Biography
Zinaida Nikolaevna Gippius (1869−1945) was from a Russified German family; her father’s ancestors moved to Russia in the 19th century; mother is from Siberia. Due to the family’s frequent moves (her father is a lawyer and held high positions), Z. Gippius did not receive a systematic education, she attended in fits and starts educational establishments. Since childhood, I have been interested in “writing poetry and secret diaries.” In 1889, in Tiflis, she married D.S. Merezhkovsky, with whom she “lived for 52 years, without being separated for a single day.” Together with her husband, she moved to St. Petersburg that same year; here the Merezhkovsky couple made wide literary acquaintances and soon took a prominent place in artistic life capital Cities.
Poems by Z. Gippius, published in the journal of “senior” symbolists “Northern Herald” - “Song” (“I need something that is not in the world ...”) and “Dedication” (with the lines: “I love myself like God” ) immediately became notorious. In 1904, “Collected Poems” was published. 1889−1893" and in 1910 - "Collected poems. Book 2. 1903−1909", united with the first book by the constancy of themes and images: the mental discord of a person searching for everything higher meaning, a divine justification for a low earthly existence, but which never found sufficient reasons to reconcile and accept - neither the “heaviness of happiness” nor the renunciation of it.
In 1899-1901 Gippius worked closely with the magazine “World of Art”; in 1901-1904 he was one of the organizers and active participant of the Religious and Philosophical Meetings and the actual co-editor of the magazine " New way", where her smart and sharp critical articles are published under the pseudonym Anton Krainy, later becomes the leading critic of the magazine "Scales" (in 1908, selected articles were published as a separate book - "Literary Diary").
At the beginning of the century, the Merezhkovskys’ apartment became one of the centers cultural life Petersburg, where young poets underwent a difficult test through personal acquaintance with
"matress". Z. Gippius placed high, extreme demands on poetry for religious service to beauty and truth (“poems are prayers”). The collections of stories by Z. Gippius enjoyed much less success among readers and caused sharp attacks from critics.
The events of the Revolution of 1905−1907 became turning points in the life creative biography Z. Gippius. If before this time socio-political issues were outside the sphere of interests of Z. Gippius, then after January 9, which, according to the writer, “turned” her, current social issues, “ civic motives"become dominant in her work, especially in prose. Z. Gippius and D. Merezhkovsky become irreconcilable opponents of the autocracy, fighters against the conservative state structure Russia (“Yes, autocracy is from the Antichrist,” writes Gippius at this time).
In February 1906 they left for Paris, where they spent more than two years. Here the Merezhkovsky spouses publish a collection of anti-monarchist articles on French, are getting closer to revolutionary circles, maintaining relations with B. Savinkov. Passion for politics did not cancel the mystical quest of Z. Gippius: the new slogan - “religious public” implied the unification of all the radical forces of the intelligentsia to solve the problem of renovating Russia.
Political leanings are reflected in literary creativity those years; the novels “The Devil's Doll” (1911) and “The Roman Tsarevich” (1912) are openly tendentious and “problematic.” Dramatically changed life position Z. Gippius appeared in an unusual way during the First World War, when she began to write “common” women’s letters stylized as lubok to soldiers at the front, sometimes putting them in pouches, on behalf of three women (“pseudonyms” - the names and surnames of Z.’s three servants. Gippius). These poetic messages(“Fly, fly, gift, “To the far side”, etc.), which do not represent artistic value, had a great public response.
Z. Gippius accepted the October Revolution with hostility (collection “Last Poems. 1911−1918”, Pg., 1918) and at the beginning of 1920 she emigrated with her husband and settled in France. Two more of her poetry collections were published abroad: “Poems. Diary 1911−1921" (Berlin, 1922) and "Radiances" (Paris, 1939).
Zinaida Nikolaevna Gippius was born on November 20, 1869 in the city of Belev Tula region Russian Empire. Her paternal ancestors were German settlers, and her mother was Siberian.
Unfortunately, due to her father’s work and the associated moves, Zinaida was never able to receive a permanent education. However, from childhood she was distinguished by an enviable love of literature, writing poetry and secret diaries.
In 1881, her father dies of tuberculosis, and her mother decides to move the whole family to Borjomi. At the age of 18 she met D.S. Merezhkovsky and 2 years later in 1889 she married him. By the way, their marriage lasted, no less, 52 years. The Merezhkovskys immediately moved to St. Petersburg, where they soon took a prominent place in the cultural life of the capital.
IN late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, Zinaida collaborates with the magazine “World of Art”, a couple of years later she writes her harsh critical articles under the pseudonym Anton Krainy. Revolution of 1905-1907 The Merezhkovskys do not accept it and act as obvious opponents. In February 1906 they had to go to Paris, where they spent the next two years of their life together. In France, they did not waste time; they became close to revolutionary circles and published a collection of anti-monarchist articles in French.
They returned to their homeland only in 1908, but with the outbreak of the First World War they sharply spoke out against Russia’s participation in it. This is the only reason why Zinaida Gippius welcomes the revolution of 1917, hoping that it will put an end to the war. The Merezhkovskys establish close ties with the head of the Provisional Government, A.F. Kerensky, but quickly cease to trust him. In the early 20s, she and her husband had to leave the country and work abroad. Zinaida Nikolaevna passed away on September 9, 1945. She died far from her homeland, in Paris.
"The Corsair" is one of the famous "Eastern poems" by Lord George Byron.
In the winter of 1813, the romantic poet George Gordon Byron began his extensive work on creating a masterpiece of English poetry, the poem "The Corsair", written in heroic couplets. The work was completed in 1814. Byron develops the genre romantic poem, using rhyming pentameter verse.
The poetry begins with a preface dedicated to a close friend and author, Thomas Moore. The story consists of three songs. The action of the poem develops on the Greek islands, as well as on the shores of Greece in Koroni. Exact time The author does not indicate the poem, but it is not difficult to guess from the songs that this is the era of the enslavement of Greece Ottoman Empire.
The poet takes the conflict of the rebel protagonist with the world as a basis. He fights for love and fights against a society that once drove him away, calling him an enemy of the people.
The image of a lyrical hero
The main character of the poem "Corsair" is the captain sea pirates Konrath and his beloved Medora. The poet describes Konrath as a strong, gifted person who would have been able to do great good deeds if not for being expelled by society. He prefers to lead free life on desert island, away from cities. As a brave, wise leader, he is cruel and powerful. He is respected and even feared.
Around, on all the seas,
The name alone sows fear in souls;
He is stingy in speech - he only knows the order,
The hand is strong, the eye is sharp and sharp.
But, despite all this, Konrat is a lone hero, in whose blood flows the spirit of struggle and the power of protest. He is fierce and wild, strong and wise. To distract his thoughts, he rushes into a fight with society, despite their advantage.
Conrath is a typical Byronic hero. He has no friends and no one knows him past life. Only after reading the poem can one say that in the past the hero was a completely different person who did good. The hero is an individualist, immersed in his unknown inner world.
Brief description of the plot
The first acquaintance with Konrath takes place on the top of a cliff, where he, leaning on his sword, examines the beauty of the waves. Byron introduces us to the hero, showing a detailed portrait of Konrath.
Tanned cheek, white forehead,
A wave of curls is like a crow's wing;
The curl of the lip involuntarily reveals
Arrogant thoughts are a secret passage;
Although the voice is quiet, but the appearance is straight and bold,
There is something in him that he would like to hide.
In the first song, the action develops on a pirate island, where the pirate leader Konrath receives some news, which forces him to say goodbye to his beloved Medora and raise the sails. Where and why the pirates went is clear from the second song of the poem.
In the second part main character about to strike death blow to his enemy Seyid Pasha. Konrath sneaks into the enemy's feast. He is going to commit his crime at the time when Seid Pasha's fleet is set on fire by pirates. Since the fleet was set on fire before the specified time, a fierce and hot battle begins, where Konrat rescues his enemy’s beloved wife, Gulnar, from the burning seraglio. Having made a mistake, the pirates were forced to flee, and Konrath himself was captured by enemies and thrown into prison.
In the third song, Seyid Pasha is going to execute the main character, inventing the most painful death for him. Gulnar, who was rescued by the pirate captain, falls in love with him. Secretly from Seid Pasha, she tries to persuade Konrat to arrange his escape. The captain did not want to owe her freedom, since he did not love her. His heart belongs to only one girl in the world - Medora. Blinded true love, Gulnar kills her husband and, having persuaded the guards, arranges an escape for Konrat. They run together to a ship that is heading to the pirate island. Upon arrival, the captain learns of the death of his beloved, who could not bear the news of his captivity.
Everything is in vain - day after day rolls by,
Conrad is gone, and there is no news of him,
And there is no trace of his fate anywhere:
Did he die or disappeared forever?
Having lost the meaning of his life, Konrat disappears without a trace and is never seen again. It remains a mystery what happened to the main character.
He is not in the tower, not on the shore;
We searched the whole island on the run,
Barren... Night; and the day has come again
Only an echo echoed among them among the rocks.
Every hidden grotto has been searched;
A piece of the chain securing the bot
He inspired hope: the brig would follow him!
Fruitless! A series of days passes,
No Conrad, he disappeared forever.
The poem "Corsair" is one of the classic examples of romanticism.
Full of picturesque contrasts, the coloring of “The Giaour” also distinguishes Byron’s next work in the “eastern” cycle - the more extensive poem “The Corsair”, written in heroic couplets. In a short prose introduction to the poem, dedicated to the author’s fellow writer and like-minded person, Thomas Moore, the author warns against what is, in his opinion, a characteristic vice of modern criticism - the wrongful identification of the main characters, which has haunted him since the days of Childe Harold - be it Giaour or someone else the other is with the creator of the works. At the same time, the epigraph to the new poem - a line from Tasso's "Jerusalem Liberated" - emphasizes the internal duality of the hero as the most important emotional leitmotif of the narrative.
The action of “Corsair” takes place in the south of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, in the port of Koroni and the Pirate Island, lost in the vastness of the Mediterranean. The time of action is not precisely indicated, but it is easy to conclude that the reader is facing the same era of the enslavement of Greece by the Ottoman Empire, which entered a phase of crisis. The figurative speech devices that characterize the characters and what is happening are close to those familiar from “The Giaur”, however new poem it is more compact in composition, its plot is more detailed (especially with regard to the adventurous “background”), and the development of events and their sequence are more orderly.
The first song opens with a passionate speech, depicting the romance of the pirate lot, filled with risk and anxiety. Bonded by a sense of military camaraderie, the filibusters idolize their fearless chieftain, Conrad. And now the fast brig is under terrifying for the whole district pirate flag brought encouraging news: the Greek gunner reported that in the coming days a raid on the city and the palace of the Turkish governor Seid could be carried out. Accustomed to the oddities of the commander’s character, the pirates become timid when they find him immersed in deep thought. Several stanzas follow detailed description Conrad (“Mysterious and forever alone, / It seemed that he could not smile”), inspiring admiration for heroism and fear - the unpredictable impulsiveness of someone who had withdrawn into himself, who had lost faith in illusions (“He among people is the hardest of schools - / The path of disappointment has passed”) - in a word, carrying within itself most typical features a romantic rebel-individualist, whose heart is warmed by one indomitable passion - love for Medora.
Conrad's beloved reciprocates his feelings; and one of the most heartfelt pages in the poem becomes love song Medora and the scene of the heroes' farewell before the campaign. Left alone, she finds no place for herself, as always worrying for his life, and he is on the deck of the brig giving instructions to the team, fully prepared to carry out a daring attack - and win.
The second song takes us to the banquet hall in Seid's palace. The Turks, for their part, have long been planning to finally clear the sea surroundings of pirates and are dividing up the rich booty in advance. The pasha's attention is attracted by a mysterious dervish in rags, who appears from nowhere at the feast. He says that he was captured by infidels and managed to escape from his captors, but he flatly refuses to taste the luxurious dishes, citing the vow made to the prophet. Suspecting him as a spy, Seid orders to seize him, and then the stranger instantly transforms: under the humble guise of a wanderer was hiding a warrior in armor and with a sword that strikes on the spot. The hall and the approaches to it are instantly filled with Conrad’s comrades; a furious battle begins: “The palace is on fire, the minaret is burning.”
Having crushed the resistance of the Turks, the merciless pirate, however, shows genuine chivalry when the flames that engulfed the palace spread to the female half. He forbids his brothers in arms to resort to violence against the Pasha’s slaves and he himself carries the most beautiful of them, the black-eyed Gulnar, out of the fire in his arms. Meanwhile, Seid, who escaped from the pirate blade in the confusion of the battle, organizes his numerous Guards in a counterattack, and Konrad has to entrust Gulnar and her friends in misfortune to the care of a simple Turkish house, and he himself has to enter into an unequal confrontation. Around him, one after another, his slain comrades fall; He, having cut down countless enemies, is captured barely alive.
Deciding to torture Conrad and terrible execution, the bloodthirsty Seid orders to be placed in a cramped casemate. The hero is not afraid of future trials; in the face of death, only one thought worries him: “How will Medora meet the news, the evil news?” He falls asleep on a stone bed, and when he wakes up, he discovers the black-eyed Gulnar secretly sneaking into the prison in his prison, completely captivated by his courage and nobility. Promising to persuade the pasha to delay the impending execution, she offers to help the corsair escape. He hesitates: running cowardly from the enemy is not in his habits. But Medora... After listening to his passionate confession, Gulnar sighs: “Alas! Love is only given to the free!”
The third song opens with the author's poetic declaration of love for Greece (“Beautiful city of Athens! Whoever saw the sunset / Your wondrous one will come back...”), followed by a picture of the Pirate Island, where Medora is waiting in vain for Conrad. A boat with the remnants of his detachment approaches the shore, bringing terrible news: their leader is wounded and captured, the filibusters unanimously decide to rescue Conrad from captivity at any cost.
Meanwhile, Gulnar’s persuasion to delay the painful execution of “Gyaur” has an unexpected effect on Seid: he suspects that his beloved slave is not indifferent to the captive and is plotting treason. Showering the girl with threats, he kicks her out of her chambers.
Three days later, Gulnar once again enters the dungeon where Conrad is languishing. Insulted by the tyrant, she offers the prisoner freedom and revenge: he must stab the pasha in the silence of the night. The pirate recoils; follows the woman’s excited confession: “Don’t call revenge on a despot a crime! / Your despicable enemy must fall in blood! / Did you flinch? Yes, I want to become different: / Pushed away, insulted - I take revenge! / I am undeservedly accused: / Although I was a slave, I was faithful!”
“A sword - but not a secret knife!” - this is Conrad's counter-argument. Gulnar disappears to appear at dawn: she herself took revenge on the tyrant and bribed the guards; a boat and a boatman are waiting for them at the coast to take them to the treasured island.
The hero is confused: there is an irreconcilable conflict in his soul. By the will of circumstances, he owes his life to a woman in love with him, and he himself still loves Medora. Gulnar is also depressed: in Conrad’s silence she reads condemnation of the atrocity she has committed. Only a fleeting hug and a friendly kiss from the prisoner she saved brings her to her senses.
On the island, the pirates joyfully welcome their leader who has returned to them. But the price set by providence for the hero’s miraculous deliverance is incredible: in the castle tower only one window does not light up - Medora’s window. Tormented a terrible premonition, he goes up the stairs... Medora is dead.
Conrad's grief is inescapable. In solitude, he mourns his girlfriend, and then disappears without a trace: “A series of days passes, / There is no Conrad, he disappeared forever, / And not a single hint announced, / Where he suffered, where he buried the flour! / He was mourned only by his own gang; / His girlfriend was received by the mausoleum... / He will live in the traditions of families / With one love, with a thousand atrocities.” The ending of “The Corsair,” like “The Giaour,” leaves the reader alone with the feeling of an incompletely solved mystery surrounding the entire existence of the protagonist.
Full of picturesque contrasts, the coloring of “The Giaour” also distinguishes Byron’s next work of the “eastern” cycle - the more extensive poem “The Corsair”, written in heroic couplets. In a short prose introduction to the poem, dedicated to the author’s fellow writer and like-minded person Thomas Moore, the author warns against what he considers a characteristic vice of modern criticism - the wrongful identification of the main characters, which has haunted him since the days of Childe Harold - be it Giaour or someone else the other is with the creator of the works. At the same time, the epigraph to the new poem – a line from Tasso’s “Jerusalem Liberated” – emphasizes the hero’s internal duality as the most important emotional leitmotif of the narrative.
The action of “Corsair” takes place in the south of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, in the port of Koroni and the Pirate Island, lost in the vastness of the Mediterranean. The time of action is not precisely indicated, but it is easy to conclude that the reader is facing the same era of the enslavement of Greece by the Ottoman Empire, which entered a crisis phase. The figurative speech means characterizing the characters and what is happening are close to those familiar from “Gyaur”, however, the new poem is more compact in composition, its plot is more detailed (especially with regard to the adventurous “background”), and the development of events and their sequence - more orderly.
The first song opens with a passionate speech, depicting the romance of the pirate lot, filled with risk and anxiety. Bonded by a sense of military camaraderie, the filibusters idolize their fearless chieftain, Conrad. And now the fast brig, under the pirate flag that terrified the entire area, brought encouraging news: the Greek gunner reported that in the coming days a raid on the city and the palace of the Turkish governor Seid could be carried out. Accustomed to the oddities of the commander’s character, the pirates become timid when they find him immersed in deep thought. Several stanzas follow with a detailed description of Conrad (“Mysterious and forever alone, It seemed that he could not smile”), inspiring admiration for heroism and fear - the unpredictable impulsiveness of someone who has withdrawn into himself, who has lost faith in illusions (“He is among people the most difficult of schools - The path of disappointment - passed”) - in a word, bearing the most typical features of a romantic rebel-individualist, whose heart is warmed by one indomitable passion - love for Medora.
Conrad's beloved reciprocates his feelings; and one of the most heartfelt pages in the poem is Medora’s love song and the scene of the heroes’ farewell before the campaign. Left alone, she finds no place for herself, as always worrying for his life, and he is on the deck of the brig giving instructions to the team, fully prepared to carry out a daring attack - and win.
The second song takes us to the banquet hall in Seid's palace. The Turks, for their part, have long been planning to finally clear the sea surroundings of pirates and are dividing up the rich booty in advance. The pasha's attention is attracted by a mysterious dervish in rags, who appears from nowhere at the feast. He says that he was captured by infidels and managed to escape from his captors, but he flatly refuses to taste the luxurious dishes, citing the vow made to the prophet. Suspecting him as a spy, Seid orders to seize him, and then the stranger instantly transforms: under the humble guise of a wanderer was hiding a warrior in armor and with a sword that strikes on the spot. The hall and the approaches to it are instantly filled with Conrad’s comrades; a furious battle begins: “The palace is on fire, the minaret is burning.”
Having crushed the resistance of the Turks, the merciless pirate, however, shows genuine chivalry when the flames that engulfed the palace spread to the female half. He forbids his brothers in arms to resort to violence against the pasha’s slaves and he himself carries the most beautiful of them, the black-eyed Gulnar, out of the fire in his arms. Meanwhile, Seid, who escaped from the pirate blade in the confusion of the battle, organizes his numerous guards in a counterattack, and Konrad has to entrust Gulnar and her friends in misfortune to the care of a simple Turkish house, and he himself has to enter into an unequal confrontation. Around him, one after another, his slain comrades fall; He, having cut down countless enemies, is captured barely alive.
Having decided to subject Conrad to torture and a terrible execution, the bloodthirsty Seid orders him to be placed in a cramped dungeon. The hero is not afraid of future trials; in the face of death, only one thought worries him: “How will Medora meet the news, the evil news?” He falls asleep on a stone bed, and when he wakes up, he discovers the black-eyed Gulnar secretly sneaking into the prison in his prison, completely captivated by his courage and nobility. Promising to persuade the pasha to delay the impending execution, she offers to help the corsair escape. He hesitates: running cowardly from the enemy is not in his habits. But Medora... After listening to his passionate confession, Gulnar sighs: “Alas! Love is only given to the free!”
The third song opens with the author's poetic declaration of love for Greece (“Beautiful city of Athens! Whoever has seen Your wondrous sunset will come back…”), followed by a picture of the Pirate Island, where Medora is waiting in vain for Conrad. A boat with the remnants of his detachment approaches the shore, bringing terrible news: their leader is wounded and captured, the filibusters unanimously decide to rescue Conrad from captivity at any cost.
Meanwhile, Gulnar’s persuasion to delay the painful execution of “Gyaur” has an unexpected effect on Seid: he suspects that his beloved slave is not indifferent to the captive and is plotting treason. Showering the girl with threats, he drives her out of her chambers.
Three days later, Gulnar once again enters the dungeon where Conrad is languishing. Insulted by the tyrant, she offers the prisoner freedom and revenge: he must stab the pasha in the silence of the night. The pirate recoils; followed by the woman’s excited confession: “Don’t call revenge on a despot a crime! Your despicable enemy must fall in blood! Did you flinch? Yes, I want to become different: Pushed away, insulted - I take revenge! I am undeservedly accused: Even though I was a slave, I was faithful!”
“A sword - but not a secret knife!” – this is Conrad’s counter-argument. Gulnar disappears to appear at dawn: she herself took revenge on the tyrant and bribed the guards; a boat and a boatman are waiting for them at the coast to take them to the treasured island.
The hero is confused: there is an irreconcilable conflict in his soul. By the will of circumstances, he owes his life to a woman in love with him, and he himself still loves Medora. Gulnar is also depressed: in Conrad’s silence she reads condemnation of the atrocity she has committed. Only a fleeting hug and a friendly kiss from the prisoner she saved brings her to her senses.
On the island, the pirates joyfully welcome their leader who has returned to them. But the price set by providence for the hero’s miraculous deliverance is incredible: in the castle tower only one window does not light up - Medora’s window. Tormented by a terrible premonition, he climbs the stairs... Medora is dead.
Conrad's grief is inescapable. In solitude, he mourns his girlfriend, and then disappears without a trace: “A series of days passes, Conrad is gone, he disappeared forever, And not a single hint announced Where he suffered, where he buried the flour! He was mourned only by his own gang; His girlfriend was received by the mausoleum... He will live in the traditions of families With one love, with a thousand atrocities.” The ending of “The Corsair,” like “The Giaour,” leaves the reader alone with the feeling of an incompletely solved mystery surrounding the entire existence of the main character.
Option 2
The action of Byron's poem "The Corsair" takes place in the port of Koroni and on the pirate island during the enslavement of Greece by the Turks. The first song tells about the life of a pirate; Byron describes a pirate brig under the command of the filibuster Conrad. In this part of the poem, the captain learns from the Greek spy that now best time to attack the palace of the Turkish governor Seyid. The pirate captain is the image of a typical romantic rebel, a mysterious individualist hero whose heart is warmed by an indomitable love for the girl Medora. The corsair captain's lover reciprocates. Her love song is one of the brightest pages of the poem, as is the heartfelt scene of the lovers parting before the pirate raid.
The second song of the poem presents to our eyes the feast hall of Seid. The Turkish command plans to cleanse the sea of pirate filth. The governor's attention is attracted by a mysterious monk who, who knows how, made his way to the feast. Dervish says that he was captured by the infidels and managed to escape, but he chastely refuses luxurious dishes, citing his vow to the prophet. The shrewd governor suspects the monk of espionage and orders him to be captured. However, the dervish is transformed into a well-armed warrior, clad in plate armor. Conrad's comrades begin an attack on the palace, and a fierce battle begins.
A quick and sudden attack sweeps away the Turkish resistance, but the stern corsair shows true nobility when the fire that engulfed the palace spreads to the women's half of the building. He forbids the pirates to show cruelty towards Seid’s captive concubines and he himself rescues the slave Gulnar from the fire. However, the Turks gather their strength and organize a powerful counterattack that sweeps away the pirates - Conrad’s comrades die, and he, exhausted, is captured.
The Turkish governor sentences the pirate captain to torture and execution, having previously decided to exhaust the filibuster in the dungeons. Conrad is not afraid of death, he is only afraid of how his beloved Medora will take the news of his death. At night, the rescued Gulnar comes to him and offers to help the pirate escape. The brave sailor hesitates to make a decision, because running away from the enemy is not in his habit.
Meanwhile, Gulnar's attempt to delay the execution fails; Seid decides that his beloved concubine is not indifferent to the prisoner and accuses her of treason. Insulted, Gulnar again comes to Conrad and asks him to flee, urging him to secretly kill the despot Seid. But this time too noble corsair does not want to cowardly kill his opponent in a dream. The concubine frees the pirate and kills the governor with her own hands. The prisoners escape from the palace and return to the pirate island.
However, returning home does not bring joy to Conrad, because his beloved Medora does not meet him. He looks for his beloved in her chambers and does not find... Unhappy Medora committed suicide after learning about the upcoming execution of her beloved captain. Unbearable grief falls on Conrad's shoulders. Alone, he mourns his heartmate, and then leaves without leaving a trace. The ending of the play “Corsair” gives the reader the opportunity to unravel the mystery of the main character’s feelings for himself.
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Full of picturesque contrasts, the coloring of “The Giaour” also distinguishes Byron’s next work in the “eastern” cycle - the more extensive poem “The Corsair”, written in heroic couplets. In a short prose introduction to the poem, dedicated to the author’s fellow writer and like-minded person, Thomas Moore, the author warns against what is, in his opinion, a characteristic vice of modern criticism - the wrongful identification of the main characters, which has haunted him since the days of Childe Harold - be it Giaour or someone else the other is with the creator of the works. At the same time, the epigraph to the new poem - a line from Tasso's "Jerusalem Liberated" - emphasizes the internal duality of the hero as the most important emotional leitmotif of the narrative. The action of “Corsair” takes place in the south of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, in the port of Koroni and the Pirate Island, lost in the vastness of the Mediterranean. The time of action is not precisely indicated, but it is easy to conclude that the reader is facing the same era of the enslavement of Greece by the Ottoman Empire, which entered a phase of crisis. The figurative speech means characterizing the characters and what is happening are close to those familiar from “Gyaur”, however, the new poem is more compact in composition, its plot is more detailed (especially with regard to the adventurous “background”), and the development of events and their sequence - more orderly. The first song opens with a passionate speech, depicting the romance of the pirate lot, filled with risk and anxiety. Bonded by a sense of military camaraderie, the filibusters idolize their fearless chieftain, Conrad. And now the fast brig, under the pirate flag that terrified the entire area, brought encouraging news: the Greek gunner reported that in the coming days a raid on the city and the palace of the Turkish governor Seid could be carried out. Accustomed to the oddities of the commander’s character, the pirates become timid when they find him immersed in deep thought. Several stanzas follow with a detailed description of Conrad (“Mysterious and forever alone, / It seemed that he could not smile”), inspiring admiration for heroism and fear - the unpredictable impulsiveness of a man who had withdrawn into himself, who had lost faith in illusions (“He is among people the most difficult of schools - / The Path disappointment - passed") - in a word, bearing the most typical features of a romantic rebel-individualist, whose heart is warmed by one indomitable passion - love for Medora. Conrad's beloved reciprocates his feelings; and one of the most heartfelt pages in the poem is Medora’s love song and the scene of the heroes’ farewell before the campaign. Left alone, she finds no place for herself, as always worried about his life, and he on the deck of the brig gives out instructions to the crew, fully prepared to carry out a daring attack - and win. The second song takes us to the banquet hall in Seid's palace. The Turks, for their part, have long been planning to finally clear the sea surroundings of pirates and are dividing up the rich booty in advance. The pasha's attention is attracted by a mysterious dervish in rags, who appears from nowhere at the feast. He says that he was captured by infidels and managed to escape from his captors, but he flatly refuses to taste the luxurious dishes, citing the vow made to the prophet. Suspecting him as a spy, Seid orders to seize him, and then the stranger instantly transforms: under the humble guise of a wanderer was hiding a warrior in armor and with a sword that strikes on the spot. The hall and the approaches to it are instantly filled with Conrad’s comrades; a furious battle begins: “The palace is on fire, the minaret is burning.” Having crushed the resistance of the Turks, the merciless pirate, however, shows genuine chivalry when the flames that engulfed the palace spread to the female half. He forbids his brothers in arms to resort to violence against the Pasha’s slaves and he himself carries the most beautiful of them, the black-eyed Gulnar, out of the fire in his arms. Meanwhile, Seid, who escaped from the pirate blade in the confusion of the battle, organizes his numerous Guards in a counterattack, and Konrad has to entrust Gulnar and her friends in misfortune to the care of a simple Turkish house, and he himself has to enter into an unequal confrontation. Around him, one after another, his slain comrades fall; He, having cut down countless enemies, is captured barely alive. Having decided to subject Conrad to torture and a terrible execution, the bloodthirsty Seid orders him to be placed in a cramped dungeon. The hero is not afraid of future trials; in the face of death, only one thought worries him: “How will Medora meet the news, the evil news?” He falls asleep on a stone bed, and when he wakes up, he discovers the black-eyed Gulnar secretly sneaking into the prison in his prison, completely captivated by his courage and nobility. Promising to persuade the pasha to delay the impending execution, she offers to help the corsair escape. He hesitates: running cowardly from the enemy is not in his habits. But Medora... After listening to his passionate confession, Gulnar sighs: “Alas! Love is only given to the free!” The third song opens with the author's poetic declaration of love for Greece (“Beautiful city of Athens! Whoever saw the sunset / Your wondrous one will come back...”), followed by a picture of the Pirate Island, where Medora is waiting in vain for Conrad. A boat with the remnants of his detachment approaches the shore, bringing terrible news: their leader is wounded and captured, the filibusters unanimously decide to rescue Conrad from captivity at any cost. Meanwhile, Gulnar’s persuasion to delay the painful execution of “Gyaur” has an unexpected effect on Seid: he suspects that his beloved slave is not indifferent to the captive and is plotting treason. Showering the girl with threats, he kicks her out of her chambers. Three days later, Gulnar once again enters the dungeon where Conrad is languishing. Insulted by the tyrant, she offers the prisoner freedom and revenge: he must stab the pasha in the silence of the night. The pirate recoils; follows the woman’s excited confession: “Don’t call revenge on a despot a crime! / Your despicable enemy must fall in blood! / Did you flinch? Yes, I want to become different: / Pushed away, insulted - I take revenge! / I am undeservedly accused: / Although I was a slave, I was faithful!” “A sword - but not a secret knife!” - this is Conrad's counter-argument. Gulnar disappears to appear at dawn: she herself took revenge on the tyrant and bribed the guards; a boat and a boatman are waiting for them at the coast to take them to the treasured island. The hero is confused: there is an irreconcilable conflict in his soul. By the will of circumstances, he owes his life to a woman in love with him, and he himself still loves Medora. Gulnar is also depressed: in Conrad’s silence she reads condemnation of the atrocity she has committed. Only a fleeting hug and a friendly kiss from the prisoner she saved brings her to her senses. On the island, the pirates joyfully welcome their leader who has returned to them. But the price set by providence for the hero’s miraculous deliverance is incredible: in the castle tower only one window does not light up - Medora’s window. Tormented by a terrible premonition, he climbs the stairs... Medora is dead. Conrad's grief is inescapable. In solitude, he mourns his girlfriend, and then disappears without a trace: “A series of days passes, / There is no Conrad, he disappeared forever, / And not a single hint announced, / Where he suffered, where he buried the flour! / He was mourned only by his own gang; / His girlfriend was received by the mausoleum... / He will live in the traditions of families / With one love, with a thousand atrocities.” The ending of “The Corsair,” like “The Giaour,” leaves the reader alone with the feeling of an incompletely solved mystery surrounding the entire existence of the protagonist.