In literature classes in high school, teachers must read the poem “The Death of a Poet” by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov to children. This is one of the most famous works poet. It is usually always asked to learn completely by heart. On our website you can read the verse online or download it for free to your laptop or other gadget.
The text of Lermontov's poem "The Death of a Poet" was written in 1837. It is dedicated to A. Pushkin. Everyone knows that Mikhail Yuryevich at one time was one of those people who really liked the work of Alexander Sergeevich. He read many of his works and admired them. The sudden death of the poet greatly shocked Lermontov, so all his thoughts and experiences on this matter eventually “poured out” onto paper. He wrote a strong poem in which he denounced not only the direct killer of Pushkin, but also the indirect ones. Those who contributed to the flare-up of the conflict between two people.
The work begins with a small epigraph in which Lermontov addresses the Tsar. He asks him to punish those responsible for Pushkin's death. Then comes the poem itself. It consists of 2 parts of different sizes. In the first, he writes about the reasons why the poet died. In his opinion, the real culprit in the death of Alexander Sergeevich is not Dantes, but secular society. It constantly ridiculed the poet during his lifetime, and after his death it began to feign grief for him. In the first part we come across a line that the verdict of fate has come true. Lermontov writes this way for a reason. He thus refers us to the biography of Pushkin, from which we learn that death in a duel was predicted for him in childhood. The second part is different from the first. In it he addresses himself directly to secular society. He writes that sooner or later they will have to answer for the death of the poet. This is unlikely to happen on earth, since the money of their ancestors protects them from punishment. But in heaven they will not save them. It is there that the real judgment will be carried out on them.
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 an example in her.
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 is with youth who has comprehended people?..
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, confidants of debauchery!
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!
"The Death of a Poet" Mikhail 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 an example in her.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!
Analysis of Lermontov's poem "The Death of a Poet"
It is no secret that Mikhail Lermontov admired the work of his contemporary, Alexander Pushkin, and considered him one of prominent representatives 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 tragic events 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.
Death of poet
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,
An unnecessary chorus of empty praises,
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 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!
The note.
* Involuntary indignation gripped Lermontov at the news of Pushkin’s death, and he “poured out the bitterness of his heart on paper.” The poem “The Death of a Poet” ended first with the words: “And there is a seal on his lips.” It quickly spread through the lists and caused a storm in high society, new praise for Dantes; finally, one of Lermontov’s relatives, N. Stolypin, began to condemn his ardor towards such a gentleman as Dantes to his face. Lermontov lost his temper, ordered the guest to get out and, in a fit of passionate anger, wrote the final 16 lines “And you, arrogant descendants...”...
An arrest followed and trial, which was watched by the emperor himself; Pushkin’s friends stood up for Lermontov, first of all Zhukovsky, a close imperial family In addition, the grandmother, who had secular connections, did everything to soften the fate of her only grandson. Some time later, Cornet Lermontov was transferred to the “same rank,” that is, ensign, to the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, operating in the Caucasus. The poet went into exile, accompanied general attention: there was both passionate sympathy and hidden enmity.
Commentary on the poem:First published (under the title “On the Death of Pushkin”) in 1858 in “ North 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). Autograph full text the poem has not survived. There are also its first parts 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. 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 order of the highest order, a sentence was passed: “Long Guards Hussar Regiment 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 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 murderer in cold blood” and the following ones we are talking about Dantes, the murderer of Pushkin. Georges Charles Dantes (1812 - 1895) - a French monarchist who fled to Russia in 1833 after the Vendee revolt, 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 verse “Like that singer, unknown but sweet” and the following Lermontov remembers Vladimir Lensky from Pushkin's novel "Eugene Onegin" .
“And you, arrogant descendants” and the next 15 verses, according to 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 a relative, a chamber cadet, 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 we're talking about in lines “And you, arrogant descendants of famous fathers known for their meanness”. 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 judgment: it awaits”- this verse in the edition of Lermontov’s works edited by Efremov (1873) was first published with different interpretations: “There is a formidable judge: he is waiting.” Changing the original reading of this verse not motivated. 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 in cadet school. Gvozdev wrote 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...
| Vengeance, sir, vengeance! I will fall at your feet: Be fair and punish the murderer, So that his execution in later centuries will announce Your just judgment to posterity, So that the villains will see it as an example. The poet is dead! - a slave of honor, - Fell, slandered by rumor, With lead in his chest and a thirst for revenge, Hanging his proud head!.. The poet's soul could not bear the shame of petty insults, He rebelled against the opinions of the world Alone, as before... and was killed! Killed!.. Why now the sobs, the unnecessary chorus of empty praises and the pathetic babble of justification? Fate has reached its conclusion! Wasn’t it you who at first so viciously persecuted His free, bold gift And for fun fanned the Slightly hidden fire? Well? Have fun... he couldn’t bear the last torment: The wondrous genius faded away like a torch, The solemn wreath faded. His killer struck in cold blood... there is no salvation: The empty heart beats evenly, The pistol does 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 Earth's alien language and customs; He could not spare our glory, He could not understand at this bloody moment, What he was raising his hand to!.. And he was killed - and taken by the grave, Like that singer, unknown, but dear, Prey of deaf jealousy, Sung by him with such wonderful power , Slain, like him, by a merciless hand. Why, from peaceful bliss and simple-minded friendship, did he enter 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 from a young age comprehended people?.. And, having previously taken off the wreath, they put a crown of thorns, Entwined with laurels, on him, But the secret needles severely wounded the glorious brow . His last moments were poisoned by the insidious whispers of mocking ignoramuses, And he died - with a vain thirst for vengeance, With the annoyance of the secret of deceived hopes. The sounds of wonderful songs have fallen silent, They will not be heard again: The singer’s shelter is gloomy and cramped, And there is a seal on his lips. And you, arrogant descendants of the famous meanness of the illustrious fathers, trampled down the wreckage with the heel of a slave in the game of happiness of the offended clans! You, standing in a greedy crowd at the throne, executioners of Freedom, Genius and Glory! You are hiding under the canopy of the law, Judgment and truth are before you - keep quiet!.. But there is also God’s court, confidants of depravity! There is a terrible judgment: it awaits; He is inaccessible to the ringing of gold, And he knows thoughts and deeds in advance. Then in vain you will resort to slander - It will not help you again, And you will not wash away the righteous blood of the Poet with all your black blood! |
The epigraph to “The Death of a Poet” is taken from the tragedy of the French playwright J. Rotrou “Wenceslaus” (1648) in the unpublished Russian translation by A. A. Gendre (1789-1873).
The main part of "The Death of a Poet" (vv. 1-56) was probably written on January 28. 1837 (date in the case “On inappropriate verses...”). Pushkin died on January 29, but rumors about his death were spreading in St. Petersburg the day before. On Sunday, February 7, after visiting Lermontov cousin- the chamber cadet, official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs N.A. Stolypin, - the final lines were written, starting with the words “And you, arrogant descendants...”. Evidence from contemporaries has been preserved that these lines are Lermontov’s response to a dispute with Stolypin, who shared the position of high society circles, who, justifying the behavior of Dantes and Heckern, argued that they “are not subject to either the laws or the Russian court” (Memoirs. P. 390 ). In his “explanation” at the trial, S. A. Raevsky sought to reduce the meaning of the final lines to a dispute with Stolypin about Dantes and divert attention from their political content: the highest court circles, “standing in a greedy crowd at the throne,” are responsible for the death of Pushkin. In the nine days separating the first 56 lines from the final part, many events happened, and Lermontov was able to more fully appreciate political meaning and the scale of the national tragedy. Now he's with with good reason could call the highest nobility “confidants of debauchery.” Lermontov learned about the cowardly position of the government, which ordered the secret burial of Pushkin and forbade mention of his death in the press. According to the testimony of P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, Lermontov visited Pushkin’s coffin in the poet’s house on the Moika embankment (this could only have been on January 29). Even the closest friends of the deceased until February 10-11. did not know about the most important episodes of his family drama: protecting the reputation of Natalya Nikolaevna, Pushkin hid many facts. This is clarified from the letters of P. A. Vyazemsky and other materials (see: Abramovich S. A. Letters of P. A. Vyazemsky about the death of the poet. LG. 1987, January 28). The author of “The Death of a Poet” was apparently initiated into the events preceding the duel by persons from Pushkin’s circle (possibly V.F. Odoevsky, A.I. Turgenev), colleagues in the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, among whom were many of Pushkin’s acquaintances , as well as Dr. N.F. Arendt, who visited Lermontov, who was ill at that time. Special mention should be made of Lieutenant Ivan Nikolaevich Goncharov (Natalya Nikolaevna’s brother). His recently published letter to his brother (“Lit. Russia.” 1986, November 21) and Lermontov’s portrait sketches of Goncharov from 1836-1837. (established by A.N. Markov in 1986), testify to the friendly relations between them. Goncharov participated in an attempt to prevent a duel, and was aware of the audience at the Anichkov Palace on November 23. 1836
According to the stories of contemporaries, one of the copies of the poem with the inscription “Appeal to the Revolution” was delivered to the tsar (Memoirs. pp. 186-187). Nicholas I, in a rage, “ordered the senior physician guards corps visit this gentleman and make sure he is not crazy” (Memoirs, p. 393). 25 Feb In 1837, the highest order followed for Lermontov’s exile to the Caucasus in the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment and for a month’s arrest followed by S. A. Raevsky’s exile to the Olonets province. The poem “The Death of a Poet” was distributed throughout Russia in many copies and created for its author a reputation as a brave freethinker and a worthy successor to Pushkin. In terms of the power of accusatory pathos, it far surpassed the poems of other poets about this tragedy (see: A. V. Fedorov, “The Death of a Poet,” among other responses to the death of Pushkin, “Russian Literature.” 1964, No. 3, pp. 32-45). The character of Lermontov's poem is unusual: a combination of elegiac and oratorical principles. Echoes of Pushkin's themes and images give particular credibility to Lermontov's position as the heir to Pushkin's muse. Art. 2. “slave of honor” - quote from Pushkin’s poem “ Prisoner of the Caucasus"; Art. 4. “Holding my proud head” - a reminiscence of the poem “Poet”; in Art. 35 “Like that unknown but sweet singer” and further Lermontov recalls Vladimir Lensky (from “Eugene Onegin”); Art. 39 “Why from peaceful bliss and simple-minded friendship” and so on. are close to Pushkin’s elegy “Andrei Chenier” (“Why from this life, lazy and simple, I rushed to where the fatal horror ...”). The ending of the poem echoes Pushkin’s “My Genealogy” (characteristics of the new nobility).