Who is a noble knight or a man-at-arms? Analysis of Zhukovsky's poem Cup
To the question ZHUKOVSKY'S Ballad "Cup" asked by the author Rita Enova the best answer is Yes, neither a knight nor an experienced warrior rushed into the sea for the cup, but only a young page dared. And when everyone had already lost hope of his return, he swam out with the king's cup. But what struck the king most of all was the young man’s story about what he saw in the abyss and what sea monsters lived there. The king wanted to know more about the secrets of the sea and he again invites the page to jump into the depths of the sea to learn more about it, promising a ring with a diamond, and a daughter as his wife. The page in love, without hesitation, rushes into the abyss, happy, full of hope, but... never returns.... A reproach for the inhumanity of the king, who easily sends the young man to death, easily, thoughtlessly, out of idle curiosity, destroys the brave young page ... People are toys for him
Answer from AIR[guru]
Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky is one of the best literary personalities Russia. Having received a good education, excellent command foreign languages, he began writing poetry and translating foreign poets early. One of his famous works is the ballad "Cup".
The ballad begins with the words of the treacherous king: “Who, a noble knight or a simple man-at-arms, will jump into that abyss from on high? “Zhukovsky calls the sea an abyss, which is exactly what it is: it is deep and full of various surprises. “I throw my golden cup there,” says the king, and along with this cup he throws his conscience there. “Whoever finds my cup in the darkness of the depths and returns with it harmlessly will be the victorious reward,” continues the king, confident that, as before, he will remain alone on the throne. “But the knight and the man-at-arms stand motionless; silence is a response to a challenge; they look at the menacing sea in silence; there is no brave man behind the cup” - by these the author means that in the kingdom of such a thoughtless king there live reasonable people who understand that in any case their ruler will not share his throne with them. But then a man appears who is ready for a brave act. The young page either does not understand that he will not share the throne with the king, or he feels sorry for the king, does not want to let him down, disgrace him in front of all the people.
Next, all the horror that is happening in the sea is described: “Swells ran from the belly of the abyss, noisy and thundering into the heights; and the waves were washed away, and the foam was boiling: as if a thunderstorm was roaring as it approached.” “And it howls, and whistles, and beats, and hisses, like moisture, mixing with fire...” - this is how Zhukovsky compares fire with a king, and moisture with a young page. Jumping into the depths, the young man seemed to calm the sea for a while: “It has calmed down over the abyss, there is a dull noise in it,” says the author. But the ballad does not end there and events continue to move on: again everything began to howl, beat, and hiss. IP here - a young page appears on the surface: “A hand and a shoulder flashed from the wave... And he fights, argues with the wave... And he sees - the whole shore shook from the cry - he rules with the left, and there is prey in the right.” “And everyone with joy: “He’s alive!” , - he repeated - There is no more wonderful feat! From a dark coffin, from a wet abyss, a handsome, brave man saved a living soul,” which means: the page saved the conscience and soul of the king by taking the cup from the abyss. He is happy and falls at the king’s feet, talking about his difficult journey with “unspeakable miracles.” But the king is merciless to him and again throws his cup into the depths of the sea. He is overwhelmed by his desire to win this fight with the page. Even his daughter is not a hindrance to him. And the young man again goes into the abyss.
The ballad ends simply, but tragically, testifying to the death of the young page: “The abyss has subsided... and makes noise again... And is again full of foam... and with trepidation the princess looks into the abyss... and the wave beats after the wave... The wave comes, the wave goes quickly, but the young man is not there, and it won’t be forever.”
Romantic hero does things not for the sake of money or fame, not for the sake of love, but for the sake of self-affirmation, for the sake of the opportunity to break out of everyday life. Knowing that he is doomed, the hero of Zhukovsky’s ballad rushes into the abyss again, because his desire is great to fight fate and escape from the shackles of the world.
Answer from Katya Katugina[newbie]
“Who, a noble knight or a simple man-at-arms, will jump from on high into that abyss? I throw my golden cup there: “Whoever finds My cup in the darkness of the depths and returns with it harmlessly, to him it will be a victorious reward.” So the king cried, and from a high cliff, “Hanging over the abyss of the sea, into the abyss of the bottomless, yawning darkness?” He threw his golden goblet. “Who, brave, will dare to undertake a dangerous feat? Who will find my cup and return with it? But the knight and the man-at-arms stand motionless; ?Silence is a response to a challenge; They look at the menacing sea in silence; ?There is no brave man behind the cup. And for the third time the king shouted loudly: “Will someone be found brave enough to undertake a dangerous feat?” And everyone is unrequited... what if the page is young? Humbly and boldly forward; He took off his cap and took off his belt; ?He silently lays them on the ground... And the ladies and knights think, silently: “Ah! young man, who are you? Where are you going, beautiful? And he approaches the slope of the rock? And his gaze was directed into the depths... From the belly of the abyss the shafts ran, “Noisy and thundering, into the heights; And the waves spiraled and the foam boiled: As if a thunderstorm, approaching, roared. And it howls, and whistles, and beats, and hisses, “Like moisture, mixing with fire, Wave after wave; and flies to the sky? A smoking column of foam; The abyss is rebelling, the abyss is bubbling... Isn’t it the sea that wants to erupt from the sea? And suddenly, having calmed down, the excitement subsided; ?And menacingly, from the gray foam, a black slit opened up; ?And the waters rushed back in a crowd into the depths of the exhausted womb; And the depths groaned with thunder and roar. And he, forestalling the furious tide, called upon the Savior God, And the spectators trembled, all crying out, “The young man had already disappeared into the abyss.” And the abyss mysteriously closed its mouth: No power can save him. It has calmed down over the abyss... there is a dull noise in it... And everyone, not daring to take their eyes away from the abyss, sadly repeats: “Beautiful brave man, forgive me!” It howls quieter and quieter at the bottom... And everyone’s heart aches with anticipation. “At least throw your golden crown there, saying: whoever returns the crown will share my throne with me! - “Your throne will not seduce me.” What that silent abyss hides, no living soul here can tell. Quite a few ships, swirled by the wave, “Swallowed by its depth: All of them flew back in shallow chips?” From its impregnable bottom...” But is heard again in the deep abyss As if the murmur of a nearby thunderstorm. And it howls, and whistles, and beats, and hisses, “Like moisture, mixing with fire, Wave after wave; and flies to the sky? A smoking column of foam... And the stream splashed with a deafening roar, Spewed out by the gaping gaping abyss. Suddenly... something through the foam of the gray depths? A flash of living whiteness... A hand and a shoulder flashed from the wave... ? And he fights, argues with the wave... And they see that the whole shore is shaking from the cry - He rules with the left, and the prey is on the right. And he breathed for a long time, and breathed heavily, “And God greeted the light... And everyone with joy: “He is alive!” - repeated. - There is no more wonderful feat! From a dark coffin, from a damp abyss, a handsome, brave man saved a living soul.” He went ashore; he is met by a crowd; ?He fell at the king's feet; And he placed a golden cup at his feet; ?And the king ordered his daughter: Give the young man a cup with a stream of grapes; And that reward was sweet for him. “Long live the king! Who lives on earth? Have fun with earthly life! But it’s scary in the underground mysterious darkness. ?And a mortal humble himself before God: And with your thoughts do not boldly desire to know the secrets that are wisely hidden from us. I flew there headlong like an arrow... And suddenly a stream met me; Water flowed from a crack in the stone; ?And a terrible whirlwind pulled me into the depths with an incomprehensible force... And I was terribly whirled and beaten there. But then I brought a prayer to God, “And he was my savior: I saw a cliff sticking out of the darkness?” And I grabbed it tightly; The cup also hung there on a coral branch: The moisture did not carry it away into the bottomless. And everything was vague below me? In the purple twilight there; Everything fell asleep for hearing in that deaf abyss; ?But it was terrifying to my eyes, How ugly piles moved in it, Unspeakable miracles of the sea depths.
“All ballads,” we read in the book “Flowers of a Solitary Dream,” “are built on some legendary legend, certainly miraculous. This is either an action supernatural power, either a terrible accident, or an unforeseen event or incident that unexpectedly turns the fate of the heroes.” And here is what is said about the ballad “The Cup”: “From the 12th century, a German legend has reached us about a swimmer who threw himself into the sea for treasure. This legend was literary processed by the great German poet Friedrich Schiller, writing the ballad “The Diver.” The ballad became widely known, and our great poet V. A. Zhukovsky translated it and put it into Russian. A medieval legend from the 12th century reported normal situation how greed destroyed the swimmer. The German poet gave the ballad sublimity and solemnity.
Zhukovsky based his ballad on feelings of courage, tyranny, caprice and pity. For him, the age of the hero plays a big role and characters. The king, playing with the lives of his subjects, invites them to perform a feat and show courage. He wants to confront a person with a violent, indomitable element that exceeds human strength. Mature and wise men - knights and men-at-arms - are not cowards, but they understand that the king's desire is a whim that has nothing to do with a real test of courage. But there is a young page who longs to distinguish himself. He rushes towards danger and emerges victorious. However, he owes his feat and life not so much to his weak forces, how much to God...
Without God's help the page would not return from the abyss back. God forgave him and returned him to shore. The page's story excited the king, he promised new treasures to the page if he would throw himself into the fatal abyss again. Now the king does not call for feat and courage. Everyone understands that he is driven by a bad personal feeling. And then the princess stands up for the page.
However, the king is implacable. The second test ended in death for the page. The page, having violated the Divine commandment for the second time, did not receive God’s help. The idea of Zhukovsky’s ballad was for people to combine their desires and thoughts with an understanding of their imperfection. Only by humbling their pride and relying on the will of God, resorting to His help and mercy, will they be able to fully and comprehensively demonstrate their best human qualities.”
Thinking about what we read
Features of V. A. Zhukovsky’s ballads
- Ballad (French ballade - dance song) is a poem, which is most often based on historical event, a legend with a sharp, tense plot.
- Who are the main characters of the ballad?
- How are the nobility, chivalry and cruelty of the heroes of the ballad manifested?
- What actions of the heroes do you welcome, which ones do you justify, which ones do you condemn?
- How does the author relate to the characters - whom does he condemn, whom does he pity? How did you determine this?
Learning to read expressively
- Prepare expressive reading based on the roles of one of the works of V. A. Zhukovsky.
- How do you read the ballad "Cup" out loud? What intonations will be repeated especially often (sad, anxious, solemn, mournful)?
Creative task
Try to compose your own ballad in the spirit of the works of V. A. Zhukovsky.
The title of the original suggests that for German poet What was important was the image of the main character performing a specific action - diving. Russian translator with specific purpose focuses attention on the object - the cup. The literal meaning translated from German is “transient.” Children assume that we will talk about an award, a prize, passing from one person to another, and conclude: V.A. Zhukovsky probably changed something in the content of the work, brought his own. In it he shares thoughts and feelings that are not in the original. Zhukovsky built his ballad on feelings of courage, tyranny, caprice and pity - to the end.
Main provisions of the article:
1. The king wants to pit a person against an element that exceeds his strength.
2. There is a young page who wants to distinguish himself.
3. He turns out to be the winner of the elements thanks to the help of God.
4. The inexorable king, driven by a bad feeling, arranges a second test.
5. Without God's help, the page dies.
At the same time, the page did not act completely recklessly: he forestalled (got ahead of) the angry tide.
Others prefer the princess for her kindness, modesty, and worries for another person.
—Which of the characters didn’t you like?
(The king didn’t like it: he might not have drunk the young man a second time, but he once again wanted to hear the story about the secrets of the seabed. In the article, the king is characterized as capricious, capable of arbitrariness.)
—Are there people among the crowd who are indifferent, indifferent to what is happening?
(There are no such things in the ballad: “And the spectators trembled, all crying out...”, “And everyone, not daring to take their eyes away / Not daring from the abyss, sadly repeats...” Their attitude towards the young man is expressed using the words: wonderful, handsome, brave.)
- Why did the knight not give in to temptation?- we understand: he is a noble, wealthy man. However, he didn’t want a “victorious reward” and a simple latnk.” Why?
The knight and the armored man are “mature and wise men.” They understand: the elements exceed their strength. [They didn’t want to take risks, so they respond to the challenge with silence. Can the page’s act be called heroic? The young man was nevertheless seduced by the treasures: the king promised him a cup of gold, a ring with a diamond, and then a daughter as a reward. Others note that it was only the third time that the page dared to approach the rock. The act is not condemned, but the children are very sorry that the diver died and was unable to get to shore. Still others suggest that an act can only be heroic in the name of saving another person and protecting the Motherland. The fourth, disputing such a statement, believe: a person has one life; yes, it can be sacrificed to protect someone or something, but it’s not easy anymore heroic deed- feat. For the majority, there was no clear answer.
The second test ended in death for the page. The page, having violated the Divine commandment for the second time, did not receive God’s help. The idea of Zhukovsky’s ballad was for people to combine their desires and thoughts with an understanding of their imperfection. Only by humbling their pride and relying on God’s will, His help and mercy, will they be able to show their best human qualities.
"It contains life heavenly soul lit;
Courage sparkled in his eyes;
He sees: she blushes, turns pale;
He sees pity and fear in her...
Then, full of indescribable joy,
For life and death he rushed into the waves..."
What is the meaning of the phrases: “In it
the soul is ignited with heavenly life...?
She expresses the page's joy, a response to the king's words
“...the intercessor will be your wife”;
- already dreams of a happy future family life when it seems that a young man has awakened from
Vaga and he himself throws life and death on the scales, ready to test fate, “full of indescribable joy” in anticipation of love. Cup in medieval culture symbolizes the heart, for this reason it is associated with love. “The young man is not and will not be forever,” but his heart, his soul is capable of containing, like a cup of divine drink, a wonderful feeling. Now it is not difficult to guess why V.A. Zhukovsky named the ballad differently than F. Schiller. Zhukovsky, as a young poet, was interested in both the history and theory of the ballad: he knew the works of Eschenburg and Eichhorn. During the same period of self-education, he became interested in fables, was engaged in translations from La Fontaine, Florian, and experimented with small poetic forms. In the 20s, mastering new genres, the poet turned to Schiller’s tragedy “ Maid of Orleans" Later he translated Byron’s poem “The Prisoner of Chipion” into Russian.
At the same time, Zhukovsky consistently, carefully develops his own styles.
creative forms’. In the 30s, his interest in the prose fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Sh'nerro increased. All this could not but affect the poetics of the ballad “Cup”. At one level, the lyrical and epic principles are visible in it, at another - the dramatic. In general, ballads in Zhukovsky’s work became a stage on the path to a poetic story.
Why did Zhukovsky call the “Cup” not a fable, not a fairy tale, but a ballad?
1. The king, standing on a rock, invites anyone from his entourage to jump into the abyss and
receive a gift for this.
2. Only the young page accepts the challenge: he takes a golden cup from the depths of the sea.
3. Having returned safe and sound, the young man talks about what he saw at the bottom of the sea.
4. Intrigued by what he heard, the king throws the golden cup into the waves a second time, promising a daughter as a reward.
5. Looking at the distressed princess-intercessor, the page again throws himself into the sea and dies.
How does a ballad differ from a fable? (having read the ballad, we can extract for
itself a lesson, at the same time, there is no moral teaching in the work in an open form, although there is an idea.
There is no allegory or allegory.
What does a ballad have in common with a song?
Songs can be funny and sad; a ballad has a sad ending. It can be set to music, as it was originally a song accompanied by a dance.
What do ballads and fairy tales have in common?
1. There are elements of fantasy (in the depths of the sea).
2. Characters without names.
3. Jumping to the bottom of the sea is a journey to another world where main character collides with the enemy.
4. There is a wonderful return from hostile world. The Helper is God himself.
5. The hero returns from the bottom of the sea to others who have known fear.
6. There is a good princess-protector and a king-villain.
7. Fairy tale read with excitement, the same when reading a ballad: the reader worries about the fate of the hero.
Remembering the work of V. A. Zhukovsky, one cannot help but talk about ballads. The most famous are “Svetlana” and “Lyudmila”. Few will remember the interesting, different ballad “Cup”. Being a free translation of Schiller’s work, the ballad “Cup” by Zhukovsky, a brief summary of which we will present in this article, is of interest to the reader not only because of the plot and the beauty of the style, but also because allegorical meaning, various content layers. Their value lies in the fact that they can be interpreted by each reader in their own way, giving rise to many unexpected judgments.
Calling the King
Zhukovsky's ballad "Cup" begins from the scene on the rock. The summary of the first part of the work looks like this: the ruler called all his subjects to a high rock. He appealed to the knights and men-at-arms to return him the golden cup, which would be their reward. Having received the cup, the king throws it from a high cliff into the depths of the sea.
He again appeals to the knights with his appeal, but no one dares to go for the cup. Everyone looks down in complete silence. Then the king had to turn to his subjects for the third time.
The act of a page
The page appears in the second part of the ballad "Cup" by Zhukovsky. IN summary This part should be told that the young man, unexpectedly for everyone, volunteered to get this royal object. Everyone looked at him in amazement: he was very young and handsome, brave and daring.
Those gathered felt sorry for the brave young man, but they did not dare to feel sorry for him out loud. The page approached the very edge of the cliff and began to peer into the depths of the sea. They were scary and mysterious: the waves crashed noisily against the rocks, everything roared, as if a thunderstorm had begun. It seemed that water and fire were mixed, the abyss was raging. The young man, having said a prayer, threw himself off the cliff.
Anxiety for the page
The experiences of his subjects are also masterfully shown in this part of the ballad “Cup” by Zhukovsky. In a brief summary, we note that the subjects were very worried about the fate of the brave young man. All those present were horrified when the page disappeared into the depths of the sea. When they looked at this raging torrent, no one had any doubt that he could not escape. But they continued to peer into the waves.
The spectators began to argue that they would not agree to jump off the cliff for any of the king’s wealth. Even if he promises them to share the throne with him. Because no one has ever escaped from this sea abyss, and all the ships that got there turned into wreckage. But the struggle between water and fire is intensifying, and a column of smoking foam flies up to the sky. And suddenly the stream rushes upward with a terrifying roar.
Return of the Page
Extraordinarily important climax Zhukovsky's ballad "Cup". The summary of this part should tell about the miraculous return of a brave young man from the raging abyss. The audience saw how he fought with the sea elements with one hand, and in the other he held the royal cup.
The Page is happy that he was able to get out and can welcome the light again. The spectators are also happy that the young man managed to escape. He exhaustedly climbs ashore and falls at the feet of the king with a cup. The ruler orders his daughter to give him a reward by filling the goblet with a stream of grapes. And it seems to the young man that there is nothing better in the world.
Next, the page encourages people to enjoy life and talks about what happened to him in sea depths. He saw deep-sea creatures and was only miraculously able to grab the cliff on which the cup was located. Trying to escape from the monster, he fell into the tide, and a column of water rose to the surface.
New challenge for the king
The most important thing in the ballad “Cup” by Zhukovsky is the unexpected proposal of the ruler. Despite the fact that the young man has proven his courage, he offers him a new task: he throws a ring with a diamond into this goblet and says that if the page rushes after him and gets it again, then he will become his favorite knight and will receive the royal daughter as his wife. The young girl began to ask her father to take pity on the poor page.
But the king, not listening to her, throws the reward into the depths of the sea. The young man, inspired by the look the king's daughter, in which fear and pity were read, rushes into the waves. But in vain the princess peered into the waters. They continued to foam and make noise in the same way, but the page remained in the depths of the sea.
the main idea
In "The Cup" the main characters are the king and the page. The cup symbolizes the king's conscience. For him, this quality is not of particular value. That is why the king so carelessly throws the cup into the sea. He does not think that he is doing wrong and unreasonably by asking to get him: after all, there is very little chance of returning from the depths of the sea. This characterizes him as an unreasonable ruler.
But his subjects, on the contrary, are well aware of the danger and put their lives and health above all treasures. Thus, we can say that subjects are common sense, the link between risk and prudence. The page can be associated with risk and courage, challenging fate itself. Also, a young man can be compared to fire: it burns brightly, attracts to itself, can warm, and the king is water that can extinguish it at once.
For the king, the fact that the page was able to complete his task is a defeat, and his pride cannot come to terms with this. That's why he throws the cup again. The motives of the young man, why he decided to once again throw himself into the raging sea, are not completely clear. It could be the belief in one's invulnerability after miraculous salvation or secret love to the princess.
But the main idea Zhukovsky's "Cup" is this: there is no need to tempt fate, even if you are lucky. You need to be able to reason logically and reasonably. After all, the princess wisely said that there is no need to send the page again, and if the king wants to hear more about what is happening in the depths of the sea, then let someone else go.
This distinguishes the ballad from other works by V. A. Zhukovsky. After all, the poet was a fan of romanticism and admired the work of German and English poets. And in “The Cup” there is a call to not give in to emotions, but to always try to reason before doing anything. This is what makes this ballad so amazing and unlike the others. The plot makes you think about whether people are guided by the right feelings when they make decisions.
But it should be noted that the features of the romantic direction are present in this work. The page is shown in the image of an ardent, courageous and romantic young man. This can be understood by the way he describes everything that happened to him in the depths of the sea. The action itself takes place in the times of kings, knights and beautiful ladies, which is also characteristic of romanticism. Thus, the ballad "Cup" is an amazing and beautiful combination of romanticism and deep meaning.
“Who, whether a noble knight or a simple man-at-arms,
Will he jump from above into that abyss?
I throw my golden cup there:
Who will find the depths in the darkness?
My cup will return harmlessly with it,
For that he will be a victorious reward.”
So the king shouted, and from a high cliff,
Hanging over the abyss of the sea,
Into the abyss of the bottomless, yawning darkness
He threw his golden cup.
“Who, brave, will dare to undertake a dangerous feat?
Who will find my cup and return with it?
But the knight and the man-at-arms stand motionless;
Silence is a response to a challenge;
They look at the menacing sea in silence;
There is no brave person behind the cup.
And for the third time the king shouted loudly:
“Will someone be found brave enough to perform a dangerous feat?”
And everyone is unrequited... suddenly a young page
Forward humbly and boldly;
He took off his cap and took off his belt;
He silently puts them on the ground...
Both ladies and knights think, silently:
"Oh! young man, who are you? Where are you going, beautiful?
And he approaches the slope of the cliff
And his gaze was directed into the depths...
Waves ran from the belly of the abyss,
Noisy and thundering, into the heights;
And the waves spiraled and the foam boiled:
It was as if a thunderstorm was roaring as it approached.
Like moisture mixing with fire,
Smoking foam column;
The abyss is rebelling, the abyss is bubbling...
Isn’t it the sea that wants to erupt from the sea?
And suddenly, having calmed down, the excitement subsided;
And menacingly from the gray foam
The mouth opened up like a black slit;
And the water comes back in droves
They rushed into the depths of the exhausted womb;
And the depths groaned with thunder and roar.
And he, forestalling the angry tide,
He called upon the Savior God,
And the spectators trembled, all crying out, -
The young man has already disappeared into the abyss.
And the abyss mysteriously closed its mouth:
No amount of force can save him.
It has calmed down over the abyss... there is a dull noise in it...
And everyone, look away
Not daring from the abyss, he sadly repeats:
“Beautiful brave man, forgive me!”
It howls quieter and quieter at the bottom...
And everyone’s heart aches with anticipation.
“At least throw your golden crown there,
Having said: whoever returns the crown,
He will share my throne with him! -
Your throne will not deceive me.
What that silent abyss hides,
No one's living soul can tell here.
Many ships are tossed around by waves,
Its depth swallowed:
All the small ones flew back like chips
From its impregnable bottom..."
But it is heard again in the deep abyss
As if the murmur of a nearby thunderstorm.
And howls, and whistles, and hits, and hisses,
Like moisture mixing with fire,
Wave after wave; and flies to the sky
Smoking foam column...
And the stream splashed with a deafening roar,
Erupted into the abyss by a gaping mouth.
Suddenly... something through the foam of the gray depths
Flashed with living whiteness...
A hand and shoulder flashed from the wave...
And he fights, argues with the wave...
And they see - the whole shore shook from the cry -
He rules with the left, and the spoil is with the right.
And he breathed for a long time, and he breathed heavily,
And God welcomed the light...
And everyone with joy: “He’s alive! - repeated. -
There is no more wonderful feat!
From a dark coffin, from a damp abyss
A handsome, brave man saved a living soul.”
He went ashore; he is met by a crowd;
He fell at the king's feet;
And he placed a golden cup at his feet;
And the king ordered his daughter:
Give the young man a cup with a stream of grapes;
And that reward was sweet for him.
“Long live the king! Who lives on earth
Have fun with your earthly life!
But it’s scary in the underground mysterious darkness.
And mortals humble themselves before God:
And don’t boldly wish with your thoughts
To know the secrets, it is wise for them to be hidden from us.
I flew there like an arrow...
And suddenly a stream came towards me;
Water flowed from a crack in the stone;
And a terrible whirlwind drew
Me into the depths with an incomprehensible force...
And I was terribly circled and beaten there.
But then I brought a prayer to God,
And he was my savior:
I saw a cliff sticking out of the darkness
And he grabbed him tightly;
There was also a cup hanging on a coral branch:
The moisture did not sweep him away into the bottomless.
And everything was vague below me
In the purple dusk there;
Everything fell asleep for hearing in that deaf abyss;
But it seemed scary to my eyes,
How the ugly piles moved in it,
The depths of the sea are untold miracles.
I saw how they boil in the black abyss,
Into a huge curling club,
And the water bastard and the ugly stingray,
And the horror of the seas is one-toothed;
And he threatened me with death, his teeth flashing,
Mokoy insatiable, sea hyena.
And I was alone with an inevitable fate,
Far from people's sight;
One among monsters with a loving soul,
In the belly of the earth, deep
Under the sound of a living human word,
Between the terrible inhabitants of the dungeon there is no one.
And I shuddered... suddenly I heard: crawling
A hundred-footed menacing thing from the darkness,
And he wants to grab it, and his mouth opens...
I'm terrified away from the rock!..
It was salvation: I was caught by the tide
And he was thrown upward by a gust of water cannon.”
The story seemed wonderful to the king:
“Take my golden cup;
But with it I will also give you a ring,
In which the diamond is expensive,
When will you dare to do something again?
And you will retell all the secrets of the seabed to Morskov.”
Hearing this, the princess with excitement in her chest,
Blushing, he says to the king:
“Enough, parent; Spare him!
Who would do something like this?
And if there must be experience again,
They came out as a knight, not as a young page.”
But the king, not heeding his golden cup
Threw him into the abyss from a height:
“And you will be here, my beloved knight,
When you return with him, you;
And my daughter, now yours before me
The intercessor will be your wife."
In him the soul is kindled with heavenly life;
Courage sparkled in his eyes;
He sees: she blushes, she turns pale;
He sees: there is pity and fear in her...
Then, full of indescribable joy,
He threw himself into the waves for life and death...
The abyss has calmed down... and is making noise again...
And full of foam again...
And with trepidation the princess looks into the abyss...
And wave after wave beats...
The wave comes and goes quickly:
But the young man is not and will not be forever.
