Maria Tsvetaeva, your name is a bird in your hand. Analysis of the poem “Your name is a bird in your hand” by Marina Tsvetaeva

Marina Tsvetaeva, contrary to the opinion of amateurs from the pen, dedicated the poem “Your name is a bird in the hand” not to her husband, Sergei Efron, but to her poetic idol, Alexander Blok. He was the only poet whom Tsvetaeva idolized; she dedicated several poems to him, and “Your Name” is one of the most striking.

What attracted the poetess so much to Blok was this aria from another opera; perhaps she was attracted to the great symbolist by what was missing in herself - the mystery of the lines and the play with symbols. It must be said that in this poem symbolism is used to the fullest; more on this in the analysis below.

Symbolism of Tsvetaeva

Symbolism is actively used in the lines (sorry for the repetition). A bird in your hand is the ability to keep your freedom under control, which Marina lacked. The ice on the tongue is the depth of Blok’s lines, when reading which you want to remain silent, and the silver bell is the sweet and sour aftertaste after reading Blok’s works.

Tsvetaeva finds symbols around herself that the poet’s name can be compared to. This is the clicking of night hooves, and the sound of a stone thrown into a pond, and even the click of a trigger near the temple.

And he will call it to our temple

The trigger clicks loudly.

Well, not knowing Blok closely, Tsvetaeva tries to get closer to the poet, at least in poetry:

Your name is a kiss on the eyes.

The Riddle of the Poem

There is a riddle in the poem that raises questions among those who do not know the grammar of those years. Why:

Is your name five letters?

A block is 4 letters, why five? Everything is simple, in the language of that time, at the end of Blok’s surname there was the letter “yat”, in simple terms, a solid sign “Blok”. Here are five letters for you.

The poem ends with a comparison of the hero's name with a kiss in the snow, but Tsvetaeva puts the final point by saying that with this name the dream is deep. We always associate sleep with calm and trust. Concluding the poem, Tsvetaeva is satisfied with her work, pleased that she has once again given her beloved poet what he deserves.

From the poems we conclude that Blok aroused a storm of emotions in Tsvetaeva, his creativity and mystery always attracted the poetess, and in many ways she took her example in her work from him. It is impossible to say now whether Marina built an idol from Blok, but the fact that she put him at the head of Russian poetry is a fact.

Your name is a bird in your hand,
Your name is like ice on the tongue.
One single movement of the lips.
Your name is five letters.
A ball caught on the fly
Silver bell in mouth.

A stone thrown into a quiet pond
Sob as your name is.
In the light clicking of night hooves
Your big name is booming.
And he will call it to our temple
The trigger clicks loudly.

Your name - oh, it’s impossible! —
Your name is a kiss on the eyes,
In the gentle cold of motionless eyelids.
Your name is a kiss in the snow.
Key, icy, blue sip...
With your name - deep sleep.

Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva

Your name is a bird in your hand,
Your name is like ice on the tongue.
One single movement of the lips.
Your name is five letters.
A ball caught on the fly
Silver bell in mouth.

A stone thrown into a quiet pond
Sob as your name is.
In the light clicking of night hooves
Your big name is booming.
And he will call it to our temple
The trigger clicks loudly.

Your name - oh, it’s impossible! —
Your name is a kiss on the eyes,
In the gentle cold of motionless eyelids.
Your name is a kiss in the snow.
Key, icy, blue sip...
With your name - deep sleep.

Alexander Blok

Marina Tsvetaeva was very skeptical about the work of the poets she knew. The only person she idolized in the literal sense of the word was Alexander Blok. Tsvetaeva admitted that his poems have nothing to do with the earthly and ordinary, they were written not by a person, but by some sublime and mythical creature.

Tsvetaeva was not closely acquainted with Blok, although she often attended his literary evenings and each time never ceased to be amazed at the power of the charm of this extraordinary man. It is not surprising that many women were in love with him, among whom were even close friends of the poetess. However, Tsvetaeva never spoke about her feelings for Blok, believing that in this case there could be no talk of love. After all, for her the poet was unattainable, and nothing could diminish this image created in the imagination of a woman who loved to dream so much.

Marina Tsvetaeva dedicated quite a lot of poems to this poet, which were later compiled into the cycle “To Blok”. The poetess wrote some of them during the life of her idol, including a work entitled “Your name is a bird in your hand...”, which was published in 1916. This poem fully reflects the sincere admiration that Tsvetaeva feels for Blok, claiming that this feeling is one of the strongest that she has ever experienced in her life.

The poetess associates the name Blok with a bird in her hand and a piece of ice on her tongue. “One single movement of the lips. Your name is five letters,” says the author. Some clarity should be brought here, since Blok’s surname was actually written before the revolution with a yat at the end, and therefore consisted of five letters. And it was pronounced in one breath, which the poetess did not fail to note. Considering herself unworthy to even develop the topic of a possible relationship with this amazing man, Tsvetaeva seems to be trying out his name on her tongue and writing down the associations that come to her. “A ball caught on the fly, a silver bell in the mouth” - these are not all the epithets with which the author awards his hero. His name is the sound of a stone thrown into the water, a woman's sob, the clatter of hooves and the rumble of thunder. “And the loudly clicking trigger will call him to our temple,” notes the poetess.

Despite her reverent attitude towards Blok, Tsvetaeva still allows herself a little liberty and declares: “Your name is a kiss on the eyes.” But the coldness of the other world emanates from him, because the poetess still does not believe that such a person can exist in nature. After Blok’s death, she would write that she was surprised not by his tragic picture, but by the fact that he generally lived among ordinary people, while creating unearthly poems, deep and filled with hidden meaning. For Tsvetaeva, Blok remained a mystery poet, in whose work there was a lot of mystical. And this is precisely what elevated him to the rank of a kind of deity, with whom Tsvetaeva simply did not dare to compare herself, considering that she was unworthy even to be next to this extraordinary person.

Addressing him, the poetess emphasizes: “With your name, deep sleep.” And there is no pretense in this phrase, since Tsvetaeva really falls asleep with a volume of Blok’s poems in her hands. She dreams of amazing worlds and countries, and the image of the poet becomes so intrusive that the author even catches himself thinking about some kind of spiritual connection with this person. However, she is unable to verify whether this is actually the case. Tsvetaeva lives in Moscow, and Blok lives in St. Petersburg, their meetings are rare and random, there is no romance or high relationships.

Marina Tsvetaeva and Alexander Blok

But this does not bother Tsvetaeva, for whom the poet’s poems are the best proof of the immortality of the soul.

“Your name is a bird in your hand...” Marina Tsvetaeva

Your name is a bird in your hand,
Your name is like a piece of ice on the tongue.
One single movement of the lips.
Your name is five letters.
A ball caught on the fly
Silver bell in mouth.

A stone thrown into a quiet pond
Sob as your name is.
In the light clicking of night hooves
Your big name is booming.
And he will call it to our temple
The trigger clicks loudly.

Your name - oh, you can’t! -
Your name is a kiss in the eyes,
In the gentle cold of motionless eyelids.
Your name is a kiss in the snow.
Key, icy, blue sip...
With your name - deep sleep.

Analysis of Tsvetaeva’s poem “Your name is a bird in your hand...”

Marina Tsvetaeva was very skeptical about the work of the poets she knew. The only person she idolized in the literal sense of the word was Alexander Blok. Tsvetaeva admitted that his poems have nothing to do with the earthly and ordinary, they were written not by a person, but by some sublime and mythical creature.

Tsvetaeva was not closely acquainted with Blok, although she often attended his literary evenings and each time never ceased to be amazed at the power of the charm of this extraordinary man. It is not surprising that many women were in love with him, among whom were even close friends of the poetess. However, Tsvetaeva never spoke about her feelings for Blok, believing that in this case there could be no talk of love. After all, for her the poet was unattainable, and nothing could diminish this image created in the imagination of a woman who loved to dream so much.

Marina Tsvetaeva dedicated quite a lot of poems to this poet, which were later compiled into the cycle “To Blok”. The poetess wrote some of them during the life of her idol, including a work entitled “Your name is a bird in your hand...”, which was published in 1916. This poem fully reflects the sincere admiration that Tsvetaeva feels for Blok, claiming that this feeling is one of the strongest that she has ever experienced in her life.

The poetess associates the name Blok with a bird in her hand and a piece of ice on her tongue. “One single movement of the lips. Your name is five letters,” says the author. Some clarity should be brought here, since Blok’s surname was actually written before the revolution with a yat at the end, and therefore consisted of five letters. And it was pronounced in one breath, which the poetess did not fail to note. Considering herself unworthy to even develop the topic of a possible relationship with this amazing man, Tsvetaeva seems to be trying out his name on her tongue and writing down the associations that come to her. “A ball caught on the fly, a silver bell in the mouth” - these are not all the epithets with which the author awards his hero. His name is the sound of a stone thrown into the water, a woman's sob, the clatter of hooves and the rumble of thunder. “And the loudly clicking trigger will call him to our temple,” notes the poetess.

Despite her reverent attitude towards Blok, Tsvetaeva still allows herself a little liberty and declares: “Your name is a kiss on the eyes.” But the coldness of the other world emanates from him, because the poetess still does not believe that such a person can exist in nature. After Blok’s death, she would write that she was surprised not by his tragic picture, but by the fact that he generally lived among ordinary people, while creating unearthly poems, deep and filled with hidden meaning. For Tsvetaeva, Blok remained a mystery poet, in whose work there was a lot of mystical. And this is precisely what elevated him to the rank of a kind of deity, with whom Tsvetaeva simply did not dare to compare herself, considering that she was unworthy even to be next to this extraordinary person.

Addressing him, the poetess emphasizes: “With your name, deep sleep.” And there is no pretense in this phrase, since Tsvetaeva really falls asleep with a volume of Blok’s poems in her hands. She dreams of amazing worlds and countries, and the image of the poet becomes so intrusive that the author even catches himself thinking about some kind of spiritual connection with this person. However, she is unable to verify whether this is actually the case. Tsvetaeva lives in Moscow, and Blok lives in St. Petersburg, their meetings are rare and random, there is no romance or high relationships. But this does not bother Tsvetaeva, for whom the poet’s poems are the best proof of the immortality of the soul.

Your name is a bird in your hand,
Your name is like a piece of ice on the tongue.
One single movement of the lips.
Your name is five letters.
A ball caught on the fly
Silver bell in mouth.

A stone thrown into a quiet pond
Sob as your name is.
In the light clicking of night hooves
Your big name is booming.
And he will call it to our temple
The trigger clicks loudly.

Your name - oh, you can’t! -
Your name is a kiss in the eyes,
In the gentle cold of motionless eyelids.
Your name is a kiss in the snow.
Key, icy, blue sip...
With your name - deep sleep.

Analysis of the poem “Your name is a bird in your hand” by Tsvetaeva

M. Tsvetaeva treated the creativity and personality of A. Blok with great trepidation and respect. There were practically no relations between them, not even friendly ones. This is partly explained by the fact that the poetess idolized the symbolist poet, considering him an unearthly creature who mistakenly visited our world. Tsvetaeva dedicated a whole cycle of poems to Blok, including “Your name is a bird in your hand...” (1916).

The work, in fact, is a set of epithets that the poetess gives to Blok’s surname. All of them emphasize the unreality of the poet, of which Tsvetaeva was sure. These various definitions are united by swiftness and ephemerality. A name consisting of five letters (according to pre-revolutionary spelling, the letter “er” was written at the end of Blok’s surname) for the poetess is like “one single movement of the lips.” She compares it to objects (a piece of ice, a ball, a bell) that are in motion; short-term, abrupt sounds (“clicking… hooves”, “clicking trigger”); symbolic intimate actions (“kiss on the eyes”, “kiss on the snow”). Tsvetaeva deliberately does not pronounce the surname itself (“Oh, you can’t!”), considering this blasphemy towards an incorporeal creature.

Blok really made a strong impression on nervous girls, who often fell in love with him. He was at the mercy of the symbols and images created in his imagination, which allowed him to exert an inexplicable influence on those around him. Tsvetaeva fell under this influence, but managed to preserve the originality of her own works, which undoubtedly benefited her. The poetess had a very subtle understanding of poetry and saw real talent in Blok’s work. In the poet’s poems, which seemed complete nonsense to an inexperienced reader, Tsvetaeva saw a manifestation of cosmic forces.

Of course, these two strong creative personalities were similar in many ways, especially in the ability to completely detach themselves from real life and exist in the world of their own dreams. Moreover, Blok succeeded in this to an incredible extent. That is why Tsvetaeva respected and secretly envied the symbolist poet to such an extent. The main difference between the poetess and impressionable young ladies was that there could be no talk of love. Tsvetaeva could not imagine how one could experience too “earthly” feelings for an ephemeral creature. The only thing the poetess is counting on is spiritual intimacy without any physical contact.

The poem ends with the phrase “With your name, the sleep is deep,” which returns the reader to reality. Tsvetaeva admitted that she often fell asleep while reading.

Alexander Alexandrovich Blok is one of the key figures in the literary process of the early twentieth century. He was admired by almost all the poets and prose writers of that time. They spoke of him as an extraterrestrial person, gifted from above. He was regularly mentioned in various memoirs and biographies; not just poems, but entire poetic cycles were dedicated to him. One of these cycles is the collection “Poems for Blok” by Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva, which opens with the poem “Your name is a bird in your hand...”.

The cycle was created between 1916 and 1921. If you look at the dates of writing each of the poems, it becomes clear that Tsvetaeva did not plan to publish an entire collection; this idea arose after Blok's death. Thus, the poetess wrote the first works included in the cycle in the spring of 1916; “Your name is a bird in your hand” belongs to this group. Then the work was interrupted for four years, and Tsvetaeva again turned to Blok only in 1920 in the poem “Like a weak ray through the black darkness of hells...”. This is due to the poet’s performance in Moscow on May 9, 1920, which she personally attended. In 1921, Blok dies. In response to this tragedy, ten new poems are the result of the cycle.

Genre and size

The poem “Your name is a bird in your hand...” opens the cycle “Poems to Blok” and, contrary to popular belief, is not a response to Blok’s death (remember: it was written in 1916). So it is completely wrong to consider it a kind of epitaph.

“Your name is a bird in your hand...” carries the features of a message: the lyrical work is addressed to a specific person (as indicated by the name of the poetic cycle). The poem is a direct response to Blok’s work and directly expresses Tsvetaeva’s attitude towards the poet’s lyrics. The poetess also regularly uses the pronoun “yours,” which is typical for the genre of the message.

However, it is important to remember that the lyrical heroine goes beyond the scope of ordinary conversation and address; the poem “Your name is a bird in the hand...” does not imply any response, therefore it can be classified as a message genre only with a number of reservations.

Poetic meter: four-beat beater.

Composition

The compositional division of the poem is as follows: 3 stanzas, each with six lines. The first and third stanzas are united by the refrain “thy name”:

It is also noteworthy how the dynamics of the poem change from the first to the third stanza. If it begins with fairly neutral images (a ball, a bell, and so on), then it ends with images containing funeral semantics (cold eyelids, deep sleep). The second stanza is perhaps the most dramatic of all. Filled with sound images (splash of water, shot, thunder, click of a trigger), it stands out sharply against the background of other stanzas, which are more static, calm, almost silent. It’s as if the dramatic shot of the second stanza is followed by a sad denouement, a gradual acceptance from “oh, you can’t!” to “kiss the snow.”

Idea

The poem “Your name is a bird in your hand” is a kind of hymn to Blok. The lyrical heroine is very emotional (in the Tsvetaeva spirit) and completely sincerely admires the poet, talks about what he means to her. Playing with the name Blok, Tsvetaeva encloses in these “five letters” (“Blok” in pre-revolutionary spelling) the entire incredible range of images and sensations associated with the creator.

Thus, for her, Blok’s work is at the same time something light, subtle, subtle, fragile (“a bird in the hand”, “a piece of ice on the tongue”) and a sharp manifesto, a terrifying challenge (“your loud name thunders”, “will call it to our temple // loud clicking trigger"). In her eyes, the poet is a supernatural figure, almost unreal, unattainable. This feeling is created due to a very interesting and unusual selection of images: almost all of them are insubstantial. These are just moments, flashes, moments, short-term and fleeting. These are echoes and barely perceptible touches. The trembling of a living bird in the palms, the touch of cold skin with lips, the sound of a stone piercing the calm surface of the water. Everything is fragile, everything is slipping away. The block cannot be caught, reached, or comprehended. In this fragility and elusiveness one can discern a sad premonition of the poet’s imminent death. This is revealed in the third stanza: “A kiss on the eyes, // In the tender cold of closed eyelids” - this is how they kiss the dead, “deep sleep” can be seen as a metaphor for death.

The poem, despite its small volume, is filled with many emotions of completely different degrees of strength and intensity. This is the somewhat childish joy of the first stanza with its playful images (ball, bell), the drama, dynamics and high tension of the second, the cold calm of the third. Perhaps only the lyrical heroine Tsvetaeva is able to harmonize such a wide range of emotions and feelings, smoothly flowing into each other.

Means of artistic expression

The main means of creating such vivid images in a poem is, of course, metaphor. It is on this that the entire lyrical work is actually built. “Your name is a bird in your hand...” consists almost entirely of a metaphorical play on the name of Alexander Alexandrovich Blok. “Your name is a bird in your hand, // Your name is a piece of ice on your tongue, // One single movement of your lips, // Your name is five letters” and the like - all these are metaphors. It is also interesting that there is a clear antithesis between some of them. Thus, Tsvetaeva associates the poet’s name with something light and quiet, but at the same time it “thunders.”

What makes metaphor more effective is syntactic parallelism, which Tsvetaeva uses quite often. By constructing sentences according to one principle and resorting to anaphora (unity of principle), the poetess seems to add more and more new colors to Blok’s portrait and intensify the atmosphere.

Epithets also play an important role in creating images. Characteristics such as “gentle cold” and “big name” make the picture richer and more prominent.

When analyzing a poem, you also need to pay attention to the sound design. Alliteration is a characteristic feature of Tsvetaeva’s lyrics and in the poem “Your name is a bird in the hand...” it is also present. Thus, in the line “Your loud name thunders,” the repetition of the sound [r] creates a noise effect, and the repetitions of the hissing [zh] in the line “In the gentle cold of motionless eyelids” help convey the feeling of a lulling blizzard, a blizzard.

In the poem, the poetess also uses assonance. In the final lines (“A key, icy, blue sip... // With your name - deep sleep”) one hears something drawn-out, long, like, in fact, the dream itself (repeat [o]).