Worse Than an Idyl
Worse Than an Idyl - meaning Summary
Misanthropy and Social Isolation
Pushkin’s short poem criticizes a self-isolating poetic figure who embodies misanthropy and social fear. Addressing this “bard” as Nature’s unpleasant creation, the speaker condemns his cowardly detachment from humanity and predicts a life without joy, love, or friendship. The poem frames misanthropy as both a personal failing and an unnatural state, emphasizing emotional sterility and the moral consequences of withdrawing from communal bonds.
Read Complete AnalysesWorse than an idyl and colder than an ode, A misanthrope – by Hell, by Silliness – a bard – In what a terrible and quite mischievous mode Has Nature raised her ugly ward! You are afraid of men, as of some deathly illness, Oh, miserable sample of the appalling dream! Be joyuos, evil fool! You will be ne’er sun-beamed By love or friendship through existence. Translated by Yevgeny Bonver
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