One of the most famous works of Russianromanticism is the ballad "Svetlana". Zhukovsky took the plot in the work of the German poet Gottfried August Burger, reworked it, giving the Russian color and replacing the tragic ending of the original with a happy ending. A spooky plot about a dead bridegroom leading away a bride among the western romantics turns into a terrible dream in Svetlana.
Why did the author need to rewrite someone else's ballad? Why it was not enough just to make a translation? Why did Zhukovsky change the end? Answering these questions, we will understand the meaning of the ballad "Svetlana".
Translation from German into Russian
Surprisingly, from the German-romanticthe work turned out to be a colorful Russian ballad "Svetlana". Zhukovsky had already translated this ballad, and her heroine was called Lyudmila. By its meaning and content, it is much closer to the "Lenore" of Burger, the same mystical and eerie. It was a success for readers, but the author continued to work on the story, changing and supplementing it.
The content of the ballad "Svetlana" reminds of a goodRussian fairy tale, where everything ends with the victory of good over evil. The author catches on the readers fear and horror, but in the end it all turns out to be just a dream, a nightmare that does not come true. Perhaps, it was to this that the poet strove, reworking the plot. A happy ending and the wishes of happiness to the heroine radiate kindness and light, this is what the world sees Zhukovsky.
What is the meaning of the ballad "Svetlana"?
If to answer this question in a nutshell, then the sense in the victory of love and faith over death and darkness.
Zhukovsky believed in good.His heroine is pure soul, he prays, referring to the "angel-comforter", sincerely believes in salvation, and it comes to her in the form of a white dove. So the author conveys to us his own life belief that devilish temptations can not destroy a sinless soul.
The ballad "Svetlana": a summary
The action takes place on Epiphany evening,when according to popular beliefs with the help of fortune-telling you can look into the future, find out the fate. The author describes the types of fortune-telling: the girls throw a "slipper" out of the gate, feed the grain with a chicken, sing fortune-telling songs and spell the fortified, looking at candles in the mirror at night. Svetlana is sad, because for a long time there is no news from her beloved, she dreams that he would soon return.
Tormented in anticipation, she decides to look intomirror. Suddenly her fiancé appears, joyfully informing that the heavens are tamed, the murmur is heard. He calls her to get married. Carrying after herself, she puts Svetlana in a sleigh, and they go through the snowy plain to a strange temple, where, instead of the expected wedding, the burial service of the deceased goes.
The journey ends when the sleigh stops near a small hut. Suddenly, the groom and horse are lost.
Left alone at night in an unfamiliar place,Svetlana, having crossed herself, enters the house where the coffin stands. The creepy deceased, in which Svetlana recognizes her lover, gets up and stretches her dead hands to her. A white dove comes to the rescue, miraculously protecting the heroine from a terrible dead man.
Svetlana wakes up at home. Everything that happens is just a bad dream. At the same time, the long-awaited bridegroom, healthy and happy, returns.
This is the ballad "Svetlana". The summary ends with the heroes of the wedding.
The secret power of a name
Few remember that the name Svetlana came up withVasily Zhukovsky specially for this ballad. It has become firmly established, has become widespread and has survived to the present day. There is a light in it, it sounds very kind. It is such a bright joy that fills the girl's quiet and pure soul, her love and faith will not fade and will not dissolve in anything. The meaning of the ballad "Svetlana" is already in its very name.
And night replaces daylight
The action of creepy romantic ballads is usuallyoccurs under the cover of night - the darkest and most mysterious time of the day, covering the darkness of various secrets. Zhukovsky ends the action with daylight, the ringing of a bell and the roar of a cock. Darkness and fear replaces the return of the beloved and the long-awaited wedding, a terrible dream is left behind. And here the author himself tells us what the meaning of the ballad is: "Svetlana" is the triumph of light over darkness, the victory of love over death and faith over temptation.
Lines filled with light
The ballad of Zhukovsky is a creative gift to Alexander Andreevna Protasova (Voeikova), which, according to the author, was a muse "inspired him to the poetic mood."
The work became fatal for the author.Svetlana was called by the poet friends from the literary society Arzamas. PA Vyazemsky wrote in his memoirs that Zhukovsky was "Svetlana not only by name, but also by the soul." So, having enclosed his ideals and essence in the work, the author brought to us a "bright" faith, world outlook and attitude.
The ballad is reflected in the work of manyRussian writers and poets, including A. Pushkin, who borrowed the "silent and sad" image of Svetlana when describing the heroine of the novel "Eugene Onegin" Tatiana.
And, although the work took the basis for the plot inGerman ballad, it can be considered a native Russian, it certainly has Russian color, close to folklore and folk art. Svetlana herself resembles the heroine of a Russian fairy tale or folk song. Personal authorship of the poet is undeniable. He believed that Russian literature, having studied Western achievements, should not blindly copy them, but try to convey it in their own way to the Russian reader.
