The problem of attitude towards ordinary people. Based on the text by Khodasevich

Should we feel sorry for people who find themselves in difficult life situations? How can we help them? What is more important: just pitiful reasoning or real deeds? These and other questions arise in my mind after reading V.F. Khodasevich’s text.

The author raises the problem of attitude towards ordinary people in your text. It tells the story of the famous Russian poet Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin, who retired against his will. He had nothing to do. He did not know how to manage business affairs, and his wife managed the estate. Derzhavin rested, blaming “the three kings and the Fatherland itself” for ingratitude, and even “the rulers and nobles of all times and peoples.”

The more he blamed powerful of the world Therefore, he loved the weak all the more, considering them “victims of historical giants, cannon fodder in history.” He not only loved, but took an active part in their fate and sought to help. He opened a hospital for peasants on the estate, bought cows and horses for poor peasants, gave them bread, and built new huts. And in this he saw the meaning of his life.

I believe that the author’s position is this: we need to help those who need it. If you have the opportunity, even more so, help. By helping, Derzhavin stopped feeling sorry for himself and living with grievances. He found new meaning life: active participation in the fate of ordinary people. Despite the obstacles his wife caused, he managed to help them.

Rather than just feeling sorry for yourself by complaining about life circumstances, better get down to business. And what could be better than helping others, those who need it. This is exactly what it teaches us fiction. We need help. This is the most noble activity that brings benefit to others and satisfaction to you.

In the story by A.I. Kuprin “ Wonderful doctor“Doctor Pirogov in the park accidentally met a desperate man, who at that very moment decided to take his own life, it seemed so unbearable to him. Despite Mertsalov’s harsh tone and reluctance to talk to the happy stranger, the doctor did not leave. He asked the man about everything, learning that both he and his family were in desperate situation and they need help. The doctor doesn’t put things off until later, doesn’t make promises, but that same evening he helps a family in a hopeless situation. All I needed was a few bills, medicine for a sick child, food and... kind word that everything will work out. Everything got better, the head of the family found a job, the girl recovered, and prosperity returned to the family. It’s hard to imagine what would have happened to them if not for a random passerby who not only felt sorry, but helped.

I also remember “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” in “Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol. Captain Kopeikin, participating in the campaign of 1812, lost an arm and a leg. He had nothing to live on, and he went to St. Petersburg to ask for the mercy of the sovereign, for benefits. The sovereign was not there, and Kopeikin was forced to wait for him for several days. Such petitioners were like “beans on a plate.” The nobleman was at first supportive. But when Kopeikin ran out of money and could not wait any longer, which he informed the nobleman in a harsh manner, he, without showing any compassion for the poor man, ordered him to be taken out of St. Petersburg and thrown into prison. high road. Two months later it became known that robbers led by a mutilated serviceman had appeared in the Ryazan forests. And what did it cost the nobleman to treat Kopeikin with understanding?

From all of the above, I would like to conclude: we must help those who find themselves in difficult life situation. We must remember that both we and our loved ones may need help. Imagine a world where no one helps anyone. And everyone lives only for themselves. A terrible sight. Don't hesitate to do good. This, I am sure, is the meaning of our life.

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Gavriil Derzhavin went down in history not only as a writer, he went from a private in the guard to the Minister of Justice Russian Empire. He was the governor of two regions and personal assistant to Catherine II. He wrote the first unofficial anthem of Russia, participated in one of the first literary circles of the 18th century, and then created his own - “Conversation of Lovers of the Russian Word.”

Gabriel Derzhavin was born in 1743 near Kazan. His father died early, and it was difficult for his mother to give her sons a good education. The family moved often. First, Derzhavin studied at an Orenburg school, then at a Kazan gymnasium. Here he became acquainted with the poetry of Mikhail Lomonosov, Alexander Sumarokov, Vasily Trediakovsky and tried to write poetry himself. Vladislav Khodasevich wrote about his first works: “It came out clumsy and clumsy; neither a verse nor a syllable was given, and there was no one to show it to, no one to ask for advice and guidance.”.

Since 1762, Gabriel Derzhavin served as an ordinary guardsman in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. The poet recalled this time as the most joyless period of his life. He carried out heavy military service, and in rare free moments he wrote poetry. In part, Derzhavin became addicted to cards, he wrote in his autobiography: “I learned conspiracies and all sorts of gamer scams. But, thank God, my mother’s conscience, or better yet, her prayers, never allowed her to indulge in brazen theft or treacherous betrayal.”. Because of his destructive hobby, Derzhavin was once almost demoted to soldier: he was so carried away by the game that he did not return from discharge on time.

Ivan Smirnovsky. Portrait of Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin. 1790

Having decided to end his wild life, Derzhavin moved to St. Petersburg. At this time, the plague was raging in Russia, and at the quarantine outpost - at the entrance to the capital - the poet was forced to burn all his papers: “Everything that I scribbled throughout my youth after almost 20 years, such as: translations from German and my own own compositions in prose and poetry. Whether they were good or bad, it is now impossible to say; but among his close friends who read it... they praised him very much.”. Many of the lost poems were later reproduced by Gabriel Derzhavin from memory.

In the years Peasant War(1773–1775) Gabriel Derzhavin served on the Volga, worked on the commission to investigate the affairs of Emelyan Pugachev’s accomplices. He wrote an “admonition to the Kalmyks,” in which he called on them to repent and not support peasant unrest. The commander-in-chief of the troops, Alexander Bibikov, sent this message along with a report to Catherine II. Derzhavin's financial situation was difficult, and soon he wrote a letter to the Empress listing his merits. The poet was appointed collegiate adviser and was granted 300 souls. And four years later a book with odes to Derzhavin was published.

Soon Gabriel Derzhavin married Ekaterina Bastidon, the daughter of a former valet Peter III and the nurse of Paul I. Derzhavin called his wife Plenira - from the word “to captivate” - and dedicated many poems to her. It was during these years that he acquired his own literary style. He wrote philosophical lyrics- odes “On the death of Prince Meshchersky” (1799), “God” (1784), poem “Autumn during the siege of Ochakov” (1788).

“Felitsa” and the first anthem of Russia

Derzhavin published, but he was not very well known in literary circles. Everything changed in 1783, when the poet wrote the ode “Felitsa” with a dedication to Catherine II. The poet took the title from the empress’s pedagogical work, “Tales of Prince Chlorus.” In his poem, the “princess of the Kyrgyz-Kaisak horde” turned into the ideal of an enlightened ruler, the mother of the people. For the ode, Derzhavin was awarded a gold snuffbox studded with diamonds, containing 500 chervonets. And after a loud poetic performance, the poet began to receive high positions. However, Derzhavin’s principled character prevented him from getting along with officials, and he was often transferred from place to place.

“As soon as some injustice or oppression meted out to someone touches his ears or, on the contrary, some feat of philanthropy and good deed - immediately his cap is askew, it comes to life, his eyes sparkle, and the poet turns into an orator, a champion of the truth.”
Stepan Zhikharev

Salvator Tonchi. Portrait of Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin. 1801

In 1784 he was appointed Olonets governor in Petrozavodsk, and in 1785 he was transferred to Tambov. This region was then one of the most backward in the country. Derzhavin built a school, a hospital, an orphanage in Tambov, opened a city theater and the first printing house in the city.

Six years later, the poet went into the service of the Empress personally: he became her cabinet secretary. But since honest Derzhavin reported more “every kind of unpleasant thing, that is, petitions for injustice, rewards for merit and favors due to poverty”, Catherine II tried to contact her assistant as rarely as possible, and soon he was completely transferred to serve in the Senate.

In 1791, Derzhavin created the first anthem of Russia, albeit unofficial. There was a war with Turkey, Russian troops led by Alexander Suvorov took the Izmail fortress. Inspired by this victory, Derzhavin wrote the poem “The Thunder of Victory, Ring Out!” The poem was set to music by composer Osip Kozlovsky. Only 15 years later, “Thunder of Victory” was replaced by the official anthem “God Save the Tsar!”

After the death of his first wife, the poet married a second time - to Daria Dyakova. Derzhavin did not have children in any marriage. The couple took care of the children of a deceased family friend, Pyotr Lazarev. One of his sons, Mikhail Lazarev, became an admiral, discoverer of Antarctica, and governor of Sevastopol. Daria Dyakova’s nieces were also raised in the family.

Under Paul I, Derzhavin served in the Supreme Council, was president of the Commerce Collegium and state treasurer. Under Emperor Alexander I - Minister of Justice of the Russian Empire. All this time the poet continued to write. He created the odes “God”, “Nobleman”, “Waterfall”. In 1803, Gabriel Derzhavin finally left government service.

I didn't know how to pretend
Look like a saint
To inflate yourself with an important dignity,
And the philosopher takes the form...
...I fell, I got up in my age.
Come on, sage! on my coffin there is a stone,
If you're not human.
Gabriel Derzhavin

“Conversation among lovers of the Russian word”

After his resignation, Gabriel Derzhavin devoted himself entirely to literature. He wrote tragedies, comedies and operas for the theater, created poetic translations Racine. The poet also composed fables (“Dead Man’s Bluff”, “Choice of a Minister”), worked on the treatise “Discourse on lyric poetry or about an ode." “Notes,” as the author called them, contained the theory of versification and examples of poetry different periods, starting with ancient Greek. In 1812, the poet wrote the fairy tale “The Tsar Maiden”.

Gabriel Derzhavin organized literary circle"Conversation of lovers of the Russian word." It included writers Dmitry Khvostov, Alexander Shishkov, Alexander Shakhovskoy, Ivan Dmitriev.

“His head was a repository of comparisons, comparisons, maxims and pictures for his future poetic works. He spoke abruptly and not eloquently. But the same man spoke at length, sharply and passionately when recounting some dispute over important matter in the Senate or about court intrigues, and sat until midnight at the paper when he wrote a vote, conclusion or draft of some state resolution.”
Ivan Dmitriev

Besedchiki held conservative views on literary creativity, opposed the reforms of the Russian language - they were defended by supporters of Nikolai Karamzin. The Karamzinists were the main opponents of Beseda; later they formed the Arzamas society.

Gabriel Derzhavin’s last work was the unfinished poem “The River of Times in its Aspiration...”. In 1816, the poet died on his Novgorod estate Zvanka.

Arguments in the essay of part C of the Unified State Exam in Russian on the topic “The problem of power and legality”

Text from the Unified State Examination

(1) Before his resignation, Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin loved Zvanka because it was more beautiful and richer than his own villages; because it lay only one hundred and seventy miles from St. Petersburg, on the main Moscow road: it was easy, not troublesome, to escape here from the capital. (2) But after his resignation, she became especially dear to him: forced inaction here automatically turned into voluntary, resignation into rest. (3) Heartache it calmed down.
(4) The farm on Zvanka was extensive. (5) Initially, the estate was not large, but over ten years of management, Daria Alekseevna gradually bought up the adjacent lands, so that her possessions stretched along the Volkhov for nine miles and even crossed to the other bank. (6) On Zvanka, fields were cultivated and forests grew. (7) In addition to the water sawmill, there was a wonder - a steam mill.
(8) Together with various vegetable gardens, beekeeping, livestock, poultry houses, all this required care and work. (9) But Zvanka belonged to Daria Alekseevna. (10) When in the morning, after tea, the fat manager came to her, accompanied by the headman, Derzhavin was present at these meetings only for appearances. (11) He almost did not interfere in anything and, rejoicing that he was not here on economic affairs, he more easily endured being away from state affairs. (12) Living almost as a guest on Zvanka, he got used to the position of a private person and, as it were, a guest in Russia itself.
(11) He called himself a retired serviceman - he tried to dissolve the poison of resentment in a joke.
(12) The bitter sediment still settled at the bottom of the soul. (15) Having learned to read French (he did not learn to speak), Derzhavin often now repeated Voltaire’s verse: “It is sublime and beautiful to love the ungrateful.”
(16) He fell in love with these words - he secretly applied them to himself, meaning by ungrateful, first of all, the three kings whom he served in his lifetime.
(17) Perhaps he reproached the fatherland itself for something.
(18) He was sometimes ready to transfer his irritation to rulers and nobles of all times and peoples. (19) In his office there was a massive red sofa, against which on the wall hung a historical map: “The River of Times, or an emblematic image world history" (20) Often, sitting in front of her, Derzhavin shook his head disapprovingly: the world is beautiful, but history is disgusting. (21) Disgusting are the deeds of those in whose hands was the fate of humanity.
(20) Another thing is ordinary, small people. (23) The middle-class landowner, merchant, petty official, soldier, peasant - equally appeared to Derzhavin as victims of historical giants, cannon fodder of history. (24) For these people, he increasingly acquired compassion, condescension, and kindness. (25) Grumbling at the strong, he loved the weak more and more. (26) He did charity without a smile, perhaps without affection, even without kind (and unnecessary) words - but actively.
(27) Daria Alekseevna considered it a good idea to take all the money into her hands, and only give it to Derzhavin for pocket expenses, for he gave gifts more and more generously to the poor, servants, and servants, and he lent more and more easily - without giving back. (28) She also began to manage his personal lands, because he consoled errant clerks when it was necessary to exact punishment from them. (29) He opened a hospital for peasants on Zvanka, and the doctor came to him every day with a report. (30) He bought cows and horses for poor men, gave them bread, and built new huts.
(31) He always loved life with all its joys and was not ashamed of it. (32) He wanted to “arrange it for the good” - personal and public, for which he worked tirelessly.
(According to V.F. Khodasevich)

Introduction

The authorities are often unfair towards ordinary people; they take actions based on the movement of history, without taking into account the needs and requirements of the people. In other words, governments and states look far into the future without looking at their feet. Therefore, they can easily trample on those who go beyond their will, who do not benefit their vanity, who quietly accept their fate without making any demands.

Problem

The problem of power is considered by V.F. Khodasevich using the example of the fate of the great statesman Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin. His hard fate connected with serving three sovereigns who never appreciated his efforts and did not accept him wise reasoning and advice.

A comment

Derzhavin always loved the village of Zvanka, where he had to go on vacation. But the time came when Zvanka became the place of his exile, his excommunication from state affairs. Nature and the people in the village helped turn his forced exile into a voluntary exile, his resignation into rest. Here his inner pain subsided.

On Zvanka, which expanded over several decades, in addition to cultivating fields and growing forests, there were various industries: a sawmill and a steam mill. Living there, Derzhavin slowly got used to the life of a simple person, not involved in state affairs person.

Rereading poems French poet Voltaire, Derzhavin thought about “the love of the ungrateful,” remembering the kings whom he served all his life. Sometimes his indignation was directed at those in power of all times and peoples. In his opinion, the fate of humanity has always been in the hands of disgusting, immoral people.

Ordinary people became the object of his increased concern. He was ready to give all his savings in order to somehow improve the lives of local peasants: he built a hospital for them, lent money free of charge, built huts, and bought livestock for the poor.

Derzhavin loved life, he dreamed of directing it in a good direction, both in a personal and social sense. It was for this that he worked tirelessly.

Author's position

The author admires Derzhavin’s perseverance and determination, his life position, the ability to place correctly life priorities, thirst for justice and general well-being. Derzhavin's removal from government affairs was highest degree injustice, according to Khodasevich.

Your position

I think that Derzhavin is a rare example of a “fair” government; his public service was truly useful for people, forcing higher power look at the needs of the peasants. Most likely, this is why he was removed from government affairs.

The authorities cannot waste time saving ordinary people, so we often encounter their injustice and indifference.

Argument 1

IN " Bronze Horseman» A.S. Pushkin reflects on whether power can be transformative and merciful. He examines this problem using the example of a study of the reign of Peter the Great, revealing an example of a clash of personality with the inevitable and all-consuming course of history.

The heroes of the poem are shown as ambiguous and contradictory characters. Peter - greatest ruler, at the same time a tyrant. Eugene is a simple official, at the same time a man who threatens the “miraculous builder.” Such oppositions affirm the main idea of the work - the conflict between state interests and the interests of the individual.

Argument 2

In M. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita,” the problem of power is examined using the examples of the thoughts of Yeshua and Pontius Pilate. Yeshua is confident that any power is violent, that the ideal for humanity would be a complete absence of power. Pontius Pilate is convinced that it is power that keeps the world in balance. However, power never brought him the happiness he wanted.

Conclusion

Law and authority are not synonymous with justice and fairness, and this is scary. Each of us wants to be sure of tomorrow, that in case of disaster the law will help us, the authorities will accept correct solution. However, this is not always the case. And people who really think about others are often removed from government affairs.

Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin was born 275 years ago, on July 14. Russian poet, playwright and statesman.

Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin was born in summer 1743 in the village. His parents were poor nobles. The poet's father was a major, but died when Gabriel was a child. The boy studied at the gymnasium since 1757. He was a diligent and diligent child. Gabriel did not complete his studies, as he was called to St. Petersburg. There the young man became a guardsman, and then an officer. He was a participant in the palace coup, thanks to which the government changed.

The poet married in 1778, but his wife died in 1794. Six months later, the poet married a second time. Gabriel had no children from his wives. But he looked after his friend's children after his death. One of these children, M. Lazarev, when he grew up, became a navigator and admiral. Also in Gabriel’s house, his wife’s nieces found shelter: three girls.

He gained popularity after he published an ode dedicated to Catherine II. In this work, Gabriel praised the empress, her reign, and ideas. The poet became a member of the academy in 1783. He was one of the compilers explanatory dictionary Russian language.

The poet traveled around his homeland, performing various duties on Catherine’s orders.

The poet was the governor of the region that the empress created. He strove to ensure that officials were conscientious. After all, this was the only way to achieve order in the Empire.

Then he was moved to another region (Tambov), retaining his post. Most of the population there was uneducated. The affairs of the province were neglected, even its borders were not precisely defined. Gabriel created various classes for teenagers. The children had the opportunity to study mathematics, grammar, and music. The poet also opened a school and a theater. In general, the statesman began the thorough development of the Tambov region. Gabriel was awarded the order, since the improvements that had occurred in the region were clearly visible.

The nobles and landowners of the province were dissatisfied with Gabriel’s activities; they were involved in corruption and fraud, and the statesman greatly interfered with them. They reported on the poet, complained, and wrote reports.

He finally resigned in 1803. But his activities brought fruit to the region. Then the poet held the positions of secretary, minister, and senator. He continued to compose odes. The poet did not get along with Paul I, since the style of his reports was very unusual. The poet often expressed himself, swore and was rude. Alexander I completely removed him from government positions.

Gabriel moved to his estate and fruitfully studied literature. Gabriel's contribution to poetry was great. Thanks to the writer, the number of topics covered by literature increased. Gabriel composed his poems in absolute different topics. He described natural phenomena, praised rulers, wrote about ordinary people, animals, birds. The poet was a fan of classicism. During his resignation, Gabriel was in literary circle and took it in Active participation. Many poets took an example from Derzhavin, his work influenced further development literature.

The talented poet and statesman died in 1816. He was buried in a cathedral near Veliky Novgorod. Gabriel's wife was also buried there. But in 1959, Gabriel and his wife were reburied, since their graves were badly damaged during World War II. In 1993, the poet's grave was again moved to the monastery.

A university, a square, and a street were named in honor of Gabriel. There are many monuments to the poet in different cities.

Biography

On July 3, 1743, in the village of Karmachi, in the Kazan province, the famous Russian playwright, writer and statesman, Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin, was born into a poor family of nobles. Also in early age he had to survive the death of his father. The mother raised her two sons on her own and tried to give them an education, but not living in big city it was extremely difficult to find decent teachers.

With the opening of a gymnasium in Kazan in 1758, he went there to study at the first opportunity. During this period, he managed to prove himself by drawing a map of the Kazan province (1760), for which he was awarded a place in the engineering corps upon graduation from the gymnasium. But this was not destined to happen, since in 1762 a request came for his call to serve in Preobrazhensky Regiment. His restless character and low rank forced the soldier to wait for his officer rank 10 long years. In the next three years (1773-1775) he took part in suppressing the Pugachev uprising. During these years, he was simultaneously engaged in translations of odes of the Prussian king Frederick II. Exactly at this period he began to form his own style of writing, different from the manner he learned from his idols: Lomonosov and Sumarokov.

During the entire time that he was in the service, his literary fame did not spread further than his immediate circle, so that fame could be forgotten. But being a competent soldier, he was first transferred to the noble guard, and soon received a promotion to corporal and was resigned. Having received 300 souls in Belarus in 1777, he became a collegiate adviser, and six months later - an executor in the Senate. Little by little developing his talent as a writer, he was better known in noble circles as a man who loved the truth and did not put up with official abuses, because of which he made himself a countless number of enemies.

Two years later, he began to serve as cabinet secretary under the empress (1791-1793). But the lover speaks only the truth to his face; he was deprived of this position and went to the Senate in 1793. And in 1794 he became president of the Commerce College. Showing yourself as a wise man, he in 1802-1803. served as Minister of Justice, and then resigned at the age of 60.

Having finished with public service, he was completely into it literary activity. After writing odes, he decided to take up drama, and subsequently he wrote a number of works: “Dobrynya”, “Pozharsky, or the liberation of Moscow”, “Miners”. After his resignation, his life was full of trips to different provinces, where he was a guest in many gymnasiums and lyceums. One day he was listening to works young Pushkin, who entered the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum.

Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin

ESSAYS

Compilation, biographical sketch and comments by I. I. Podolskaya

Illustrations and design by E. E. Mukhanova and L. I. Volchek

Comments. Illustrations.

DERZHAVIN

At the beginning of October 1803, Alexander I called the sixty-year-old Minister of Justice Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin and irritably told him: “You serve very zealously.” A few days later, the highest decree on Derzhavin’s resignation was given. Life seemed to come to a sudden stop. Derzhavin found himself out of work.

Although at the beginning of the new year 1804 Derzhavin wrote to his friends the Kapnists that he was “very pleased that he had given up the yoke of office,” which oppressed him, he felt resentment, anxiety and emptiness in his soul.

Calm came to him only on Zvanka, where he spent every summer. This estate, which he bought in 1797, was located one hundred and seventy miles from St. Petersburg, on the high bank of the Volkhov, surrounded by meadows and forests. Here Derzhavin taught literacy and prayers to the children of the yard, watched field work, listened with half an ear to the headman, reluctantly checked the accounts, tirelessly admired the amazing Zvansky echo that spread throughout the surrounding area, and every day sat at the head of a cheerful and lush dinner table, at which gathered numerous relatives of his second wife, Daria Alekseevna, and guests who willingly visited the hospitable house.

Assuring himself and others that he was satisfied with his lot, Derzhavin wrote several years after his retirement:

Blessed is he who is less dependent on people,

Free from debts and from the hassle of orders,

Doesn't seek gold or honor at court

And alien to all kinds of vanities!

Is it possible to compare something with golden liberty,

With privacy and silence on Zvanka?

Contentment, health, harmony with your wife,

I need peace - days in the remains.

“Evgeniy, Life Zvanskaya”

But it was not peace that he needed: he was tormented by the need for work, a habit he had acquired for it from a young age. And suddenly a case was found.

In 1805, chance brought Derzhavin together with Evgeniy, at that time a Novgorod vicar. Before he was tonsured as a monk, his name was Evfimy Alekseevich Bolkhovktinov. Evgeny was a man of broad and varied interests. He graduated from the Theological Academy and attended lectures at Moscow University. He had a special penchant for history, bibliography and literature. “A simple listing of his works. published and handwritten,” wrote academician Y.K. Grot, “shows how extensive and varied his knowledge was, how numerous were the subjects that occupied his active mind” [Grot Y. K. Correspondence of Evgeniy with Derzhavin. St. Petersburg, 1868, p. 65].

Evgeny's meeting with Derzhavin was one of those cases in which we tend to see the finger of fate, but in fact they help to realize what was about to happen; perhaps they are only accelerating the course of events.

At that time, Evgeniy worked on compiling a dictionary of Russian writers, secular and spiritual. Collecting materials for the dictionary and having no information about Derzhavin, Evgeny decided to write to D.I. Khvostov, a friend of the poet: “You know G.R. Derzhavin briefly. And I don’t have the slightest trace of his life. The letter D is close. Write, do a favor, to him and ask in his name all the writers who revere him, so that they tell you notes: 1) what year, month and day he was born and where, as well as something about his parents, 2) where he was brought up and what he studied , 3) although the briefest outline of his service, 4) from which year he began to write and publish his works and which of them was the very first. 5) Will he tell you some anecdotes about himself and related to literature?” [Ibid., p. 61].

This letter was destined to play special role in the biography of Derzhavin - both during his lifetime and posthumously. The questions posed by Eugene fell, like a layer of grain, onto the soil ready to receive them. And, like seeds, they sprouted: the famous “Notes” and the no less famous, although more mysterious, “Explanations on the Works of Derzhavin.”

Evgeniy’s request, conveyed by D.I. Khvostov to Derzhavin, interested him, and he quickly responded to it. Having received a letter from Khvostov in mid-May, Derzhavin hastily answered him: “I have now received your Excellency’s letter dated the 15th of this month. I thank you most earnestly for this. From it I see that the Right Reverend Evgeniy of Novgorod demands my biography. I willingly wish to meet this venerable archpastor. I will write to him and ask him to come to me. In 30 miles, maybe he will deign to visit me in my hut. Then I’ll talk to him about this matter personally; because it’s not very clever to put things about yourself on paper, and especially some anecdotes that happened in my life<…>, but I’ll tell you this:

Who led him to Helikon

And controlled his steps?

Not schools of vitriol sodomy:

Nature, need and enemies.

An explanation of these four lines will form the history of my poetry, its reasons and necessity...” [Derzhavin G.R. Works. In 9 currents, vol. 6, St. Petersburg, 1871, p. 169 - 170]

However, the “explanation”, written at Evgeniy’s request, carried Derzhavin far beyond the boundaries of “these four lines.” Along with the compilation of this explanation, a new time opened for the poet - the time of summing up. Work on “Notes” and “Explanations” became last thing Derzhavina; having captured him, she occupied his mind and soul. Recalling the distant and near past, he seemed to live anew; at the same time, thought either consciously or unconsciously processed memories, and therefore, under Derzhavin’s pen, sometimes a “white version” of his life arose - the version that seemed to him, wise by experience, more worthy and brighter. However, there was no fiction in this; there was a slightly different attitude towards the experience, a slightly different assessment of it.

“Former secretary of state under Empress Catherine II, senator and president of the commercial college, then member under Emperor Paul supreme council and state treasurer, and under Emperor Alexander the minister of justice, actual privy councilor and holder of various orders, Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin was born in Kazan from noble parents, in 1743 on July 3rd” [Derzhavin was born not in Kazan, but in one of the “villages of the Kazan province - Karmachi or Sokura,” - this is how Derzhavin began his autobiography. His enchanting fate seemed amazing and worthy of admiration for himself. Moreover, he wanted to preserve all the vicissitudes of his life for the memory of posterity and partly for their edification.

The poet’s “noble parents” were poor nobles. Their meager means were not enough to hire teachers for their sons Gabriel and Andrey. From the “churchmen,” that is, sextons or sextons, Derzhavin learned to read and write. From his subsequent studies he gained a fair knowledge of the German language and the ability to draw. Both later determined much in the nature of his work: German was at that time the key to European education, and Derzhavin, like many other poets, began with translations and imitations; his ability to draw was reflected in the extraordinary plasticity of his poetic images.

At the age of nineteen, without having time to graduate from the Kazan gymnasium, Derzhavin became a soldier in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Into the dark winter evenings he composed letters for his fellow soldiers in the barracks, “ate bread and water and wrote poems in the faint light of a tallow candle.”

Ardent, simple-minded and honest, he slowly moved up the ranks and was passed over for ranks and awards for a long time.

The beginning of Derzhavin's military service coincided with palace coup 1762, in which his Preobrazhensky Regiment played significant role. However, Derzhavin himself did not immediately understand what had happened.