Poet Yakov Polonsky: short biography, creativity, poems and interesting facts

Not often remembered poet Ya.P. Polonsky (1819-1898) created many works not only in poetry, but also in prose. However, still the main thing in his romantic work was a romance. The poet is alien to all the loud, but not indifferent to the destiny of the Motherland. He himself most of all appreciated the "Bell".

Little Motherland

In the quietest Ryazan, in a small provincial town, on the night of December 6 to December 7, 1819 an infant was born, who two weeks later was called Jacob's baptism. His aunt was at a ball at the governor-general, but after learning that their sister was safely resolved in childbirth, left the ball to bring their congratulations. The Polonsky family was an ancient one, who left Poland to join Ivan the Terrible. Polonskie had a coat of arms, on the azure background of which were depicted a star about six horns, a helmet with peacock feathers and a young month. The father of the future poet could not get a good education, but he learned to read and write, and the handwriting was beautiful. He was a petty official, and a large family demanded exorbitant expenses for him. Yakov was the eldest child, and besides him there were six more children. In the last birth his mother died, Natalia Yakovlevna. The child suffered a terrible death, and it seemed to him that his mother was buried alive. In his childhood, Yakov Polonsky often saw terrible dreams. He was frightened. Imagination began to work, poetic images appeared. The elder brother told the fairy tales invented by the younger ones and began to write poetry in secret from everyone.

After gymnasium

Yakov Polonsky graduated from the Ryazan gymnasium in 1838. By this time, his father was completely broken by the death of his beloved wife and, having served three years in the Caucasus, returned to his native city. He did not interfere in the affairs of the children. But Jacob had an event that he himself considered an important milestone in his life. In 1837, Ryazan visited the Tsarevich Alexander Nikolayevich, accompanied by VA. Zhukovsky. Young Yakov Polonsky presented one of his creations to the court of the future emperor. This meeting connected all the young man's thoughts with literary activity. From 1838 to 1844 Yakov Polonsky studied at the Moscow University. He is in terrible poverty, because the family is completely ruined, and you can rely only on your own strength. To rent habitation was necessary in slums, to earn a living by tutoring and private lessons. There were days when there was nothing to eat. I had to do with tea and kalachom. During this period, he closely gets acquainted with A. Grigoriev and A. Fet, who appreciated the talent of the young poet. Inspired, he prints in the "Notes of the Fatherland" in 1840 a poem "The Holy bellsmen solemnly sounds." The circle of his Moscow acquaintances is expanding. In the house of the descendant of the Decembrist, Nikolai Orlov, Yakov Polonsky gets acquainted with Professor T. Granovsky, philosopher P. Chaadayev. In the same place in 1942 he will make friends with Ivan Turgenev for all his life, with whom he will support correspondence.

Collection "Gamma"

In 1844, Peter Yakovlevich Chaadaev actively collects by subscription money for the publication of the first book of a young poet. M. Lermontov's lyrics imprinted on her. But V. Belinsky as a whole gives a favorable response. The critic noticed in verse "a pure element of poetry." N. Gogol rewrites one of his poems for himself. V.A. Zhukovsky gave the beginning poet hours, showing that he appreciates his talent. Lev Sergeevich Pushkin presented him with a truly priceless gift - a portfolio that belonged to his brilliant brother.

Odessa

After graduating from the university and moving to the south, life and biography of Yakov Polonsky are filled with acquaintances with people of the Pushkin circle. Harmony and clarity characterize the second collection of the poet, "Poems of 1845". However, V. Belinsky did not find in him any successful work.

Caucasus

The desire to get new impressions leads Yakov Petrovich to Tiflis in 1846. He serves in the office of the vicar M.S. Vorontsov and simultaneously working in the newspaper "Transcaucasian Herald" as an assistant editor. In it, and it is printed. On exotic Caucasian material, he tries to work in the traditional genre of ballads and poems. At the same time, he uses less widespread disparate dimensions. In 1849 the poet publishes the collection "Sandazar". But in 1851 he comes to Russia, because he learns of his father's serious illness.

St. Petersburg

So, the biography of Yakov Polonsky tells about his return to Russia, where he was warmly received by readers and writers. But he has no material prosperity. In 1857 he had to become a repeater. In this capacity, he accompanies the family of A.O. Smirnova-Rosset, who is extremely unstable and difficult character, to Switzerland. But 38 years - this is not the age when you can tolerate the vagaries of employers. A few months later he resigns from this post and visits Geneva, Rome, Paris.

The enamored poet

In the French capital, there was a "fatal meeting", as the poet called it, with his future wife. This girl, Elena Ustyuzhskaya, was young, and the wedding lovers had to wait about a year. In 1858 they got married and went to Petersburg. His chosen one considered her inner nobility in the future husband. Alas, the marriage was not long. Only two years lasted their happiness. At first it was marred by the fall of Yakov Petrovich with drozhki. He severely injured his leg, which did not give him rest until the end of life, and he was forced to use crutches. Then a half-year-old son dies, and a few months later, and his wife. Here is a short biography of Yakov Polonsky, related to his first marriage. A yearning poet will pour out from the depths of the soul the poem "The Seagull", "Madness of Grief", "When Your Love Is ...".

Second marriage

Literary fees can not exist, and Yakov Petrovich begins work in the Committee of Foreign Censorship. Six years after the collapse of his first marriage, he falls in love with the beautiful Josephine Rulman. This novel ends with a marriage in which two sons and a daughter are born. At his home a literary and musical salon is being created, in which the color of the intelligentsia of Petersburg gathers on Fridays: poets, prose writers, composers, painters, critics. Then the cultural life of the capital rages. This concise biography of Yakov Polonsky in our presentation is already coming to an end. In honor of celebrating the 50th anniversary of literary activity, Polonsky was solemnly presented with a silver wreath, and Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov dedicated a poem to him.

Romances on the words of Polonsky

A romantic who tried to respond to social and political topics, nevertheless, in our minds is associated with a romance. Yakov Polonsky, whose poems were loved by many Russian composers, is for many familiar, first of all, according to the words "My bonfire shines in a fog". Here is a list of romances for his words, far-far incomplete:

• The composer E.F. Napravnik:

Bird: "The air smells clean of the field";

Waltz "Ray of Hope";

Prayer: "Our Father! The son is remembered by a prayer ... ".

• S.V. Rachmaninoff:

Meeting: "Yesterday we met ...";

Music: "And these wonderful sounds are floating and growing ...";

Dissonance: "Let the will of fate ...".

• A.G. Rubinstein:

The Duma: "The Holy Blagovest sounds solemn ...";

Loss: "When there is a premonition of separation ...".

• P.I. Chaikovsky:

"Outside the window in the shadows flickers."

By the way, for P. Tchaikovsky Polonsky wrote the libretto of the opera Cherevichki. In addition to the so small number of romances mentioned in this article, one can refer to the work of I. Bunin , who wrote a line from Y. Polonsky's poem into the title of one of his stories, namely "In a familiar street".

Polonsky died at the age of 78, buried under Ryazan. And now he is reburied in the Ryazan Kremlin. All the poems of Polonsky Yakov Petrovich found a lively response among contemporaries and the next generation of Symbolists, especially A. Blok. During the Soviet era, there was not published a single (!) Work devoted to his life and work. Now in Ryazan, local historians are correcting this provision by releasing monographs, articles and books that return to us an undeservedly forgotten poet who left a great creative legacy.