Interpretation of the image of a dervish in the play-tale by Nikolai Gumilyov "Child of Allah"

The article is devoted to the analysis of the genetic origins of the dual interpretation of the image of the dervish in N. Gumilev's fairy tale play "The Child of Allah". The presence of oriental - Arabic and Persian - characters, compositional and thematic components in it encourages us to clarify their origins. The poet chose an ascetic Dervish as one of the key characters of the play. In the finale, another character, Hafiz, is named a dervish who "changed his ministry". The study shows that N. Gumilev borrowed both versions of the interpretation of the dervish, as well as the image itself, from Persian classical poetry, more specifically from religious and mystical lyrics formed in the literary practice of Muslim Sufi mystics. The first type of them goes back to edifying poetry, in which the dervish, a poor sage and hermit, serves as a standard of behavior. Another type - "poor reveller", "drunken dervish" (according to Gumilev), has an allegorical interpretation and is associated with the idea of knowing God through an ecstatic state of unity with Him. The results of the analysis confirm N. Gumilev's extraordinary ability to creatively synthesize elements of "alien" poetic traditions, but also his deep, purely scientific insight into their essence. Combining two images of the dervishes of the Persian Sufi tradition in the plot of the play, describing the harmonious relationship of the two heroes, the Russian poet, who had the gift of penetrating into various religious worlds, expressed his ideal of wisdom as a poetic service in uniting God and the world, truth and beauty.