Yesenin, beloved, you did not love me. “Letter to a Woman”: How one of Sergei Yesenin’s most famous poems appeared

Letter to a woman

Do you remember,
You all remember, of course,
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly
And something sharp
They threw it in my face.
You said:
Us it's time to leave,
What tormented you
My crazy life
That it's time for you to get down to business,
And my lot is
Roll further down.
Darling!
You didn't love me.
You didn’t know that in the crowd of people
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.
You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm tormented because I don't understand -
Where does the fate of events take us?
Face to face
You can't see the face.
Big things can be seen from a distance.
When the sea surface boils -
The ship is in poor condition.
Earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
Behind new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.
Well, which of us is the biggest on deck?
Didn’t fall, vomit or swear?
There are few of them, with an experienced soul,
Who remained strong in pitching.
Then I too
To the wild noise
But mature knowledgeable about the job,
He went down into the ship's hold,
So as not to watch people vomit.
That hold was -
Russian pub.
And I leaned over the glass,
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.
Darling!
I tormented you
You were sad
In the eyes of the tired:
What am I showing off to you?
Wasted himself in scandals.
But you didn't know
What's in the smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm suffering
What I don't understand
Where does the fate of events take us...
Now years have passed.
I'm at a different age.
And I feel and think differently.
And I say over festive wine:
Praise and glory to the helmsman!
Today I
In the shock of tender feelings.
I remembered your sad tiredness.
And now
I'm rushing to tell you,
What I was like
And what happened to me!
Darling!
I'm pleased to say:
I avoided falling off the cliff.
Now in the Soviet side
I am the fiercest travel companion.
I have become the wrong person
Who was he then?
I wouldn't torture you
As it was before.
For the banner of liberty
And good work
I'm ready to go even to the English Channel.
Forgive me...
I know: you are not the same -
Do you live
With a serious smart husband;
That you don’t need our toil,
And I myself to you
Not needed one bit.
Live like this
How the star guides you
Under the tabernacle of the renewed canopy.
With greetings,
always remembering you
Your acquaintance
Sergey Yesenin.

Analysis of Yesenin’s poem “Letter to a Woman”

There were many women in Sergei Yesenin’s life, but he did not have warm and tender feelings for all of them. Among them is Zinaida Reich, the poet’s first wife, whom he abandoned for the sake of his new hobby. It is noteworthy that Yesenin broke up with this woman at the moment when she was expecting her second child. Subsequently, the poet repented of his actions and even took upon himself the obligation to financially provide for his ex-wife and two children.

In 1922, Zinaida Reich remarried director Vsevolod Meyerhold, who soon adopted Yesenin’s children. However, the poet cannot forgive himself for what he did to his wife. In 1924, he dedicated a poem of repentance to her entitled “Letter to a Woman,” in which he asks ex-wife forgiveness. It is noteworthy that from the context of this work it follows that it was Zinaida Reich who insisted on breaking off relations with Yesenin, although after her divorce from the poet she was forced to undergo treatment for some time in a clinic for the mentally ill, since the dissolution of the marriage was a real collapse for her. However, acquaintances of this couple claimed that already at that moment Reich skillfully used her acting abilities, acting out scenes, one of which the poet describes in his poem. “You said: it’s time for us to part, that you are tormented by my crazy life,” Yesenin notes. And, apparently, it was phrases like these that strengthened his intention to get a divorce. In addition, according to the recollections of eyewitnesses, the poet could not forgive his chosen one for a long-standing deception: Reich lied that she had not had a man before the wedding, and such deceit was the first step towards breaking off the relationship. Yesenin was not tormented by jealousy, although he admitted that it was painful for him to learn the truth. However, I constantly wondered why this woman hid the truth. Therefore, it is not surprising that the poetic message to her contains the following phrase: “Beloved! You didn't love me." It is not accidental, because the word love is for the poet synonymous with trust, which did not exist between him and Zinaida Reich. There is no reproach in these words, but only bitterness from disappointment, since Yesenin only now realizes that he has connected his life with a person completely alien to him. He really tried to build a family and hoped that it would become a reliable refuge for him from everyday hardships. But, according to the poet, it turned out that he “was like a horse driven into the soap, spurred by a brave rider.”

Realizing that he family life was collapsing, the poet was sure that “the ship was in a deplorable state” and would soon sink. By sea vessel he means himself, noting that drunken scandals and brawls are the result of an unsuccessful marriage. His future is predetermined by Zinaida Reich, who prophesies the poet's death in a drunken stupor. But this does not happen, and years later Yesenin wants to tell his ex-wife in a poem what he really became. “I’m pleased to say: I avoided falling from the cliff,” the poet notes, emphasizing that he has become a completely different person. With his current views on life, the author feels that he would hardly torment this woman with betrayals and reproaches. And Zinaida Reich herself has changed, which Yesenin says openly: “You don’t need our toil and you don’t need me one bit.” But the poet does not hold a grudge against this woman, who has found her happiness in life. He forgives her insults, lies, and contempt, emphasizing that fate separated them into different sides. And no one should be blamed for this, since each of them has their own path, their own goals and their own future, in which they will never be able to be together again.

Sergei Yesenin wrote “Letter to a Woman” in 1924. This is one of the author's most famous lyric poems. In the poem, Yesenin addresses his ex-wife, Zinaida Reich, whom the poet abandoned when she was carrying his second child. He gave up for the sake of an affair on the side, spinning in a drunken stupor.

It would seem that he is a scoundrel, a scoundrel - it is unthinkable to survive such a betrayal! Yesenin, of course, did not intend to leave the family, but it was Reich who insisted on the break, who was never able to forgive the betrayal. But, at the same time, she reacted so painfully to the betrayal of her adored husband that she later had to undergo treatment in a psychiatric clinic. Her love was too strong. Reich's love was not at all like Yesenin's love. The woman's love was huge and heavy, like an ancient stone vase filled with water. It was impossible to lift her and quench her thirst. you could only kneel down to drink this moisture and stay next to her for the rest of your life, because on your way, on your life path, you won’t take her. Overwhelming love! Love is shackles. Over time, this kind of thing burns out everything that is alive in the soul and after that nothing grows in this desert anymore. Is great love really good? If you can’t take her with you, but you can only stay nearby forever and depend on her? And Yesenin’s love was light and intoxicating, like a glass of affordable wine. It did not quench your thirst, but briefly immersed you in a feeling of euphoria.

So why did Yesenin decide to talk to Reich in a poem? They caused each other a lot of pain not because they were bad people. But only because they were people. Yesenin in this poem finally lets go of her, her former beloved, and says that the suffering has come to an end. He will no longer torment her with reproaches. He will no longer trouble her heart with memories and will not blame her for the breakup. It is very important to say that you are guilty. After all, if you don’t ask for forgiveness, the pain will last your whole life, even if you and the person part ways forever. With this poem, Yesenin asks for forgiveness, forgives himself and lets go of the pain of love killed by their own hands. What could be more inevitable than loneliness? Only a choice. And the result...

The text of the poem can be read in full on our website online.

Do you remember,
Of course, you all remember
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly
And something sharp
They threw it in my face.

You said:
It's time for us to part
What tormented you
My crazy life
That it's time for you to get down to business,
And my destiny is
Roll further down.

Darling!
You didn't love me.
You didn’t know that in the crowd of people
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.

You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That’s why I’m tormented because I don’t understand -
Where does the fate of events take us?

Face to face
You can't see the face.
Big things can be seen from a distance.
When the sea surface boils,
The ship is in poor condition.

The earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
For a new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.

Well, which of us is the biggest on deck?
Didn’t fall, vomit or swear?
There are few of them, with an experienced soul,
Who remained strong in pitching.

Then I too
To the wild noise
But maturely knowing the work,
He went down into the ship's hold,
So as not to watch people vomit.
That hold was -
Russian pub.
And I leaned over the glass,
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.

Darling!
I tormented you
You were sad
In the eyes of the tired:
What am I showing off to you?
Wasted himself in scandals.

But you didn't know
What's in the smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm suffering
What I don't understand
Where does the fate of events take us...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Now the years have passed
I'm at a different age.
And I feel and think differently.
And I say over festive wine:
Praise and glory to the helmsman!

Today I
In the shock of tender feelings.
I remembered your sad tiredness.
And now
I'm rushing to tell you,
What was I like
And what happened to me!

Darling!
I'm pleased to say:
I avoided falling off the cliff.
Now in the Soviet side
I am the fiercest travel companion.

I have become the wrong person
Who was he then?
I wouldn't torture you
As it was before.
For the banner of liberty
And good work
I'm ready to go even to the English Channel.

Forgive me...
I know: you are not the same -
Do you live
With a serious, intelligent husband;
That you don’t need our toil,
And I myself to you
Not needed one bit.

Live like this
How the star guides you
Under the tabernacle of the renewed canopy.
With greetings,
always remembering you
Your acquaintance
Sergey Yesenin.

According to literary critics and fans of Sergei Yesenin’s work, the poem “Letter to a Woman” is at the top of the list of lyrical works, since the work literally touches the soul. The lines are written in the form of a letter addressed to a woman. In it, the author describes the moment of separation and gives an explanation of why the relationship between them did not work out. There is also a place for a vision of the world where, according to the plot, the Earth is presented in the form of a ship sailing on a stormy sea.

Dedicated to

The debate about who this poem is dedicated to is still ongoing; the author has not openly said who the heroine of the lines is. Meanwhile, with a high degree of probability, we can say that Yesenin dedicated the poem, since she left the biggest mark in his heart in recent years.

And something sharp
They threw it in my face.

The poem begins with a scene where a quarrel occurs between lovers. The woman walks around the room excitedly and says something sharp, literally throwing it in the hero’s face. She repeats and repeats that she is tired of this kind of life, that it is time for her to get down to business, and the hero has only one road - to slide down. In this scene, the character of Isadora Duncan is clearly visible; few other women could speak to Sergei like that.

What Yesenin hides between the lines

An analysis of a verse will not be complete if we do not look between the lines, where the author often hides the most valuable things. The poem repeats the phrase several times:

Where does the fate of events take us?

This is not accidental, since the work subtly intertwines personal and social, love and revolution, white and red. The author writes that he got love for a woman at a high price, since he looks like a driven horse that is spurred by a “brave rider.” There is a revolution in the rider, not without reason Soviet authority I tried to make another mouthpiece out of the poem. To do this, the necessary phrases were pulled out of the verse, and the rest was consigned to the dustbin of history.

When the sea surface boils -
Earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
For a new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.

Here it is easy to notice that Yesenin sees that the earth-ship is being taken under control by the Soviet government and that is the only way it can emerge intact from the storm of world capitalism. A small reference to world issues does not allow us to appreciate how much Yesenin himself believes in him, but parts of the poem, written in notes of vulgarism, allow us to understand him better.

The author writes that on a land ship during a storm, it is bad on deck for those who do not have experience. Those experienced in pitching remain strong, while others vomit from the roughness of the sea. Underneath the rest, Yesenin sees himself. He goes down from the deck into the hold so as not to see human vomit, and in the hold there is a tavern.

He went down into the ship's hold,

An excellent description of his weaknesses - the poet did not go to taverns, but simply left the deck and found himself in the temple of the green serpent.

That hold was -
Russian pub.
And I leaned over the glass,
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.

Where does the fate of events take us?

For the second time, she turns the arrows on the road of the poem from personal to public. Sergei writes that he does not understand where the fate of events is taking him and suffers because of this, looking for a way out in three elements - love, poetry and the tavern.

The Soviet government often extracted the line from the work:

Praise and glory to the helmsman.

It is clear who was meant by the helmsman, and the rest, for example, uncertainty about the future and justice today, was covered with a curtain of oblivion. The lines also often stuck out:

Now in the Soviet side
I am the fiercest travel companion.

But what did Yesenin mean by the word “furious”? He didn't write "devoted." Literally right after this:

For the banner of liberty
And good work
I'm ready to go even to the English Channel.

Let's emphasize for the banner of liberty, this is a little different from the direction where the Soviet government was leading. This is closer to imagism.

The poem ends with another appeal to the lady. He writes that he asks for forgiveness and lets her go. Let her live with an intelligent, serious husband, and he, as he was, will remain Yesenin with all his weaknesses and romanticism.

The penultimate line puts an end to the relationship:

Your acquaintance.

This is the finale, everything is said, forgiveness is asked and the woman is released from her heart.

Poem text

Do you remember,
You all remember, of course,
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly
And something sharp
They threw it in my face.
You said:
It's time for us to part
What tormented you
My crazy life
That it's time for you to get down to business,
And my lot is
Roll further down.
Darling!
You didn't love me.
You didn’t know that in the crowd of people
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.
You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm tormented because I don't understand -
Where does the fate of events take us?
Face to face
You can't see the face.

Big things can be seen from a distance.
When the sea surface boils -
The ship is in poor condition.
Earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
For a new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.

Well, which of us is the biggest on deck?
Didn’t fall, vomit or swear?
There are few of them, with an experienced soul,
Who remained strong in pitching.

Then I too
To the wild noise
But maturely knowing the work,
He went down into the ship's hold,
So as not to watch people vomit.

That hold was -
Russian pub.
And I leaned over the glass,
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.

Do you remember.
You spoke.
My crazy life.
Darling.
Do you remember,
You all remember, of course,
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly
And something sharp
They threw it in my face.
You said:
It's time for us to part
What tormented you
My crazy life
That it's time for you to get down to business,
And my lot is
Roll further down.
Darling!
You didn't love me.
You didn’t know that in human doubt
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.
You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm tormented because I don't understand -
Where does this fate of events take us?
Face to face
You can't see the face.

Big things can be seen from a distance.
When the sea surface boils -
The ship is in poor condition.
Earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
For a new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.

Well, which of us is the biggest on deck?
Didn’t fall, vomit or swear?
There are few of them, with an experienced soul,
Who remained strong in pitching.

Then I too
To the wild noise
But maturely knowing the work,
He went down into the ship's hold,
So as not to watch people vomit.

Darling!
I tormented you
You were sad
In the eyes of the tired:
What am I showing off to you?
Wasted himself in scandals.
But you didn't know
What's in the smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm suffering
What I don't understand
Where does the fate of events take us...

Now the years have passed.
I'm at a different age.
And I feel and think differently.
And I say over festive wine:
Praise and glory to the helmsman!
Today I
In the shock of tender feelings.
I remembered your sad tiredness.
And now
I'm rushing to tell you,
What I was like
And what happened to me!

Darling!
I'm pleased to say:
I avoided falling off the cliff.
Now in the Soviet side
I am the fiercest travel companion.
I have become the wrong person
Who was he then?
I wouldn't torture you
As it was before.
For the banner of liberty
And good work
I'm ready to go even to the English Channel.
Forgive me...
I know: you are not the same -
Do you live
With a serious, intelligent husband;
That you don’t need our toil,
And I myself to you
Not needed one bit.
Live like this
How the star guides you
Under the tabernacle of the renewed canopy.
With greetings,
always remembering you
Your acquaintance
Sergey Yesenin.

Translation of lyrics Misha Mawashi- Letter to a woman (verse by Sergei Yesenin)

You remember.
You talked about.
My crazy life.
Favorite.
Do you remember
You certainly remember
As I stood there,
Approaching the wall,
Excitedly walked around the room you
And something drastic
In the face threw me.
You said:
Time for us to leave,
What are you tortured
My crazy life
That it is time for you to deal taken,
And my destiny -
Roll farther down.
Favorite!
I didn't like you.
Do not you know that the human somnische
I was like a horse driven into soap
Spurred by a bold rider.
You didn't know
I"m in a solid smoke

Since I suffer and that I do not understand -
Where shall we have this rock events.
Face to face
Person can't see.

Big is seen in the distance.
When the surface of the sea is boiling -
Ship in a deployable state.
Earth - the ship!
But someone suddenly
For new life, new glory
In the midst of storms and direct blizzards
It's stately sent.

Well, which one of us on the deck of a large
Do not fall, do not vomit and did not swear?
There are few, with an experienced soul
Who remained strong in pitching.

Then I
Under wild noise
But knowing mature work,
Descended into the ship's hold,
So as not to look human vomit.

Favorite!
I tortured you,
Have you been longing
In the eyes of the wear:
What I paraded before you
Squandered themselves in scandals.
But you didn't know,
That in the continuous smoke
In the ruined life of the storm
Since I am suffering,
What I don't understand
Where events take us...

Now years have passed.
I aged another.
And I feel and think differently.
And I say the festive wine:
Praise and glory to the steering!
Today I
In the impact of affection.
I remembered your sad weariness.
Now
I tell you rush
What I was
And what happened to me!

Favorite!
I am delighted to say:
I avoid falling down the steep slope.
Now in the Soviet side
I'm the most furious companion.
I was not the same,
Who was then.
I would not torture you,
As it was before.
Behind the banner of liberty
And light work
Ready to go at least to the English Channel.
Excuse me...
I know you"re not the one -
you live
With a serious, intelligent husband;
What do you not need our drudgery,
And I myself you
Not the least bit necessary.
Live so
How do you lead a star
Under the canopy of Tabernacles updated.
With a greeting,
Always remembering you
your acquaintance
Sergei Yesenin.