/ DO ADAPTATION OF THE HELLENIC LEGACY IN THE POETIC ART OF OSIP MANDEL'SHTAM by Anne M. Iverson Thesis presented to the Department of Slavic Studies at the University of Ottawa as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy LIBRARIES Ottawa, Canada, 1972 Anne M. Iverson, Ottawa, 1973 UMI Number: DC53854 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform DC53854 Copyright 2011 by ProQuest LLC All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis was prepared under the consistently helpful supervision of Professor Nicholas Pervushin, Ph.D., of the Department of Slavic Studies of the University of Ottawa. The writer is also Indebted to Dr. Jean-Luc Mercie, of the Department of Lettres frangalses, and to Dr. Willy A. Borgeaud, of the Department of Classical Studies of the University of Ottawa, for their reading of, and valuable comments on, Chapters I and III, respectively. Particular thanks is extended to Dr. Victor Terras, Department of Slavic Languages, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, whose writings influenced the choice of the topic, and whose subsequent suggestions proved very helpful. Sincere appreciation is expressed to Dr. C. Bida, Head of the Department of Slavic Studies of the University of Ottawa, who provided encouragement and advice during the planning and execution of this project. Assistance in the form of a Canada Council grant is gratefully acknowledged. CURRICULUM STUDIORUM Anne M. Iverson was born June 19, 1923, in Nelson, British Columbia. She received the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in French Literature from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, in 19^8. She received the Master of Arts degree in Romance Studies from the same university in 1963. The title of her thesis was Proust et Mandel'shtam a la recherche du temps perdu. She received the Master of Arts degree in Slavic Studies from the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, in 1966. The title of this thesis was "063op pa3BHTHa aKMencTHwecicoro ABHxeHHA c OCO6HM yqeTOM JiHTepaTypHOfi fleaTejit-HOCTH Ocuna MaHfleaIbfflTaMa,,. (A Survey of the Development of the Acmeist Movement with Special Attention Given to the Literary Work of Osip Mandel'shtam.) TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter PaSe INTRODUCTION v I. - THE FRENCH PARNASSIANS A3 IMMEDIATE PRECURSORS OF THE RUSSIAN ACMEISTS 1 1. Theophile Gautier: theory of "l'art pour 1•art" 2 2. The Hellenic Landscapes of Leconte de Lisle 9 3. Transmission of the Parnassian preoccupation with form and objectivity to the Russian Acmeists 27 li. Implementation of the Acmeist credo in the poetry of Osip Mandel'shtam 33 5. An Acmeist Counterpart of Leconte de Lisles Nicolas Gumilyov 37 6. Significance of Greek antiquity for these neo-classicists ^0 II. - MANDEL'SHTAM»S HELLENISM AS MANIFESTED IN HIS POETIC STYLE ^2 1. Mandel'shtam as theoretician of the Acmeist credo ^6 2. Classical structuring of Mandel'shtam's poetry: tone, genre, metre, verse-patterns, language 52 III. - GREEK THEMES AND MOTIFS IN MANDEL'SHTAM'3 VERSE 100 (representing): 1. Idea of man's impotence before fate and his constant striving for immortality 102 2. Reverence toward primeval beauty 106 3. Notion of the power of love and desire 111 4. Concept of perpetuity in life 113 5. Notion of the 'death-aspect' of spring 118 6. Love of human reason, liberty and justice 122 7. The joyous act of recognition and rediscovery in life 125 8. Notion of divination 127 9. Joy offered by the enduring work of art 128 10. Fear of death and oblivion 133 11. Perception of Time and Eternity 136 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 1^2 BIBLIOGRAPHY 15^ Appendix ^ ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF RUSSIAN PASSAGES 173 2. ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF GREEK PASSAGES 201 3. ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF GERMAN PASSAGES 215 **. ABSTRACT of Adaptation of the Hellenic Legacy in the Poetic Art of Osip Mandel'­ shtam 217 A Note on the Translations and Transliteration in this Thesis Quotations from texts have been presented, for the most part, in the original language (with translations supplied in Appendices 1-3. pages 173 to 216). Where titles or excerpts of texts have been transliterated, this writer has adhered to the schema of the sources from which the quotations were taken. The names of poets, e.g., Gumilyov, Annensky, etc., appear in a familiar form of orthography rather than in scholarly transliteration. INTRODUCTION "We are all Greeks", wrote Shelley, stressing that modern culture was largely formed by the rediscovery of the classical civilization. Hellenic art, anthropocentric in substance, was the origin of a long humanist tradition which was to endure up to the present time. To understand contem­ porary literature in depth, particular attention should be given to the antique sources which have constituted such an important organic element in the development of the modern arts. The most striking characteristic of the ancient Greeks was their acute sense of beauty, consisting in harmony, symmetry, and moderation. This ran through the whole aesthetic texture of their existences sculpture, architecture, literature, ethics, and philosophy. The luminous clarity and transparency of thought so characteristic of Hellenic poetry was generally the result of a most painstaking and fastidious use of literary devices and language, and it is this meticulous craftsmanship which was to inspire the creative efforts of neo-classical disciples. The transience and sadness of human existence was made more bearable for the ancients through the splendour of their art. Consolation lay in human grace and beauty, and the Greeks expressed their ideals with balance and harmony, seeking sanity INTRODUCTION vi and liberation through the artistic presentation of their spontaneous outlook on life. The barren limestone ridges of their native land were softened by descriptions of the lazy hum of bees among the clover, and of the breeze wafting through meadows of fragrant asphodel. Greek bards described, in im­ mortal fashion, placid oxen grazing on hillsides and the subtle blending of grey mountain side and shimmering azure sea. The dazzling light and sombre shade which marked much of their landscapes presented an infinite variety of tones. In its natural, direct expression of human feelings and aspira­ tions, the Greek lyric attained a vital and exquisite pathos. The modern lyric, although more subjective in character than its ancient counterpart, and with a freer choice of metrical patterns, varied from the Hellenic lyric only in minor refinements or modifications. It was only through the skill and craftsmanship of later masters of the lyric style that Greek lyric utterance yielded continuing fresh and brilliant refractions. An impeccable style was one of the more tangible legacies of the Hellenic period. Modern poetic language was enriched on the model of Pindar's odes, and many rhythmic and prosodic devices, as well as imagery, were adapted from the Greek Anthology. The classical influence brought into the modern lyric a grave spirit and a subtle simplicity, giving the lyric impulse fresh life, amplitude, and directness, free from diffuseness and ornamentation. INTRODUCTION vii Greek rhythmical composition was a flexible art based on organic unity, with leit-motifs subtly woven into the poetic texture, in ancient poetry many different rhythms were employed which were allied to the emotional quality of the poetry which they accompanied. The Doric rhythm, for example, was felt to be the most Greek and war-like in spirit and was employed for the expression of courage and manliness; the Anacreontic was tender and pathetic; the Lydian, voluptuous and tender; the Paeonic and the Phrygian, wild and exciting. The musical Ionic mode was considered non-Greek because of its relaxed, effeminate quality. Midway between the Doric and the Ionic rhythms was the Aeolic, neither solemn like the Doric nor sweet and melancholy like the Ionic — reflecting turbulent chivalry, passion, or grace. Pindar wove all these Greek lyric rhythms into his musical designs, with each rhythm serving to throw into relief the changing emotional waves of his poetry. Many of our present-day rhythms appear to have evolved from these ancient models in accordance with simple rhythmical laws. Like the ancients, the modernists viewed form as a vessel, and words as a vehicle of art. The incantatory power of words became all-important to emerging neo-classical writers, many of whom applied themselves particularly to the verbal aspect of their craft. We are aware of the significant impact of the Greek lyric models upon two neo-classical schools in close succession: the French Parnassians and the Russian Acmeists. In these two INTRODUCTION viii modern schools the literature of antiquity served both as an inner force and as a fertile seed for development. In con­ sidering the chief characteristics which linked the Russian Acmelsts with their immediate classical precursors, the French Parnassians, it is evident that the significance of Greek anti­ quity for these two literary movements was not merely as a source of models to be slavishly imitated, but as a propagative source for inspiration and development in the creation of new, original works of art which were vibrant and innovative in their own right. We see in the poems of both the Parnassian and the Acmeist schools a poetic universe where vigorous beauty, origi­ nating from implacable universal sources, is presented in such a way as to ameliorate to some extent the human condition.