The Bronze Horseman by Alexander Pushkin
"The Bronze Horseman" is a narrative poem by Alexander Pushkin, published in 1837, that explores the contrasting experiences of two characters against the backdrop of St. Petersburg's monumental development under Peter the Great. The poem opens with a depiction of Peter the Great astride his bronze statue, symbolizing his vision to transform the marshy landscape into a grand city that serves as a "window into Europe." As the city flourishes over a century, it becomes a vibrant metropolis, filled with architectural splendor and cultural activities.
In stark contrast, the poem follows Evgeny, a common man living in the city, whose life is upended by a catastrophic flood that devastates his neighborhood and destroys his hopes of a future with his beloved, Parasha. The narrative poignantly illustrates Evgeny’s despair as he loses everything to the flood and struggles with his haunting memories, leading him to a state of aimlessness and grief. The statue of Peter, once a symbol of strength and progress, becomes a source of torment for Evgeny, representing the indifference of power to the plight of ordinary people. Ultimately, "The Bronze Horseman" presents a complex interplay of ambition, loss, and the socio-economic divides within society, inviting readers to reflect on the costs of progress and the human condition amidst grand historical narratives.
On this Page
The Bronze Horseman by Alexander Pushkin
First published:Medniy vsadnik, 1837 (English translation, 1899)
Type of work: Poetry
Type of plot: Historical realism
Time of plot: 1703 and 1824
Locale: St. Petersburg, Russia
Principal characters
Peter the Great , czar of Russia, 1672-1725The Bronze Horseman , a statue of PeterEvgeny , a clerkParasha , the woman Evgeny loves
The Poem:
Peter the Great, astride his bronze horse, stands on the desolate Baltic shore on the northwest borders of his domain and gazes off into the distance. The very landscape around him seems unformed, unclear: the land soft and marshy, the sun shrouded in mist, the Finnish huts flimsy and temporary. Peter’s design, however, is quite clear. Here, on the delta of the river Neva, out of nothing, he will build St. Petersburg, a fortress against the powerful Swedes, a new capital, a magnet to ships of all nations, a “window into Europe.”
One hundred years passed, according to the narrator, and the city grew into a busy port, into a strategic fortress, and into a network of granite-faced rivers and canals lined with palaces, parks, and gardens, a metropolis whose power and elegance put dowdy old Moscow, the “dowager” capital, decidedly in the shade. It is all Peter’s creation: the majesty of the architecture, the vast expanses of the city lit by the “white nights” of early summer, the sounds of winter—of sleighs and lavish balls—the sights and sounds of imperial troops on parade. Let the city flaunt its beauty, and let Peter’s eternal sleep go undisturbed, says the narrator. However, there is a certain, terrible time and a sad story to be told.
On a dark November evening in 1824, a young man named Evgeny lies in his rented rooms in an unfashionable suburban quarter and listens to the rain and wind. He cannot sleep, and he thinks idly that it would be nice to have more brains and money or at least to have someone else’s better luck. However, he does not bother mourning his more illustrious ancestors or envying them, either. Instead, his thoughts turn to his beloved Parasha, whom he hopes to marry one day. They will find a little place to live, and they will have children; a peaceful, humdrum life will go on until those children’s children will, one day, bury him and faithful Parasha. Vaguely troubled by the storm, Evgeny falls asleep while the river rises and rises. By morning, it turns back on itself and, flowing upstream from the gulf, inundates the city.
Evgeny manages to save himself from the floodwaters by straddling one of a pair of stone lions on the portico of a nobleman’s house. There he sits, pale, motionless, and trapped, as he watches the waves do their worst precisely where, far out toward the gulf, stands Parasha’s house. He fears for her more than for himself. Not far away, its back toward him, the Horseman rises high above the waves.
Finally the Neva River begins to recede. Evgeny climbs down from his perch and finds a ferryman to take him to Parasha’s island, where he finds familiar houses collapsed or wrenched off their foundations. Of Parasha’s house and its inhabitants there is not a trace. The city begins to recover and go about its business, but Evgeny does not. He never returns to his rooms, and weeks stretch into months as he wanders the streets, oblivious to everything around him. He sleeps wherever he can find shelter, until one day, waking up on the quay near the stone lions that saved him, he recognizes where he is. His bewilderment seems to clear as he catches sight of the Horseman, and he walks round its base, muttering. He clenches his fists, whispering a furious threat. At that moment, it seems that the czar’s face changes, and, as Evgeny turns to run, he hears the statue galloping after him, its ponderous hooves ringing on the city’s cobblestones all night long.
From then on, he gives the Horseman wide berth, doffing his cap and lowering his eyes whenever he happens to be on that particular square. Not long after, Evgeny’s body is found on a barren island in the river; he lies at the threshold of a small house wrecked and cast ashore by the flood, and that is where they bury him.
Bibliography
Bayley, John. Pushkin: A Comparative Study. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1971. Analyzes Pushkin’s work in the context of both Russian and European literature, with special attention given to William Shakespeare and the English poets. The chapter on Pushkin’s narrative and historical poetry uses The Bronze Horseman as a standard of comparison both with Pushkin’s own earlier poems, such as Poltava, and with Lord Byron’s treatment of some of the same themes. Includes an extensive discussion of The Bronze Horseman in its own right.
Bethea, David M. Realizing Metaphors: Alexander Pushkin and the Life of the Poet. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1998. Describes the relationship between Pushkin’s life and his art and discusses why, more than two hundred years after his birth, his work remains relevant. Includes index and illustrations.
Binyon, T. J. Pushkin: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 2004. The winner of the Samuel Johnson prize for British nonfiction, this biography chronicles Pushkin’s literary success alongside his personal failures. Binyon describes how the writer included small pieces of his life in Eugene Onegin and other works.
Briggs, A. D. P. Alexander Pushkin: A Critical Study. Totowa, N.J.: Barnes & Noble, 1983. A thorough introduction to Pushkin’s work, with an entire chapter devoted to The Bronze Horseman. Briggs gives an overview of the poem’s sources, themes, devices, including rhyming patterns, and structure.
Evdokimova, Svetlana. Pushkin’s Historical Imagination. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1999. An examination of Pushkin’s fictional and nonfictional works on the subject of history, including The Bronze Horseman. Considers Pushkin’s ideas on the relationship between chance and necessity, the significance of great individuals, and historical truth.
Kahn, Andrew. Pushkin’s “The Bronze Horseman.” London: Bristol Classical Press, 1998. Recounts the history of the poem’s composition and discusses its form, themes, and critical reception.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Pushkin. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Collection of essays by Pushkin scholars discussing the writer’s life and work in various genres; Pushkin and politics, history, and literary criticism; and Pushkin’s position in Soviet and post-Soviet culture.
Rosenshield, Gary. Pushkin and the Genres of Madness: The Masterpieces of 1833. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2003. Analyzes The Bronze Horseman and other works written in 1833, when Pushkin began to describe both the creative and destructive aspects of madness. Examines how the poem confronts the legacy of Peter the Great.
Vickery, Walter N. Alexander Pushkin. Rev. ed. New York: Twayne, 1992. A revised edition of an earlier book by the same author, it incorporates new scholarship and is a brief but highly readable introduction to Pushkin’s life and work. The section on The Bronze Horseman includes a synopsis, brief comments on style, and a discussion of major themes.