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''Poltava'' () is a narrative poem written by Aleksandr Pushkin in 1828-9 about the involvement of the Ukrainian Cossack hetman Ivan Mazepa in the 1709 Battle of Poltava between Sweden and Russia.〔A note on spelling: ''Mazeppa'' is a historical spelling, but both Pushkin and modern Russian use ''Mazepa'', which this article will also use. Contemporary English usage typically uses ''Mazepa'' for the historical personage and maintains ''Mazeppa'' for historical depictions such as Byron's poem''.〕 The poem intertwines a love plot between Mazepa and Maria with an account of Mazepa's betrayal of Tsar Peter I and Peter's victory in battle. Although often considered one of Pushkin's lesser works and critiqued as unabashedly imperialistic, a number of critics have praised the poem for its depth of characterization and its ability to synthesize disparate genres. The poem inspired Tchaikovsky's 1884 opera ''Mazeppa''. ==Outline of the poem== The poem opens with an epigraph from Byron's 1819 ''Mazeppa'', which depicts the Hetman as a Romantic hero, exiled from Poland for conducting a love affair with a married noblewoman. Pushkin follows this epigraph with a passionate dedication to an anonymous loved one. The first edition carried a foreword () in which Puskhin objects to the heroic presentation of Ivan Mazepa in works by other writers and his intention to correct them by depicting him as he actually was.〔Pushkin states "some writers wanted to make him () a hero of liberty... no-one has depicted him as an old coward who turned pale at the sight of an armed woman... it would be better to set out and explain the true character of the rebellious hetman and not distort his true historical personage. (писатели хотели сделать из него героя свободы, нового Богдана Хмельницкого.... Некто в романической повести2) изобразил Мазепу старым трусом, бледнеющим пред вооруженной женщиною, . Лучше было бы развить и объяснить настоящий характер мятежного гетмана, не искажая своевольно исторического лица. ) Pushkin, 31 January 1829, "Predislovie k ''Poltave''", ''cited in Sobranie sochinenii A.S. Pushkina v desiati tomakh'', ed. S. M. Bondi. Moscow. Available online at http://www.rvb.ru/pushkin/02comm/0791.htm.〕 The poem itself is divided into three parts - or "songs" () - of roughly equal length. Part I opens by setting the scene in the estate of the nobleman Vasily Kochubei, and describing the beauty of his daughter Maria. Maria has fallen in love with the Hetman Mazepa, who is her godfather and much older than she is: therefore they keep their love secret. However, they are quickly discovered, and are forced to elope, which brings shame on the family and leaves their parents scared. The narrative then switches to a description of the political trouble in Ukraine: there is a significant support for a break with Russia; Mazepa is supporting the rebels. Kochubei vows to take revenge upon Mazepa for breaking the bond of trust between them and eloping with Maria. He has remained loyal to the Tsar and sends a messenger to denounce the Hetman to the Tsar. Most of Part II is written as a dramatic dialogue in the tradition of closet drama. Mazepa is focused on his plans to rebel against the Tsar, and Maria is worried that he no longer loves her. He asks her to promise that she would always choose him over her father, but declines to tell her of his betrayal of the Tsar. Meanwhile, Kochubei has been captured by the rebels and he is tortured and interrogated by Orlik. The rebels demand to know where he has hidden his money but he declines to reply. Maria's mother comes to find her and help her save her father; but they arrive too late: Kochubei has already been executed. Mazepa is tormented on discovering Maria's disappearance and sets out to look for her. Part III switches back to a single third-person narrator. Mazepa's mental and physical health is failing and he falls for the last rites, while King Charles XII of Sweden is preparing for battle against Peter I. Peter I and his cavalry arrive and defeat the Swedish army and the Ukrainian rebels. Mazepa does little fighting and flees the battlefield as fast as he can. He finds he can no longer sleep and sees Maria again, although the poem leaves it unclear whether this is a hallucination or an actual event. In a memorable passage, Maria no longer recognizes him, because she sees him for what he truly is: a ridiculous and horrible old man. The poem closes with a reflection by the narrator after one hundred years, claiming that while Mazepa is now forgotten, Peter I, the hero of the battle, has created an enormous monument for himself. The narrator tells us that he does not know the fate of Maria. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Poltava (poem)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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