“The Prophet”, A Poem by Alexander Pushkin

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In that challenging year, just before the tsar summoned him, Pushkin wrote the poem “The Prophet”, in which he expands the romantic concept of the prophet to the literal, giving the poet the psyche and role of the Old Testament prophet as described by Isaiah:

The Prophet

Longing for spiritual springs,
I dragged myself through desert sands …
An angel with three pairs of wings
Arrived to me at the cross of lands;

With fingers so light and slim
He touched my eyes as in a dream:
And opened my prophetic eyes
Like the eyes of the eagle in surprise.

He touched my ears in movement, single,
And they were filled with noise and jingle:
I heard a shuddering of the heavens,
And angels’ flight on Azure heights
And creatures crawl in long sea nights,
And the rustle of vines in distant valleys.

And he bent down to my chin,
And he tore off my tongue of sin,
In cheat and idle talks aroused,
And with his hand in bloody specks
He put the sting of wizard snakes
Into my deadly stoned mouth.
With his sharp sword, he cleaved my breast,
And plucked my quivering heart out,
And coals flamed with God’s behest,
Into my gaping breast were ground.

Like dead, I lay on desert sands,
And listening to God’s commands:
‘Arise, O prophet, hark and see,
Be filled with utter My demands,
And, going over Land and Sea,
Burn with The Word the humane hearts.’
Translated by Yevgeny Bonver (edited by me!)

Dostoyevsky liked this poem very much and often recited it, emphasizing the last verse in particular.

“Like dead, I lay on desert sands,
And listening to God’s commands:
‘Arise, O prophet, hark and see,
Be filled with utter My demands,
And, going over Land and Sea,
Burn with The Word the humane hearts.”

The image above Vasily Tropinin, and the next one: Prophet by Mikhail Vrubel via WikiArt

There are many translations of this beautiful poem; here is another one, translated by Maurice Baring (1874-1945)

Addendum! Just for anyone’s interest, I will be very (unwillingly) busy next, not because of any vacation but for changing our 25 years old kitchen cabinets and the floor by “do-it-yourself”! I will try to be active here if any energy remains.

Here I add the original which it’s always the best, if one could read!

ΠŸΡ€ΠΎΡ€ΠΎΠΊ
АлСксандр ΠŸΡƒΡˆΠΊΠΈΠ½

Π”ΡƒΡ…ΠΎΠ²Π½ΠΎΠΉ ТаТдою Ρ‚ΠΎΠΌΠΈΠΌ,
Π’ пустынС ΠΌΡ€Π°Ρ‡Π½ΠΎΠΉ я влачился, β€”
И ΡˆΠ΅ΡΡ‚ΠΈΠΊΡ€Ρ‹Π»Ρ‹ΠΉ сСрафим
На ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅ΠΏΡƒΡ‚ΡŒΠ΅ ΠΌΠ½Π΅ явился.
ΠŸΠ΅Ρ€ΡΡ‚Π°ΠΌΠΈ Π»Π΅Π³ΠΊΠΈΠΌΠΈ ΠΊΠ°ΠΊ сон
ΠœΠΎΠΈΡ… Π·Π΅Π½ΠΈΡ† коснулся ΠΎΠ½.
ΠžΡ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€Π·Π»ΠΈΡΡŒ Π²Π΅Ρ‰ΠΈΠ΅ Π·Π΅Π½ΠΈΡ†Ρ‹,
Как Ρƒ испуганной ΠΎΡ€Π»ΠΈΡ†Ρ‹.
ΠœΠΎΠΈΡ… ΡƒΡˆΠ΅ΠΉ коснулся ΠΎΠ½, β€”
И ΠΈΡ… Π½Π°ΠΏΠΎΠ»Π½ΠΈΠ» ΡˆΡƒΠΌ ΠΈ Π·Π²ΠΎΠ½:
И внял я Π½Π΅Π±Π° ΡΠΎΠ΄Ρ€ΠΎΠ³Π°Π½ΡŒΠ΅,
И Π³ΠΎΡ€Π½ΠΈΠΉ Π°Π½Π³Π΅Π»ΠΎΠ² ΠΏΠΎΠ»Π΅Ρ‚,
И Π³Π°Π΄ морских ΠΏΠΎΠ΄Π²ΠΎΠ΄Π½Ρ‹ΠΉ Ρ…ΠΎΠ΄,
И дольнСй Π»ΠΎΠ·Ρ‹ ΠΏΡ€ΠΎΠ·ΡΠ±Π°Π½ΡŒΠ΅.
И ΠΎΠ½ ΠΊ устам ΠΌΠΎΠΈΠΌ ΠΏΡ€ΠΈΠ½ΠΈΠΊ,
И Π²Ρ‹Ρ€Π²Π°Π» Π³Ρ€Π΅ΡˆΠ½Ρ‹ΠΉ ΠΌΠΎΠΉ язык,
И празднословный ΠΈ Π»ΡƒΠΊΠ°Π²Ρ‹ΠΉ,
И ΠΆΠ°Π»ΠΎ мудрыя Π·ΠΌΠ΅ΠΈ
Π’ уста Π·Π°ΠΌΠ΅Ρ€ΡˆΠΈΠ΅ ΠΌΠΎΠΈ
Π’Π»ΠΎΠΆΠΈΠ» Π΄Π΅ΡΠ½ΠΈΡ†Π΅ΡŽ ΠΊΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π°Π²ΠΎΠΉ.
И ΠΎΠ½ ΠΌΠ½Π΅ Π³Ρ€ΡƒΠ΄ΡŒ рассСк ΠΌΠ΅Ρ‡ΠΎΠΌ,
И сСрдцС Ρ‚Ρ€Π΅ΠΏΠ΅Ρ‚Π½ΠΎΠ΅ Π²Ρ‹Π½ΡƒΠ»,
И ΡƒΠ³Π»ΡŒ, ΠΏΡ‹Π»Π°ΡŽΡ‰ΠΈΠΉ ΠΎΠ³Π½Π΅ΠΌ,
Π’ΠΎ Π³Ρ€ΡƒΠ΄ΡŒ ΠΎΡ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΡΡ‚ΡƒΡŽ Π²ΠΎΠ΄Π²ΠΈΠ½ΡƒΠ».
Как Ρ‚Ρ€ΡƒΠΏ Π² пустынС я Π»Π΅ΠΆΠ°Π»,
И бога глас ко мнС воззвал:
Β«Π’ΠΎΡΡΡ‚Π°Π½ΡŒ, ΠΏΡ€ΠΎΡ€ΠΎΠΊ, ΠΈ виТдь, ΠΈ Π²Π½Π΅ΠΌΠ»ΠΈ,
Исполнись волСю моСй,
И, обходя моря ΠΈ Π·Π΅ΠΌΠ»ΠΈ,
Π“Π»Π°Π³ΠΎΠ»ΠΎΠΌ ΠΆΠ³ΠΈ сСрдца людСй».

29 thoughts on ““The Prophet”, A Poem by Alexander Pushkin”

  4. Wow, this is such an epic poem! Thank you so much for sharing it with us Aladin. I haven’t read it before. There’s so much to unpack here as poet, with the help of the angel, becomes prophet and helps to share truth and wisdom with the world. Good luck with renewing your kitchen cupboards next weekend. Love and light, Deborah.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you, my dear angel. Unfortunately, I don’t know Russian, and I hope this translation fits the original. Although, in one of the Jungian groups, a member criticised “truly” that it might not match the original poem. Anyway, man does what he could be able to do!πŸ€”πŸ€—
      PS: I will try to survive the work in the kitchen… Thank you!πŸ˜…πŸ™πŸ’–πŸ¦‹

      Liked by 1 person

  9. elainemansfield's avatar elainemansfield

    Thanks for sharing this, Aladin. The bloody stanzas of this famous poem are frightening and a little too much like the part of religion I want to escape. I agree with Resa, that it’s redeemed by the end and I felt less upset by the images. Maybe you feel tortured by the big job that awaits you. πŸ˜‰ Be well and take good care of yourself.

    Liked by 1 person

    • It is indeed an accurate dark image of a prophet’s suffering that we know from every religious book, though Pushkin makes it in his own way. However, besides religion, I find it appropriate to my feelings these days. At least the final part is a rescue! Thank you, dear friend. Blessing. πŸ™πŸ’–

      Liked by 1 person

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  13. Xenia's avatar Xenia

    We all like the ending, but no one likes the essential process of getting there! So true of humanity’s experience, that the way to purification, deification, and the fulfillment of our life’s mission, is usually the painful path of renunciation of all that binds us to earth rather than releasing us to heaven. Painful, yes, and the Russians, and the Christian ethos whom he was well acquainted with, knew full well.

    Liked by 1 person

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