Nature in verses by S. A

Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin

White birch
Below my window
Covered with snow
Exactly silver.

On fluffy branches
Snow border
The brushes have blossomed
White fringe.

And the birch tree stands
In sleepy silence,
And the snowflakes are burning
In golden fire.

And the dawn is lazy
Walking around
sprinkles branches
New silver.

It is not for nothing that the poet Sergei Yesenin is called the singer of Russia, since in his work the image of his homeland is key. Even in those works that describe mysterious eastern countries, the author always draws a parallel between overseas beauties and the quiet, silent charm of his native expanses.

The poem “Birch” was written by Sergei Yesenin in 1913, when the poet was barely 18 years old.

Sergei Yesenin, 18 years old, 1913

At this time, he was already living in Moscow, which impressed him with its scale and unimaginable bustle. However, in his work, the poet remained faithful to his native village of Konstantinovo and, dedicating a poem to an ordinary birch tree, it was as if he was mentally returning home to an old rickety hut.

The house where S. A. Yesenin was born. Konstantinovo

It would seem, what can you tell about an ordinary tree that grows under your window? However, it is with the birch tree that Sergei Yesenin associates the most vivid and exciting childhood memories. Watching how it changes throughout the year, now shedding its withered leaves, now dressing in a new green outfit, the poet became convinced that the birch tree is an integral symbol of Russia, worthy of being immortalized in poetry.

The image of a birch tree in the poem of the same name, which is filled with slight sadness and tenderness, is written with special grace and skill. The author compares her winter outfit, woven from fluffy snow, to silver, which burns and shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow in the morning dawn. The epithets with which Sergei Yesenin awards the birch are amazing in their beauty and sophistication. Its branches remind him of brushes of snow fringe, and the “sleepy silence” enveloping the snow-dusted tree gives it a special appearance, beauty and grandeur.

Sergei Yesenin at the birch tree. Photo - 1918

Therefore, in one of the most difficult periods of his life, cut off from his native village, where for Yesenin everything was close, simple and understandable, the poet is looking for a foothold in his memories, imagining what his favorite looks like now, covered with a blanket of snow. In addition, the author draws a subtle parallel, endowing the birch with the features of a young woman who is no stranger to coquetry and a love of exquisite outfits. This is also not surprising, since in Russian folklore the birch, like the willow, has always been considered a “female” tree. However, if people have always associated the willow with grief and suffering, which is why it got its name “weeping”, then the birch is a symbol of joy, harmony and consolation. Knowing Russian folklore very well, Sergei Yesenin remembered folk parables that if you go to a birch tree and tell it about your experiences, your soul will certainly become lighter and warmer. Thus, an ordinary birch tree combines several images at once - the Motherland, a girl, a mother - which are close and understandable to any Russian person. Therefore, it is not surprising that the simple and unpretentious poem “Birch,” in which Yesenin’s talent is not yet fully manifested, evokes a wide variety of feelings, from admiration to slight sadness and melancholy. After all, each reader has his own image of a birch, and it is to this that he “tryes on” the lines of this poem, exciting and light, like silvery snowflakes.

However, the author’s memories of his native village cause melancholy, since he understands that he will not return to Konstantinovo soon. Therefore, the poem “Birch” can rightfully be considered a kind of farewell not only to his home, but also to childhood, which was not particularly joyful and happy, but, nevertheless, one of the best periods of his life for the poet.

Yesenin wrote the poem “Birch” as a memory of his childhood - just such a beauty grew in front of his house in the Ryazan province. A brief analysis of “Birch” according to plan can be used in a literature lesson in grade 5, so that students better understand the essence of the work and feel its emotional mood.

Brief Analysis

History of creation- the poem was written by eighteen-year-old Yesenin in 1913, being part of his early creative heritage.

Subject– the beauty of the symbol of Russia, which is beautiful regardless of the time of year.

Composition– simple, one-part, developing linearly.

Genre- landscape lyrics.

Poetic size- trimeter trochee with pyrrhic.

Epithets – “white birch”, “fluffy branches”, “snow border”, “white fringe”, “sleepy silence”, “golden fire”, “new silver”.

Metaphors – “the birch tree is covered with snow”, “the brushes have blossomed”, “snowflakes are burning”, “the dawn is going around”.

Comparison – “snow is like silver.”

Plan

History of creation
Composition
Means of expression

Bonus

Poem test

History of creation

By 1913, when this poem was written, eighteen-year-old Yesenin had already left his native place for Moscow. But its creation history is connected not with the capital of Russia, but with the Ryazan province. Near the house where the poet was born and raised, a snow-white beauty grew up, so he could observe the change in her images at different times of the year.

Despite the fact that Moscow really impressed Yesenin, who fell in love with both its size and its bustle, it was his native village of Konstantinovo that would forever remain associated with him not only with home, but also with the concept of beauty. It was this idea that the poet embodied in the poem “Birch”.

It was first presented to readers in 1914 in the literary magazine Mirok, popular before the revolution, and signed with the pseudonym “Aristan,” which Yesenin used at that time.

Subject

The beauty of the birch not only as a symbol of Russia, but also as a part of nature, as the embodiment of the exciting memories of Yesenin’s childhood. For some, this is an ordinary tree, but the main character, who “voices” the poet’s thoughts, perceives it as the embodiment of everything beautiful that happens in the world around him. At the same time, the poem does not simply express the feelings of its author - it was created with the expectation of evoking reciprocal emotions in the reader.

It is impossible not to notice that “Birch” has become a kind of farewell letter to his native places - the poet yearns for them, realizing that he will not be able to return soon.

Composition

Thanks to the most simple linear composition, developing from the first stanza to the last, in this four-stanza poem Yesenin was able to clearly and at the same time beautifully express the main idea: Russian nature is beautiful at any time of the year, just as the birch tree, the symbol of the country, is beautiful.

In the first stanza, he draws a picture of a tree covered with snow, revealing this image in the second and third stanzas, where he compares its snowy decoration with white fringe and talks about snowflakes burning in the sleepy silence. The fourth stanza completes the work and symbolically shows the eternal natural cycle.

Genre

This verse is a classic example of landscape lyricism, which predominates in Yesenin’s creative heritage. Some researchers also interpret it as a figurative and philosophical work, citing the fact that the poet considered himself in some way a pagan, so for him the birch was not just a memory tree, it also symbolized rebirth and purity of the spirit.

Yesenin used trochaic trimeter with pyrrhic for the verse. This almost deliberate simplicity echoes the theme of the work: such a simple and beautiful tree as a birch cannot be written in a tricky size, it does not suit it. Pyrrhichius makes the sound of the poem smoother.

The alternation of male and female rhyme also gives the poetic narrative fluidity, and the ring rhyme also performs the same function.

Means of expression

In this poem Yesenin does not use any complex artistic means. Simplicity makes the images he created as expressive and voluminous as possible. Help to achieve this effect:

Epithets– “white birch”, “fluffy branches”, “snow border”, “white fringe”, “sleepy silence”, “golden fire”, “new silver”.
Metaphors- “the birch tree is covered with snow”, “the brushes have blossomed”, “snowflakes are burning”, “the dawn is going around”.
Comparison- “snow is like silver.”

Moreover, the poet uses personification: The birch tree is viewed by him as a sleeping beauty. That is, Yesenin embodies in her classical female images that are close to the Russian people - not only of the Motherland, but also of mother, sister, lover. The created image is also a clear reference to the famous fairy tale about the sleeping princess.

At the same time, each reader can create his own image of a birch - the freedom of Yesenin’s poem allows this to be done without imposing any dominant concepts.

What is Russia most often associated with in the perception of most people? You can name different symbols. Foreigners will definitely remember vodka, matryoshka and balalaika. And even the bears that supposedly walk along our streets. But for a Russian person, the birch tree will undoubtedly be the closest. After all, it is the birch tree that is most pleasant to meet, “returning from distant wanderings.” After exotic trees, spreading palm trees and suffocating-smelling tropical plants, it is so pleasant to touch the cool white bark and breathe in the fresh smell of birch branches.

It is not for nothing that the birch tree was sung by almost all Russian poets. A. Fet, N. Rubtsov, A. Dementiev wrote about her. Songs, legends, tales were written about her. Time passed, power and the political system changed, wars passed, mounds grew on former battlefields, and the birch tree, as it pleased hundreds of years with its bright face, continues to delight. “I love the Russian birch tree, sometimes bright, sometimes sad...” - the Russian Soviet poet Alexander Prokofiev wrote so simply and at the same time passionately about this most important symbol of Russia.

The remarkable 20th century lyricist Sergei Aleksandrovich Yesenin also contributed to the collection of works about birch. Growing up in the Ryazan province, in the village of Konstantinovo, in an ordinary peasant family, Sergei saw birch trees under the windows of his home from childhood. By the way, they are still growing, having outlived the poet by almost a hundred years.

Poem by Sergei Yesenin "White birch", at first glance, seems straightforward. Probably because of this apparent simplicity, everyone teaches it, starting from kindergarten. Indeed, only four quatrains, trochee tetrameter, no tricky, incomprehensible metaphors- this is what makes the perception of this poem so simplified.

But if we remember that any lyrical work is intended not only to express the poet’s feelings, but also to evoke a reciprocal emotional response from the reader, then it becomes clear why this poem, written a century ago (in 1913), is still so familiar to many fans and connoisseurs of Russian poetry.

The Yesenin birch appears in the form of a sleeping beauty:

Covered with snow
Exactly silver.

The personification used by the poet allows the reader to notice that the birch tree itself was covered with snow, and not the frost used its power. That's why brushes "blossomed with white fringe" yourself too. And here it is, a bright image - a beauty resting "in sleepy silence", and a rich beauty: after all, she covered herself with snow, "like silver", the brushes are decorated with white fringe, which was used only by representatives of high society, and the snowflakes in the birch dress are burning "in golden fire".

Of course, a Russian person who grew up on fairy tales about a princess sleeping in a crystal coffin will invariably imagine only such an image when reading this analysis of the poem. This drowsiness is explained by the time of year, because in winter all the trees “sleep”. Even the dawn appears slowly, as if afraid to disturb the peace of the Russian beauty:

And the dawn is lazy
Walking around
Sprinkles branches
New silver.

But Yesenin’s “sleepy birch trees” will appear in another work written a year later - in the poem “Good Morning!” . Here it is much more difficult to understand why, in the midst of summer, birch trees are also like a dream.

“We all come from childhood,” said the French writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Perhaps, watching the birch tree all my childhood "under your window", Seryozha Yesenin created one for himself image of a birch, which he carried through all his work and his entire short life.

Researchers of Yesenin’s work once calculated that 22 names of different trees appeared in his works. Probably, the poet himself did not think about this when he created his lyrical masterpieces. But for some reason, it was the birches that formed for him the very “land of birch chintz” that he left so early.

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Yesenin was 18 years old when he left his village in order to try his luck in the big city. Like a magician, he brings to life in the reader’s imagination the beauty of familiar things. Folklore and expressiveness are what is attractive in the poem “Birch”. It, like a Russian folk song, fills the soul with warmth and light. Sergei Alexandrovich wrote the poem “Birch” in 1913, even before the tragic events in the Russian Empire, which radically influenced state policy. Along with many other poems about nature, it belongs to the poet’s early work. In his youth, his attention was most occupied by the theme of the peasant landscape.

Brief compositional Yesenin:

“Birch” is one of those poems in which you can clearly see that its composition is based on a description of nature. It consists of four quatrains. The first includes the main meaning of a poetic work: in it the writer reveals to the reader the source of his inspiration. The main compositional device is personification. In addition, the analysis of Yesenin’s poem indicates a lack of plot development, climax and denouement. This work can confidently be classified as a landscape genre.

A brief rhythmic analysis of Yesenin's poem gives a general idea of its form. Playfulness and lightness are ensured by the structure, which contains three forms of syllabic-tonic versification: monosyllabic trochee, iambic pentameter and disyllabic dactyl. Female and male rhyme constantly alternate with each other, with the first line ending with a female rhyme, and the last with a male rhyme. Throughout the entire verse, Yesenin used the same rhyme, which is called “single”: only the second and last lines of the quatrain (АВСВ) rhyme in it. A brief phonetic analysis of Yesenin’s poem: there are a lot of long vowels, in particular O And e, and sonorant consonants n And R. Due to this, the intonation when reading aloud turns out to be affectionate and gentle. Yesenin's style is full of sensory experiences that instantly fill the reader's imagination with eloquent images.

Semantic analysis of the poem:

Although Yesenin was attracted to city life, in his soul he remained faithful to the beauty of the Russian hinterland and, yearning for the landscapes of his small Motherland, wrote many lyrical poems on this topic. The theme of this short, but no less beautiful, work is nature. The main role in creating a poetic image is played by the attitude of the lyrical hero, with whom Yesenin himself associated himself, to the birch tree. Analysis of the poem and the impressions it evokes reveal to the reader the youth, lightness and romance of the author. At first glance, the title of the poem “Birch” is simple and uncomplicated, but it personifies the poet’s deep affection. Glorifying our native birch tree is a whole tradition. For Yesenin, it is not only a tree: it is a symbol of Russia. In addition, in his poems, the author more than once compared the image of his beloved woman with this truly Russian tree. The very love for Russia was Yesenin’s unique talent, because this feeling is the only thing that can bestow immortal glory on the poet.

“Birch” Sergei Yesenin

White birch
Below my window
Covered with snow
Exactly silver.

On fluffy branches
Snow border
The brushes have blossomed
White fringe.

And the birch tree stands
In sleepy silence,
And the snowflakes are burning
In golden fire.

And the dawn is lazy
Walking around
sprinkles branches
New silver.

Analysis of Yesenin’s poem “Birch”

The poem “Birch” was written by Sergei Yesenin in 1913, when the poet was barely 18 years old. At this time, he was already living in Moscow, which impressed him with its scale and unimaginable bustle. However, in his work, the poet remained faithful to his native village of Konstantinovo and, dedicating a poem to an ordinary birch tree, it was as if he was mentally returning home to an old rickety hut.

Why did Sergei Yesenin choose the image of a birch tree for his poem? There are several answers to this question. Some researchers of his life and work are convinced that the poet was a pagan at heart, and for him the birch tree was a symbol of spiritual purity and rebirth. Therefore, in one of the most difficult periods of his life, cut off from his native village, where for Yesenin everything was close, simple and understandable, the poet is looking for a foothold in his memories, imagining what his favorite looks like now, covered with a blanket of snow. In addition, the author draws a subtle parallel, endowing the birch with the features of a young woman who is no stranger to coquetry and a love of exquisite outfits. This is also not surprising, since in Russian folklore the birch, like the willow, has always been considered a “female” tree. However, if people have always associated the willow with grief and suffering, which is why it got its name “weeping”, then the birch is a symbol of joy, harmony and consolation. Knowing Russian folklore very well, Sergei Yesenin remembered folk parables that if you go to a birch tree and tell it about your experiences, your soul will certainly become lighter and warmer. Thus, an ordinary birch tree combines several images at once - the Motherland, a girl, a mother - which are close and understandable to any Russian person. Therefore, it is not surprising that the simple and unpretentious poem “Birch,” in which Yesenin’s talent is not yet fully manifested, evokes a wide variety of feelings, from admiration to slight sadness and melancholy. After all, each reader has his own image of a birch, and it is to this that he “tryes on” the lines of this poem, exciting and light, like silvery snowflakes.