One of the most famous poems by Athanasius Afanasevich Fet, which incorporates the most characteristic techniques of the author, is "Whisper, timid breath ...". The analysis of this poem should begin with the atmosphere that the poet draws before us. The author creates the effect of smooth dynamics, without using a single verb: "the wobble of a sleepy stream", "change of a pretty face." Here the famous “verbosity”, which Fet was famous for, manifests.
“Whisper, timid breathing”, an analysis of which was undertaken by many literary scholars, is also distinguished by the separation of the experiences of the lyrical hero: the first quatrain is entirely devoted to sounds (these include whispering, breathing, and a nightingale song), the second describes visual images (light and shadows, beloved face), and in the finale of the poem - sensual experiences of the hero.
Moreover, in the last line, the dawn plays a climactic role, bringing all the feelings of the hero to their highest point.
The lyrical hero goes through sensual gradation from "timid" whispers and breathing to "kissing and tears" to dawn, and this path is shown in separate, successive frames - the poet allows us to independently draw in our imagination the images of the poem "Whisper, timid breathing". The analysis of the poem is impossible without paying attention to the deliberate repetition of the elements in the lines "Night light, night shadows. Shadows without end", which creates an element of static among the changing patterns of the night. With its help, the author shows the “endless” length of time for lovers, which is very important for the lyrical hero.
"Whisper, timid breathing", the analysis of which we are conducting, is usually attributed to the works of Fet's love lyrics. But, as in other characteristic works of this poet, next to the sensual experiences of the lyrical hero are adjacent observations of the states of nature. The author alternates these two sources of impressions to create a complete picture. Thus, the poet shows that human feelings are akin to the natural world. In the final, they are combined into a single line with the line "And the dawn, the dawn!" This word is used here both literally and figuratively (and therefore twice). We are talking about the "dawn of love", accompanied by the morning dawn. At first complementing each other, the world of nature and the world of feelings merge here together in the form of a new beginning.
The epithets used by the author ("magical changes", "timid breathing", "pretty face") show the tenderness of the relationship between lovers.
And we see a similar feeling in relation to the lyrical hero to nature - the diminutive-affectionate “clouds”, “silver brook”.
We see that not only the author, but also his character perceive the surrounding and inner world as a whole.
And it is important to take into account this feature of the poet’s view when building analysis.
"Whisper, timid breathing" is one of the key works of Fet's lyrics.
In it, the author creates with the help of images of "frozen moments" a picture of the development of human feelings and their connection with the surrounding nature.
Not for nothing that many musicians (Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev, Metner and others) noted this poem for creating their compositions.