Song "Avdotya Ryazanochka". Avdotya Ryazanochka - Kaleidoscope — LiveJournal What made Avdotya Ryazanochka famous

Avdotya Ryazanochka - The image of Avdotya Ryazanochka is undoubtedly fictional, without a chronicle prototype; it is found in a historical song, apparently composed in the middle of the 13th century and, with minor changes, preserved by Northern Russian storytellers until the 20th century. The song begins with a picture of the Tatar invasion.

Glorious old King Bahmet Turkish
He fought on Russian land,
He mined old Kazangorod undergrowth.
He stood near the city
With his army-power
There was a lot of this time, time,
Yes, and Kazan was ruined by the “city of undergrowth,
Kazan devastated the city completely.
He knocked out all the boyar princes in Kazan,
Yes, and princesses and boyars
I took them alive.
He captivated many thousands of people,
He took the Turkish people to his land.

There are at least two anachronisms here. The first is “Turkish king” and “Turkish land”, the second is “Kazan under the forest”. These are late replacements of the Tatar king and the Tatar land and Ryazan. The ancient song was a response to the invasion of Batu's hordes and the destruction of Ryazan in 1237. Ryazan was the first to take the blows of the invasion and suffered a terrible defeat - this event was described in the book “The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu”, where, along with accurate chronicle details, folk songs also found a place. The story ended with a story about the revival of Ryazan: Prince Ingvar Ingorevich “renew the land of Ryazan, and build churches, and build monasteries, and comfort the aliens, and gather people together.” In the folk song, the same feat is accomplished by a simple “young wife” Avdotya Ryazanochka (by the way, the name “Ryazanochka” speaks of the places where the events took place). But she does it completely differently. There is a lot of fabulous, fantastic, extraordinary things in the song.

Hood. K. Vasiliev

On the way back, the enemy king sets up “great outposts”: deep rivers and lakes, “wide clear fields, thieves and robbers” and “dark forests” filled with “fierce beasts.” Avdotya Ryazanochka was left alone in the city. She goes to the “Turkish land” - “she’s full of asking.” She manages to overcome obstacles almost miraculously. She turns to Bakhmet:

I was left alone in Kazan,
I came, sir, to you myself and deigned to,
Would it be possible to release some captives to my people?
Would you like your own tribe?

The further dialogue between the “king” and the “young wife” develops in the spirit of old epics. Having learned how skillfully Avdotya passed the “great outposts”, and paying tribute to how skillfully she spoke to him, Bakhmet asks her a difficult task: only after completing it will she be able to take the full amount with her.

Yes, know how to ask the king for a full head,
Yes, which little head will not be able to acquire for more than a century.

The “young wife” copes with this task, showing the properties of a fairy tale or epic “wise maiden”.

I'll get married and get a husband,
Yes, if I have a father-in-law, I’ll call him father,
If my mother-in-law is there, I’ll call you mother-in-law,
But I will be considered their daughter-in-law;
Yes, I will live with my husband, and I will give birth to a son,
Yes, I will sing, I will feed, and I will have a son,
May you call me mother;
Yes, I’ll marry my son and take my daughter-in-law -
May I also be known as my mother-in-law;
And I’ll also live with my husband -
Yes, and I’ll give birth to a daughter,
Yes, I will sing, I will feed, and I will have a daughter,
Yes, you will call me mother.
Yes, I’ll give my daughter in marriage -
Yes, and I will have a son-in-law,
And I will be considered a mother-in-law...

Thus, it is possible, according to Avdotya, that the entire large family will be restored - only in an updated composition.

And if I don’t get that little head,
Yes, dear beloved brother,
And I won’t see my brothers forever.

Here is the key to solving a difficult problem: all relatives can be “acquired” - except for your own brother. Avdotya’s answer is not only correct, but also, it turns out, affects Bakhmet himself: he admits that his beloved brother died during the invasion of Rus'.

You knew how to ask the king if the head was full,
Yes, something that will never last a lifetime...
Take your full people
Take every single one of them to Kazan.
Yes, for your words, for your considerate ones
Yes, take your gold treasury
Yes, in my lands they are Turkish,
Yes, just take as much as you need.

Thus, thanks to Avdotya’s wise answer, he receives the right to lead the “full people” to Rus' to “deserted Kazan.” Yes, she built the Kazan city anew, Yes, from that time on, Kazan became glorious, Yes, from that time on, Kazan became rich, And even here in Kazan, Avdotya’s name was exalted.

This is the legend about the “young woman” who performed a miracle. Ancient Rus' firmly believed in the truth of what happened and in the authenticity of the heroine.

Historical songs are epic or lyrical-epic works that depict events or episodes from the life of historical figures, as a result of whose activities the speakers of the song are interested. Historical songs are works of art, therefore the facts of history are present in them in a poetically transformed form, although historical songs strive to reproduce specific events, to preserve accurate memory in them. As epic works, many historical songs have features similar to epics, but they are a qualitatively new stage in the development of folk poetry. Events are conveyed in them with greater historical accuracy than in epics.

The first recordings of historical songs date back to the 17th century; works of this genre are also found in printed and handwritten collections of the 18th and 19th centuries; they were included in the collection “Ancient Russian Poems Collected by Kirsha Danilov.” Subsequently, recordings and publications of works in this genre continued, and now researchers fully understand how historical songs were created and performed. In folklore studies, historical songs were not distinguished as a separate genre for a long time; they were classified as epic epics, considered a Moscow or Kazan cycle. But we must take into account that between epics and historical songs there is a fundamental difference in the way they reflect reality.

EARLY HISTORICAL SONGS

As a genre, historical songs were formed in the era of Muscovite Rus', but the first trends towards the creation of new songs appeared chronologically earlier, in the 13th century. We can talk about the appearance of a small group of songs related in their content to the heroic feat of the residents of Ryazan, who tried to stop the hordes of Batu (Ryazan cycle according to the classification of B.N. Putilov). These songs are characterized by a search for new ways of historical song storytelling - reflection of historical specificity in the works or the use of a historical theme to create a generalized patriotic image, as in “Avdotya Ryazanochka”. Historical songs are a plot genre, the plot in them is reduced to one event or even an episode, the action develops quickly, there is no desire to slow down the narrative, and techniques that promote retardation are not used.

Historical songs are narrations about the past, but they usually took shape shortly after the events described. Fiction may be present in historical songs, but it does not play a decisive role; exaggeration is possible, but there is almost no hyperbolization. Historical songs reliably reveal the psychology, experiences, and motives of the characters’ actions—their inner world.

In ancient historical songs, the main thing is the image of people's strength, not broken by the invasion of enemies. One of the heroes of this cycle, Evpatiy Kolovrat, overcome with anger and grief at the sight of the devastated Ryazan, rushes after the Tatars, enters into an unequal struggle with them, and defeats the Tatar hero in a duel. And although Evpatiy dies, the description of his feat contains the theme of the invincibility of the Russian people. The closeness of this song to the epic is enhanced by the fact that the battle in it is depicted primarily as a clash of one hero with hordes of enemies. Although Evpatiy is accompanied by a squad on the campaign, we do not see the soldiers in action. The climax of the song - the duel between Evpatiy and the Tatar hero Khostovrum - is decided in the epic traditions, but the ending of the song is far from optimistic. The Tatars, although they suffer considerable losses, do not suffer complete defeat, do not flee from Russian soil, and Evpatiy, who opposed them, dies. Here there is a break with epic traditions, with the ideas of the invincibility of the Russian hero, a departure from the epic idealization of history. In the song about Evpatia, the time of action is not epic, but historical, but the plot is based on artistic fiction. This song belongs to the works of a transitional type; it is still closely connected with epic traditions.

The song about Avdotya Ryazanochka reflects the real events of 1237, when the Tatars captured the city of Ryazan. The heroine of the song is a simple Russian woman, and not a hero endowed with superhuman strength. The song begins with an image of the enemy invasion and its consequences for the city:

This description is reminiscent of the pictures of the Tatar invasion in epics, but with one significant difference: in the epics the enemy threatens to ruin the city, but his threat is not carried out, suddenly a hero appears who saves the city. The historical song recreates the actual course of events, its plot is the story of the liberation of Ryazan residents from captivity and the restoration of the city. This is carried out by Avdotya, who decides to go to a foreign land to return her loved ones from captivity; It is usually said that “three little heads” were taken prisoner - her husband, father-in-law and brother. The plot of the story combines elements of authenticity and fiction, and the further development of the plot is entirely fictional. The Turkish king placed “three great outposts” of a fabulous, fantastic nature on the way to his country:

The heroine overcomes all obstacles thanks to her perseverance and perseverance. The heroine's successful solution of the first task (overcoming the difficulties of the path) gives her the right to proceed to the second test. King Bakhmet is surprised that the woman reached his camp, and wants to test her intelligence and moral conviction, he asks her a task:

Here the plot reaches the climax of its development. Avdotya must make a choice among three people dear to her; she chooses her brother, who is related by blood:

The choice of his brother, which is the only solution to the riddle that Bakhmet asked, emphasizes the wisdom of Avdotya. Bakhmet allows her to take with her her relatives, “her full people,” and, using this permission, Avdotya takes all Ryazan residents away from the Turkish land. The song directly connects the revival of this city with the name of Avdotya. The image of Avdotya is in many ways unusual for Russian historical song folklore. The Russian epic is not rich in images of women, and besides, they rarely play a decisive role in epic plots. It is obvious that the image of Avdotya did not arise from the epic, but rather it can be compared with the images of wise wives and girls from fairy tales. Having glorified the feat of their heroine, the people expressed their emerging national identity in this song.

The Tatars not only took tribute from the Russian people, but also took many captives, so the people created many songs about the “Tatar full”. These are mainly songs about Polonian girls. One of them told how a mother in captivity met her daughter, who became the wife of a Tatar. The scene of the meeting between mother and daughter in “full” is described very psychologically, the feelings and experiences of the characters are conveyed in it, they are colored with lyricism. The depiction of such destinies in songs was perceived as a reflection of the fate of the people.

From the first half of the 14th century, a song about Shchelkan has reached us; this song is usually considered as a poetic response to the uprising of the inhabitants of Tver against Shchelkan, a representative of the Golden Horde Khan, that took place in 1327. Indeed, the song depicts this event, but not at all the way it happened. This song cannot be limited to the framework of the uprising; it is a work about the Tatra yoke, a condemnation and moral and political exposure of the invasion.

The action of the song begins in the Horde, and the Tatar king acts as a sovereign master, he administers justice, favors princes and boyars, and collects tribute. The plot of the song is fictitious, conditional in nature: everyone was granted, only Shchelkan was not awarded, because “nothing happened to him at home”, since Shchelkan was leaving to collect tribute - “royal non-payments”. The picture of collecting tribute is depicted in the song very emotionally; the people’s impressions of the cruelty of the Tatar invasion are reflected here:

Returning to the Horde, “young Shchelkan” asks the king to reward him with “Old Tver, Rich Tver.” In response to the request, the king offers him a terrible condition:

Shchelkan, without any hesitation, fulfills the king’s condition and receives the city of Tver as a reward. Describing Shchelkan’s presence in Tver, the song again turns to the theme of depicting the Tatar yoke, because Shchelkan dishonored and dishonored women, “to mock everyone,” to “mock the houses.” The residents of the city could not stand it, and the last episodes of the song depict a scene of reprisal against the rapist. The song about Shchelkan in the finale echoes the heroic epics, in the song the Borisovich brothers dealt with him:

The ideological meaning of the song is the desire of its composers to instill in the Russian people the idea of the necessity and possibility of fighting their enemies; the peculiar optimistic end of the song is designed for this, although in reality the uprising in Tver was brutally suppressed:

The song about Shchelkan is the first piece of folklore known to researchers that can be described as a political work from beginning to end. In terms of its content and method of creation, the image of Shchelkan is new in Russian folklore. In epics, the enemy is usually depicted as arrogant, arrogant, but also cowardly; often in the form of a monster. Shchelkan, on the other hand, is devoid of outwardly ugly, monstrous features; there is no hyperbole in his character, he is a completely earthly character. Usually in Russian epic the enemy is always opposed by a folk hero, but this is not the case in the song. The song notes an orientation towards specific historical figures as real prototypes (Shchelkan is Shevkal, son of Dudeni) and at the same time an orientation towards fiction, enriching the image and leading to generalizations.

In terms of style, early historical songs were still influenced by epics at the time of recording. The content of the songs may be limited to one episode, or it may, as about Shchelkan, present the generalized nature of the Tatar-Mongol invasion. The song's verses have become shorter, there is dynamism in the development of the events described, and the content often represents a certain historical event in its artistic re-interpretation.

After the song about Shchelkan, there were no publications of recorded historical songs in folklore collections until the middle of the 16th century, therefore the 13th-15th centuries in folklore studies are considered the period of prehistory of new historical song genres. The turning point for the development of the genre of historical songs is the 16th century, the time of the reign of Ivan the Terrible. It was from this time that the creation of new works became a continuous and massive process, relentlessly accompanying the historical life of the people.

HISTORICAL SONGS OF THE 16TH CENTURY

The 16th century is the time of the formation of the Russian nation and the creation of the state, the time when important historical events took place. In the historical songs of this period, social issues come to the fore; they are represented here by well-defined parties - the people and the tsar, the people and the boyars. The theme of the fight against external enemies and the confrontation between the tsar and the boyars in the process of strengthening the centralized state are the main ones in the cycle of songs about Ivan the Terrible. Songs about Ivan the Terrible mark many outstanding moments of his reign and create, in general, the correct psychological image of the king. The most typical songs about Grozny: about the capture of Kazan, about Grozny’s marriage to Maria Temryukovna and about the king’s anger at his son.

Judging by the number of recorded versions, “The Capture of Kazan” is one of the most popular songs (150 versions). The song begins with an opening that sets listeners to a certain emotional mood. For the first time in the historical song folklore known to us, the song depicts the offensive campaign of Russian troops (in epics the enemy always tried to take a Russian city). Getting ready for the campaign and describing the movement of troops in the song are only approaches to its main part, dedicated to the siege and capture of Kazan. Here a complete break with the traditions of the epic is revealed: there are neither heroes nor the usual epic battle scenes. The main episode of the song is the siege of Kazan, the Russian army cannot take the city, and the Tatars behave arrogantly:

Then the Russians resort to a roundabout maneuver; they place powder barrels in the tunnel under the Kazan walls, which, however, do not explode at the appointed time. The candle standing in front of Grozny burned out, but there was no explosion, so the tsar became angry and ordered the gunners to be executed as “traitors.” But the young gunner boldly explained to the king:

Indeed, an explosion soon followed, passages were formed in the walls, through which the Russian army entered the city, the tsar then “became cheerful” and ordered the gunners to be given gifts.

The capture of Kazan is interpreted in the song as a turning point for the creation of the state, then Ivan the Terrible acquired the crown and the “royal perfida”,

But one song provides too little material to characterize the central image; The task of creating the image of a historical hero will be solved by folk art through the creation of song cycles. Some songs in the cycle about the fight against the Tatars use the poetics of folklore. This is the song about Kostryuk (Mastryuk), created on the occasion of the marriage of Ivan the Terrible to the Circassian princess Maria Temryukovna. The main character is a foreign prince, Maria's brother, who is depicted satirically in the song.

Like the epic heroes, Kostriuk wants to measure his strength with the enemy, but the Russian warrior who enters into battle with him wins. The singers describing the defeat of the “visiting praiser” do not skimp on juicy details, giving the picture a comic effect. As in the epic, the defeated hero runs to hide from shame (under the porch).

The image of Ivan the Terrible in this song is quite traditional for 16th-century folklore - on the one hand, fictional, on the other, historically reliable. The song depicts Grozny as direct and sharp, looking at everything that happens from a state perspective, so the ending of the song has several options: in some, Grozny favors the peasant with “white-stone chambers,” in others, he punishes the fighter. This song contains elements of epic poetics: motives of boasting, shaming of the boaster, typical beginnings and endings.

The image of Ivan the Terrible is revealed much more complexly in songs about his anger at his son; they were also very common (more than 80 recordings). The plot of this song has nothing to do with the fact of the murder of Tsarevich Ivan and in its main episodes is fictitious. An important point in the song is the tsar’s speech at the feast, a speech directed against the boyars. Grozny himself sees his merit in the fact that he brought out “the treason of Novgorod, Pskov, Moscow,” but the “slanderers” tell him that there is treason in the tsar’s inner circle - this is his son. In other versions, the son does not believe the king when his father boasts that he brought out treason:

The king was angry when he learned of his son’s betrayal and ordered him to be executed in a terrible manner. The episodes following the order of the tsar are considered differently in folklore: V.Ya. Propp considers the song as a family drama, B.N. Putilov believes that this song is political, one of its important features is that the political principle penetrates into a family drama. The Tsarevich’s savior turns out to be his uncle Nikita Romanovich, and Tsarevich Fyodor is passive throughout the song. The reconciliation of Ivan the Terrible with his son is accompanied by a complex of psychological experiences; the tsar-father successively experiences either rage, repentance, despair, or joy. For saving his son, the king grants his brother-in-law an estate where anyone who violated the laws that existed at that time could take refuge. The image of Grozny is very complex, which is due not only to psychological, but also political motives. Historical songs paint a contradictory image of Ivan the Terrible: he is a wise ruler, aware that he must listen to ordinary people, in the songs he is contrasted with the boyars. But the people do not hide his negative traits - he is cruel and quick-tempered. The Terrible in the songs is not a fairy-tale tsar, but rather a Russian tsar of the second half of the 16th century, whose psychological qualities were known to the people and were reflected in folklore works. There are a lot of songs about Ivan the Terrible in folk art; In addition to those discussed, songs are known about the assassination attempt on Grozny, about his death, about the granting of the Terek and Don to the Cossacks, about the death of Tsarina Anastasia Romanovna, etc. In them, the image of the tsar is contrasted with the cowardly and greedy boyars, but he is formidable to his external and internal enemies. The combination of positive and negative traits in the image of the king was close to the historical prototype.

Among the historical songs of the 16th century, the cycle of songs about Ermak Timofeevich is of great importance. This cycle opens a long series of works devoted to the themes of the liberation struggle, themes of social conflicts, direct clashes of the masses with the autocratic government. The cycle includes songs: “Ermak in the Cossack circle”, “Ermak’s capture of Kazan”, “Ermak took Siberia”, “Ermak from Ivan the Terrible”, “Campaign to the Volga”, etc. The most popular song is “Ermak in the Cossack circle” ( about 40 options). The beginning of the song introduces us to the peculiar world of free Cossack life. Here, for the first time in folk poetry, a generalized poetic image of the masses striving for a free life appears. The true deep meaning of the song, its problematics, are revealed in the second part, which is Ermak’s speech. In his speech, Ermak describes the complexity of the situation of the Cossacks and speaks of royal persecution:

Ermak suggests a trip to Siberia. The peculiarity of the song in question is the lack of dynamic development of the plot: exposition, plot - and the song ends. None of the versions of the song knows its continuation; everywhere the plot is limited to the speech of the chieftain. Researchers consider the distinctive feature of songs to be their static nature; in them, the form of a two-part composition with a final direct speech has received great development.

The Cossacks claim in their songs that they never opposed the “legitimate” tsar; they supported Ivan the Terrible’s campaigns on the Volga during the capture of Kazan. Expressing the dream of a free life, the people created songs about Ermak’s campaigns and his conquest of Siberia. The songs describe the difficult and long journey of Ermak’s small detachment, and when Ermak conquered the Siberian Khanate, he annexed it to the Russian state. In the song “Ermak at Ivan the Terrible,” the national hero tells the tsar about the merits of the Cossacks, he speaks on behalf of the oppressed people. When creating extensive narratives about Ermak, the singers relied on the song tradition; they used the form of the hero’s speech as an organizing plot and compositional element. This cycle is characterized by the use not of epic, but of song “commonplaces” and artistic techniques.

One song about Ivan the Terrible or Ermak cannot provide a broad image of a large historical theme, cannot exhaust all the problems and create a multifaceted image of the hero. Only through the creation of a cycle is the well-known limitation of historical songs overcome - the concentration of the content of the song around one event, the certain static nature of the narrative, the lack of development of the narrative, the lack of detailed characteristics of the characters. The formation of cycles was a significant artistic phenomenon that reflected the specific features of the development of Russian folklore.

HISTORICAL SONGS OF THE 17TH CENTURY

Historical songs of the 17th century widely reflected the events of Russian history: they responded to the “time of troubles”, to the death of Ivan the Terrible’s son Dmitry, the appearance of the False Dmitriy, the campaign of the Poles to Rus', the struggle against them by Minin and Pozharsky, the Cossack campaigns to Azov, the uprising led by Stepan Razin . Songs of this period were created in different social strata - among peasants, townspeople, soldiers, Cossacks, so different assessments of the same events are possible. The song about the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry quite closely reproduces the situation of that time; in it, the cause of all the troubles that befell the state is declared to be “great deceit,” which is inherent in groups within the ruling class. This song is characterized by its lack of plot, lack of an epic narrative in its theme, and deep lyricism. False Dmitry is assessed negatively in folk songs; he is Grishka the cut-haired man, the dog thief, the traitor who brought foreign troops to Rus'.

After the death of Boris Godunov, songs and laments of Ksenia Godunova arose, which reflected the tragic events of 1605. The heroine of the song not only mourns the death of her father, she is worried about the fate of the state:

Researchers quite convincingly characterize these works as lyrical-epic historical songs. The songs are compositionally unfinished; to enhance their lyrical impact on the listener, the form of crying and lamentation is used. The Polish intervention, as well as the struggle for power among the Russian “princes,” led to the complete collapse of the Russian state. The young governor M.V. Skopin-Shuisky successfully fought against the foreign invaders; even during his lifetime, songs of praise in his honor were distributed among the people. The song “Mikhailo Skopin” realistically accurately reproduces the activities of the governor, and describes his unexpected death at a feast, where “his godmother of the cross” brought him “a glass of sweet honey” into which “fierce potions were poured.” Oral poetic works about Skopin, which describe his death, were created in different genres and in all social groups of that time.

K. Minin and D. Pozharsky - the organizers and leaders of the people's militia - are depicted in folk poetry with great love, their patriotism and selfless heroism are glorified in several songs. These works depict not only historical events, but also emphasize that it was ordinary people who defeated the invaders and drove them out of Russian soil. The songs of the early 17th century more acutely depict social struggle; they use a variety of artistic techniques: traditions of lyrical lamentation, various types of satire (in songs about False Dmitry).

Songs about Stepan Razin. Historical songs that arose under the influence of the Razin uprising are the largest cycle of the second half of the 17th century. In the songs of this cycle, the poetic side of the image noticeably prevails over the specificity of political issues. The songs strive to convey the beauty of a free life filled with struggle, the beauty of even death itself in this struggle. Razin's associates do not want to be considered robbers; they understand the class essence of the struggle:

The songs tell about the victories of the rebels, about how Razin’s people take cities (Astrakhan, Yaitsky town), about their voyage across the Caspian Sea, along the Volga, and reflect Razin’s brutal reprisal against the “governors”:

The song image of Stepan Razin intricately combines real and fantastic features. Razin is a sorcerer, a sorcerer, a wizard, “a bullet won’t touch him,” and “a kernel won’t take him,” no prison will hold him, he will draw a boat with charcoal on the wall, sit in the boat, splash water, water will spill from the prison to the Volga. The songs depict Razin and in his lyrical thoughts, he turns to Russian nature for advice:

The theme of Razin’s attitude towards the people, who are represented in them by the “golytba” and the Cossacks, is very important in the songs. The people support Razin, which gives the cycle a significant social essence. Razin's associates perform military feats, take cities, defeat the troops sent against the rebels. The boyars and governors are depicted satirically, they are cowardly, but overwhelmed by cruelty and greed. Several songs tell about the defeat of the uprising and the execution of Stepan Razin; they are very lyrical, they use symbolic images: “mists have crept in,” “the forests have burned,” “the glorious quiet Don has become clouded.” The people did not want to believe in the death of their leader, so Razin is credited with creating the song “Bury me, brothers, between three roads...”, which is a testament to his descendants. There have long been legends in folk art that Razin remained alive, but hid in the caves of the Zhiguli Mountains. As the researcher of historical songs B.N. Putilov suggests, the “Razin cycle” contributed to the fact that in Russian historical songs the lyrical principle received significant development and became equivalent to the narrative one.

HISTORICAL SONGS OF THE 18TH CENTURY

The personality and activities of Peter I gave rise to a number of works that depict the controversial image of this ruler. The folk song also responded to some events of the era of Peter I: the execution of rebel riflemen, the persecution of schismatics and “old people,” the military campaigns of Peter I (the campaign against Azov, the Northern War, the Seven Years’ War, the war with the Turks) and individual episodes of the Northern War ( Battle of Poltava, siege of Vyborg).

Peter I is depicted both as a talented figure and as a person with a unique character. In folk songs, he severely punishes traitorous boyars and highly values the people, he is always accessible to the people, an intelligent and fair sovereign, a talented commander, always the first in hard work. The Tsar treats soldiers lovingly, calls them his “children”, can measure his strength with a simple soldier or Cossack (song about Peter’s fight with a dragoon), encourages his subordinates for their demonstrated strength, valor and especially for good service. Even when Peter declares war on the enemy, he mourns in advance the death of the soldiers:

Peter I is shown somewhat idealized; he is contrasted with the boyars and the clergy. The poetic lament for the death of Peter I, the creator of the Russian army and navy, “Colonel Preobrazhensky,” reflects his close connection with the army. Songs about the death of Peter are similar to laments, lamentations, and they use traditional folklore images.

In the songs of the early 18th century, a new hero appears - a soldier, and the genre is replenished with a soldier's historical song. The songs reflected the difficult fate of a soldier, the entire order of military service, military life, preparations for a campaign and battles. They reflect the patriotism of the soldiers, their desire to defend their homeland, exploits, courage, victory over the Swedish army. The soldier fulfilled his duty, despite the severity of his service, the severity and cruelty of his commanders, the betrayal and embezzlement of the military authorities. Soldiers' historical songs also depict the inhumane attitude of the officers who mocked them and withheld their military pay:

Some songs convey historical details of the Azov campaign, the personal participation of the king, the active actions of the Cossacks, the difficulties of approaching the city - “it stands firmly, you can’t approach it, you can’t drive up to it.” Folk poetry of the early 18th century is interesting for its specific description of the situation in which military operations unfolded; it is valuable, first of all, for its general assessment of events and a clear demonstration of the role of the mass of soldiers in them. The song about the Battle of Poltava described the feat of arms of ordinary soldiers and noted what sacrifices were made by the people for victory:

Songs describing the participation of the Russian army in the war against France are full of historical facts; sieges of cities are mentioned - Berlin, Ochakov, Izmail, Warsaw; the names of Russian and foreign prominent people are found, they sing about Russian commanders - Rumyantsev, Suvorov, the Cossack brigadier Krasnoshchekov. Some historical songs aptly capture individual characteristic features of events, such as the special composition of the army of the Prussian king, created from mercenaries and forcibly captured recruits:

In full accordance with historical truth, the songs emphasize the bloodshed of war, heavy exactions and deprivations of the people. An interesting cycle of songs is about the brigadier of the Cossack army, Krasnoshchekov, who makes unusually daring forays into an enemy city. Disguised as a merchant, Krasnoshchekov sneaks into Berlin, looks out for all the Prussian forces there, buys gunpowder and cannonballs, and then takes the city by storm. In another song, Krasnoshchekov, in disguise, comes to visit the Prussian king, who does not recognize him. Upon leaving, he tells the fooled king his name and calls him “to walk in an open field and fight with Krasnoshchekov.” In the third song, the hero takes the “Prussian fortification - Berlin City” and captures the “Prussian queen”.

The main hero of the military history of the 18th century is the great commander A.V. Suvorov. Suvorov's personality, his life and work provided factual material for creating the image of a national hero. In a number of songs, Suvorov performs in a historical setting that reflects his military biography: during the siege of Ochakov, near Warsaw, before crossing the Alps. Historical songs emphasize his closeness to the soldiers, whom he affectionately calls “babies”, “brother soldiers”; in moments of danger, he supports them in a fatherly way:

In historical songs, Suvorov is contrasted with leaders who lived “unrighteously”; the soldiers greet their commander especially friendly:

In the image of Suvorov, patriotism, a kind heart and determination come to the fore; the songs emphasize the leading role of Suvorov in wars with the enemy, it is he who saves the entire “Russian army”.

Songs about Emelyan Pugachev. The songs of this cycle are close to the Razin cycle, although some plots are reworked, adapting to new events and the personality of Pugachev, the people's poetic consciousness almost does not separate these fighters from each other. Pugachev's songs are more realistic, there are no fantastic elements in them, no motives of romantic daring. The idea of class intransigence towards the oppressors is perfectly expressed in the song “Count Panin judged the thief Pugachev here,” which describes Panin’s meeting with Pugachev, who was put in a cage. The people's hero remains unbroken; he himself can judge Panin, who is afraid of the chained Pugach. The images in this song are typical images of antagonistic social forces; it truthfully tells about Pugachev’s behavior during a conversation with the count in Simbirsk:

Pugachev is depicted in songs as a people's defender who takes away “land from the rich, cattle” and gives it all away for free to the poor. The political orientation of the songs about Pugachev is clearer than in the songs about Razin; they show a connection with peasant poetry, with Cossack songs; in them one can also note the influence of the creativity of mining workers (“You, blue-winged raven ...”). Songs about Pugachev were created not only by the Russian people, because all the peoples of the Volga region took part in the uprising. In the oral literature of the Bashkirs, Tatars, and Chuvashs there are also works about the Pugachev uprising. Pugachev’s death gave rise to a touching song, reminiscent of a funeral lament:

In the folklore about Pugachev, not only the strengths, but also the weaknesses of the peasant movement, the spontaneity and disorganization of the uprising are palpable. The ideas of the Christian war under the leadership of Pugachev are reflected in other folk genres: in lyrical “robber” songs, in folk drama.

HISTORICAL SONGS OF THE 19TH CENTURY

In this cycle, the War of 1812, which played a large role in the formation of national consciousness, received the most complete reflection. They told about bloody battles, about the devastation of Russian lands, about a merciless and cruel enemy:

The people understood the need to defend their homeland, and oral poetry captured the resistance to the advancing enemy in songs about Borodino (about twenty variants are known). These works aptly describe Napoleon, who “wanted to rule the whole world,” and when the “French thief” ruined Moscow, “the mother earth shook.” Favorite heroes of the War of 1812 are Kutuzov and Platov. In the songs, Kutuzov is portrayed as the leader of the people's war, an experienced and brave commander, he unraveled all the enemy's plans (“knew all the tricks in French”). Kutuzov is confident in the final victory, he calms the frightened king. He addresses the soldiers as “children”, knows their needs and moods:

The image of the “whirlwind ataman” Platov is very interesting; many songs have been written about him among the Cossacks. Particularly interesting is the song about how Platov visited the French and talked with Napoleon. The song is based on artistic fiction, but poetic fiction is used to evaluate completely real events. Platov is a clever and brave intelligence officer, partisan, always ready for exploits. He is shown as a good commander and organizer of the Cossack masses. The soldiers highly appreciate Platov’s activities:

In the second half of the 19th century, the creation of new cycles of oral history songs finally ceased.

Poetics of historical songs. Over the centuries, the content and poetics of historical songs have changed. Early historical songs largely preserved the traditions of the poetics of the epic epic. In the group of songs that are close in poetics to epics, one can find the beginning and chorus, the slowness of action characteristic of epic epics, created by threefold repetitions, etc. These techniques are found in the early song about Avdotya Ryazanochka, in the song of Nastasya Romanovna, etc. But these traditions are not decisive in the construction of song poetry.

In the songs of the 16th century, instead of a detailed epic narrative, works appear in which the plot is most often limited to one episode, which represents the climax in the development of the action. The peculiarities of constructing the plot of historical songs are also associated with a decrease in the role of hyperbole; now hyperbole is used not to denote the actions of one person, but to denote the actions of a group. There is a noticeable tendency in the song towards realistic detail, towards liberating the content from fantastic fiction.

Historical songs of the 17th century are heavily influenced by lyric song poetry, they tell about one episode, but are narrated emotionally. They reflect the spontaneity and vividness of the characters’ experiences; sometimes the description of individual feelings is given national significance. Thus, the feeling of general anxiety before the impending misfortune is conveyed in the lament song about Skopin-Shuisky. Ksenia Godunova’s song, which is built on the device of parallelism characteristic of all folk poetry (a small quail bird cries over a ruined nest - a girl mourns the death of her family), speaks about the experiences and grief of a girl who has lost her family. In the cycle of songs about Razin, the lyrical principle prevails; they create a generalized portrait of the people's defender, in which ideas about male strength and beauty are embodied. In the songs of the 17th century, the technique of comparing natural phenomena and human feelings and experiences receives special development: the image of a rising cloud - and the Razins going to the governor; the image of broken bushes - and captured, shackled Razinites, etc. The constructed epithets depicting the image of Razin are identical to the epithets applied to the depiction of nameless robbers; they emphasize the people's love for the “clear falcons.” In this cycle of songs, the technique of personification is actively used; nature is an active participant in events: “the glorious quiet Don has become clouded.”

Realistic pictures from the life of the peasantry actively penetrate into the songs of the 18th century; some features of popular uprisings and bloody wars waged by Russia are depicted. Soldiers' historical songs become shorter in size, their melody approaches marching, military vocabulary is used, and they acquire musical and rhythmic forms.

Historical songs are characterized by a lyrical monologue of the hero, often the monologue is addressed to the collective, to the masses of the people - this is the invocation speech of the ataman, commander, leader: there is also a collective monologue (for example, the song of the Razinites “You rise, rise, red sun”). Even more often than a monologue, there is a dialogue used in different situations - the tsar and the good fellow, Pugachev and the governor, the Russian commander and the captured officer, etc. Historical songs pay great attention to everyday details, they often contain prosaism, and the speech is close to colloquial.

Historical songs are characterized by repetition techniques: repetition of the same word at the beginning of each line (anaphora); repeat each line twice; repeating the end of the first line at the beginning of the second (joint); repetition of words, often a second time with a diminutive suffix; repetition of phrases and prepositions.

(In this example we find: repetition of prepositions, repetition of words, a second time with diminutive suffixes, junction.)

Historical songs often use constant epithets, comparisons, metaphors, symbols, positive or negative parallelism:

The songs often use the technique of contrast both when describing military operations and when describing the life of impoverished Russia and the life of its rulers (the song about Arakcheev). A characteristic feature of later songs, especially songs about the War of 1812, is the use of individual formulas, lines, entire episodes, and even ready-made military-historical songs about past wars. One can note the influence of literary poetry in the songs of the 19th century, which confirms the idea that folk poetry in this era was looking for new forms of poetic expression.

The forms of verse, chant, and method of performing historical songs are varied. Many songs in the northern regions of Russia are performed as epics, with melodious recitation. The southern regions are characterized by choral, polyphonic singing of songs. In the early songs, there is tonic versification, lack of rhyming, but gradually - through the soldiers' songs - rhyme and syllabic-tonic versification appear in them.

The collection and study of historical songs was carried out haphazardly for a long time, although the first records date back to 1620. Only in the 18th century did they begin to be included in folklore collections: the collection of Kirsha Danilov, “Songs collected by P.V. Kireevsky”, “Collection of various songs” by M.D. Chulkov. The study of historical songs began relatively late, which is due to the fact that the genre was not distinguished from epics. V.G. Belinsky was the first to separate historical songs from epics; in articles on folk poetry, he used the term “historical songs.” Belinsky gave an assessment of the songs known to him, mainly from the collection of Kirsha Danilov. Belinsky was the first to note the genre features of historical songs, but he did not highly value this genre of folk poetry, apparently because he had insufficient material at his disposal. But the critic highly appreciated the historical songs about Ermak (“What broad and sweeping poetry”) and about Ivan the Terrible (“The image of the Terrible shines through the fabulous uncertainty with all the brightness of thunderbolt”). Russian historical song attracted the attention of many literary and cultural figures. The Decembrists' interest in bandit and Cossack songs is known; Pushkin listened to songs about Razin, and he himself recorded songs about Pugachev. A deep understanding of historical songs is characteristic of N.V. Gogol; he valued them for their connection with life, for the faithful transmission of the spirit of the time, and believed that “the history of the people will be revealed in them in clear greatness.” The study of historical songs was especially fruitful at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries, when they attracted the attention of such researchers as A.N. Veselovsky, V.F. Miller, F.I. Buslaev and others. Publication and study continued in the 20th century historical songs, folklorists now began to focus on historical songs that reflected the struggle of the masses for their liberation. A significant contribution to the study of historical songs was made by the studies of V.K. Sokolova, B.N. Putilov, N.I. Kravtsov, V.I. Ignatov and others.

I was left alone in Kazan,
I came, sir, to you myself and deigned to,
Would it be possible to release some captives to my people?
Would you like your own tribe?

Yes, know how to ask the king for a full head,
Yes, which little head will not be able to acquire for more than a century.

The “young wife” copes with this task, showing the properties of a fairy tale or epic “wise maiden”.

Thus, it is possible, according to Avdotya, that the entire large family will be restored - only in an updated composition.

And if I don’t get that little head,
Yes, dear beloved brother,
And I won’t see my brothers forever.

Here is the key to solving a difficult problem: all relatives can be “earned” - except for your own brother. Avdotya’s answer is not only correct, but also, it turns out, affects Bakhmet himself: he admits that his beloved brother died during the invasion of Rus'.

This is the legend about the “young woman” who performed a miracle. Ancient Rus' firmly believed in the truth of what happened and in the authenticity of the heroine.

Glorious old king Bakhmet of Turkey He fought on the Russian land, He mined the old Kazan-city undergrowth, He stood under the city with his army-army, For a long time, he devastated the Kazan-city undergrowth, He ruined the Kazan-city in vain.

Glorious old King Bahmet Turkish

He fought on Russian soil,

He mined old Kazan-city undergrowth,

He stood near the city

With his army-power,

It's been a long time,

Yes, he ruined Kazan-city under the forests,

Kazan devastated the city in vain.

He knocked out all the boyar princes in Kazan,

Yes to the princesses and boyars -

I took all those alive.

He captivated many thousands of people,

He led him to his Turkish land,

He placed three great outposts on the roads:

The first great outpost -

He filled up the rivers and deep lakes;

Another great outpost -

The clean fields are wide,

He became robber thieves;

And the third outpost - dark forests,

He unleashed fierce beasts,

Only in Kazan in the city

There was only one young woman left, Avdotya Ryazanochka.

She went to Turkish land

Yes, to the glorious king, to Bakhmet of Turkey,

Yes, she went full to ask.

She was not walking along the path, not the road,

Yes, the rivers are deep, wide lakes

She swam pilaf

And you are small rivers, wide lakes

Yes, she wandered along the ford.

Did she pass the great barrier,

And those wide open fields

Those thieves and robbers were overrun,

How about noon the thieves are fierce

Holding them to rest.

Yes, the second great outpost passed,

Yes, you are dark, dense forests,

Those fierce beasts passed away at midnight,

Yes, at midnight the animals are fierce

Holding them to rest.

Came to the land of Turkey

To the glorious King Bakhmet of Turkey,

Are the royal chambers in his?

She puts a cross according to the written word,

And you bow like a scientist,

Yes, she hit the king with her forehead and bowed low.

- Yes, you, sir King Bakhmet of Turkey!

You ruined our old Kazan city under the forest,

Yes, you cut down our princes, all the boyars,

You have taken our princesses, those living noblewomen, to the full,

You took in a crowd of many thousands,

You brought Turkish into your land,

I am a young woman Avdotya Ryazanochka,

I was left alone in Kazan.

I came, sir, to you myself and deigned to,

Wouldn't it be possible to let me go?

people some prisoners.

Would you like your own tribe? –

King Bahmet says to the Turkish:

– You’re a young woman, Avdotya Ryazanochka!

How I ruined your old Kazan forest,

Yes, I knocked out all the prince-boyars,

I captured the princesses-boyars and those alive,

Yes, I took many thousands of people full of people,

I brought Turkish into my land,

He placed three great outposts on the road:

The first great outpost -

Rivers and lakes are deep;

The second great outpost -

The clean fields are wide,

He became fierce thieves and robbers,

Yes, the third great outpost -

The forests are dark, you are dense,

I unleashed fierce beasts.

Tell me, dear Avdotya Ryazanochka,

How did you pass and pass these outposts? –

The answer is from the young lady Avdotya Ryazanochka:

I am these great outposts

I didn’t go through the path or the road.

Like me the rivers deep lakes

I swam pilaf

And those wide open fields

Thieves and robbers

I've been through a lot of those,

Opolden thieves,

They rested holding.

Dark forests are those fierce beasts,

I passed by at midnight,

Midnight fierce beasts,

Those who fell asleep holding.-

Yes, the king loved those speeches,

Says the glorious Turkish king Bakhmet:

- Oh, you young woman Avdotya Ryazanochka!

Yes, she knew how to talk to the king,

Yes, know how to ask the king for a full head,

Yes, which little head will not be acquired for more than a century.–

Yes, the young wife Avdotya Ryazanochka says:

- Oh, you, glorious Turkish King Bakhmet!

I'll get married and get a husband,

Yes, I will have a father-in-law, I will call my father,

If I have a mother-in-law, I will call you mother-in-law.

But I will be known as their daughter-in-law,

Let me live with my husband and give birth to a son,

Let me sing and feed, and I will have a son,

Yes, you will call me mother.

Yes, I’ll marry my son and take my daughter-in-law,

May I also be known as a mother-in-law?

Moreover, I will live with my husband,

Let me give birth to a daughter.

Let me sing and feed, and I will have a daughter,

Yes, you will call me mother.

Yes, I will give my daughter in marriage,

Yes, I will also have a son-in-law,

And I will be known as a mother-in-law.

And if I don’t get that little head,

Yes, my dear, beloved brother.

And I won’t see my brother for ages and ages.-

Did the king like those speeches?

He said this to the little woman: -

Oh, you young woman Avdotya Ryazanochka!

You knew how to ask the king if the head was full,

Yes, something that will never last a lifetime.

When I was ruining your old Kazan-city of forests,

I knocked out all the prince-boyars,

And I took all those living princesses and boyars,

He took in a crowd of many thousands,

Yes, they killed my dear beloved brother,

And glorious plowing of the Turkish,

May I never make a brother forever and ever.

Yes, you, young woman Avdotya Ryazanochka,

Take your people, you're full of them,

Take every single one of them to Kazan.

Yes, for your words, for your considerate ones,

Yes, take your gold treasury

Yes, in my lands they are Turkish,

Just take as much as you need.-

Here's Avdotya Ryazanochka's wife

She took people full of them,

Yes, she took the gold treasury

Yes, from that land from the Turkish,

Yes, as long as she needed it.

Yes, she brought the crowded people,

Is it really that Kazan is deserted,

Yes, she built Kazan-city anew,

Yes, from then on Kazan became glorious,

Yes, from then on Kazan became rich,

Is it here in Kazan that Avdotino’s name was exalted,

Yes, and that's the end of it.

The invasion of Batu and the ruin of Ryazan in 1237 are associated with two outstanding artistic images created by the genius of the people - Evpatiy Kolovrat and Avdotya Ryazanochka. But if the legend (and, according to some assumptions, a song, an epic) about the feat of the Ryazan hero Evpatiy Kolovrat came to us as part of the ancient Russian “Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu in 1237,” then the legend (and perhaps a true story) about Avdotya Ryazanochka has been preserved in the oral song tradition, it was preserved and carried through the centuries by folk memory.

By its genre characteristics, as well as by its content, “Avdotya Ryazanochka” can be classified as a ballad (it has a plot), epics (it “said” like an epic), and historical songs (it is historical in its essence, although specific historical realities were not preserved in it). But its main advantage is that it is in this work of oral folk art that the heroic image of a Russian woman was created. And if Yaroslavna “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is named next to the names of female characters in world literature, then we can name Avdotya Ryazanochka next to Yaroslavna.

One of the songs about Avdotya Ryazanochka was recorded on August 13, 1871 at Kenozero by A.F. Hilferding from sixty-five-year-old peasant Ivan Mikhailovich Lyadkov. “Avdotya Ryazanochka” is also famous in its adaptation by the wonderful Russian writer Boris Shergin.

The text is published according to the edition: Hilferding A.F. Onega epics. 4th ed., vol. 3, no. 260.

Academic year: 2012 / 2013

Description of work:

“Avdotya Ryazanochka” is one of the oldest historical songs that have come down to us: the events it talks about took place in 1237. The image of a brave woman who dared to go to Batu Khan to rescue her captive fellow countrymen and relatives captivates with her combination of simplicity and wisdom, love for her native land and hatred for those who ruined it. Repeatedly this song was subjected to literary treatment, poems and poems were created. Modern poets are trying in their own way to comprehend the mystery of the image of Avdotya Ryazanochka, to reveal the strength of her character. The purpose of this study is to determine the main features of the image of Avdotya Ryazanochka, thanks to which he has lived for centuries in folk poetry and in modern literature. The most important part of the work is the analysis of the poem “Immortelle” by the Ryazan poetess E.E. Faddeeva, which was based on the prosaic legend about Avdotya Ryazanochka.