Russian poetry and Rembrandt

[Olga Meerson]

My favorite is Mandelstam's "Kak svetoteni muchenik Rembrandt..." It is piercing, as concerns both Rembrandt's world and Mandelstam's affinity with him. I find it that Mand. uses the chiaroscuro of Rembrandt's just the same way as he does it in St. Issac's, in his poem "Liubliu pod svodami sedyia tishiny"--as perhaps not terribly enlightening or appealing but the only haven for the tormented souls of his Russian contemporaries. The last two sources of light on Rembrandt's canvesses are implicitly opposed to other sources of light in Rembrandt's own works, I think. (You also have that internal opposition in the St. Isaac's poem). In case your program reads Cyrillic: 

Как светотени мученик Рембрандт...

Как светотени мученик Рембрандт,
Я глубоко ушел в немеющее время,
И резкость моего горящего ребра
Не охраняется ни сторожами теми,
Ни этим воином, что под грозою спят.

Простишь ли ты меня, великолепный брат
И мастер и отец черно-зеленой теми,-
Но око соколиного пера
И жаркие ларцы у полночи в гареме
Смущают не к добру, смущают без добра
Мехами сумрака взволнованное племя.

4 февраля 1937

Hope this helps but will keep looking.
Olga Meerson


----- Original Message -----
From: "Boele, O.F." <O.F.Boele at LET.LEIDENUNIV.NL>
Date: Friday, May 25, 2007 5:53 am
Subject: [SEELANGS] Russian poetry and Rembrandt

> Dear Seelangers,
> 
> I am aware of the irony of a Dutch slavist asking this question, 
> but can
> anyone help me find Russian poetry (other than Joseph Brodsky's) that
> mentions or alludes to the work of Rembrandt? Any suggestions will be
> highly appreciated. 
> 
> Otto Boele
> 
> 
> Dr. Otto Boele
> Slavic Department
> University of Leiden
> P.O. Box 9515
> 2300 RA Leiden
> The Netherlands
> Tel. +31-71-5272085
> 
> 
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