Pushkin’s views were fully and clearly expressed in his ode “Liberty,” written shortly after leaving the Lyceum, in the same 1817.

The very name of the ode indicates that Pushkin took Radishchev’s poem of the same name as a model. In a version of one line of “Monument”, Pushkin emphasizes the connection between his ode and Radishchev’s ode.

Pushkin, like Radishchev, glorifies liberty and political freedom. Both of them point to historical examples of the triumph of liberty (Radishchev - to the English revolution of the 17th century, Pushkin - to the French revolution of 1789).

Following Radishchev, Pushkin believes that an equal law for everyone is the key to ensuring political freedom in the country.

But Radishchev’s ode is a call for a popular revolution, for the overthrow of the tsarist power in general, and Pushkin’s ode is directed only against “tyrants” who place themselves above the law. Pushkin expressed in his ode the views of the early Decembrists, under whose influence he was.

However, the power of Pushkin's verse and the poet's artistic skill gave the ode a more revolutionary sound. It was perceived by progressive youth as a call for revolution. For example, the famous Russian surgeon Pirogov, recalling the days of his youth, tells the following fact. One of his fellow students, once talking about Pushkin’s political views, reflected in the ode “Liberty,” said: “In our opinion, it’s not like that: a revolution, so a revolution, like the French one - with a guillotine.” Then another angrily exclaimed: “Who So one of you dares to talk about Pushkin? Listen! - and read the poems:

Autocratic villain!

I hate you, your throne,

Your death, the death of children

I see it with cruel joy.

They read on your forehead

Seal of the curse of the nations,

You are the horror of the world, the shame of nature,

You are a reproach to God on earth

The final lines of the second stanza sounded no less revolutionary to readers:

Tyrants of the world! tremble! And you, take heart and listen, Arise, fallen slaves!

Pushkin, following the example of Radishchev, put his poem in the form of an ode.

The ode begins with an appeal to the formidable muse for kings - the proud singer of freedom, and the theme is immediately indicated: “I want to sing freedom to the world, to defeat vice on the thrones.” What follows is a statement of the main position: for the good of nations, a combination of powerful laws with holy liberty is necessary. This position is then illustrated with historical examples (Louis XVI, Paul I). The ode ends, as usual, with an appeal to the king to learn a lesson from what was said.

The harmony of the composition helps to follow the movement of the poet’s thoughts and feelings. In accordance with the content of the ode, the verbal means of its expression are also found.

The poet’s speech, upbeat, excited, reflects his various feelings: a fiery desire for freedom (I stanza), indignation at the rot of tyrants (II stanza), the grief of a citizen at the sight of reigning lawlessness (III stanza), etc. The poet finds the exact figurative words to express thoughts and feelings that excite him. Thus, he calls the muse of the political ode “the thunderstorm of kings,” “the proud singer of freedom,” who inspires “brave hymns.”

The ode “Liberty” had a great revolutionaryizing influence on Pushkin’s contemporaries; it served the Decembrists in their revolutionary agitation.

The theme of freedom and the fight against autocracy is also heard in the poem “To Chaadaev.” Written in the form of a friendly message, it reflects the views and political sentiments that united Pushkin with his friend P. Ya. Chaadaev and with all the leading people of that time. That is why the poem was widely distributed in lists and served as a means of political agitation.

Effective preparation for the Unified State Exam (all subjects) -

Let the slave sing your praises.

Fill my heart with your warmth,

In it your strong muscles blow

Turn darkness into the light of slavery,

Yes, Brutus and Tell will still wake up,

Let them sit in power and be confused (*)

From your voice kings.

I came into the light, and you are with me;

There are no rivets on my muscles;

With my free hand I can

Take the bread given for food.

I place my feet where it pleases me;

I will listen to what is clear to me;

I say what I think.

I can love and be loved;

By doing good, I can be honored;

My law is my will.

(*He who sits in power... - let those sitting on the throne be seized with confusion. (Hereinafter, editor's notes.))

But what harms my freedom?

I see the limit to desires everywhere;

A common power arose among the people,

The conciliar destiny of all authorities.

Society obeys her in everything,

Everywhere there is unanimous agreement with her;

There are no obstacles to the common benefit.

I see my share in the power of everyone,

I do my own thing, doing everyone’s will:

This is what law is in society.

In the middle of the green valley,

Among the fields laden with harvest,

Where tender krins flourish,

Among the peaceful shades of olive trees,

Parian marble is whiter,

The brightest rays of the day are brighter,

There is a temple transparent everywhere;

There the deceitful victim does not smoke,

There is a fiery inscription:

"The end of innocence to troubles."

Crowned with an olive branch,

Sit on a hard stone,

Ruthless and coldly

Deaf deity, judge

Whiter than snow in a chlamys

And always in an unchanged form;

Mirror, sword, scales in front of him.

Here the truth cuts the gums,

There is justice here:

This temple of the Law is clearly visible.

Raises strict eyes,

Joy and awe flow around you,

The faces look at everything equally,

Neither hating nor loving;

He is alien to flattery, partiality,

Breed, nobility, wealth,

Disdaining sacrificial aphids;

Knows no kinship, no affection,

He shares bribes and executions equally;

He is the image of God on earth.

And this monster is terrible,

Like a hydra, having a hundred heads,

Touchingly and in tears all the time,

But the jaws are full of poison,

He tramples upon earthly authorities,

The head reaches the sky,

“His homeland is there,” it says.

Ghosts, spreading darkness everywhere,

He knows how to deceive and flatter

And he tells everyone to believe blindly.

Covering the mind in darkness

And spreading creeping poison everywhere,

Three surrounded with a wall

Sensitivity of the nature of children;

Dragged into the yoke of enslavement,

Clothed them in the armor of delusion,

He ordered us to fear the truth.

“This is God’s law,” the king says;

“Holy deception,” the sage cries,

The people are pushing what they invented."

Let us look into the vast region,

Where the dim throne is worth slavery,

The city authorities there are all peaceful,

The king has in vain the image of a deity.

The Tsar's power preserves the faith,

The power of the Tsar's faith asserts,

Union society is oppressed:

One strives to fetter the mind,

Another seeks to erase the will;

“For the common good,” they recite.

Slave's peace under the canopy

The fruits of gold will not increase;

Where everything in the mind is filled with striving,

Greatness will not languish there.

There the fields will be desolate and fat,

The scythe and sickle are not handy there,

The lazy ox will fall asleep in the plow,

The shining sword will fade from glory,

The Minervin temple has become dilapidated,

A network of deceit has spread into the valley.

Raising your arrogant brow,

The king grabbed the iron scepter,

Sitting imperiously on the triple throne,

The people see only a vile creature.

Having the belly and death in hand:

“By will,” he said, I spare the villain,

I can give to power;

Where I laugh, everyone laughs;

I frown menacingly, everything is confused;

If you live then, I command you to live."

And we listen in cold blood,

Like the blood of our greedy reptile,

Always swore, no doubt

On happy days hell is brought upon us.

Everything around the throne is arrogant

They stand on their knees.

But the avenger, tremble, is coming.

He speaks, prophesying freedom,

And behold, rumor from edge to edge,

Giving freedom, it will flow.

Brann's army will appear everywhere,

Hope will equip everyone;

Married in the blood of the tormentor

Everyone is in a hurry to wash away their shame.

The sword is sharp, I see, it sparkles everywhere,

Death flies in various forms,

Soaring above the proud head.

Rejoice, riveted nations!

This is nature's avenged right

The king was put on the block.

And the night is a false veil

With a crash, powerfully torn apart,

Puffy power and obstinacy

The huge idol has been trampled,

Having bound the giant with his hundred hands,

Attracts him as a citizen,

To the throne where the people sat:

“Criminal of the power given by me!

Prophecy, villain, crowned by me,

How dare you rebel against me?

I clothed you in purple

Maintain equality in society

To look after the widow and the orphan,

To save innocence from troubles,

She should be a child-loving father;

But an irreconcilable avenger

Vice, lies and slander;

Merits are rewarded with honor,

A device to prevent evil,

Keep your morals pure.

I covered the sea with ships,

He built piers on the banks,

So that treasures can be traded

Flowed in abundance in the cities;

Golden harvest so that there are no tears

She was useful to the speaker;

He could broadcast behind the plow:

"I am not a mercenary of my reins,

I am not a captive in my pastures,

I prosper with you."

I have no mercy for my blood

He raised up a thundering army;

I sculpted copper masses,

External villains to punish;

I told you to obey

With you to strive for glory;

For the benefit of everyone, I can do anything.

I am tearing apart the bowels of the earth,

I extract shiny metal

For your decoration.

But you, having forgotten the oath given to me,

Forgetting that I chose you

To be married for your own pleasure,

I imagined that you are the Lord (*) - not me;

With the sword I dissolved my statutes,

He rendered all rights voiceless (**),

He ordered to be ashamed of the truth;

Cleared the way for abominations.

He began to cry not to me, but to God,

And he wanted to disdain me.

(* Lord - here: master.)

(** He has rendered all rights mute... - he has autocratically violated the laws.)

Bloody then getting

The fruit that I planted for food,

Sharing crumbs with you,

He did not spare his efforts;

All the treasures are not enough for you!

Well, tell me, they were missing,

What rags did you tear off me?

Giving a pet is full of flattery!

A wife who shuns honor!

Or did you recognize gold as God?

Excellent sign invented

You began to give impudence;

The villain's sword is my sophisticated one

You began to promise innocence;

Loaded shelves for protection

Are you leading a famous person to fight?

Punishment for humanity?

In bloody valleys you fight,

So that, having drunk in Athens,

"Iroy!" - yawning, they could say.

Villain, the fiercest of all villains!

Evil exceeds your head.

Criminal, foremost of all!

Stand up, I call you to court!

I accumulated all the atrocities into one,

Yes, not a single one will pass by

You are out of execution, adversary!

You dared to point a sting at me!

One death is not enough

Die! die a hundredfold!"

Great man, full of deceit,

A hypocrite, and a flatterer, and a blasphemer!

You are alone in such a beneficial light

The most important milestone in the development of the odic genre was the ode “Liberty” by Radishchev. Poetry attracted Radishchev's attention throughout his life. An expert in Western European and Russian poetry, he acted as a historian of the latter, writing the first scientific essay about Lomonosov the poet, defining his place in Russian literature; its theorist - having developed issues of metrics, rhyme, poetic skill. The famous author of the revolutionary book “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” was also a poet. Youthful experiences dating back to the 1770s have not reached us. The first, most important poem in his poetic heritage - the ode "Liberty" - dates back to 1781–1783. Radishchev also wrote poetry in exile - in Siberia and Nemtsov. In the last years of his life he worked on the poems “Historical Songs”, “Bova”, “Songs Sung at Competitions”.

Radishchev's poetic heritage is not large in quantity, but the contribution of Radishchev the poet is enormous: he is the founder of Russian revolutionary poetry, its founder. For Radishchev, the writer is not only a patriot, but also a revolutionary, a “prophet of freedom,” and therefore, therefore, a political figure, a participant in the liberation movement. That is why he chooses new topics - freedom, crimes of autocracy, the right of the people to win the freedom that was forcibly taken from them. What genre should you choose for this? The lofty in classicism was ultimately determined by class ideology - everything that was dedicated to God and the king. That is why spiritual and laudatory odes were written. Lomonosov and Derzhavin overcame the genre of laudatory ode and created a new type of civil poem, glorifying the power of Russia and its people and the greatness of man. Based on these achievements, Radishchev went further.

Slavery oppresses people. Freedom inspires him, lifts him to a new, high life. “It is known that man is a free being, because he is endowed with intelligence, reason and free will; that his freedom consists in choosing the best, that he knows and chooses this best through reason, comprehends it with the help of the mind and always strives for the beautiful, majestic, high.”

Consequently, only freedom raises a person to the “beautiful and majestic”; only in the struggle for freedom does a person reveal his natural greatness and assert himself as an individual. This structure of human spiritual life was supposed to determine the style of revolutionary, high poetry in a completely new way.

Radishchev called “Liberty” an ode, radically changing the content of the traditional genre, its theme, style and composition. This poem is a work of enormous philosophical and political content, it sets out the concept of a people's revolution, welcomed the American people who won freedom from the colonial slavery of the British in the revolutionary struggle, affirmed the idea of ​​​​the equality of people and their right to regain their freedom by force. Thus, Russian revolutionary thought was first expressed in poetic words.

The ode began with the hymn of Liberty. Liberty is a “priceless gift” of a person, “the source of all great deeds.” What is an “obstacle to freedom?” Laws created by the autocracy and consecrated by the church, according to which freedom was taken away from the people and plunged them into savage slavery. The people, Radishchev argues, have the right to rebel against their oppressors and oppose the monarch. At the center of the ode is the uprising of the people and the trial of the “villain” autocrat. This revealed not only the high courage of the revolutionary poet Radishchev, but also his amazing courage as a poet. Consecrated by a long tradition, praise to the monarch was the main theme of the ode. Even Lomonosov, in his reformed ode, retained this praise, although he decisively reconstructed the ode and turned it into an order to the kings. And Radishchev boldly and with wild inspiration described in an ode (!!!) how the rebels, “having chained the giant with a hundred hands,” are dragging him “to the throne where the people are seated.” And the trial of the king-tormentor, the king-villain begins:

A criminal of the power given by me!
Prophecy, villain, crowned by me,
How dare you rebel against me?

The speech of the people-judge ended with the verdict:

Villain, the fiercest of all villains!
Evil exceeds your head.
Criminal, foremost of all!
Stand up, I call you to court!
………………………………………….
You dared to point a sting at me!
One death is not enough -
Die! die a hundred times over!

In the second half of the ode, Radishchev talks about the creative activity of the victorious people. The ode ends with an inspired prophecy about the future victory of the Russian revolution. Historicism helped Radishchev understand that in his contemporary conditions, victory was still impossible: “... but the hour has not yet come, destinies have not been fulfilled.” In “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” where most of the ode “Liberty” was first published, this idea was clarified - there will be a revolution: “This is not a dream, but the gaze penetrates the thick veil of time, hiding the future from our eyes; I see through the whole century".

The new content of the ode “Liberty” required the development of new vocabulary and a new style. First of all, there was a need to create a new political terminology, to define the content of the words, concepts and terms he introduced. So, for example, the term “liberty” before Radishchev was used in noble and government literature, and it was not at all associated with the concept of political and social freedom of the serf people. On the contrary, the word “liberty” expressed the “eternal” rights dear to the noble’s heart (see, for example, the decree of Peter III “On noble liberty”). This is a typical example of imposing on words of the national language a meaning that pleases the ruling class. Will, liberty - the cherished words of the Russian people, expressing their dream, their ideal of life, their hopes; they always meant either freedom from captivity, or freedom from any dependence, and after the establishment of serfdom - freedom from fortress and slavery. It was in this meaning that this word was heard during the days of the Pugachev uprising. This word, scorched by the fire of the uprising, filled with true national aspirations, capturing the age-old dream of millions of oppressed people, was introduced by Radishchev into literature. It was after Radishchev that the word “freedom” was finally and forever established in Russian literature as a call for revolution, for the destruction of the autocratic system, for the destruction of serfdom.

In order to convince the reader of the right of the people to judge the tsar, it was necessary not only to politically formulate the guilt of the autocrat, but also to poetically lower the image of the tsar. This is how the daring epithet appeared in the ode - “villain”, and then the strengthened one - “the fiercest villain of all villains”. Dictionaries captured the meaning of this word in that era - enemy, foe, criminal, a person subject to serious vices. At first glance, the word “villain” did not acquire any new meaning in Radishchev’s ode. It was used by the poet in the meaning of “lawbreaker,” violator of laws. Only the addressee has changed - in the practice of the literary language of the era, a person who rebelled against autocratic power was called a “villain” (as Pugachev was called in Catherine’s manifestos), and Radishchev calls a “villain” a tsar who violated the laws created by the people. As we see, the possibility of such a new, modified use of the word “villain” was determined by Radishchev’s revolutionary convictions. For him, it is not the monarch, but the people who are the creator of laws. Consequently, if a king does not observe them and uses them against the people, then he is a lawbreaker, a “villain.” In this meaning, the phrase “tsar-villain” was enshrined in the Russian liberation movement, in Russian freedom-loving poetry (see, for example, the ode “Liberty” by Pushkin). Before Radishchev, the word “villain” did not have such a meaning.

Depicting the trial of the people over the tsar, describing the uprising of the oppressed, the victory of freedom, Radishchev never once used the word “revolution” in the ode “Liberty.” Instead, we find another word - “revenge”. “This is the avenged right of nature” - this is how Radishchev calls the people’s struggle against the autocracy; in “Journey” he calls the Pugachev uprising “vengeance”. The future victory of freedom in Russia will also occur due to the fact that the peoples will “take revenge on themselves.” The word "revolution" did not gain currency in that era. Therefore, with the term “revenge,” Radishchev sought to emphasize the fair, historically logical right of those oppressed by force of arms to return the freedom taken from them. The word “revenge” appeared among other synonyms - “indignation”, “uprising”, “change”, but Radishchev always meant one thing - revolution, the armed struggle of the people for their rights, for freedom.

Radishchev also developed poetic terminology to denote the concepts - revolutionary, freedom fighter. He calls such a person an “avenger”, a “leader”, a “great man”, a “prophet of freedom”, whose inspired word gathers a “warrior army”, arms the people with “hope”, and carries them away to vengeance - revolution. It was this new poetic vocabulary that helped Radishchev express and capture his personality in revolutionary poetry. The ode “Liberty” is autobiographical; in this regard, Radishchev acted as the heir of Lomonosov and Derzhavin. But the “secret secret” of the soul of the lyrical hero of the ode appeared completely new, unprecedented before the Russian people.

A hater of slavery, a lover of freedom, he lived a united life with the world around him, his gaze as a poet and thinker pierced “the veil of time that hides the future from our eyes.” He was sad, and it was the grief of a patriot who saw the hated autocracy and slavery “as a treasure in his fatherland.” He dreamed, and it was a dream of a revolution in Russia, of the victory of the people, of “the most chosen day of all days.” With his whole life, revolutionary work, and freedom-loving poems, he brought this day closer. And his highest reward will be the grateful memory of his descendants. Let the young man who is destined to live in this distant future, coming to his grave, say:

Under the yoke of power, this one born,
Wearing gold-plated shackles,
He was the first to prophesy freedom for us.

The ode “Liberty” by the Russian writer and philosopher Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev (1749 – 1802) is a vivid hymn to freedom and a call to defend it and fight tyranny, including through revolution. History is portrayed by Radishchev as a process of struggle between freedom and lack of freedom, which, however, can end either in the triumph of freedom or in its suppression

Freedom, in the terminology of the 18th century - liberty, lies at the basis of historical progress. However, this natural human right, given to him from birth, is often destroyed by the authorities seeking to enslave society and subordinate it to their will. The task of society (“the people” in Radishchev’s ode) is to defend its natural rights. Freedom is the highest, but very fragile value. You always have to fight for it. Otherwise, tyranny will destroy freedom - the light will turn “into darkness.”

Freedom is given to man from birth. This is his autonomous will, his right to think and express his thoughts freely, to realize himself the way he wishes. Here is what Radishchev writes, referring to liberty:

I have come into the light, and you are with me;
There are no rivets on your muscles;
With my free hand I can
Take the bread given for food.
I place my feet where it pleases me;
I listen to what is clear;
I broadcast what I think;
I can love and be loved;
I do good, I can be honored;
My law is my will.

Radishchev portrays freedom as a source of progress, a vector of history that gives people enlightenment and destroys the oppression that exists in society.

So the spirit of freedom, ruining
The ascended bondage oppresses,
Flying through towns and villages,
He calls everyone to greatness,
Lives, gives birth and creates,
Doesn't know the obstacles on the way
We lead with courage in the paths;
The mind thinks with him tremblingly
And the word is considered property,
Ignorance that will scatter the ashes.

But here Radishchev points to the threat to freedom, which is embodied in the supreme power. Rulers through their laws suppress freedom and enslave society. Tsar

...Dragged into the yoke of enslavement,
Clothed them in the armor of delusion,
He ordered us to fear the truth.
“This is the law of God,” the king says;
“Holy deception,” the sage cries, “
People will crush what you have gained."

Power in the person of kings and rulers usurps freedom. Relying on priests, they dictate their own will to society.

Let us look into the vast region,
Where a dim throne is worth slavery.
The city authorities there are all peaceful,
The king has in vain the image of the Divine.
The royal power protects the faith,
Faith asserts the power of the Tsar;
Union society is oppressed:
One strives to fetter the mind,
Another will seeks to erase;
For the common good, they say.

However, the logic of history inevitably leads to the overthrow of tyranny. The law of nature and society is the desire for freedom. Tyranny destroys itself. According to Radishchev, the greater the oppression, the greater the likelihood of uprising and revolution, a vivid description of which he gives in his ode.

This was and is the law of nature,
Never changeable
All nations are subject to Him,
He always rules invisibly;
Torment, shaking the limits,
The poisons are full of their arrows
Without knowing it, it will pierce itself;
Equality will be restored to execution;
One power, lying down, will crush;
Insult will renew the right.

Freedom is the logic of history. It's aimed at infinity. But at the same time, Radishchev warns about the dangers that can threaten freedom and that come from the authorities.

You will reach the point of perfection,
Having jumped over obstacles in the paths,
You will find bliss in cohabitation,
Having eased the unfortunate lot,
And you will shine more than the sun,
Oh liberty, liberty, may you die
With eternity you are your flight;
But the root of your blessings will be exhausted,
Freedom will turn into arrogance
And the authorities will fall under the yoke.

Freedom needs to be protected, otherwise it will turn into tyranny. The genius of Radishchev is that he pointed out not only the progressive development of history, but also the danger of the reverse process - social regression, which is associated with tyranny. Therefore, Radishchev calls for protecting freedom and fighting for it.

ABOUT! you happy peoples,
Where chance granted freedom!
Cherish the gift of good nature,
What the Eternal has written in the hearts.
Behold the gaping abyss, flowers
Strewn, underfoot
You are ready to swallow you.
Don't forget for a minute,
That the strength of strength is fierce in weakness,
That light can be transformed into darkness.

In his ode, Radishchev also gives examples of political and spiritual progress in history, which led to the gains of greater freedom. This is the English Revolution led by Cromwell. This is the religious reformation of Luther, the geographical discoveries of Columbus, the scientific achievements of Galileo and Newton. Finally, Radishchev writes about the contemporary American Revolution and its hero Washington.

Nikolai Baev, libertarian movement “Free Radicals”

Problems of the ode “Liberty”

But A.N. Radishchev was not only a prose writer, but also a poet. A generalization of Radishchev’s historical and political concepts was the ode “Liberty,” which was the first classical monument of Russian revolutionary poetry. “Liberty” is included in “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”, in the chapter “Tver”.

The ode is based on general educational theories of the natural equality of people, natural law and social contract, rethought by Radishchev in a revolutionary spirit. In the ode “Liberty,” Radishchev further deepened his criticism of the autocracy and expressed the idea that the church is a reliable support for the autocracy.

In its style, “Liberty” is a direct heir to Lomonosov’s laudable odes. It is written in iambic tetrameter, ten-line stanzas with the same rhyme scheme. But its content is strikingly different from Lomonosov’s odes. Radishchev does not believe in enlightened monarchs and therefore freedom and the indignation of the people against the tsar become the objects of his praise.

A.N. begins his ode. Radishchev with the glorification of freedom, which he considers an invaluable gift of nature, the “source” of “all great things.” In a country where the overwhelming majority of the population was in serfdom, this very thought was a challenge to the existing order.

Freedom is given to every person by nature itself, the author believes, and therefore in the “natural state” people did not know any constraint and were absolutely free: “I came into the light, and you are with me; There are no rivets on my muscles...” But in the name of the common good, people united into society, limited their “will” to laws beneficial to everyone, and elected an authority that must ensure their strict implementation. A.N. Radishchev draws the good consequences of such a device: equality, abundance, justice. Religion surrounded the power of the ruler with a divine aura and thereby freed him from responsibility to the people: “The power of the tsar protects the faith, the power of the tsar affirms the faith, the Union oppresses society.” The monarch turns into a despot:

“Highly lifting up your arrogant brow, O king, seizing the iron scepter,

Having sat imperiously on the formidable throne, the people see only a vile creature.”

The loss of freedom has a detrimental effect on all areas of society: fields become empty, military prowess fades, and justice is violated. But history does not stand still, and despotism is not eternal. Discontent among the people is growing. The herald of freedom appears. Outrage breaks out. Here Radishchev differs sharply from European enlighteners. Thus, if Rousseau in the book “The Social Contract” limits himself to only a brief remark that if the monarch elected by society breaks the laws, the people have the right to terminate the social contract previously concluded with them (in what form this will happen, Rousseau does not disclose), then Radishchev talks to the end. In his ode, the people overthrow the monarch, try him and execute him:

“An army will arise everywhere, hope will arm everyone;

Everyone is in a hurry to wash their shame in the blood of the tormentor.

Rejoice, ye nations riveted;

It is nature’s avenged right that brought the king to the chopping block.”

Not content with speculative evidence of the inevitability of revolution, Radishchev seeks to rely on the experience of history. It recalls the English Revolution of 1649, the execution of the English king. Radishchev glorifies him for the fact that he “executed Karl at trial” and at the same time severely condemns him for the usurpation of power.

Humanity, according to A.N. Radishchev, goes through a cyclical path in its development. Freedom turns into tyranny, tyranny into freedom. Radishchev himself, retelling the contents of the 38th and 39th stanzas in the chapter “Tver”, explains his thought as follows: “This is the law of nature; From torment is born freedom, from freedom slavery...” Addressing the peoples who have thrown off the yoke of a despot, Radishchev calls on them to cherish their won freedom like the apple of their eye:

“Oh, you! happy nations, where chance has granted freedom!

Observe the gift of good nature, which the Eternal has written in your hearts.”

Despotism still triumphs in Russia. The poet and his contemporaries “weigh” the “unbearable burden of shackles.” A.N. himself Radishchev does not hope to live to see the day of freedom: “The hour has not yet arrived, Fate has not been fulfilled,” but he firmly believes in its impending victory, and he would like his compatriot, coming to his grave, to say:

“Under the yoke of power, this one born,

Mowing the shackles are gilded,

He was the first to prophesy freedom for us.”