Description of the poem, characteristic and analysis of "Conversation with Anacreon" by Lomonosov

The work “Conversation with Anacreon” was reworked by Lomonosov many times, starting from 1750 until 1762. The poem is built in the form of a dialogue between a modern poet and ancient Greek. Since the truth is born in the dispute, the poet chose this form for his work. The problem posed in the poem by Lomonosov is the true purpose of poetry.

Anacreon image

The analysis of “Conversation with Anacreon” can begin with a description of one of his characters - the poet Anacreon. He lived a very long time, in the V century BC. e. In his works he admired the bright moments of life, praised youth and beauty. If Anacreon wrote about old age, then he mentioned contented and joyful. Both in ancient times and later, the poet’s works gained such popularity that a separate trend even appeared in literature - “anacreontic lyrics”.

With this poet, Lomonosov begins a dialogue. In order to convince his reader even more, the poet takes a separate line from the poem of Anacreon, translates it and gives his own interpretation, offers his own view of what the poet said. And so the “Conversation with Anacreon” was built. The analysis of the poem should contain a reference to the fact that its fragments alternate throughout the poem - what was said by Lomonosov replaces what was said by Anacreon. The latter complains that his thoughts cannot properly concentrate on the topic of heroism - he involuntarily writes about love:

"... Yes, the harp to me alone

Love is told to ring. ”

The position of M.V. Lomonosov

But Lomonosov replies to Anacreon that with great pleasure he admires the glory of brave heroes, his tender feelings touch him less. Mikhail Vasilievich considers his position to be much more significant and adds a few more lines to the ancient Greek poet. In the analysis of “Conversation with Anacreon,” it is worth emphasizing that they contain the main idea of ​​the poet, they are aphoristic. Lomonosov expresses the essence of his work: gentle feelings of love are also available to him, however, he believes that the poetic Muse should first of all sing the heroic deeds. These lines are:

"Heroes of eternal glory

I am more delighted. "

The requests of two poets

Of great interest to each student who needs to prepare an analysis of "Conversation with Anacreon" is the final part of the poem. In it, both poets ask the artist to draw portraits of the most beautiful and charming women. They express their wishes to him: how to do it, what features of appearance to emphasize, what features of character should be emphasized when creating these portraits.

Differences in requirements

In this concluding section, each stanza that represents the response of the great Russian poet echoes the corresponding stanzas of Anacreon. However, the stanzas of the two poets are opposed. For example, if the ancient Greek poet asks to portray his beloved, then Lomonosov is the mother. The next stanza further strengthens the contrast. If Anacreon admires the beauty of a young girl, then Lomonosov asks the artist to depict a woman of age who has a “calm look”, an “ascended head”.

And this is not unusual, because in the portrait that Lomonosov asks for, Russia itself is depicted. In all these stanzas, an attentive reader will find a lexical parallel - the word in them will be common. But the meaning of this word (semantics) will be different. Therefore, the figurative content will also differ. For example, both Lomonosov and Anacreon mention a brow. But the ancient Greek poet focuses on external beauty, and Lomonosov - on the state of mind ("pleasing clarity on the brow"). In the analysis of “Conversation with Anacreon”, it is worth mentioning that the polemic of this dialogue is also displayed at the rhythmic level. In the final, most important part of the poem, the lines of Anacreon are written by the chorea, and by Lomonosov - by iambic.

Poem form

In the analysis of “Conversation with Anacreon” by Lomonosov, it is worth mentioning separately the form of this work - conversation. Lomonosov defined the concept of “conversation” in his work “Rhetoric”: “when two, three or more fictitious persons are talking to one and the same matter”. In the analysis of “Conversation with Anacreon,” you can add: choosing a form for his work, Lomonosov tried to move away from the traditional monologue that is typical of ordinary odes. After all, conversation involves an exchange of views, openness of ideas and positions, and this entails the naturalness of the presentation of thought.

The Irony of Anacreon

The following lines are riddled with irony:

"Anacreon, you are right

The great philosopher ... "

Meaningful accent falls precisely on the word "true." Researchers at Lomonosov’s work, in particular, A.V. Zapadov, believe: if this word were introductory, the author’s irony would be more obvious. The manuscript of the poem has not been preserved, and in all printed texts this word appears as a separate lexical unit in the meaning of "really" and emphasizes the semantic richness of the last line. The next ten lines reveal the poet's thought.

Appeal to Seneca

Continuing the analysis of the “Conversation with Anacreon” by Lomonosov, it is also worth mentioning the unexpected appeal of Lomonosov to the ancient Greek philosopher Seneca. The poet turns to him completely by chance. After all, Seneca preached a rejection of the joys of the world and asceticism, despite the fact that in life he did not neglect pleasures. Obviously, the position of the poet Anacreon is the opposite of the ideas of Seneca.

Will a poet accept fun in the face of death?

The analysis of the ode to “Conversation with Anacreon” continues with a difficult topic - the contrast between life and death. Lomonosov highlights the problem of a possible change in lifestyle in anticipation of "rock", and Anacreon continues this topic. However, the ancient Greek poet does not want to pay attention to old age and the threat of death, although his age is becoming increasingly noticeable to those around him:

"... the old man must

The more fun

The closer he sees rock. "

The old man looks rather absurd, looking at himself in the mirror and having fun. Here the sensation of “dancing” was created by Lomonosov with the help of a three-foot iamba. Mikhail Vasilyevich contrasts the cheerful Anacreon with the gloomy and grouchy Cato. In the analysis of Lomonosov’s poem “Conversation with Anacreon,” the student can emphasize that Anacreon and Cato are presented as explicit antagonists, and Cato is without a doubt closer to Seneca.

However, there is a difference. Cato is even ready to kill, if necessary to protect his native land. Almost all researchers of Lomonosov’s work come to the conclusion that in the end he is on the side of Cato, despite the fact that he is not only ready to kill, but also committed suicide. Those students who need to prepare the analysis of “Conversation with Anacreon” briefly can describe the poet’s attitude towards Anacreon as follows: in contrast to Cato, whose appearance is terrible, old Anacreon is comical. And for all their dissimilarity, they have a common feature - this is maximalism.