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Poem of the End: Selected Narrative and Lyrical Poetry
This bilingual collection contains six of her acclaimed narrative poems, as well as a selection of lyrics, most translated into English for the first time. Tsvetaeva always regarded the narrative poem as her true challenge, and she created powerful and intensely original works in the genre. They can be seen as markers of various stages in her poetic development, ranging from the early, folk-accented "On a Red Steed" to the lyrical-confessional "Poem of the Mountain" and "Poem of the End" to the more metaphysical later poems, "An Attempt at a Room," a beautiful requiem for Rainer Maria Rilke, "New Year's Greetings," and "Poem of the Air," a stirring celebration of Lindbergh's transatlantic flight and the quest for the soul's freedom.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1923
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About the author
Marina Tsvetaeva
571 books578 followers Марина Цветаева
Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva was born in Moscow. Her father, Ivan Tsvetaev, was a professor of art history and the founder of the Museum of Fine Arts. Her mother Mariya, née Meyn, was a talented concert pianist. The family travelled a great deal and Tsvetaeva attended schools in Switzerland, Germany, and at the Sorbonne, Paris. Tsvetaeva started to write verse in her early childhood. She made her debut as a poet at the age of 18 with the collection Evening Album, a tribute to her childhood.
In 1912 Tsvetaeva married Sergei Efron, they had two daughters and one son. Magic Lantern showed her technical mastery and was followed in 1913 by a selection of poems from her first collections. Tsvetaeva's affair with the poet and opera librettist Sofiia Parnok inspired her cycle of poems called Girlfriend. Parnok's career stopped in the late 1920s when she was no longer allowed to publish. The poems composed between 1917 and 1921 appeared in 1957 under the title The Demesne of the Swans. Inspired by her relationship with Konstantin Rodzevich, an ex-Red Army officer she wrote Poem of the Mountain and Poem of the End.
After 1917 Revolution Tsvetaeva was trapped in Moscow for five years. During the famine one of her own daughters died of starvation. Tsvetaeva's poetry reveals her growing interest in folk song and the techniques of the major symbolist and poets, such as Aleksander Blok and Anna Akhmatova. In 1922 Tsvetaeva emigrated with her family to Berlin, where she rejoined her husband, and then to Prague. This was a highly productive period in her life - she published five collections of verse and a number of narrative poems, plays, and essays.
During her years in Paris Tsvetaeva wrote two parts of the planned dramatic trilogy. The last collection published during her lifetime, After Russia, appeared in 1928. Its print, 100 numbered copies, were sold by special subscription. In Paris the family lived in poverty, the income came almost entirely from Tsvetaeva's writings. When her husband started to work for the Soviet security service, the Russian community of Paris turned against Tsvetaeva. Her limited publishing ways for poetry were blocked and she turned to prose. In 1937 appeared MOY PUSHKIN, one of Tsvetaeva's best prose works. To earn extra income, she also produced short stories, memoirs and critical articles.
In exile Tsvetaeva felt more and more isolated. Friendless and almost destitute she returned to the Soviet Union in 1938, where her son and husband already lived. Next year her husband was executed and her daughter was sent to a labor camp. Tsvetaeva was officially ostracized and unable to publish. After the USSR was invaded by German Army in 1941, Tsvetaeva was evacuated to the small provincial town of Elabuga with her son. In despair, she hanged herself ten days later on August 31, 1941.
source: http://www.poemhunter.com/marina-ivan...
Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva was born in Moscow. Her father, Ivan Tsvetaev, was a professor of art history and the founder of the Museum of Fine Arts. Her mother Mariya, née Meyn, was a talented concert pianist. The family travelled a great deal and Tsvetaeva attended schools in Switzerland, Germany, and at the Sorbonne, Paris. Tsvetaeva started to write verse in her early childhood. She made her debut as a poet at the age of 18 with the collection Evening Album, a tribute to her childhood.
In 1912 Tsvetaeva married Sergei Efron, they had two daughters and one son. Magic Lantern showed her technical mastery and was followed in 1913 by a selection of poems from her first collections. Tsvetaeva's affair with the poet and opera librettist Sofiia Parnok inspired her cycle of poems called Girlfriend. Parnok's career stopped in the late 1920s when she was no longer allowed to publish. The poems composed between 1917 and 1921 appeared in 1957 under the title The Demesne of the Swans. Inspired by her relationship with Konstantin Rodzevich, an ex-Red Army officer she wrote Poem of the Mountain and Poem of the End.
After 1917 Revolution Tsvetaeva was trapped in Moscow for five years. During the famine one of her own daughters died of starvation. Tsvetaeva's poetry reveals her growing interest in folk song and the techniques of the major symbolist and poets, such as Aleksander Blok and Anna Akhmatova. In 1922 Tsvetaeva emigrated with her family to Berlin, where she rejoined her husband, and then to Prague. This was a highly productive period in her life - she published five collections of verse and a number of narrative poems, plays, and essays.
During her years in Paris Tsvetaeva wrote two parts of the planned dramatic trilogy. The last collection published during her lifetime, After Russia, appeared in 1928. Its print, 100 numbered copies, were sold by special subscription. In Paris the family lived in poverty, the income came almost entirely from Tsvetaeva's writings. When her husband started to work for the Soviet security service, the Russian community of Paris turned against Tsvetaeva. Her limited publishing ways for poetry were blocked and she turned to prose. In 1937 appeared MOY PUSHKIN, one of Tsvetaeva's best prose works. To earn extra income, she also produced short stories, memoirs and critical articles.
In exile Tsvetaeva felt more and more isolated. Friendless and almost destitute she returned to the Soviet Union in 1938, where her son and husband already lived. Next year her husband was executed and her daughter was sent to a labor camp. Tsvetaeva was officially ostracized and unable to publish. After the USSR was invaded by German Army in 1941, Tsvetaeva was evacuated to the small provincial town of Elabuga with her son. In despair, she hanged herself ten days later on August 31, 1941.
source: http://www.poemhunter.com/marina-ivan...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 13, 2022
Fucking fuck god motherfucking holy shit what did I just read deserves a separate review this is my review Jesus fucking Christ can’t breathe this is epic ok bye
October 8, 2023
Narratives: fiery, romantic, assertive poems on her muse, the end of an affair, & other poets. Lyrics: personal, caustic, persona, allusive, & combinations thereof.
November 9, 2008
I tried reading the Penguin version of Tsvetaeva years ago, but it read flat for me. My attempt followed my reading of Robert Reeder's impressive biography on Anna Akhmatova. For some reason the fiery, passionate Tsvetaeva I found in those pages, wasn't all that compelling in the available English versions of her work (Penguin edition at least). Whatever. Perhaps at the timeI didn't read it in the right frame of mind. This version read much better for me. Kossman, a Russian-American poet, for me at least, communicates some of that fire. "Some" is probably the best we can hope for, since I get the sense I read somewhere that Tsvetaeva was into reciting her work before an audience. She wrote with that always in mind. There will probably always be a bit of distance between this poet -- and those from other countries reading her in translation. Kossman brings her closer, and for that I'm thankful.
June 2, 2016
by including the original poems, i suppose the translator opens herself up to the kind of criticisms i have .... these were TERRIBLE translations. i ended up using the english versions just for the russian words i didn't know -- and english is my first language. this translation work seemed obsessed with the literal, dictionary definitions of words, instead of focusing on the fact they were POEMS. what came out was joyless, clunky, wordy, and spiritless. every chance the translator had to catch the playfulness or rhythm of the original was squandered. i'm actually a little angry about this.
November 22, 2010
thank you.
January 21, 2015
Marina Tsvetaeva is an elegant example of how not everything was bad in Tsarist Russia. Much of it was quite beautiful and nearly lost forever.
December 16, 2020
This small collection of the brilliant Russian’s poetry seems to work well in English. For her prose, don’t miss Earthly Signs.
December 2, 2025
I don’t know if these should be read in English honestly. A little bit tortured for my taste. The best of the bunch is her poem on Rilke’s death.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews