- from A Conversation with a Tax Collector
Vladimir Mayakovsky was the poet of the Russian revolution. He was indeed the voice of a people in revolt. Mayakovsky lived for revolution. He was a member of the futurists, a group who aimed their whole being at the new industrialized future. The futurists believed they would find glory in war and in the industrial future. They called for new art forms and Mayakovsky answered with his unique style of poetry. The influence of futurism on his poetry can be seen in A Cloud in Trousers. This poems’ originality can be seen in its combination of rebellion and lyricism. It shows the dramatic nature of the poet that shines forth in lines like these: “If you wish, / I shall rage on raw meat; / or, as the sky changes its hue, / if you wish, / I shall grow irreproachably tender: / not a man, but a cloud in trousers!” (Mayakovsky 61). There was certainly no better place than early 20th century Russia for a poet with revolutionary and futuristic ideals. The times gave Mayakovsky a release for his radical temperament. He celebrated and fueled a twilight of the idols that was the fall of Tsarism in Russia. This paper will discuss The Bedbug and Selected Poetry by comparing some of the poetry in reference to how each treat the sentiments of the Russian revolution.
Though The Cloud in Trousers was written prior to his revolutionary period, it represents many of the sentiments that would mark the poetry of the revolution. Mayakovsky moves away from the love themes of the early part of the poem and begins to shout revolution in the ears of the crowd. He calls his fellow countrymen to arms. He knows that faith and prayer will not free them from their torment. The times call for action: “Sinews and muscles are surer than prayers. / Must we implore the charity of the times! / We-- / each one of us-- / hold in our fists / the driving belts of the worlds!” (Mayakovsky 83). An...