Let's get right to our topic and begin the analysis. The "death of Yermak" Ryleyev was largely due to the life of the writer himself. Therefore, we will plunge a little into the events that preceded the writing, and briefly get acquainted with the biography of the author - Kondraty Ryleev. This is necessary, first of all, in order to better understand what thoughts the author had in his head at that moment and what prompted him to write this thought.
The poem “The Death of Ermak” by Ryleyev is included in a peculiar cycle of philosophical and patriotic poems, which also include: “Dimitry Donskoy”, “Bogdan Khmelnitsky”, “Volynsky”, “Prophetic Oleg”, “Derzhavin” and others. As for the assessment of the work of Ryleyev Pushkin, he wrote that in his thoughts there is nothing Russian and national, except for names.
short biography
Kondraty Ryleyev was a Russian poet and public figure who was born on September 18, 1795 in the village of Batovo, St. Petersburg province, in the family of a small nobleman. From 1801 to 1814, Kondraty studied in the first Petersburg Cadet Corps. He participated in foreign campaigns of the Russian army in the period from 1813 to 1814.
But, unfortunately, Ryleev’s life was tragically cut short on July 13, 1826. He was only 30 years old, he was one of the leaders of the Decembrist uprising and was among the five officers executed on the scaffold.
Creation
And now we come close to his work, in 1820 he created his famous satirical ode “To the temporary worker”. In 1821, he became a member of the Free Society of Russian Literature Lovers and was listed as a judge of the St. Petersburg Criminal Chamber, and in 1824 he headed the management department of the Russian-American enterprise. From 1823 to 1825, together with Alexander Bestuzhev, Kondraty Ryleev worked on the release of the Polar Star almanac and entered the Masonic Lodge “Toward a Flaming Star”.
Ryleyev, “Death of Yermak”: idea
In 1822, Ryleyev also wrote a doom dedicated to the ataman Yermak, which was partially put on music, and it became a song.
The thought “Death of Yermak”, the content of which will be presented later, is based on real historical events. The protagonist is a well-known historical character - a Cossack chieftain named Yermak Timofeevich, who played a major role in the annexation of Siberia to the Russian state in the second half of the 16th century under the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Ermak with his army constantly fought with Khan Kuchum, who did not want to obey the Russian Tsar and pay tribute to Moscow. Kuchum himself wished to rule Western Siberia and did not submit to anyone, and then completely made a coup and killed his Muslim brothers, who agreed to accept Russian citizenship and pay a bribe to the winners.
Khan Kuchum
The Duma of “Ermak's Death” further describes how in the next battle of Kuchum and Ermak many people were killed. Kuchum fled to the steppe, and Yermak with the remaining soldiers, who totaled only 50 people, passing the path along the Irtysh, stopped to spend the night at the mouth of the Vagay river. At night, Kuchum suddenly attacked the sleeping Cossacks and killed almost everyone. Only a few people were saved. Ataman Yermak, burdened with two chain mails, one of which was presented by the king, and the weapons he wore, rushed into the river to get to the plows, but drowned in the Irtysh. However, according to Tatar legends, he was wounded in the throat with a spear of the hero Kutugay.
The body of Yermak was pulled out by land to a Tatar fisherman, many at the Murza and even Kuchum himself came to see the body of the chieftain from all over the area. For several days, the Tatars shot from the bow the body of a brave Russian warrior and cheerfully feasted, but then his remains were abandoned, and, according to eyewitnesses, they lay in the air for a month and did not spoil. Then the Tatars, having removed all the equipment and clothes from him, having divided them among themselves, buried him in a place of honor behind the Muslim cemetery, in the village of Baishevo (Vagaysky district of the Tyumen region).
Analysis: “The Death of Yermak,” Ryleyev
Ryleyev, inspired by the exploits of Russian soldiers, decided to devote his thoughts to them. So the thought “Death of Yermak” appeared. The poet studied the ancient legends about Yermak well and knew that on the day of the hero's death there was a severe thunderstorm with a storm, and Yermak died in the waves of a raging river. Ryleyev begins the thought with a description of that terrible stormy night, when nature itself is ominously worried, a storm roars, rain makes noise, lightnings fly in the darkness of night, thunder constantly rattles, and winds rage.
The Duma “Death of Yermak” describes how a deeply thoughtful Yermak sits on the bank of the Irtysh River, who, as if foreseeing his imminent death, reflects on life, on friends, and on whether they lived their life correctly. Indeed, many Cossacks were in the past desperate criminals and thugs who went to serve with the king. Ermak in no way condemns them, but even on the contrary admires their courage and courage. He believes that they washed away all their “crimes of exuberant life" with the blood of enemies and now do not spare their lives for holy Russia and the tsar.
The bold and brave ataman Yermak in the Duma was opposed by the leader of the enemy camp, Khan Kuchum - an insidious and vile person who, fearing to directly engage in battle with Yermak's squad, secretly crept up to them with his people and destroyed them all, the soldiers fell "without drawing their swords" .
Death
Yermak throws himself into the river, straining with all his strength under the gallant waves of the raging river, dressed in the "heavy armor-gift of the king", he is drowning. Ryleyev believes that it was the heavy equipment of the hero that caused his death. The river almost immediately swallowed the brave warrior. The hero died, he exchanged his freedom and began to faithfully serve the autocracy. In any case, this is reflected in the analysis of the Duma. “Yermak's death” Ryleyev again ends with a description of the raging winds and thunders.
For Ryleyev, the problem of personal freedom is very important, serving Russia and serving the tsar is not the same for him. He admires Yermak’s courageous heroism and his service for the good of Russia, but does not agree that he accepted an expensive present from the tsar, which caused him to die. On this we can finish the consideration of the well-known Duma. The analysis told us a lot. The “Death of Ermak” by Ryleyev shows that the author had his own negative attitude to the autocracy, for which he paid with his own head.