Lermontov “The Death of a Poet” - analysis and history of creation. Lermontov Mikhail - on the death of the poet Author of the work death of the poet

22.11.2023 | Literature

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 decreed that the death of one became a springboard to the all-Russian popularity of the other.

Two Geniuses

When in 1837, having learned about the fatal duel, 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 back to 1828-1829. He is growing rapidly as a rebel lyricist, of a tragic, Byronic nature. His love poems are especially remarkable - “The Beggar”, “At Your Feet...” and many others, revealing to the reader the deep drama of Lermontov’s experiences. And civil, revolutionary poetry deserves great attention. The apprenticeship period for Mikhail Yuryevich turned out to be short. Established writers speak of him with respect and predict a great future. And Lermontov considers Pushkin to be his idol, spiritual Teacher and Mentor. Therefore, with such pain, as if about a personal loss, he writes: “The poet died...”

Legends and rumors

They didn’t know each other personally - it didn’t happen. Although historians and biographers, bit by bit collecting information about great people, much still remains unknown. So in our case - who knows - maybe someday previously unknown facts will be revealed, and it will turn out that the poet died, i.e. Pushkin, yet at least once managed to shake Lermontov’s hand or exchange a friendly word with him. At least they had a lot of mutual friends. Gogol and the Karamzin family, Zhukovsky and Smirnova-Rosset, Odoevsky. Even Alexander Sergeevich’s younger brother, the restless rake Lyovushka, bowed to Lermontov in Pyatigorsk and witnessed Michel’s quarrel with “Monkey” - his sworn “friend” and his future killer Martynov. There are indirect rumors that both geniuses did see each other - at a small social party at Vsevolzhsky’s. However, Mikhail Yuryevich did not dare to approach his idol, he was embarrassed, and Pushkin was constantly distracted by someone... And so the Poet died, without talking with his future successor about the main thing, about what was the meaning of life for both: about Creativity. But it is known for certain that Pushkin more than once noted the strength and depth, brilliant signs of Lermontov’s high talent.

History of creation

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

“The Death of a Poet” (Lermontov’s verse) is supplemented with the next 16 lines on February 10, when it becomes known that Pushkin is no more. It was then, as journalist Panaev later noted, that Lermontov’s work began to be rewritten tens of thousands of times, learned by heart.

“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 - house arrest, and then another exile to “hot spots”, the Caucasus. Lermontov was ill at that time, so he was not sent to the guardhouse. But his friend Raevsky, whose text was found during a search, was actually arrested and sent to prison. Why such cruel disfavor? For a principled human and socio-political position. After all, to whom did Lermontov dedicated “The Death of a Poet”? Not just the amazingly talented writer Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, no! Russian art has always been generously endowed with talents, and the Russian land is not lacking in them to this day. For Lermontov, Pushkin’s work is a challenge to lack of spirituality and slavery, a breath of fresh, clean air, free, not polluted by servility, baseness and meanness. And Pushkin himself is named paradoxically precisely: “The poet has died! - the slave of honor has fallen...” For Lermontov, these two words are synonymous. A true poet, from God, by nature does not have the ability to lie, act disgustingly, contrary to conscience and high moral concepts. As the friends of the deceased spoke about the work, “Mr. Lermontov’s poems are beautiful; they could have been written by someone who himself knew and loved our Pushkin well.”

Historical meaning

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

Genre of the poem

"The Death of a Poet" is both a solemn ode and a harsh 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 ill-wishers, led by the emperor and his closest dignitaries, police chief Benckendorff, a host of critics and censors who did not want living and sincere, freedom-loving and wise, humane and educational 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 Nicholas never forgot about the events of December 14, 1825, when the throne of the Russian sovereigns shook. It is not for nothing that he unequivocally assessed “The Death of a Poet” as an appeal to the revolution. Odic lines are written in a solemn, “high” style and contain appropriate vocabulary. Satirical ones are also adhered to strict aesthetic canons. Thus, Lermontov achieved a surprisingly harmonious unity with genre diversity.

Poem composition

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

Topic, idea, problem

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 purposeful and deliberate murder of a man who alone rebelled against the opinion of the “world.” Death is retribution for the Poet's attempt to be himself, to remain true to his talent and code of honor. Lermontov is laconic and precise. Behind a specific soulless killer with a “cold heart”, a hunter of “happiness and rank”, stands Fate itself (“the sentence of fate has been fulfilled”). In this, Mikhail Yuryevich sees the meaning of the tragedy: the “arrogant descendants” of clans famous for meanness do not forgive accusatory speeches addressed to them. They sacredly honor the traditions of autocracy and serfdom, because they are the basis for the well-being of their past, present and future. And anyone who dares to encroach on them must be destroyed! It doesn’t matter whether by the hand of the French Dantes or someone 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 lyrical digression. Mikhail Yuryevich does not hold back his own, drawing a deeply personal and dear image of Pushkin to him. The poems are full of poetic figures: antitheses, rhetorical questions, exclamations, etc. The last part (16 lines) is again a satire, a formidable warning about the Supreme, Divine court, the court of Time and History, which will punish criminals and acquit the innocent. The lines are prophetic, for this is how it all happened...

Mikhail Yurjevich Lermontov

Vengeance, sir, vengeance!
I will fall at your feet:
Be fair and punish the murderer
So that his execution in later centuries
Your rightful judgment was announced to posterity,
So that the villains can see her as an example.

The poet died! - a slave of honor -
Fell, slandered by rumor,
With lead in my chest and a thirst for revenge,
Hanging his proud head!..

The poet's soul could not bear it
The shame of petty grievances,
He rebelled against the opinions of the world
Alone, as before... and killed!
Killed!.. Why sobs now,
Empty praise unnecessary chorus
And the pathetic babble of excuses?
Fate has reached its conclusion!
Weren't you the one who persecuted me so viciously at first?
His free, bold gift
And they inflated it for fun
A slightly hidden fire?
Well? have fun... He's tormenting
I couldn't stand the last ones:
The wondrous genius has faded away like a torch,
The ceremonial wreath has faded.

His killer in cold blood
Strike... there is no escape:
An empty heart beats evenly,
The pistol did not waver in his hand.
And what a miracle?... from afar,
Like hundreds of fugitives,
To catch happiness and ranks
Thrown to us by the will of fate;
Laughing, he boldly despised
The land has a foreign language and customs;
He could not spare our glory;
I couldn’t understand at this bloody moment,
What did he raise his hand to!..

And he is killed - and taken by the grave,
Like that singer, unknown but sweet,
The prey of deaf jealousy,
Sung by him with such wonderful power,
Struck down, like him, by a merciless hand.

Why from peaceful bliss and simple-minded friendship
He entered this envious and stuffy world
For a free heart and fiery passions?
Why did he give his hand to insignificant slanderers,
Why did he believe false words and caresses,
He, who has comprehended people from a young age?..

And having taken off the former crown, they are a crown of thorns,
Entwined with laurels, they put on him:
But the secret needles are harsh
They wounded the glorious brow;
His last moments were poisoned
The insidious whispers of mocking ignoramuses,
And he died - with a vain thirst for vengeance,
With annoyance and the secret of disappointed hopes.
The sounds of wonderful songs have fallen silent,
Do not give them away again:
The singer's shelter is gloomy and cramped,
And his seal is on his lips.
_____________________

And you, arrogant descendants
The famous meanness of the illustrious fathers,
The fifth slave trampled the wreckage
The game of happiness of offended births!
You, standing in a greedy crowd at the throne,
Executioners of Freedom, Genius and Glory!
You are hiding under the shadow of the law,
Judgment and truth are before you - keep quiet!..
But there is also God’s judgment, the confidants of depravity!
There is a terrible judgment: it awaits;
It is not accessible to the ringing of gold,
He knows both thoughts and deeds in advance.
Then in vain you will resort to slander:
It won't help you again
And you won't wash away with all your black blood
Poet's righteous blood!

It is no secret that Mikhail Lermontov admired the work of his contemporary, Alexander Pushkin, and considered him one of the brightest representatives of Russian literature. Therefore, the death of the idol made a very strong impression on Lermontov. Moreover, he turned out to be one of the few who spoke truthfully about this tragic event, dedicating one of his most powerful and striking works to Pushkin - the poem “The Death of a Poet”.

It consists of two parts that are different in both size and mood. The first of them is a sad elegy in which Lermontov describes the tragic events of January 1837. However, already from the first lines the subtext of the poem is clear, in which Mikhail Lermontov names not the duelist Dantes as the direct killer of Pushkin, but high society, which mocked the poet and humiliated him at every opportunity. Indeed, direct or indirect insult to Pushkin during his lifetime was almost a national entertainment of secular society, to which not only princes and counts, but also top officials of the state indulged. Just consider the awarding of the rank of chamberlain cadet to the poet by Tsar Nicholas I in 1834, when Pushkin was already 34 years old. To understand the full extent and depth of the poet’s humiliation, one must take into account that such a rank, as a rule, was awarded to 16-year-old boys who were assigned the role of court pages.

In the poem “The Death of a Poet,” Mikhail Lermontov openly talks about the hypocrisy of people who humiliated Pushkin during his lifetime, and after his death put on a mask of universal sorrow. “... why now sobs, empty praise, an unnecessary chorus and pathetic babble of justification?” Lermontov tries to denounce secular society. And he immediately hints that Pushkin’s death was inevitable, since, according to legend, a fortune teller predicted the poet’s death in a duel in his youth, accurately describing the appearance of the one who would make the fatal shot. Therefore, a rather mysterious line appears in the poem that “the verdict of fate has been fulfilled.”

Lermontov does not justify Dantes, who is responsible for the death of one of the most talented Russian poets. However, he emphasizes that Pushkin’s killer “impudently despised the foreign language and customs of the land.” Nevertheless, the people who incited the conflict between Pushkin and Dantes were well aware that the life of a man who had already glorified Russian literature was at stake. Therefore, Lermontov considers them to be the true killers of the poet.

The second part of the poem, shorter and more succinct, is filled with caustic sarcasm and is directly addressed to all those who are responsible for the death of the poet. Lermontov portrays them as “arrogant descendants”, whose merit lies only in the fact that they were born to illustrious fathers. The author is convinced that the so-called “golden youth” are reliably protected by the “canopy of the law”, and therefore will avoid punishment for the death of Pushkin. But at the same time, Lermontov reminds us that God’s judgment still exists, which is “inaccessible to the ringing of gold.” Sooner or later, all the obvious and hidden killers of the poet will still have to appear before him, and then justice will surely triumph. Let it not be according to the laws of the earth, but according to the laws of heaven, which the author considers more honest and just. “And you will not wash away the poet’s righteous blood with all your black blood!” Lermontov is convinced, unaware that in a few years he himself will become a victim of a duel. And just like Pushkin, he will die not from a bullet, but from the contempt and indifference of a society in which prophets are equated with lepers, and poets with court jesters who do not have the right to their own opinion.

And he is killed - and taken by the grave,
Like that singer, unknown but sweet,
The prey of deaf jealousy,
Sung by him with such wonderful power,
Struck down, like him, by a merciless hand.

And having taken off the former crown, they are a crown of thorns,
Entwined with laurels, they put on him:
But the secret needles are harsh
They wounded the glorious brow;
His last moments were poisoned
The insidious whisper of mocking ignoramuses,
And he died - with a vain thirst for vengeance,
With annoyance and the secret of disappointed hopes.
The sounds of wonderful songs have fallen silent,
Do not give them away again:
The singer's shelter is gloomy and cramped,
And his seal is on his lips. —

And you, arrogant descendants
The famous meanness of the illustrious fathers,
The fifth slave trampled the wreckage
The game of happiness of offended births!
You, standing in a greedy crowd at the throne,
Executioners of Freedom, Genius and Glory!
You are hiding under the shadow of the law,
Judgment and truth are before you - keep quiet!..
But there is also God’s judgment, the confidants of depravity!
There is a terrible judgment: it awaits;
It is not accessible to the ringing of gold,
He knows thoughts and deeds in advance.
Then in vain you will resort to slander:
It won't help you again
And you won't wash away with all your black blood
Poet's righteous blood!

_________________

First published (under the title “On the Death of Pushkin”) in 1858 in “Polar Star for 1856” (book 2, pp. 33 - 35); in Russia: without 16 final verses - in 1858 in “Bibliographical Notes” (vol. I, no. 2, stb. 635 - 636); in full - in 1860 in the collected works edited by Dudyshkin (vol. I, pp. 61 - 63).
The poem was written on the death of Pushkin (Pushkin died on January 29, 1837). The autograph of the full text of the poem has not survived. There are draft and white autographs of its first part up to the words “And you, arrogant descendants.” The second part of the poem was preserved in copies, including the copy attached to the investigative file “On inappropriate poems written by the cornet of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment Lermantov, and on their distribution by the provincial secretary Raevsky.” Only in copies there is an epigraph to the poem, taken from the tragedy of the French writer Rotru “Wenceslaus” in the adaptation of A. A. Gendre. The poem began to be published with an epigraph in 1887, when investigative materials on the case “On Impermissible Poems...” were published, and among them a copy of the poem. By its nature, the epigraph does not contradict the 16 final lines. Appealing to the tsar with a demand to severely punish the murderer was an unheard-of audacity: according to A.H. Benckendorff, “the introduction (epigraph - ed.) to this work is impudent, and the end is shameless freethinking, more than criminal.” There is no reason to believe, therefore, that the epigraph was added in order to soften the severity of the final part of the poem. In this edition, the epigraph is introduced into the text.

The poem had a wide public response. The duel and death of Pushkin, slander and intrigue against the poet in the circles of the court aristocracy caused deep indignation among the leading part of Russian society. Lermontov expressed these sentiments in courageous poems full of poetic power, which were distributed in many lists among his contemporaries.

The name of Lermontov, as a worthy heir to Pushkin, received nationwide recognition. At the same time, the political urgency of the poem caused alarm in government circles.

According to contemporaries, one of the lists with the inscription “Appeal to the Revolution” was delivered to Nicholas I. Lermontov and his friend S. A. Raevsky, who participated in the distribution of poems, were arrested and brought to justice. On February 25, 1837, by the highest order, the sentence was pronounced: “L<ейб>-gv<ардии>hussar regiment cornet Lermantov... transfer with the same rank to the Nizhny Novgorod dragoon regiment; and the provincial secretary Raevsky... be kept under arrest for one month, and then sent to the Olonets province for use in the service, at the discretion of the local civil governor.” In March, Lermontov left St. Petersburg, heading to the active army in the Caucasus, where the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment was located at that time.

In the verses “His Killer in Cold Blood” and the following we talk about Dantes, Pushkin’s killer. Georges Charles Dantes (1812 - 1895) - a French monarchist who fled to Russia in 1833 after the Vendée rebellion, was the adopted son of the Dutch envoy in St. Petersburg, Baron Heeckeren. Having access to the salons of the Russian court aristocracy, he took part in the persecution of the poet, which ended in a fatal duel on January 27, 1837. After Pushkin’s death, he was exiled to France.
In the poems “Like that singer, unknown, but dear” and the following, Lermontov recalls Vladimir Lensky from Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin”.

“And you, arrogant descendants” and the next 15 verses, according to the testimony of S. A. Raevsky, were written later than the previous text. This is Lermontov’s response to the attempt of government circles and cosmopolitan-minded nobility to denigrate the memory of Pushkin and justify Dantes. The immediate reason for the creation of the last 16 poems, according to Raevsky, was a quarrel between Lermontov and his relative, chamber cadet A. A. Stolypin, who, having visited the sick poet, began to express to him the “unfavorable” opinion of courtiers about Pushkin and tried to defend Dantes.

A similar story is contained in a letter from A. M. Merinsky to P. A. Efremov, the publisher of Lermontov’s works. There is a list of the poem, where an unknown contemporary of Lermontov named a number of surnames, allowing you to imagine who is being talked about in the lines “And you, arrogant descendants of the famous meanness of the illustrious fathers.” These are the counts Orlovs, Bobrinskys, Vorontsovs, Zavadovskys, princes Baryatinsky and Vasilchikov, barons Engelhardt and Fredericks, whose fathers and grandfathers achieved positions at court only through search, intrigue, and love affairs.

“There is a terrible judge: he is waiting” - this verse in the edition of Lermontov’s works edited by Efremov (1873) was first published with a different interpretation: “There is a terrible judge: he is waiting.” There is no reason to change the original reading of this verse. The silent mention of the autograph, which supposedly formed the basis of the full text of the poem in this edition, is due to the fact that Efremov made a number of amendments to the text according to a letter from A. M. Merinsky, who kept a list of the poem that he made from the autograph in 1837, immediately after Lermontov wrote it. Merinsky’s letter to Efremov has been preserved, but there is no amendment to the verse “There is a terrible judgment.” Obviously, Efremov corrected it arbitrarily.

In some editions of Lermontov's works (edited by Boldakov in 1891, in several Soviet editions since 1924) Efremov's reading was repeated - “judge” instead of “court”. Meanwhile, in all copies of the poem that have reached us and in the first publications of the text, “court” is read, not “judge”. A poem by the poet P. Gvozdev, who studied with Lermontov at the cadet school, has also been preserved. Gvozdev wrote a response to Lermontov on February 22, 1837, containing lines confirming the correctness of the original reading of the controversial verse:

Wasn’t it you who said: “There is a terrible judgment!”
And this judgment is the judgment of posterity...

The poet is dead! - slave of honor -
Fell, slandered by rumor,
With lead in my chest and a thirst for revenge,
Hanging his proud head!..
The poet's soul could not bear it
The shame of petty grievances,
He rebelled against the opinions of the world
Alone as before... And killed!
Killed!.. Why sobs now,
Empty praise unnecessary chorus
And the pathetic babble of excuses?
Fate has reached its conclusion!
Weren't you the one who persecuted me so viciously at first?
His free, bold gift
And they inflated it for fun
A slightly hidden fire?
Well? Have fun... - he is tormented
I couldn't stand the last ones:
The wondrous genius has faded away like a torch,
The ceremonial wreath has faded.
His killer in cold blood
Strike... There is no escape.
An empty heart beats evenly,
The pistol did not waver in his hand.
And what a miracle?.. From afar,
Like hundreds of fugitives,
To catch happiness and ranks
Thrown to us by the will of fate;
Laughing, he boldly despised
The land has a foreign language and customs;
He could not spare our glory;
I couldn’t understand at this bloody moment,
What did he raise his hand to!..
And he is killed - and taken by the grave,
Like that singer, unknown but sweet,
The prey of deaf jealousy,
Sung by him with such wonderful power,
Struck down, like him, by a merciless hand.
Why from peaceful bliss and simple-minded friendship
He entered this envious and stuffy world
For a free heart and fiery passions?
Why did he give his hand to insignificant slanderers,
Why did he believe false words and caresses,
He, who has comprehended people from a young age?..
And having taken off the former crown, they are a crown of thorns,
Entwined with laurels, they put on him:
But the secret needles are harsh
They wounded the glorious brow;
His last moments were poisoned
The insidious whispers of mocking ignoramuses,
And he died - with a vain thirst for vengeance,
With annoyance and the secret of disappointed hopes.
The sounds of wonderful songs have fallen silent,
Do not give them away again:
The singer's shelter is gloomy and cramped,
And his seal is on his lips.
*
And you, arrogant descendants
The famous meanness of the illustrious fathers,
The fifth slave trampled the wreckage
The game of happiness of offended births!
You, standing in a greedy crowd at the throne,
Executioners of Freedom, Genius and Glory!
You are hiding under the shadow of the law,
Judgment and truth are before you - keep quiet!..
But there is also God’s judgment, the confidants of depravity!
There is a terrible judgment: it awaits;
It is not accessible to the ringing of gold,
He knows thoughts and deeds in advance.
Then in vain you will resort to slander:
It won't help you again
And you won't wash away with all your black blood
Poet's righteous blood!

The autograph of the full text of the poem has not survived. There are draft and white autographs of its first part up to the words “And you, arrogant descendants.”

The name of Lermontov, as a worthy heir to Pushkin, received nationwide recognition. At the same time, the political urgency of the poem caused alarm in government circles.

According to contemporaries, one of the lists with the inscription “Appeal to the Revolution” was delivered to Nicholas I. Lermontov and his friend S. A. Raevsky, who participated in the distribution of poems, were arrested and brought to justice. On February 25, 1837, by order of the highest order, a sentence was passed: “The Life Guards of the Hussar Regiment of Cornet Lermantov... be transferred with the same rank to the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment; and the provincial secretary Raevsky... be kept under arrest for one month, and then sent to the Olonets province for use in the service, at the discretion of the local civil governor.”

In March, Lermontov left St. Petersburg, heading to the active army in the Caucasus, where the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment was located at that time.

In the verses “His Killer in Cold Blood” and the following we talk about Dantes, Pushkin’s killer.

Georges Charles Dantes (1812–1895) - a French monarchist who fled to Russia in 1833 after the Vendee rebellion, was the adopted son of the Dutch envoy in St. Petersburg, Baron Heeckeren.

Having access to the salons of the Russian court aristocracy, he took part in the persecution of the poet, which ended in a fatal duel on January 27, 1837. After Pushkin’s death, he was exiled to France.

In the poems “Like that singer, unknown, but dear” and the following, Lermontov recalls Vladimir Lensky from Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin”.
“And you, arrogant descendants” and the next 15 verses, according to the testimony of S. A. Raevsky, were written later than the previous text.

This is Lermontov’s response to the attempt of government circles and cosmopolitan-minded nobility to denigrate the memory of Pushkin and justify Dantes. The immediate reason for the creation of the last 16 poems, according to Raevsky, was Lermontov’s quarrel with his relative, chamber cadet N.A. Stolypin, who, having visited the sick poet, began to express to him the “unfavorable” opinion of courtiers about Pushkin and tried to defend Dantes.

These are the counts Orlovs, Bobrinskys, Vorontsovs, Zavadovskys, princes Baryatinsky and Vasilchikov, barons Engelhardt and Fredericks, whose fathers and grandfathers achieved positions at court only through search, intrigue, and love affairs.

Gvozdev wrote a response to Lermontov on February 22, 1837, containing lines confirming the correctness of the original reading of the controversial verse:
Wasn’t it you who said: “There is a terrible judgment!”
And this judgment is the judgment of posterity...

A duel took place between the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and Georges Dantes, during which Pushkin was wounded in the stomach and died of peritonitis on January 29 (February 10).

In the diary of I. I. Kozlov dated February 11, 1837, we read: “It is impossible to be kinder and more sympathetic than Alexander Turgenev: he did me so many favors, then he read me wonderful poems by Lermontov on the death of Pushkin.”

The acquaintance of Pushkin and Lermontov is not documented; there is only evidence of the meeting in the “Notes of A. O. Smirnova,” written by her daughter (1897), but this memoir does not enjoy the reputation of a reliable source. Not being personally acquainted with Pushkin, Lermontov saw him more than once in Moscow and St. Petersburg on the street, in theaters, in bookstores, and in public places. But Lermontov did not have time to meet Pushkin’s circle of close friends before leaving St. Petersburg for his first exile in the Caucasus on March 19. However, this is not excluded. The poem “Borodino” by a 21-year-old graduate of the cadet school was published in Pushkin’s magazine “Sovremennik” for 1837 (vol. 6, pp. 207-211, censorship permission May 2, 1837) and was written, most likely, at the end of 1836 or in January 1837 than in February (S. A. Raevsky, in his testimony dated February 21, 1837 regarding the poem “The Death of a Poet,” claimed that “Borodino” was also written at the same time as the poems on Pushkin’s death).

Lines 56 - 72

Arendt, who had seen many deaths in his life, both on the battlefield and on painful beds, walked away from his bed with tears in his eyes and said that he had never seen anything like this, such patience under such suffering.

Resolution of Nicholas I: “Pleasant poems, nothing to say; I sent Weymarn to Tsarskoe Selo to inspect Lermontov’s papers and, if other suspicious ones were discovered, to seize them. For now, I ordered the senior physician of the Guards Corps to visit this gentleman and make sure that he was not insane; and then we will deal with him according to the law.”

Burnashev (V.P. Burnashev, “M. Yu. Lermontov in the stories of his guards classmates”, “Russian Archive”, 1872, No. 9, pp. 1770-1781), then Viskovatov (P.A. Viskovatov - “Bulletin of Europe ”, 1887, No. 1, pp. 329-347) says that Benckendorff learned about the additional poems at one reception (probably at Countess Fikelmon) from Countess A. M. Khitrovo, who certified them as poems offensive to the entire aristocracy. The very next day, Benckendorff reported these verses to Nicholas I, who had already received an anonymous copy of them with the inscription “Appeal to the Revolution.”

The reaction of the authorities was caused by the second edition, supplemented by 16 lines. The very first edition of the poem did not cause, as evidence shows, the tsar’s displeasure.

S. A. Raevsky says in his testimony: “There was even a rumor that V. A. Zhukovsky read them to His Imperial Highness the Heir-Sovereign and that he expressed his high approval.” Evidence has been preserved that Nicholas I, having read Lermontov’s poem, said: “This one will replace Pushkin of Russia,” and Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich said: “Ce poète en herbe va donner de beaux fruits” (translation: “From this ripening poet we must expect good fruits”) (V.P. Burnashev, “M. Yu. Lermontov in the stories of his guard classmates”, “Russian Archives”, 1872, No. 9, pp. 1770-1781).

The manager of the III department, A. N. Mordvinov, according to A. N. Muravyov, told him: “I read these poems to Count Benckendorff a long time ago, and we did not find anything reprehensible in them” (A. N. Muravyov, “Acquaintance with Russian poets ", Kyiv, 1871, p. 23).

There were rumors that the addition was not written by Lermontov. A. I. Turgenev wrote on February 13, 1837 to A. N. Peschurov: “I am sending poems that are worthy of their subject. Other stanzas are also circulating, but they are not by this author and have already brought, they say, troubles for the true author” (“Pushkin and His Contemporaries”, issue II, p. 113).

Lermontov was allegedly arrested on February 18 (researchers' opinions on the exact date differ) and was kept in one of the rooms on the top floor of the General Staff Building, and then from February 27 he was under house arrest in the apartment of E. A. Arsenyeva until he left for the Caucasus via Moscow on March 19. A. N. Muravyov writes: “His exile to the Caucasus caused a lot of noise; he was looked upon as a victim, and this quickly increased his poetic fame. They eagerly read his poems from the Caucasus, which served as a source of inspiration for him" (A. N. Muravyov, "Acquaintance with Russian poets", Kyiv, 1871, pp. 23 et seq.).

Explanation of the cornet of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment of Lermontov:

I was still ill when the news of Pushkin’s unfortunate duel spread throughout the city. Some of my friends brought her to me, disfigured by various additions. Some - adherents of our best poet - told with lively sadness how he was persecuted for a long time by petty torments and ridicule and, finally, forced to take a step contrary to the laws of earth and heaven, defending the honor of his wife in the eyes of the strict world. Others, especially ladies, justified Pushkin's opponent, called him the noblest man, said that Pushkin had no right to demand love from his wife, because he was jealous, bad-looking - they also said that Pushkin was a worthless person, and so on. Without, perhaps, the opportunity to defend the moral side of his character, no one answered these last accusations. An involuntary but strong indignation flared up in me against these people who were attacking a man who had already been slain by the hand of God, who had not done them any harm and was once praised by them; and the innate feeling in my inexperienced soul - to defend anyone innocently condemned - stirred in me even more strongly due to the disease of irritated nerves. When I began to ask: on what grounds do they rebel so loudly against the murdered man? - They answered me, probably in order to give themselves more weight, that the entire upper circle of society was of the same opinion. - I was surprised; They laughed at me. Finally, after two days of anxious waiting, the sad news came that Pushkin had died, and along with this news came another - comforting for the Russian heart: the Emperor, despite his previous errors, generously gave a helping hand to his unfortunate wife and his little orphans. The wonderful contrast of his action with the opinion (as I was assured) of the highest circle of society increased the former in my imagination and denigrated the injustice of the latter even more. I was firmly convinced that state dignitaries shared the noble and merciful feelings of the emperor, the God-given protector of all the oppressed; but nevertheless, I heard that some people, solely through family ties or as a result of search, belonging to the highest circle and taking advantage of the merits of their worthy relatives - some did not cease to darken the memory of the murdered man and dispel various rumors unfavorable to him. Then, as a result of a rash impulse, I poured out the bitterness of my heart on paper, expressed in exaggerated, incorrect words a discordant clash of thoughts, not believing that I had written something reprehensible, that many could mistakenly take personally expressions that were not at all intended for them. This experience was the first and last of this kind, harmful (as I previously thought and now think) for others even more than for myself. But if there is no excuse for me, then youth and ardor will at least serve as an explanation - for at that moment passion was stronger than cold reason. Before, I wrote various little things, perhaps still kept by some of my friends. One eastern story, called “Hadji-Abrek,” was placed by me in the “Reading Library”; and the drama “Masquerade”, in verse, which I gave to the theater, could not be presented for the reason (as I was told) it was too
sharp passions and characters and also because in it virtue is not sufficiently rewarded. When I wrote my poems on the death of Pushkin (which, unfortunately, I did too soon), then one of my good friends, Raevsky, who, like me, had heard many incorrect accusations and, due to thoughtlessness, did not see in my poems anything contrary to the laws, asked me to write them off; He probably showed them as news to someone else, and thus they parted ways. I had not yet left, and therefore could not soon recognize the impressions made by them, I could not return them back and burn them in time. I myself did not give them to anyone else, but I could not renounce them, although I realized my rashness: the truth has always been my shrine and now, bringing my guilty head to court, I firmly resort to it, as the only defender of a noble man before the face of the king and the face of God.
Cornet of the Life Guards
Hussar Regiment
Mikhail Lermontov

L-Guards. hussar regiment cornet Lermontov, for writing poems known to your Excellency [Benckendorf], transfer with the same rank to the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment; and the provincial secretary Raevsky, for distributing these poems and especially for the intention to secretly deliver information to Cornet Lermontov about the testimony he made, to be kept under arrest for one month, and then sent to the Olonets province for use in the service, at the discretion of the local civil governor.

Famous handwritten texts, first publications

The poem was created in three stages, which was reflected in the textual stratification of the poem, which was not fully resolved.

Belova's autograph of the first 56 poems - GPB, Collection of Manuscripts, No. 8 (from the archives of V.F. Odoevsky, with his note: “A poem by Lermontov that could not be published”), draft autograph - TsGALI, f. 427, op. I, No. 986 (notebook by S. A. Rachinsky), pp. 67-68 (facsimile - “Pushkin and his contemporaries”, 1908, issue VIII, with commentary by Yu. Verkhovsky). Autograph of verses 57-72 unknown, printed from a copy attached to the “Case of unauthorized verses written by the cornet of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment Lermontov, and of their distribution by the provincial secretary Raevsky” - IRLI, op. 3, No. 9, pp. 17-18. Autograph Art. 21-33 in a letter from M. Yu. Lermontov to A. I. Turgenev (TsGLA) dated November 18, 1839:

...His killer in cold blood
Strike - there is no escape!
An empty heart beats evenly,
The pistol did not waver in his hand.
And what a miracle? - from far away
Like a hundred fugitives,
To catch money and ranks
Thrown to us by the will of fate,
Laughing, he boldly despised
Foreign land language and customs:
He could not spare our glory,
I couldn’t understand at this bloody moment
Why did he raise his hand!"

Print screen of the first page of the first publication of the poem “The Death of a Poet” (translated into German)

Of the 23 copies available, seven date from 1837, of which two are dated February and March. It is known that in 1837, while living in Stavropol, M. Yu. Lermontov gave P. I. Petrov the painting “View of Tiflis”, a copy of his poem “The Death of a Poet” and the manuscript of “The Last Housewarming” (Ivan Vlasov, Lermontov in the family of P. I. Petrova - “Literary collection (Proceedings of the Kostroma Scientific Society for the Study of the Local Region)”, issue XLII, Kostroma, 1928, 3-10.)

Friedrich Bodenstedt was the first to publish the poem. This happened in 1852, in Berlin, in German, in the book Friedrich Bodenstedt: Michail Lermontoff's Poetischer Nachlaß. Zweiter Band, Verlag der Deckerschen Geheimen Ober-Hofbuchdruckerei, Berlin 1852, S. 49-52 Friedrich Bodenstedt Michail Lermontoff´s Poetischer Nachlaß. - Berlin: Verlag der Deckerschen Geheimen Ober-Hofbuchdruckerei, 1852. - P. 49-52. - 314 p.

For the first time, the poem “The Death of a Poet” (under the title “On the Death of Pushkin”) was published (in Russian) in London in the almanac “Polar Star for 1856” published by Alexander Herzen, book. 2, pp. 31-32 (under the title “On the Death of Pushkin”) (another version - 1858.

In Russia, without the last 16 verses, it was placed in “Bibliographical Notes” (1858, vol. 1, no. 20, columns 635-636), in full - in Works edited by Dudyshkin (vol. 1, 1860, pp. 61-63) .

Cultural influence

The poem “The Death of a Poet” had a great influence on the poetic assessment of the events associated with the duel of A. S. Pushkin.

The first poetic response - “Response to Lermontov to his poems “On the Death of Pushkin”” - dates back to February 22, 1837, but it was not intended for publication (for the first time: “Russian Antiquity” 1896, book X, 131-132). The work was written by a cadet from the School of Guards Ensigns, where Lermontov previously studied, Pavel Aleksandrovich Gvozdev (1815-1851).

Why your noble impulse
Have you poured it out to them, young poet?
………………
Hearts are covered with winter blizzard,
Their feelings are cold as ice
Their souls are dead in chain mail,
Your flight is inaccessible to them!
………………
To them your song is like a bloody judgment,
For them she is like a formidable sword,
You couldn't in their despicable soul
Light up with free truth
The fire is high and sacred...
Your free pen verse
Offended proud vanity,
And a flock of corvids at the feet of the king,
As mercy, they await your disgrace...
But be proud, young singer,
Before the machinations of their hellish malice,
Don't let them unravel your crown,
Let at least the coffins open.
………………..
Wasn’t it you who said: “There is a terrible judgment!”
And this judgment is the judgment of posterity,
This court will read their verdict
And on the sheet, like treachery,
He will write their name in disgrace.

Musical arrangement

Yu. Ya. Vladimirov, E. K. Golubev, A. S. Zhak, Yu. F. Lvova, S. V. Protopopov and others set poems to music.

Literature

Chistova I. S.“The Death of a Poet” // Lermontov Encyclopedia / USSR Academy of Sciences. Institute rus. lit. (Pushkin. House); Scientific-ed. Council of the publishing house "Sov. Encycl." - M.: Sov. Encycl., 1981. - pp. 511-513.
Ginzburg L.S. To the analysis of Lermontov’s poem “The Death of a Poet.” Who does Lermontov mean by the words: “a singer, unknown, but dear”? (Experience in constructing a new hypothesis) // “Slavia”, 1930, roč. 9, seš. l, č. 85-102
Tynyanov Yu. Literary source of “The Death of a Poet” // “VL”, 1964, No. 10, p. 98-106
Devitsky I. I., V. A. Zhukovsky and M. Yu. Lermontov’s poem “The Death of a Poet” // Abstracts of reports and messages of the 1st scientific-methodological. conference Kokchetav. ped. Institute, Kokchetav, 1967, p. 45-47
Shansky N. M. Literary text under a linguistic microscope // Rus. language at school", 1971, No. 3, p. 97-99; Memories (see index); Nedzvetsky, s. 239-47; Andreev-Krivich (5), p. 156-58

Notes

according to Lermontov: “I wrote my poems on the death of Pushkin” (Explanation of the cornet of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment of Lermontov.)
“The Death of a Poet” // Lermontov Encyclopedia. - 1981 (text)
Boris Moiseevich Shubin The story of a disease. - Knowledge, 1983.
FEB: Manuilov. Lermontov and Karamzins. - 1979
FEB: Lermontov - Turgenev A.I., November 18, 1839. - 1948 (text)
P. Shchegolev, The Duel and Death of Pushkin, L., 1928, 293; K. Grot, Diary of I. I. Kozlov, St. Petersburg, 1906, 23. http://feb-web.ru/feb/litnas/texts/l45/l452026-.htm
FEB: Lermontov. Death of poet. - 1954 (text)
E. M. Khmelevskaya. Arendt Nikolai Fedorovich. Lermontov Encyclopedia. FEB Foundation. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
Pushkin A. S. Works in 5 volumes - M.: Synergy Publishing House, 1999.
FEB: Benkendorf. Report on Lermontov's poem "The Death of a Poet" ... - 1989 (text)
FEB: Chronological outline of the life and work of M. Yu. Lermontov. - 1981 (text)
FEB: Pakhomov. The picturesque legacy of Lermontov. - 1948 (text)
Google Books PDF 3.3 MB
FEB: Rozanov. Lermontov in the poetry of his contemporaries. - 1948 (text)
FEB: Baranov. A. I. Polezhaev’s response to Lermontov’s poem “The Death of a Poet.” - 1952 (text)

Mikhail Yurjevich Lermontov
Prose	Ashik-Kerib · Vadim · Hero of our time · Caucasian (essay) · Princess Ligovskaya · Panorama of Moscow · Stoss · I want to tell you
Poems	Azrael · Angel of Death · Aul Bastunji · Fugitive · Boyar Orsha · Two slave girls · Daemon · Giulio · Izmail Bay · Confession · The Last Son of Liberty · Prisoner of the Caucasus · Calla lilies · Corsair · Litvinka · Mongo · Sailor · Mtsyri · Oleg · A song about Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, a young oprichnik and the daring merchant Kalashnikov · Criminal · Sashka · Fairy tale for children · Tambov treasurer · Hadji Abrek · Circassians
Plays	Arbenin · Two brothers · Spaniards · Masquerade · A strange man · Gypsies (sketch) · Menschen und Leidenschaften (people and passions)
Poems	Angel · Ballad (In the hut late at night...) · Ballad (Over the sea, a beautiful maiden...) · Barteneva · Bashilov · Gratitude · Thank you · Shining clouds pass... · The battle · Borodino · Bukharina · To the album · Valerik · Venice · Spring · Palestine branch · Evening after the rain · Look at this face... · Vision · Airship · Will · I go out alone on the road… · To a stupid beauty · I look at the future with fear... · Countess Rostopchina · Hussar · Gifts of Terek · Two giants · Agreement · Dodo · Thought · There are speeches - meaning... · Desire · Cupid's Fallacy · Forget your hopes again... · Will · Star (Above one...) · Call hope a dream... · And boring and sad · From Goethe (Mountain peaks...) · From under the mysterious, cold · half masks... · Confession · Be with me as you were before... · My friend, your efforts are in vain!.. · I will not humiliate myself before you... · When you listen coldly... · To the portrait · Cossack lullaby song · Like the spirit of despair and evil... · Dagger · Cemetery · If only in the humility of ignorance... · When the yellowing field is agitated... · When word spreads to you about a story... · leaf · Dead Man's Love · Martynova · The blizzard is noisy and the snow is falling... · My demon · Prayer (Don't blame me...) · Monologue · On secular chains... · In the wild north it stands alone... · On silver spurs... · Hope · Naryshkina · The day will come - and the world will condemn... · Do not laugh… · People often scolded... · No, it’s not you that I love so passionately... · No, I'm not Byron, I'm different... · Beggar · Alone among the noise of people... · Loneliness · He was born for happiness... · She sings - and the sounds melt away... · They loved each other… · Fear · Excerpt · From what · Sail · There is a piece of paper in front of me... · Dedication to N.N. · Poet · Prediction · You are beautiful, fields... · Prophet · Goodbye, unwashed Russia... · Let me love someone... · Parting · Repentance · We parted, but your portrait... · To kid · Motherland · Mermaid · Russian melody · Saburova · It's finished! fully expect... · September 28 · Silhouette · Blind, inspired by suffering... · Can I hear your voice... · Feel free to believe in what is eternal... · Death of poet · Advice · Neighbor · Rushing north from afar... · Stanzas (Look...) · Stanzas (Instantly running through the mind...) · Happy moment · Tamara · Three palm trees · Cane · Clouds · You could have been a better king... · Uvarova · The terrible fate of father and son... · Prisoner · Cliff · Shcherbatova · Epitaph · I saw her once in the cheerful whirlwind of the ball... · I saw a shadow of bliss; but quite... · I want to live! I want sadness.. · I am not for angels and heaven... · I do not love you… ·