Do you remember,
You all remember, of course,
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly
And something sharp
They threw it in my face.
You said:
It's time for us to part
What tormented you
My crazy life
That it's time for you to get down to business,
And my lot is
Roll further down.
Darling!
You didn't love me.
You didn’t know that in the crowd of people
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.
You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm tormented because I don't understand -
Where does the fate of events take us?
Face to face
You can't see the face.
Big things can be seen from a distance.
When the sea surface boils -
The ship is in poor condition.
Earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
For a new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.
Well, which of us is the biggest on deck?
Didn’t fall, vomit or swear?
There are few of them, with an experienced soul,
Who remained strong in pitching.
Then I too
To the wild noise
But maturely knowing the work,
He went down into the ship's hold,
So as not to watch people vomit.
That hold was -
Russian pub.
And I leaned over the glass,
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.
Darling!
I tormented you
You were sad
In the eyes of the tired:
What am I showing off to you?
Wasted himself in scandals.
But you didn't know
What's in the smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm suffering
What I don't understand
Where does the fate of events take us...
Now the years have passed.
I'm at a different age.
And I feel and think differently.
And I say over festive wine:
Praise and glory to the helmsman!
Today I
In the shock of tender feelings.
I remembered your sad tiredness.
And now
I'm rushing to tell you,
What I was like
And what happened to me!
Darling!
I'm pleased to say:
I avoided falling off the cliff.
Now in the Soviet side
I am the fiercest travel companion.
I have become the wrong person
Who was he then?
I wouldn't torture you
As it was before.
For the banner of liberty
And good work
I'm ready to go even to the English Channel.
Forgive me...
I know: you are not the same -
Do you live
With a serious, intelligent husband;
That you don’t need our toil,
And I myself to you
Not needed one bit.
Live like this
How the star guides you
Under the tabernacle of the renewed canopy.
With greetings,
always remembering you
Your acquaintance
Sergey Yesenin.
Analysis of the poem “Letter to a Woman” by Yesenin
Love lyrics occupy a large place in Yesenin’s work. The poet repeatedly fell in love and devoted himself to each new novel with all his soul. His whole life became a search for the female ideal, which he could never find. The poem “Letter to a Woman” is dedicated to the poet’s first wife, Z. Reich.
The wedding of Yesenin and Reich took place in 1917, but their family life did not work out. The poet's broad creative nature required new impressions. Yesenin was worried about the enormous changes in the country. The turbulent city life attracted the young author. He was famous and already had ardent fans of his talent. Yesenin increasingly spends time in the company of friends and gradually acquires an addiction to alcohol. Of course, this led to frequent scandals with his wife. In a drunken stupor, Yesenin could raise his hand against her. In the morning he was on his knees begging for forgiveness. But in the evening everything was repeated all over again. The breakup was inevitable.
“Letter to a Woman” was written in 1924, much later than the breakup of the family. It is the poet’s justification to the woman he once loved. In it, Yesenin admits his mistakes, but at the same time reproaches Reich for not understanding the state of his soul. Yesenin’s main accusation, “you didn’t love me,” is based on the fact that a loving woman was obliged to understand and forgive the poet, who was confused in life, and not create scandals for him. Yesenin claims that in the conditions of the emergence of a new government, he felt like “a horse driven into the soap.” He compares Russia to a ship caught in a fierce storm. Seeing no hope of salvation, the poet descends into the hold, which symbolizes a Russian tavern, in an attempt to drown out despair with wine.
Yesenin admits that he caused suffering to his wife, but he also suffered, not understanding what Russia would finally come to.
The poet connects his transformation with the strong establishment of Soviet power. It is unlikely that he is extremely sincere when he speaks of his unconditional support for the new regime. Yesenin was subject to official criticism for his adherence to old Russia. The change in his views is more likely due to his experience. The matured poet asks his ex-wife for forgiveness. He really feels sorry for the past. Everything could have turned out differently.
The poem ends with an optimistic ending. Yesenin is glad that Reich was able to arrange her personal life. He wishes her happiness and reminds her that he will never forget the happy moments they shared.
Do you remember,
Of course, you all remember
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly
And something sharp
They threw it in my face.You said:
It's time for us to part
What tormented you
My crazy life
That it's time for you to get down to business,
And my destiny is
Roll further down.Darling!
You didn't love me.
You didn’t know that in the crowd of people
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm tormented because I don't understand...
Where does the fate of events take us?Face to face
You can't see the face.
Big things can be seen from a distance.
When the sea surface boils,
The ship is in poor condition.The earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
For a new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.Well, which of us is the biggest on deck?
Didn’t fall, vomit or swear?
There are few of them, with an experienced soul,
Who remained strong in pitching.Then I too
To the wild noise
But maturely knowing the work,
He went down into the ship's hold,
So as not to watch people vomit.
That hold was-
Russian pub.
And I leaned over the glass,
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.Darling!
I tormented you
You were sad
In the eyes of the tired:
What am I showing off to you?
Wasted himself in scandals.But you didn't know
What's in the smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm suffering
What I don't understand
Where does the fate of events take us...***
Now the years have passed
I'm at a different age.
And I feel and think differently.
And I say over festive wine:
Praise and glory to the helmsman!Today I
In the shock of tender feelings.
I remembered your sad tiredness.
And now
I'm rushing to tell you,
What was I like
And what happened to me!Darling!
I'm pleased to say:
I avoided falling off the cliff.
Now in the Soviet side
I am the fiercest travel companion.I have become the wrong person
Who was he then?
I wouldn't torture you
As it was before.
For the banner of liberty
And good work
I'm ready to go even to the English Channel.Forgive me...
I know you're not the same...
Do you live
With a serious, intelligent husband;
That you don’t need our toil,
And I myself to you
Not needed one bit.Live like this
How the star guides you
Under the tabernacle of the renewed canopy.
With greetings,
always remembering you
Your acquaintance
Literary scholars attribute this message to a completely new round in the work of Sergei Yesenin, when he rethinks his views on life and the future of the country. Addressing the woman, the poet reflects on the future of both himself and the country. And these lines are addressed to Yesenin’s only real wife, from whom he asks for forgiveness...
Sergei Yesenin’s touching poem “Letter to a Woman” is dedicated to his wife Zinaida Reich. The poet left her, succumbing to a fleeting passion when she was expecting her second child. The divorce devastated the woman, and she spent a long time being treated in a mental health clinic. And only in 1922 Zinaida Reich married director Vsevolod Meyerhold. It was he who took responsibility for Yesenin’s children.
However, Yesenin himself blamed his wife for the divorce, claiming that it was she who insisted on breaking off the relationship. According to the poet’s friends, he never forgave Zinaida because she lied to him and said that before the wedding she had no connections with men. Because of this lie, I was unable to gain confidence in her.
But one way or another, in 1924 Yesenin was visited by repentance, and he asked for forgiveness from his ex-wife in poetic lines...
And in 1924 he wrote a famous poem in which he asks for forgiveness from his ex-wife.
Do you remember,
You all remember, of course,
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly
And something sharp
They threw it in my face.
You said:
It's time for us to part
What tormented you
My crazy life
That it's time for you to get down to business,
And my lot is
Roll further down.
Darling!
You didn't love me.
You didn’t know that in the crowd of people
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.
You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm tormented because I don't understand -
Where does the fate of events take us?
Face to face
You can't see the face.
Big things can be seen from a distance.
When the sea surface boils -
The ship is in poor condition.
Earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
For a new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.
Well, which of us is the biggest on deck?
Didn’t fall, vomit or swear?
There are few of them, with an experienced soul,
Who remained strong in pitching.
Then I too
To the wild noise
But maturely knowing the work,
He went down into the ship's hold,
So as not to watch people vomit.
That hold was -
Russian pub.
And I leaned over the glass,
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.
Darling!
I tormented you
You were sad
In the eyes of the tired:
What am I showing off to you?
Wasted himself in scandals.
But you didn't know
What's in the smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm suffering
What I don't understand
Where does the fate of events take us...
Now the years have passed.
I'm at a different age.
And I feel and think differently.
And I say over festive wine:
Praise and glory to the helmsman!
Today I
In the shock of tender feelings.
I remembered your sad tiredness.
And now
I'm rushing to tell you,
What I was like
And what happened to me!
Darling!
I'm pleased to say:
I avoided falling off the cliff.
Now in the Soviet side
I am the fiercest travel companion.
I have become the wrong person
Who was he then?
I wouldn't torture you
As it was before.
For the banner of liberty
And good work
I'm ready to go even to the English Channel.
Forgive me...
I know: you are not the same -
Do you live
With a serious, intelligent husband;
That you don’t need our toil,
And I myself to you
Not needed one bit.
Live like this
How the star guides you
Under the tabernacle of the renewed canopy.
With greetings,
always remembering you
Your acquaintance
Sergey Yesenin.
And today, they remain a mystery for literary scholars and historians.
“Letter to a Woman” Sergei Yesenin
Do you remember,
You all remember, of course,
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly
And something sharp
They threw it in my face.
You said:
It's time for us to part
What tormented you
My crazy life
That it's time for you to get down to business,
And my destiny is
Roll further down.
Darling!
You didn't love me.
You didn’t know that in the crowd of people
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.
You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That’s why I’m tormented because I don’t understand -
Where does the fate of events take us?
Face to face
You can't see the face.Big things can be seen from a distance.
When the sea surface boils -
The ship is in poor condition.
The earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
For a new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.Well, which of us is the biggest on deck?
Didn’t fall, vomit or swear?
There are few of them, with an experienced soul,
Who remained strong in pitching.Then I too
To the wild noise
But maturely knowing the work,
He went down into the ship's hold,
So as not to watch people vomit.That hold was -
Russian pub.
And I leaned over the glass,
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.Darling!
I tormented you
You were sad
In the eyes of the tired:
What am I showing off to you?
Wasted himself in scandals.
But you didn't know
What's in the smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm suffering
What I don't understand
Where does the fate of events take us...Now the years have passed.
I'm at a different age.
And I feel and think differently.
And I say over festive wine:
Praise and glory to the helmsman!
Today I
In the shock of tender feelings.
I remembered your sad tiredness.
And now
I'm rushing to tell you,
What I was like
And what happened to me!Darling!
I'm pleased to say:
I avoided falling off the cliff.
Now in the Soviet side
I am the fiercest travel companion.
I have become the wrong person
Who was he then?
I wouldn't torture you
As it was before.
For the banner of liberty
And good work
I'm ready to go even to the English Channel.
Forgive me...
I know: you are not the same -
Do you live
With a serious, intelligent husband;
That you don’t need our toil,
And I myself to you
Not needed one bit.
Live like this
How the star guides you
Under the tabernacle of the renewed canopy.
With greetings,
always remembering you
Your acquaintance
Sergey Yesenin.
Analysis of Yesenin’s poem “Letter to a Woman”
There were many women in Sergei Yesenin’s life, but he did not have warm and tender feelings for all of them. Among them is Zinaida Reich, the poet’s first wife, whom he abandoned for the sake of his new hobby. It is noteworthy that Yesenin broke up with this woman at the moment when she was expecting her second child. Subsequently, the poet repented of his actions and even took upon himself the obligation to financially provide for his ex-wife and two children.
In 1922, Zinaida Reich remarried director Vsevolod Meyerhold, who soon adopted Yesenin’s children. However, the poet cannot forgive himself for what he did to his wife. In 1924, he dedicated a poem of repentance to her entitled “Letter to a Woman,” in which he asked his ex-wife for forgiveness. It is noteworthy that from the context of this work it follows that it was Zinaida Reich who insisted on breaking off relations with Yesenin, although after her divorce from the poet she was forced to undergo treatment for some time in a clinic for the mentally ill, since the dissolution of the marriage was a real collapse for her. However, acquaintances of this couple claimed that already at that moment Reich skillfully used her acting abilities, acting out scenes, one of which the poet describes in his poem. “You said: it’s time for us to part, that you are tormented by my crazy life,” notes Yesenin. And, apparently, it was phrases like these that strengthened his intention to get a divorce. In addition, according to the recollections of eyewitnesses, the poet could not forgive his chosen one for a long-standing deception: Reich lied that she had not had a man before the wedding, and such deceit was the first step towards breaking off the relationship. Yesenin was not tormented by jealousy, although he admitted that it was painful for him to learn the truth. However, I constantly wondered why this woman hid the truth. Therefore, it is not surprising that the poetic message to her contains the following phrase: “Beloved! You didn't love me." It is not accidental, because the word love is for the poet synonymous with trust, which did not exist between him and Zinaida Reich. There is no reproach in these words, but only bitterness from disappointment, since Yesenin only now realizes that he has connected his life with a person completely alien to him. He really tried to build a family and hoped that it would become for him a reliable refuge from everyday hardships. But, according to the poet, it turned out that he “was like a horse driven into the soap, spurred by a brave rider.”
Realizing that his family life was collapsing, the poet was sure that “the ship was in a deplorable state” and would soon sink. By sea vessel he means himself, noting that drunken scandals and brawls are the result of an unsuccessful marriage. His future is predetermined by Zinaida Reich, who prophesies the poet's death in a drunken stupor. But this does not happen, and years later Yesenin wants to tell his ex-wife in a poem what he really became. “I’m pleased to say: I avoided falling from the cliff,” the poet notes, emphasizing that he has become a completely different person. With his current views on life, the author feels that he would hardly torment this woman with betrayals and reproaches. And Zinaida Reich herself has changed, which Yesenin says openly: “You don’t need our toil and you don’t need me one bit.” But the poet does not hold a grudge against this woman, who has found her happiness in life. He forgives her for her insults, lies, and contempt, emphasizing that fate has taken them in different directions. And no one should be blamed for this, since each of them has their own path, their own goals and their own future, in which they will never be able to be together again.