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The Don Motives in the Work of Serghei Yesenin

Feather grass is sleeping. The valley dear,

And wormwood of lead freshness.

These unique lines are supposed to be induced by the impressions of the Don steppes which the poet was able to see while travelling by train through the Don country. It is quite possible.

Unlike Mayakovsky, who made his poetical performances in the Don country 13 times, Yesenin visited the southern towns of the Don country only 4 times. Besides, according to Viktor Pakharin, a biographer of Yesenin, the poet did not like Rostov. For instance, in his letter of February, 1922, to his friend, a poet, A.Marienhof, he said: ”Rostov is an incredible stuff, mud, slush…” However, as a true Russian man he was interested in the Don freemen and the rollicking warriors’ glory which had been accompanying the Don men since old times. It can be clearly seen in the poet’s work.

In 1914, he wrote the poem “Us” dedicated to the life of the Don ataman, Vasily Rodionovich Us, who starting from 1666, together with his Cossacks got into conflict with Moscow, then joined Stepan Razin movement.

The Don is mentioned in Yesenin’s poem “The Song of the Great Campaign” several times. Another poem, “Pugachov” is completely devoted to the well-known Don Cossacks, the leader of the peasant uprising, who had been previously noted by Pushkin. Yesenin expressed the attitude of ordinary people to Yemelian Pugachov in the words of one of the rebels, Khlopusha (Afanasy Sokolov), whose monologue the poet liked to recite.

In his famous poem “Anna Sneghina “Yesenin writes about the 4^th Don Cavalry Corps of general K.K.Mamontov in August– September, 1919, when during the Civil War the Denikinists in the rear of the Reds really reached the Ryazan country.

At present, according to V.Pakharin, “the streets in Bataisk, Donetsk, Zernograd, Azov, Belaya Kalitva are named after the poet”.

It should be noted that M.A.Sholokhov was  fond of S.A.Yesenin’s poetry and knew many of his poems by heart. At the time when the poet’s work was considered disagreeable in our country, the author of “The Quiet Don” appealed with his letter to the director of “Khudozhestvennaya Literatura” Publisher, A.K.Kotov: ”Why not to publish a book about Yesenin? A big Russian poet, but there is not a word about him…” And it was not the only case of his kind participation.

From April, 19, till June, 23, an exhibition “Serghei Yesenin, an Acquaintance of Yours…” heartily laid out by the State S.A.Yesenin Museum-Reserve runs in the People’s House of Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya.

Undoubtedly it will be of great interest, as it is the first time the genius of the Russian poetry is represented in Sholokhov’s home country.

Alexey Kochetov