Eugene Onegin · Chapter
XLIII explained
The poet expresses a longing to return to the enchanting landscapes of Italy, particularly the Brenta and the Venetian canals, where he hopes to find poetic inspiration and romantic communion with a Venetian maiden, learning the language of
What happens
The poet expresses a longing to return to the enchanting landscapes of Italy, particularly the Brenta and the Venetian canals, where he hopes to find poetic inspiration and romantic communion with a Venetian maiden, learning the language of love once sung by Petrarch.
Themes in this chapter
The Role of Literature and Art
The poet celebrates the power of art and poetry, invoking Apollo's sons and Petrarch as sources of inspiration and expressing a desire to learn the language of love through poetic tradition.
Characters to notice
- The Muse
The poet invokes inspiration from Apollo's sons, aligning himself with the muse of poetry.
- Alexander Pushkin
The poet speaks in first person, expressing his personal desire to visit Italy and experience its romantic and artistic heritage.
Key passages
“Ye billows of blue Hadria’s sea, O Brenta, once more we shall meet And, inspiration firing me, Your magic voices I shall greet, Whose tones Apollo’s sons inspire, And after Albion’s proud lyre 24 Possess my love and sympathy.”
I will return to the Adriatic Sea and the Brenta River, where the inspiring sounds of nature and poetry, favored by the muses, will captivate me even more than the English poetic tradition.
The poet contrasts the allure of Italian inspiration with the earlier influence of English poetry (Albion's lyre).
“The nights of golden Italy I’ll pass beneath the firmament, Hid in the gondola’s dark shade, Alone with my Venetian maid, Now talkative, now reticent; From her my lips shall learn the tongue Of love which whilom Petrarch sung.”
I will spend Italian nights in a gondola with a Venetian woman, learning from her the language of love that Petrarch once wrote in his poetry.
The poet imagines an intimate romantic encounter that also serves as an education in the poetic tradition of love.