Oh, Muse of the Red
Oh, Muse of the Red - fact Summary
Pushkin's Satirical Stance
This brief, combative poem summons a Juvenal-like satirical voice to lash contemporary literary figures. The speaker rejects imitators, lightweight poets, and complacent critics, promising sharp epigrams and public shaming for hypocrites and journalistic hacks. The tone is aggressive and moralizing, positioning satire as corrective. It reflects Pushkin's critical stance toward his literary milieu and broader social pretensions.
Read Complete AnalysesOh, Muse of the red-hot satire, Appear at my urgent spell: I've no need for rattling lyre, Give me the whip of Juvenal! Not to translators ever cold, Or imitators gaunt and bold, Not to the lambs, who make the rhymes, I'll send the pledge of epigrams! Enjoy your peace, oh, bard, despondent, The journal's creature-correspondent, The dull humiliated slaves! But you, 'good' fellows, you, knaves -- Step forward! All your blackguards' party I'll sentence to the stake of shame, And, if I will forget the name Of somebody, please help me smartly! A lot of faces, pale and sassy, A lot of brows, wide and brassy, Are ready to receive from me The brand, that ever must there be. Translated by Yevgeny Bonver
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