I got off the bus at the corner of Zhukovsky Street, and the name of this street as if determined the theme of my walk. Poet Vasily Zhukovsky, born in the late 18th century, was one of the founders of romanticism in Russian poetry. He is considered one of the great classics of Russian literature, although few read his works, the plots of his poems seem outdated, and his language is heavy on the modern ear. Nevertheless, Zhukovsky's role in the development of literary Russian cannot be overestimated. Zhukovsky introduced new verse sizes that made poems more lively. In addition to his own works, he translated Greek authors into Russian. Zhukovsky was also working hard in the field of education, he was a mentor of princes and future statesmen. You are unlikely to have ever met the works of this poet, but you almost certainly know the name of one of his students - Alexander Pushkin.
I had walked only a hundred meters when I came across the name of another poet on a plaque affixed to the wall of a house. Daniil Kharms wrote absurdist poetry in the first half of the 20th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, poetry in Russia was at the height of its popularity. Poets from all over Russia sought to come to the capital, St. Petersburg. Poets printed their works in literary magazines, held poetry evenings, argued about the theory of poetry, and sought new ways to express themselves. Daniil Kharms was one of those who sought a new language, a new rhythm, a new form. His poems and short stories sounded very unusual. Daniil Kharms died during the Second World War, in 1942, at the age of 36. The plaque recalls the difficult last years of his life. At the top of the plaque are embossed the words of one of his poems "A fellow left his house ". There are lines like these in this poem:
Into the woods he went at last
When came the rising sun.
And since that day,
And since that day,
And since that day he's gone.
(translated by Eugenia Sarkisyants)
In addition to the plaque on this house, there is also graffiti dedicated to Daniil Kharms. It was done by street artists in memory of the poet a few years ago. I think it's very good. The owners of the house supported the creation of this graffiti, but it's very difficult to officially recognize it. There have already been several court hearings in defense of the graffiti, but its fate remains undetermined.
From Daniil Kharms's house, I turned onto Kovensky Lane. They were replacing pipes in the alley, and a deep pit had been dug in the middle of the street. I walked closer, hoping to see old cobblestones, diabase, or wooden sidewalk in the excavation. But I saw nothing of the kind. What caught my attention was a bright stripe. From afar I thought it was the remains of a limestone slab. The excavation is fenced with a chain-link fence - you can look, but you can't approach and touch it. But I managed to find small pebbles from this section of the cut on my side of the fence. It turned out that they were not limestone, but sandstone.
I turned down the next street, and a yellow leaf caught my attention. Geology couldn't hold my attention for long, and I returned to poetry. On the yellow sheet was a poem "August" by Marina Tsvetaeva, a Russian poetess who worked in the first half of the 20th century:
August - asters,
August - stars,
August - grapes and rowanberries.
August!
A little farther away I came across another graffiti: a white shadow on the wall. I don't know the history of this graffiti. Is it a memory of a person? Or just a ghost?
At this point I decided to end my walk and refresh myself with physical rather than spiritual food. This little cafe is called Cat's Pies.
| ○ | ○ |
|---|---|
| Smartphone | Xiaomi Redmi 3 |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
This is my entry for the #WednesdayWalk challenge by @tattoodjay and for the #MakeMeSmile challenge by @elizacheng.