Ivan Bunin - Epiphany Night: Verse. Bunin's poem "Epiphany Night" Analysis of the poem "Epiphany Night"

(Illustration: Sona Adalyan)

Analysis of the poem "Epiphany Night"

Ivan Alekseevich Bunin is a famous Russian poet, prose writer, and translator. Born into a noble family, he studied at the gymnasium. He began writing his first poems at the age of 8. In 1887 he published his works for the first time. He was twice awarded the Pushkin Prize. Later he emigrated abroad. And he wrote his most famous works there. Bunin was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for the first time in Russia.

Many poets wrote about winter and winter holidays. For example, "Winter Night" by Boris Pasternak, "The Enchanting Winter" by Tyutchev, "Winter the Witch is Coming" by Pushkin... All the lyrics in the heap of snowflakes and the brilliant mirrors of the reservoirs saw something magical, unique, magical.

Epiphany is a very important holiday for a Christian. On this day, I want to believe that some extraordinary miracle will happen. The mood of the poem can be divided into two parts. In the first part, the poet describes the mysterious, mysterious winter nature. Moreover, the forest exists as if by itself. Only in the fourth stanza do we notice the presence of a man in this forest:

The thickets of the forest were covered with a blizzard, -

Only traces and paths wind,

Running away between pines and fir trees,

Between the birches to the dilapidated gatehouse.

In the first part of the poem, nature is some kind of living being. This goal was achieved thanks to the personifications: "the birches dozed off", "the branches froze", "the moon looks", "traces run away", "thickets sleep". In addition, the first part is rich in bright epithets: “dark spruce forest”, forest “through, motionless and white”, “wild song” of a blizzard. These epithets create a gloomy atmosphere and escalate the situation a little, preparing us for something dangerous. The second part of the poem is filled with anxiety and anxiety, reverent fear of a wild beast that can watch from the thicket.

Silence - not even a branch crunches!

And, perhaps, behind this ravine

The wolf makes his way through the snowdrifts

Cautious and insinuating step.

Silence - and, perhaps, he is close ...

And I stand, filled with anxiety,

And I look tensely at the thickets,

On footprints and bushes along the road.

The mood of anxiety is emphasized by alliteration - the sound “r” appears more and more often in stanzas. As if this beast growls, hiding in the bushes. The hero's fears are emphasized by the antithesis "Silence, - and, perhaps, he is close ...". He's afraid of that wolf. He is afraid, but admires the forest in which he found himself, which is emphasized in the last stanza with the help of an exclamation:

And above the forest, higher and higher

The moon rises, and in wondrous peace

Freezing midnight freezes

And the crystal kingdom of the forest!

The poem is musical in its own way. It is written in three-foot anapaest, which gives the work a smoothness, even some kind of musicality. Nature is stronger and wiser than a lonely person. And the man admits it. It is this idea that Bunin emphasizes in his poem.

I liked the product. Vivid pictures of the winter forest arose in the imagination, thanks to the means of expression, the author made him feel what his hero felt. In general, in his works, Bunin gives us an idea of ​​​​the life, life, anxieties and concerns of the people of his time. This man was a true master of his craft.

Bunin's poem Epiphany Night

Bunin's poem "Epiphany Night" refers to the early period of the poet's work. The poem was finally completed in 1901. Its name is associated with the Orthodox feast of the Epiphany, which is celebrated on January 19 according to the new style. But many folk legends and signs were associated with this holiday. For example, it was believed that if there were severe frosts on Epiphany night, then the year would be fertile. These signs were undoubtedly familiar to the poet, who spent his childhood on his estate. But Bunin begins the description of Epiphany night without connecting it with a religious holiday. It seems to be just a night in a winter forest, full of poetry and charm:

Dark spruce forest with snow, like fur,

Gray frosts have sprung,

In spangles of frost, as if in diamonds,

Dozed off, bowed, birches.

Before us is a quiet and solemn picture, the cosmos of frozen space:

Their branches froze motionless,

And between them on a snowy bosom,

Right through the silver lacy

A full moon looks from the sky.

In the way the poet describes the snowdrifts (“snow bosom”), one can feel the echoes of Epiphany beliefs, in which so much space is given to snow. So, in some villages on Epiphany night they collected snow from stacks, believing that only he could whiten the canvas properly. Some believed that if on Epiphany evening snow was collected on the field and poured into the well, then the well would have water all year round. This snow was believed to have healing properties.

The thickets of the forest were covered with a blizzard, -

Only traces and paths wind,

Running away between pines and fir trees,

Between the birches to the dilapidated gatehouse.

Here, for the first time in the poem, we feel the presence of a person - a lonely person who spends the pre-holiday night in a dense forest and watches from afar the lights of someone else's home. It is through his eyes that we see a snow-covered forest:

Sleep mysteriously dark thickets,

They sleep, dressed in deep snow,

And glades, and meadows, and ravines,

Where once the streams roared.

Behind the elation of the poetic intonation, it is as if a person's long-standing fear of the secrets of the wild nature is hidden. The endless loneliness of a person fills his soul with a completely earthly fear of forest animals:

Silence - even the branch does not crackle!

Or maybe behind this ravine

The wolf makes his way through the snowdrifts

Cautious and insinuating step.

Silence - and perhaps he is close ...

And I stand, filled with anxiety,

And I look tensely at the thickets,

On footprints and bushes along the road.

In this expectation of a person there is not only fear of the forest animal, but also some kind of ancient relationship with it. Both of them are forced to hide in the forest from someone else's eyes. However, man is distinguished from the beast not only by fear of nature, of the secrets of the forest, but also by the timid expectation of some miracle on Epiphany night:

Light from the forest guardhouse

Cautiously and timidly flickers,

As if he hid under the forest

And waiting for something in silence.

This light is like a lost human soul that yearns for salvation and hopes for the mercy of God. The striving for God resounds in the lofty and solemn description of the star:

A diamond radiant and bright,

Now green, then blue playing,

In the east, at the throne of the Lord,

A star shines quietly, as if alive.

Although it takes place on Epiphany night, we involuntarily recall the Christmas star that lit up when the Savior was born. Another sign is connected with Epiphany: if the stars shine and burn especially brightly on Epiphany night, then many lambs will be born (the lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ). The Star of the Lord, shining over the world, equalizes the living and the inanimate, the sinful and the righteous, sending peace and consolation to the world:

And above the forest, higher and higher

The moon rises, and in wondrous peace

Freezing midnight freezes

And the crystal kingdom of the forest!

Here Bunin speaks of the famous Epiphany frost, when everything seems ringing and fragile from the cold, when midnight seems to be some mysterious turning point - to warmth, summer, streams murmuring in ravines. The poem "Epiphany Night" was written almost simultaneously with the stories "Meliton" and "Pines". Therefore, there is a lot in common between them. Both in the poem and in the stories, the harsh and beautiful forest space seems to absorb a person. In "Meliton" and in "Epiphany Night" a "dilapidated gatehouse" lost in a mighty forest is described - a symbol of a lonely human life. And in "Pines" and in the poem, the image of a star is a through image. In the story, "the star in the northeast appears to be the star at God's throne." These expressive visual images serve the common goal of revealing the unearthly grandeur of the sky over the perishable world of people. Therefore, the poem describes that below, under the star, "the light from the forest guardhouse flickers cautiously and timidly." Moreover, unlike the story "Meliton", in "Epiphany Night" it is an impersonal light, a hint of human smallness and loneliness in the face of nature and God.

The poem "Epiphany Night" combines the Christian vision of the world and the peasant, folk perception of nature. Bunin shows us the beauty and grandeur of nature, inspired by man and God's plan.

"Epiphany Night" Ivan Bunin

Dark spruce forest with snow, like fur,
Gray frosts have sprung,
In spangles of frost, as if in diamonds,
Dozed off, bowed, birches.

Their branches froze motionless,
And between them on a snowy bosom,
Just through the lace silver,
A full moon looks from the sky.
He rose high above the forest,
In its bright light, numb,
And strangely shadows creep,
Blackening in the snow under the branches.
The thickets of the forest were covered with a blizzard, -
Only traces and paths are pouring.
Running away between pines and fir trees,
Between the birches to the dilapidated gatehouse.
Gray-haired blizzard lulled
With a wild song, the forest is empty,
And he fell asleep, covered with a blizzard,
All through, motionless and white.
Mysteriously slender thickets sleep,
They sleep, dressed in deep snow,
And glades, and meadows, and ravines,
Where once the streams roared.
Silence - even the branch does not crackle!
And, perhaps, behind this ravine
The wolf makes his way through the snowdrifts
Cautious and insinuating step.
Silence - and, perhaps, he is close ...
And I stand, filled with anxiety,
And I look tensely at the thickets,
On the tracks and bushes along the road,
In distant thickets, where branches and shadows
Patterns weave in the moonlight
Everything seems to me something alive,
Everything looks like animals are running.
Light from the forest guardhouse
Cautiously and timidly flickers,
As if he hid under the forest
And waiting for something in silence.
A diamond radiant and bright,
Now green, then blue playing,
In the east, at the throne of the Lord,
A star shines quietly, as if alive.
And above the forest, higher and higher
The moon rises, and in wondrous peace
Freezing midnight freezes
I am the crystal kingdom of the forest!

Analysis of Bunin's poem "Epiphany Night"

Working as a proofreader in the Oryol newspaper, Ivan Bunin travels a lot. His routes run mainly through the nearest forests, as the novice writer loves hunting and prefers to spend all his free time in the bosom of nature. He falls in love with the Oryol thickets so much, treats water meadows and fields with such reverence and enthusiasm that, without noticing it, he begins to recreate their image in his works. It is worth noting that initially Ivan Bunin wrote only poetry, believing that prose was boring for perception. However, even after emigrating to Paris, the author remembers to the smallest detail how his favorite glades and copses in the Oryol region look like, recreating their images in his stories and short stories.

In 1896, on the eve of one of the most significant Orthodox holidays, Ivan Bunin began work on the poem "Epiphany Night". From the outside, one might get the impression that the author really spent it in a snowy forest, watching how the gloomy spruce forest of waters is being transformed by the influence of severe frosts. However, the poet's diaries indicate the opposite: Bunin met Baptism in Ukraine, regretting that he only had to dream of snow and frost. However, under the influence of surging memories, the author wrote several lines of the future poem "Epiphany Night", mentally transferring him to the Oryol forests, where "the dark spruce forest with snow, like fur, was deafened by gray frosts." The writer's fantasy did not last long, and soon he put the manuscript aside, completing the image of the winter forest with birches, decorated with hoarfrost, like diamonds.

The poet returned to this poem 5 years later, when, shortly before Epiphany, he had a chance to visit the forest. After an unsuccessful second marriage and a break in relations with Anna Tsakni, Bunin returned from Odessa to Moscow, and on the eve of the new year, 1901, decided to visit his elderly parents. His path ran through such familiar and beloved Oryol forests, and the poet could not deny himself the pleasure of wandering at night through the thicket, powdered with snow. It was after this trip that the poem "Epiphany Night" was completed, which became a real hymn to the winter forest. It is noteworthy that there is not a word about the approaching Baptism in this work. But each line of this work breathes with the feeling of a holiday: the winter forest, decorated with snow and hoarfrost, like jewels, froze in anticipation of a miracle, and for the author is a real embodiment of a forgotten fairy tale.

Indeed, lulled by a gray blizzard, the forest appears before Bunin as mysterious and delightfully beautiful. It is generously bathed in soft moonlight, deserted and motionless, "silence reigns around - even a branch does not crunch!". However, the author knows that she is deceptive, and the forest thicket still poses a threat to a lone traveler. who sees the shadows of wild animals. At the same time, even the prospect of meeting a wolf cannot force Bunin to leave this kingdom of snow, mysterious and alluring, which is illuminated by a lone star, lit up "in the east, near the throne of God." The contemplation of nature captivates the author so much that he is simply unable to continue his journey. Bunin not only enjoys the midnight silence, breathing in the prickly frosty air, but also associates himself with a part of this world, claiming: “I am the crystal kingdom of the forest!”. With this phrase, the poet emphasizes that he considers himself a part of nature, her son, who, due to a misunderstanding, was forced to leave his homeland. However, wandering in a foreign land allowed him to understand what exactly is the most valuable and burn out in his life, which is unlikely to be happy without this snowy forest, burning frost and a clear starry sky.

"Epiphany Night"

~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~

Dark spruce forest with snow, like fur,
Gray frosts have sprung,
In spangles of frost, as if in diamonds,
Dozed off, bowed, birches.

Their branches froze motionless,
And between them on a snowy bosom,
Just through the lace silver,
A full moon looks from the sky.

He rose high above the forest,
In its bright light, numb,
And strangely shadows creep,
Blackening in the snow under the branches.

The thickets of the forest were covered with a blizzard, -
Only traces and paths are pouring.
Running away between pines and fir trees,
Between the birches to the dilapidated gatehouse.

Gray-haired blizzard lulled
With a wild song, the forest is empty,
And he fell asleep, covered with a blizzard,
All through, motionless and white.

Mysteriously slender thickets sleep,
They sleep, dressed in deep snow,
And glades, and meadows, and ravines,
Where once the streams roared.

Silence - even the branch does not crackle!
And, perhaps, behind this ravine
The wolf makes his way through the snowdrifts
Cautious and insinuating step.

Silence - and, perhaps, he is close ...
And I stand, filled with anxiety,
And I look tensely at the thickets,
On the tracks and bushes along the road,

In distant thickets, where branches and shadows
Patterns weave in the moonlight
Everything seems to me something alive,
Everything looks like animals are running.

Light from the forest guardhouse
Cautiously and timidly flickers,
As if he hid under the forest
And waiting for something in silence.

A diamond radiant and bright,
Now green, then blue playing,
In the east, at the throne of the Lord,
A star shines quietly, as if alive.

And above the forest, higher and higher
The moon rises, and in wondrous peace
Freezing midnight freezes
I am the crystal kingdom of the forest!

1886 - 1901

Analysis of Bunin's poem "Epiphany Night"

Working as a proofreader in the Oryol newspaper, Ivan Bunin travels a lot. His routes run mainly through the nearest forests, as the novice writer loves hunting and prefers to spend all his free time in the bosom of nature. He falls in love with the Oryol thickets so much, treats water meadows and fields with such reverence and enthusiasm that, without noticing it, he begins to recreate their image in his works. It is worth noting that initially Ivan Bunin wrote only poetry, believing that prose was boring for perception. However, even after emigrating to Paris, the author remembers to the smallest detail how his favorite glades and copses in the Oryol region look like, recreating their images in his stories and short stories.

In 1896, on the eve of one of the most significant Orthodox holidays, Ivan Bunin began work on the poem "Epiphany Night". From the outside, one might get the impression that the author really spent it in a snowy forest, watching how the gloomy spruce forest of waters is being transformed by the influence of severe frosts. However, the poet's diaries indicate the opposite: Bunin met Baptism in Ukraine, regretting that he only had to dream of snow and frost. However, under the influence of surging memories, the author wrote several lines of the future poem "Epiphany Night", mentally transferring him to the Oryol forests, where "the dark spruce forest with snow, like fur, was deafened by gray frosts." The writer's fantasy did not last long, and soon he put the manuscript aside, completing the image of the winter forest with birches, decorated with hoarfrost, like diamonds.

The poet returned to this poem 5 years later, when, shortly before Epiphany, he had a chance to visit the forest. After an unsuccessful second marriage and a break in relations with Anna Tsakni, Bunin returned from Odessa to Moscow, and on the eve of the new year, 1901, decided to visit his elderly parents. His path ran through such familiar and beloved Oryol forests, and the poet could not deny himself the pleasure of wandering at night through the thicket, powdered with snow. It was after this trip that the poem "Epiphany Night" was completed, which became a real hymn to the winter forest. It is noteworthy that there is not a word about the approaching Baptism in this work. But each line of this work breathes with the feeling of a holiday: the winter forest, decorated with snow and hoarfrost, like jewels, froze in anticipation of a miracle, and for the author is a real embodiment of a forgotten fairy tale.

Indeed, lulled by a gray blizzard, the forest appears before Bunin as mysterious and delightfully beautiful. It is generously bathed in soft moonlight, deserted and motionless, "silence reigns around - even a branch does not crunch!". However, the author knows that she is deceptive, and the forest thicket still poses a threat to a lone traveler. who sees the shadows of wild animals. At the same time, even the prospect of meeting a wolf cannot force Bunin to leave this kingdom of snow, mysterious and alluring, which is illuminated by a lone star, lit up "in the east, near the throne of God." The contemplation of nature captivates the author so much that he is simply unable to continue his journey. Bunin not only enjoys the midnight silence, breathing in the prickly frosty air, but also associates himself with a part of this world, claiming: “I am the crystal kingdom of the forest!”. With this phrase, the poet emphasizes that he considers himself a part of nature, her son, who, due to a misunderstanding, was forced to leave his homeland. However, wandering in a foreign land allowed him to understand what exactly is the most valuable and burn out in his life, which is unlikely to be happy without this snowy forest, burning frost and a clear starry sky.

Bunin's poem "Epiphany Night" refers to the early period of the poet's work. The poem was finally completed in 1901. Its name is associated with the Orthodox feast of the Epiphany, which is celebrated on January 19 according to the new style. But many folk legends and signs were associated with this holiday. For example, it was believed that if there were severe frosts on Epiphany night, then the year would be fertile. These signs were undoubtedly familiar to the poet, who spent his childhood on his estate. But Bunin begins the description of Epiphany night without connecting it with a religious holiday. It seems to be just a night in a winter forest, full of poetry and charm:

Dark spruce forest with snow, like fur,

Gray frosts have sprung,

In spangles of frost, as if in diamonds,

Dozed off, bowed, birches.

Before us is a quiet and solemn picture, the cosmos of frozen space:

Their branches froze motionless,

And between them on a snowy bosom,

Right through the silver lacy

A full moon looks from the sky.

In the way the poet describes the snowdrifts (“snow bosom”), one can feel the echoes of Epiphany beliefs, in which so much space is given to snow. So, in some villages on Epiphany night they collected snow from stacks, believing that only he could whiten the canvas properly. Some believed that if on Epiphany evening snow was collected on the field and poured into the well, then the well would have water all year round. This snow was believed to have healing properties.

The thickets of the forest were covered with a blizzard, -

Only traces and paths wind,

Running away between pines and fir trees,

Between the birches to the dilapidated gatehouse.

Here, for the first time in the poem, we feel the presence of a person - a lonely person who spends the pre-holiday night in a dense forest and watches from afar the lights of someone else's home. It is through his eyes that we see a snow-covered forest:

Sleep mysteriously dark thickets,

They sleep, dressed in deep snow,

And glades, and meadows, and ravines,

Where once the streams roared.

Behind the elation of the poetic intonation, it is as if a person's long-standing fear of the secrets of the wild nature is hidden. The endless loneliness of a person fills his soul with a completely earthly fear of forest animals:

Silence - even the branch does not crackle!

Or maybe behind this ravine

The wolf makes his way through the snowdrifts

Cautious and insinuating step.

Silence - and perhaps he is close ...

And I stand, filled with anxiety,

And I look tensely at the thickets,

On footprints and bushes along the road.

In this expectation of a person there is not only fear of the forest animal, but also some kind of ancient relationship with it. Both of them are forced to hide in the forest from someone else's eyes. However, man is distinguished from the beast not only by fear of nature, of the secrets of the forest, but also by the timid expectation of some miracle on Epiphany night:

Light from the forest guardhouse

Cautiously and timidly flickers,

As if he hid under the forest

And waiting for something in silence.

This light is like a lost human soul that yearns for salvation and hopes for the mercy of God. The striving for God resounds in the lofty and solemn description of the star:

A diamond radiant and bright,

Now green, then blue playing,

In the east, at the throne of the Lord,

A star shines quietly, as if alive.

Although it takes place on Epiphany night, we involuntarily recall the Christmas star that lit up when the Savior was born. Another sign is connected with Epiphany: if the stars shine and burn especially brightly on Epiphany night, then many lambs will be born (the lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ). The Star of the Lord, shining over the world, equalizes the living and the inanimate, the sinful and the righteous, sending peace and consolation to the world:

And above the forest, higher and higher

The moon rises, and in wondrous peace

Freezing midnight freezes

And the crystal kingdom of the forest!

Here Bunin speaks of the famous Epiphany frost, when everything seems ringing and fragile from the cold, when midnight seems to be some mysterious turning point - to warmth, summer, streams murmuring in ravines. The poem "Epiphany Night" was written almost simultaneously with the stories "Meliton" and "Pines". Therefore, there is a lot in common between them. Both in the poem and in the stories, the harsh and beautiful forest space seems to absorb a person. In "Meliton" and in "Epiphany Night" a "dilapidated gatehouse" lost in a mighty forest is described - a symbol of a lonely human life. And in "Pines" and in the poem, the image of a star is a through image. In the story, "the star in the northeast appears to be the star at God's throne." These expressive visual images serve the common goal of revealing the unearthly grandeur of the sky over the perishable world of people. Therefore, the poem describes that below, under the star, "the light from the forest guardhouse flickers cautiously and timidly." Moreover, unlike the story "Meliton", in "Epiphany Night" it is an impersonal light, a hint of human smallness and loneliness in the face of nature and God.

The poem "Epiphany Night" combines the Christian vision of the world and the peasant, folk perception of nature. Bunin shows us the beauty and grandeur of nature, inspired by man and God's plan.