Pushkin "Ruslan and Lyudmila": description, heroes, analysis of the poem. A.S

Describes how the Kiev prince Vladimir-Solntse gave out his daughter Lyudmila to the glorious hero Ruslan. But when the young people went to rest after the wedding feast, a strange spell was heard in the darkness, and Ruslan saw how a certain sorcerer flies into the air, taking his wife with him.

The saddened Prince Vladimir the next morning promised to give Lyudmila as a wife to anyone who puts her on and saves her. Not only Ruslan went in search of the kidnapped, but also three of his former rivals for her hand - the violent warrior Rogdai, the boastful reveler Farlaf and the young Khazar Khan Ratmir.

Each of them went his own way. Ruslan soon saw a cave on the way where the wise wizard Finn was sitting. He revealed to the knight that Lyudmila had been kidnapped by the evil magician Chernomor. Finn told Ruslan the story of his love for the beautiful girl Naina. In his youth, Finn could not attract her even with the glory of feats of arms and rich gifts. In sorrow, he hid in the woods to study magic. Tempted in her forty years later, Finn again found Naina, but now instead of a young beauty he saw a decrepit and ugly old woman. Terrified, Finn abandoned her, and the annoyed Naina, who herself had become a sorceress by that time, vowed to take revenge on him and all his friends.

Illustration for song 1

Canto 2 - Summary

The envious Rogdai seethed with such hatred for Ruslan that he decided to return from the path, catch up and kill him. But confusing his victim from afar, he mistakenly ran into Farlaf. Farlaf remained unharmed, but came from this attack in such fear that he easily accepted the advice of Naina, who appeared to him: not to look for Lyudmila anymore, but to return home.

Rogdai nevertheless caught up with Ruslan, but in a fierce battle with him he was defeated. Ruslan threw Rogdai into the Dnieper, where he became the husband of a river mermaid.

The kidnapped Lyudmila woke up in the morning alone on a luxurious bed in the Chernomor castle. Going out for a walk in a magnificent garden full of fragrant plants, beautiful statues and waterfalls, she thought of suicide with anguish. In the evening, magical power carried her through the air back to the bedroom. Chernomor soon came to her there - a clean-shaven, humpbacked dwarf with a long beard, which was carried in front of him on pillows by many servants-Araps. Frightened, Lyudmila jumped up and with a screech knocked the cap off the sorcerer. The confused Chernomor ran away, tangled in his beard. Behind him retreated and his slaves.

Canto 3 - Summary

Naina, who flew to Chernomor in the guise of a winged serpent, made an alliance with him against Ruslan and Finn. Meanwhile, Lyudmila, trying on a cap knocked down yesterday from Chernomor in front of the mirror, suddenly noticed that if you put it on backwards, it hides the one who wears it like an invisibility cap from the eyes.

Ruslan, continuing his journey, reached the field of the old battle and, among the dead bones scattered here, found himself new armor instead of those that he had broken in the battle with Rogdai. Then he saw a huge human head lying in the middle of the steppe. She turned out to be alive and began to blow on Ruslan. The terrible whirlwind of the Head's breath first carried the knight into the field, but he still managed to jump up to the monster and hit him with a heavy military gauntlet. The head rolled to the side, and Ruslan saw a sparkling sword under it.

Having tuned in more peacefully, the Head told Ruslan the story of her life. Once it belonged to the glorious hero-hero. He also had a younger brother - the ugly sorcerer Chernomor, whose magical power was in a long beard. Chernomor captivated the brother-hero to look for a wonderful sword, which, according to the stories of magic books, was supposed to cut off one of their heads and another beard. Thanks to the strength and courage of their older brother, they found the sword. But Chernomor treacherously cut off their brother's head, saved her life and forced her to guard the cherished sword in the middle of a distant field.

Canto 4 - Summary

Ratmir, in search of Lyudmila, reached the castle on the rocks - the abode of beautiful maidens, who affectionately met the young warrior and gave him their love. Ruslan tirelessly continued to look for his betrothed.

Lyudmila, with the help of a cap of invisibility, hid from Chernomor for a long time in his gardens, but the evil sorcerer deceived her with cunning. He took the form of a wounded Ruslan, appeared in the middle of the garden and began to call Lyudmila for help. Throwing off her hat, she hurried to meet her, but instead of Ruslan she saw her kidnapper. So that Lyudmila would not slip away from him again, Chernomor plunged her into a sound sleep. But just at that time, the sound of Ruslan's battle horn was heard nearby.

Canto 5 - Summary

Ruslan entered the battle with Chernomor. He attacked him with a mace, flying through the air, but Ruslan grabbed the sorcerer by his magical beard. Chernomor soared under the clouds. Ruslan, not letting go of his beard, flew with him until the sorcerer was exhausted. Under the threat of losing his beard, Chernomor transferred Ruslan to Lyudmila.

With the sleeping bride in his arms and with Chernomor tucked into the knapsack behind the saddle, Ruslan set off on the return journey. His road again led through the same battlefield, where the already dying Head, before her death, expressed her last words of reproach to Chernomor. Then Ruslan met Ratmir, who calmed his heart in love with a beautiful fisherwoman, settled with her in an obscure wilderness and left thoughts of Lyudmila.

Illustration for song 5

The evil Naina decided to kill Ruslan with the hands of Farlaf. Appearing at the house of this cowardly braggart, she led him after her to the place where the tired Ruslan fell into a deep sleep. Farlaf plunged a sharp sword into Ruslan's chest three times and, leaving him to die, took Lyudmila, who had never awakened, with him.

Canto 6 - summary

Arriving with Lyudmila to Prince Vladimir, Farlaf swore that he had snatched her from the hands of a terrible goblin in the Murom forests at the risk of his life. However, no one in Kiev knew how to wake up the sleeping beauty, and then another misfortune happened - the city was besieged by hordes of Pechenegs.

Meanwhile, old Finn, through magic, learned about the sad fate of his young friend and came to his aid. Finn was transferred to the combustible steppes and got two jugs from the miraculous springs flowing there - with living and dead water. With this moisture, the magician healed Ruslan's wounds and revived him.

The squads of Prince Vladimir could not drive the Pechenegs away from Kiev. But one morning, the townspeople saw from the walls how some hero burst into the enemy camp and began to cut down the steppe dwellers in crowds. The barbarians fled in shame, and the people of Kiev recognized Ruslan in the unknown knight. He rode on a horse to the city and woke Ludmila by touching her with a magic ring received from Finn. The triumphant prince Vladimir played a new wedding of his daughter with Ruslan, who generously forgave his enemies - Farlaf and Chernomor.

The poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" is a fairy tale written in 1818-1820. The creation of the author's work was inspired by Russian folklore, Russian epics and popular tales. Pushkin's poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" is full of elements of grotesque fantasy, colloquial vocabulary and good-natured irony of the author. According to literary critics, the work is a parody of Zhukovsky's chivalric novels and romantic ballads.

main characters

Ruslan- a brave prince, the groom of Lyudmila, who saved her from Chernomor.

Ludmila- Princess, the youngest daughter of Prince Vladimir, the bride of Ruslan.

Chernomor- a hunchbacked dwarf with a long magical beard, "the midnight owner of the mountains", kidnapped Lyudmila.

Finn- an old wizard who helped Ruslan find and save Lyudmila.

Other characters

Rogdai- "brave warrior", one of Ruslan's rivals.

Farlaf- "an arrogant screamer, not defeated by anyone in feasts, but a modest warrior", killed Ruslan and kidnapped Lyudmila.

Ratmir- "Young Khazar Khan", wanted to marry Lyudmila, but fell in love with another maiden.

Naina- Finn's beloved, a witch.

Prince Vladimir- Prince of Kiev, father of Lyudmila.

Summary

The author dedicates his work to the "beauties" - "the queens of his soul." The poem begins with a description of the fabulous seashore - a magical world is revealed to the reader, where a learned cat, a mermaid, a goblin, Baba Yaga, Tsar Kashchei, knights and sorcerers live.

Prince Vladimir marries his younger daughter Lyudmila as "Prince the brave Ruslan". The festival is in full swing, the guests are listening to the song of the "sweet singer" Bayan, glorifying the newlyweds. However, not everyone is having fun, "in despondency, with a cloudy brow" three knights are sitting, Ruslan's rivals - Rogdai, Farlaf, Ratmir.

After the feast, the young went to their chambers. Thunder suddenly struck, the room darkened and "someone in the smoky depths / Soared blacker than foggy darkness." Ruslan, in desperation, discovers that Lyudmila is missing. Having learned about what happened, Prince Vladimir promises whoever can find her, the hand of his daughter and half the kingdom. Ruslan, Rogdai, Farlaf and Ratmir set off in different directions in search of Lyudmila.

On the way, Ruslan notices a cave. Entering it, the knight sees a gray-haired old man reading a book. The elder informs him that Lyudmila was kidnapped by "the terrible wizard Chernomor". The knight stays overnight in the cave, and the elder tells him his story. He was a "natural Finn", a shepherd in love with a very beautiful and proud girl Naina. However, she refused the young man. Then the Finn went to distant lands and ten years later returned as a winner, throwing treasures at the feet of his beloved. But Naina again refused him. Finn decided to attract his beloved with charms, studied with sorcerers in the forests for many years and, finally, was able to fall in love with a woman. However, forty years had passed since their last meeting, and now in front of him was not a young beauty, but a decrepit old woman, and even a sorceress. Finn runs away from a woman who has kindled a passion for him, and since then Naina has hated a man.

At this time, Rogdai decides to kill his main rival - Ruslan, and goes back. Farlaf, having lunch near the stream, saw a knight rushing at him, got scared and fled. When Rogdai, who believed that he was chasing Ruslan, caught up with him, he was disappointed and let the knight go.

On the way, Rogdai met the old woman Naina, who showed him the way to Ruslan to the north. The sorceress also appeared to Farlaf - she advised him to return to Kiev, since "Lyudmila will not leave" them.

After the abduction, Lyudmila spent a long time in "painful oblivion." The girl woke up in rich chambers, similar to the house of Scheherazade. Three virgins, to the wonderful singing, braided Lyudmila's braid, put on her a pearl crown, an azure sundress and a pearl belt. However, the princess is very sad and yearns for Ruslan. She is not even happy with the magical beauty of the garden, where she spends the whole day. At night, "Arapov long line" unexpectedly enters her room. They carry on pillows a long beard that belonged to a hunchbacked dwarf. In fright, Lyudmila screamed and wanted to hit the dwarf, but he, trying to escape, got tangled in his own beard. The Arabs took him away.

Ruslan leaves for an open field, where a rider rushes at him with a spear. It was Rogdai. Ruslan defeats the rival, and Rogdai finds his death in the river.

In the morning, a winged serpent flies to the dwarf Chernomor, which "suddenly turned around Naina." The woman invites the sorcerer to make an alliance, and he agrees.

Chernomor finds out that Lyudmila has disappeared - she was neither in the wards nor in the garden. The girl accidentally discovered the sorcerer's invisibility cap and now had fun hiding from the dwarf and his servants.

Ruslan leaves for the field of the old battle, littered with bones, where he picks up armor for himself, but does not find a worthy sword. Heading further, the prince notices a high hill, on which the huge head of a warrior in a helmet sleeps. Ruslan woke his head and she, angry, began to blow on the knight. A strong whirlwind carried Ruslan back, but he contrived and plunged a spear into the tongue of his head, and then overturned it. The prince wanted to “chop off her nose and ears,” but the head asked not to do this, telling her story. It used to belong to a giant who was very envious of his dwarf brother Chernomor. Once Chernomor found out that there was a sword that would cut off the giant's head, and his beard (in which "the fatal force lurked"). The giant got hold of the blade, and while his brother slept, the dwarf cut off his head, placing it here to guard the sword. The head asks Ruslan to take the blade for himself and take revenge on Chernomor.

Ratmir leaves for the valley and sees a castle on the rocks in front of him. The knight notices a beautiful maiden walking along the wall and singing a song. The young khan knocks at the castle and is met by the red maidens. Ratmir remains in the castle.

Lyudmila, all this time, wandered through the possessions of the sorcerer, yearning for her lover. "Brutal passion wounded" Chernomor decides to catch Lyudmila, turning into a wounded Ruslan. The girl rushes to her lover, but discovering a substitute, she falls unconscious. Suddenly, a horn sounds.

As it turned out, Ruslan called the sorcerer to the battle. In the midst of the battle, the knight grabs Chernomor by the beard and they rise into the sky. Ruslan did not let out the sorcerer's beard for three days, and he, tired, descended to the ground. Immediately the knight drew his sword and cut off the beard of the sorcerer, after which he lost his magical powers.

Ruslan returns to the possessions of Chernomor, but cannot find Lyudmila. Grieving, the knight begins to destroy everything around with his sword and with an accidental blow knocks the invisibility cap off the princess. Ruslan falls at the girl's feet, but she is bewitched and asleep.

Suddenly, a virtuous Finn appears nearby. He advises taking Lyudmila to Kiev, where the princess will wake up. The Knight does just that.

On the way back, Ruslan tells the giant's head that he has avenged himself, and she dies calmly. By a quiet river, the knight meets a fisherman with a sweet maiden, whom he recognizes as Ratmir. Former rivals wish each other happiness.

Naina comes to Farlaf. The sorceress takes the knight to Ruslan, who is sleeping at the feet of Lyudmila. Farlaf "thrice cold steel plunges" into the opponent's chest and kidnaps the princess.

Farlaf arrives in Kiev, but Lyudmila continues to sleep. Soon the Pecheneg uprising begins. At this time, Finn comes to the murdered Ruslan with dead and living water and revives the knight. The wizard sends the prince to protect Kiev and gives him a ring that will help to disenchant Lyudmila.

Ruslan leads the army and defeats the Pechenegs. After the victory, the prince entered the chambers, touched Lyudmila's forehead with a ring, and the girl woke up. Ruslan and Lyudmila forgave Farlaf, and the dwarf was accepted into the palace.

In the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" Pushkin reveals the eternal conflict - the confrontation between good and evil. All the heroes of the work are ambiguous - they have both positive and negative sides, but they themselves choose which path to take. At the end of the poem, the author, following the traditional fairy tale, shows that good always triumphs over evil.

A brief retelling of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" will help you get acquainted with the plot of the work, as well as prepare for the lesson of Russian literature.

Pushkin "Ruslan and Lyudmila" - a summary of the chapters (songs)

(Option 2)

Song 1 of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" is preceded by a dedication to the beautiful ladies. Pushkin expresses the "sweet hope" that they will at least furtively read these "sinful songs" of his. This is followed by the famous introduction: “At the seashore, a green oak ...”, connecting the poem with the motifs of Russian fairy tales.

Then Pushkin moves on to the main plot. Prince Vladimir-Solntse feasted in the Kiev Gridnitsa, passing off his younger daughter Lyudmila for the brave Prince Ruslan. The singer Bayan praised the new marriage union with a sonorous song. Three unsuccessful rivals of Ruslan, who had previously argued with him for Lyudmila's hand, were also sitting at the feast: the brave warrior Rogdai, the vain lover of feasts Farflaf and the young Khazar Khan Ratmir.

By evening, the guests began to disperse, and the young were led to the wedding bed. But as soon as the newlyweds had time to lie down on it, “a strange voice was heard twice, and someone in the smoky depths soared blacker than misty haze.” An unknown sorcerer with the help of sorcery stole Lyudmila from Ruslan!

Having heard this terrible news, the next morning, Prince Vladimir again called the guests to the courtyard. In anger at Ruslan, he promised to give Lyudmila as a wife to anyone who could find and save her. Rogdai, Farlaf and Ratmir immediately volunteered to search. I went to look for my wife and Ruslan.

The whole day they rode together along the banks of the Dnieper, but by evening each chose a separate path for himself. Moving further alone, Ruslan soon saw a cave where an old magician was sitting, reading a book. This old man revealed to Ruslan that Lyudmila was kidnapped by the terrible magician Chernomor, who rules over the midnight mountains. Ruslan now had to penetrate the country of this insidious sorcerer, who, due to his extreme old age, could not achieve Lyudmila's love, but still did not want to let her go. The elder predicted that the fight against Chernomor would not be easy, but Ruslan would win it.

Then the old man told the young hero the story of his life. A Finn by birth, in his youth he was a simple shepherd in a harsh homeland and became passionately in love with the beautiful neighbor Naina. However, this cold pride rejected him. The ardent shepherd gathered a team of daring men and began to make sea raids with her on neighboring countries. Ten years later, he again appeared before Naina in a halo of military glory, with rich gifts obtained in battles, but this time she laughed at his love. He then went into the forests, to the sorcerers and diligently comprehended magical science from them, thinking to conquer Naina with magical power. But forty years passed imperceptibly in these studies. And when, having become a magician, he finally pronounced the cherished spell, then instead of the young beautiful Naina, a decrepit, ugly old woman appeared before him. Now she was ready to respond to his passion, but the sight of her caused only horror in the former lover. Naina, who had also learned all the secrets of magic over the years, was terribly angry and vowed to take revenge on her offender. The elder warned Ruslan that, thanks to the power of magic, Naina already knew about their meeting. Her anger passed on to Ruslan.

Full content:

Farlaf, having lunch in the field, suddenly saw someone rushing towards him on a horse. It was Rogdai, who, riding alone, boiled with such hatred for the successful rival for the hand of Lyudmila - Ruslan, that in the end he returned back to overtake him and kill him. Rogdai mistook Farlaf for Ruslan. The cowardly Farlaf, seeing that Rogdai was not riding with good, hurried to escape from him, but unsuccessfully jumped on his horse across the ditch and fell down there. Rogdai, who had jumped up, had already raised his sword over him, but suddenly he recognized Farlaf and left.

Not far away, under a mountain, Rogdai met a hunchbacked old woman (Naina), who with a stick showed him the road along which Ruslan rode. Then Naina appeared before Farlaf, advising him not to look for Lyudmila anymore, but rather to go to his estate near Kiev. Frightened, Farlaf followed her advice.

And Chernomor transferred Lyudmila, whom he had stolen from the marriage bed, into his magic castle through the air. In the morning the girl woke up there on a luxurious bed. Three respectful maids helped her dress in a magnificent sundress with a pearl belt. Left alone, Lyudmila went to the window in anguish and saw snowy plains and majestic mountains in front of her. Stepping through the silver door, she found herself in a fragrant garden full of palm trees, cedars, laurels, roses, fountains with beautiful statues, streams and waterfalls. But all these beauties did not touch Lyudmila's heart. She wept inconsolably. Seeing a bridge between two high rocks, she even thought of throwing herself off it - and thus end her life. Having walked around the garden, the princess sat down on the grass - and a tent turned around magically over her, a sumptuous dinner appeared.

With the onset of night, magical power lifted Lyudmila into the air and carried her back to the chamber. The same three maids helped her get ready for bed. But suddenly the door opened, and an imposing procession entered the room. A long line of arapov carried the gray beard of Chernomor on their pillows. Then this sorcerer himself came in - a shaven, hunchbacked dwarf in a cap. Lyudmila jumped up, tore off his cap, raised her hand to strike and squealed with fear so that the blacks mixed up, and Chernomor, having made an attempt to escape, got tangled in his beard and fell ...

Meanwhile, Ruslan, who continued on his way, heard a shout from behind: “Stop.” A ferocious rider flew towards him with threats, and Ruslan recognized him as Rogdai. They fought for a long time in a fierce battle, until Ruslan tore the enemy off the saddle and threw him into the Dnieper. Then there were rumors that Rogday was taken into her arms by a river mermaid, and his huge ghost frightened the fishermen for a long time, wandering along the coast at night.

Full content:

Pushkin "Ruslan and Lyudmila", song 3 - summary

The next morning after an unsuccessful visit to Lyudmila, Chernomor was sitting on the bed. Slaves combed his beard and poured fragrances on it. Suddenly, a winged serpent flew into the room - and turned into the sorceress Naina. Having greeted Chernomor, she offered him an alliance against common enemies - Ruslan and the old wizard Finn. Chernomor gladly agreed and revealed to Naina the secret of his power: no one can get the better of him without cutting off his beard. Naina angrily predicted the death of Ruslan and flew away.

Chernomor again went to Lyudmila, but did not find her: the princess disappeared from the chamber. The old sorcerer, screaming, drove the slaves to look for her. Where did Lyudmila go? Getting up in the morning, she began to dress and suddenly noticed in the corner a cap that had fallen from Chernomor. Lyudmila tried it on in front of the mirror, then put it on backwards for fun - and her image in the glass disappeared. The princess turned the cap on her head and again saw herself in the mirror. She guessed that it was a cap of invisibility.

Meanwhile, Ruslan galloped forward and soon reached the battlefield, littered with dead bones and weapons. His own shield, sword and armor were chopped off during the battle with Rogdai. On the field, Ruslan found himself a new weapon, he only failed to find a suitable sword.

Going further, he noticed a huge hill in the distance, which seemed to breathe. Approaching, the knight saw that it was a huge head, snoring in a dream. Ruslan began to tickle her nostrils with a spear, but her head sneezed so that he almost fell off his horse. Bursting with threats to swallow the impudent one who disturbed her, her head began to blow on the knight. A terrible whirlwind carried Ruslan far into the field. The head laughed at him. Gathering his strength, Ruslan nevertheless jumped closer and stuck a spear into the monster's tongue, and then hit his head on the cheek with a heavy military gauntlet so that it turned over and rolled away. In the place where the head lay, Ruslan saw a sparkling heroic sword. Grabbing him, he was about to chop off his head's nose and ears, but she began to plaintively beg for forgiveness - and told her story.

And Ruslan, day after day, until the very winter, continued his journey to the far north in search of Lyudmila. This time passed for him in constant battles with heroes, witches and giants.

Lyudmila, hiding under a cap of invisibility, walked invisibly in the gardens of Chernomor. Sometimes, taking off her hat, the princess appeared before the eyes of the magician's slaves who were looking for her to tease them. But when they rushed to catch Lyudmila, she again put on a wonderful cap and disappeared.

Cruelly annoyed, Chernomor finally found a way to catch the recalcitrant. He took the form of a wounded Ruslan and appeared in the middle of the garden, noisily and plaintively calling for Lyudmila. She rushed to meet him and hugged him, but suddenly, instead of her betrothed, she saw a sorcerer-abductor in front of her. When Lyudmila tried to escape, Chernomor plunged her into a deep sleep. However, just at that moment, a horn sounded loudly nearby. The evil sorcerer realized that Ruslan had reached his domain.

Full content:

Blowing a horn, Ruslan challenged Chernomor to battle. He unexpectedly flew at the knight through the air and began to beat him with a mace on the helmet. But Ruslan with a deft blow threw the sorcerer to the ground and grabbed him by the magic beard. Trying to escape, Chernomor again soared into the sky. Ruslan, hanging on the sorcerer's beard, flew with him over the forests, mountains, and the abyss of the sea. On the third day of the flight, Chernomor's forces began to weaken. He tried to deceive Ruslan with persuasion, but he did not fall into deception and, threatening to cut off his wonderful beard, forced him to carry himself to Lyudmila.

Chernomor sank to the ground in his possessions. Ruslan immediately cut off his beard, wrapped it around his helmet and so burst into the Black Sea chambers. The araps and slaves of the sorcerer fled in horror, but Lyudmila was nowhere to be found. Ruslan, in sorrow, searched for her in the gardens, destroying everything around him with his sword. One of his powerful blows suddenly knocked off Lyudmila's invisibility cap. Ruslan now saw his beloved - but she slept soundly.

With Lyudmila in his hands and with Chernomor tucked into a knapsack behind the saddle, Ruslan set off on the return journey on his faithful horse. His road again went to the plain, where the already half-dead Head lay. Learning that Chernomor was punished, she caught fire for the last time with ardent anger, tried to express a hot reproach to her trembling brother - but immediately expired.

Going further, Ruslan saw a poor hut in secluded silence on the banks of a nameless river. A beautiful fisherwoman was waiting in her with a catch of her husband, a fisherman. When the fisherman landed, Ruslan recognized Ratmir in him: the Khazar Khan preferred to sacrifice loud military glory for the sake of pure and true love. Ratmir embraced Ruslan in a friendly way. He said that he met a young girlfriend and for her parted even with 12 charming maidens from the castle. Ratmir no longer claimed Lyudmila's hand.

The sorceress Naina appeared to Farlaf, who was hiding in the wilderness, and dragged him along. Through the gloomy paths of oak forests, she led him to the valley, where the weary Ruslan forgot himself in a nap next to the sleeping Lyudmila. Ruslan was tormented by heavy dreams: as if Farlaf suddenly entered the feasting Prince Vladimir, who led Lyudmila behind him. Seeing which of the four heroes found his daughter, Vladimir bowed his head. The boyars were also painfully silent...

... Having galloped after Naina to Ruslan, Farlaf drew his sword, plunged it three times into the chest of his hated opponent, and then picked up the sleeping Lyudmila and took her away. Ruslan lay unconscious all night. In the morning he tried to get up - but fell down lifeless.

The faithful horse sadly walked around the murdered Ruslan. Chernomor, whom Naina did not even think of helping, could not get out of the saddle bag. And Farlaf at that time was bringing Lyudmila to the jubilant Kiev. Prince Vladimir went out to meet them, but saw that his daughter was sleeping without waking up. Farlaf swore that he snatched it from the hands of the evil goblin after a three-day battle in the Murom forests.

All day long, the Kiev crowd poured into the prince's tower to look at the sleeping Lyudmila. They tried to wake her up with the loud sound of horns, harps and tambourines, but in vain. Vladimir sat nearby in deep anguish. The next morning, they learned about a new disaster: Kiev was besieged by hordes of Pechenegs!

Everything that happened to Ruslan was already known by his friend, the prophetic soothsayer Finn. By the power of magic, he was transported to the combustible steppes behind the inaccessible mountains, where two streams flowed: with living and dead water. Having filled two jugs, Finn cast a spell and found himself in front of Ruslan's body. Dead water healed the wounds of the hero, and from the living one he got up from his deathbed. Finn gave the knight a magic ring that was supposed to awaken Lyudmila - and said goodbye to him forever.

Meanwhile, the people of Kiev looked in fear at the enemy crowds that surrounded their city. The squads of Prince Vladimir went beyond the walls to fight the Pechenegs, but could not defeat and drive them away. However, early in the morning of the next day, the inhabitants of Kiev were awakened by a strange noise. An unknown warrior attacked the steppe dwellers and, threateningly rushing along their camp, cut down everyone who got in his way. The savage meadow was covered with the dead bodies of the infidels.

The Pechenegs fled in shame. Filled with joy, Kiev recognized Ruslan in its liberator. The gates were opened for him. Ruslan flew through the streets to the prince's house. Farlaf, seeing him, fell to his knees with a plea for forgiveness. The touch of the magic ring on her face awakened Lyudmila. Sobbing with happiness, Prince Vladimir ordered to celebrate the new wedding of his daughter with Ruslan. The repentant Farlaf was forgiven, and Chernomor, deprived of the power of sorcery, was accepted into the prince's servants.

“... Affairs of bygone days,

Traditions of antiquity deep.

Year of writing: 1820

Genre of work: poem

Main characters: Vladimir- old prince Ludmila- daughter, Ruslan- prince, Chernomor- Wizard, Rogdai, Ratmir, Farlaf- knights.

Plot

Ruslan and Lyudmila got married. On their wedding night, the bride goes missing. Prince Vladimir is not pleased with Ruslan's inaction. He sends knights in search. The reward is half the kingdom and the bride. Looking for Lyudmila and Ruslan. He drove into the cave where the old wizard was sitting. He said that Chernomor had stolen the girl and said that Ruslan would save her. Rogdai decides to kill the opponent, looking for him. Lyudmila is not happy with anything, but she is not given to Chernomor, putting on an invisibility hat. Ruslan defeats Chernomor in battle, cut off his magic beard. He finds Lyudmila sleeping and takes her to Kiev. Rogdai kills the hero in a dream, but the wizard from the cave resurrected the knight. He gave the ring, thanks to which the bride will wake up. And so it happened.

Conclusion (my opinion)

Ruslan did not give up, but by all means he was looking for Lyudmila. This showed real feelings. He was courageous, the obstacles did not frighten him. Even death is not the end for a hero.

dedication

For you, the soul of my queen,
Beauties, for you alone

Times of the past fables,
In golden hours of leisure,
Under the whisper of old talkative,
With a faithful hand I wrote;
Accept my playful work!
No need for praise,
I'm happy with sweet hope
What a maiden with a thrill of love

Look, maybe stealthily

To my sinful songs.

V dedication extremely important postulates are stated that determine all the further content of the work: 1. Pushkin deliberately belittles the super-task of his work, declaring that he is not going to teach the world or talk about something significant - he directly calls his work one of the "fictions" of the past times, antiquity in his interpretation is “talkative”, and his work is “playful”, consisting of “sinful” songs. 2. The author declares that he does not require praise from others, and his only goal is to make the "virgin" look at his songs with "awe of love." Veiledly, Pushkin thus defines his poetic program - to make the reader (and women as the main consumers of romantic reading) look at the world “with a thrill of love”, true love, joyful and happy, without romantic anguish and pseudo-tragic.

Canto One

Near the seaside, the oak is green;
Golden chain on an oak tree:
And day and night the cat is a scientist

Everything goes round and round in a chain;
Goes to the right - the song starts,
Left - tells a fairy tale.

There are miracles: the goblin roams there,
The mermaid sits on the branches;
There on unknown paths

Traces of unseen beasts;
Hut there on chicken legs

Stands without windows, without doors...

The saturation of the work with fairy-tale paraphernalia goes according to the canons set in dedication. The fairy-tale atmosphere is created not to frighten the reader or create a gloomy atmosphere of romantic tragedy, but to cheer him up, to please him with a story, an act of ordinary human communication between the listener and the narrator. It is noteworthy that Pushkin paints a picture exclusively with the help of enumerations - giving a list of what exactly is “there”, by the “lukomorye”. The word "Lukomorye" means a bend, a bay of the sea, although this word stands here clearly in place of what in fairy tales is listed as "a faraway kingdom, a faraway state." An archaic word, used in a lexical meaning unusual for it, creates a kind of hoax, sets one up to treat the work as a “refined deception”. Pushkin does not talk about what the characters he lists are doing and what they are famous for, he hangs them around the stage on which events will unfold, like fake decorations, and this sham, static, convention, a kind of "toy", is deliberately exaggerated: for example, his cat "walks and wanders around the chain", the mermaid - sits on the branches, the goblin - wanders, the hut - "stands without windows, without doors", on "unknown paths" - "traces of unseen animals" (which ones, it is not specified ). All this is united by the common name "miracles". The whole passage, in its character, is very reminiscent of the author's remarks in plays before the beginning of the action, describing what is on the stage.

In addition, Pushkin skillfully uses the technique of the grotesque (the combination of the incompatible), thereby creating an additional comic effect.

There the forest and vale are full of visions,
There, at dawn, waves will come
On the sandy and empty shore,

And thirty beautiful knights

A series of clear waters emerge,
And with them their uncle is sea ...

The romantic pathos that arises in the first lines is destroyed by the word "uncle", which is given in a lexical meaning unusual for him (also a kind of hoax, as with "lukomorye"). The fact is that "uncle" in the dictionary of the people of Pushkin's time meant a man in whose care were young male children (before a tutor was hired for them), that is, a kind of male nanny. With such a meaning, the meaning of the passage changes exactly the opposite, acquiring a pronounced parodic character. The fact that the use of the word "uncle" is not accidental is proved by the fact that Pushkin did not use the word "uncle", which does not violate the poetic meter and is used by Pushkin in other works (for example, "My uncle of the most honest rules ...").

There is a queen in passing
Captivates the formidable king, ..
There in the clouds before the people
Through the forests, through the seas
The sorcerer carries the hero;
In the dungeon there the princess is grieving,
And the brown wolf serves her faithfully ...

In these lines, the grotesque technique is used: the “terrible” king is captured “in passing”, in the clouds “the sorcerer carries the hero”, and not vice versa, as the hero would be expected by rank, the wolf is called “brown”, and not “gray”, although “brown There are bears, not wolves.

There is a stupa with Baba Yaga
It goes, wanders by itself;
There, Tsar Kashchei languishes over gold ...

The parody intensifies even more - the stupa with Baba Yaga “walks and wanders by itself”, although in reality (fabulous, of course) the stupa with its owner flew. Tsar Kashchei "withers over gold", which, firstly, explains why the fabulous Kashchei was so thin, and secondly, sheds light on the question of the author's attitude to money and, in general, to any kind of hoarding (compare "The Miserly Knight" ).

There is a Russian spirit ... there it smells of Russia!

This phrase appears unexpectedly and at first glance does not follow at all from the previous context. However, if we keep in mind what was said about Pushkin's idea of ​​nationality, then it becomes clear that this phrase does not refer to the enumerated characters at all, but to the idea of ​​nationality that is characteristic of Pushkin. It is precisely such an ironic attitude to the characters and to oneself, a joyful, life-affirming worldview, that, according to Pushkin, is characteristic of the Russian people, and this is precisely the spirit that comes from Russian folk tales. Only this can explain the fact that Ruslan and Lyudmila, which is an epic by genre (i.e., a work of a heroic epic), has a fabulous beginning attached to it.

This kind of introduction ends with words that are quite traditional for a Russian folk tale. Ho, and here everything is turned upside down, since the phrase “And there I was, and I drank honey ...” traditionally does not refer to the beginning, but belongs to the endings, that is, it is not placed at the beginning of the work, but in the end.

I saw a green oak by the sea;
Sitting under it, and the cat is a scientist
He told me his stories.
I remember one: this fairy tale

Let me tell the world...

The last phrase is also a kind of hoax, a literary device: Pushkin, as it were, renounces authorship, attributing the work to someone else. In this case, it is announced that this is one of the tales told to him by a talking cat, and also that these are “cases of bygone days, legends of antiquity.”

Such hoaxes are quite typical for Pushkin (for example, "Belkin's Tales", where the narration is conducted on behalf of, respectively, Belkin; in addition, the "separation" of the author from the narrator invented by Pushkin is indirectly related to this technique - for example, in "Eugene Onegin). Hoaxes of this kind have a dual purpose: a) Pushkin demonstrates his admiration for the age-old wisdom of the people, accumulated in fairy tales, legends, parables, etc., i.e., folk art, assigning himself only the role of a storyteller, and not the one who he came up with this, b) Pushkin introduces self-irony into the work, and at the same time “brushes off” all kinds of criticism and critics (the attitude towards which Pushkin quite clearly outlined in his poetry).

Prince Vladimir feasts with guests on the occasion of the wedding of his daughter Lyudmila, who is marrying Prince Ruslan. The description of the feast is given. And immediately there is a lyrical digression about feasts "in general", which the narrator, "carried away", brings to the audience:

He soon ate our ancestors,
He soon moved around
Ladles, silver bowls
With boiling beer and wine.
They poured joy in the heart,
Foam hissed around the edges,
Their important teacups were worn
And they bowed low to the guests ...

The speeches merged into an indistinct noise;
A merry circle buzzes the guests;
Ho suddenly there was a pleasant voice

And the sonorous harp is a fluent sound;
Everyone was silent, listening to Bayan:
And praise the sweet singer

Lyudmila-charm and Ruslana
And Lelem crowned them.

However, the romantic entourage disappears as soon as the conversation turns to the main character:

Ho, weary of ardent passion,
He does not eat, does not drink Ruslan in love;
Looks at a dear friend

Sighs, gets angry, burns
And, pinching his mustache with impatience,
Counting every moment...

Thus, the whole feast takes on a comical tone, being presented as a kind of unnecessary duty, which only delays the sweet moments of the wedding night.

Ruslan has three rivals, who also claim the hand of Lyudmila and are now discouraged and hatching plans for revenge: this is Rogdai, “a brave warrior who pushed the limits of the rich Kiev fields with his sword”; the other - "Farlaf, an arrogant screamer, not defeated by anyone in feasts, but a modest warrior among swords" ("Farlaf" - in tune with Shakespeare's "Falstaff"); and the last - “full of passionate thoughts, the young Khazar Khan Ratmir” (“Ratmir” is a name that has occurred in Russian history - Alexander Nevsky had a squire with that name who died in one of the battles).

But the end of the feast is finally near:

Mixed in noisy crowds,
And everyone is looking at the young:
The bride lowered her eyes
As if my heart was sad,
And the joyful bridegroom is bright.
The groom is delighted, in ecstasy:
He caresses in the imagination

Bashful maiden beauty...

The parody of the story is growing. The hero of the work experiences quite earthly and not too lofty feelings, understandable to every mortal (which is completely unusual for a romantic hero).

And here's a young bride
Lead to the wedding bed;
The lights went out... and the night

Lel lights the lamp.
Dear hopes come true
Gifts are being prepared for love;
Jealous garments will fall
On Tsaregradsky carpets...

Can you hear the whisper of love
And kisses sweet sound
And a broken murmur

The last timidity?...Spouse

Enthusiasm feels in advance;
And here they come...

The suddenly appearing "dark force" mixes everything around, a tornado flies and rushes on. The "romantic" hero finds himself in an absurd and ridiculous position.

The frightened groom gets up,
Cold sweat rolls down from his face;
Trembling, cold hand
He asks the mute darkness...
About grief: there is no dear girlfriend!
He grabs air, he is empty;
Lyudmila is not in the thick darkness,
Kidnapped by an unknown force.

The narrator immediately inserts a lyrical digression, a kind of “commentary” on what happened.

Ah, if the martyr of love
Suffering from passion hopelessly;
Though it's sad to live, my friends,
However, life is still possible.
Ho after long, long years

Hug your beloved friend
Desires, tears, melancholy subject,
And suddenly a minute wife
Forever lost... oh friends,
Of course I'd rather die!

The prince asks the guests to rescue his daughter from the dark forces and announces that he will give her in marriage to the savior, attaching, as expected, half the kingdom. In addition to Ruslan, Rogdai, Ratmir and Farlaf are called to go. The “epic” prince thanks them, and “with gratitude, the mute in tears, the old man, exhausted by longing, stretches out his hands to them” (again the reception of the grotesque).

Knights set off along the banks of the Dnieper, then disperse in different directions.

After some time, Ruslan drives up to the cave and, noticing a light in it, enters. There he sees an old wizard, Finn, reading an ancient book. Finn says that he has been here for twenty years, comprehending the secret wisdom. He informs Ruslan that his "offender" is "the terrible wizard Chernomor, the old thief of beauties", and that he, Ruslan, is destined to defeat him. However, the “romantic” paraphernalia is again crumbling due to the efforts of the narrator: Ruslan shows concern that his bride will become the object of love harassment by the “gray-haired sorcerer”. Finn calms him down by painting a rather comical picture in response to the young man's anxiety (the grotesque technique is used again: an omnipotent sorcerer, powerless in the love area):

Calm down, know it's in vain
And the young maiden is not afraid.
He brings the stars down from the sky

He whistles - the moon trembles
Ho against the time of the law
His science is not strong.
Jealous, quivering keeper

Locks of ruthless doors,
He's just a feeble tormentor
Your lovely captive.
Around her he silently wanders,
He curses his cruel lot ...

However, Ruslan cannot sleep, and he asks the elder what brought him to the "desert". He tells a "romantic" story, which is a vivid example of a parody of the romantic genre. The comic effect here is created in the same way as in many other cases: Pushkin gives a purely romantic plot, developing the narration with the same romantic pictorial means, but gives a completely different ending, absolutely incompatible with all the previous logic of the “romantic” narration (again, the grotesque technique).

At first, Finn paints a pastoral picture: he is a shepherd, lives in the bosom of nature, happy and carefree. Ho one day he meets the beautiful Naina and falls in love with her.

Half a year has gone;
I opened up to her with trepidation,
He said: I love you, Naina.
Ho my timid sorrow
Naina proudly listened,
Only loving your charms,
And indifferently answered:
"Shepherd, I don't love you!"

Refrain, i.e. repetition at the end of each stanza or other semantic segment of the same phrase is also a technique actively used by romantics (although borrowed from the folk ballad genre). For comparison - "The Song of Harald the Bold" by K. Batyushkov.

Finn decides to “deserve Naina’s proud attention with his swearing glory,” and “for the first time, the quiet land of the fathers heard the swearing sound of damask steel and the noise of non-peaceful shuttles.” For ten years, the warriors “snow and waves were crimson with the blood of enemies,” but, returning and bringing the conquered treasures to the feet of his beloved, Finn hears the answer: “Hero, I don’t love you!” Then Finn decides to retire and comprehend the science of sorcery, so that "in the proud heart of a maiden, cold love can be ignited with magic." Time passes, the “long-desired moment” comes:

In the dreams of young hope
In the rapture of ardent desire
I quickly cast spells
I call the spirits - and in the darkness of the forest

The arrow rushed thunder
The magic whirlwind raised a howl,
The ground trembled underfoot...
And suddenly sits in front of me

The old woman is decrepit, gray-haired,
With sunken eyes sparkling,
With a hump, with a shaking head,
A sadly dilapidated picture.
Oh, knight, that was Naina! ..
I was horrified and silent
With the eyes of a terrible ghost measured,

I still didn't believe in doubt
And suddenly he began to cry, shouted:

Possibly! oh, Naina, are you!

Naina, where is your beauty?
Tell me, is heaven
Have you been so terribly changed?

Tell me how long ago, leaving the light,

Have I parted with my soul and my dear?
How long ago? .. “Exactly forty years, -

Was the virgin's fatal answer: -

Today I was seventy.
What to do, - she squeaks me, -

The years have flown by,
Mine passed, your spring -
We both got old.
Ho, friend, listen: it doesn't matter

Unfaithful youth loss.

Of course, now I'm gray

A little, perhaps, a hunchback;

Not what was in the old days,
He is not so alive, not so sweet;
But (added chatterbox)

I will reveal the secret: I am a witch!

And it really was.
Silent, motionless before her,
I was a complete fool
With all my wisdom.

Ho that's terrible: witchcraft

Completely unfortunate.
My gray deity
A new passion burned for me.
Curving a terrible mouth with a smile,
Grave voice freak

Mutters love confession to me.

Imagine my suffering!
I trembled, lowering my eyes;
She continued through her cough

Heavy, passionate conversation:

“So, now I have recognized the heart;
I see, true friend, it

Born for tender passion;
Feelings woke up, I'm burning
Longing for love...
Come into my arms...
Oh dear, dear! I'm dying..."

And meanwhile she, Ruslan,
Blinking with languid eyes;
And meanwhile for my caftan
She held on with skinny hands;
And meanwhile - I was dying,
From horror, closing his eyes;
And suddenly there was no more urine;
I ran away screaming.
She followed: “Oh, unworthy!
You disturbed my calm age,
The days of an innocent maiden are clear!
You won the love of Naina,
And you despise - here are the men!
They all breathe change!
Alas, blame yourself;
He seduced me, wretch!
I surrendered to passionate love...
A traitor, a fiend! oh shame!
Ho tremble, girlish thief!

The denouement for a story built according to romantic canons is completely unthinkable. The whole story turns 180 degrees - even the lofty vocabulary characteristic of the first part of Finn's story changes to colloquial. Accordingly, Finn's story, a kind of "work within a work", is a typical parody of the techniques and manner of romantic writers.

Thanking Finn for his parting words and warning about Naina's deceit, which, according to the elder, will definitely hate Ruslan, the knight goes on.

Canto two

The song begins with a lyrical digression about rivals in matters of love. Pushkin calls on rivals for peace, since “To whom the girl’s heart is destined by an indispensable fate, he will be sweet in spite of the universe; being angry is stupid and sinful."

Meanwhile, Rogdai, being on the road, decides to kill Ruslan in order to get rid of his rival. He stumbles upon Farlaf, who is resting in the shade by a stream, having lunch. Mistaking him for Ruslan, Rogdai rushes after him. Farlaf, frightened, runs away, the narrator immediately gives a detailed comparison (lyrical digression);

So it’s like a hurried hare,
Close your ears fearfully,
Over bumps, fields, through forests
Leaps away from the dog.

The horse jumps over a ditch that has come across on the road, but “the timid rider fell heavily upside down into a dirty ditch”, Rogdai runs up, raises his sword, but then he recognizes Farlaf:

Looks, and hands dropped;
Annoyance, amazement, anger
In his features were portrayed;
Gritting your teeth, numb,
Hero with a drooping head

Hurry away from the moat,
Raging ... but barely, barely
He didn't laugh at himself.

Again, an atypical denouement for a romantic work. Pushkin, as it were, sorts through romantic plots (in this case, a plot about rivalry in love, widely used by romantics), a kind of romantic cliches, and parodies them one by one.

After a skirmish with Farlaf, Rogdai meets Naina, who shows him the direction in which Ruslan went.

Naina also appears in front of Farlaf lying in a dirty moat. She advises him to go to his village near Kiev, live there in clover, promises that "Lyudmila will not leave us."

Ruslan, meanwhile, continues on his way. Suddenly, he is confronted by some formidable rider, who in a rude manner challenges him to a fight.

Ruslan flared up, shuddered with anger;
He recognizes this exuberant voice...
My friends! and our girl?
Let's leave the knights for an hour;
I will think of them again soon.
And it's high time for me
Think about the young princess
And about the terrible Chernomor.

Another parodic move is to interrupt the story at the climax. Again, the principle of combining the incompatible comes into play: the plot importance of the moment and the author's attitude to it as something insignificant, from which it is quite possible to be distracted by an extraneous subject. The narrator returns to the moment of the abduction of Lyudmila by Chernomor from the “inflamed Ruslan”, leading a lyrical digression corresponding to the theme:

From the threshold of my hut
So I saw, in the middle of summer days,
When the chicken is cowardly

Sultan of the chicken coop is arrogant,
My rooster ran around the yard

And voluptuous wings
Already hugged a girlfriend;
Above them in cunning circles

The chickens of the village are an old thief,
Taking destructive measures
Worn, swam gray kite
And fell like lightning into the yard.
Soared, flying. In terrible claws

Into the darkness of safe clefts

Takes away the poor villain.
In vain, with his grief
And stricken with cold fear,
A rooster is calling his mistress...
He sees only flying fluff,
Carried by the flying wind.

Comparison of heroes with the characters of this lyrical digression cannot have any other meaning than parodic. The decrease in pathos here is almost the maximum in the entire poem.

Lyudmila comes to her senses in the chambers of Chernomor, sees oriental decoration around. Starting to describe the luxury of the palace, the narrator gives up halfway through the idea, confining himself to the phrase:

Enough ... I don't need

Describe a magical house;
For a long time Scheherazade
I was warned about that.
Ho bright tower is not a consolation,
When we do not see a friend in it.

That is, the entire previous description (including the appeal to the authority of Scheherazade, the narrator of the famous "1001 nights") crumbles under the influence of the last two lines.

Lyudmila is dressed up in luxurious outfits, but she yearns, as she is separated from her beloved. Again there is a plot that is very characteristic of the romantic tradition, however, it also falls apart when the narrator mentions that Lyudmila does not look at herself in the mirror, and then adds a maxim from herself (in the form of a lyrical digression):

Te, koi, loving the truth,
At the dark heart of the day they read,
Of course they know about themselves
What if a woman is sad
Through tears, furtively, somehow,
In spite of habit and reason,
Forget to look in the mirror -
That makes her sad, no joke.

Lyudmila “in tears of despair” goes to the garden, a rather detailed description of the garden follows in a strictly romantic tradition (local color) - that is, we are presented with some “ideal place” that is “more beautiful than the gardens of Armida and those owned by King Solomon Il prince of Taurida" (again, the comparison is grotesque: Solomon is a semi-mythical biblical character, and the "prince of Taurida" is none other than Potemkin, a favorite of Catherine II, who, as you know, was given the title "Tauride" after the Crimean campaign).

Everywhere roses live branches
Blossom and breathe along the paths.
Ho inconsolable Lyudmila
He walks and walks and does not look.
Magic is a luxury she is sick of,
She is sad with the bliss of a bright look;
Where, without knowing, wanders,
The magic garden goes around
Giving freedom to bitter tears,
And raises gloomy eyes
To the unforgiving skies.
Suddenly a beautiful sight lit up;
She pressed her finger to her lips;
It seemed like a terrible idea.

Was born... A terrible path was opened:

High bridge over the stream
In front of her hangs on two rocks;
In despondency heavy and deep
She approaches - and in tears
I looked at the noisy waters,
Hit, sobbing, in the chest,
I decided to drown in the waves -
However, she did not jump into the water.
And then she continued on her way.

Again, the same parodic device: forcing the tragic atmosphere in a romantic spirit and resolving the situation exactly the opposite.

Lyudmila, "running in the sun in the morning," got hungry. Before her appears a table with exquisite dishes. Ho Lyudmila, as befits a romantic heroine, refuses to eat:

I'm not afraid of the villain's power:
Lyudmila knows how to die!
I don't need your tents
No boring songs, no feasts -
I will not eat, I will not listen,
I will die among your gardens!”
Thought - and began to eat.

Evening comes, Lyudmila goes to sleep, “the sleepy princess is undressed by the gentle hand” of the slaves. She is "charmable with careless charm", but at the same time:

Trembling like a leaf, does not dare to die;
Percy grow cold, eyes darken;
Instantaneous sleep flees from the eyes;
Not sleeping, doubled attention
Staring into the darkness...

Soon the one whose appearance was feared appears - the formidable wizard Chernomor. He is accompanied by a retinue, a very magnificent procession (for romantic writers, in particular, for Byron, it was extremely characteristic of fascination with oriental themes). The romantic cliche is also allowed in a completely grotesque way:

The princess jumped out of bed
Gray-haired carl for the cap
Grabbed with a quick hand
Trembling raised her fist
And screamed in fear,
That all arapov stunned.
Trembling, the poor man crouched,
The frightened princess is paler;
Close your ears quickly
I wanted to run, but in a beard

Tangled, fell and beats;
Rise, fall; such a disaster
Arapov black swarm is tumultuous;
Noise, push, run,
They grab the sorcerer in an armful
And they carry out to unravel,
Leaving Lyudmila's hat.

The narrator returns to Ruslan, describes how he defeats his opponent by throwing him off a cliff into the river. Further, the narrator reveals the “secret” - who was the knight with whom Ruslan fought (again, a characteristic technique of the romantics; for comparison, Pushkin uses this romantic technique in Dubrovsky, when Vladimir appears in the Troekurovs’ house under the name of Deforge).

And it was heard that Rogdai
Those waters a young mermaid
Percy took it in the cold

And, greedily kissing the knight,
Dragged me to the bottom with laughter
And long after, on a dark night,
Wandering near the quiet shores,
The giant ghost is huge

Scarecrow of the desert fishermen.

Song Three

The song begins with an appeal to critics (see the commentary to the introduction - “At the seashore the oak is green” - that the hoax with the “refusal” of authorship is just another game, another move that destroys stereotypes - in this case, “serious »critics).

In vain you lurked in the shadows

For peaceful, happy friends,
My poems! You didn't hide

From angry envy eyes.
Already a pale critic, to her service,
The question made me fatal:
Why Ruslanov's girlfriend
As if to laugh at her husband,
I call both the maiden and the princess?
You see, my good reader,
There is a black seal of malice!
Say, Zoil, say, traitor,
Well, how and what should I answer?
Blush, unfortunate, God be with you!
Redden, I don't want to argue;
Satisfied with the fact that the right soul,
I am silent in humble meekness.
Ho you will understand me, Klymene,
Lower your languid eyes,
You, victim of boring Hymen...
I see: a secret tear
Will fall on my verse, intelligible to the heart;
You blushed, your eyes went out;
She sighed silently ... an understandable sigh!

Jealous: be afraid, the hour is near;
Cupid with Wayward Annoyance

Entered into a bold conspiracy
And for your inglorious head

The vengeance is ready.

Pushkin directly declares that his work is built not according to the laws of literature (artificially constructed and invented, for example, romantic canons), but according to the laws of life itself, which in itself is more beautiful than any fiction, any "literary art". It was this attitude to reality and to literature that was the basis, the ideological prerequisite, from which Russian realism would subsequently develop.

Chernomor, annoyed after yesterday's evening failure, combs his tangled beard, Naina appears to him and warns of danger. Chernomor declares that “the enemy is weak” is not afraid of him, especially since his beard is magical:

This fertile beard

No wonder Chernomor is decorated.
How long is her gray hair

A hostile sword will not cut,
None of the dashing knights,
No mortal will perish

My smallest thoughts...

Chernomor goes to Lyudmila, but does not find her in the wards. He is furious and orders to find her, "or else - you are joking with me - I will strangle you all with my beard!"

Reader, let me tell you
Where did the beauty go?
All night she's her destiny
She marveled in tears and laughed.
Her beard scared her
Ho Chernomor was already known
And he was funny, but never
Horror is incompatible with laughter.

The last phrase is remarkable, since in it Pushkin directly opens one of his creative tasks. Laughter is present in the work as an antithesis to a gloomy romantic, “literary” view of the world (cf. the nature of folk laughter in the chapter on ancient Russian literature). Laughter, on the other hand, destroys “horror”, being a reflection of life, since life is basically good, and therefore joy.

Lyudmila finds a hat dropped by Chernomor, which turns out to be invisible, puts it on and hides from the dwarf and his servants. In mid-sentence, the narrator interrupts himself and returns to the hero:

But let us return to the hero.
Isn't it a shame to deal with us

So long with a hat, beard,
Ruslan entrusting the fates?

Ruslan arrives in a dense forest, then goes to the "old battlefield", completely littered with the remains of soldiers. Ruslan is overwhelmed by elegiac reflections about the “transience of being”, about the fact that, perhaps, his fate will be the same (again a romantic cliché).

Ho soon remembered my knight,
That a hero needs a good sword
And even the shell; and the hero
Unarmed since the last battle.

Leaving melancholic thoughts, Ruslan is engaged in looting, that is, he simply takes ammunition and weapons from the dead (a parody resolution of a romantic situation).

Ruslan goes further and sees a huge hill, which, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a head. A description of the head in a romantic style follows. Ruslan approaches, tickles her nostrils with a spear, and she sneezes. The knight, together with his horse, is blown away by the wind (parodic resolution of a romantic situation). After that, Ruslan starts a skirmish with his head, intending to give her a fight, although she asks to leave her alone (a parody of chivalric plots used by romantics, when the heroes go to "obtain fame" at all costs, to perform feats, even if " on the empty place"):

“Where are you, foolish knight?
Get back, I'm not kidding!
I’ll just swallow it insolently!”
Ruslan looked around with contempt,
The reins held the horse
And he smiled proudly.
"What do you want from me? -
Frowning, the head screamed. -

Fate has sent me a guest!
Listen, get out!
I want to sleep, now it's night
Goodbye!" Ho famous knight,
Hearing harsh words
He exclaimed with the importance of an angry:
"Shut up, empty head!
I heard the truth happened:
Although the forehead is wide, but the brain is small!
I'm going, I'm going, I'm not whistling
And when I get there, I won’t let go!”

Colloquial expressions (saying, colloquial style) serve to enhance the grotesque.

The head, unable to bear the rudeness, begins to blow. Vityaz is blown away several times, his head laughs and teases the “hero” with “terrible language”. Ruslan manages to hit his head with a spear in the tongue. All this is accompanied by a "not quite appropriate" lyrical digression:

From surprise, pain, anger,
Lost in a moment of insolence,
The head looked at the prince,
Iron gnawed and turned pale.
Warm in a calm spirit,
So sometimes among our stage

Bad pet Melpomene,
Deafened by a sudden whistle,
He sees nothing
Turns pale, forgets the role,
Trembling, bowing his head,
And stuttering silent
Before a mocking crowd.

Taking advantage of the moment, Ruslan hits his head on the cheek, it turns over, rolls. Ruslan, "carried away", "runs away with the cruel intention of cutting off her nose and ears", but the head groans and says with a sigh: "Your right hand has proved that I am guilty before you." Further, the head tells that it previously belonged to a brave knight, whose younger brother was Chernomor. Chernomor, "born a dwarf, with a beard," envied the growth of his older brother. Once Chernomor told his brother that “he found in black books that behind the eastern mountains on the quiet sea shores, in a deaf basement, under locks, a sword is stored”, which is destined to destroy both brothers - he will cut off his head, and Chernomor’s beard (in which all his strength). The elder brother takes Chernomor with him, finds a sword. A quarrel breaks out between the brothers - who should wield the sword. Then Chernomor offers a competition - put your ear to the ground and wait. Whoever hears the bell first is the winner.

He said and lay down on the ground.
I also foolishly stretched out;
I'm lying, I don't hear anything
Smiling: I will deceive him!
Ho himself was cruelly deceived.
Villain in deep silence
Get up, tiptoe to me

Crept up from behind, swung;
Like a whirlwind whistled a sharp sword,
And before I looked back
Already the head flew off the shoulders -
And supernatural power
The spirit stopped her life.
My frame is overgrown with thorns;
Far away, in a country forgotten by people,
My unburied ashes have decayed;
Ho evil carla endured
Me in this secluded land,
Where forever had to guard

The sword you have taken today.

The head gives Ruslan the sword and asks him to take revenge on Chernomor.

Canto Four

The song begins with a lyrical digression about "wizards" - open enemies-bride kidnappers, and about "friends" who do the same, but only secretly:

Every day I wake up from sleep
I heartily thank God

Because in our time
There aren't many wizards.
Besides - honor and glory to them! -

Our marriages are safe...
Their plans are not so terrible

Husbands, young girls.
Ho there are other wizards,
Which I hate
Smile, blue eyes
And a sweet voice - oh friends!
Do not believe them: they are crafty!
Be afraid imitating me
Their intoxicating poison,
And rest in silence.

Ratmir, while searching for Lyudmila, leaves for the valley and sees a castle on the rocks. A girl walks along the wall of the castle and sings. She calls Ratmir to the castle, where "at night there is bliss and peace, and during the day there is noise and feasting." Charming women live in the castle. Ratmir goes to the castle, the maidens take care of him, feed him, leave him at home, take him to the bedroom. But here the narrator "pulls" himself:

Ho, friends, virgin lyre

Silent under my hand;
My timid voice is weakening -
Let's leave young Ratmir;
I dare not continue with the song:
Ruslan should occupy us,
Ruslan, this unparalleled hero,
At heart, a hero, a true lover.

Ruslan “bravely continues the path”, “every day he meets new obstacles: he fights with a hero, then with a witch, then with a giant”, and always, despite the invocative singing of mermaids, which he periodically hears at night, he remembers Lyudmila ( unlike Ratmir, whom the narrator clearly envies more than Ruslan).

Lyudmila, meanwhile, amuses herself by playing hide-and-seek with the servants of Chernomor: taking off her invisibility cap, she calls them, and then puts it on again. She wanders through the possessions of Chernomor, eats, drinks, bathes in the fountain, misses. Finally, Chernomor decides to catch her at all costs and spreads a transparent net in the garden. Using the ghost of the wounded Ruslan as a "bait", Chernomor lures Lyudmila into the net. Ta faints.

What will happen to the poor princess!
O terrible sight: the wizard is frail

Caresses with a daring hand

Ludmila's young charms!
Will he be happy?
Chu ... suddenly there was a ringing of horns,
And someone calls Carla.
Confused, pale sorcerer
He puts on a hat for a girl;
Trumpet again; louder, louder!
And he flies to an unknown meeting,
Throwing his beard over his shoulders.

Song Five

The song begins with a "lyrical digression" about the heroine of the poem - Lyudmila (in many ways reminiscent of the lines later dedicated to Tatiana in "Eugene Onegin"):

Oh, how sweet is my princess!
I like her more than anything:
She is sensitive, modest,
Faithful conjugal love,
A little windy ... so what?
She is even cuter.
All the time the charm of the new
She knows how to captivate us;

Tell me if you can compare

Her with Delfiroyu severe?
One - fate sent a gift

Enchant hearts and eyes;
Her smile, conversations

In me, love gives birth to heat,
And that one - under the skirt of the hussars,
Just give her a mustache and spurs!
Blessed, whom in the evening
To a secluded corner
My Lyudmila is waiting
And he will call a friend of the heart;
Ho, believe me, blessed is he
Who runs away from Delphira
And I don't even know her.
Yes, but that's not the point!
Ho who trumpeted? Who is the sorcerer

Did he call for a threat?
Who scared the witch?

The battle between Ruslan and Chernomor begins. Chernomor flies around and unleashes mace blows on Ruslan. Having improved the moment, Ruslan grabs the dwarf by the beard, and he lifts him up.

Already a sorcerer under the clouds;
A hero hangs on his beard;

Again, a parodic context (the hero "hangs" on his beard, cf. Introduction).

From the tension of the bones,
Ruslan for the villain's beard

Stubborn is held by the hand.

Chernomor is trying to enter into negotiations with Ruslan, but he does not listen.

In vain long beard

Tired carla shakes:
Ruslan does not let her out
And pinches her hair sometimes.
For two days the sorcerer of the hero wears,
On the third he asks for mercy ...

Ruslan orders to carry him to Lyudmila. Chernomor brings him to his chambers, Ruslan cuts off his beard, ties it to his helmet, and puts the dwarf in a bag and attaches it to the saddle. He then searches for Ludmila, but to no avail. Mad with grief, Ruslan cuts the air with his sword and accidentally knocks off Lyudmila's invisibility cap. However, Lyudmila is immersed in a dream. Ruslan hears Finn's voice, that Lyudmila will rise from her sleep in front of her father, and sets off. Regarding Lyudmila's dream, the narrator also gives a lyrical digression:

And the girl is sleeping. Ho young prince,
languishing in a barren flame,
Really, a constant sufferer,
Spouse only guarded
And in a chaste dream,
Subdued immodest desire,
Did you find your happiness?
The Monk Who Saved

True tradition to offspring
About my glorious knight,
We are boldly assured that:
And I believe! No separation
Dull, rude pleasures:
We are really happy together.
Shepherds, the dream of the lovely princess
He was like your dreams
Sometimes a languid spring
On an ant, in the shade of a tree.
I remember a small meadow
Among the birch oak forest,
I remember a dark evening
I remember Lida's evil dream...
Ah, the first kiss of love
Trembling, light, hurried,
He dispersed, my friends,
Her slumbers are patient...
Ho full, I'm talking nonsense!
Why remember love?
Her joy and suffering
Forgotten by me for a long time;

Now get my attention

Princess, Ruslan and Chernomor.

On the way back, Ruslan meets the head again, already dead. Ruslan says that he took revenge on Chernomor, and these words revive his head. She sees the defeated dwarf and calmly departs to another world.

After some time on the way, Ruslan sees a boat with a beautiful maiden and a happy fisherman on the river bank, in which he recognizes Ratmir. They joyfully meet, and Khan Ratmir tells Ruslan that for the sake of his shepherdess he left twelve maidens who loved him, that his “soul was bored with the swearing glory of an empty and disastrous ghost.” Ruslan goes on, and Ratmir wishes him happiness, love and glory.

The narrator precedes the transition to the story about Farlaf's treachery with a lyrical digression, in which the author's artistic and aesthetic views are again manifested.

Why is fate not destined

To my fickle lyre

Heroism to sing one
And with him (unknown in the world)
Love and friendship of the old years?
The poet of sad truth
Why should I for posterity

Vice and malice to expose
And the secrets of the machinations of treachery
In truthful songs to denounce?

Naina appears to Farlaf, who is in idleness, and orders him to follow her. They come to the field where Ruslan is staying for the night. Ruslan has a prophetic dream about his death and the kidnapping of Lyudmila, but he cannot wake up. Farlaf kills him and hides with Lyudmila.

Song Six

Chernomor wakes up in the morning. Looking out of the bag, he sees the murdered Ruslan and rejoices, considering himself free.

Farlaf, meanwhile, appears in Kiev and appears before the prince, telling how he rescued Lyudmila from the hands of the "evil goblin", fighting with him for three days. However, no one can interrupt Lyudmila's sleep. Everyone is wondering what to do.

The next day, it turns out that the Pechenegs, who have invaded the Russian borders, are standing at the walls of the city.

Meanwhile, Finn learns about what happened to Ruslan and revives him with dead and living water. Ruslan gets up, Finn tells him to go to defend the city and gives him a ring that can dispel Lyudmila's dream.

The Pechenegs are besieging Kiev, the city is preparing for a bloody battle. Soon a battle will begin (the description of the battle is compared with "Poltava").

Suddenly, Ruslan appears in the camp of the enemy, smashing the enemies to the right and left. Inspired Russian warriors also rush into battle. The Pechenegs are on the run.

Farlaf, seeing Ruslan, in horror, blames everyone for his deed. Ruslan wakes up Lyudmila with the help of a ring. Farlaf is forgiven for joy, Chernomor, deprived of the magical power of a beard, is also left in the palace.

Full of languid thought -
But the fire of poetry has gone out.
Looking in vain for impressions:
She passed, it's time for poetry,
It's time for love, happy dreams,
It's time for inspiration!
A short day of delight has passed -
And hid from me forever
Goddess of Silent Chants...

Ruslan and Lyudmila - a poem by Alexander Pushkin, written in 1818 - 1820. This is his first completed poem, inspired by Russian fairy tales and epics.

In addition, the poet was inspired by other works that somehow left a mark on the work:

1. "Frantic Roland" Ariosto;

2. The works of Voltaire (“The Virgin of Orleans”, etc.);

3. Russian literary tales of Kheraskov, Karamzin, Radishchev, popular print story about Yeruslan Lazarevich;

4. "History of the Russian State", from which, in particular, the names of all three heroes were taken - Farlaf, Rogdai and Ratmir (famous ancient Russian warriors);

5. Zhukovsky's poem "The Twelve Sleeping Maidens".

"Ruslan and Lyudmila", in fact, was a youthful comic reworking of Zhukovsky's poem. The parody was harmless and rather friendly, so Zhukovsky appreciated the creation. However, Pushkin himself in his mature years criticized his youthful experience, noting that he "spoiled" the great poem "for the sake of the mob."

The poem was written in iambic tetrameter, which until now has been used only in “grassroots” poetry. The language of the work is also deliberately reduced and coarsened. Nevertheless, iambic tetrameter, starting from this work, became the main one in Russian poetry.

Prince Vladimir decided to marry his daughter Lyudmila. The groom was also found - the glorious hero Ruslan. They played a wedding, at which there were many guests. All of them rejoiced, except for Ratmir, Farlaf and Rogdai - mighty knights who themselves wanted to get Lyudmila as their wife. After the feast, the young were taken to their chambers, but a terrible wind suddenly rose, thunder rumbled and a voice was heard. Then everything calmed down, but Lyudmila was not on the bed.

The saddened Vladimir ordered to find and return his daughter, and whoever does this will receive her as his wife, and even half the kingdom in addition. Farlaf, Rogdai and Ratmir saw that they had a good opportunity to fulfill their dream, and set off together. At the crossroads, everyone went their own way. Ruslan went separately. He drove up to the cave where the lonely old man lived. He tells Ruslan that he has been waiting for him for a long time.

The old man agrees to help him save Lyudmila. But before that, he tells the story of his life and failed love. He reports that Lyudmila was kidnapped by the insidious Chernomor - an evil sorcerer. Chernomor's friend was Naina, an old woman whom the old man loved in his youth. Naina also turned out to be a witch who was angry at the old man.

Ruslan sets off. But Rogdai begins chasing him, plotting to kill his rival. By mistake, he almost hacked Farlaf to death; then, with the help of the advice of a decrepit old woman, he finds Ruslan on the trail, catches up with him and enters into battle with him. Ruslan wins, kills Rogdai and rides on. He leaves for the field with the scattered remains of warriors, picks up equipment, goes on, then fights with the huge head of the hero. At the last moment, he spared his head, and she, in gratitude, told him about Chernomor, who was her brother.

At this time, Ratmir drove up to a certain castle inhabited by beautiful girls. In their arms he spent the rest of his days. Lyudmila stayed in the castle of Chernomor and waited for her savior. The sorcerer turned out to be a dwarf with a huge beard, which was carried before him by many servants. The castle was located on top of a high mountain, and there were many magical items in it, with which the girl had fun. She even found Chernomor's invisibility cap, with which she teased the servants and hid from the sorcerer himself.

Ruslan finally drove up to the walls of the Chernomor castle. He fought with the sorcerer for two days and two nights, defeated him and cut off his beard, because of which Chernomor lost his witchcraft power. Sleeping Lyudmila Ruslan took with him and went to Kiev. On the way back, he met Ratmir, who had already found his love. Now he and Ratmir are no longer enemies. Then he decided to rest and fell asleep, and at that time Farlaf found him and killed him. He took the girl with him and left.

An old man appeared from the cave and revived Ruslan with living and dead water. Ruslan goes to Kiev and finds the city surrounded by the Pechenegs. Alone, he defeats all enemies and goes to the palace of Vladimir, but meets the prince and Farlaf. Farlaf did not expect such a turn and began to repent before the prince, saying that he had killed Ruslan and taken Lyudmila from him. Meanwhile, Ruslan goes to the girl's chambers and awakens him with the help of a magic ring given by the old man. So he confirmed that he was worthy of his beloved.