"The poet died ..." Lermontov's verse "The death of the poet." To whom did Lermontov dedicate Death of a Poet?

Pushkin and Lermontov are two names that have the right to be nearby for several reasons. Firstly, they are equal in art. Moreover, History itself ordered that the death of one became a springboard to the all-Russian popularity of the other.

Two Geniuses

When in 1837, learning about the fatal duel, the mortal wound, and then the death of Pushkin, Lermontov wrote the mournful “The poet died ...”, he himself was already quite famous in literary circles. The creative biography of Mikhail Yuryevich begins early, his romantic poems date from 1828-1829. He is growing rapidly as a rebel lyricist, a tragic, byronic warehouse. His love poems - “Beggar”, “At your feet ...” and many others, revealing to the reader the deep drama of Lermontov’s experiences are especially remarkable. Yes, and civil, revolutionary, poetry deserves great attention. Apprenticeship time for Mikhail Yurievich was short. Well-known writers respond with respect and predict a great future. And Lermontov considers Pushkin his idol, spiritual Teacher and Mentor. Therefore, with such pain as about personal loss, he writes: "The poet died ..."

Legends and rumors

Personally, they were not familiar - did not happen. Although historians and biographers, bit by bit collecting information about great people, much still remains unknown. So in our case - who knows - maybe some facts unknown earlier will be revealed, and it turns out that the poet, that is, Pushkin, died, yet at least once having managed to shake Lermontov’s hand or spread a friendly word with him. At least they had many common friends. Gogol and the Karamzins family, Zhukovsky and Smirnova-Rosset, Odoevsky. Even the younger brother of Alexander Sergeyevich, the restless hang of Levushka, bowed to Lermontov in Pyatigorsk and witnessed a quarrel between Michel and the Monkey, his sworn “friend” and his future murderer Martynov. There are indirect rumors that both geniuses still saw each other - at a small social party at Vsevolzhsky. However, Mikhail Yuryevich did not dare to approach his idol, he was embarrassed, and Pushkin was always distracting someone ... So the Poet died, without talking with his future successor about the main thing, about what was the meaning of life for both: Creativity. But it is known for certain that Pushkin repeatedly noted strength and depth, brilliant signs of Lermontov’s high talent.

History of creation

So, the beginning of February 1837 shocked Petersburg, Moscow, and then the whole of Russia with two events of perhaps equal importance. The first is that "The sun of Russian poetry has set," that Pushkin has died. And the second is the work “Death of the Poet”, which was distributed in the lists and memorized by heart, flashed with lightning over the northern capital. Lermontov’s verse, which became a guilty verdict of secular mob and announced that a new, uncrowned king had ascended the poetic throne. Apparently, Lermontov began working on the work as soon as he heard rumors of a fatal duel and injury. The first edition dates from February 9 (January 28), when there was still a hope that Pushkin would survive. Although, anticipating the tragic denouement, Mikhail Yuryevich ends with the phrase "And on his lips the seal ...".

“The death of the poet” (Lermontov’s poem) is supplemented by the following 16 lines on February 10, when it becomes known that Pushkin is no more. It was then, as the journalist Panaev subsequently noted, that Lermontov’s work began to be copied tens of thousands of times, to be memorized.

“A poet in Russia is more than a poet!”

The popularity of the poem reached such a level that it was reported to "the greatest persons." The emperor’s reaction followed immediately - a house arrest, and then another link to the “hot spots” in the Caucasus. Lermontov was ill at that time, therefore he was not sent to the guardhouse. But his friend Raevsky, who found a text during a search, was indeed arrested and sent to the Olonets province. Why so cruel disgrace? For a principled human and socio-political position. After all, to whom did Lermontov dedicate the Death of a Poet? Not just an amazingly talented writer Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, no! Russian art has always been generously gifted with talents, and the Russian land will not be scarce by them to this day. For Lermontov, Pushkin’s work is a challenge to spirituality and slavery, a breath of fresh, clean air, free, not polluted by servility, baseness and meanness. And Pushkin himself is called paradoxically for sure: “The poet died! - the slave of honor has fallen ... ”In Lermontov, these two words are synonyms. A true poet, from God, by his nature does not have the ability to lie, to act disgustingly, contrary to conscience and high moral concepts. As the friends of the deceased spoke of the work, “the poems of Mr. Lermontov are beautiful; they could be written by someone who himself knew well and loved our Pushkin. ”

Historical meaning

The poem "Lost poet" Lermontov occupies a special place in Russian literature. In fact, this is the earliest and most powerful from the point of view of a work of art, poetic generalization assessment of Pushkin - his "wondrous genius", of national significance for Russia. At the same time, the fact of its writing is an indicator of Lermontov’s national identity in person, his civic, moral and political position. As critic Druzhinin wrote, Mikhail Lermontov was not only the first to mourn the poet, but also the first to dare to throw an “iron verse” in the face of those who joyfully rubbed their hands and mocked the tragedy that had happened. "The king is dead - long live the king!" - this is how one could designate a public outcry about the great mystery of history related to the death of Alexander Pushkin and the fact that “the poet died” (Lermontov’s poem) put him among the first writers of Russia.

Poem genre

The Death of a Poet is both a solemn ode and a hard satire. The poem contains, on the one hand, rave reviews about the personality of the great Pushkin. On the other hand, angry and impartial criticism of his detractors, a secular society led by the emperor and closest dignitaries, police chief Benckendorf, a host of critics and censors who did not want lively, sincere, freedom-loving and wise, humane and enlightening thoughts and ideals to penetrate into society. So that they occupy the minds and souls of young people who are under the yoke of political reaction. Emperor Nikolai never forgot about the events of December 14, 1825, when the throne of the Russian sovereigns staggered. No wonder “The Death of the Poet” he unambiguously assessed as an appeal to the revolution. Odic lines are written in a solemn, “high” style and contain appropriate vocabulary. Satirical are also sustained in strict aesthetic canons. Thus, Lermontov achieved surprisingly harmonious unity with genre diversity.

Composition of the poem

“The Death of the Poet” is a poem with a rather complex and at the same time clear, carefully thought out and organized composition. According to its content, several fragments are clearly distinguished. Each is logically finished, distinguished by its style, its inherent pathos and idea. but they are all one and all subject to the general meaning of the work. By analyzing the composition, you can identify the theme and idea of ​​the work.

Theme, idea, problems

The first part consists of 33 lines, energetic, angry, emphasizing that Pushkin’s death is not a consequence of the natural course of events, but a deliberate and deliberate killing of a man who has lonely rebelled against the opinion of the “light”. Death is the retribution for the Poet’s attempt to be himself, to remain true to his talent and code of honor. Lermontov is concise and accurate. Behind a concrete, soulless killer with a “cold heart”, a catcher of “happiness and ranks”, is Fate itself (“a fate has passed a sentence”). In this, Mikhail Yurievich sees the meaning of the tragedy: the “arrogant descendants” of the infamous clans do not forgive accusatory speeches addressed to them. They sacredly honor the traditions of autocracy and serfdom, because they are the basis of the well-being of their past, present and future. And everyone who dares to encroach on them must be destroyed! It doesn’t matter with the hand of the French Dantes or anyone else. After all, Lermontov himself died a few years later from the "Russian Dantes" - Martynov. The second part of the poem (23 lines) is equivalent to a digression. Mikhail Yuryevich does not restrain his mental pain , drawing a deeply personal and dear to him image of Pushkin. The verses are full of poetic figures: antitheses, rhetorical questions, exclamations, etc. The last part (16 lines) is again satire, a terrible warning about the Supreme, Divine court, the court of Time and History, which will punish criminals and acquit the innocent. The lines are prophetic, because this is how it happened ...