I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 103 Rumors and Nadya's Invitation

When they saw Belinsky's gaze lingering on the paper Mikhail had handed him, Nekrasov and Panayev also became increasingly eager to see what was written on it. However, after a long while, Belinsky still didn't let go of it, and instead seemed to become more and more excited.

Seeing this, Nekrasov and Panayev exchanged a glance, and then both saw the same meaning in each other's eyes: Mikhail had probably taken out one of his most treasured poems.

As fellow poets, Nekrasov and Panaev certainly knew how difficult it was to write a good poem on the spot. Even if inspiration and passion burst forth at the same time, this could only produce the embryo of a truly good work. After calming down, it would definitely need to undergo a period of serious revision and reflection.

Therefore, the two of them were indeed shocked at first, but after thinking about it carefully, they still felt that Mikhail must have copied down the work he had already written before, using it as a reason to persuade Belinsky to go to the sanatorium.

This is even more evident now, since with Belinsky's keen insight and aesthetic sense as an outstanding critic, it's impossible that he would be surprised for so long by an ordinary poem.

However, even if a work is written in advance, it is very rare for it to be so good that it can leave others stunned.

How much more is Mikhail hiding?

And why is it that every poem he writes is excellent? Has he never written a bad poem?

What poet hasn't written bad poems?

Thinking of this, Nekrasov and Panaev, both poets, couldn't help but exchange a glance, and a pang of sadness welled up in their hearts.

Nekrasov, in particular, had published his first collection of poems when he was seventeen, hoping to turn his career around with it. However, it failed to attract the attention of the cultural circles in St. Petersburg and was even attacked by several tabloids to the point that he lost his mother.

Fortunately, Belinsky took notice of the matter out of curiosity and read Nekrasov's poetry collection. He was speechless for a long time, and the next day he wrote a special review criticizing the collection, directly mocking it as "romantic doggerel".

The reason it's considered a good thing is that Nekrasov found every word of Belinsky's commentary to be true, and he felt satisfied after being criticized. As a result, he unconsciously moved closer to Belinsky, which led to the events that followed.

However, now that he is about to have money, Nekrasov has actually begun to reclaim his collection of poems, preparing to destroy it all at once.

Now that he's already a boss, Lao Nie naturally wants to be a respectable person too.

While feeling a pang of bitterness, Nekrasov and Panayev had also privately speculated about Mikhail's poetry output. Such a low volume of work, yet such high quality, suggested only one truth: Mikhail had also written many bad poems, but he was too embarrassed to admit it and had simply hidden them away!
That's the guess, but Nekrasov carefully observed every time he went to Mikhail's house, and he never found a single discarded manuscript. To protect his reputation, he actually hid it to this extent, Mikhail, you rascal.

As these thoughts raced through Nekrasov's mind, Belinsky finally handed over the seemingly freshly written manuscript with trembling hands. Although Nekrasov had high expectations, the beginning of the poem still startled him:
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Old age should burn and roar at dusk;

"Rebuke! Rebuke the passing of the light!"

These three lines alone have already drawn people into an inspiring call, encouraging them to fight against the passage of time, illness, and even death, or something more.

Why can't the "outrage at the passing of light" be extended to the current social reality?
The first sentence refers to an elderly person or someone whose heart is corrupt. The following sentences progress in layers, showing the attitude that wise people, good people, madmen, and serious people should have when facing the passing of light. Images such as "thunder and lightning," "bay," "sun," and "meteor" further strengthen this feeling.

This allows the poem to gradually rise from concrete sensory experience to a universal and eternal grand realm, thus acquiring a broader meaning!

After reading it twice with great excitement, Nekrasov was itching to read it himself. After hastily obtaining Mikhail's permission, he passionately recited the poem aloud.

While reciting the poem, Nekrasov was still feeling excited, but he also suddenly realized a problem: the poem seemed to have a problem with the rhyme scheme!
If it were a novice, Nekrasov would certainly think that the other person had made a basic mistake, but the person who wrote this poem was Mikhail!

His first two poems had an almost unparalleled perfect rhythm. How could someone like that make such a basic mistake?
But if this poem was written in a hurry, then all of this seems to make sense!

Could it be that Mikhail really...
Mikhail, suddenly feeling Nekrasov's fanatical gaze: "???"

Although you've looked at me like that many times before, this time it's just too frightening!
No way, you really think I wrote this on the spot? I'm just bragging!

In fact, Mikhail spent a lot of time on this poem, mainly because the difficulty lay in translating the English into Russian while still maintaining the rhythm.

Mikhail translated it himself first, and the result was not bad, but there were indeed a few syllables that were not quite right. Because he had other things to do, Mikhail had not yet had time to ask others for help.

But what about Nekrasov's reaction?

Upon realizing this, Mikhail explained, "It's not something I wrote on the spot; I've been thinking about it for a long time."

Faced with Mikhail's rambling explanation, Nekrasov neither nodded nor shook his head, but simply gave Mikhail another deep look.

Mikhail: “???”

Just as Mikhail was completely bewildered, Belinsky finally awoke from the tremor he had felt from the poetry. He believed he had grasped the emotion Mikhail was trying to convey, and so he said, half sighing and half excitedly:

“You know Mikhail, it’s not easy to get a frail patient to admit that they have a problem, especially since I still have so many things to finish!”
I want to see our magazine's voice reach more people, and I want to continue the work I was unable to finish. I have long been preparing to write a magnum opus to analyze the current state and future trends of Russian literature and society! But my health condition often reminds me of one thing: do I really still have the time and plans to complete these plans?
Perhaps that's why I'm afraid to see doctors, afraid to hear from them that I can no longer work like this! And just like your attitude in this poem, how can illness and death be eliminated by submission and avoidance?

I will face my physical condition squarely, confront it, resolve it, and then work even better! And I think your poem is definitely more than just that.”

Mikhail: “.”

Is recuperation just for better burnout? And the analysis that follows doesn't seem quite right.

Although things had developed somewhat beyond their expectations, Nekrasov and Panayev were both happy and excited to see that Belinsky had decided to cooperate with the treatment. Mikhail thought for a while and naturally showed a relieved smile.

In any case, the outcome was ultimately good.

Just for the next few days.
Because poetry spread quickly and because the circle in St. Petersburg was small, the very next day, Mikhail heard someone say to him:
"Respected Mikhail, I heard you've written another fine poem!"

Faced with such words, Mikhail, who was already somewhat used to it, naturally just smiled and waved his hand modestly.

On the fourth day, Mikhail heard others say:
"I heard that in order to persuade Belinsky to take good care of his illness and face his physical condition more positively, you wrote a wonderful poem in just one day to encourage him. What a noble act!"

Mikhail: “?”

One day? That's a bit too short.

Oh well, that's how rumors often are; they always distort themselves when they spread.

On the sixth day, Mikhail encountered a fanatical young man in his office, who then shouted:

"Dear Mr. Mikhail! I heard that you wrote a beautiful poem in less than a minute, without even moving! Is that true? No! I shouldn't have asked that! How could I question you?!"

Mikhail: “???”

No, no, no, you should be more questioning.
In short, Mikhail explained to the young man again that the rumors were false and unconvincing, and that it would not have taken that long to clarify them. He also hoped that the young man could help him clarify the situation.

After Mikhail explained, he thought the matter was almost over, but not long after, Nekrasov came knocking on his door and immediately asked, "Mikhail, I saw the articles in those St. Petersburg newspapers. They all say that you are trying to create a barbaric and chaotic poetic style that destroys traditional rhythms! This poem is just a test, and in my opinion, it's complete nonsense. It's clearly something you haven't even had time to revise yet."

Mikhail: “?”

Is it this dark?

However, it must be said that Mikhail has become a semi-top figure in St. Petersburg's cultural scene recently, and many people are paying more or less attention to him. Naturally, some people are unwilling to let go of such a rare opportunity.

However, because the poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" is indeed good, even good enough that some people overlook the problem of rhyme and will not directly attack Mikhail for it: "He can't even rhyme properly, and he calls himself a poet!"

The attack wasn't very effective, especially with other rumors circulating about it. So some people thought about it and decided to change their approach to attacking from the angle of "disrupting tradition."

Of course, it didn't generate much buzz, since the poem is basically rhymed, with a clear rhythm and cadence. But for some magazines, they'd try to capitalize on it, because can't they see that magazine sales have increased significantly after such an article was published?!
Mikhail was about to chime in when he saw Nekrasov looking somewhat angry, but then he paused, as if remembering something, and blurted out, "So, Nikolai, what do you think of poetry that doesn't adhere to rhyme? Can good works still be written in that style? In other words, will free verse emerge?"

Whether in the East or the West, early poetry was often dominated by rhymed verse. In Europe, free verse gradually emerged and transitioned into works after the 19th century, but it was only with Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" in 1855 and the works of the French poet Rimbaud a little later that it became more clearly reflected.

Therefore, Nekrasov was stunned when Mikhail said such a thing at this particular time.

If anyone else had said this, Nekrasov might have thought it was nonsense, but since it was Mikhail who said it, Nekrasov really had to think about it carefully.

Mikhail seemed to have mentioned something about symbolism before, so what about this time?
When Nekrasov started brainstorming, Mikhail, who had only mentioned it casually, didn't think much of it. But after recalling the rumors he had heard recently, Mikhail's lips twitched involuntarily.

Hopefully the rumors will stop soon. Seriously, is the person in the rumors even human?

During the time that Mikhail's poems and rumors about them were circulating, a young woman who always paid attention to news about Mikhail naturally heard about it from an acquaintance.

Upon hearing the details of the news, the young woman involuntarily opened her mouth wide, then listened blankly as her acquaintance recounted the details of Mikhail's poetry writing process, details so detailed that it was as if she were standing right next to Mikhail watching him write.

Nadya didn't think too much about it. She just listened to Mikhail in the story, completely absorbed. It took her a long time to come back to her senses after the story was over, and an excited blush appeared on her fair face.

"How incredible! I must ask him myself when we meet in a few days!"

As she said this, the girl's face seemed to blush a little more.

Previously, Mikhail had been too busy with various things to attend any banquets, but no matter how busy he was, there was always an opportunity. So, a few days ago, thinking about how he had stood up several times, Mikhail readily accepted the young lady's invitation.

However, before coming, Mikhail had to check the status of the latest issue of the magazine.

In that case, the young woman will soon be able to see the sequel to that novel.

What will it look like?

I'm really looking forward to it!
(End of this chapter)