The life and work of the great Russian poet and writer M. Yu. Lermontov seem like a bright flash of lightning in a dark sky. This talented man did not live up to 30 years, but still managed to leave behind a great legacy of works saturated with meaning, love for his homeland, nature and his people. Lermontov wrote the poem “The Cliff” in 1841, a few weeks before his death. Although many bibliographers are convinced that the poet knew about the end of his mortal existence on earth, in this work there is not even a hint of goodbye or something like that.
Lermontov composed the poem “The Cliff”, being delighted with the surrounding landscapes. His inner world perceived nature in a special way, the poet treated it as a living being. Although the work is saturated with romance, it cannot be called happy. In just two small quatrains, Mikhail Yurievich was able to convey a deep life meaning.
Most literary critics agree that when writing the poem "Cliff" Lermontov wished to combine the spiritual with the material, to compare divinity, the unearthly beauty of the cloud and the ordinary, the mundane essence of the stone. People often forget about their souls, focusing on the body. The author wanted to recall that it is possible to achieve harmony and be happy , but only by combining these two principles.
Some scholars of the poet’s work interpret the meaning of the poem a little differently. They believe that, writing the "Cliff", Lermontov wished to depict the fate of two people unlike each other. A cloud can symbolize a young beauty full of vitality and happiness. In turn, the cliff is a middle-aged man wise in life experience. Looking at the windy stranger that suits fathers, he clearly understands that his time has passed, joyful days are in the distant past. A man is well in the company of a girl, she brightens up his gray everyday life, but when she leaves for her friends and girlfriends, he only more clearly feels his worthlessness and loneliness, realizing that for him there is no place in the world of young people. A soul can be without a body, it is very happy, returning to another world, but the earth’s shell can’t do without it, it suffers and cries. A vivid contrast between the material and the spiritual world was created by Lermontov. "Cliff" - a poem containing a deep hidden meaning. The cloud is depicted weightless, cheerful and cheerful, but the steep rock is seen by the reader as old, unhappy, tired of life.
M. Yu. Lermontov’s poem “The Cliff” can be called autobiographical to some extent. Of course, the poet was not literally an old man, but even among his peers, he felt like a stranger. Mikhail Yurievich matured very early, his worldview and wisdom show him a wise person with life experience. He was tired of his own life, of the darkness surrounding him. Lermontov could not find happiness, so he could only put up with misunderstanding and doom himself to loneliness.