I read it on the scales of a tin fish. V. Mayakovsky - Could you

In About Mayakovsky's poem "I immediately blurred the map of everyday life"

I immediately blurred the map of everyday life,
splashing paint from a glass;
I showed the jelly on the dish
slanting cheekbones of the ocean.
On the scales of a tin fish
I read the calls of new lips.
And you
play nocturne
could
on the drainpipe flute?

It’s not even worth saying that all these attempts at least somewhat clarify the true meaning of the poem, although in O. Kushlina’s interpretation (based on the message that the poem was written on the back of a restaurant menu - a card) there are a number of witty interpretations. I'll give it below the cut.

“This is urbanism, a futuristic still life, nothing more,” concludes Kushlina. However, as mentioned above, attempts to interpret “I immediately smeared” only as an urban landscape, a cubo-futurist manifesto, or poetic cubism, which have been made several times and over many decades, do not explain the poem.

We are offered a superficial layer: the interpreters do not explain in any way the appearance flutes on par with fish and fish metaphors (you should not refer to external similarity and at the same time opposition flute-trumpet), nor the mysterious phrase “I read the calls of new lips,” nor, finally, the fact that Mayakovsky’s poetic rival is invited to play a “nocturne” and not some other piece of music.

Meanwhile, the poem is most transparent. And it is directed against Igor Severyanin. It is in Severyanin that the pastoral, bucolic flute appears in a “fishy” context:

Will you catch sterlets?
And disgustingly narrow pikes, -
Kiss the head of the flute, -
And a gentle sound will flow.

(Idyll, 1909)

Hence Mayakovsky’s “calls of new lips” in fish jelly, polemically addressed to northern fish. From Severyanin, Mayakovsky also borrowed the “nocturne” so beloved by the poet (See. Nocturne, 1908; Nocturne: The orange west turned pale, 1908, etc.). But the polemic here is not only between the aesthetics of “kubo” and “ego” - Mayakovsky does not ignore the clear erotic connotations of the northerner’s “flute head”, ironically inviting his opponent to measure their members:

And you
play nocturne
could
flute drainpipes?

If we remember that 1913 was the time of rivalry between Mayakovsky and Severyanin over Sonechka Shamardina (see Sofya Shamardina, “Futuristic Youth.” The name of this theme: love! Contemporaries about Mayakovsky. M., 1993, etc.), hidden meaning Mayakovsky's poems become completely obvious.

Analysis of the poem “And you could” by Mayakovsky

Mayakovsky's verse “And you could...” most clearly reflects his original talent as a futurist poet. It was written in 1913 and is one of the author's first serious statements about himself.

The poem is small in size, but at the same time oversaturated with complex semantic structures. It begins with a proud demonstration of the author's “I”. Mayakovsky was distinguished by his rebellious character; he was characterized by extreme individualism and a penchant for unusual extravagant antics that shocked those around him. The speed and uncompromising nature of the action is emphasized by the word “immediately.” The lyrical hero draws a sharp line between himself and the everyday life of the world around him. He intends to decisively transform the dullness of “everyday life.”

Complex metaphors (“a dish of jelly”, “slanting cheekbones of the ocean”) used by the author are difficult to perceive. According to classical ideas, they should mean the transfer of the properties of one object to another according to common feature. But Mayakovsky creates metaphors completely arbitrarily, solely according to his own ideas. It does not take into account the similarity of objects, but is based on the effect produced.

At the heart of the work one can only guess the ordinary everyday process of eating. The author strives to magically illuminate this action, to paint it with bright colors. Contrasting myself with the gray mass, lyrical hero creates his own unique world, where “on the scales of a tin fish” one can read “the calls of new lips.”

In the final lines, Mayakovsky addresses a rhetorical question to the readers. Its paradoxical nature makes the answer known in advance. No one will be able to play “Nocturne... on a drainpipe flute.” Only the author is confident in his limitless possibilities. A rich imagination and the ability to always “swim against the flow” are the key to his confidence.

Mayakovsky believed that everything was under his control; there were no boundaries or limits. But in the proud and self-confident tone one can feel the poet’s melancholy from loneliness. The final question is also an attempt to find like-minded people. The poet despised bourgeois society for its lack of imagination and vulgar philistinism. This feeling later made him an ardent supporter of the revolution, the slogan of which was the complete destruction of the old world and the construction of a completely new society. This desire, in turn, led to the poet's disappointment Soviet power, when he realized that he was still a loner, and the people in the mass had not changed at all.

Could you?

I immediately blurred the map of everyday life
splashing paint from a glass;
I showed the jelly on the dish
slanting cheekbones of the ocean.
On the scales of a tin fish
I read the calls of new lips.
And you
play nocturne
could
on the drainpipe flute?

V. Mayakovsky

What is this? I often had a question. And one day I suddenly saw the plot.

Young man. In love. Unrequited. There are options here though. But let's look at this one for now.
There is no hope. I'm tired of everything. This is the map of everyday life.
Where to go? To a restaurant, probably.
There is a dish of jelly and paint in a glass.
After such paint, on a dish of jelly you can easily see either slanted or other cheekbones. Even the ocean. Ocean. Romance. Sail. Element. Eternity. And what about some eccentric girl?

By the way, in those days a restaurant menu was also called a map.

From the window on the opposite building you can see a huge sign in the shape of a tin fish. Even if the abyrvalg is in this building. Doesn't matter. And the fish are straight from that same ocean.

The poet is in love. The scales of a fish appear as inviting lips. There are many of them. But it looks great.
And they call it. Name! Here you can add more paint.

IN drainpipes the rain is noisy. And the poet wants to hear a nocturne. And he hears him. This is what to play.

Could you? - title of the poem.

The poet did it.

And I would like to. Maybe I can someday.

And another option - mutual love - perhaps next time.

Reviews

Good afternoon
Great schedule! I love the work of V.V. Mayakovsky, but this work Especially catchy!
I, of course, lean more towards the second option, because all such lyrics are from unrequited love.
Thank you!

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“Could you?” Vladimir Mayakovsky

I immediately blurred the map of everyday life,
splashing paint from a glass;
I showed the jelly on the dish
slanting cheekbones of the ocean.
On the scales of a tin fish
I read the calls of new lips.
And you
play nocturne
could
on the drainpipe flute?

Analysis of Mayakovsky's poem “Could you?”

The poetry of Vladimir Mayakovsky is particularly sharp and direct. However, in the literary heritage of this author there are sometimes works that have amazing imagery, metaphor and are not devoid of a kind of romance. These, in particular, include the poem “Could You?”, written in 1913 and conveying the author’s special, carefree and upbeat mood.

In a few succinct phrases, Vladimir Mayakovsky paints a gray and mundane picture of an ordinary meal with a classic set of dishes. However, as if by magic, she is transformed, since the poet is able to see “slanting cheekbones of the ocean” in the banal jelly. His desire to embellish the world is so great that all kinds of objects that are at hand are used.

Thus, succumbing to a romantic mood, the poet declares from the very first line that he “immediately blurred the map of everyday life,” hinting that he is annoyed by the routine in everything, even if we are talking about an ordinary dinner. Next, the poet allows himself a clearly hooligan prank, “splashing paint from a glass.” A spilled drink allows Vladimir Mayakovsky, if not to transform the world around him, then at least to make some changes to it, to enliven the dull tablescape and try to find in it grains of joy, celebration, and some kind of magical charm.

His romantic impulse is so swift and exciting that even in ordinary fish scales the poet sees “the calls of new lips.” Every thing and every dish is literally transformed under the gaze of the author, acquiring new meaning and revealing their secrets. And in this rapid comprehension of a new, still unknown world, which is hidden under the mask of dullness and indifference, Vladimir Mayakovsky sees an amazing harmony that fills his heart with joy and a certain childish delight. Therefore, it is not surprising that, in a burst of inspiration, he turns to an unknown interlocutor, or, more precisely, to all readers with the question of whether they could play a nocturne on the “drainpipe flute”?

The question itself sounds very poetic, sublime and romantic. However, the author is convinced that the people around him will understand what he means. we're talking about. After all, it is enough just to take a closer look at the objects around us to see the mysterious charm in them. The main thing is to want in your soul to transform this gray and inconspicuous world, consisting of banalities and conventions. And this is exactly what the poet proposes to do in the hope that in this way he will be able to find like-minded people who, as he assumes, will appreciate that amazing gift, which he throws at their feet. It lies in the ability to transform the world in accordance with your desires and feelings, to see not only the outer shell of things, but also their essence, to unravel their secrets and read them like a fascinating book.

However, despite the fact that the poem “Could You?” written in a very sublime major key, the loneliness from which the poet suffers comes through in bright and figurative phrases. He cannot find understanding among the people around him, so he comes up with fun in the form of searching for non-existent images. Dressed in poetic lines, they become accessible to each of us and seem to bring us closer to the poet, causing some surprise. After all, it is unlikely that anyone in the everyday bustle would come up with the idea of looking for something sublime and romantic among the ordinary and prosaic. However, Vladimir Mayakovsky makes you reconsider your attitude to little things, which allows people to become happier, kinder and more optimistic.