“I loved you: love is still there, perhaps...” Alexander Pushkin
I loved you: love is still, perhaps,
My soul has not completely died out;
But don't let it bother you anymore;
I don't want to make you sad in any way.
I loved you silently, hopelessly,
Now we are tormented by timidity, now by jealousy;
I loved you so sincerely, so tenderly,
How God grant you, your beloved, to be different.
Analysis of Pushkin’s poem “I loved you: love is still, perhaps...”
Pushkin's love lyrics include several dozen poems written in different periods and dedicated to several women. The feelings that the poet experienced for his chosen ones amaze with their strength and tenderness; the author bows before each woman, admiring her beauty, intelligence, grace and a wide variety of talents.
In 1829, Alexander Pushkin wrote perhaps one of his most famous poems, “I loved you: love still, perhaps...”, which later became a talent. Historians still argue to this day about who exactly this message was addressed to., since neither in the drafts nor in the final version the poet left a single hint as to who the mysterious stranger was who inspired him to create this work. According to one version of literary scholars, the poem “I loved you: love is still, perhaps...”, written in the form of a farewell letter, is dedicated to the Polish beauty Caroline Sabanska, whom the poet met in 1821 during his southern exile. After suffering from pneumonia, Pushkin visited the Caucasus and on the way to Chisinau stopped for several days in Kyiv, where he was introduced to the princess. Despite the fact that she was 6 years older than the poet, her amazing beauty, grace and arrogance made an indelible impression on Pushkin. Two years later, they were destined to see each other again, but in Odessa, where the poet’s feelings flared up with renewed vigor, but were not met with reciprocity. In 1829, Pushkin sees Karolina Sabanska for the last time in St. Petersburg and is amazed at how old and ugly she has become. There is no trace left of the former passion that the poet felt for the princess, but in memory of his former feelings he creates the poem “I loved you: love is still, perhaps...”.
According to another version, this work is addressed to Anna Alekseevna Andro-Olenina, married to Countess de Langeron, whom the poet met in St. Petersburg. The poet was captivated not so much by her beauty and grace as by her sharp and inquisitive mind, as well as the resourcefulness with which she parried Pushkin’s humorous remarks, as if teasing and tempting him. Many people from the poet’s circle were convinced that he had a whirlwind romance with the beautiful countess. However, according to Pyotr Vyazemsky, Pushkin only created the appearance of an intimate relationship with a famous aristocrat, since he could not count on reciprocal feelings on her part. An explanation soon took place between the young people, and the countess admitted that she saw in the poet only a friend and an entertaining interlocutor. As a result, the poem “I loved you: love is still, perhaps...” was born, in which he says goodbye to his chosen one, assuring her that let his love “not bother you anymore.”
It is also worth noting that in 1829 Pushkin first met his future wife Natalya Goncharova, who made an indelible impression on him. The poet wins her hand, and against the backdrop of a new hobby, the lines are born that love “in my soul has not completely faded away.” But this is only an echo of a former passion, which gave the poet a lot of sublime and painful moments. The author of the poem confesses to a mysterious stranger that he “loved her silently, hopelessly,” which clearly indicates the marriage of Anna Alekseevna Andro-Olenina. However, in the light of a new love interest, the poet decides to give up trying to conquer the countess, but at the same time still has very tender and warm feelings for her. This is precisely what can explain the last stanza of the poem, in which Pushkin wishes his chosen one: “So God grant that your beloved be different.” Thus, the poet draws a line under his ardent romance, hoping for a marriage with Natalya Goncharova and wanting the one to whom this poem is addressed to also be happy.
This is one of the striking examples of the love lyrics of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Researchers note the autobiographical nature of this poem, but they are still arguing about which woman these lines are dedicated to.
Eight lines are permeated with the true bright, reverent, sincere and strong feeling of the poet. The words are chosen superbly, and despite their miniature size, they convey the whole gamut of experienced feelings.
One of the features of the poem is the direct transmission of the feelings of the main character, although this is usually done by comparison with or identification with natural pictures or phenomena. The main character's love is bright, deep and real, but, unfortunately, his feelings are unrequited. And therefore the poem is imbued with a note of sadness and regret about what has not come true.
The poet wants her chosen one to love her beloved as “Sincerely” and “tenderly” as he does. And this becomes the highest manifestation of his feelings for the woman he loves, because not everyone is able to give up their feelings for the sake of another person.
I don't want to make you sad in any way.
The amazing structure of the poem, a combination of cross rhymes and internal rhymes, helps build the story of a failed love story, building a chain of feelings experienced by the poet.
The first three words deliberately do not fit into the rhythmic pattern of the poem: “I loved you.” This allows, due to the interruption in rhythm and position at the beginning of the poem, to give the author the main semantic emphasis of the poem. All further narration serves to reveal this idea.
The same purpose is served by the inversions “to make you sad,” “to be beloved.” The phraseological turn that crowns the poem (“God bless you”) should show the sincerity of the feelings experienced by the hero.
Analysis of the poem I loved you: love still, perhaps... Pushkin
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin wrote a work, the lines of which begin with the following words: “I loved you, love is still possible, perhaps...”. These words shook the souls of many lovers. Not everyone could hold back their breathless sigh when reading this beautiful and tender work. It is worthy of admiration and praise.
Pushkin wrote, however, not so mutually. To some extent, and this is actually the case, he wrote to himself, wrote about his emotions and feelings. Then Pushkin was deeply in love, his heart trembled at the mere sight of this woman. Pushkin is simply an extraordinary person, seeing that his love was unrequited, he wrote a beautiful work that still made an impression on that beloved woman. The poet writes about love, that despite what he feels for her, this woman, he still will not love her anymore, will not even look in her direction, so as not to make her feel awkward. This man was both a talented poet and a very loving person.
Pushkin's poem is small in size, but at the same time, it contains and conceals a lot of emotions and strength and even a little bit of some desperate torment of a person in love. This lyrical hero harbors torment within himself, as he understands that he is not loved, that his love will never be reciprocated. But still, he holds on heroically to the end, and does not even force his love to do anything to satisfy his egoism.
This lyrical hero is a real man and a knight, capable of selfless acts - and even though he will miss her, his beloved, he will be able to overcome his love no matter the cost. Such a person is strong, and if he tries, maybe he will be able to forget half of his love. Pushkin describes feelings that he himself is well familiar with. He writes on behalf of the lyrical hero, but in fact, he describes his emotions that he experiences at that moment.
The poet writes that he loved her immensely, either hoping again and again in vain, or being tormented by jealousy. He was gentle, not expecting it from himself, but still he says that he loved her once, and has almost forgotten her. He also gives her a kind of freedom, letting her go from his heart, wanting her to find someone who can please her heart, who can earn her love, who will love her as much as he once loved. Pushkin also writes that love may not have completely faded away, but it is still ahead.
Analysis of the poem I loved you: love is still, perhaps... according to plan
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“There is always something especially noble, meek, gentle, fragrant and graceful in every feeling of Pushkin.”
V.G. Belinsky.
The poem “I loved you...”, in the words of D. Blagoy, “is an absolutely integral, self-contained artistic world.”
It was written during the period of Pushkin’s creative heyday, in 1829. Published in the publication “Northern Flowers” in 1830. Connected with the purely personal experiences of the poet.
The poem “I loved you...”, like all lyrics about love, is filled with nobility, sincerity, and selflessness of feelings. This very small work is perceived naturally, like a fresh spring breeze, like the gentle rays of the sun, like the rustling of leaves, like the babbling of a forest stream.
What is immediately captivating is how timidly the poet hopes that love, perhaps, has not completely faded away, but the entire poem is indisputable evidence of unquenchable love, alive even now. With the threefold “I loved you,” the poet, to some extent wounded, perhaps even offended by the fact that his beloved treats his feelings, as it seemed to him, so unrequitedly, indifferently, wants most of all to convince himself.
But that's not the main point. The poet talks about his love in the past tense. And this is dictated by thoughts not about himself, but about her, a tender concern not to disturb the beloved with his persistent love, not to cause her even the shadow of some kind of grief. This in itself is the best confirmation that love has not faded away. “I don’t want to make you sad in any way.” These 8 lines, filled with love, contain a whole story of a high and fiery love feeling, exceptional in its dedication and nobility. And this is not only a wonderful “moment” of the poet’s heartfelt mood. This is a highly enlightened state of soul, which he acquired in these lines and sometimes arises in him again. There is no peace in the eight-line. Here Pushkin’s feeling is alarming, his love has not yet cooled down, it is still alive in him. Light sadness is caused not by the arrival of love, but by unrequited strong love. He reveals to the woman he loves, but does not love him, how strong and noble his love is:
I loved you silently, hopelessly,
Now we are tormented by timidity, now by jealousy,
I loved you so sincerely, so tenderly...
In this poem, the feeling of love is forced to submit to another feeling - self-sacrifice. The poet deliberately conquers passion, because the peace of his beloved woman is more valuable to him than an unrequited love feeling:
I don't want to make you sad in any way.
He does not want to harm his beloved and wishes her complete happiness:
How God grant you, your beloved, to be different.
The complete renunciation of any rights, admiration for the freedom of feeling of the beloved woman and at the same time the power of the poet’s love turn this poem into one of the most captivating creations of Pushkin’s genius.
The nobility of the poet’s feelings, tinged with light and subtle sadness, is expressed simply, directly, warmly and, as always with Pushkin, charmingly musical.
Eight lines, composed of simple rhymes, are full of verbal repetitions-leitmotifs: “I loved you.” The poem is performed in a strict rhythm and has a subtle intonation and sound structure. It is written in iambic pentameter. The harmony of the rhythm is further enhanced by the fact that in each line after the fourth syllable there is a distinct pause, the so-called caesura.
And how symmetrical and orderly the rhyme system is! All odd rhymes seem to be tuned to the sound “w”: “perhaps, disturbing, hopeless, tender,” and all even rhymes are tuned to the sound “m”: “at all, nothing, languishing, different.”
We will not find any special artistic techniques in the poem. There are no metaphors or bright epithets here. Probably, this is the attractiveness of Pushkin’s poetry, to convey a beautiful, sublime state of soul with the help of the simplest words and images. Yes, the words here are ordinary: “love, soul, timidity, jealousy...” But what power and attractiveness they have in the lines of Pushkin’s work! Let's take a closer look: 8 lines of the poem consist of only 2 sentences. Two sentences that, in essence, summed up the love story from beginning to end. It's all here: love in the present, the past, even in the future. And what a range of feelings: timid hope, selflessness, nobility, timidity, jealousy, tenderness... One might say, this is a little hymn of love.
For the first time, the poem “I loved you...” was read by me in the 9th grade, when we were “going through” the works of Pushkin. He was taught by heart, and somehow the lines mechanically came into my consciousness: “I loved you...” And only later, several years later, leafing through a volume of Pushkin’s poems, I suddenly saw a familiar one: “I loved you...” Memory immediately suggested the following lines . I mentally read them to the end and was surprised that I remembered everything to the last word. But now what I read was perceived somehow differently. Firstly, the “you” in the first line was captivating. What is this? Nobility? Delicacy? Respect for the one whom the poet loved? I also felt how excited the author was. Why? Apparently, because he loves, but forbids himself to do it. There are many more “whys?” I asked myself, re-reading the poem by A.S. Pushkin. I haven’t found an answer to some questions, but I think there’s still more to come. After all, the main property of Pushkin’s poetry is that it is never too late to turn to it.
The love lyrics of the great Russian poet include dozens of works dedicated to several women. And the poet bows before each of his beloved, admiring her external beauty, grace, intelligence, kindness. One of the most famous poems that continues to stir the hearts of lovers today is “I loved you.” It is a huge universe where love rules - endless and pure. The work is one of the most striking biographical examples of the love lyrics of the great Russian poet.
Features of the poem
When analyzing “I loved you” by Pushkin, it is necessary to note the genre of the poem. The work is an appeal. It represents a conversation between the lyrical hero and his beloved. The theme of the work is love. She is undivided, unrequited, but no less noble for this. To convey his experiences, the great Russian poet uses a variety of linguistic means. Three times at the beginning of the lines A. S. Pushkin repeats the same phrase: “I loved you.” The student's analysis of the poem may contain an indication of this fact. This technique is called anaphora - the repetition of certain elements at the beginning of a rhythmic series (line, stanza).
Feelings left in the past
All verbs used in the work are given in the past tense form. This can also be indicated when analyzing “I loved you” by Pushkin. This is how the poet shows that old feelings cannot be returned. The remnants of love still smolder in the heart of the lyrical hero. However, feelings that turned out to be unrequited cannot be returned now. The great Russian poet uses only one verb in the present tense: “I don’t want to sadden you with anything.” Now the lyrical hero’s feelings have faded, and he sincerely wishes the happiness of his former lover.
“I loved you” by Pushkin: a brief analysis of artistic means
Inversion is of particular importance in the work. The technique is used by Pushkin in the following phrases: “perhaps”, “to sadden you with nothing”, etc. Inversion is used in almost every line, which gives the work special expressiveness. In addition, the work also uses alliteration, which enhances the emotional coloring. In the first line, the poet repeats the consonant “l”, conveying sadness. In the second line there is a “r” sound, which gives a more intense tone. Also, a special role is played by epithets that hit exactly the target - loved silently, sincerely, tenderly. These epithets emphasize that the feelings of the lyrical hero remained unrequited. The work also contains the technique of polyunion - “this - that”. The metaphor “love has faded” is also used. The poem is written in iambic pentameter. The work uses cross rhyme.
Who was the work dedicated to?
When analyzing Pushkin’s “I Loved You,” the student can also tell about who the work was addressed to. But biographers and historians argue about this to this day. Some believe that the poem could be dedicated to A. A. Olenina. There are other assumptions - this woman could be Karolina Sobanska. The great poet met her in 1821. Sobanskaya was a real heartbreaker; she easily conquered men’s hearts and just as easily broke them. There is an assumption that she did the same with Pushkin. However, it is known for certain that from 1828 to 1830 the poet was captivated by the young singer, Anna Andro (Olenina).
Be that as it may, Pushkin’s poem “I loved you,” a brief analysis of which is discussed in this article, conveys a whole palette of feelings and nobility. Despite the fact that the love remained unrequited, this feeling was genuine, real. The experiences of the lyrical hero are largely altruistic. Pushkin connects love with the idea of freedom. To sincerely love means to wish a person happiness even with another.
The image of a lyrical hero
An analysis of the verse “I loved you” by Pushkin shows: the lyrical hero of the work is a real man and a knight. He is capable of truly selfless actions. After all, a person who wants his beloved to be happy, even with another, is strong. The work is a vivid psychological sketch of the internal state of the lyrical hero. Pushkin's lyrics are imbued with faith in the best, in man's capabilities, in his ability to love. Belinsky, who noted the spiritual nature of all of Pushkin’s poetic creativity, emphasized that his poems are “soul-nurturing humanity.”
It cannot be said that the lyrical hero holds anger or resentment in his soul because of the unsharedness of his feelings. Although this could be quite natural for ordinary life. But the object of love is of much more interest to the lyrical hero than his own feelings. He calls a spade a spade and does not hide his experiences. It seems that the lyrical hero is not at all afraid of a possible refusal, which can only cause surprise in the reader. This work is interesting from all points of view: you can analyze for a long time its unusual style, rhythm, structure, as well as its deep philosophical meaning.
The poem was written in 1829, dedicated to Anna Alekseevna Olenina.
“I loved you: love is still, perhaps...” is one of Pushkin’s most famous poems about love. The feeling of the lyrical hero is the highest manifestation of love, aimed primarily at the beloved. The poem begins with the words “I loved you,” indicating that love is a thing of the past. But this thesis is immediately refuted: “...love is still, perhaps, / In my soul has not completely died out...” But it is not his own, apparently unrequited feelings that worry the hero. First of all, he wishes the happiness and peace of his beloved. Moreover, the feeling of the lyrical hero is so pure, high and spiritual that he wants the love of her future chosen one to be just as sincere and tender:
I loved you so sincerely, so tenderly,
How God grant that your beloved be different.
In creating emotional tension, a large role is played by the three-fold repetition of the phrase “I loved you...”, as well as syntactic parallelism (repetitions of the same type of constructions): “silently”, “hopelessly”, “either with timidity, then with jealousy”, “so sincerely, so gently". The poet uses the technique of alliteration. In the first part of the poem, the consonant sound “l” is repeated, imparting tenderness and sadness:
I loved you: love is still, perhaps,
In my soul it has not completely faded away...
And in the second part, the soft “l” changes to a strong, sharp sound “r”, symbolizing parting, a break: “...we are tormented by timidity, then by jealousy.”