There are probably few of them. For one of the most memorable works of F.I. Tyutchev is “Silentium”. Meanwhile, the poem “The Last Cataclysm” contains a very deep philosophical meaning. Do you want to know which one? The article explains in detail.
It consists of one quatrain. What did Tyutchev want to convey to the reader in such a short work? Why was it written? How does it reflect the poet’s worldview?
Let's look for answers to these questions. They lie on the surface. Read the article and see for yourself.
What does it represent?
"The Last Cataclysm" is a philosophical miniature. It is dedicated to the theme of the Flood. Why does the poet address this biblical theme? He foresees a new catastrophe. But which one? Will it be a repeat of the previous one? Maybe yes, maybe not.
Let's turn to the Book of Genesis
According to Old Testament history, God was angry with people. To such an extent that he decided to destroy His own creation. But among the sea of people there was a godly man named Noah. It was he who was warned by God about the coming flood, ordering him to build a ship. In this ship it was possible to escape from the flood.
Construction work lasted many years. Finally the ark was ready. Noah and his family boarded it, taking their animals with them. There's a pair of each creature. Immediately after this, the rain started pouring down.
It rained for forty days and nights. And it took Noah about a year to reach land. The Ark landed on Mount Ararat. Pious Noah thanked God for his salvation. After which God promised that the Great Flood would never happen again.
Tyutchev about a new catastrophe
In the poem "The Last Cataclysm" Fyodor Ivanovich talks about the coming catastrophe. He has a presentiment of it, as mentioned above. But at the same time, Fyodor Ivanovich views the new flood as a source of life. Sounds quite strange. However, according to Tyutchev, after the flood the world will return to its roots. To the beginning of time. Water will absorb all living things, but at the same time it will become a source of new life. Maximum destruction becomes maximum creation. The earth is falling into chaos, this is its initial state.
So "The Final Cataclysm" is not something scary. Not a gloomy prediction of the end of the world, but a reflection of the source of new life, eternal movement.
From a political point of view
Fyodor Ivanovich was not shy about his political views. Sometimes he expressed them in poems. Literary scholars believe that Tyutchev’s poem “The Last Cataclysm” is the personification of the social upheavals awaiting the world. Fyodor Ivanovich was quite skeptical about revolutions and coups. From his point of view, there were two forces: conservative Russia and revolutionary Europe.
It is known that the poet was a senior censor. His activities made it possible to prohibit the distribution of the Communist Party manifesto in the territory Russian Empire.
Considering Political Views poet, it is quite logical that the verse “The Last Cataclysm” is a warning about world social upheavals. They are known to often lead to catastrophic consequences.
Disappointment
What else could be hidden in Tyutchev’s “The Last Cataclysm”? Dissatisfaction with the outside world, disappointment in it. At the time of writing the poem, the poet’s state of mind could leave much to be desired. This is reflected in the work.
Fyodor Ivanovich is a famous poet-philosopher. There is nothing superfluous in his works. Every word is weighed and considered.
The inevitability of a cataclysm and the inability of humanity to stop it. This is one motive. The second lies in the same inevitability of the rebirth of life. Will die old life, but a new one will be reborn. How harmoniously these two seemingly absolutely incompatible things are combined. At the time of writing the poem, the poet felt mentally ill. It is quite possible. But he understands that this agony of the soul, its “last cataclysm” is not eternal. It will pass, and will be replaced by a “white streak of life.”
Returning to God
The last line of the poem: “And God’s face will be depicted in them.” It contains a deep philosophical meaning. All existence, from the creation of the world to the Second Coming, is based on God. Everything happens according to His will. And nothing happens without His knowledge.
The divine face is incomprehensible to people due to sinfulness. But people and God are interconnected. First, you cannot live without faith. Faith is in God. And only after the catastrophe will the true face of God be reflected in the surface of the water. He is embodied in this picture, present there.
God is the main poetic image of the poem. There is no personal human “I” in this poem. His philosophy is emphasized by the generalized use of vocabulary.
God is shown on the surface of the water. The poem combines incompatible concepts. God is incorporeal, but here he takes on an image. Water is the image of a mirror. Hidden in the poem is a comparison of waters with a mirror.
The intonation of the poem "The Last Cataclysm" is unhurried. Makes you think about the lines of the work.
Writing style
The poem is written in iambic pentameter. The endings are both feminine and masculine. The rhymes are different: cross, open and closed. And this adds a sense of ambiguity to the poem. It seems that there are two completely different worlds.
Let's summarize
"The Last Cataclysm" was written in 1829. This is a philosophical poem that contains something that literary scholars have been able to study for a long time. The invisible mind, thoughts and worldview of Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev.
Conclusion
The article analyzed the poem "The Last Cataclysm". Someone will see something close in the poem. Mentally agrees with its author. But this verse is alien to some. And this person will exclaim: “I disagree!”, thus entering into a mental argument with the poet. That's what we need philosophical poems so that everyone can see this world in their own way. Poems like this give me the impetus to think. They help to express your point of view, not be afraid to enter into an argument and defend own position. Helps develop a person's personality.
When nature's last hour strikes,
The composition of the parts of the earth will collapse:
Everything visible will be covered by waters again,
And God's face will be depicted in them!
Analysis of the poem “The Last Cataclysm” by Tyutchev
Philosophical lyrics - business card Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev. The work “The Last Cataclysm” can also be attributed to it.
The poem was written in 1829. Its author at this time turned 26 years old, he has been serving in Germany for many years in diplomatic work, he was even promoted to titular adviser, takes an active position in the affairs of Greece gaining independence, defends the need for Russian protection of the Greek people, is happily married, raising children. In his homeland he happens intermittently. In this atmosphere of apparent contentment, prosperity vitality and family well-being, he writes the work “The Last Cataclysm”. The genre is religious lyrics, the meter is iambic with cross rhyme, it consists of only one quatrain. The intonation is almost prophetic. The vocabulary is sublime, solemn, and in places outdated. The very size of the poem emphasizes the high tragedy of what is happening. Meanwhile, the poet describes the first catastrophe (the flood) rather than the last. If you rely on Holy Bible, then at the end of the world there will be streams not of water, but of fire. It should be noted that the poet shudders at the spectacle of changes in nature; man as an active hero is absent in the work. “The last hour”: metaphor. “Composition of parts”: destruction of the earth, atmosphere, hydrosphere. The renewed nature of the world will emerge from the water, and everything will bear the visible imprint of the glory of God. Never again will anyone question his power. The final exclamation in the finale seems to emphasize the inevitability of the approaching transformation. By the way, the title of the poem may not have a negative, intimidating connotation. Perhaps this means transformation, purification, change, and not destruction, death, chaos. These poems are also interesting because the young F. Tyutchev thought about the end of this world more in a philosophical than in a Christian spirit. Let's say there is no hint of the doctrine of Last Judgment. However, in such a short sketch it is almost impossible to express the entire Christian eschatology. These lines are almost like an impromptu, a recording of a thought that struck him, an instant insight. He considered it so important that he soon proposed it for publication. In the quatrain, inversion is used several times: the waters will cover.
The poem “The Last Cataclysm” was first published in the magazine “Dennitsa” 2 years after its creation.
When nature's last hour strikes,
The composition of the parts of the earth will collapse:
Everything visible will be covered by waters again,
And God's face will be depicted in them!
Analysis of Tyutchev’s poem “The Last Cataclysm”
“The Last Cataclysm” is a philosophical miniature, first published in the almanac “Dennitsa” in 1831. In it, Tyutchev refers to the legend of the Flood, widespread in mythology. different nations. Among Christians, the most famous story is told in the Book of Genesis. According to her, the flood became a punishment for humanity for its moral failure. The Lord decided to leave only Noah, who was distinguished by his piety, and members of his family alive. God warned them in advance about the coming flood and ordered them to build an ark on which they could be saved during the disaster. The construction of the ship took 120 years. When the work was completed, Noah went on board, taking the animals with him. Immediately after this, water gushed onto the earth, and the flood continued for forty days. It took almost a year for Noah to get off the ark and onto land. As the Book of Genesis says, the ship landed at Mount Ararat. Thanks to God for his salvation, Noah made a sacrifice, after which the Lord blessed him and everything on earth.
Tyutchev’s poem speaks of a repetition of the global flood: “...Everything visible will again be covered by waters...”. The poet anticipates a catastrophe, but, in his opinion, it will bring more than just destruction to the earth. After the flood, the world will return to the beginning of time, to its divine origins. “The Last Cataclysm” is not a doomsday horror story. Water here acts as a source of life, and as a consequence, perpetual motion, which is generally characteristic of Tyutchev’s work. In a significant part of his landscape and philosophical poems, her image appears in one form or another - “Wave and Thought”, “Snowy Mountains”, “Fountain”. This list can be continued for a very long time. According to Tyutchev, water will completely absorb the earth, but from it will subsequently emerge new life. It turns out that the poem shows a single and two-faced process at the same time. Maximum destruction becomes the beginning of maximum creation. The Earth must plunge into chaos, which, according to ancient Greek mythology, is the primary state of the Universe.
According to a number of literary scholars, “The Last Cataclysm” has a social connotation - Tyutchev compares social upheavals with natural disasters. This statement is not without meaning. Fyodor Ivanovich was very skeptical about revolutions and coups, which was reflected in his journalistic articles. The poet sometimes expressed his political views in poems. According to Tyutchev, in his contemporary world there were only two forces - conservative Russia and revolutionary Europe. Fyodor Ivanovich believed that under the auspices of the first it was necessary to create a union of Slavic-Orthodox countries. In 1848, the poet took up the position of senior censor. As part of his activities, he banned the distribution of the Communist Party manifesto, translated into Russian, on the territory of the Russian Empire. If we take into account Tyutchev’s political views, then “The Last Cataclysm” can indeed be perceived as a statement about social upheavals, which often lead to irreversible catastrophic consequences.
The poem is written in iambic pentameter. The size was not chosen by the poet by chance. As Tomashevsky wrote, in the first decades of the 19th century, iambic pentameter began to be widely used in tragedies. Tyutchev emphasizes the sublime tragedy of his work with the help of vocabulary: “the last hour will strike,” “the waters will cover,” “the composition of the earthly parts will be destroyed.” The fact that the catastrophe will lead to the birth of a new life is evidenced by the last line. For her, Fyodor Ivanovich chooses positively colored vocabulary: “...And God’s face will be depicted in them!”
Analysis of the poem by F.I. Tyutchev "The Last Cataclysm"
Basic approaches to lyric poem classic type We will try to show, using the example of an analysis of a poem by F.I. Tyutchev "The Last Cataclysm" (1830).
When nature's last hour strikes,
The composition of the parts of the earth will collapse:
Everything visible will be covered by waters again,
And God's face will be depicted in them!
We begin the analysis with the poetics of the title, since it contains the main lyrical image, the main emotion for the poet is hidden and philosophical idea. In fact, the title reflects the author's understanding of the text. The adjective “last” denotes events that occur on the edge, at the last line.
The word “cataclysm” itself (not “transformation” or “change,” which are similar in meaning) emphasizes the philosophical meaning of the poem. Judging by the title, one can assume that the text will unfold a picture from the Apocalypse, depicting the last day of creation. However, Tyutchev is an original poet-philosopher. For him, the last day will be the first day of a new creation.
The poem consists of one stanza (monostrophe) - a quatrain (quatrain). However, compositionally, this stanza is divided into two parts - the first two verses (poetic lines) and the last two.
This division is meaningful; it reflects the two main world processes (destruction and creation), which are given in two verbs “destroyed” and “depicted” symmetrically located in the text.
There are two elements in the poem - earth and water. Depicting the death of the earth under water, Tyutchev turns to the biblical myth of Noah’s flood (“Everything visible will again be covered by waters”). In this very appeal there is a simultaneous indication of death and salvation.
The philosophical nature of the verse is emphasized by the extra-subjective construction - the absence of pronouns “I”, “you”, “we”, etc., which embody the image of a person in the verse. The poem contains a philosophical generalization. This is evidenced by the choice of vocabulary - not empirical, but extremely abstract ("the last hour of nature", "everything visible", "God's face").
The process of destruction is “fixed” in the syntax of the verse: the first two lines are characterized by deep inversion (incorrect, reverse word order in a sentence). For example, compare the reverse word order (a sentence with inversion) and the direct one:
"When nature's last hour strikes...";
"When nature's last hour strikes..."
In the first case, the stress falling on the end is determined by the laws of verse construction, in the second it is logical.
The inversion disappears in the last line, which corresponds to the process of creation. The last line of the verse is distinguished not only by the absence of inversion (“And God’s face will be depicted in them!”), not only by the exclamatory intonation, reflecting the special pathos of the phrase, but also phonetically the sound “and”, repeated many times, in a special way instrumentalizes the ending of the verse “And God’s a face will be depicted in them!"
The poem "The Last Cataclysm" is written in iambic pentameter with masculine (stressed - "earthly", "them") and feminine (unstressed - "nature", "water") endings. The rhymes in the verse are both grammatical (of nature - water) and ungrammatical (of earth - them). Cross, open (ending in a vowel) and closed (ending in a consonant). This entire construction of the verse is based on the law of duality, “binary”, which is reflected primarily at the content level.
Along with the first line (“When the last hour of nature strikes”), where there is not a single metrical glitch, pure iambic is presented, which expresses the inexorability and inevitability of the onset of the “last hour”, all other lines contain digressions (they fall on the semantically basic verbs "will be destroyed", "will be depicted"). The lack of accent is called pyrrhic. Let us imagine the second line of the verse “The composition of the parts of the earth will be destroyed” as a metrical scheme (a combination of percussion and unstressed syllables, denoting U - unstressed, I - stressed):
The fourth foot, which falls on the verb “will collapse,” will turn out to be “lightened,” pyrrhic.
There are especially many digressions in the third line (“Everything visible will again be covered with water”):
II/UU/UI/UI/UI/U.
In the first foot a super-scheme stress appears, called spondee in versification (II - two stressed syllables). The second foot is pyrrhic, with a missing accent.
Generally a large number of The failures in this line can be explained, in our opinion, by the fact that it hiddenly indicates a human tragedy. The last cataclysm will destroy not only the “composition of earthly parts”, but will also turn into a human tragedy. At first glance, there is no place for humanity in the poem. As we noted at the beginning, the poem is a huge philosophical generalization. However, the expression “everything visible” (from the Old Slavonic word “zrak” - “eye”) also includes the human plane, so the line is, as it were, colored by human emotion, violating the usual rhythm of the verse.
The proposed analysis, as noted above, is not a “key” with which one can “open” any poetic text.
On this page read the text "Cataclysm" by Fyodor Tyutchev, written in 1849.
When nature's last hour strikes,
The composition of the parts of the earth will collapse:
Everything visible will be covered by waters again,
And God's face will be depicted in them!
Note:
Autograph - RGALI. F. 505. Op. 1. Unit hr. 11. L. 2 vol.
The first publication is Dennitsa. 1831. P. 89, the poem has the title “The Last Cataclysm.” It was not included in other lifetime publications, then - RA. 1879. P. 128; NNS. P. 24; Ed. St. Petersburg, 1886. P. 67; Ed. 1900. P. 67.
Autograph on one sheet of paper with verse. "Snowy Mountains"; title is missing. The handwriting is clear, the graphics feature - capital letters in the words “Hour”, “Parts”, “Earthly”, “Visible”, “Water”, “God”; The same tendency towards mythologizing the picture as in the verse is expressed. “Snowy Mountains” (see commentary p. 325): the essential in being is graphically highlighted. There is a list (RGALI. F. 505. Op. 1. Item 52. L. 30 vol.) among other works with the general title “From Tyutchev’s poems kept by Prince I.S. Gagarin"; the list is called “The Last Cataclysm”, as in Dennitsa. There is reason to believe that the name belongs to the poet himself.
The peculiarities of Tyutchev's writing of some words that are especially significant for the picture are not preserved either in the first or in subsequent editions. Text in NNS, Ed. 1886 and Ed. 1900 coincides, but in the last two in the second line there is a variant of the 2nd line: “The composition of the parts of the earth will be destroyed.” The poem was published everywhere without a title.
Dated according to the context in the autograph: the same as “Snowy Mountains”, no later than 1829.
In Tyutchev’s poems about nature at the end of the 1820s, “The Last Cataclysm” stands, essentially, next to “Vision.” If in such lyrical masterpieces as “Spring Thunderstorm”, “Spring Waters”, “Morning in the Mountains” and (mostly) “Snowy Mountains”, “Afternoon”, a fertile, tender, bright, daytime cosmos is shown (in the ancient Greek sense words), then “The Last Cataclysm” and “Vision” depict a “certain hour” of existence (“the chariots of the universe”), disturbing the soul. In “The Last Cataclysm” there is a premonition, even clairvoyance, of the disaster of the planet; further development this theme is in “Madness” with the image of the disasters of the earth and insane attempts to interpret them optimistically. However, “The Last Cataclysm” differs sharply from all other poems with the image of chaos by affirming the victory of the Divine First Principle over chaotic decay.
