The Vixen
For A. M Remizov
The Vixen - meaning Summary
Wounded Animal, Human Gaze
Yesenin’s poem describes a wounded vixen pinned by a shattered paw in winter. The speaker records close, sensory details—blood on snow, smoke in her eyes, a shuddering head and a tongue lapping the wound—to convey raw physical suffering and persistent, animal dignity. The imagery emphasizes the clash of violence and fragile life, inviting a quiet, compassionate attention rather than moralizing, and leaving the scene unresolved and haunting.
Read Complete AnalysesRiveted in place on her shattered paw She had curled near to her den. A thin trickle of blood in the snow Framed her face's pain. The shot and bristly smoke remained In her eyes from its burst from the fen. From the scrubby bushes like wind Pellets had scattered and flown. Haze was swirling above her like bile, The wet wind was clammy and red. She lifted her shuddering head for awhile And her tongue lapped the stiff wound. Her yellow tail sank in the snow like fire, On her lips, sweetness - like a carrot... She smelled the scent of frost and mire, From her shut eyes blood seeped.
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