Russian literatureKropotkin, Petr Alekseevich, kniaz
History
Russian literature
Kropotkin, Petr Alekseevich, kniaz
Russian literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism
Several minor poets, contemporary of Púshkin and Lérmontoff, and some
of them their personal friends, must be mentioned in this place. The
influence of Púshkin was so great that he could not but call to life a
school of writers who should try to follow in his steps. None of them
reached such a height as to claim to be considered a world poet; but
each of them has made his contribution in one way or another to the
development of Russian poetry, each one has had his humanising and
elevating influence.
KÓZLOFF (1779-1840) has reflected in his poetry the extremely sad
character of his life. At the age of about forty he was stricken
with paralysis, losing the use of his legs, and soon after that his
sight; but his poetical gift remained with him, and he dictated to
his daughter some of the saddest elegies which Russian literature
possesses, as also a great number of our most perfect translations.
His _Monk_ made everyone in Russia shed tears, and Púshkin hastened to
acknowledge the strength of the poem. Endowed with the most wonderful
memory--he knew by heart all Byron, all the poems of Walter Scott,
all Racine, Tasso, and Dante,--Kozlóff, like Zhukóvskiy, with whom
he had much in common, made a great number of translations from
various languages, especially from the English idealists, and some of
his translations from the Polish, such as _The Crimean Sonnets_ of
Mickiewicz, are real works of art.
DÉLWIG (1798-1831) was a great personal friend of Púshkin, whose
comrade he was at the Lyceum. He represented in Russian literature the
tendency towards reviving ancient Greek forms of poetry, but happily
enough he tried at the same time to write in the style of the Russian
popular songs, and the lyrics which he wrote in this manner especially
contributed to make of him a favourite poet of his own time. Some of
his romances have remained popular till now.
BARATÝNSKIY (1800-1844) was another poet of the same group of friends.
Under the influence of the wild nature of Finland, where he spent
several years in exile, he became a romantic poet, full of the love of
nature, and also of melancholy, and deeply interested in philosophical
questions, to which he could find no reply. He thus lacked a definite
conception of life, but what he wrote was clothed in a beautiful form,
and in very expressive, elegant verses.
YAZÝKOFF (1803-1846) belongs to the same circle. He was intimate with
Púshkin, who much admired his verses. It must be said, however, that
the poetry of Yazýkoff had chiefly an historical influence in the sense
of perfecting the forms of poetical expression. Unfortunately, he had
to struggle against almost continual illness, and he died just when he
had reached the full development of his talent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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