The work of Fedor Tyutchev was formed under the influence of the tragic events that took place in his life, which, perhaps, made him an unsurpassed lyricist. An analysis of the poem “Oh, How Deadly We Love” - one of the works of the Denisievsky cycle - reveals the poet’s complex experiences that he carried through his whole life.
Denisievsky cycle
In the work of Tyutchev there are works created under the influence of a deep and strong feeling for Elena Denisieva. This woman entered the poet’s life in the late forties, and the most touching lines were dedicated to her, which is confirmed by the analysis of the poem “Oh, how deadly we love”. Their relationship was open to society, but not recognized by him. And love, which is reflected in the poems of the Denisov cycle, became, despite all its strength, fatal for the beloved of the great Russian lyric poetry.
An analysis of the poem “Oh, How Deadly We Love” first of all indicates the destructive power that love can carry. After all, from the very first lines the poet admits that he destroyed the most precious thing in life. The lines of this work are shrouded in deep drama. Tyutchev was not free, but lost interest in his wife. He loved the one who gave him three children, which until the last days of his life was plagued by the shameful fate of his “illegitimate wife”. Poems dedicated to Denisieva have developed into a kind of novel, permeated with feelings of guilt and compassion.
Illegal wife
Elena Denisieva was of noble origin. Her father, a participant in World War II, was early widowed and remarried. The future muse of the poet was brought up by her stepmother. Denisieva’s fate might not have been so sad if she hadn’t met Tyutchev, being a pupil of the Smolny Institute.
The analysis of the poem “Oh, how deadly we love” conveys the feelings of the author that he experienced at an early stage of his relationship with Denisieva. In the second stanza, Tyutchev reproaches himself for having once rejoiced at the victory that marked the beginning of the fall of the girl. In the 19th century, the doors of all “decent” houses were closed before a woman caught in a relationship with a married man. She, and only she was considered guilty. And, despite her noble birth, Denisyeva turned into a social outcast, which could not but affect her health. She died young, and Tyutchev was destined to be tormented by guilt until the last days.
All singed, burned tears ...
In the poem “Oh, how deadly we love”, the poet paints the image of his beloved as he was when they first met - “a smile on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes.” But a little time has passed since everything disappeared. The woman quickly grew old from constant adversity, and only the boundless love that Elena felt for Tyutchev, and the upbringing of her children gave her strength. In one of the letters to the poet’s close friend, she once admitted that she lives only by him, in him the whole meaning of her existence.
And was the dream lasting?
In the perception of a person indulging in painful memories, a certain segment of life may seem unusually fleeting. Youth, a smile and energy left the girl so quickly that the lyricist recalls her cheerful image and as if asks herself the question: “What survived from her?” The poem “How deadly we love”, however, is not only the penitence of the author, but also a kind of protest against the injustice and cruelty prevailing in society. Denisieva was not only a victim of blind passion. False ethics is also guilty of her death, according to which prejudice is stronger than love, hypocrisy is more valuable than true feeling.
The crowd rushing into the mud trampled ...
Rejected by society, Denisyeva, according to close acquaintances of the poet, nevertheless held herself with dignity and in the soul considered herself his real wife. Illegal communication caused a negative attitude towards a woman, not only in the world, but also among members of the Denisieva family. She forever stopped talking with her parents. And she managed to avoid complete loneliness only thanks to mutual feeling. The relationship of the couple lasted almost fifteen years, until the untimely death of his beloved poet. About how Elena Denisieva left the charm and ability to enjoy life, says Tyutchev in the poem "Oh, how deadly we love." The analysis of this work recalls human cruelty, the desire of people to persecute the innocent, and these phenomena, so often encountered in the society of the century before last, are still present today.
Awful sentence of fate
In the work “Oh, How Deadly We Love”, the Russian lyric poet talks about the bitter fate of his beloved and blind passion, which made her unhappy. Fedor Tyutchev loved a woman, which confirms the poetic cycle dedicated to her memory. But he could not make her happy. This was prevented not only by the orders that prevailed in the society of that time. Reuniting with an illegal family would bring misfortune to the poet’s legal wife.
By the will of fate, Tyutchev found himself in a situation where any of his attempts to change anything could harm close people. He perceived the death of Denisieva extremely sharply. According to the memoirs of famous writers and people who were close during this period of the poet’s life, he was completely absorbed in thoughts about Elena. Guilt ate him from the inside. And only in his work he tried to find liberation from these torments.
“Oh, how deadly we love” - a verse that was written four years after the death of Denisieva. He became a masterpiece of classical Russian poetry and an echo of the pain and true suffering that the author suffered.