Blok's mature years passed in extremely aggravated socio-historical contradictions that arose at the beginning of the 20th century. It was on this basis that an ingenious lyrical confession was created under the name “Blok’s love lyrics”, whose verses struck the hearts of readers with an almost musical enchanting rhyme, beauty and tenderness of expressions and feelings, and made it possible to receive true pleasure, appreciate and understand genuine art.
V. Zhukovsky
Before starting the topic “Block: Love Lyrics”, it should be noted that Block as a poet was formed under the influence of classical Russian literature. The closest to him at the very beginning of his career turned out to be the romanticism of V. A. Zhukovsky. This singer of nature, as V. G. Belinsky liked to call him, taught the young Block to subtly feel the beauty of the world around him, to delve into the ideas and secrets of his Creator.
Acquaintance with the work of Zhukovsky in 1901 was not in vain for Blok, since it was through him that the future poet joined the work of the mystic philosopher Vladimir Solovyov, who became the “spiritual father” of a new wave of Russian Symbolists. The ideological core of his teachings was the dream of the reign of theocracy. The world, mired in vices and sins, can be saved by the World soul, which is a kind of synthesis from good, beauty and love, or more precisely - the spiritual beginning of all life. All this was perfectly perceived by Block. Love lyrics began to bring him pleasure and comfort.
Lyubov Mendeleev
Before the wedding, Alexander Blok, as usual, is traveling to Europe with his mother. He is in anticipation of the fact that he will soon lead his beloved woman, who was called Lyubov Mendeleev (daughter of the brilliant chemist D. Mendeleev), under the aisle of the Church. He sought her love for several weary years. Until recently, he thought that a fatal point was put in their relationship, but soon their fateful meeting in a cozy Moscow cafe predetermined their fate.
It is still a mystery how pragmatic Love agreed to this marriage. The engagement took place in May 1903, after which Blok went on a trip. In Germany, he cannot recover from happiness; he still does not believe in him. He is afraid that the engagement upon returning to Russia will be terminated, but in every way drives gloomy thoughts out of his head.
Poems about her
At one such moment, he will write a poem “If only she fits ...”, which he will devote to her, his Lyubov Mendeleeva. He's just raving about this woman. At this moment, it seems to him that being a few hundred kilometers from the German resort town where he is resting, she suddenly appears, and her figure flickers in the crowd, this makes his heart jump out of his chest. He repeats as a spell the words: "I will wait, I will wait." He understands that only in a fairy tale can miracles be expected, but he does not cease to believe that now, at this minute, they will meet. And then he wonders about why she captivated him so much. And he himself gives an answer, associating himself with a swan, which someone “stuck”. He is glad of this captivity, which evokes such strong imaginations, but he immediately writes that he is already alone in the crowd like everyone else, and those around him are not given a peep into his soul.
Alexander Block: love poems
Blok's early love lyrics composed the first book of 1904, “Poems about the Beautiful Lady”. These works are based on a feeling of genuine love for his bride, whose dreams Alexander Blok literally lived about. Love poems in this collection contain a mystical worship of the Eternal Feminine and the Lady of the Universe. We see the image of a beloved with signs of a real deity - the Heavenly Virgin and the Radiant Queen, devoid of any earthly features.
But in the image of the lyrical hero, a slave, a lad, a knight who is ready to devote his life to the lady of the heart appears more. His beloved appears before him in the gloom of fog and in shaky shadows. This impression of the image’s ghostness is enhanced due to the lack of epithets of specific descriptions, it gives a more vivid emotional perception of colors: a bottomless look, fragrant tears, azure dreams, etc.
That is the whole Block. His love lyrics often include archaic church vocabulary: robes, icon lamps, chandeliers, etc. Such are his ideas about the beloved woman, as a kind of deity. He dreams of meeting her and is looking forward to when she calls him. The bloc associates this with the second coming, when the world is transformed and updated.
“I’ve been waiting all my life. Tired of waiting…"
The family life of the poet was not easy. Blok truly idolized his beloved, but was firmly convinced that the main thing in marriage is spiritual proximity, not physical proximity. As a result, his wife got a lot of lovers. Lyubov Mendeleev was a theatrical actress and therefore very easily started novels. Blok perceived her hobbies with humility and humility. After one of these novels, his wife will give birth to a son, and Blok, out of his nobility, recognizes him as his.
It was after his birth that he would write the poem “All my life I waited ...” and dedicate it to his wife. He is fascinated by the image of a woman mother who bowed her head over the head of her baby's crib, waiting for him to fall asleep. Blok loves his wife at these moments and suppresses anger, jealousy and aggression. Blok is ready to endure everything from his wife. Love lyrics are filled with painful longing and passion. The poet’s soul experiences conflicting feelings, it achs subtly and miserably and constantly reminds of someone else’s child.
Love and death
Blok was ready to endure everything, if only they had a good relationship with his wife. But he understood that there was a bottomless abyss between them, and in the end they parted. He had women whom he changed like gloves. Blok said about them: "Poison - after another poison."
Blok will never be happy as before, whose love lyrics, however, will begin to sound even stronger. He will completely plunge into it, and will devote his unspent feelings to strangers who, as he himself hoped, after his death will surely remember him. This is how he drew a line under his relations in family life, although by the end of his life Alexander and Lyubov would fix them, but it would be too late, the sick Blok would soon die.