I can’t sing even when drunk, but I prefer to punch people in the face when sober.
When I drink, I am drawn to read poetry, if there is a listener in pleasant company, or even better, a listener.
Somewhere back in my student years I discovered that one of Blok’s poems, when read in the most serious form, caused wild laughter among the girls.
Here is the poem:
You are like a flexible stem in front of him,
He is in front of you like a fierce beast.
Don't tempt him with a smile
Be silent when there is a knock on the door.
And if he breaks in by force,
Stand behind the door and guard:
You will have time - in the unfavorable upper room
Set dry walls on fire.
And if the shameful hour is near,
Turn your face to the corner
Tie your black scarf in a knot
And hide the needle in the black knot.
And let your needle pierce
The palms are rough when
In his arms you will fight,
Screaming in pain and shame...
And even in the heat of rude passion
He won't remember, in the heat of the moment,
Your pressed teeth
Deep scar along the shoulder!
June 6, 1907
(anniversary collected works of 1960, volume two p. 133).
That's what's funny about this poem, due to my male stupidity, I never understood.
And it has been tested in many companies, females neigh like horses...
Alexander Alexandrovich Blok
You are like a flexible stem in front of him,
He is in front of you like a fierce beast.
Don't tempt him with a smile
Be silent when there is a knock on the door.
And if he breaks in by force,
Stand behind the door and guard:
If you have time - in the unfavorable upper room
Set dry walls on fire.
And if the shameful hour is near,
Turn your face to the corner
Tie your black scarf in a knot
And hide the needle in the black knot.
And let your needle pierce
The palms are rough when
In his arms you will fight,
Screaming in pain and shame...
And even in the heat of rude passion
He won't remember, in the heat of the moment,
Your pressed teeth
Deep scar along the shoulder!
The ideological content of the work was influenced by the specificity of the author’s beliefs regarding relations between the sexes. Being a supporter of sexual asceticism in marriage, the poet did not shy away from manifestations of physical love, but considered them insufficiently “pure” and capable of desecrating the sublime mutual understanding of the spouses.
The lyrical addressee, to whom the poetic text of 1907 is dedicated, undoubtedly belongs to a social circle close to the subject of speech. Driven by a noble impulse, the hero strives to help an inexperienced woman understand the details of male nature.
The figurative structure of the text is based on the antithesis of two principles. The features of female nature are demonstrated using the example of a girl’s image. The tender charm of the young heroine is conveyed by the comparison with “vegetative” semantics, placed by the author at the beginning of the poem. The opposite essence is embodied by “he,” an unspecified image of a man. The text is replete with his unflattering characteristics: the character is strong, looks like a “fierce beast,” and is subject to the attraction of “rough passion.”
The closeness of a man and a woman is interpreted as a dramatic duel of two elements, a confrontation, an unequal battle with an expected outcome. It is important that the heroine is in conditions of limited freedom: she lives in the “unfriendly upper room”, on the door of which an aggressive guest is knocking.
The subject of speech, filled with sympathy, gives advice to the lyrical addressee on how to act in a critical situation. Three scenarios for the development of events, united by a common strategy of defense and active resistance, were modeled. In the first case, the girl was lucky enough to avoid the arrival of an unwanted visitor, refusing to flirt and talk with a dangerous object. In the second option, the tension increases: if “he” manages to get into the house, the heroine is asked to start a fire. The turmoil caused by the incident will help protect your own reputation.
The latest recommendations concern behavior during sexual contact, called the “hour of shame.” In the final episode, dramatic intonations are intensified: according to the poet, intimate intimacy can only bring humiliation, “pain and shame.” The appearance in the final part of a black scarf, a recognizable attribute of grief, is significant. A needle hidden in the fabric and a “deep scar” from a bite—with the help of details, a picture of desperate resistance is depicted, reflecting Blok’s judgments about women’s perception of earthly love.
“To a Girl” Alexander Blok
You are like a flexible stem in front of him,
He is in front of you like a fierce beast.
Don't tempt him with a smile
Be silent when there is a knock on the door.And if he breaks in by force,
Stand behind the door and guard:
If you have time - in the unfavorable upper room
Set dry walls on fire.And if the shameful hour is near,
Turn your face to the corner
Tie your black scarf in a knot
And hide the needle in the black knot.And let your needle pierce
The palms are rough when
In his arms you will fight,
Screaming in pain and shame...And even in the heat of rude passion
He won't remember, in the heat of the moment,
Your pressed teeth
Deep scar along the shoulder!
Analysis of Blok’s poem “To a Girl”
The ideological content of the work was influenced by the specificity of the author’s beliefs regarding relations between the sexes. Being a supporter of sexual asceticism in marriage, the poet did not shy away from manifestations of physical love, but considered them insufficiently “pure” and capable of desecrating the sublime mutual understanding of the spouses.
The lyrical addressee, to whom the poetic text of 1907 is dedicated, undoubtedly belongs to a social circle close to the subject of speech. Driven by a noble impulse, the hero strives to help an inexperienced woman understand the details of male nature.
The figurative structure of the text is based on the antithesis of two principles. The features of female nature are demonstrated using the example of a girl’s image. The tender charm of the young heroine is conveyed by the comparison with “vegetative” semantics, placed by the author at the beginning of the poem. The opposite essence is embodied by “he,” an unspecified image of a man. The text is replete with his unflattering characteristics: the character is strong, looks like a “fierce beast,” and is subject to the attraction of “rough passion.”
The closeness of a man and a woman is interpreted as a dramatic duel of two elements, a confrontation, an unequal battle with an expected outcome. It is important that the heroine is in conditions of limited freedom: she lives in the “unfriendly upper room”, on the door of which an aggressive guest is knocking.
The subject of speech, filled with sympathy, gives advice to the lyrical addressee on how to act in a critical situation. Three scenarios for the development of events, united by a common strategy of defense and active resistance, were modeled. In the first case, the girl was lucky enough to avoid the arrival of an unwanted visitor, refusing to flirt and talk with a dangerous object. In the second option, the tension increases: if “he” manages to get into the house, the heroine is asked to start a fire. The turmoil caused by the incident will help protect your own reputation.
The latest recommendations concern behavior during sexual contact, called the “hour of shame.” In the final episode, dramatic intonations are intensified: according to the poet, intimate intimacy can only bring humiliation, “pain and shame.” The appearance in the final part of a black scarf, a recognizable attribute of grief, is significant. A needle hidden in the fabric and a “deep scar” from a bite - with the help of details, a picture of desperate resistance is depicted, reflecting Blok’s judgments about women’s perception of earthly love.
“You are like a flexible stem in front of him,
He is before you like a fierce beast...
And if the shameful hour is near,
Turn your face to the corner
Tie your black scarf in a knot,
And hide the needle in the black knot.
And let your needle pierce
The palms are rough when
In his arms you will fight,
Screaming in pain and shame.
And even in the heat of rude passion
He won't notice in the heat of the moment
Your pressed teeth
A deep scar along the shoulder!
Alexander Blok
Read the poem without really believing it,
A lover is not at all like a beast.
The lover is generous with tenderness, range of feelings,
Dreaming of agreement to the merging of lips.
The poet glorifies the poem to the Beautiful Lady,
But not bites from violence, not scars,
What from the teeth imprinted on the body,
The two of us couldn't come to an agreement.
Violence is relatives of pathologies,
The cruelty of sex is so visible in the poem.
Only he will receive pleasure,
It's just pain and humiliation.
It would be necessary to open a criminal case here,
And yet everyone is happy to read the poem.
There is something in him from the first wedding night,
When sex is unsuccessful for her.
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