'Thoughts' by Alexander S. Pushkin Alexander Turner

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799-1837) 
Александр Сергеевич Пушкин

'Thoughts' by Alexander Pushkin (1829)
'Mысли'* от Александр Пушкин (1829)

If I walk the noisy streets,
Or enter a many thronged church,
Or sit among the wild young generation,
I give way to my thoughts

I say to myself: the years are fleeting,
And however many there seem to be,
We must all go under the eternal vault,
And someone's hour is already at hand.

When I look at the solitary oak
I think: the patriarch of the woods.
It will outlive my forgotten age
As it outlived that of my grandfather's.

If I caress a young child
Immediately I think: farewell!
I will yield my place to you,
For I must fade while your flower blooms.
Each day, every hour
I habitually follow my thoughts,
Trying to guess from their number
The year which brings my death.

And where will fate send death to me?
In battle, in my travels, or on the seas?
Or will the neighboring valley
Receive my chilled ashes?

And although to the senseless body
It is indifferent wherever it rots,
Yet close to my beloved countryside
I would still prefer to rest

And let it be, beside the grave's vault
That young life forever will be playing,
And impartial, indifferent nature
Eternally be shining in beauty


*Though the poem could also be called 'Pазду́мье' or 'Cмерть-Mысли' I was unable to confirm either title in Russian.

Ledger, G. R. (Trans.). Pushkin's Poems. English Translation of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, and other poems. Retrieved February 7, 2019, from http://www.pushkins-poems.com/

Biographical information on Alexander S. Pushkin

Alexander Pushkin was a Russian poet who was active, and was wildly influential, during the Romantic literary period in the early 19th century. Today, Pushkin is considered the father of Russian literature, and wrote many other works aside from this one, including a epic poem called 'Eugene Onegin' which was adapted into a opera by famous Russian composer, P. I. Tchaikovsky. During the Romantic era, works of art, including poetry, often spoke about the natural world, feelings, and beauty. Pushkin was inspired heavily in his works by Lord Byron, one of the most influential writers of the Romanticism period who came before him. Pushkin grew up in Russian nobility, and was the great-great grandson of an African slave who originally lived in Constantinople, but was transferred to the court of the Russian Tsar. Peter I or Peter the Great. While some of his works display his inspiration that came from his heritage, most of Pushkin's works follow a very typical style of Romanticism. Eugene Onegin, for example, follows the story of a young nobleman where one of the characters, Vladimir Lensky, enters a duel and has a monologue to his loved one, Olga Larina. Lensky is killed in a duel by the main character. Ironically, Pushkin met a very similar fate.  During the 19th century, duels were a common way to end a dispute between two people. Pushkin entered a duel to protect his wife, Natalya Pushkina's honor. He was shot in the abdomen and wounded, dying two days later from infection of said wound. Being that Pushkin was generally rather introspective, it makes sense that he wrote a poem like 'Thoughts', as death was a common worry of those of all classes during the 19th century. Though, it's ironic that he wrote about old age, when he himself, would die only 8 years after writing this poem, at the young age of 37. 

Blagoy, D. D. (2018, August 27). Aleksandr Pushkin. Retrieved February 7, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aleksandr-Sergeyevich-Pushkin

'Yvengy Onegin' by Ilya Repin (1899)

(Photo was found on Wikiart.org but is in public domaim)

Reason for choice of image

  I have chosen this painting, not only because it is quite literally an illustration of one of Pushkin's works, but it also touches on the subject of death, and is coincidentally also how Pushkin himself ended up dying. 

    Analysis of the poem

 The poem 'Thoughts' is very obviously about death. More specifically, the speaker obsessing over when, and how he will die, and what will happen after he dies. The speaker in question, appears to be the poet, or in this case, Pushkin himself. However, the worries and introspection presented in the poem were and are common ones, shared by many. In general, Pushkin writes very clearly. However, the poem shows definite contrast. The first stanza describes "noisy streets" and "a many thronged church" which shows the general hustle and bustle of daily life. But later in the poem, in the 3rd stanza it describes a calm "solitary" tree. There is a comparison to be drawn between these two beyond simply a busy city and serene tree. These represent life and death. The very tone of the poem is clear because of these words. The speaker doesn't seem like he is fearful of death, but is wondering in a passive way about when he will die. The speaker seems more concerned about what will happen after he dies, rather than any pain that may come to him, if any, when he dies. The speaker compares the bustle of the city, with people passing, and even people dying, as the speaker acknowledges with the line: " And Someone's hour is already at hand" with the sweet calm of eternity after death, and how life for others carries on. Words like eternal, age, and forever are used to further prove that the author acknowledges that life continues after he himself is dead. In the English translation of this poem, there is no rhyme scheme, however, in the Russian original, the rhyme scheme is ABAB ABAB. Though, that patter is consistent in Pushkin's works and doesn't appear to hold any significance. Each new stanza hold a new idea. The stanza's are separated by subject very clearly. Subject of the speaker's various thoughts on his mortality. 'Thoughts' has one clear theme: Life is quick, and death is unavoidable, and all will continue on after we die.