Russian poet on relations with the west

 

 Remember: “…there can be no alliance between Russia and the West either for the sake of interests or for the sake of principles, that there is not a single interest in the West, not a single aspiration that would not plot against Russia, especially against its future, and that would not try to harm it. And that is why Russia’s only policy towards the Western powers is not an alliance with one or another of these powers, but their disunity, their division. For only when they are disunited from each other do they cease to be hostile to us – out of impotence, of course, never – out of conviction.” 

Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev, 1864

Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev was a Russian poet whose work continues to be studied and admired in Russia and internationally. His poetry often explores philosophical themes such as the relationship between humanity and nature, the nature of love, and the power of fate. He is considered one of the greatest Russian lyric poets of the 19th century, and his work is known for its concise and suggestive language, as well as its vivid imagery.

Tyutchev belonged to the generation of Russian poets who emerged after Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, and he was influenced by the Romantic movement in European literature. However, Tyutchev's poetry has a distinct metaphysical quality that sets him apart from other Romantic poets. He was deeply interested in the mysteries of existence, and his poetry often grapples with questions of faith, doubt, and the meaning of life.

The themes explored in Tyutchev’s work, and the way in which he approached them, prefigured elements of Russian Symbolist poetry that would appear at the end of the 19th century, specifically in the work of Valery Yaklovich Bryusov and Andrey Bely. While he was not widely recognized as a major poet during his lifetime, Tyutchev's reputation grew in the 20th century, as critics and readers came to appreciate the depth and originality of his work.