Two centuries of the Russian classics Two centuries of the Russian classics 2686-7494 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2025-7-4-24-49 Research Article Articles The First Ode by M. M. Kheraskov (The History of Creating and the Artistic Structure) Trofimov Artem E. red@rusklassika.ru 25 12 2025 7 4 24 49 M. M. Kheraskov Poltava victory solemn ode Elizabeth Petrovna Land Cadet Corps Peter I Charles XII Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 The article presents a historical and literary analysis of the first ode by M. M. Kheraskov, “On the Solemn Remembrance of Peter the Great’s Victory over the Swedes at Poltava” (1751), dedicated to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Although of considerable interest as Kheraskov’s literary debut, this ode has not been included in any collection of the poet’s works. It appears that the thematic link of the ode to the Poltava victory of 1709 is due to the exceptional significance of this historical event for the cultural ideology of the era of Elizabeth, who was born in the year of the “glorious victory” and emphasized her political continuity with her father. We show that in Kheraskov’s ode, the battle is depicted in a monumental-epic style as a battle of the Christian army with absolute evil. On the one hand, the ode-writer develops the theme of Charles XII’s pride, referring to both images of ancient mythology and the ancient Russian cultural heritage. On the other hand, Kheraskov endows Peter I with attributes of holiness and assigns the Christian virtues of humility and love to the monarch, effectively turning the work into an ode to the first Russian emperor. Alekseeva, N. Iu. Russkaia oda. Razvitie odicheskoi formy v XVII–XVIII vekakh [Russian Ode. Development of the Odic Form in the 17th–18th Centuries]. 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