The story of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin "Poor Lisa" is saturated with sentimental feelings and experiences of a young and incredibly beautiful girl of peasant origin. Once her family was quite prosperous, but after the death of the father of the family, their existence with their mother became very difficult and poor. Lisa struggled to earn a living and often spared neither herself, nor her beauty, nor her youth.
In Moscow, she sold flowers. One day, a handsome and noble young man approached Lisa and offered to buy flowers for a much higher price, arguing that flowers plucked by such a beautiful hand and cost longer. Liza, out of natural modesty, refused. Then the young man, and his name was Erast, said that he would buy flowers from her every day. At that very moment at their first meeting, a completely new feeling appeared in Lisa's soul, which she had never experienced before. Surprising excitement and deep thoughts settled in her soul. She undoubtedly began to feel sympathy for Erast. And what was her happiness when he soon personally visited their house, and said that now he would visit her every evening.
Thus began a short, but incredibly touching and romantic series of meetings between Lisa and Erast. They were together every evening under the shade of green foliage. The young man admired the natural beauty and innocence of the girl. He felt that in Liza there is that purity, sincerity and purity that could not be found in the spoiled society of the nobles. It was new and interesting for Erast to spend time with the girl. Their relationship was innocent and high.
But one day Lisa came on a date with obvious anxiety. It turned out that the son of a wealthy peasant was wooing her and her mother was going to marry her off. Erast was also amazed. He said that he would certainly take her to him and would live with her until the end of her days. After all, the main thing for him is the innocent soul of Lisa, and the position in society is not important for him. Since the girl was of peasant origin, and Erast was a nobleman. At this point, their immaculate relationship ended. Both succumbed to the temptation and something happened that could not be changed. On this day, Liza cried when she said goodbye to Erast. She was terrified at the realization of what she had done.
After that, their dates did not end, but irreparable changes took place in Erast. Now Liza no longer seemed to him a pure, innocent, immaculate girl. This halo was irretrievably destroyed. The young man felt that now his soul was filled with the same vicious feelings from which he was pretty tired in the highest noble society. Lisa ceased to be interesting to him, she was already a "read book", and Erast lost interest in her. In my opinion, it is the loss of everyone that is interesting young man to Lisa led to a sad end.
Soon he told the girl that he needed to go to the army and for a long time they should part. Lisa was very worried, but she believed that he would certainly return and everything would be as before. But this was not destined to come true. After some time, the girl saw Erast near his house and immediately rushed to hug him. The young man immediately took her to the house, locked her in his office and explained the situation that plans had changed dramatically and now he was engaged to another girl. Lisa's heart was broken and she immediately left the estate. Unable to withstand the betrayal of a loved one, she laid hands on herself the same day. So ended sad but incredible beautiful story poor Lisa.
Perhaps no one living in Moscow knows the surroundings of this city as well as I do, because no one is more often than me in the field, no one more than me wanders on foot, without a plan, without a goal - where the eyes look - through the meadows and groves. over hills and plains. Every summer I find new pleasant places or new beauties in old ones.
But the most pleasant for me is the place where the gloomy, Gothic towers of the Si...nova monastery rise. Standing on this mountain, you see on the right side almost all of Moscow, this terrible mass of houses and churches, which appears to the eyes in the form of a majestic amphitheater: a magnificent picture, especially when the sun shines on it, when its evening rays blaze on countless golden domes, on countless crosses, ascending to the sky! Below are fat, densely green flowering meadows, and behind them, on yellow sands, a bright river flows, agitated by the light oars of fishing boats or rustling under the helm of heavy plows that float from the most fruitful countries. Russian Empire and endow greedy Moscow with bread. On the other side of the river, an oak grove is visible, near which numerous herds graze; there the young shepherds, sitting under the shade of the trees, sing simple, melancholy songs, and thereby shorten the summer days, so uniform to them. Farther away, in the dense greenery of ancient elms, the golden-domed Danilov Monastery shines; still farther, almost at the edge of the horizon, the Sparrow Hills turn blue. On the left side one can see vast fields covered with bread, woods, three or four villages, and in the distance the village of Kolomenskoye with its high palace.
I often come to this place and almost always meet spring there; I also come there in the gloomy days of autumn to grieve together with nature. The winds howl terribly in the walls of the deserted monastery, between the coffins overgrown with tall grass, and in the dark passages of the cells. There, leaning on the ruins of tombstones, I listen to the muffled groan of times swallowed up by the abyss of the past — a groan from which my heart shudders and trembles. Sometimes I enter cells and imagine those who lived in them—sad pictures! Here I see a gray-haired old man, kneeling before the crucifixion and praying for a speedy resolution of his earthly fetters, for all pleasures have disappeared for him in life, all his feelings have died, except for the feeling of illness and weakness. There, a young monk, with a pale face and languid eyes, looks out into the field through the bars of the window, sees cheerful birds floating freely in the sea of air, sees, and sheds bitter tears from his eyes. He languishes, withers, dries up - and the dull ringing of the bell announces to me his untimely death. Sometimes on the gates of the temple I look at the image of miracles that happened in this monastery, where fish fall from the sky to saturate the inhabitants of the monastery, besieged by numerous enemies; here the image of the Mother of God puts the enemies to flight. All this renews in my memory the history of our fatherland - the sad history of those times when the ferocious Tatars and Lithuanians devastated the environs of the Russian capital with fire and sword and when unfortunate Moscow, like a defenseless widow, expected help from God alone in her fierce disasters.
But most often it draws me to the walls of the Si...nova monastery - the memory of the deplorable fate of Liza, poor Liza. Oh! I love those items that touch my heart and make me shed tears of tender sorrow!
Seventy sazhens from the monastery wall, near a birch grove, in the middle of a green meadow, stands an empty hut, without doors, without windows, without a floor; The roof has long since rotted and collapsed. In this hut, thirty years before, the beautiful, amiable Liza lived with her old woman, her mother.
Lizin's father was a rather prosperous peasant, because he loved work, plowed the land well and always led a sober life. But soon after his death, his wife and daughter were impoverished. The lazy hand of the mercenary worked the field poorly, and the bread ceased to be born well. They were forced to rent out their land, and for very little money. Moreover, the poor widow, shedding tears almost incessantly over the death of her husband - for even peasant women know how to love! - day by day she became weak and could not work at all. Only Liza, who remained after her father of fifteen years, - only Liza, not sparing her tender youth, not sparing her rare beauty, worked day and night - weaved canvases, knitted stockings, picked flowers in the spring, and took berries in the summer - and sold them in Moscow. The sensitive, kind old woman, seeing her daughter’s indefatigability, often pressed her to her weakly beating heart, called her divine mercy, nurse, the joy of her old age and prayed to God to reward her for everything she does for her mother. “God gave me hands to work,” Lisa said, “you fed me with your breast and followed me when I was a child; Now it's my turn to follow you. Stop only crumbling, stop crying: our tears will not revive the priests. But often tender Liza could not hold back her own tears - ah! she remembered that she had a father and that he was gone, but to calm her mother she tried to hide the sadness of her heart and appear calm and cheerful. “In the next world, dear Liza,” answered the woeful old woman, “in the next world, I will stop crying. There, they say, everyone will be cheerful; I'm sure I'll be happy when I see your father. Only now I don’t want to die - what will happen to you without me? To whom to leave you? No, God forbid first attach you to the place! Maybe a good person will soon be found. Then, blessing you, my dear children, I will cross myself and calmly lie down in the damp earth.
Two years have passed since the death of Lizin's father. The meadows were covered with flowers, and Lisa came to Moscow with lilies of the valley. A young, well-dressed, pleasant-looking man met her in the street. She showed him the flowers and blushed. "Do you sell them, girl?" he asked with a smile. "Selling," she replied. “What do you need?” - "Five kopecks." “It's too cheap. Here's a ruble for you. Liza was surprised, she dared to look at the young man, blushed even more and, looking down at the ground, told him that she would not take a ruble. “For what?” "I don't need too much." - "I think that beautiful lilies of the valley, plucked by the hands of a beautiful girl, are worth a ruble. When you don't take it, here's five kopecks for you. I would always like to buy flowers from you: I would like you to pick them just for me. Liza handed over the flowers, took five kopecks, bowed and wanted to go, but the stranger stopped her on the arm. "Where are you going, girl?" - "Home". “Where is your house?” - Lisa said where she lives, said and went. The young man did not want to hold her back, perhaps for the fact that those passing by began to stop and, looking at them, slyly smiled.
Liza, having come home, told her mother what had happened to her. “You did well not to take a ruble. Maybe it was some bad person ... "-" Oh no, mother! I don't think so. He has such a kind face, such a voice…” “However, Liza, it’s better to feed yourself on your labors and take nothing for nothing. You don't know yet, my friend, how evil people can offend poor girl! My heart is always out of place when you go into town; I always put a candle in front of the image and pray to the Lord God that he save you from all trouble and misfortune. Tears welled up in Lisa's eyes; she kissed her mother.
The next day, Liza picked the best lilies of the valley and again went with them to the city. Her eyes searched for something. Many wanted to buy flowers from her, but she answered that they were not for sale, and looked first in one direction, then in the other. Evening came, it was necessary to return home, and the flowers were thrown into the Moscow River. "No one own you!" said Liza, feeling a kind of sadness in her heart. - The next day, in the evening, she was sitting under the window, spinning and singing plaintive songs in a low voice, but suddenly she jumped up and shouted: "Ah! .." A young stranger was standing under the window.
"What happened to you?" asked the frightened mother, who was sitting beside her. “Nothing, mother,” answered Liza in a timid voice, “I just saw him.” - "Whom?" “The gentleman who bought flowers from me.” The old woman looked out the window. The young man bowed to her so politely, with such a pleasant air, that she could think nothing but good of him. "Hello, good old lady! - he said. - I am very tired; do you have fresh milk?” The obliging Liza, without waiting for an answer from her mother - perhaps because she knew him in advance - ran to the cellar - brought a clean pot, covered with clean wooden mug, - she grabbed a glass, washed it, wiped it with a white towel, poured it and served it out the window, but she herself looked at the ground. The stranger drank - and the nectar from the hands of Hebe could not have seemed tastier to him. Everyone will guess that after that he thanked Liza and thanked her not so much with words as with her eyes. Meanwhile, the good-natured old woman managed to tell him about her grief and consolation - about the death of her husband and about the sweet qualities of her daughter, about her diligence and tenderness, and so on. and so on. He listened to her with attention, but his eyes were - need I say where? And Liza, timid Liza, looked from time to time at the young man; but not so soon the lightning flashes and disappears in a cloud, as quickly her blue eyes turned to the earth, meeting his gaze. “I would like,” he said to his mother, “that your daughter would not sell her work to anyone but me. Thus, she will have no need to go to the city often, and you will not be forced to part with her. I can visit you from time to time." Here Lizins' eyes flashed with joy, which she tried in vain to hide; her cheeks glowed like the dawn on a clear summer evening; she looked at her left sleeve and pinched it with her right hand. The old woman readily accepted this offer, not suspecting any evil intention in it, and assured the stranger that the linen woven by Liza and the stockings knitted by Liza were remarkably good and worn longer than any others. It was getting dark, and the young man wanted to go already. “But what should we call you, kind, affectionate gentleman?” the old woman asked. “My name is Erast,” he replied. "Erast," Lisa said softly, "Erast!" She repeated this name five times, as if trying to solidify it. - Erast said goodbye to them and went. Liza followed him with her eyes, and the mother sat in thought and, taking her daughter by the hand, said to her: “Ah, Liza! How good and kind he is! If only your fiancé were like this!” All Lisa's heart fluttered. "Mother! Mother! How can this be? He is a gentleman, and among the peasants ... "- Lisa did not finish her speech.
Now the reader should know that this young man, this Erast, was a rather rich nobleman, with a fair mind and a kind heart, kind by nature, but weak and windy. He led a distracted life, thinking only about his own pleasure, looking for it in secular amusements, but often did not find it: he was bored and complained about his fate. The beauty of Lisa at the first meeting made an impression in his heart. He read novels, idylls, had a rather lively imagination and often mentally moved to those times (former or not former), in which, according to the poets, all people carelessly walked through the meadows, bathed in clean springs, kissed like doves, rested under roses and myrtles, and in happy idleness they spent all their days. It seemed to him that he had found in Lisa what his heart had been looking for for a long time. “Nature is calling me into its arms, to its pure joys,” he thought, and he decided—at least for a while—to leave the great light.
Let's get back to Lisa. Night fell - the mother blessed her daughter and wished her a good sleep, but this time her wish was not fulfilled: Liza slept very poorly. The new guest of her soul, the image of Erasts, seemed to her so vividly that she woke up almost every minute, woke up and sighed. Even before the sun rose, Liza got up, went down to the banks of the Moskva River, sat down on the grass and, grieving, looked at the white mists that waved in the air and, rising up, left brilliant drops on the green cover of nature. Silence reigned everywhere. But soon the rising luminary of the day awakened all creation: the groves, the bushes came to life, the birds fluttered and sang, the flowers raised their heads to be nourished by the life-giving rays of light. But Liza was still sitting in a huff. Oh Lisa, Lisa! What happened to you? Until now, waking up with the birds, you had fun with them in the morning, and a pure, joyful soul shone in your eyes, like the sun shines in drops of heavenly dew; but now you are thoughtful, and the general joy of nature is foreign to your heart. Meanwhile, a young shepherd was driving his flock along the river bank, playing the flute. Liza fixed her eyes on him and thought: “If the one who now occupies my thoughts was born a simple peasant, a shepherd, and if he now drove his flock past me: ah! I would bow to him with a smile and say affably: “Hello, dear shepherd boy! Where are you driving your flock? And here green grass grows for your sheep, and flowers bloom here, from which you can weave a wreath for your hat. He would look at me with an affectionate air - he would, perhaps, take my hand ... A dream! The shepherd, playing the flute, passed by and with his motley flock hid behind a nearby hill.
Suddenly Liza heard the noise of oars - she looked at the river and saw a boat, and in the boat - Erast.
All the veins in her throbbed, and, of course, not from fear. She got up, wanted to go, but could not. Erast jumped ashore, went up to Lisa and - her dream was partly fulfilled: for he looked at her with an air of affection, took her by the hand... And Liza, Liza stood with downcast eyes, with fiery cheeks, with a trembling heart - she could not take her hand away from him - she could not turn away when he approached her with his pink lips ... Ah! He kissed her, kissed her with such fervor that the whole universe seemed to her on fire! "Dear Lisa! Erast said. - Dear Lisa! I love you, ”and these words echoed in the depths of her soul, like heavenly, delightful music; she hardly dared to believe her ears and... But I drop the brush. I can only say that in that moment of ecstasy, Liza's timidity disappeared - Erast found out that he was loved, loved with a passionately new, pure, open heart.
They sat on the grass, and in such a way that there was not much space left between them, they looked into each other's eyes, said to each other: “Love me!”, And two hours seemed to them in an instant. Finally Liza remembered that her mother might worry about her. Should have parted. “Oh, Erast! - she said. "Will you always love me?" “Always, dear Lisa, always!” he answered. “And you can swear to me about this?” “I can, dear Liza, I can!” - "No! I don't need an oath. I believe you, Erast, I believe. Will you deceive poor Lisa? After all, this can not be? “I can’t, I can’t, dear Liza!” “How happy I am, and how delighted mother will be when she finds out that you love me!” “Oh no, Lisa! She doesn't need to say anything." “For what?” “Old people are suspicious. She will imagine something bad." - "You can not become." “However, I ask you not to say a word about it to her.” - "Good: I must obey you, although I would not like to hide anything from her." - They said goodbye, kissed for the last time and promised to see each other every day in the evening either on the banks of the rock, or in a birch grove, or somewhere near Liza's hut, only sure, to see each other without fail. Liza went, but her eyes turned a hundred times to Erast, who was still standing on the bank and looking after her.
Lisa returned to her hut in a completely different mood from the one in which she left it. Heartfelt joy was found on her face and in all her movements. "He loves me!" she thought and admired this idea. “Ah, mother! Lisa said to her mother, who had just woken up. — Ah, mother! What a wonderful morning! How fun everything is in the field! Never have larks sang so well, never have the sun shone so brightly, never have flowers smelled so pleasantly!” - The old woman, propping herself up with a stick, went out into the meadow to enjoy the morning, which Liza described with such lovely colors. It, in fact, seemed to her remarkably pleasant; her amiable daughter amused her whole nature with her merriment. "Ah, Lisa! she said. - How good everything is with the Lord God! I live my sixth decade in the world, but still I can’t look enough at the works of the Lord, I can’t look enough at the clear sky, like a high tent, and at the earth, which every year is covered with new grass and new flowers. It is necessary that the king of heaven loved a person very much when he so well removed the worldly light for him. Ah, Lisa! Who would want to die if sometimes there was no grief for us? .. Apparently, it is necessary. Perhaps we would forget our souls if tears never fell from our eyes. And Lisa thought: “Ah! I would rather forget my soul than my dear friend!”
After this, Erast and Liza, afraid not to keep their word, saw each other every evening (when Liza's mother went to bed) either on the river bank or in a birch grove, but more often under the shade of hundred-year-old oaks (eighty fathoms from the hut) - oaks , overshadowing a deep clean pond, dug out in ancient times. There, the often quiet moon, through the green branches, silvered with its rays Lisa's blond hair, with which marshmallows and the hand of a dear friend played; often these rays illuminated in the eyes of tender Liza a brilliant tear of love, which is always drained by Erast's kiss. They embraced - but the chaste, bashful Cynthia did not hide from them behind a cloud: their embraces were pure and blameless. “When you,” Lisa said to Erast, “when you tell me:“ I love you, my friend! ”, When you press me to your heart and look at me with your touching eyes, ah! then it happens to me so well, so well, that I forget myself, I forget everything except Erast. Wonderful! It's wonderful, my friend, that I, not knowing you, could live calmly and cheerfully! Now this is incomprehensible to me, now I think that without you life is not life, but sadness and boredom. Without your dark eyes, a bright month; without your voice, the singing nightingale is boring; without your breath, the breeze is unpleasant to me. - Erast admired his shepherdess - that's what he called Liza - and, seeing how much she loves him, he seemed kinder to himself. All the brilliant amusements of the great world seemed to him insignificant in comparison with those pleasures which passionate friendship an innocent soul nourished his heart. He thought with disgust of the contemptuous voluptuousness with which his senses had drunk before. “I will live with Liza like brother and sister,” he thought, “I will not use her love for evil, and I will always be happy!” "Reckless young man!" Do you know your heart? Are you always responsible for your movements? Is reason always the king of your feelings?
Lisa demanded that Erast often visit her mother. “I love her,” she said, “and I want her well, but it seems to me that seeing you is a great well-being for everyone.” The old woman really was always happy when she saw him. She loved to talk to him about her late husband and tell him about the days of her youth, about how she first met her dear Ivan, how he fell in love with her and in what love, in what harmony he lived with her. "Oh! We never could look at each other enough - until the very hour when the fierce death knocked his legs down. He died in my arms!” Erast listened to her with unfeigned pleasure. He bought Liza's work from her and always wanted to pay ten times more than the price she set, but the old woman never took too much.
Thus a few weeks passed. One evening, Erast waited a long time for his Liza. At last she came, but she was so unhappy that he was frightened; her eyes were red with tears. "Lisa, Lisa! What happened to you? “Ah, Erast! I cried!" - "About what? What's happened?" “I have to tell you everything. A groom, the son of a rich peasant from a neighboring village, is wooing me; mother wants me to marry him. “And you agree?” - "Cruel! Can you ask about it? Yes, I'm sorry for my mother; she cries and says that I do not want her peace of mind, that she will suffer at death if she does not give me in marriage with her. Oh! Mother does not know that I have such a dear friend!” - Erast kissed Lisa, said that her happiness was dearer to him than anything in the world, that after the death of her mother he would take her to him and live with her inseparably, in the village and in the dense forests, as in paradise. “But you can’t be my husband!” Lisa said with a soft sigh. “Why not?” “I am a peasant.” “You offend me. For your friend, the most important thing is the soul, a sensitive, innocent soul - and Lisa will always be the closest to my heart.
She flung herself into his arms—and at this hour chastity must perish! - Erast felt an extraordinary excitement in his blood - Liza had never seemed so charming to him - her caresses had never touched him so much - her kisses had never been so fiery - she knew nothing, suspected nothing, was afraid of nothing - the darkness of the evening nourished desires - not a single star shone in the sky - no ray could illuminate delusions. - Erast feels a tremor in himself - Liza also, not knowing why - not knowing what is happening to her ... Ah, Liza, Liza! Where is your guardian angel? Where is your innocence?
The delusion passed in one minute. Lila did not understand her feelings, she was surprised and asked questions. Erast was silent - he was looking for words and did not find them. “Oh, I'm afraid,” said Liza, “I'm afraid of what happened to us! It seemed to me that I was dying, that my soul... No, I don't know how to say it!... Are you silent, Erast? Do you sigh?.. My God! What's happened?" Meanwhile, lightning flashed and thunder roared. Lisa trembled all over. "Erast, Erast! - she said. - I'm scared! I'm afraid the thunder will kill me like a criminal!" The storm roared menacingly, rain poured from black clouds - it seemed that nature was lamenting about Liza's lost innocence. Erast tried to calm Lisa and walked her to the hut. Tears rolled from her eyes as she said goodbye to him. “Oh, Erast! Assure me that we will continue to be happy!” “We will, Liza, we will!” he answered. - “God forbid! I can not help but believe your words: because I love you! Only in my heart... But it's full! Sorry! See you tomorrow, tomorrow."
Their dates continued; but how things have changed! Erast could no longer be satisfied with only the innocent caresses of his Liza - only her loving glances filled with love - one touch of the hand, one kiss, one pure embrace. He wanted more, more, and, finally, he could not want anything - and who knows his heart, who thought about the nature of his most tender pleasures, he will, of course, agree with me that fulfillment all desires is the most dangerous temptation of love. Liza was no longer for Erast this angel of purity, who had previously inflamed his imagination and delighted his soul. Platonic love gave way to feelings he couldn't be proud and which were no longer new to him. As for Lisa, she, completely surrendering to him, only lived and breathed him, in everything, like a lamb, obeyed his will and placed her happiness in his pleasure. She saw a change in him and often said to him: “Before, you were happier, before we were calmer and happier, and before I was not so afraid of losing your love!” “Sometimes, when he said goodbye to her, he would say to her: “Tomorrow, Liza, I can’t see you: I have an important business,” and every time Liza sighed at these words.
Finally, for five days in a row she did not see him and was in the greatest anxiety; on the sixth he came with a sad face and said to her: “Dear Liza! I have to say goodbye to you for a while. You know that we are at war, I am in the service, my regiment is going on a campaign. Lisa turned pale and almost fainted.
Erast caressed her, saying that he would always love dear Liza and hoped never to part with her on his return. She was silent for a long time, then burst into bitter tears, seized his hand and, looking at him with all the tenderness of love, asked: "Can't you stay?" “I can,” he answered, “but only with the greatest infamy, with the greatest stain on my honor. Everyone will despise me; everyone will abhor me as a coward, as an unworthy son of the fatherland. “Oh, when it’s like that,” said Liza, “then go, go, where God commands! But you can be killed." - "Death for the fatherland is not terrible, dear Liza." “I will die as soon as you are gone.” “But why think that? I hope to stay alive, I hope to return to you, my friend. - “God forbid! God bless! Every day, every hour, I will pray for this. Oh, why can't I read or write! You would notify me of everything that happens to you, and I would write to you - about my tears! “No, take care of yourself, Liza, take care of your friend. I don't want you to cry without me." - "Cruel person! You think to deprive me of this joy too! No! Having parted with you, will I then stop crying when my heart dries up. “Think of a pleasant moment in which we will see each other again.” “I will, I will think about her! Ah, if only she had come sooner! Dear, dear Erast! Remember, remember your poor Liza, who loves you more than herself!
But I cannot describe everything they said on this occasion. The next day was to be the last meeting.
Erast also wanted to say goodbye to Liza's mother, who could not help crying, hearing that affectionate, handsome gentleman she must go to war. He forced her to take some money from him, saying: “I don’t want Liza to sell her work in my absence, which, by agreement, belongs to me.” The old woman showered him with blessings. “God grant,” she said, “so that you return safely to us and that I see you again in this life! Perhaps my Liza by that time will find a groom for her thoughts. How I would thank God if you came to our wedding! When Lisa has children, know, master, that you must baptize them! Oh! I would love to live to see it!” Liza stood beside her mother and did not dare to look at her. The reader can easily imagine what she felt at that moment.
But what did she feel when Erast, embracing her and for the last time, pressing her to his heart for the last time, said: “Forgive me, Liza!” What a touching picture! The morning dawn, like a scarlet sea, spilled over the eastern sky. Erast stood under the branches of a tall oak, holding in his arms his pale, languid, woeful girlfriend, who, bidding farewell to him, said goodbye to her soul. All nature was silent.
Liza sobbed - Erast cried - left her - she fell - knelt down, raised her hands to the sky and looked at Erast, who moved away - further - further - and finally disappeared - the sun shone, and Liza, left, poor, lost her senses and memory .
She came to herself - and the light seemed to her dull and sad. All the pleasures of nature were hidden for her, along with what was dear to her heart. "Oh! she thought. Why did I stay in this desert? What keeps me from flying after dear Erast? War is not terrible for me; it's scary where my friend is not. I want to live with him, I want to die with him, or by my own death I want to save his precious life. Stop, stop, my dear! I fly to you!" - She already wanted to run after Erast, but the thought: “I have a mother!” stopped her. Lisa sighed and, bowing her head, walked with quiet steps towards her hut. “From now on, her days were days of anguish and sorrow, which had to be hidden from her tender mother: her heart suffered all the more! Then it only became easier when Liza, secluded in the dense forest, could freely shed tears and moan about separation from her beloved. Often the mournful turtledove combined her mournful voice with her wailing. But sometimes - though very rarely - a golden ray of hope, a ray of consolation illuminated the darkness of her grief. “When he returns to me, how happy I will be! How everything will change! - from this thought her eyes cleared, the roses on her cheeks were refreshed, and Liza smiled like a May morning after a stormy night. “Thus it took about two months.
One day Liza had to go to Moscow, then to buy rose water with which her mother healed her eyes. On one of the big streets she met a magnificent carriage, and in this carriage she saw - Erast. "Oh!" Liza screamed and rushed towards him, but the carriage drove past and turned into the yard. Erast went out and was about to go to the porch of the huge house, when he suddenly felt himself in Liza's arms. He turned pale - then, without answering a word to her exclamations, he took her by the hand, led her into his office, locked the door and said to her: “Lisa! Circumstances have changed; I begged to marry; you must leave me alone and for your own peace of mind forget me. I loved you and now I love you, that is, I wish you every good. Here is a hundred rubles - take them, - he put the money in her pocket, - let me kiss you for the last time - and go home. - Before Lisa could come to her senses, he led her out of the office and said to the servant: "Show this girl out of the yard."
My heart is bleeding at this very moment. I forget the man in Erast - I'm ready to curse him - but my tongue does not move - I look at the sky, and a tear rolls down my face. Oh! Why am I writing not a novel, but a sad story?
So, Erast deceived Lisa, telling her that he was going to the army? - No, he really was in the army, but instead of fighting the enemy, he played cards and lost almost all his estate. Soon they made peace, and Erast returned to Moscow, burdened with debts. He had only one way to improve his circumstances - to marry an elderly rich widow who had long been in love with him. He decided on that and moved to live with her in the house, devoting a sincere sigh to his Lisa. But can all this justify him?
Liza found herself on the street and in a position that no pen can describe. “He, he kicked me out? Does he love someone else? I'm dead!" —here are her thoughts, her feelings! A violent fainting spell interrupted them for a while. One kind woman who was walking along the street stopped over Liza, who was lying on the ground, and tried to bring her to memory. The unfortunate woman opened her eyes - got up with the help of this kind woman - thanked her and went off, not knowing where she was. “I can’t live,” Liza thought, “I can’t!.. Oh, if only the sky would fall on me! If the earth swallowed up the poor!.. No! the sky does not fall; the earth does not move! Woe is me!" - She left the city and suddenly saw herself on the banks of a deep pond, under the shade of ancient oaks, which a few weeks before had been silent witnesses of her delights. This memory shook her soul; the most terrible heartfelt torment was depicted on her face. But after a few minutes she plunged into some thoughtfulness - she looked around herself, saw her neighbor's daughter (a fifteen-year-old girl) walking along the road - she called her, took out ten imperials from her pocket and, giving it to her, said: “Dear Anyuta, dear friend! Take this money to your mother - it's not stolen - tell her that Liza is guilty against her, that I hid from her my love for one cruel man - to E ... What is the use of knowing his name? - Tell me that he cheated on me - ask her to forgive me - God will be her helper - kiss her hand the way I kiss yours now - say that poor Liza ordered me to kiss her - say that I ...” Then she jumped into the water. Anyuta screamed, cried, but could not save her, ran to the village - people gathered and pulled Lisa out, but she was already dead.
Thus she died her beautiful life in soul and body. When we there, in a new life, see you, I recognize you, gentle Lisa!
She was buried near the pond, under a gloomy oak, and a wooden cross was placed on her grave. Here I often sit in thought, leaning on the receptacle of Liza's ashes; in my eyes a pond flows; Leaves rustle above me.
Liza's mother heard about the terrible death of her daughter, and her blood cooled with horror - her eyes were forever closed. - The hut is empty. The wind howls in it, and the superstitious villagers, hearing this noise at night, say: “There is a dead man groaning: poor Liza is groaning there!”
Erast was unhappy until the end of his life. Upon learning of the fate of Lizina, he could not console himself and considered himself a murderer. I met him a year before his death. He himself told me this story and led me to Liza's grave. “Now, perhaps, they have already reconciled!”
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The year 1792 was significant for Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. And this is not surprising, because it was at that time that a wonderful sentimental story called “Poor Liza” came out from under his pen, which brought recognition and fame to the author. At that time, the writer was only twenty-five years old, and he was taking his first steps in the literary field.
Describing the difficult fate of a defenseless people, raising the problem of inequality between the poor and the rich, Karamzin tries to reach out to people's consciousness and draw attention to the fact that it is impossible to live like this. The story is told by the writer in the first person.
The main characters of the story
Lisa- a simple Russian peasant woman, a kind girl who loves nature and rejoices every day - until she fell in love with a rich nobleman named Erast. Since then, her life has taken a sharp turn, which subsequently led to a terrible tragedy.
Erast- a rich nobleman, a frivolous young man with a good imagination, but windy. He thinks that he loves Lisa, but under the circumstances he leaves her, without thinking about the girl's strong feelings caused by his betrayal. Causes Lisa to commit suicide.
old mother- a poor peasant woman, a widow who lost her husband and mourns him. A kind simple believing woman who loves her daughter immensely and wishes her happiness.
The magnificence of nature, which the author contemplates
The surroundings of Moscow with its monasteries, church domes, bright green flowering meadows evoke delight and tenderness. But not only. At the entrance to the monastery, the author's soul begins to be overwhelmed by bitter memories, and sad story Fatherland appears before his mind's eye. Most depressing is the incident that happened to one girl, poor Lisa, who ended her life tragically.
The beginning of Lisa's story
Why is this hut, located near the monastery wall, where the birch grove rustles, now empty? Why are there no windows, no doors, no roof? Why is everything so dull and gloomy? An inquisitive reader can get an answer to these questions by learning what happened here thirty years ago, when people around could hear the ringing voice of a girl named Lisa. She lived with her mother in great poverty, because after the untimely death of her father, the land fell into decay. In addition, the desperate widow fell ill with grief, so Lisa alone had to do household chores. Fortunately, the girl was diligent: working tirelessly, she wove canvases, knitted stockings, picked berries and tore flowers. Having a kind and loving heart, Lisa tried her best to console her sick mother, but in her heart she was very worried about the death of her dearest person - her dad.
Lisa's Incipient Love
And then, two years later, he appeared - a young man named Erast, who completely captured the feelings of a young girl who wants to love and be loved. And life began to sparkle with bright colors.
They met when Lisa came to Moscow to sell flowers. An unfamiliar buyer, seeing such beautiful girl, began to shower her with compliments and even, instead of five kopecks, offered a ruble for flowers.
But Lisa refused. She did not know that the next day the young man would be standing at her window. “Hello, kind old woman,” he turned to the girl’s mother. “Do you have fresh milk?” The stranger suggested that Lisa sell her work only to him, then there would be no need to be exposed to dangers in the city, being separated from her mother.
The old woman and Liza happily agreed. Only one thing confused the girl: he is a gentleman, and she is a simple peasant woman.
A wealthy noble named Erast
Erast was a man with a kind heart, however, the author describes him as windy, weak and frivolous. He lived only for his pleasure and did not care about anything. In addition, he was a sentimental and very impressionable young man, having a rich imagination. Relations with Liza were to become a new milestone in his fate, a new interest that would diversify an idle and boring life.
Lisa got sad. Love swept over the girl like an avalanche, and where did the former carelessness go. Now she often sighed and was encouraged only when she saw Erast. And he suddenly ... confessed his love to her. Lisa's joy knew no bounds, she wanted their meetings to continue forever. "Will you always love me?" the girl asked. And received the answer: "Always!". She came home in a happy mood. And in a fit of feelings, she began to admire the beauty of nature created by God. Mom supported her daughter.
The image of an old mother
Lisa's mother is portrayed by the author as a simple believing woman who loves God and admires the beauty of His creation. “How good everything is with the Lord God! I live my sixth decade in the world, but still I can’t look enough at the works of the Lord, I can’t look enough at the clear sky, like a high tent, and at the earth, which every year is covered with new grass and new flowers. It is necessary that the King of Heaven loved a person very much when he removed the worldly light for him so well, ”she says. This poor woman was left a widow, but still yearns for her dear untimely departed husband, who was dearer to her than anything in the world. After all, "peasant women also know how to love."
The old woman's love for her daughter is very strong. She, like any mother, wants only the best for her.
Liza and Erast: love is gaining strength
Since then, they saw each other constantly - every evening. Embraced, but did not allow themselves anything vicious. Erast also talked with Lisa's mother, who told the young man about her difficult life. But suddenly trouble struck.
Bitter change in fate
Lisa had to tell Erast that she was being married to another - the son of a wealthy peasant. But he was very upset, again swore to the girl in love - and finally, feelings prevailed over common sense: at that moment the girl lost her innocence. Since then, their dates have become different - Erast began to treat his beloved no longer as immaculate. Meetings took place less and less, and, finally, the young man announced that he was leaving for the war.
Last meeting with Lisa
Erast decided to say goodbye before the road - and to his mother (who, by the way, did not know at all about his love relationships with her daughter), and with Lisa. The farewell was touching and bitter. After Erast retired, Lisa "lost her senses and memory."
Erast's betrayal
For a long time the girl was in despair. Only one thing consoled her restless soul: the hope of a meeting. Once she went on business to Moscow and suddenly saw the carriage in which Erast was sitting. Lisa rushed to her beloved, but in response she received only a cold confession that he was marrying another.
Lisa jumps into the water
The girl could not stand such a shame, humiliation and betrayal. I no longer wanted to live. Suddenly, Lisa saw a friend - fifteen-year-old Anya, and, asking her to take money for her mother, in front of the girl, she rushed into the water. They couldn't save her. The old mother, having learned about what had happened to her beloved daughter, died immediately. Erast is greatly depressed by what happened and will forever reproach himself for the death of an innocent girl.
Class inequality is the cause of many problems in society
At that difficult time, the main role in choosing a groom or bride was played by the environment. The lower class - the peasants - could not connect with the wealthy nobles. Lisa clearly understands this already at the first meetings, when her heart trembles with love, but her mind insists on the impossibility of such a union. “However, you cannot be my husband,” she says. And in despair she adds: "I am a peasant woman." Still, the girl could not resist the outburst of violent feelings for the man whom she loved with all her heart (although at times she regrets that her fiancé is not a shepherd boy). She either naively began to believe that later Erast would nevertheless marry her, or simply for the time being preferred not to think about the consequences of this kind of romantic dates. Be that as it may, Lisa's reaction to the fact that the one without whom she cannot live marries another, a noblewoman from his circle, prompts her to a desperate act - suicide. She took a step into the abyss, from which there is no way out. Youth and hopes are ruined. And Erast was left to live with an incessant sense of guilt. So the story "Poor Liza" ended tragically. The intelligent reader will learn from it and draw the right conclusions.
When for the next university lesson we were given a rather difficult task (to find and draw literary, plot, genre parallels between classical and modern literature), I thought for a long time, recalled classical works, racked my brains, interviewed acquaintances and girlfriends, in general, I was in a creative search . And at this moment, a young author comes to our library, who wants to place his work on the site in the "Creativity of our readers" section. I start to read and understand - so this is what I need. Through the lines of the story "Leaf" by Dmitry Kechin sees a sentimental plot "Poor Liza" N. Karamzin. Of course, because the most relevant topic of all times and peoples is the theme of love, especially unhappy love!
It must be said that Nikolai Karamzin was the first to turn to the human soul after a century whose spiritual atmosphere was saturated with the interests of society. To such an extent, the writer managed to accurately betray the experiences of a young girl who fell in love with him passionately and was so cruelly abandoned that a wave of suicides swept across the country - more than one girl of that time saw herself in the main character of the story and decided to follow her example ... But in our time, the work remains relevant, because today we also fall in love, suffer, rejoice, faint-hearted, die.
The modern "Poor Liza" in Dmitry Kechin's story is called Alexandra. “Alexandra was the only child in the family and was brought up in strictness. A mother's word is law, but a father's word is more than law. However, the parents were not tyrants, they only wanted to raise a moral, intellectually and spiritually developed daughter.
The girl grew up, left for the capital and entered medical institute. In Moscow, she met Anton. Modern Erast was a green-eyed blond, manager of a company selling computer equipment. He beautifully looked after, gave flowers, filled up with exquisite compliments. The girl fell in love passionately, she just flew on the wings of love and was already making plans for a joint happy future. Therefore, feeling that she is expecting a child, Alexandra rejoices - this is, after all, a logical continuation of their love with Anton.
Is the hero happy? Unfortunately, according to the law of the genre, Alexander will be bitterly disappointed - it turns out that there was no love from Anton. He, at the request of the heroine's friend, freed the young provincial from complexes! These are the realities of modern life...
Further, even more difficult trials fall to the share of our heroine: the parents turned away from the "libertine", the childhood friend does not understand. All this leads Alexandra to the boat station. It would seem that everything is clear further, but then another zigzag of fate happens - her inner voice begins to talk to her: “Live, love, rejoice… Let go of the past and forgive everyone, forgive yourself. Life is just beginning… just beginning…”.
(I read these lines and think: why was the inner voice of poor Lisa silent at Karamzin?)
As a result, despite falling into the water, this story has a happy ending, Alexandra finds her happiness with a childhood friend: “She laid her head on Sergey's shoulder, and only one thought remained in her mind: life is just beginning. Here he is, next to him, a man of dreams: reliable, faithful, caring, LOVED ... ".
"Poor Lisa" - became the starting point for the work of 26-year-old Nikolai Karamzin. In his work, he proclaimed the human right to natural happiness, to the "tender friendship" of two hearts. Our countryman Dmitry Kechin is also young, he is 23 years old. Just like the Russian classic, the central place in his stories is given to the love line, the experiences of the characters who seek to satisfy one of the main human needs - the need to love and be loved.
The writer is convinced that great power, guiding man are passions. Of these, love is the most powerful. It reveals in a person the best sides of his soul, makes him morally rich and beautiful, irresistibly leads to happiness. But the passions inspired by nature are opposed by "laws" that condemn these passions and deprive a person of happiness. In this case, such a “law” was the social inequality of lovers. Lisa is a poor peasant girl, Erast is a rather rich nobleman, "with a fair mind and a kind heart, kind by nature, but weak and windy." As the writer notes, he led a dispersed life, thinking only about his own pleasure, looking for it in secular amusements, but often did not find it. When he saw Lisa, he thought that he had found exactly what he had always been looking for. Love for Liza allowed Erast to forget his boredom for a moment and leave the big light for a while. Meanwhile, Liza was well aware of the fragility of her happiness. At the moment of the birth of her love for Erast, she confessed: “If the one who now occupies my thoughts was born a simple peasant, a shepherd ... He would look at me with an affectionate look, maybe take my hand ... A dream!”
Erast makes this dream come true, but gradually his feelings cool. Having learned that he is loved and loved passionately by a new, pure, open heart, in a fit of passion, he assures Lisa that the law of inequality has no power over him: “For your friend, the most important thing is the soul, a sensitive, innocent soul, and Liza will always be the closest to my heart." The “passionate friendship” of an innocent soul fed his heart for some time, but as soon as the relationship entered a new round, purity died, and with it, oath promises not to use love for evil died. Erast obeyed the laws of the environment, leaving the one he loved, marrying an equal, "old rich" noblewoman, able to improve his financial situation. As you can see, the laws of social justice were by no means determinant in Erast's behavior. Guided by them, he could, firstly, immediately refuse Liza in reciprocity, as a serious, responsible person would do, who cares not only for his own state of mind, but also for the happiness of a loved one. Secondly, Erast, in the name of the same high love, could refuse the material benefits of marriage. But all these options are fantastic, he gives way to passion out of selfishness, elementary human egoism. It is possible to accuse society of destroying the souls of people, but what do the laws of a cruel society mean in comparison with the spiritual strength of a staunch, self-confident individual. However, Erast was weak and windy, and "poor" Liza was forced to make her cruel choice, throwing herself into the maelstrom of eternity.
The dignity of the story by N. M. Karamzin in that, having abandoned the social approach to the depiction of Russian reality, he focused his main attention on the psychology of the characters, having achieved considerable skill in this. Like none of the Russian writers who preceded him, Karamzin was able to show all the vicissitudes of love and convey the subtlest shades of feeling.
