Hamlet by Boris Pasternak

The murmurs ebb;onto the stage I enter.
I am trying, standing in the door,
To discover in the distant echoes
What the coming years may hold in store.

The nocturnal darkness with a thousand
Binoculars is focused onto me.
Take away this cup, O Abba Father,
Everything is possible to Thee.

I am fond of this Thy stubborn project,
And to play my part I am content.
But another drama is in progress,
And, this once, O let me be exempt.

But the plan of action is determined,
And the end irrevocably sealed.
I am alone; all round me drowns in falsehood:
Life is not a walk across a field.

This is a poem by Boris Pasternak, Nobel Prize winner Russian poet. The poem is written from the point of view of Yuri Zhivago, a ficitous character from his novel, Dr. Zhivago. The poet compares ‘Hamlet’ the protagonist of Shakespeare’s play to Yuri in the poem. There are also
references of ‘Agony in the Garden’ from the Bible. Pasternak had a very different context of interpreting this poem. I connect with ‘Hamlet’ in a completely different way. From my point of
view the first four lines of the poem give a clear picture of the situation I am in. “The murmurs ebb; onto the stage I enter…” As I’m about to graduate there have been lots of people who are
curious to know what next. I’ve asked for and have been bombarded with suggestions and ideas by many. Some said go for a career that pays you well some said go follow your heart, the rest will fall in place.
The second line, “I am trying, standing in the door…” Clouded by others thoughts I try to seek what I want, what I’m interested in,what’s my identity. As I see others already having decided their two year plans, three year plans etc I wonder where I would end up being in the next couple of years. Yes it does get slightly intimidating at times to hear about others and sense the difference between me and them. But then there is this voice that keeps on saying, “You’ll do it well, don’t worry you’ll do it pretty well, you are good enough, believe it, it’s just a matter of time for you and you’ll be there”
“The nocturnal darkness with a thousand
Binoculars is focused on me“

Pasternak refers to Yuri’( the protagonist of his novel Dr. Zhivago, which is about a Russian poet living in Russia during the Russian revolution). Here these lines refer to Yuri Zhivago being closely monitored by the communists. The communists kept an eye on anyone who could be
a threat to them, Yuri was one of them. This also draws similarity with Hamlet (protagonist of the Shakespearean play) where he is being closely watched by Polonius, Claudius and his friends.
The next two lines “Take away this cup…possible to thee” reminds me of the chapter in the Bible where Jesus prays to God the day before he was to be crucified. He knew death was coming and he was born to face the day of his crucifixion. But though he was sent by God, he was human, he was fearful of what was about to come. It was in this moment that he prays to God in the garden asking him to ‘take away his cup’. In fact some scriptures say that Jesus was so tensed that he sweats blood on that day. So the cup basically refers to the difficulty or problem that one is going through. Taking a look at my life, I don’t really have a difficulty or problem as such (touch wood) but this feeling of fear and not wanting to face what comes next is not new to me. The anxiety before an exam that I’m not well prepared for, the fear before a submission deadline that
I’m not done with, the tension before results come out, the heart coming to the throat feeling after reaching home late and knowing that I’m going to be yelled at for the same, happens all the time.
The next four lines of the poem, “I’m fond of this project….And this once, O, let me be exempt” seem to be an extension of the previous four lines. Hamlet and Yuri both of them knew what was going to happen in the future and had no choice but to face it. In case of Zuri it was the communists who were behind him.
The last four lines of the poem, “But the plan of action is determined…Life is not a walk across a field”. Hamlet and Zuri realise this and brace themselves to face whatever comes their way. These lines reinforce the fact that come what may Sometimes situations cannot be avoided , sometimes how much ever you try to avoid something, you are forced to deal with it, there is no running away.