" is interesting because the imagination of Nikolai Stepanovich created a romantic image of the conquerors of the sea. This is a picturesque, bright projection of the author's ideas about the ideal of a person, his contemporary. Nikolai Stepanovich is attracted by a distant star, its inviting twinkling. The line of the receding horizon beckons him. The lyrical hero seeks to escape from the everyday life of civilization and home comfort. A fresh, pristine world promises the joy of discovery, adventure and the intoxicating taste of victory.

An analysis of Gumilyov's poem "Captains" (the first part) reveals the following: the lyrical hero of the work did not come into the world to be a dreamy contemplator. He longs to be a strong-willed participant in the life that is happening before his eyes. Reality for him consists of moments of overcoming, struggle, persecution, replacing each other.

Background of the first poem

Gumilyov is captured by the poeticization of this volitional impulse. He does not even notice how the plural within the complex sentence (“the captains lead”) changes to the singular (“who ... remembers ... or ... tears”). It can be seen that this poem has a common "marine" background. The author creates it with conventionally romantic sweeping contrasts (“maelstrom - stranded”, “basalt - pearl”, “polar - southern”). "Refined" subject details are presented close-up. This, for example, is “shreds of foam” with over the knee boots or “gold” with cuffs.

We can say that "Captains" is built as a description in verse of a painting. A strong man, elevated above the crowd of extras and the elements, is in the center of the composition. The sea background was created by the author using standard techniques of marine painting (“wave crests”, “shreds of foam”, “hurricanes”, “rocks”).

Captain's appearance

In the outward appearance of the captain himself, however, there is more deliberate dandyism, accessories of theatricality, than direct acceptance of this risky profession. For example, in it one cannot find the slightest hint of the hardships of life, which are so relevant on the ship. We perceive even Gumilyov's metonymy "salt of the sea" as a picturesque decoration, which is on a par with "high over the knee boots", fashionable "cane" and decorative "laces".

Second part of the cycle

The next, second part of the cycle, also consists of 4 stanzas, which are united by one idea. Gumilyov in this part of the work introduces us to specific individuals. It introduces readers to famous captains: pirates, travelers, discoverers. These are people who cannot imagine their life without a ship and the sea. Nikolai Stepanovich also cites the names of specific historical figures.

As for the poetic size, it is also an anapaest. There is a complete as well as consistent composition. The lyrical hero of the work compares himself with the great captains. He imagines how these people felt and hopes that one day he, too, will have the opportunity to experience something similar.

The third poem from the cycle "Captains"

We turn to the description of the third part of the cycle, which was created by Gumilyov ("Captains"). An analysis of the poem shows that it also consists of 4 stanzas, combined by the author into a consistent composition. Gumilyov in this part speaks of the captains not just as sea wanderers. Despite the fact that they are devoted to the sea with all their hearts, they are sometimes drawn to land, home.

The third poem is dedicated to the meeting with the motherland. The land gives sailors what they were deprived of during their travels. This is a game of dice and cards, pubs, women, attempts to find out the fortune from a fortune-teller ... However, the “call of dope” stops after a while. Every sailor reminisces about his true destiny. And again, the most important thing for him is the "captain's mouthpiece", calling for sailing. Thus, in the third poem, the land is compared by the author with the sea. And you can find a lot of entertainment on it, but the soul of the captain still invariably asks for the sea.

Final part

In the last, fourth part, Gumilyov ("Captains") talks about the legends that exist among sailors. The analysis of the poem completes the general analysis of the cycle presented in the article. The author talks about how legends and stories attract sailors and inspire them to exploits. Like the previous ones, the final part consists of 4 stanzas. They are interconnected in meaning and united by a complete cross rhyme.

Flying Dutchman

The final poem of the cycle we are interested in is dedicated to sea mysteries and legends. One of them is the story of the famous ghost ship. It is a symbol of death. He foreshadows the death of everyone who sees this ghost in the sea. The author does not answer the question of where this ship came from. He does not explain what goals the Flying Dutchman pursues. Only one thing is obvious - the legend about this ship is perhaps the most terrible for every sailor. However, this makes it even more attractive. Nikolai Stepanovich, however, still gives his own interpretation of this myth. He notes that the Flying Dutchman shows people the way to the edge of the world. He leads to where "the terrible road lay" "the captain with the face of Cain." This is only one way. However, those who dare to follow it to the end will learn the secrets of the universe. The price for this secret knowledge is life, according to Nikolai Gumilyov ("Captains"). An analysis of the poem reveals the author's conviction that in the life of each of these brave heroes there comes a moment when he wants to meet the Flying Dutchman in the vast expanses of the sea. A very effective ending.

It is not for nothing that schoolchildren are asked to analyze Gumilyov's poem "Captains" according to plan. This work is very important for understanding the features of the poet's work. In addition, it is very interesting in itself, especially to young readers, many of whom, like the author, are attracted by distant countries and brave heroes.

N. Gumilyov from childhood dreamed of distant lands. Having matured, he fulfilled his dream, the motives of travel appeared in his work long before the poet visited exotic countries. This article is devoted to a poem about sailors. Learn it in 5th grade. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with a brief analysis of the "Captains" according to the plan.

Brief analysis

History of creation- the work was written in 1909 when the poet was visiting Maximilian Voloshin in Koktebel.

Theme of the poem- the life and adventures of sailors.

Composition- "Captains" - a cycle consisting of four poems, each of which is dedicated to a certain aspect of the life of sailors. Accordingly, the meaning of the poem is divided into four parts.

Genre- elegy.

Poetic size- the first poem was written in anapaest three-foot, the second - amphibrach four-foot, the third - trochaic three-foot, the fourth - iambic pentameter; cross rhyme ABAB.

Metaphors – “the chest is saturated with the salt of the sea”, “the sea is mad”, “what kind of anesthesia the depth once gave birth to for you”.

epithets – "polar seas", "daring path", "trembling bridge", "sharp, confident look", "multi-starry".

Comparisons – "like death, his comrades are pale."

History of creation

The analyzed poem belongs to the early period of N. Gumilyov's work. The poet created it when he was visiting his friend Maximian Voloshin in 1909. Eyewitnesses recalled that the cycle was written in a few evenings. Apparently, the marine nature of Koktebel inspired Nikolai Stepanovich so much.

There is an opinion that "Captains" is a collective creation of several poets who visited Voloshin. This version was refuted by A. Tolstoy. He recalled how Gumilyov worked on poetry for several evenings in a row. He even locked himself in a room so that he would not be disturbed. After an intense creative process, Nikolai Stepanovich read poems to friends.

Subject

In the poem, the author revealed the theme of sea voyages, characteristic of the literature of the era of romanticism. In the center of the work is the image of a sailor. It is prefabricated and multifaceted, in each work of the cycle its certain facet is revealed.

In the first part, a generalized image of the captain is created. This is a brave, strong person who is always ready to challenge the elements of the sea and mark the "daring path" on the map.

The lyrical hero admires an experienced navigator who is not afraid of shallows and hurricanes. The captain is a true leader who is quick to deal with a riot on board. As soon as he pulls out a gun, his team stops rebelling and begins to work harmoniously, storming the mad sea.

N. Gumilyov devoted the second part to all travelers and discoverers. In it, he lists the names of the most famous sailors. He does not forget about any generation of daredevils, even mentioning people "on the first raft". The poet is sure that these people are tired of their native lands, so they went in search of adventure.

The author tells about the stay of sailors on land in the third work of the cycle. It was created in the spirit of pirate novels. Having moored to the shore, sailors rush to taverns, where, over a bottle of cider, they talk about what they saw in distant lands. The festivities continue "from sunset to morning". Sailors, accustomed to freedom, are not averse to frolic outside the taverns. They start fights, sell monkeys to noble foreigners and play cards. The fun stops as soon as the conquerors of the seas hear the mouthpiece of the captain.

The fourth part is based on the legend of the Flying Dutchman's Ship. According to legend, he has been plowing the sea for hundreds of years. At the helm of the ghost ship is a captain with a bloodied hand, and the members of his crew are as pale as death. The author is sure that the mysterious one points the way leading to the edge of the sea.

Composition

"Captains" is a cycle consisting of four poems, each of which is dedicated to a certain aspect of the life of sailors. Essentially, the cycle is divided into four parts. Each part consists of quatrains.

Genre

The genre of the poem is an elegy, because the lyrical hero is buried in dreams about the captains. The works of the cycle differ in terms of poetic size: the first is written in anapaest three-foot, the second - amphibrach four-foot, the third - trochaic three-foot, the fourth - iambic pentameter. The text uses the cross rhyme ABAB.

means of expression

In order to interpret the theme of travels and adventures of seafarers in an original way, N. Gumilyov used expressive means. They also helped to create a composite image of a brave sailor. The text has metaphors- “the chest is saturated with salt of the sea”, “the sea is mad”, “what kind of anesthesia the depth once gave birth to for you”; epithets- “polar seas”, “daring path”, “trembling bridge”, “sharp, confident look”, “multi-starry” and comparison- "like death, his comrades are pale."

Poem Test

Analysis Rating

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Nikolai Gumilyov is a great poet of the 20th century. His work is not only lyrical works, but also literary materials - it was he who established the rules of Russian acmeism, a popular trend within Russian modernism. He urged the authors not to speak figuratively and pretentiously, advocated a simple and understandable language for any reader, sought to show the closeness of the author and the listener.

"Captains" is a cycle of 4 poems written by Gumilyov in the summer of 1909. The poet managed to publish it in its entirety a year later. Unfortunately, the author, by his correspondence with a friend who also lived at that very time in Koktebel, does not leave us the opportunity to at least think out a beautiful and interesting story of the creation of the cycle. Everything is prosaically simple.

All his life, Nikolai Gumilyov was attracted by travel, the author tried to find the perfect place on earth. In an attempt to search for paradise, he traveled half the world, but could not find a corner of the earth, even remotely resembling bliss. In 1909, he was already quite famous for his literary attempts, but by that time he had not yet made his famous oriental travels, so the cycle is a kind of amateur idea of the layman about captains and travels, about their hard craft, professional legends and myths.

Genre, direction and size

"Captains" is a combination of solemn, patriotic and lyrical poems. Speaking conditionally, the cycle can be attributed to the genre of elegy. It is worth noting that in 1909 the principles of acmeism had not yet been proclaimed, so you can safely attribute this creation to the works of symbolism. The symbolism in the text is manifested in the fact that the image of a brave captain is compared with a life full of colors.

Speaking about poetic size, it is worth saying right away that this characteristic of a lyrical work is different in each poem of the cycle, only rhyme remains constant, cross-rhyme (ABAB) is preserved throughout the entire text.

The first poem is written in an anapaest, it serves to convey information outside the stage, some kind of background.
The second poem is written using amphibrach. As noted by the famous literary critic Bakhtin, it is the amphibrachs that are the most suitable size for hymns and solemn speeches.
The third part of the cycle is written in chorea, the most lyrical meter and suitable for describing the meeting with the Motherland.
The final poem is written using iambic. It is not easy to determine the size from all parts of the cycle, because Gumilyov often uses pyrrhic.

Images and symbols

The system of images and symbols in "Captains" is very interesting. This is facilitated by the relatively large volume of the work. All four poems are connected by a central image - a lyrical hero - a brave captain, whose image is revealed more and more. The captain is the main part of an exciting journey, he is a kind of guarantee that the ship will reach its goal and discover new lands.

The captain's main rival is the sea, the elements and almighty nature. It is interesting to note that the sea near Gumilyov is unconventional, not blue with white foam. The author throughout the poem compares the sea with the land, with its bends of swells and green ramparts.

The image of Cain is very interesting - a kind of anti-hero, whose portrait serves to enhance the image of the "real" captain. Cain is a criminal who is destined to forever wander the world in search of shelter, and the “real captain” will definitely find bliss.

Themes and mood

The theme in each poem of the cycle is different. In the first poem, we see a picture of nature and its conquest by man, the search for new lands. Here we are presented with the image of the ideal captain - brave, attentive and slightly romantic. In this part, the sailor's craft is deliberately idealized: some of the difficulties of this business are omitted, even skirmishes in the team are described as akin to beautiful events.
In the next part, Gumilyov skillfully paints portraits of famous navigators, whose merits remain for centuries. Here the lyrical hero is trying to try on the image of each hero introduced by the author, to trace the general traits of character. In this part, in addition to the ideal captain, an equally ideal world is drawn.
In the third part of "Captains" describes not so much the captain's life as a sailor's. It is worth noting that the author's position is clearly visible here: he paints us a picture of the terrible world of sailors who are waiting for the ship to sail. On land, they are dirty and drunk, having no meaning in life. And only thanks to the mind of the captains, only due to their presence on the ship, in the world of free nature, sailors are able to be happy.
In the final part of the cycle, the legend of the Flying Dutchman is described, an anti-hero is introduced, but even here the lyrical hero cannot but point out the nobility of the captains. Although Cain is doomed to eternal wandering, he is not without a sense of responsibility to the crew and the ship.

Main idea

The meaning of the poem is that adventure is a necessity. The author paints us a picture of the ideal life of captains, which is filled with constant novelty and freshness, upheavals and troubles, valor and courage, courage and courage. Their fate is full of colors and emotions, this is the ideal.

Gumilyov urges everyone to be open to the impulse and desire of constant movement, you cannot be content with what you have for a long time, you need to constantly go further for new adventures. The main idea of the work was the life ideology of the author himself.

Means of artistic expression

"Captains" is filled with highly imaginative means of artistic expression, especially epithets and metaphors.

“Between basalt and pearl rocks” is a beautiful epithet, emphasizing the preciousness of those places through which the captain’s ship sails.
"Swift-winged" is an easy comparison of the sails of a ship with the wings of a bird.
"Insolent way" - a figurative epithet that most accurately reveals the character of the captains - irreconcilable and courageous.
Also, to clarify the image of the captains, Gumilyov introduces the epithet "a sharp and confident look." The most figurative metaphor is the comparison of the captains with the "paladins of the green temple", where the temple means the sea.

Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilyov

On the polar seas and in the south,
Along the bends of the green swells,
Between basalt rocks and pearl
The sails of the ships rustle.

The swift-wings are led by captains,
Discoverers of new lands
Who is not afraid of hurricanes
Who has known maelstroms and stranded,

Whose is not the dust of lost charters -
The chest is soaked with the salt of the sea,
Who is the needle on the torn map
Marks his audacious path

And, having ascended the trembling bridge,
Remembers the abandoned port
Shaking off the blows of the cane
Shreds of foam from high boots,

Or, discovering a riot on board,
From behind the belt tears a gun,
So gold is pouring from lace,
With pinkish Brabant cuffs.

Let the sea rage and lash
The crests of the waves rose into the sky,
Not one trembles before a thunderstorm,
None will turn the sails.

Are these hands given to cowards,
That sharp, confident look
What can on enemy feluccas
Unexpectedly throw a frigate

Marked by a bullet, sharp iron
Chase giant whales
And take in the multi-star night
Protective light beacons?

All of you, paladins of the Green Temple,
Over the cloudy sea, following the rhumb,
Gonzalvo and Cook, La Perouse and de Gama,
Dreamer and king, Genoese Columbus!

Hanno the Carthaginian, prince of Senegambius,
Sinbad the Sailor and mighty Ulysses,
About your victories thunder in praise
Gray ramparts, running into the cape!

And you, royal dogs, filibusters,
Stored gold in a dark port,
Wandering Arabs, seekers of faith
And the first people on the first raft!

And all who dare, who want, who seek,
Who are disgusted with the countries of their fathers,
Who laughs defiantly, whistles mockingly,
Listening to the precepts of the gray-haired sages!

How strange, how sweet to enter your dreams,
Your cherished whisper names,
And suddenly guess what anesthesia
Once the depth gave birth to you!

And it seems that in the world, as before, there are countries
Where no human foot has gone
Where giants live in sunny groves
And pearls shine in clear water.

Fragrant resins flow from the trees,
Patterned leaves murmur: "Hurry,
Here the bees of pure gold soar,
Here the roses are redder than the purple of kings!”

And dwarfs with birds argue for nests,
And the profile of the face of the girls is gentle ...
As if not all the stars were counted,
As if our world is not open to the end!

III

Just look through the cliffs
royal old fort,
Like merry sailors
Hurry to a familiar port.

There, having grabbed cider in the tavern,
Talking grandfather is talking
What to defeat the sea hydra
Maybe a black crossbow.

Black mulattos
And guess, and sing,
And the smell of sweet rushes
From cooking meals.

And in spitting taverns
From dusk to morning
Throwing a number of decks of infidels
Curly sharpie.

Good on the docks of the port
And loiter and lie down
And with the soldiers from the fort
Start fights at night.

Ile with noble foreign women
Boldly beg for two sous,
Sell them monkeys
With a copper hoop in the nose.

And then turn pale with anger
Clamp the amulet in the floor,
You're losing at dice
On the trampled floor.

But the call of dope is silent,
Drunken words incoherent years,
Only the mouthpiece of the captain
He will call them to sail.

But there are other areas in the world
The moon of agonizing languor.
For a higher power, a higher prowess
They are forever unattainable.

There are waves with sparkles and splashes
incessant dance,
And there it flies abruptly
The Flying Dutchman's ship.

Neither reef nor shallow will meet him,
But, a sign of sadness and misfortune,
Saint Elmo's lights are shining
Having dotted its board and gear.

The captain himself, gliding over the abyss,
Holding on to a hat,
Bloody, but iron,
It clings to the helm - another.

Like death, his comrades are pale,
Everyone has the same thought.
This is how the corpses look at the conflagration,
Inexpressible and gloomy.

And if at a transparent hour, morning
Swimmers in the seas met him,
They were always tormented by an inner voice
A blind harbinger of sadness.

Vatage violent and warlike
So many stories stacked up
But all the more terrible and all the more mysterious
For the brave sea-foamers -

About the fact that somewhere there is an outskirts -
There, beyond the Tropic of Capricorn! —
Where is the captain with the face of Cain
It was a terrible road.

Nikolai Gumilyov was a romantic at heart and dreamed of distant lands. He managed to carry out his plan and visit several scientific expeditions. But a few years before his travels, he created a small cycle of poems called "Captains", in which notes of nostalgia are clearly traced. Having read books about the life of sailors, the young poet was ready to escape from the gray reality to the ends of the world in order to only feel the taste of salt on his lips and experience an incomparable sense of freedom.

The cycle "Captains" was created in the summer of 1909, when Nikolai Gumilyov was visiting Maximilian Voloshin in Koktebel.

Maximilian Voloshin

There is a version that it was written together with a group of poets who discussed every line. However, according to the memoirs of Alexei Tolstoy, the poet locked himself in his room for several days in a row, working on The Captains, and only after that he presented the poems to the court of his friends.

The cycle consists of four works, which are united by the common idea of romance and travel. In the first of his poems, Gumilyov admires how "the sails of ships rustle between basalt and pearl rocks." The image of the "discoverers of new lands" is so sweet to the poet that he mentally travels with them and in his own fantasies he experiences all the trials that his heroes go through. Paving the way on the map, suppressing a ship riot, encounters with pirates and a school of survival during a storm - all these components of marine life inspire the author and make him dream of exploits. The courage of people who every day fight against the elements of the sea cannot leave Gumilyov indifferent. “Are cowards given these hands, this sharp, confident look?” The poet asks.

The second poem of the cycle is a hymn to the discoverers and pirates who cannot imagine a quiet life on land. They are attracted by danger and the need to constantly take risks in order to achieve their own goals. “How strange, how sweet it is to enter your dreams, whisper your cherished names,” the author notes. It seems to him that "in the world, as before, there are countries where no human foot has set foot." And it is Gumilyov who sees himself as the person who will someday make a new discovery and visit the place where “roses are redder than the purple of kings.”

However, no matter how new countries attract sailors, sooner or later they return to their native port, full of new impressions. And it is the meeting with the motherland that is dedicated to the third poem of the cycle "Captains". The land gives them what they were deprived of in their wanderings. Women, pubs, games of cards and dice, attempts to find out their fate from a fortune-teller ... But when "the call of dope ceases", each sailor remembers his true destiny. And then for him there is nothing more important than the "mouthpiece of the captain", who again calls for sailing.

The final poem of the cycle is dedicated to marine legends and mysteries, one of which is the story of the Flying Dutchman - a ghost ship. It is a symbol of death and portends it to anyone who encounters this ghost in the sea. The author does not have an answer to the question of where this ship came from and what goals it pursues. But one thing is clear - the legend of the Flying Dutchman is the most terrible, and this makes it even more attractive in the eyes of every true sailor. True, Gumilyov nevertheless gives his interpretation of such a myth, noting that the ghost ship shows everyone the way to the edge of the world. There, "where the captain with the face of Cain lay down a terrible road." It leads only in one direction, but those who dare to follow it to the end will be able to learn the secrets of the universe, although they will pay for it with their own lives. And the poet is convinced that every captain has a moment in his life when he dreams of meeting the Flying Dutchman in the vast expanses.