The image above is a painting of Joseph Brodsky.
"Сначала в бездну свалился стул" (First, the chair plunged into the void) was written by Joseph Brodsky in 1966. Below is the original Russian text, followed by an English translation.
Сначала в бездну свалился стул,
потом - упала кровать,
потом - мой стол. Я его столкнул
сам. Не хочу скрывать.
Потом - учебник "Родная речь",
фото, где вся моя семья.
Потом четыре стены и печь.
Остались пальто и я.
Прощай, дорогая. Сними кольцо,
выпиши вестник мод.
И можешь плюнуть тому в лицо,
кто место мое займет.
First, the chair plunged into the void,
and later - the bed fell,
then – my table. I wish to avoid
lies. I shoved it myself.
Then – the textbook, “Native speech,”
the family photo, for good.
Then four walls and the oven screeched.
My jacket and I stayed put.
Take the ring off, my darling. I’m gone,
read fashion to fill your days.
And you can spit in the face of the one
coming to take my place.
Joseph Brodsky (Ио́сиф Бро́дский) was born on May 24th, 1940. He was born in Leningrad, Russia. Joseph Brodsky dropped out of school at the age of fifteen, and began writing poetry when he was eighteen. The famous poet Anna Akhmatova (who has had work reviewed on this website) recognized him, and regarded him as the most gifted lyric voice of his generation. However, this success did not come without obstacles. He and his family faced antisemitism. His father lost a coveted position of rank in the Russian Navy because he was Jewish.
In 1964, Brodsky was put on trial in Leningrad for writing "gibberish" instead of what the courts deemed honest work. The trial ended with a sentence of five years of hard labor in a labor camp. Fortunately, fellow artists and writers protested Brodsky’s conviction, and he was released after 18 months. However, his poetry was still banned in the Soviet Union. He was later exiled from the Soviet Union in 1972. Following his exile, Brodsky traveled to London and Vienna before settling down in America. He became a Poet-in-Residence at several prestigious universities, including the likes of the University of Michigan, Columbia University, and Cambridge University in England. He was unique in his ability to write poetry in Russian and translate the works into English himself. He eventually won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987.
"Сначала в бездну свалился стул" (First, the chair plunged into the void) was written by Joseph Brodsky in 1966, soon after his release from the labor camp. This poem was also written towards the end of his relationship with a woman, named Marina Basmanova (Мариа́нна Басма́нова). Brodsky and Basmanova were together from 1962-1972. Although they had 2 children, they never formally married and had several breaks in their relationship. Brodsky proposed to her several times, but she had rejected all of his proposals. These facts explain why the poem has such vivid imagery of emptiness, the void, and mentions “my darling.” It is likely that “my darling” in the poem refers to Basmanova as Brodsky wrote many poems about his love for her. “I’m gone, read fashion to fill your days” indicates the poem was written after one of their breaks. Brodsky then says, “and you can spit in the face of the one coming to take my place.” This furthermore displays his heartbroken feelings and attitude towards Basmanova.
"Сначала в бездну свалился стул" (First, the chair plunged into the void) is a poem that consists of just one stanza. Joseph Brodsky begins the poem with the word “First” which chronologies the poem. He then immediately states that “the chair plunged into the void.” This is followed by the bed and Brodsky’s table also falling into the void. Brodsky’s items falling into the void may be a metaphor for the decay of Brodsky and Basmanova’s relationship. Then he proceeds to lose the bed and his table, and at that point he realizes he must take action in an attempt to salvage the relationship by purging his poor behavior. He states, “I wish to avoid lies, I shoved it myself.” Brodsky blames himself for the state in which he finds his relationship with Basmanova. He then proceeds to list more items that have been lost in the void: a “textbook”, a “family photo”, “four walls”, and the ”oven”. He concludes the stanza by stating that he and his jacket “stayed put,” and “you can spit in the face of the one coming to take my place,” to indicate the couple’s separation.
Overall, "Сначала в бездну свалился стул" (First, the chair plunged into the void) is about the gradual decay of a relationship to its imminent end. Love itself is fluid, it comes and goes. At one moment someone can be so inebriated by love, and in another moment someone may have lost the entire feeling. This poem is a description of one of Brodsky’s many experiences with love. Basmanova and Brodsky‘s relationship came to an end as a result of a loss of love. After 54 years, this poem’s message remains relatable. Everyone encounters love in their lives. This poem is showcasing one of these instances. Brodsky’s message in the poem is that although heartbreaks may be difficult, acts of self-preservation, albeit sometimes not the most cordial, can get you through those tough times. Everyone can relate to one moment of their lives when they may have done something drastic to get through a difficult time, and that is what makes this piece so powerful.
References: