FOLIA ORIENTALIA — BIBLIOTHECA

VOL. I — 2018
DOI 10.24425/for.2019.126132

Yousef Sh’hadeh
Jagiellonian University
y.sh-hadeh@uj.edu.pl

The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin

and Ivan Bunin: Inspiration, Citation and Intertextuality

Abstract
The Koran became an inspiration to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837),
made obvious in many of his works, such as Imitations of the Koran, The Prophet, and
In a Secret Cave. Pushkin studied the translation of the Koran carefully and used many
verses of its Surahs in his texts. Many of his contemporary poets and followers were
influenced by his poetry, like Ivan Bunin (1870–1953), who continued the traditions of
Pushkin. Bunin repeated many thoughts from Koranic discourse and placed them in his
poems that were full of faith and spirituality. He wrote many of them at the beginning
of the 20th century1, before his emigration to France in 1918, for example: Mohammed
in Exile, Guiding Signs and For Treason. It has been noted that Bunin was quoting
verses from the Koran to create an intertextual relationships between some Surahs and
his poems, showing a great enthusiasm to mystical dimension of Islam. We find this
aspect in many works, such as The Night of al-Qadr, Tamjid, Black Stone of the Kaaba,
Kawthar, The Day of Reckoning and Secret. It can also be said that a spiritual inspiration
and rhetoric of Koran were not only attractive to Pushkin and Bunin, but also to a large
group of Russian poets and writers, including Gavrila Derzhavin, Mikhail Lermontov,
Fyodor Tyutchev, Yakov Polonsky, Lukyan Yakubovich, Konstantin Balmont, and others.

Keywords
Koran, Russian literature, Russian poetry, Alexander Pushkin, Ivan Bunin.

The translation of the Holy Koran from French into Russian had a great impact
in the works of Russian writers and poets of the nineteenth century. It was done by
Postinkov (in 1716), and Veryovkin (in 1790) relying on the translation made by

Makārim al-Ġamrī, Mu’aṯṯirāt ‘arabiyya wa-islāmiyya fī-l-adab ar-rūsī, ‘Ālam al-Ma‘rifa,

1

Al-Kuwayt 1978, p. 205.

158 Yousef Sh’hadeh

the French diplomat Andre Sieur du Ryer2. The Koran became an inspiration to the
Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837), made obvious in many of his works,
such as Imitations of the Koran (Подражания Корану), The Prophet, and In a Secret
Cave (В пещере тайной). Pushkin studied the translation of the Koran carefully and
used many verses of its Surahs3 in his texts. Many of his contemporary poets and
followers were influenced by his poetry, like Ivan Bunin (1870–1953), who continued
the traditions of Pushkin. Bunin repeated many thoughts from Koranic discourse and
placed them in his poems that were full of faith and spirituality. He wrote many
of them at the beginning of the 20th century4, before his emigration to France in
1918, for example: Mohammed in Exile (Магомет в изгнании), Guiding Signs
(Путеводные знаки) and For Treason (За измену). It has been noted that Bunin
was quoting verses from the Koran to create an intertextual relationship between
some Surahs and his poems, showing a great enthusiasm to mystical dimension of
Islam. We find this aspect in many works, such as The Night of al-Qadr (Ночь Аль-
Кадра), Tamjid (Тэмджид), Black Stone of the Kaaba (Черный камень Каабы),
Kawthar (Ковсерь), The Day of Reckoning (Судный день) and Secret (Тайна).
First, let us talk about Pushkin. In the poem In a Secret Cave (В пещере
тайной), written in 1825 and published in 1885 after his death, Pushkin affirms
his passion for the Koran. It seems clear that the poet lives in the atmosphere
of Surah al-Kahf (The Cave), which says in one of its ayahs5: “Now that you
have withdrawn from them, and from what they worship besides God, take
shelter in the cave. And your Lord will unfold His mercy for you, and will set
your affair towards ease”6. Pushkin in his ‘secret cave’ reads the Koran, which
he describes as sweetly. It spreads in his heart calmness and tranquillity:
In a secret cave, on the day of the chase,
I read the sweet Koran,
Suddenly the angel of consolation
Flying, brought me a talisman.
His mysterious power
><
An unknown hand drew
Holy words on him.7

2
Назим ад-Дейрави (Коллектив авторов), Коран и пророк Мухаммед в русской классической
поэзии, Санкт-Петербург 2011, pp. 7–8.
3
A Surah (Arabic sūra) is the term for a chapter of the Koran. There are 114 Surahs in the
Koran, each divided into verses.
4
Makārim al-Ġamrī, op. cit., p. 206.
5
Ayah (Arabic: āya) means “evidence” “sign” or “miracle”. In the context of Islam’s principal
scripture, the Koran, ayah is used to mean “verse”, i.e. each statement or paragraph marked by a number.
6
The Quran [18:16], This and the following ayahs are quoted from: The Quran, (trans.) Talal
Itani, ClearQuran, Dallas – Beirut 2012.
7
А.С. Пушкин, Собрание сочинений: В 20 т., vol. 2, Художественная литература, Москва
1947, p. 475.
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 159

The influence of the Koran is present in Pushkin’s imagination, which

is what inspired him to write. For example, in the poem The Fountain of
Bakhchisarai (Бахчисарайский фонтан), in the fragment entitled Tartar Song,
he recounts the story of the Tartar khan Gyari, who was preoccupied with
his Polish captive princess, and neglected his Georgian wife, Zarima. Pushkin
describes the case of this wife who went to this Polish woman begging to leave
her husband. She required her to swear an oath, but the important thing here
is that Zarima told her that because of the Koran she forgot her previous faith,
in which she grew up. She says that the religion of her mother is the same
religion of her Polish rival:

Then yield him up to me, I pray,

Or by contempt, repulse, or grief,
Turn from thy love th’ ungenerous chief!
Swear by thy faith, for what though mine
Conform now to the Koran’s laws,
Acknowledged here within the harem,
Princess, my mother’s faith was thine,
By that faith swear to give to Zarem
Giray unaltered, as he was!8

The poem, entitled The Prophet (Пророк), is inspired by what Muḥammad

attends to his followers, and it intertexts with some of the meanings of the
Koran, which are mentioned in verses from several Surahs as Fāṭir (Originator),
al-Ḥiğr (The Rock), al-Anfāl (The Spoils), and al-Muddaṯṯir (The Enroped). This
intertextuality shows the passion of the poet to read the translation of the Koran
and using its thoughts in his poetry. In the first verse of Surah Fāṭir, the image
of the angels is shown with multiple wings: “Praise be to God, Originator of
the heavens and the earth, Maker of the angels messengers with wings—double,
triple, and quadruple. He adds to creation as He wills. God is Able to do all
things.”9. This picture was used by Pushkin as follows:

Longing for spiritual springs,

I dragged myself through desert sands ...
An angel with three pairs of wings
Arrived to me at cross of lands;
Longing for spiritual springs,
I dragged myself through desert sands ...
An angel with three pairs of wings
Arrived to me at cross of lands;

8
Alexander Pushkin, The Fountain of Bakhchisaray, Delphi Classics, 2017.
9
The Quran [35:1].
160 Yousef Sh’hadeh

With fingers so light and slim

He touched my eyes as in a dream:
And opened my prophetic eyes
Like eyes of eagle in surprise.10

In the poem of Pushkin, the hero of the lyricist talks about the incision
into his chest by a sword. This is inspired by the story that is mentioned in the
hadith11 of the Prophet that the angel slapped Muḥammad’s chest in his youth,
but did not mention in the Koran:

With his sharp sword he cleaved my breast,

And plucked my quivering heart out,
And coals flamed with God’s behest,
Into my gaping breast were ground.
Like dead I lay on desert sands,
And listened to the God’s commands:’12

Pushkin also quotes the first verses of Surah al-Muddaṯṯir (The Enroped)
which says: “O you Enrobed one. Arise and warn. And magnify your Lord. And
purify your clothes. And abandon abominations. And show no favour seeking
gain. And be constant for your Lord.”13. He says:

“Arise, O prophet, hark and see,

Be filled with utter My demands,
And, going over Land and Sea,
Burn with your Word the humane hearts.”14

The greatest influence of the Koran in Pushkin’s poetry is evident in his work,
Imitations of the Koran, which includes nine poems written in exile in the Russian
countryside in 1824. Pushkin was in a bad psychological state15 because of the
oppression of the Tsar and the aristocratic society. These poems were dedicated
to his neighbour in exile P.A. Osipova16. It seems that what prompted the poet to
shape his text’s meaning by ayahs of the Koran and quote words and phrases from

10
Alexander Pushkin, The Prophet, trans. Yevgeny Bonver, January 1996: https://www.
poetryloverspage. com/poets/pushkin/prophet.html.
11
A hadith (Arabic: ḥadīṯ, plural: aḥādīṯ) is one of various reports describing the words, actions,
or habits of the Prophet Muḥammad.
12
Alexander Pushkin, The Prophet.
13
The Quran, [74:1–7].
14
Alexander Pushkin, The Prophet.
15
Ǧumāna Ṭāha, Būškīn: šā‘ir al-insāniyya al-ẖayyira, Al-Mawqif al-Adabī, 421/May, 2006,
Dimašq, p. 182.
16
Ṭāriq Mardūd, Aliksandir Būškīn: al-Qaṣā’id aš-šarqiyya, Dār ‘Alā’ ad-Dīn, Dimašq 1999, p. 26.
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 161

it, is the admiration for the eloquence of the Holy Book of Islam and its unique
style, despite the poor translation of it into French and Russian. Pushkin swears
like Allah swears in his Koran, but the method of oath is different. The poet uses
the verb “swear” while in the text of the Koran does not find such an act, but
there is one letter “wa” which gives the meaning of “swear”. This kind of oath
is used also in daily Arabic dialects. It is clear that the poet is very impressed by
the style of swearing in the Holy Book of Islam and by things that Allah swears.
These are things He has created himself, and He makes people reflect deeply on
them to discover their significance and symbolism in human life. But perhaps the
most striking thing for Pushkin is the aesthetics of rhythm, rhyme and harmony
in words and meanings, which are written in an eloquent style. The Imitations of
the Koran begin with Koranic rhythms and a luscious atmosphere imitating Surahs
al-Fağr (The Dawn) and aḍ-Ḍuḥā (Morning Light), that capture the attention of the
listener. In al-Fağr, Allah says: “By the daybreak. And ten nights. And the even
and the odd. And the night as it recedes.”17. In the other Surah we read: “By the
morning light. And the night as it settles.”18. Pushkin quotes these verses in this way:

I swear this oath by near and far

[literary trans.: I swear by the couple, and even]
And by the sword that kills and quickens,
[literary trans.: I swear by the sword and the right-hand battle]
I swear it by the morning star,
And by the prayer when darkness thickens19
[literary trans.: I swear by the sunset prayer]

After these verses, Pushkin draws inspiration from the story of the Prophet
Muḥammad, which is mentioned in Surah at-Tawba (Repentance). God reminds
him of how he protected Muḥammad and his victory when he was forced to
leave Mecca and migrate to the city by road through the desert. Pushkin, in
his poetic way, describes verse 40 of Surah at-Tawba, which says: “If you
do not help him [the Prophet], God has already helped him, when those who
disbelieved expelled him, and he was the second of two in the cave. He said
to his friend, ‘Do not worry, God is with us’. And God made His tranquillity
descend upon him, and supported him with forces you did not see, and made
the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the Word of God is the
Highest. God is Mighty and Wise.”20. The meaning of this verse became the
inspiration by the poem of the Russian poet as follows:

17
The Quran [89:1–4].
18
Ibidem, [93:1–2].
19
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations of the Koran, trans. Ants Oras, The Sewanee Review,
vol. 80/2,1972, p. 276.
20
The Quran [9:40].
162 Yousef Sh’hadeh

I shall not leave thee: did I not

Find for thy heart a quiet haven
And guard thy head and save thy lot
From watchful malice, sly and craven?
And did I not in desert days
Assuage thy thirst and, gentle-minded,
Empower thy tongue to show the ways
Of mighty justice to the blinded?
So go and follow truth and teach,
Despise the evil that dissembles,
Be bold and, loving orphans, preach
My Koran while Creation trembles.21

In the second poem of Imitations of the Koran, Pushkin talks about the
wives of the Prophet Muḥammad, quoting verses from Surah al-Aḥzāb (The
Confederates) such as in ayah 32, which says: “O wives of the Prophet! You
are not like any other women, if you observe piety. So do not speak too softly,
lest the sick at heart lusts after you, but speak in an appropriate manner.”22.
Pushkin refers to the Prophet’s women, just as God turned to them in his Koran,
emphasizing the general meaning contained in the verses of al-Aḥzāb, but in his
own poetic language, which himself chooses from the Koranic ayahs:

Oh, you, the Prophet’s women, graced

With purity above all others,
Dread even the shade of vice: it smothers
The bliss of quiet, clear and chaste.
Live modestly: the guarding veil
Of the unwedded tells the tale
Of minds reserved for pure embraces
And lawful joys, serene and shy;
And never shall the cunning eye
Of infidels behold your faces.23

The poet talks about the guests of the Prophet and how to come to his
house and deal with him and his women. All of this is summarized by verse 53
of surah al-Aḥzāb, which says: “O you who believe! Do not enter the homes of
the Prophet, unless you are given permission to come for a meal; and do not
wait for its preparation. And when you are invited, go in. And when you have
eaten, disperse, without lingering for conversation. This irritates the Prophet,

21
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 276.
22
The Quran [33:32].
23
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 277.
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 163

and he shies away from you, but God does not shy away from the truth. And
when you ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a screen; that is
purer for your hearts and their hearts. You must never offend the Messenger
of God, nor must you ever marry his wives after him, for that would be an
enormity with God.”24. But Pushkin writes the meaning of this verse as follows:

And you, Mohammed’s guests, who find

My Prophet quiet in devotion,
Beware, beware, lest word or motion
Of worldliness disturb his mind.
Beware of empty talk and bridle
Immodest tongues, profane and idle;
Respect the peace of thought he craves
And humbly share his feast, allowing
Due deference and chastely bowing
Before his graceful women slaves.25

Pushkin ends this poem by saying that Muḥammad’s wives are young slaves.
This description is not compatible with the biography of the Prophet and does
not exist in the Koran. Some of his wives were much older than him, and all of
them were not slaves. Perhaps Pushkin was influenced by a poor translation of
the Koran, which might have interpreted some words inaccurately. For example
ayah 50 of al-Aḥzāb shows that the Prophet had wives and women “granted
to him by Allah”, but not slaves: “O Prophet! We have permitted to you your
wives to whom you have given their dowries, and those you already have, as
granted to you by God, (…) and a believing woman who has offered herself to
the Prophet, if the Prophet desires to marry her, exclusively for you, and not for
the believers. We know what We have ordained for them regarding their wives
and those their right-hands possess. This is to spare you any difficulty...”26.
Another ayah of that Surah says that the women of Muḥammad should remain
“obedient to God and His Messenger”: “O wives of the Prophet! Whoever of
you commits a proven indecency, the punishment for her will be doubled. And
that would be easy for God. But whoever of you remains obedient to God and
His Messenger, and acts righteously, We will give her a double reward; and
We have prepared for her a generous provision.”27. The word ‘obedient’ here
is translated from the Arabic verb ‘qanata’, but perhaps it was translated into
Russian in the sense of ‘slavery’ according to the French translation of the
Koran. Because of that Pushkin used this word with the wrong meaning.

24
The Quran [33:53].
25
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 277.
26
The Quran [33:50].
27
Ibidem, [33:30–31].
164 Yousef Sh’hadeh

The third poem is inspired by the first verses of Surah ‘Abasa, which says
that the Prophet did not pay attention to the poor blind old man when he came
to ask to learn from him. But he listened to a rich man seeking to take him to
believe in him and God. Allah in the Koran admonished the Messenger gently
saying: “He frowned and turned away. When the blind man approached him. But
how do you know? Perhaps he was seeking to purify himself. Or be reminded,
and the message would benefit him. But as for him who was indifferent. You gave
him your attention. Though you are not liable if he does not purify himself. But
as for him who came to you seeking. In awe. To him you were inattentive.”28.
Inspired by these verses the great poet of Russia describes some aspects of
Muḥammad’s character as understood by reading the translation of the Koran:

The Prophet, deeply frowning, heard

The blind man come. Disturbed and weary,
He fled, lest Vice that doubts the Word,
Assail his mind with idle query.
The heavenly copy of the Book
Is thine, but, Prophet, not for scoffers:
Declare the Koran’s peace, but look
Past those who spurn the truth it offers.29

Pushkin continues taking quotations and phrases from the Surah ʻAbasa,
which speaks about the nature of the human, and God who preferred to give
him many blessings. But Man is arrogant and forgets the grace of the Creator as
stated in the Koran: “Perish man! How thankless he is! From what did He create
him? From a sperm drop He created him, and enabled him. Then He eased the
way for him. Then He puts him to death, and buries him. Then, when He wills,
He will resurrect him. But no, he did not fulfil what He has commanded him.
Let man consider his food. We pour down water in abundance. Then crack the
soil open. And grow in it grains. And grapes and herbs. And olives and dates.
And luscious gardens. And fruits and vegetables.”30. The poet writes as follows:

What does man boast of? Is he proud

Of being born in naked meekness?
Of lying helpless in his shroud?
Of all his days and ways of weakness?
Of dying by the will of God?
Of resurrection at His leisure?
Of owing Him these years that plod

28
Ibidem, [80:1–10].
29
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 278.
30
The Quran [80:17–31].
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 165

In fear and hope, in pain and pleasure?

Of bread and dates and olives’ oil
And all the fruit his garden yielded
Because God’s blessing helped his toil
In fields and vineyards that He shielded?
Twice shall the Angel’s trumpet call
And lightning strike when horror smothers
This crumbling world, till kin shall fall
From kin and sons forsake their mothers.
And all, the just and the unjust,
Shall stream to God and shrink with terror,
And showers and clouds of flame and dust
Shall drown iniquity and error.31

In the fourth poem of Imitations of the Koran, Pushkin draws inspiration

from the story of Abraham with Nimrod, which is mentioned briefly in verse
258 of Surah al-Baqara (The Heifer) as follows: “Have you not considered
him who argued with Abraham about his Lord, because God had given him
sovereignty? Abraham said, ‘My Lord is He who gives life and causes death.’
He said, ‘I give life and cause death.’ Abraham said, ‘God brings the sun from
the East, so bring it from the West,’ so the blasphemer was confounded. God
does not guide the wrongdoing people.”32. Here we find Pushkin to be consistent
with this verse, but it provides a text filled with philosophy and reflections on
the Creator and his genius:

With Thee, Almighty, an ambitious

And powerful lord of kingdoms vied,
Consumed with madness, vain and vicious,
But, God, Thy word subdued his pride.
Thou saidst: “My will gives life and takes it,
My bounty makes, my wrath unmakes it,
I raise my hand to star and sphere.”
And he: “I, too, give life and take it,
My will that grants it, can unmake it,
I, godlike, stand Thine equal here.”
Thus spoke his pride. To crush and burn it,
Thine answer struck. His boasting ceased:?
“I make the sun go westwards. Turn it
And force its glory to the east!”33

31
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 278.
32
The Quran [2:258].
33
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 279.
166 Yousef Sh’hadeh

In the fifth text of Imitations of the Koran we find quotations of the Koran
and inspiration for the meanings of the verse 10 of Surah Luqmān: “He created
the heavens without pillars that you can see, and placed stabilizers on earth
lest it shifts with you, and scattered throughout it all kinds of creatures. And
from the sky We sent down water, and caused to grow therein of every noble
pair.”34. In his poem Pushkin says similar words:

Earth moves not; Heaven, the many-vaulted,

Soars, overarching sea and land.
It does not crush or quell us, halted
By Thy, the Maker’s, guarding hand?35

The poet describes the great power of God and His light that shines on the
universe, and speaks about His mercy. The words of Pushkin come from Surah
an-Nūr (The Light) and exactly verse 35, which says: “God is the Light of the
heavens and the earth. The allegory of His light is that of a pillar on which is
a lamp. The lamp is within a glass. The glass is like a brilliant planet, fuelled
by a blessed tree, an olive tree, neither eastern nor western. Its oil would almost
illuminate, even if no fire has touched it. Light upon Light. God guides to His
light whomever He wills. God thus cites the parables for the people. God is
cognizant of everything.”36. Pushkin says:

The hand that lit the day-star, sending

Through Heaven and Earth its seas of light,
Like oil in crystal cressets lending
Day’s radiant boon to worlds of night.
Pray to the Mighty, the Creator:
He rules the winds, He guides the rains
To thirsty lands. No might is greater:
His trees give shade to burning plains.
His mind is merciful; we owe Him
Mohammed and His Koran’s gift.
Oh may we see the light to know Him
And may the mists that blind us, lift!37

The sixth text of Imitations of the Koran takes the invasions and wars of
the Muslims as a subject that includes a variety of information mentioned in
many ayahs of the Koran. It speaks about victory in the battles and those who

34
The Quran [31:10].
35
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 279.
36
The Quran [24:35].
37
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 279.
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 167

did not go to fight and their greed. Perhaps in Pushkin’s mind remained what
he had read in Surah al-Fatḥ (Victory), especially verse 15, which speaks about
those who lag behind the call of the Prophet to fight: “Those who lagged behind
will say when you depart to collect the gains, ‘Let us follow you.’ They want
to change the Word of God. Say, ‘You will not follow us; God has said so
before.’ Then they will say, ‘But you are jealous of us.’ In fact, they understand
only a little.”38. Pushkin presents this issue as follows:

No, not in vain I dreamed of late:

Heads shaved all over, weapons flushing
With blood, you fought your battle, rushing
At moat and turret, wall and gate.
So, children of our flaming spaces,
Hear now this voice of triumph: Slake
Your thirst for warlike spoils, and take
The captive maids and share their graces!
For you have conquered: yours is fame.
But those, too faint of heart, who, shirking
The call, distrusted wonder-working,
Prophetic dreams, shall writhe with shame.
Now that they see the spoils before you
They, craving to erase the blot,
Beg: Take us with you! They implore you,
But you shall answer: We will not.39

The poet ends his speech by talking about the fate of the martyrs who
were killed in the battles, stressing what the Koran repeats in many verses that
Paradise and eternal bliss are waiting for these martyrs in the way of Allah.
For example, Surah Āl ʻImrān (Family of Imran), which says in its verses: “Do
not consider those killed in the cause of God as dead. In fact, they are alive, at
their Lord, well provided for. Delighting in what God has given them out of His
grace, and happy for those who have not yet joined them; that they have nothing
to fear, nor will they grieve. They rejoice in grace from God, and bounty, and
that God will not waste the reward of the faithful.”40. Another example of the
Koran, of Surah al-Fatḥ (Victory), from which Pushkin quotes about the fate
of those who obey Allah and His Prophet, and those who fight for Islam that
they will enter paradise and enjoy its grace: “There is no blame on the blind,
nor any blame on the lame, nor any blame on the sick. Whoever obeys God

38
The Quran [48:15].
39
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 280.
40
The Quran [3:169–171].
168 Yousef Sh’hadeh

and His messenger – He will admit him into gardens beneath which rivers flow;
but whoever turns away – He will punish him with a painful punishment.”41.
Pushkin presents these ideas this way:

Blest he who fell in fight: forever

Shall Eden’s heavenly bowers be his,
And he shall drown in joys, and never
Shall any pain disturb his bliss.42

In the seventh poem, Pushkin takes many of the words and phrases of the
first ten verses of Surah al-Muzzammil (The Enwrapped). Allah addresses His
speech directly to His Prophet to guide him to the proper work that must be
followed in this way: “O you Enwrapped one. Arise [to pray] the night, except
a little. For half of it, or reduce it a little. Or add to it; and chant the Koran
rhythmically. We are about to give you a heavy message. The vigil of night is
more effective, and better suited for recitation. In the daytime, you have lengthy
work to do. So remember the Name of your Lord, and devote yourself to Him
wholeheartedly. Lord of the East and the West. There is no god but He, so
take Him as a Trustee. And endure patiently what they say, and withdraw from
them politely.”43. Pushkin sets these verses in his own poetic style as follows:

Rise, timid one, sleep not:

See, here in thy cave
The lamp spreads its sacred
Delight until dawn.
Unburden, O Prophet,
With prayers from thy heart
Thy mind of all sadness,
All cunning of dreams.
Pray humbly, till morning
Brings day to the world,
Read long, until morning,
The office of Heaven!44

In the eighth poem, Pushkin focuses his attention on the teachings of the
Koran, including paying charity to the poor and spending money in favour
of God and Islam. It seems that Pushkin is inspired here by the meanings
of verses from Surah al-Baqara, especially the following ayahs: “Those who

41
Ibidem, [48:17].
42
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 280.
43
The Quran [73:1–10].
44
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 281.
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 169

spend their wealth in the way of God – and then do not follow up what they
spent with reminders of their generosity or with insults – they will have their
reward with their Lord; they have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve. Kind
words and forgiveness are better than charity followed by insults. God is Rich
and Clement. O you who believe! Do not nullify your charitable deeds with
reminders and hurtful words, like him who spends his wealth to be seen by the
people, and does not believe in God and the Last Day. His likeness is that of
a smooth rock covered with soil: a downpour strikes it, and leaves it bare – they
gain nothing from their efforts. God does not guide the disbelieving people.
And the parable of those who spend their wealth seeking God’s approval, and
to strengthen their souls, is that of a garden on a hillside. If heavy rain falls
on it, its produce is doubled; and if no heavy rain falls, dew is enough. God
is seeing of everything you do.”45. Pushkin confirms some of the meanings of
these verses saying:

No, never haggle with your conscience to deceive it:

Faced with pale poverty, give freely to relieve it.
Heaven wants your bounty full and all your gifts unscored.
Then on the Day of Doom, your acres’ generous keeper,
You, blessed sower, shall be reaper:
The Lord will multiply His grace for your reward.
But if, too mindful of your days of toil and drudging,
You stint the beggar’s dole and if your alms are grudging,
You, tightening your fist in jealousy and greed,
Know: all you ever give will be like chaff that moulders!
Like dust that cloudbursts wash from boulders,
It all shall vanish? God will scorn your gift indeed.46

In the last poem of Imitations of the Koran Pushkin talks about the story of
a man – transient in the desert. The poet gives his text an atmosphere full of faith
inspired by the Koran. He quoted words repeated in many Surahs, namely: “God
the owner of the heavens and the earth”, as in this verse of Surah al-Baqara:
“Do you not know that to God belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the
earth, and that apart from God you have no guardian or helper?”47. Also Allah
says in Surah Maryam (Mary) that He is: “Lord of the heavens and the earth
and what is between them. So worship Him, and persevere in His service. Do
you know of anyone equal to Him?”48. Pushkin uses that clause in this way:
“Thus ordered the Lord of the heavens and the earth”.

45
The Quran [2:262–265].
46
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 282.
47
The Quran [2:107].
48
Ibidem, [19:65].
170 Yousef Sh’hadeh

There are meanings taken from the verse 259 of al-Baqara which speaks
of the miracle of creation and the ability of the Lord to revive the dead or make
him sleep long years like the man who passed with his donkey through the empty
village: “Or like the one who passed by a town collapsed on its foundations.
He said, ‘How can God revive this after its demise?’ Thereupon God caused
him to die for a hundred years, and then resurrected him. He said, ‘For how
long have you tarried?’ He said, ‘I have tarried for a day, or part of a day.’
He said, ‘No. You have tarried for a hundred years. Now look at your food
and your drink – it has not spoiled – and look at your donkey. We will make
you a wonder for mankind. And look at the bones, how We arrange them, and
then clothe them with flesh.’ So when it became clear to him, he said, ‘I know
that God has power over all things’.”49. In his text, Pushkin narrates the story
of that transient in the desert and his donkey, quoted by the Koran as follows:

And straight to that palm tree he hurried, and drenched

His eyes in the quickening coolness, and quenched
The fever and torment that numbed and encumbered
His tongue, and lay down by his she-ass, and slumbered…
And years without number passed over his sleep.
Thus ordered the Lord of the height and the deep.
[literary trans. Thus ordered the Lord of the heavens and the earth]
At last, at the hour he was destined to wake,
A voice from on high made the slumbered quake:
«How long hast thou slept in these desolate places?»
He answered: «The sun shone on yesterday’s spaces
Of desert, some hours after daylight was born.
My slumber has lasted from morn until morn.»
He heard: «No, thou, friend, hast slept more than a day.
Look: then thou wert youthful, and now thou art grey.
The palm tree is gone with the well that it shaded,
The sparkle of whispering water has faded;
It died of the sand storms, the glare of the sky.
The bones of thy she-ass are whitened and dry.»
(…)
Life thrilled through the bones of the she-ass, and made
Them cover with flesh, and they shuddered and brayed.
Exultant, the wanderer rose, and, bestowing
New vigour of youth, a high rapture shot glowing
And fresh through his bloodstream; and, deeply restored,
Devoutly he went on his way with the Lord.50

49
Ibidem, [2:259].
50
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 283.
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 171

The writings of Pushkin inspired by the meanings of the Koran attracted

the attention of his contemporaries and Russian writers, poets, critics, travellers,
artists and diplomats who came after. They used Pushkin’s inspiration creatively
in their masterpieces of poetry, and art over a century. Among them was the
winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Ivan Bunin (1870–1953) who was
fascinated with the Koran and quoted many elements of stories from the Holy
Book of Islam in his poetry. Before traveling to the Orient, Bunin studied the
Koran based on the Russian translation. It is known that Bunin always carried
the Koran in his suitcase emphasizing its great impact on him51. And influenced
by Sufism, he showed great enthusiasm for the ideas of the Koran such as the
concept of death and life, the fate of Man after death, and faith in the mysteries.
These philosophies had a significant impact on many of Bunin’s poems, from
the title to the content. His texts inspired by the Koranic meanings can be seen
as a continuation of Pushkin’s work Imitations of the Koran.
It can be found in the poetry of Bunin a great interest in the language of
the Koran and its mysteries or what Muslims call i’jaz (i‘ǧāz)52. This is evident
in the poem The Secret (Тайна), which begins with three letters Alif Lām Mīm
(A.L.M.) appearing at the beginning of some Surahs of the Koran such as of
al-Baqara: “Alif, Lam, Mim. This is the Book in which there is no doubt,
a guide for the righteous”53. Interpreters give no explanation of these mysterious
letters except this phrase: “God knows what he meant!”54. The letters Alif Lām
Mīm, are written by the poet with its Arabic pronunciation to make the reader
think about them as something that has very important connotations. In his
poem Bunin talks about these mysterious symbols considering them the secret
of secrets, because of that he entitled this work by this word:

“In the name of God and the prophet.

Read, oh, servant of heaven and fate!
(…)
And he said: “My motto is terrible.
It is the secret of secrets: Alif. Lam. Mim.”.
“Alif, Lam, Mim? But these signs
Are dark as a path in the afterlife darkness:
Muhammad hid their secret...”
“Be silent, be silent! He said sternly.

51
Ibrāhīm Istanbūlī, Siḥr aš-šarq fī-l-adab ar-rūsī, Al-dāb al-Aǧnabiyya, 126, 2006, Dimašq,
p. 124.
52
In Islam, i‘ǧāz or inimitability of the Koran is the doctrine which holds that the Koran has
a miraculous quality, both in content and in form, that no human speech can match. Cf.: Muṣṭafā
ar-Rāfi‘ī, I‘ǧāz al-Qur’ān wa-l-balāġa an-nabawiyya, Dār al-Kitāb al-‘arabī, Bayrūt 1973.
53
The Quran [2:1–2].
54
Ǧalāl ad-Dīn al-Maḥlī, Ǧalāl ad-Dīn as-Suyūṭī, Tafsīr al-Ǧalālayn, Dār Ibn Kaṯīr, Dimašq 1987.
172 Yousef Sh’hadeh

There is no god in the world, except God,

Stronger secrets – there is no strength.
No strength – stronger than the secret.”55

In the poem For Treason (За измену), Bunin puts under the title a sentence
from the Koran, «Remember those who abandoned their homeland for fear of
the horror of death». He quoted the verse 243 of Surah al-Baqara: “Have you
not considered those who fled their homes, by the thousands, fearful of death?
God said to them, ‘Die’. Then He revived them. God is Gracious towards the
people, but most people are not appreciative.”56. In his poem, Bunin is inspired
by some of the meanings of surahs al-Qiyāma (The Resurrection) and al-Insān
(Man). Harmony is clear between this poem of Bunin and verses 24–25 of
al-Qiyāma: “And faces on that Day will be gloomy. Realizing that a back-
breaker has befallen them.”57. Bunin says:

Their Lord destroyed for treason unhappy country,

He dotted the fields by bones their bodies and skulls.
The prophet resurrected them: he asked them for the Lord’s life.
But the earth does not forgive the shame of the earth.
Two legends about them I read in the legends of the East.
The first is merciful: Resurrected fell in battle.
But the other is cruel: to the grave, according to the word of the prophet,
Resurrected lived in a deserted and wild land.
On the day of the rising from the dead, their clothing became black,
As a sign that on them – a gravestone decay trace,
And to the grave their faces, inclined to the bit in grief,
Preserved leaden, cold, lifeless colour.58

Bunin dedicates one of his poems entirely to the personality of the Father
of Prophets, Abraham, and he interprets what was written about him in Surah
al-Anʻām (Livestock), especially in verses 75–79. The poet presents the image
of Abraham – the believer in the Lord with a clear mysticism that can be found
in the Holy Book of Islam. He writes under the title of the poem, a quotation
referring to the sixth surah of the Koran, i.e. al-Anʻām which says: “Thus We
showed Abraham the empire of the heavens and the earth, that he might be
one of those with certainty. When the night fell over him, he saw a planet. He
said, ‘This is my lord.’ But when it set, he said, ‘I do not love those that set’.

55
Иван Бунин, Собрание сочинений в шести томах, vol. 1. Стихотворения, Москва,
Художественная литература, 1987, trans. Y. Sh’hadeh.
56
The Quran [2:243].
57
Ibidem, [75:24–25].
58
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 173

Then, when he saw the moon rising, he said, ‘This is my lord.’ But when it
set, he said, ‘If my Lord does not guide me, I will be one of the erring people’.
Then, when he saw the sun rising, he said, ‘This is my lord, this is bigger.’
But when it set, he said, ‘O my people, I am innocent of your idolatry. I have
directed my attention towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth –
a monotheist – and I am not of the idolaters’.”59. Let us compare these verses
with the poem by Bunin entitled Abraham (Авраам):

Abraham was in the desert on a dark night

And I saw a star in heaven.
“Here is my Lord!” He exclaimed. But at midnight
The star has gone – and its light has faded.
Abraham was in the desert before dawn
And saw the ascending moon.
“Here is my Lord!” He exclaimed. But the moon
Faded and went down like a star.
Abraham was in the desert in the early morning
And hands to the sun joyfully spread out.
“Here is my Lord!” He exclaimed. But the sun
Ended the day and went down into the night.
And God told Abraham the right way.60

In the introduction to the poem Guiding Signs (Путеводные знаки), Bunin

wrote the following sentence “He makes guiding signs – Koran”, quoting from
the meanings of the verses 15–16 of Surah an-Naḥl (The Bee) where Allah says:
“And he cast mountains on the earth, lest it shifts with you; and rivers, and
roads, so that you may be guided. And landmarks. And by the stars they guide
themselves.”61. These meanings can be also quoted from one of verses of Surah
az-Zuḫruf (Decorations), where God says: “He who made the earth a habitat for
you, and traced pathways for you on it, that you may be guided.”62. The poet
talks about the story of Hagar and her son Ismail after they were left in the
barren land by the Prophet Abraham. Although the Koran does not mention that
story directly, it can be found in the Prophetic hadith63 of Muḥammad. We find
the reference that was adopted by Bunin in his poem is found in Surah Ibrāhīm
(Abraham), specifically verse 37, which says: “Our Lord, I have settled some of
my offspring in a valley of no vegetation, by Your Sacred House, our Lord, so

59
The Quran [6:75–79].
60
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
61
The Quran [16:15–16].
62
Ibidem, [43:10].
63
Ibn Ḥaǧar al-ʿAsqalānī, Fatḥ al-Bārī, Kitāb Aḥādīṯ al-anbiyā’, Dār ar-Rayyān li-t-turāṯ, Miṣr
1986, pp. 462–468.
174 Yousef Sh’hadeh

that they may perform the prayers. So make the hearts of some people incline
towards them, and provide them with fruits, that they may be thankful.”64. In
Guiding Signs, Bunin says:

God enlivened the way through the sands,

from Gaza to Arima, with signs, like in old times.
Greetings to you, the stones are the pilgrim rosary,
(...)
God led Hagar in the desert!
And strewed all the roads by bones,
As a trace of hyenas among the gorges of Ti.
Greetings to you, resting in God,
Paving the paths for us!65

The poem Kawthar (Ковсерь) is inspired by Surah al-Kawṯar (Plenty)

beginning with the title to its end. Bunin used the title for his poem the Koranic
word al-Kawṯar, but at times can find this poem entitled Mirage in Russian
works. The poet originally used that Arabic word written in Russian letters, and
does not translate it into Russian, maybe because it is difficult to find a suitable
meaning for it in other languages. Or because Bunin meant by this word the name
of a river in Paradise66 when he said in his poem: “The river of all rivers, azure
Kawthar flows”. It is important to affirm here that Arabic commentators of the
Koran explained the meanings of al-Kawṯar in different ways and ambiguously.
Under the title of the poem, Bunin translated into Russian the first verse of
that Surah: “We have granted you, al-Kawthar”67. This poem is full of Koranic
atmosphere that is expressed by the Arabic vocabulary used by the poet such as
the word Saqr which means (Hell), Ğanna (Paradise) and Allāh (God). Bunin
ends his poem with the words “pray – and believe”. The word “pray” has
a magnificent sense in Koranic text; it follows the word al-Kawṯar, and comes
at the beginning of the second verse of short Surah al-Kawṯar, which consists
of only three ayahs: “So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]”68. The
Russian poet in the poem Kawthar says:

And the skies here are incredibly blue,

And the sun in them is like hell fire, Saqr.

64
The Quran [14:37].
65
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
66
In one of his hadiths, the Prophet Muḥammad said about the Kawṯar: “While I was walking
in Paradise, I saw a river, on the two banks of which there were tents made of hollow pearls. I asked,
‘What is this, O Gabriel?’ He said, ‘That is the Kawṯar which Your Lord has given to you...”. Cf.: Ibn
Kaṯīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, vol. 8, Dār Ṭība, Ar-Riyāḍ 1999, p. 499.
67
The Quran [108:1].
68
Ibidem, [108:2]
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 175

And in the hot hour, when the mirror mirage

Merges the whole world in one great dream,
In a boundless splendour, beyond the brink of a sad land,
He takes his soul to the gardens of Jannat.
And there, behind the fog,
The river of all rivers, azure Kawthar flows,
And portends tranquillity all the land, all tribes and countries
Be patient, pray – and believe.69

Bunin pays attention to the biography of the Prophet Muḥammad, which

is mentioned in certain verses of the Koran, in which one of them is verse 40
of Surah at-Tawba, which was quoted by Pushkin in Imitations of the Koran.
Based on this ayah, in the poem Muḥammad in Exile (Магомет в изгнании)
Bunin describes the Prophet’s grief and suffering after he had to flee to escape
the Quraysh70. Bunin, however, portrays the prophet as follows:

Spirits flew over the desert

At dusk, above the stony valley.
His sorrowful words sounded,
As a source, forgotten by God.
In the sand, barefoot, with open breasts,
He sat and spoke, yearning:
“I am devoted to the wilderness and the desert,
I am cut off from all those whom I love!”
And the Spirits said: “It is unworthy
To be a weak and tired prophet”.
And the prophet sadly and calmly
Answered: “I complained to the rocks”.71

The poem Satan to God (Сатана Богу) is inspired by what is stated in

some Surahs about the story of Satan and his argument with the Lord that he
will not prostrate to Adam. He is from fire and Adam from clay. Under the
title of the poem, Bunin puts the following quotation from the Koran: “And
when we said to the angels: fall down prostrate before Adam, everyone fell,
except Iblis, created from the fire”. This quotation is taken from verse 34 of
Surat al-Baqara and from verses 11–12 of Surah al-Aʻrāf (The Elevations).

69
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
70
The Quraysh (Qurayš) were a tribe that historically inhabited and controlled Mecca and
its Ka‘ba. The Prophet Muḥammad was born into the Banū Hāšim clan of the Quraysh tribe. The
polytheistic Quraysh opposed the monotheistic message preached by Muḥammad, and harassed members
of the nascent Muslim community. To escape persecution, Muḥammad and his companions, immigrated
to Medina.
71
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
176 Yousef Sh’hadeh

Allah says in al-Baqara: “And We said to the angels, ‘Bow down [Prostrate] to
Adam’. They bowed down [Prostrated], except for Satan [Iblis]. He refused, was
arrogant, and was one of the disbelievers.”72. In al-Aʻrāf Allah says more about
Satan: “We created you, then We shaped you, then We said to the angels, ‘Bow
down before Adam’; so they bowed down, except for Satan [Iblīs]; he was not
of those who bowed down. He said, ‘What prevented you from bowing down
when I have commanded you?’ He said, ‘I am better than he; You created me
from fire, and You created him from mud [clay]’.”73. Bunin begins his poem
with the words of Satan:

I am from fire, Adam is from dead clay,

And you tell me to fall before Adam!
(…)
Look: your Adam is embraced by me!
I’ll burn this clay, and like a potter,
I will give it hardening and sound.74

The poem Tamjid (Тэмджид – Ar. Tamǧīd), which is entitled by in Arabic

word and used also in the text, intended to glorify God and praise him. We
find under the title the sentence: “He does not sleep, he does not feel sleepy”,
taken from ayah 255 of Surah al-Baqara: “God! There is no god except He,
the Living, the Everlasting. Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. To Him
belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth..”75. Bunin repeats
the word tamjid in his text:

In the quiet old town Skutari,

Every time, as it should
Be in the middle of the night, – is distributed
A sad and pensive Tamjid.
In the middle between early morning
And the evening dusk
Dervishes rise and on the tower
Sing ancient hymn, holy Tamjid.76

Bunin begins a poem entitled Law (Закон) with the Koranic phrase “In
the name of God” as Muslims begin reading each surah of the Koran. Although
Muslims usually use the full sentence “In the name of Allah, the Gracious,

72
The Quran [2:34].
73
Ibidem, [7:11–12].
74
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
75
The Quran [2:255].
76
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 177

the Merciful”, the poet here does not mention Allah by name, but uses the
word ‘God’. He describes Him as the immortal and the all-good, which are
the attributes of God in the Koran. Bunin refers in his text to Surah al-Ğumu‘a
(Friday), specifically verse 5, which says: “The example of those who were
entrusted with the Torah, but then failed to uphold it, is like the donkey carrying
works of literature. Miserable is the example of the people who denounce God’s
revelations. God does not guide the wrongdoing people.”77. Bunin says:

In the name of God, eternally all-good!

He, who gave a reed for writing,
Said: guard the written word
And do what the language promised.
By adopting the law, accept its chains.
Or alienate – or respect with all your soul:
Do not be a donkey who is carrying books
Only because they are told to carry.78

In the poem The Poor (Нищий), the poet draws a mystical atmosphere
of faith inspired by the verses of Surah aṭ-Ṭūr (The Mount), which say: “So
patiently await the decision of your Lord, for you are before Our Eyes; and
proclaim the praises of your Lord when you arise. And glorify Him during the
night, and at the receding of the stars.”79. Bunin puts under the title a sentence
quoted from these two verses as follows: “Praise with the receding of the stars”,
then makes his poem saturated with meanings and expressions of those ayahs:

All the gardens are in the dew, but the nests are warm –
Sweet birdy babble, half asleep.
Praise – the stars go away,
Hermon became red beyond the mountains.
And then, happy, barefoot,
With a cup sit under the willow wattle:
The world is on the dusty road!
Praise, brethren, the new god’s day!80

Bunin shows his interest in the Night of al-Qadr (Decree), which is celebrated
by Muslims. He composed a poem inspired by Surah al-Qadr (Decree), in which
Allah says: “We sent it down on the Night of Decree. But what will convey to
you what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand

77
The Quran [62:5].
78
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
79
The Quran [52:48–49].
80
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
178 Yousef Sh’hadeh

months. In it descend the angels and the Spirit, by the leave of their Lord, with
every command. Peace it is; until the rise of dawn.”81. Bunin entitles his text
as Night al-Qadr, leaving the word al-Qadr in its Arabic pronunciation instead
of its meaning: ‘decree’ or ‘destiny’. Under the title Bunin puts a quotation
from Surah al-Qadr containing the following sentence: “In this night angels
come down from heaven”. The poet writes about this wondrous night and thus
redefines some of the meanings of Surah al-Qadr in his own Sufi way:

Night of Al-Qadr. Converged, merged vertices,

And higher up to the sky erected their turban.
The mu’adhins82 sang. Ice floes still glowing,
But from the gorges, the cold of darkness is already breathing from the valleys.
Night of Al-Qadr. On the dark mountain slopes
Still descend, the clouds puff up.
The muezzin sang. Before the Great Throne
The Diamond River is already flowing, smoking.
And Gabriel – inaudible and invisible –
Bypasses the sleeping world. Lord bless
The invisible path of the holy pilgrim
And give your earth a night of peace and love!83

After pointing out and explaining the Koranic impact in the poetry of
Pushkin and Bunin, it can be emphasized that Pushkin was influenced by the
Koran and his great rhetoric, considering his verses as a poetry full of wonderful
images and bold poetic expressions. As he noted in his remarks in the margin of
Imitations of the Koran when he commented on one of the verses of the Koran
as following: “Bad physics; but what bold poetry!”84. But this does not diminish
the influence of the ideas of the Holy Book of Islam and its moral judgments
on Pushkin, he says in the margin of the beginning of his work mentioned
above, explaining: “The ‘godless’, writes Mohammed (in the Surah ‘Reward’),
‘consider the Koran a medley of new lies and ancient fables’. This view held
by the ‘godless’ is doubtless correct; even so, many moral truths are stated in
the Koran with force and poetry. A few free imitations are herewith offered to
the reader. In the original Allah everywhere speaks in his own name whereas
Mohammed is referred to only in the second or third person.”85. Unlike Pushkin,
Bunin was more convinced of the ideas of the Koran and more influenced

81
The Quran [97:1–5].
82
A mu’adhin (Arabic: muʾaḏḏin) is the person appointed at a mosque to lead and recite the
call to prayer for every event of prayer and worship in the mosque.
83
Иван Бунин, op. cit.
84
Alexander Pushkin, Imitations…, p. 279.
85
А.С. Пушкин, Полн. собр. соч., vol. 2, Л., Наука, 1977, p. 193.
 The Koran in the Poetry of Alexander Pushkin and Ivan Bunin... 179

by its spirituality. Undoubtedly, he was more familiar than Pushkin with the
principles of the Holy Book of Islam. This is clear by his knowledge of the
words of the Koran in Arabic, some of which were the titles of his poems or
incorporated in the texts as noted in the verses presented above. It can also
be said that a spiritual inspiration and rhetoric of the Koran were not only
attractive to Pushkin and Bunin, but also to a large group of Russian poets
and writers, including Gavrila Derzhavin, Mikhail Lermontov, Fyodor Tyutchev,
Yakov Polonsky, Lukyan Yakubovich, Konstantin Balmont, and others.

References
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Miṣr.
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