Riddles of a Famous Song: Did Stenka Razin Really Drown the Persian Princess

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

At the end of the 19th century, a huge number of Russians were fascinated by the new "pop-hit" "From the Island to the Rod". Ivan Bunin was outraged that he sings this, in his opinion,. Due to the characteristic chanting, this work is most often considered folk, but it has an author - the poem was written by the famous poet Dmitry Sadovnikov at that time. As for the sad fact about which the song tells, historians still argue about it.

The event described in the song was supposed to take place in 1669. In the battle at the Pig Island (possibly not far from modern Baku), Stenka Razin defeated the Persian fleet and took rich military booty. Among other captives, he allegedly fell into the hands of the son and daughter of the Persian commander-in-chief Mamed Khan. The details of 350 years ago are known to us thanks to a foreign traveler. The Dutchman Jan Streis, who was traveling around Russia at that time and personally met with the leader of the free Cossacks, described this incident in his book Three Journeys:

By the way, this evidence is not the only one. The second belongs to Ludwig Fabricius, also a Dutchman, who served as an officer in the Russian army and was captured by the Razins. However, it is very different from the first in details: in Fabritius' Notes, the ataman drowned not in the Volga, but in Yaik, and before that he had already been for a whole year, and the poor thing, allegedly, had already had a child:

It is these discrepancies between the two sources that cause historians to doubt their reliability. It is quite possible that both foreigners simply retold the legends they heard from the Cossacks and added them to their books for the sake of a "catchphrase", wishing to emphasize the savagery of the customs of the Russian hinterland. The surviving historical documents, which could shed light on this story, also do not mention any noble captive. The existence of her brother does not raise doubts among historians - it is known that the son of the Persian military leader, Shebalda, was then handed over to the Russian authorities. In the same year, he wrote a petition to return to his homeland, in which, however, he did not mention any sister. Anyway, the presence of a woman on a Persian military ship seems unlikely to historians. So, most likely, this story is just a beautiful and sad legend.

However, the story of the drowned beauty fell in love and took root. At one time, Pushkin was fascinated by her. The great Russian poet, by the way, considered Razin and in 1826 dedicated three poems to him at once under the general title "Songs about Stenka Razin". In one of them, he also talks about how the chieftain caught and abandoned her. These works of Pushkin were not allowed by the censorship for publication with the following explanation:.

Sadovnikov's poem "From the Island to the Rod", written several decades later, had a much happier fate. Set to music by an unknown author, it has become a truly "folk" piece. This happened largely thanks to one popular performer who sang under the pseudonym Drifter:

(ND Teleshov - poet, writer, organizer of the famous literary circle "Wednesday")

Later, the luminaries of Russian opera performed this song with pleasure. Her fame quickly crossed the borders of our country, and in the middle of the 20th century, she even became one of the symbols of Russia for foreigners. For example, the fascist soldiers, who were clearly not inclined to take an interest in Russian culture, sang with pleasure. And in 1969, "From Beyond the Island to the Rod" was rolling out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the song was sung by the international crew of Thor Heyerdahl. By the way, it was “based on” this work in 1908 that the first Russian film “The Lowest Freeman” was shot. So, probably, this is one of those stories that, even if it did not happen, it would be worth inventing - it fits so well into the character of the riotous chieftain, emphasizes the breadth and incorruptibility of the Russian soul. Well, and at the same time illustrates that for the sake of friends, a real robber will not regret even his beloved princess.

Life full of dangers on a military campaign, of course, did not allow the Cossacks to start full-fledged families. However, over time, their morals softened a little, and many began to acquire families. Read further in the review Who did the free Cossacks take as wives, from whom a strong and distinctive people went