On the Russian Persecution of the Jews
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On the Russian Persecution of the Jews is a 1882 sonnet by English poet Algernon Charles Swinburne, written in response to contemporary reports of antisemitic violence and persecution of Jews in the Russian Empire. It is one of several poems in which Swinburne sharply criticized the policies of the Russian state.
Through biblical imagery and rhetorical questioning, it condemns both religious hypocrisy and antisemitism.
History
The poem has been inspired by Swinburne's reading of the reports in English press about the antisemitism and persecution of Jews in the Russian Empire. The poem debuted in The Daily Telegraph of 25 January 1882 and was reprinted later this year in Swinburne's collection Tristram of Lyonesse and Other Poems.[1]: 203–204
Structure and content
The poem has the structure of a Petrarchan sonnet. It consists of two addresses to Jesus divided by a volta. The speaker first condemns Russian Christians as false followers of Christ before invoking Christ's own Jewish identity and suffering. The poem concludes with a rhetorical question asking whether Christ foresaw the crimes that would be committed against Jews by his professed followers.[2]
Reception
In 1887 On the Russian Persecution of the Jews was selected by William Sharp in 1887 as one of the works reprinted in his anthology Sonnets of this Century.[1]: 258
Monica Partridge described the poem as "compassionate yet bitter".[3]
Analysis
The sonnet conveys its message through biblical imagery.[2] It has been interpreted as an expression of his irreligion,[1]: 203–204 or criticism of religion, using the motif of showing a disagreement between Christ and Christianity.[4]
The poem has been interpreted as an example of Swinburne's "general fury against Russia".[5] It was one of several poems in which Swinburne was highly critical of the Russian Empire (ex. his "The White Czar" from 1878, "Launch of the Livadia" and "‘Russia: An Ode" from 1880), some of the latter even calling for or endorsing the assassination of the Russian tsar, and being subject to critique in the House of Commons.[1]: 203–204 [5][3][6]
The poem has also been interpreted as an expression of Swinburne's "strong beliefs towards helping certain groups of people",[2] or more precisely, philosemitism.[7] The final passage can be interpreted as an indictment of Christian antisemitism and religious hypocrisy.[2]
See also
- History of the Jews in Russia
- May Laws (legal restrictions on Jews enacted in Russia in May 1882)
- Persecution of Jews
- Pogroms in the Russian Empire
