“Lenora” by G. Burger, “Lenora” by E. Poe and ballads with a similar plot (SI). German ballad - Gottfried Burger "Lenora" Translation

Lenora Crichlow, Zhukovsky Lenora
ballad

The famous ballad of Gottfried Burger.

1 History of creation and publication
2 Plot
3 Artistic originality
4 Adaptations
5 Notes
6 See also
7 Links

History of creation and publication

After graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Göttingen in 1772, Burger received a position as a judge in the town of Gellihausen near Göttingen, where he moved to live. A year later, in 1773 (according to other sources - in 1774), the ballad “Lenora” was born, which glorified the author as the founder of the German ballad, a new format of a poetic work for those times.

Plot

After the end of the Battle of Prague in 1757, the troops of Frederick II returned to their homeland. The young girl Lenora is waiting for her lover William, but does not meet him among the returnees. Heartbroken, she curses God and her miserable life. However, at midnight, a horseman rides up to her porch and calls the girl. The night visitor turns out to be William, and he asks Lenore to go with him “to a secluded shelter” that same night. The girl naturally agrees and mounts the horse with the young man. The couple is driving very fast: “And behind, in front, from the sides / The whole neighborhood was flying: / Fields, hills, rows of bushes, / Fences, houses, villages.” The girl asks in bewilderment how they can fly so fast, to which William replies: “Smooth is the road for the dead”; Lenora is even more surprised why William keeps talking about the dead. Along the way, joyful William invites the coffin procession he meets to his wedding, and even a swarm of flies over the gallows. Finally, at dawn, they arrive at the gate to the cemetery. The horse flies over the tombstones, “William” suddenly crumbles into dust, and only a skeleton remains. The marital bed that her lover promised turns out to be a grave. And Lenora lies in it, and shadows, dead people, skeletons circle above her, saying: “Be patient, be patient, even though your chest aches;/Be submissive to the Creator in troubles.”

Artistic originality

The ballad became an example of a romantic poetic work and gave rise to many imitations and translations. For example, Vasily Zhukovsky turned to the plot of the poem three times: in 1808 he translated “Lenora” into the ballad “Lyudmila”, later, in 1808-1812 - into the ballad “Svetlana”, and finally, in 1831, he translated it more accurately under the author’s title.

The name "Lenora" became a household name in romanticism. Pushkin uses it:

How often a tender muse
I enjoyed the silent path
The magic of a secret story!
How often on the rocks of the Caucasus
She is Lenora, in the moonlight,
She rode a horse with me!

- “Eugene Onegin”, chapter 8, stanza IV

“Linora” is the name of the girl who appears in dreams to the lyrical hero Poe's poem "The Raven", as well as the heroine of another of his poems, "Linor".

Adaptations

In 1828, Karl von Holtei wrote a drama based on the Bürger ballad, which gained great popularity. Many composers wrote music based on Leonora's words. Joseph Joachim Raff's Symphony No. 5 is titled Leonora. In 1874, Henri Duparc wrote the symphonic poem Leonora. Maria Theresa von Paradis also composed a ballad for voice and piano in 1789 based on Leonora.

Notes

Karl von Holtei. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
Joachim Raff: Symphony No.5 Lenore. Joachim Raff Society. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
Northcote Sydney. The Songs of Henri Duparc. - Brewster Press, 2008. - P. 45–46. - ISBN 978-1-4437-3124-9.
Fürst, Marion Maria Theresia Paradis (German). Musik und Gender im Internet. Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (7. Juni 2007). Retrieved August 30, 2010.

Lenora Information About

“Lenora” by G. Burger, “Linora” by E. Poe and ballads with a similar plot

The name "Lenora" became a household name in romanticism. Pushkin uses it:

How often a tender muse
I enjoyed the silent path
The magic of a secret story!
How often on the rocks of the Caucasus
She is Lenora, in the moonlight,
She rode a horse with me!

- "Eugene Onegin", chapter 8, stanza IV

Legends and folk songs that tell how a dead man, rising from the coffin, came for the girl he loved during life, are known among almost all Slavs and other peoples. This amazingly wide distribution of the same legend among peoples separated from each other by distance and languages indicates its deep antiquity.

Karel Jaromir Erben - note to the ballad “Wedding Shirts”.

Gottfried Burger

German ballad translated by you. Zhukovsky

Lenora dreamed horrible dream,
I woke up scared.
“Where is honey? What about him? Is he alive?
And is he faithful to his friend?
He went to a foreign country
For Fryderyk to war;
Nobody hears about him;
But he himself does not write to her.

The king is with the empress
We became friends for something
And the blood flowed and flowed... until
They didn't make up.
And both troops, having finished the battle,
With music, songs, gunfire,
With military solemnity
We set off on the return journey.

They're coming! they're coming! behind the line, line up;
They dust, they thunder, they sparkle;
Relatives and neighbors in a crowd
They run out to meet them;
There a gentle friend hugged a friend,
There is a father's son, a husband's wife;
Joy to everyone... and Lenora
Desperate grief.

She bypasses the military formation
And he calls a friend;
But she has no news:
Nobody knows about him.
When the army passed by -
She cursed God's light
And she sobbed loudly
And she fell to the ground.

Mother runs to Lenora with sadness:
“What worries you so much?
What happened to you, child? -
And he kisses his daughter.
“Oh my friend, my friend, everything is over!
For me life is not life, but sorrow and evil;
God himself is Lenore's enemy...
Woe is me! oh woe!

“Forgive her, heavenly king!
Dear, pray;
He is good, by His hands we are creatures:
Humble your soul before him.” -
“Oh my friend, my friend, everything is like a dream...
He is unkind to me;
Before him my cry was in vain...
He is deaf and unresponsive."

“Child, refrain from complaining;
Calm your soul's anxiety;
Take communion of the most pure mysteries,
Sacrifice your heart to God." -
“Oh my friend, what is boiling inside me,
Even God will not pacify him:
No secrets, no sacrifice
The dead cannot be revived."

"But what if he himself forgot
Love's holy word,
And he changed his former oath,
And bound by a new oath?
Both you and you forget about him;
Do not tear your chest with longing in vain;
The traitor is not worth the tears;
His creator is the judge.”

“Oh my friend, my friend, everything is over;
The missing is missing;
Life is bleak out of spite
Providence gave me...
Go out, you nasty light!
Perish, life, where there is no friend!
God himself is Lenore's enemy...
Woe is me! oh woe!

“Heavenly King, may he forgive her
Your patience!
She doesn't know what she's doing:
Her soul is in oblivion.
Child, forget earthly sorrow:
God's path leads to good;
The humble are rewarded with heaven.
Fear the torment of hell."

So boldly, full of melancholy,
Her soul rebelled...
She takes the creator with her to court
Madly called
I was tormented, I was tearing out my hair
Until the night came
And the dark vault above us
Sprinkled with stars.

And so... it’s like an easy leap
The horse rang out in the silence:
The rider rushes across the field;
Thundering, he rushed to the porch;
Thundering, he ran up onto the porch;
And a ring rattled the door...
The veins in her began to tremble...
Through the door they whispered to her:

“We saddle our horses at midnight...
I'm coming from afar.
Don't hesitate, friend; come down quickly;
The path is long, the time is short.” -
“Why should we rush, my dear?
And the wind howls through the bushes,
And the darkness of the night in the field;
Stay with me in freedom."

“What need do we have for the darkness of the night!
Let the wind howl in the bushes.
The clock is running; my greyhound horse
He digs the ground with his hoof;
We can't wait; come down, my friend;
We have a long way to go, we have a short time;
Not the time for sleep and bliss:
We have a hundred miles to spend the night."

“But how can your horse fly?
A hundred miles until morning, honey?
Do you hear the bell ringing:
Eleven has struck.” -
“But the month has risen, it is shining for us...
Smooth is the road for the dead;
We jump, we are not afraid;
We will reach the light."

“But where, where is your corner?
Where is our secluded shelter? -
“He’s far away... five or six miles away...
Cool, quiet, dark." -
“Is there room for me?” - “Both of us.
Let's go! everything is ready there;
Guests are waiting in our cell;
It's time for a housewarming party!

She thought, went down,
And she jumped onto the horse,
And she hugged her friend tenderly,
And she all clung to him.
They rushed... the horse runs and flies.
Beneath him the earth rustles and trembles,
Whirlwinds swirl from the road,
Sparks fly from the stones.

And past them the hills, bushes,
Fields and forests flew;
Bridges under the tramp of horses
They shook and rattled.
“Isn’t it scary?” - “The moon is shining on us!” -
“Smooth is the road for the dead!
Why are you trembling so much?” -
“Why are you talking about them?”

“But who is moaning there? What's that ringing?
What woke up the raven?
The sound of the dead rings; funeral lament;
They are singing over the grave."
And the progress is visible: they walk, sing,
A heavy coffin is being transported on the road,
And a funeral voice,
Like the sad howl of an owl.

“Bury the coffin at midnight:
There is no place for tears now;
Behind me! to your wedding
I'm calling with my fiancée.
Follow me, singers; follow me, pastor;
Sing to us many years, choir;
Give us for betrothal
Pastor, blessings."

And the ringing died down... and the coffin disappeared...
The choir crowded quickly
And he ran along the road
Behind them is a black shadow.
And far, far!.. the horse flies,
Beneath him the earth rustles and trembles,
Whirlwinds swirl from the road,
Sparks fly from the stones.

And behind, in front, from the sides
The whole neighborhood was flying:
Fields, hills, rows of bushes,
Fences, houses, villages.

“Smooth is the road for the dead!
Why are you trembling so much?” -
“You keep talking about the dead!”

Here by the road, above the pillar,
Where the hanged man turns black,
A swarm of air, coiled in a ring,
Spinning, dancing, blowing.
“Come to me, follow me, you dancers!
You are all invited to the feast!
I'm galloping, I'm flying to get married...
To me! Have fun!”

And in summer, in summer a light swarm
I set off after them,
Noisy like the field wind
Between the dry leaves.
And far, far!.. the horse flies,
Beneath him the earth rustles and trembles,
Whirlwinds swirl from the road,
Sparks fly from the stones.

Far, close, from all sides
Everything ran past them;
And everything is like a shadow, and everything is like a dream,
It disappeared instantly.
“Isn’t it scary?” - “The moon is shining on us.” -
“Smooth is the road for the dead!
Why are you trembling so much?” -
“Why are you talking about them?”

“My horse, my horse, the sand is running;
I feel the night is fresher;
My horse, my horse, the rooster crows;
My horse, go faster...
The journey is over; deadline fulfilled;
Our corner is close, close;
In a minute we are there...
We’ve arrived, bride!”

Horse at full speed towards the gate
Having rushed over, he stood and stamped;
The rider hit the bolt with a whip -
The shutter burst with a thud;
They see a cemetery there...
The horse rushes quickly over the coffins;
The rays of the moon are shining
Crosses flash around.

So, Lenora, what then?
Oh fear!.. in an instant
Piece by piece of clothing
Flew from him like decay;
And there is no skin on the bones;
An eyeless skull on the shoulders;
No helmet, no tunic;
She is in the hands of a skeleton.

The horse jumped... flames from the nostrils
It ran like a wave;
And suddenly... everything turns to dust in front of her
It crashed and disappeared.
And howl and groan on high;
And a cry in the underground depths,
Lenora lies in fear
Half dead on the ashes.

And in the brilliance of the monthly rays,
Hand with hand, flies,
Hovering above her, a crowd of shadows
And so he sings to her:
“Be patient, be patient, even if your chest aches;
Be submissive to the Creator in troubles;
Your corpse go to the grave!
And God have mercy on my soul!”

1831 Translation: Vasily Zhukovsky

Burger's ballad "Lenora" translated by Zhukovsky. Lenore has a terrible dream. Her fiance did not return from the war. Lenora is heartbroken, she cannot come to terms with this loss, as her mother advises her, and she rebels. The ballad does not openly express the reasons for Wilhelm’s death, but the reader understands that Lenore’s fiancé fell victim to the “monarchs of enemy powers” who pursued their own goals and interests in the war. But the heroine of the ballad presents the bill for the murdered groom not to Fryderyk, for whom her beloved went to war, but to God - the addressee was chosen on the basis that it was to him that Lenora prayed for the return of the groom. Lenora stops going to church and creates her own idea of heaven and hell. For this sin she is severely punished: the distraught girl does not see Wilhelm as a dead man and allows the dead groom to take her to the grave. The ballad ends with a peculiar conclusion, which is summed up by a choir of spirits, calling people to patience and humility: Hand with hand flies, Hovering above it, a crowd of shadows And so it sings: “Be patient, be patient, even though your chest aches; Be submissive to the Creator in troubles.” What conclusion does the poet lead the reader to? So the story specific people turned out to be much more significant than just a terrible incident. Of course, the poet is not so simple as to take the old medieval plot at face value. He resorts to its help in order to express his philosophical thoughts about the meaning of life and make readers think about the eternal questions. The insoluble contradiction between earthly and heavenly justice represents the tragic philosophy of the ballad. The burgher does not share the calls of mournful spirits for humility, but only testifies to the existence of an insoluble contradiction that leads a person to tragic consequences. This ballad can be read both as an entertaining work and as a philosophical parable. Remember what a parable is.

Slide 11 from the presentation "Ballads of Zhukovsky".

The size of the archive with the presentation is 727 KB.

Literature 7th grade summary

Lenora

Lenore had a terrible dream,
I woke up scared.
“Where is honey? What about him? Is he alive?
And is he faithful to his friend?
He went to a foreign country
For Fryderyk to war;
Nobody hears about him;
But he himself does not write to her.

“Forgive her, heavenly king!
Dear, pray;
He is good, by His hands we are creatures:
Humble your soul before him.” -

“Oh my friend, my friend, everything is like a dream...
He is unkind to me;
Before him my cry was in vain...
He is deaf and unresponsive."

“Oh my friend, my friend, everything is over;
The missing is missing;
Life is bleak out of spite
Providence gave me...
Go out, you nasty light!

God himself is Lenore's enemy...
Woe is me! oh woe!

“Oh my friend, what is the heavenly paradise?
What hellish torment?
Together with him - all heavenly paradise;
It’s different with him - everything is torment;
Go out, you nasty light!
Perish, life, where there is no friend!
I died with him separately
Both here and there for heaven.”

And now... it’s like an easy leap
The horse rang out in the silence:
The rider rushes across the field;

Thundering, he rushed to the porch;
Thundering, he ran up onto the porch;
And a ring rattled the door...
The veins in her trembled...
Through the door they whispered to her:

“Hurry! come to me, my light!
Are you waiting for a friend, are you sleeping?
Have you forgotten me or not?
Are you laughing or are you sad? -
"Oh! little one... God brought you!
And I... from bitter, bitter tears
And the light in the eyes was eclipsed...
How did you end up here?”

“At midnight we saddle our horses...
I'm coming from afar.
Don't hesitate, friend; come down quickly;
The path is long, the time is short.” -
“Why should we rush, my dear?
And the wind howls through the bushes,
And the darkness of the night in the field;
Stay with me in freedom."

“What need do we have for the darkness of the night!
Let the wind howl in the bushes.
The clock is running; my greyhound horse
With a hoof, he digs the ground;
We can't wait; come down, my friend;
We have a long way to go, we have a short time;
Not the time for sleep and bliss:
We have a hundred miles to spend the night."

And past them the hills, bushes,
Fields and forests flew;
Bridges under the tramp of horses
They shook and rattled.
“Isn’t it scary?” -
“The moon is shining on us!” -
“Smooth is the road for the dead!
Why are you trembling so much?” -
“Why are you talking about them?”

And behind, in front, from the sides
The whole neighborhood was flying:
Fields, hills, rows of bushes,
Fences, houses, villages.
“Isn’t it scary?” -
"The moon is shining on us." -
“Smooth is the road for the dead!
Why are you trembling so much?” -
“You keep talking about the dead!”

Far, close, from all sides
Everything ran past them;

And everything is like a shadow, and everything is like a dream,
It disappeared instantly.
“Isn’t it scary?” -
"The moon is shining on us." -
“Smooth is the road for the dead!
Why are you trembling so much?” -
“Why are you talking about them?”

Lenore dreamed of death and blood,

I woke up in great fear.

“Where are you, Wilhelm? Forgot love

Or are you sleeping in bloody dust?

He is with Frederick's army in the spring

Darken, sun, don't shine,

Let me go into darkness and sorrow,

Will not bring oblivion

Paradise villages for me."

And the passion raged for a long time,

Foggy mind is confused.

She cursed the holy power

Creator of the universe

I broke my fingers, I tore my chest,

But then the darkness of the night fell,

And sailed out into the open spaces

Horas of the night constellations.

And suddenly, and suddenly, knock-knock, knock-knock!

There was a loud stomp.

And it was as if the rider suddenly jumped off

In a quiet alley.

And quietly, scary, ding-ding-zing,

A rusty wedge clanged at the entrance,

And someone shouted hoarsely

Through closed gates:

“Open, open! Or went to bed,

Or did you not have time to wait?

As of old, the beauty is cheerful

Or did she cry her eyes out?”

"William! What a late hour you are!

I couldn't close my eyes from tears,

I cursed the hateful light,

Where are you from, my dear?

“We only get up at midnight,

My horse flew like an arrow.

My new house in a foreign land,

I have come for you."

“Wilhelm, come in, my beloved,

The evil wind whistles and howls,

The road is so long!

Warm up at least a little!”

"Let the wind howl and whistle,

Let him cry over the fields, -

My horse looks askance and snores,

There is no place for me between you!

Sit down, sit down, finally!

My stallion snores, snores,

Ride a hundred miles with you

For us to the peace of marriage."

“One hundred miles! And it’s so dark in the field!

A hundred miles to ride to bed!

It's past eleven o'clock

There was a buzz in the tower.”

“Live! The moon rises from the darkness.

We will reach home before the dead.

The road is familiar to me

We'll be home soon."

“Is your house beautiful and tall?

Is the bed ready for us?”

“Darkness, chill and seven boards,

One board for shelter.”

“Isn’t it cramped in there? - “The two of us will go in.”

Live, live! My house is open

We are waiting for the bride, and soon

All guests will be present."

Beauty - jump! and what was it,

She fluttered onto the horse's croup,

And my dear hugged her friend,

She clung to what she wanted.

And the whip whistled, and, gop-gop-gop,

A dashing gallop is already thundering.

And the horse breathes like a storm,

Smoke and flames are burning all around

And right, left, through the bushes,

Hey, hon! elusively

Meadows, fields, bridges fly,

Thundering, they rush past.

"The moon is bright, don't be afraid of the dark,

We will reach home before the dead.

Beauty, do you love the dead? -

“Why did you remember the dead?”

But what kind of groan? Where is the ringing coming from?

How the crow took flight!

Tombstone! Farewell groan:

“Let’s bury the body in the ground.”

And the choir goes, gloomy and strict,

And the coffin on a pair of black drays,

But that song would do

For the cry of a swamp toad.

“Bury the silent ashes after

To the sound and groan of farewell!

I'm hurrying with my wife to my home

Perform the wedding ceremony!

Follow me, friends! Leave the coffin!

Go bless us, priest!

Sing, deacon, as much as you can

In honor of our first night!

The ringing and groaning have ceased, and there is no coffin -

Only the wind whistles and murmurs,

And, like thunder, following them

There was a loud stomp.

A furious gallop thunders,

And the horse breathes like a storm,

There is smoke and flames all around.

Villages and gardens are flying,

Houses and cathedrals are flying,

Plains, rivers and ponds,

Forests, valleys, mountains.

“Are you trembling, child? Don't be afraid of the darkness

We have already caught up with the dead!

Beauty, do you love the dead? -

“Why are you all about the dead?”

“Look, look: kicking up the dust,

Whisking up dust in columns,

Circling between the gallows and the scaffold

A flock of midnight spirits.

Hey, evil spirits! Hey! Here, follow me!

Behind me and my wife

To great fun

Over the wedding bed!

And the unclean rabble, hush-hush-hush,

He rushed after him with a bang.

So the wind is evil in the heat and dryness

Whistling through the copses.

And louder, louder, gop-gop-gop,

A furious gallop thunders,

And the horse breathes like a storm,

There is smoke and flames all around.

How everything jumps in the rays of the moon,

How wildly the distances jump!

And the heavens are carried away

They danced after him.

“Are you trembling, child? Don't be afraid of the darkness!

We made it home before the dead!

Beauty, do you love the dead? -

“Oh, God, what do I care about the dead!”

“Gop-hop! My time has already expired.

The rooster crows at sunrise.

Hop-hop! The east turned pink.

My horse, let's speed up!

The designated goal is close,

Accept us, bridal bed!

They are not afraid of the dead,

We quickly arrived."

And the horse, hearing a menacing cry,

He took off in a furious run,

And the whip of the gate at the same moment

Smashed it with one blow.

The shutter flew off, the staple rattled,

Under the runner the coffins are humming,

And, drenched in the month,

The slabs flicker vaguely.

Look, look: rattling, ringing,

Ho-ho! a miracle happened!

Where the rider was, now from his horse

A rotten pile crawls,

And only a skeleton riding on it,

Skeleton with a clock and a sickle,

Eyeless and lipless

He sits and bares his teeth.

Snoring, the horse stood on end,

And he threw up his muzzle wildly,

And with laughter into the failure, into the fire,

He hit the ground and disappeared.

And a howl was heard in the clouds, a howl

And a muffled scream from the abyss,

And, with life in a fierce dispute,

Death has come to Lenora...

And the spirits of mountains, valleys and waters

Swarm after swarm circled,

Weaved into a rhythmic round dance

And howled a mournful howl:

“Be patient! Let your age be sad,

Humble yourself before God, man!

The ashes will be taken by the grave,

Another starting option:
Lenora is tormented by a heavy sleep, she woke up before dawn. “Wilhelm, respond! Are you killed or are you sleeping with someone else somewhere?” (V. Levik “Selected Translations”, Moscow 1977)

Gehenna is a place of eternal torment for sinners, hell.

“Lenora” by G. Burger, “Lenora” by E. Poe and ballads with a similar plot (SI). German ballad - Gottfried Burger "Lenora" Translation - Vasily Zhukovsky

History of creation and publication

Plot

Artistic originality

Adaptations

Notes

see also

Links

Lenora Information About

The size of the archive with the presentation is 727 KB.

Lenora

History of creation and publication

Plot

Artistic originality

Adaptations

Notes

see also

Links

Lenora Information About

The size of the archive with the presentation is 727 KB.

Lenora

Read also