Analysis of the poem by F.I. Tyutchev "The Last Cataclysm"
1. When it strikes last hour nature,
2. The composition of the parts of the earth will collapse
3. Everything visible will again be covered by waters,
4. And God's face will be depicted in them.
Since the 30s of the 19th century, F.I. Tyutchev begins to be interested philosophical theme in poetry. This is expressed in many poems (“What are you howling about, night wind”, “How the ocean embraces the globe”, “Fires” and “The Last Cataclysm”). In these poems, the author tries to answer the question of what will happen on Earth after the Apocalypse. A giant tornado? Fires? Flood? So far, it is impossible to give an exact and unambiguous answer to this question. But, apparently, Tyutchev comes to the conclusion that everything that exists on our planet developed from air and wind (“About ancient chaos, about the dear one”). Then came the kingdom of the Earth and life on it, which continues to this day. Next, fire will put an end to quiet life on Earth (“Fires”). Apparently, Tyutchev, with the advent of fires, speaks of the coming era of the Antichrist (Devil, Satan).
Smoke after smoke, an abyss of smoke
It weighs down on the ground.
But another element will cover the earth, people, and devilish fires - water. Tyutchev writes the poem “The Last Cataclysm” about the covering of “everything visible” with water.
Here, unlike “Fires,” there is no longer a huge amount hard sounds, since water is a softer element than fire. But it cannot be said that in “The Last Cataclysm” these solid sounds are completely absent. But this is “nature’s last hour,” that is, apparently, the end of the world. “The composition of the earth’s parts” is collapsing, and even what survived the fires.
But the word “visible” from the third line attracts attention. In the Apocalypse, only everything visible perishes. This means, from the poet’s point of view, the “last cataclysm” will not kill the immortal human soul.
It is very important that in the last line Tyutchev talks about “God’s face.” That is, after the devilish era, the kingdom of God will come. God will be stronger than the Devil, and He will cover with water all the horrors of the Earth and fire. And perhaps the end of the world is not perceived by Tyutchev as a tragedy because it is the creator of the world (God) who destroys it. Perhaps God will build something more perfect than today's world.
Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev
When nature's last hour strikes,
The composition of the parts of the earth will collapse:
Everything visible will be covered by waters again,
And God's face will be depicted in them!
Collages by Pablo Genoves
“The Last Cataclysm” is a philosophical miniature first published in the almanac “Dennitsa” in 1831. In it, Tyutchev refers to the legend of the Flood, widespread in mythology. different nations. Among Christians, the most famous story is told in the Book of Genesis. According to her, the flood became a punishment for humanity for its moral failure. The Lord decided to leave only Noah, who was distinguished by his piety, and members of his family alive. God warned them in advance about the coming flood and ordered them to build an ark on which they could be saved during the disaster. The construction of the ship took 120 years. When the work was completed, Noah went on board, taking the animals with him. Immediately after this, water gushed onto the earth, and the flood continued for forty days. It took almost a year for Noah to get off the ark and onto land. As the Book of Genesis says, the ship landed at Mount Ararat. Thanks to God for his salvation, Noah made a sacrifice, after which the Lord blessed him and everything on earth.
Tyutchev’s poem speaks of a repetition of the global flood: “...Everything visible will again be covered by waters...”. The poet anticipates a catastrophe, but, in his opinion, it will bring more than just destruction to the earth. After the flood, the world will return to the beginning of time, to its divine origins. “The Last Cataclysm” is not a doomsday horror story. Water here acts as a source of life, and as a consequence, perpetual motion, which is generally characteristic of Tyutchev’s work. In a significant part of his landscape and philosophical poems, her image appears in one form or another - “Wave and Thought”, “Snowy Mountains”, “Fountain”. This list can be continued for a very long time. According to Tyutchev, water will completely absorb the earth, but new life will subsequently emerge from it. It turns out that the poem shows a single and two-faced process at the same time. Maximum destruction becomes the beginning of maximum creation. The Earth must plunge into chaos, which, according to ancient Greek mythology, is the primary state of the Universe.
According to a number of literary scholars, “The Last Cataclysm” has a social connotation - Tyutchev compares social shocks with natural disasters. This statement is not without meaning. Fyodor Ivanovich was very skeptical about revolutions and coups, which was reflected in his journalistic articles. The poet sometimes expressed his political views in poems. According to Tyutchev, in his contemporary world there were only two forces - conservative Russia and revolutionary Europe. Fyodor Ivanovich believed that under the auspices of the former it was necessary to create a union of Slavic-Orthodox countries. In 1848, the poet took up the position of senior censor. As part of his activities, he prohibited the distribution in the territory Russian Empire Manifesto of the Communist Party, translated into Russian. If we take into account Tyutchev’s political views, then “The Last Cataclysm” can indeed be perceived as a statement about social upheavals, which often lead to irreversible catastrophic consequences.
The poem is written in iambic pentameter. The size was not chosen by the poet by chance. As Tomashevsky wrote, in the first decades of the 19th century, iambic pentameter began to be widely used in tragedies. Tyutchev emphasizes the sublime tragedy of his work with the help of vocabulary: “the last hour will strike,” “the waters will cover,” “the composition of the earthly parts will collapse.” The fact that the catastrophe will lead to the birth of a new life is evidenced by the last line. For her, Fyodor Ivanovich chooses positively colored vocabulary: “...And God’s face will be depicted in them!”
There are probably few of them. For one of the most memorable works of F.I. Tyutchev is “Silentium”. Meanwhile, the poem “The Last Cataclysm” contains a very deep philosophical meaning. Do you want to know which one? The article explains in detail.
It consists of one quatrain. What did Tyutchev want to convey to the reader in such a short work? Why was it written? How does it reflect the poet’s worldview?
Let's look for answers to these questions. They lie on the surface. Read the article and see for yourself.
What does it represent?
"The Last Cataclysm" is a philosophical miniature. It is dedicated to the topic Flood. Why does the poet address this biblical theme? He foresees a new catastrophe. But which one? Will it be a repeat of the previous one? Maybe yes, maybe not.
Let's turn to the Book of Genesis
According to Old Testament history, God was angry with people. To such an extent that he decided to destroy His own creation. But among the sea of people there was a godly man named Noah. It was he who was warned by God about the coming flood, ordering him to build a ship. In this ship it was possible to escape from the flood.
Construction work lasted many years. Finally the ark was ready. Noah and his family boarded it, taking their animals with them. There's a pair of each creature. Immediately after this, the rain started pouring down.
It rained for forty days and nights. And it took Noah about a year to reach land. The Ark landed on Mount Ararat. Pious Noah thanked God for his salvation. After which God promised that the Great Flood would never happen again.
Tyutchev about a new catastrophe
In the poem "The Last Cataclysm" Fyodor Ivanovich talks about the coming catastrophe. He has a presentiment of it, as mentioned above. But at the same time, Fyodor Ivanovich views the new flood as a source of life. Sounds quite strange. However, according to Tyutchev, after the flood the world will return to its roots. To the beginning of time. Water will absorb all living things, but at the same time it will become a source of new life. Maximum destruction becomes maximum creation. The earth is falling into chaos, this is its initial state.
So "The Final Cataclysm" is not something scary. Not a gloomy prediction of the end of the world, but a reflection of the source of new life, eternal movement.
From a political point of view
Fyodor Ivanovich was not shy about his political views. Sometimes he expressed them in poems. Literary scholars believe that Tyutchev’s poem “The Last Cataclysm” is the personification of the social upheavals awaiting the world. Fyodor Ivanovich was quite skeptical about revolutions and coups. From his point of view, there were two forces: conservative Russia and revolutionary Europe.
It is known that the poet was a senior censor. His activities made it possible to prohibit the dissemination of the Communist Party manifesto on the territory of the Russian Empire.
Considering the poet's political views, it is quite logical that the poem "The Last Cataclysm" is a warning about global social upheavals. They are known to often lead to catastrophic consequences.
Disappointment
What else could be hidden in Tyutchev’s “The Last Cataclysm”? Dissatisfaction outside world, disappointment in him. At the time of writing the poem, the poet’s state of mind could leave much to be desired. This is reflected in the work.
Fyodor Ivanovich is a famous poet-philosopher. There is nothing superfluous in his works. Every word is weighed and considered.
The inevitability of a cataclysm and the inability of humanity to stop it. This is one motive. The second lies in the same inevitability of the rebirth of life. The old life will perish, but a new one will be reborn. How harmoniously these two seemingly absolutely incompatible things are combined. At the time of writing the poem, the poet felt mentally ill. This is quite possible. But he understands that this agony of the soul, its “last cataclysm” is not eternal. It will pass, and will be replaced by a “white streak of life.”
Returning to God
The last line of the poem: “And God’s face will be depicted in them.” It contains a deep philosophical meaning. All existence, from the creation of the world to the Second Coming, is based on God. Everything happens according to His will. And nothing happens without His knowledge.
The divine face is incomprehensible to people due to sinfulness. But people and God are interconnected. First, you cannot live without faith. Faith is in God. And only after the catastrophe will the true face of God be reflected in the surface of the water. He is embodied in this picture, present there.
God is the main poetic image of the poem. There is no personal human “I” in this poem. His philosophy is emphasized by the generalized use of vocabulary.
God is shown on the surface of the water. The poem combines incompatible concepts. God is incorporeal, but here he takes on an image. Water is the image of a mirror. Hidden in the poem is a comparison of waters with a mirror.
The intonation of the poem "The Last Cataclysm" is unhurried. Makes you think about the lines of the work.
Writing style
The poem is written in iambic pentameter. The endings are both feminine and masculine. The rhymes are different: cross, open and closed. And this adds a sense of ambiguity to the poem. It seems that there are two completely different worlds.
Let's summarize
"The Last Cataclysm" was written in 1829. This is a philosophical poem that contains something that literary scholars have been able to study for a long time. The invisible mind, thoughts and worldview of Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev.
Conclusion
The article analyzed the poem "The Last Cataclysm". Someone will see something close in the poem. Mentally agrees with its author. But this verse is alien to some. And this person will exclaim: “I disagree!”, thus entering into a mental argument with the poet. This is why philosophical poems are needed, so that everyone can see this world in their own way. Poems like this give me the impetus to think. They help to express your point of view, not be afraid to enter into an argument and defend your own position. Helps to develop a person's personality.
On this page read the text "Cataclysm" by Fyodor Tyutchev, written in 1849.
When nature's last hour strikes,
The composition of the parts of the earth will collapse:
Everything visible will be covered by waters again,
And God's face will be depicted in them!
Note:
Autograph - RGALI. F. 505. Op. 1. Unit hr. 11. L. 2 vol.
The first publication is Dennitsa. 1831. P. 89, the poem has the title “The Last Cataclysm.” It was not included in other lifetime publications, then - RA. 1879. P. 128; NNS. P. 24; Ed. St. Petersburg, 1886. P. 67; Ed. 1900. P. 67.
Autograph on one sheet of paper with verse. "Snowy Mountains"; title is missing. The handwriting is clear, the graphics feature - capital letters in the words “Hour”, “Parts”, “Earthly”, “Visible”, “Water”, “God”; The same tendency towards mythologizing the picture as in the verse is expressed. “Snowy Mountains” (see commentary p. 325): the essential in being is graphically highlighted. There is a list (RGALI. F. 505. Op. 1. Item 52. L. 30 vol.) among other works with the general title “From Tyutchev’s poems kept by Prince I.S. Gagarin"; the list is called “The Last Cataclysm”, as in Dennitsa. There is reason to believe that the name belongs to the poet himself.
The peculiarities of Tyutchev's writing of some words that are especially significant for the picture are not preserved either in the first or in subsequent editions. Text in NNS, Ed. 1886 and Ed. 1900 coincides, but in the last two in the second line there is a variant of the 2nd line: “The composition of the parts of the earth will be destroyed.” The poem was published everywhere without a title.
Dated according to the context in the autograph: the same as “Snowy Mountains”, no later than 1829.
In Tyutchev’s poems about nature at the end of the 1820s, “The Last Cataclysm” stands, essentially, next to “Vision.” If in such lyrical masterpieces as “Spring Thunderstorm”, “Spring Waters”, “Morning in the Mountains” and (mostly) “Snowy Mountains”, “Afternoon”, a fertile, tender, bright, daytime cosmos is shown (in the ancient Greek sense words), then “The Last Cataclysm” and “Vision” depict “a certain hour” of existence (“the chariots of the universe”), disturbing the soul. In “The Last Cataclysm” there is a premonition, even clairvoyance, of the disaster of the planet; further development of this theme is in “Madness” with the image of the disasters of the earth and insane attempts to interpret them optimistically. However, “The Last Cataclysm” differs sharply from all other poems with the image of chaos by affirming the victory of the Divine First Principle over chaotic decay.
