Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
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Arrested for a Poem!
On March 4, 1837, the Russian writer Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was arrested for his poem "The Death of a Poet"!
The poem is intended to commemorate the death of Lermontov's friend Aleksandr Pushkin, who was under police surveillance for years and was banned from publication because of his dissident prose.
Pushkin, who was completely indebted by the state measures, died on February 10, 1837 after a shot in the spleen in a duel when he was fighting with the French-born officer of the Chevalier Gardes, Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès had dueled......
... ho before Pushkin's wife Natalja ...
... publicly had offended.
Before I come to the German translation of this poem, which is classified as "anti-state", one more note:
The clearly xenophobic tones in it are due to the time in which Lermontov lived. Lemontow was also a proud, haughty Russian who (like Pushkin) thought and acted very nationalistically. The indignation that a foreigner of all people had killed the “James Dean of Russian literature” was widespread and enormous at the time!
But you should still note: First: The "foreigner" was a Russian guards officer!
And secondly, Pushkin had been looking for this duel - he was obviously addicted to this kind of pastime! In his short life, he was only 38 years old, Pushkin dueled 29 times!
But back to the topic: Here is the original of the "anti-state" poem "Smert poeta", which led to Lermontov's arrest...:
...and here the English translation:
The poet wanted to avenge his honor,
Whom he believed hurt by poisonous word,
Then the lead hit him himself, breaking his heart,
To bow his mighty head...
…And some now rejoice that he fell,
And even praise the murderer who has his target
So well struck, and in cold courage,
Firmly, without trembling, did the murderous shot,
Who reddens our land with blood
Of the songful genius...
... An adventurer he came from afar,
He took no heart with him, left none behind—
He sought rank from us, titles, stars of orders,
Because other happiness was incomprehensible to him,
He found what he was looking for in our midst,
He found a second fatherland with us –
His gratitude was: that he otherwise followed every step
What he encountered, found contemptible.
He remained foreign to our language, our customs,
The people were an object of scorn to him,
He sought no favor but that of the throne...
The poet fell – imagined by villains
He robs himself of his honor.
He struck in the heart that taunted him,
And dying his proud head sank!...
...who murdered him, in cold blood
Did he do it... He shot deftly;
His empty heart was raw courage,
And the hand didn't tremble...
...From distant realms
Did he come here as an adventurer
And a hundred others like him
to steal fortune and offices;
He despised our country
His law and custom, his word and knowledge,
Would gladly have snatched glory and glory from us;
How could he know on launch
On whom his hand fell...
The poet is dead! As a slave to honor
he fell, slandered by rumour,
with lead in their chests and a thirst for revenge,
bowing his proud head!...
...In cold blood has his killer
led the blow...there was no rescue:
The empty heart beats evenly
the gun doesn't tremble in your hand...
...And what's so amazing about that?...from afar,
like hundreds of other refugees
he was on the hunt for happiness and a career
brought to us by the will of fate;
smiling cheekily he despised
language and customs of the foreign country;
could not spare him who was our glory;
couldn't get over in that bloody moment
against which he raised his hand!...
Dedicating such an ode to an outlaw like Pushkin?
The tsarist secret police didn't like that at all - and so Lermontov was arrested on March 4, 1837.
But what now?
Put the poet in prison or even banish it? He's already too famous for that, it would attract unwanted attention.
The secret police decided to take a different approach: why did the poet acquire a cornet patent from the Hussars of the Life Guard after leaving school...?
So they immediately put Lermontov in a uniform and shipped him as quickly as possible to Russia's "wild south", the Caucasus - to the most dangerous point on the front, where Russia has been fighting a bloody war with Muslim uprisings for years.
The henchmen's hope that Lermontov would die in battle is not fulfilled!
Lermontov survives, is allowed to return to Saint Petersburg in 1838 and writes a wonderful book about his experiences there: "Geroj nashego vremeni" ("A hero of our time")...:
Lermontov's hero, the arrogant officer Pechorin, dies in a duel at the end. And – unconsciously – Lermontov anticipated his own death!
Lermontov too was proud and haughty - like Pushkin, he did not hesitate when he saw his honor violated. Also, duels, while strictly forbidden, were all the rage right now!
Because of a public dispute, on February 18, 1840, Lermontov shoots himself with Ernest de Barante, the 24-year-old son of the French ambassador in Saint Petersburg, injuring him slightly.
The duelists are too prominent, the matter cannot be hushed up, the outraged ambassador demands revenge, whereupon Lermontov is arrested again on March 10, 1840 and again sent to the Caucasian front as punishment...:
Lermontov died there on July 27, 1841 in Pyatigorsk in another duel with the retired Guard Major Nikolai Martynov...:
He was only 37 years old.
By the way: There is a wonderful film adaptation of Lermontov's famous novella "Kavkasskij Plennik" ("Captive in the Caucasus") for our time (the Chechen war) - also in English - by Sergey Bodrow!
Absolutely worth watching!!!
On March 4, 1837, the Russian writer Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was arrested for his poem "The Death of a Poet"!
The poem is intended to commemorate the death of Lermontov's friend Aleksandr Pushkin, who was under police surveillance for years and was banned from publication because of his dissident prose.
Pushkin, who was completely indebted by the state measures, died on February 10, 1837 after a shot in the spleen in a duel when he was fighting with the French-born officer of the Chevalier Gardes, Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès had dueled......
... ho before Pushkin's wife Natalja ...
... publicly had offended.
Before I come to the German translation of this poem, which is classified as "anti-state", one more note:
The clearly xenophobic tones in it are due to the time in which Lermontov lived. Lemontow was also a proud, haughty Russian who (like Pushkin) thought and acted very nationalistically. The indignation that a foreigner of all people had killed the “James Dean of Russian literature” was widespread and enormous at the time!
But you should still note: First: The "foreigner" was a Russian guards officer!
And secondly, Pushkin had been looking for this duel - he was obviously addicted to this kind of pastime! In his short life, he was only 38 years old, Pushkin dueled 29 times!
But back to the topic: Here is the original of the "anti-state" poem "Smert poeta", which led to Lermontov's arrest...:
...and here the English translation:
The poet wanted to avenge his honor,
Whom he believed hurt by poisonous word,
Then the lead hit him himself, breaking his heart,
To bow his mighty head...
…And some now rejoice that he fell,
And even praise the murderer who has his target
So well struck, and in cold courage,
Firmly, without trembling, did the murderous shot,
Who reddens our land with blood
Of the songful genius...
... An adventurer he came from afar,
He took no heart with him, left none behind—
He sought rank from us, titles, stars of orders,
Because other happiness was incomprehensible to him,
He found what he was looking for in our midst,
He found a second fatherland with us –
His gratitude was: that he otherwise followed every step
What he encountered, found contemptible.
He remained foreign to our language, our customs,
The people were an object of scorn to him,
He sought no favor but that of the throne...
The poet fell – imagined by villains
He robs himself of his honor.
He struck in the heart that taunted him,
And dying his proud head sank!...
...who murdered him, in cold blood
Did he do it... He shot deftly;
His empty heart was raw courage,
And the hand didn't tremble...
...From distant realms
Did he come here as an adventurer
And a hundred others like him
to steal fortune and offices;
He despised our country
His law and custom, his word and knowledge,
Would gladly have snatched glory and glory from us;
How could he know on launch
On whom his hand fell...
The poet is dead! As a slave to honor
he fell, slandered by rumour,
with lead in their chests and a thirst for revenge,
bowing his proud head!...
...In cold blood has his killer
led the blow...there was no rescue:
The empty heart beats evenly
the gun doesn't tremble in your hand...
...And what's so amazing about that?...from afar,
like hundreds of other refugees
he was on the hunt for happiness and a career
brought to us by the will of fate;
smiling cheekily he despised
language and customs of the foreign country;
could not spare him who was our glory;
couldn't get over in that bloody moment
against which he raised his hand!...
Dedicating such an ode to an outlaw like Pushkin?
The tsarist secret police didn't like that at all - and so Lermontov was arrested on March 4, 1837.
But what now?
Put the poet in prison or even banish it? He's already too famous for that, it would attract unwanted attention.
The secret police decided to take a different approach: why did the poet acquire a cornet patent from the Hussars of the Life Guard after leaving school...?
So they immediately put Lermontov in a uniform and shipped him as quickly as possible to Russia's "wild south", the Caucasus - to the most dangerous point on the front, where Russia has been fighting a bloody war with Muslim uprisings for years.
The henchmen's hope that Lermontov would die in battle is not fulfilled!
Lermontov survives, is allowed to return to Saint Petersburg in 1838 and writes a wonderful book about his experiences there: "Geroj nashego vremeni" ("A hero of our time")...:
Lermontov's hero, the arrogant officer Pechorin, dies in a duel at the end. And – unconsciously – Lermontov anticipated his own death!
Lermontov too was proud and haughty - like Pushkin, he did not hesitate when he saw his honor violated. Also, duels, while strictly forbidden, were all the rage right now!
Because of a public dispute, on February 18, 1840, Lermontov shoots himself with Ernest de Barante, the 24-year-old son of the French ambassador in Saint Petersburg, injuring him slightly.
The duelists are too prominent, the matter cannot be hushed up, the outraged ambassador demands revenge, whereupon Lermontov is arrested again on March 10, 1840 and again sent to the Caucasian front as punishment...:
Lermontov died there on July 27, 1841 in Pyatigorsk in another duel with the retired Guard Major Nikolai Martynov...:
He was only 37 years old.
By the way: There is a wonderful film adaptation of Lermontov's famous novella "Kavkasskij Plennik" ("Captive in the Caucasus") for our time (the Chechen war) - also in English - by Sergey Bodrow!
Absolutely worth watching!!!
