Pushkin's poems are of great interest not only from an artistic standpoint, but also from the point of view of studying the evolution of his literary tastes. In particular, at one time the poet was very keen on Byron's work and wrote several works in imitation of the famous Englishman. Among them is “The Bakhchisarai Fountain” - a work dedicated, as the poet himself later admitted, to his beloved, whose name remains a mystery to his biographers to this day.
History of the creation of the work
Some researchers note that Pushkin heard the romantic legend about the Crimean Khan back in St. Petersburg. However, most likely, he recognized her during a visit to Bakhchisarai with the family of General Raevsky in the early autumn of 1820. Moreover, neither the palace nor the fountain itself made an impression on him, since they were in extreme desolation.
Work on the poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain” (the content is presented below) began in the spring of 1821, but the poet wrote the main part during 1822. In addition, it is known that the introduction was created in 1823, and the final finishing and preparation for printing was carried out by Vyazemsky.
Who became the prototypes of the heroes of the poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain”?
One of the main characters of this work is Khan Giray, or rather Kyrym Geray, the ruler of Crimea, who ruled from 1758 to 1764. It was under him that the “Fountain of Tears” and many other structures appeared. Among them, the mausoleum especially stood out, in which, according to legend, the khan’s last love, Dilyara-bikech, who died at the hands of a poisoner, was buried. By the way, some researchers believed that it was in memory of this girl that a mournful marble monument was built, exuding drops of water. Thus, it is possible that the real heroine to whom the poem “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” is dedicated, a summary of which is given below, was not a Pole named Maria at all. Where did this legend about the princess come from? Perhaps it was invented in the family of Sofia Kiseleva, née Pototskaya, with whom the poet was very friendly.
Pushkin. Brief summary of the first part
In his palace, the sad Khan Girey forgot about peace and pleasure. He is not interested in war or the machinations of enemies. He goes to the women's quarters, where his beautiful wives languish in longing for his caresses, and hears the song of the slaves, which they sing in praise of the Georgian Zarema, calling her the beauty of the harem. However, the ruler’s favorite herself no longer smiles, since the khan stopped loving her, and now young Maria reigns in his heart. This Polish woman has recently become an inhabitant of a harem and cannot forget her father’s house and her position as the adored daughter of her old father and an enviable bride for many high-born nobles who sought her hand.
How did this daughter of a nobleman become a slave? Hordes of Tatars poured into Poland and destroyed her father's house, and she herself became their prey and a precious gift to their ruler. In captivity, the girl began to feel sad, and her only consolation now is prayers before the image of the Most Pure Virgin, which is illuminated day and night by an unquenchable lamp. Maria is the only one in the khan’s palace who is allowed to keep symbols of the Christian faith in her room-cell, and even Giray himself does not dare to disturb her peace and solitude.
Scene of the meeting between Maria and Zarema
Night has come. However, Zarema is not sleeping, she sneaks into the Polish woman’s room and sees the image of the Virgin Mary. The Georgian woman remembers her distant homeland for a second, but then her gaze falls on the sleeping Maria. Zarema kneels before the Polish princess and begs her to return Girey's heart to her. The awakened Maria asks the khan’s beloved wife what she needs from the unfortunate captive, who dreams only of going to her heavenly father. Then Zarema tells her that she doesn’t remember how she ended up in the Bakhchisarai Palace, but captivity did not become a burden to her, since Girey fell in love with her. However, Maria's appearance destroyed her happiness, and if she does not return the Khan's heart to her, she will stop at nothing. Having finished her speech, the Georgian woman disappears, leaving Maria to mourn her bitter fate and dream of death, which seems to her preferable to the fate of the khan’s concubine.
The final
Some time has passed. Maria went to heaven, but Zarema could not return Giray. Moreover, on the same night when the princess left this sinful world, the Georgian woman was thrown into the depths of the sea. The khan himself indulged in the pleasures of war in the hope of forgetting about the beautiful Pole, who never reciprocated his feelings. But he does not succeed, and, returning to Bakhchisarai, Giray orders a fountain to be erected in memory of the princess, which the maidens of Taurida, who learned this sad story, called the “Fountain of Tears.”
“Bakhchisarai Fountain”: analysis of the images of heroes
As already mentioned, one of the central characters of the poem is Khan Giray. Further, the author sins before history. After all, his hero is worried about the “machinations of Genoa,” that is, he lived no later than 1475, and the famous fountain was built in the 1760s. However, literary scholars consider such a separation from historical realities to be quite natural and inherent in romanticism.
As in some of Byron's poems, the “Eastern hero” has his own European antagonist. However, Pushkin turns out to be Giray himself, who, having fallen in love with the Christian Mary, retreated from his Eastern principles and habits. So, the passionate love of Zarema, who became a Mohammedan in the harem, is no longer enough for him. In addition, he respects the feelings of the Polish princess, including religious ones.
As for female images, Pushkin contrasts the eastern beauty Zarema, for whom the main thing in life is sensual love, with the immaculate princess Maria. Of all the three characters that are presented in the poem “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” (the summary gives only a faint idea of the original), Zarema is the most interesting. Her image balances the “easternity” of Khan Giray and the “westernity” of the Polish woman, who dreams only of the kingdom of heaven. Following the Byronian tradition, in the plot of the poem “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” Pushkin (read the summary of this work above) leaves many omissions. In particular, the reader is informed that Maria died, but how and why he can only guess.
Another, but inanimate, hero of the poem “Bakhchisarai Fountain” is the marble monument itself, erected by Giray. It seems to merge into a single whole the tears shed by Mary in front of the icon of the Blessed Virgin and the waters of the abyss in which the unfortunate Zarema died. Thus, the poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain” (analysis of this work is still the subject of debate among literary scholars) became Pushkin’s second Byronic poem and his tribute to romanticism.
Publication history
The poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain”, a brief summary of which you are already familiar with, was first published on March 10, 1824 in St. Petersburg. Moreover, the author of its preface was Vyazemsky, who wrote it in the form of a dialogue between the “Classic” and the “Publisher”. In addition, following the text of his poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain” (you already know the summary of this work), Pushkin ordered Vyazemsky to publish a story about a journey through Taurida by the writer I.M. Muravyov-Apostol. In it, the father of three famous Decembrists described his visit to the palace of Khan Giray and casually mentioned the legend concerning his love for Maria Pototskaya.
Ballet "Bakhchisarai Fountain"
In 1934, the famous Soviet composer B. Astafiev had the idea to write music for a choreodrama based on the work of A. S. Pushkin. The fact is that the poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain”, a brief summary of which is presented above, has long attracted attention as fertile ground for creating a spectacular musical performance. Soon, in collaboration with librettist director S. Radlov and choreographer R. Zakharov, B. Astafiev created a ballet that has not left the stages of many theaters in Russia and the world for more than 80 years.
Now you know what “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” is about - Pushkin’s poem, created by him in imitation of Byron during his southern exile.
In Bakhchisarai, the formidable Khan Girey is angry and sad. He drives away the servile court. What occupies the thoughts of Khan Giray? Not campaigns against Rus' and Poland, not bloody revenge, not fear of a conspiracy in the army, the highlanders or Genoa, and not suspicions of treason in the harem.
Giray's wives do not know betrayal. They are like flowers behind the glass of a greenhouse, they live as if in a dungeon. They are surrounded by boredom and laziness. The wives' days are monotonous: they change outfits, play, talk or walk to the sound of the waters. This is how their life passes, love fades away.
The wives are vigilantly guarded by an evil eunuch. He carries out the will of the khan, never loving himself, and endures ridicule and hatred. He does not believe in any tricks of female character.
The eunuch is always with his wives: both during their bathing, indifferent to their charms, and while the girls sleep, he overhears their whispers.
Sad and thoughtful Girey goes to the harem. The wives at the fountain watch the fish, dropping their gold earrings to the bottom. The concubines carry sherbet and sing a Tatar song: the most blessed is not the one who saw Mecca in old age, who died in battle on the banks of the Danube, but the one who cherishes Zarema.
Nothing is sweet to the Georgian Zarema: Girey has stopped loving her. There is no wife in the harem more beautiful than Zarema, more passionate, but Girey cheated on Zarema for the sake of the Polish princess Maria.
Maria was her father's delight, a beauty with a quiet disposition. Many sought her hand, but she did not fall in love with anyone. The Tatars came to Poland like fire to a field, Maria’s father ended up in the grave, and her daughter in captivity.
In the Bakhchisarai palace, Maria “cries and is sad.” For her, the khan softens the laws of the harem; the guard of the royal wives does not enter her. Mary lives in solitude with her concubine. In her home, in front of the face of the Virgin Mary, a lamp burns day and night, the captive yearns for her homeland.
A magical oriental night has arrived. Everyone in the harem fell asleep, even the eunuch, although his sleep was uneasy. Only Zarema is awake. She walks past the sleeping eunuch into Mary's room. The lamp, the ark, the cross awaken vague memories in her. Zarema is on her knees praying to the sleeping Mary. Maria wakes up and Zarema tells her her story. She doesn’t remember how she got into the harem, but there she blossomed, and the khan, returning from the war, chose her. Zarema was happy until Maria appeared. Zarema demands that Girey be given to her, threatening her with a dagger.
Zarema leaves. Maria is in despair. She does not understand how one can dream of such shame as being a captive wife. Maria dreams of death in the “desert of the world.”
Soon Maria died. Who knows what caused her death? Giray left his palace for the sake of war, but his heart did not remain the same: he grieves for the deceased.
Zarema is not among Giray’s forgotten wives. She was drowned the night the princess died: “Whatever the guilt, the punishment was terrible!”
Returning with victories, the khan erected a fountain in memory of Mary. The water in it is constantly dripping, as if a mother is crying about her son who died in the war. The Fountain of Tears - that’s what the maidens called it after learning the legend.
The lyrical hero visited Bakhchisarai. He examined the chambers, gardens, the cemetery of the khans, and fountains. Everywhere he was pursued by the shadow of a virgin, Mary or Zarema. This image reminded the lyrical hero of the one he yearns for in exile and whom he tries to forget.
The lyrical hero hopes for a quick return to the magical Tauride land.
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The poem “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” by Pushkin was written in 1821-1823, during the poet’s southern exile. In Crimea, he visited the famous Bakhchisarai Palace of the Crimean Khans. The ancient building, shrouded in secrets and legends, impressed Pushkin so much that he decided to write a poem about it.
For a reading diary and preparation for a literature lesson, we recommend reading online a summary of “The Bakhchisarai Fountain.” You can test your acquired knowledge using a test on the work.
Main characters
Khan Giray- an imperious, tough ruler, accustomed to having all his wishes and orders carried out unquestioningly.
Maria- Polish princess, a rare beauty with an angelic appearance. Her main feature is her love of freedom, for which she is ready to give even her own life.
Zarema- a beautiful Georgian woman with an oriental character, who sees her destiny in sacrificial service to her master.
Other characters
Harem- numerous wives of Khan Giray, who languish in captivity all their lives.
Eunuch- an evil guard whose duties include protecting the harem. A faithful Khan's servant, over whom women's charms have no power.
The Crimean Khan Girey - “the proud ruler” - is immersed in heavy thoughts. The servants look at his gloomy face with apprehension, afraid of inadvertently angering their master. Perhaps he is planning another campaign against Rus' or Poland, or suspects his military leaders of a conspiracy? No - “war is far from my thoughts,” and the khan is saddened for a completely different reason.
Girey's special pride is his harem. In a luxurious palace, under close guard, the khan's numerous wives "bloom in dull silence." Their life is bleak and boring - in a series of days similar to each other, their best years pass without love and simple human joys. All they can do is change their “lush attire”, leisurely stroll through the garden and gossip.
Order in the harem is monitored by an “evil eunuch,” whose soul has long lost sensitivity and vulnerability. He closely watches the khan’s wives, “he notes everything greedily,” and woe to the one who behaved imprudently.
Giray decides to visit his harem. Around a picturesque fountain with fish, he sees his beautiful concubines singing a song praising Zarema, the khan’s beloved wife. However, the girl is not happy with the song; she sits, immersed in sad thoughts - “Girey fell out of love with Zarema.”
All the captivating charms of the oriental beauty are powerless before the gentle charm of blue-eyed Maria, the only and beloved daughter of the old Polish prince. During one of the raids on Poland, the Khan’s army destroyed the once flourishing estate, and now “the father is in the grave, the daughter is in captivity.”
Maria with her tender beauty captivates the khan so much that “for her he softens the strict laws of the harem.” Girey treats her very delicately, not daring to disturb her peace and protecting her from the envious khan's wives. However, Mary is indifferent to manifestations of such care - she spends her days and nights in prayer, mourning her father and her former life.
One night, Zarema, despite possible punishment, goes to Maria’s chambers. Unable to tolerate her master's indifference, she tries to talk to the homewrecker. Zarema asks Maria to listen to her, and begins to talk about her life. The girl still remembers her homeland - “mountains in the sky, hot streams in the mountains, impenetrable oak forests.” While still a girl, she found herself in the khan’s harem, waiting for her time to become Girey’s wife. She was destined to become the Khan's favorite, and nothing overshadowed Zarema's serene happiness until Maria appeared in the harem.
Zarema understands perfectly well that the captive Polish woman is not to blame for the fact that Girey has ceased to experience tender feelings. She kneels down and begs Maria to return “joy and peace” to her and in any way turn the loving khan away from her.
Maria understands that there is no dream of sensual passion in her soul, and she can never be Giray’s concubine. It was much easier for her to spend the rest of her days in prison or appear before a higher court than to drag out the miserable existence of a slave.
Maria decides to die, and Zarema helps her in this. Having learned about the crime committed, the khan orders the Georgian woman to be drowned. After the events he experienced, Giray stops visiting his harem and finds solace only in wars.
Returning home, the khan orders the construction of a beautiful marble fountain “in memory of the sorrowful Mary.” Having learned the story of Giray’s tragic love, this monument was popularly dubbed the “Fountain of Tears.”
Conclusion
The acute contradiction between reality and dreams was the cause of the tragedy that took place within the walls of the Khan's palace. Each of the heroes of the poem is unable to get what they want, to realize their cherished dream, and this leads to a sad ending.
After reading a brief retelling of “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai,” we recommend that you read the full version of the poem by A. S. Pushkin.
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The Crimean Khan Girey appears before readers at the beginning of the work, immersed in his love experiences. On the first pages of the poem “The Fountain of Bakhchisaray,” Pushkin tells that the ruler and formerly successful commander ceased to be interested in the military affairs of his state. All the khan’s thoughts at that moment were occupied with the new concubine of the harem, who was captured by his army during the military campaign against Poland.
New Harem Dweller
The poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain” by Pushkin, a brief summary of which is given in this article, continues with a description of the life of concubines in the Khan’s palace. Their existence, on the one hand, is serene, and takes place in leisurely entertainment, which are games and swimming in the pool.
On the other hand, their fate is rather bleak, since the harem guard, the eunuch, is constantly watching them. He eavesdrops on the conversations of women in order to report anything suspicious to his master, the khan.
Even at night, he sometimes listens to what the concubines say in their sleep. About this hero of the work in the summary of “The Bakhchisarai Fountain” it must be said that he is a devoted servant of the Crimean ruler. The words of the lord are more important to him than the commandments given to him by his religion.
New Harem Star
Considering the summary of “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai,” it should be said that the living conditions of the new concubine were strikingly different from those of other women. Maria, that was the name of this beloved ruler, was placed in a separate room. She was allowed to pray in front of the icons that were in her chambers. The eunuch did not have access to her. Accordingly, supervision over this resident of the khan’s palace was much gentler than over the other wives of the ruler. In the poem “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai,” a brief summary of which is given here, it is not for nothing that a description of the life of the other concubines is given before the story of Mary’s life in the Khan’s palace. These parts of the work contrast with each other.
Biography of Maria
The author provides the following information about this heroine of the poem. She was the daughter of a Polish prince who was killed during the Crimean Tatars' attack on her country. The girl spent her early years in her father's house, without any worries. Her parent fulfilled his child's every whim. Now, having been captured, the Polish princess spent most of her time in fervent prayers. She dreamed only that her life would end as quickly as possible.
Khan's beloved wife
Zarema was the name of the woman whom the ruler favored more than all the others living in his harem. This proud Georgian woman crept into Mary’s chambers at night, when the eunuch was fast asleep. The door of the khan's new concubine was open. Zarema entered the room and found the young Polish girl sleeping. This episode of the poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain,” a brief summary of which is presented in this article, provides some information about Zarema’s life before she came to the Khan’s palace. The ruler's beloved wife explains these facts to the young girl herself when she awakens. Zarema says that she clearly remembers her life in her homeland, the traditions and customs of her people.
But she completely forgot how she got to the Khan’s palace. The Georgian woman says that since she found herself in the possessions of the Crimean ruler, her whole life has been completely devoted only to him.
He is the only reason for her existence. Therefore, Zarema fervently begged Maria to return her beloved man, who, from the moment the girl appeared in the harem, had forgotten his beloved wife. The Georgian woman ends this speech with a threat to deal with the new concubine with a dagger if she does not return her former khan Girey.
The sad fate of Mary
At this time, tragic events occurred in his harem. Maria is killed by the jealous Zarema. Her fate was no easier than that of the poor girl. She was captured by the harem servants and drowned in a mountain river.
End of the summary of "Bakhchisarai Fountain"
Returning home, Khan Giray erected a fountain in memory of his failed love. It was crowned with both the Muslim crescent and the Christian cross. Local girls dubbed this sculpture the “Fountain of Tears.”
The afterword represents the author's memories of his stay in Crimea and his visit to the Khan's Palace.
According to him, during this excursion he constantly saw a certain girl. He couldn’t tell who she was, Zarema or Maria. The book ends with a picturesque description of the southern nature of Crimea. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin confesses his love for these places and local history.
Crimean Khan Giray sits thoughtfully in his palace. He is tormented by some persistent thought. Giray goes to his harem, where his wives, changing their magnificent attire, spend time under the supervision of eunuchs. The harem slaves sing a song in praise of the khan’s beloved wife, Zarema. But the beautiful Georgian Zarema herself is not happy about this song. She hung her head like a palm tree crushed by a thunderstorm, for Giray had stopped loving her for the sake of the Polish princess Maria, who had recently been brought into the harem.
Pushkin. Bakhchisarai fountain. Audiobook
Maria grew up in her native country among girlish amusements, delighting her gray-haired father with her beauty at feasts among nobles and rich people. Crowds of nobles sought her hand. But thousands of Tatars poured into Poland from the Crimea and destroyed the castle of Mary’s father, who died fighting them. She herself was taken to the Khan’s Bakhchisarai palace, where she now sheds inconsolable tears, remembering the happy days of the past. Maria’s grief is so strong that Giray himself does not dare to disturb the solitude of the captive who has enchanted him.
The night is coming. The Khan's capital Bakhchisarai is falling asleep in the midst of southern bliss. Girey's palace also falls asleep. Only Zarema is awake. Quietly getting up, she silently walks past the dozing eunuch and goes to Mary. Kneeling in front of her, Zarema asks the young Polish woman to take pity on her. Zarema tells how she had long ago become the khan’s favorite concubine, and since then both of them “breathed happiness in continuous rapture.” But Girey changed when Maria was brought to the harem. Zarema begs her to return her lover to her. Having reached the point of frenzy, she suddenly changes her tone and says that if Maria does not fulfill her request, then let her remember: in her Caucasian homeland Zarema learned to wield a dagger!
Zarema leaves. Meek Mary does not know what to do. Pushkin speaks mutely about further events. He only mentions that Maria soon died suddenly, and on the night of her death, the palace guards, by order of the khan, drowned Zarema. Giray, in desperate anguish, led the Tatar hordes on a campaign to the Caucasus. Having satisfied his revenge with murder and devastation, he returned to Taurida, where “in memory of the sorrowful Mary he erected a marble fountain” in a secluded corner of the palace. Here, the water murmurs, never ceasing. The young maidens of that country call the gloomy monument a fountain of tears.
Pushkin writes that he, many years after all this, visited the Bakhchisarai palace and fountain. The predatory Tatar Khanate had already ceased to exist after joining Russia. There was neither the harem nor the Gireys. But the legend about the fountain made a strong impression on the poet. While wandering around the palace, he imagined the shadow of a maiden flying behind him, and he did not know who it was: the vengeful Zarema or the gentle Maria...
On our website you can read the full text and analysis of the poem “The Bakhchisarai Fountain”.