M.Yu. Lermontov “I go out alone on the road”: analysis of the poem

“I go out alone on the road” is one of the most famous poems M. Yu. Lermontov. Its significance in the poet’s work was recognized by the author’s contemporaries, but it’s a pity not during Mikhail Yuryevich’s lifetime. To this day, “I’m Coming Out...” attracts with its imagery, depth, brevity and musicality. The latter is worth mentioning separately, because there are more than two dozen romance interpretations of this poem. This work can rightfully be considered key to understanding the author’s work, because it combines the main themes, literary hobbies, and personal experiences of the creator.

M. Yu. Lermontov spent the last months of his life in the Caucasus, in the territory Mineralnye Vody. The poem “I Go Out Alone on the Road” was written during this period, in 1841. The poet took a leave of absence from his service; he wanted to spend as much time as possible in his favorite places. Such data allow us to consider the work to some extent topographical: the image of a road, a “flint path”.

This work was born shortly before the fatal duel with Martynov, which makes many of Lermontov’s admirers think about the poet’s anticipation of his imminent death. The poem was not published during the author’s lifetime, but was published only in 1843. The great critic of that time, V. Belinsky, considered this poem one of best essays Mikhail Yurievich.

Genre and size

Lermontov himself did not give a special genre definition to the work “I’m leaving...”, but some motifs of the poem allow it to be classified as specific genres.

You can see the features of elegy here. The meter of the poem is trochee pentameter, but the author gives it an inimitable melodiousness. The second reason to consider this poem an elegy is the motive of searching for peace, perhaps even eternal.

The poem belongs to philosophical lyrics, since the author asks a number of rhetorical questions concerning his life and its meaning.

The sincerity with which the poet expresses his monologue gives the poem “I’m leaving...” a confessional character, as if this is the hero’s farewell to the world to which he is enlightening with his last revelation.

This polyphony of genres makes the poem unique, complex and multifaceted, which allows it to be read each time with different intonation and different understanding.

Composition

The poem “I Go Out Alone on the Road” consists of five stanzas numbered by the author. The composition of the work is three-part.

1. It begins with a description of the nature surrounding the lyrical hero. The author talks about its extraterrestrial, cosmic essence.
2. From the middle of the second stanza, the author changes the pictorial mode to a philosophical one: he wonders about his life, his aspirations.
3. The peak of climactic tension occurs in the central – third – stanza: “I don’t expect anything from life.”
4. In the last two quatrains there is a denouement, a certain drop in tension. In them, the author indulges in dreams, finds the necessary vector along which his soul wants to move.

Thus, the composition of the work cannot but admire the masterful, incredibly rational and harmonious presentation of thoughts dictated to the poet by inspiration.

Direction

“I Go Out Alone on the Road” is one of the characteristic poems of late romanticism. One might say that here the poet sums up his life's journey; The work reflected both his literary hobbies and the main themes of the Romantic era. The search for peace, the fading of life, also worries such poets as Heine and Pushkin. For example, Lermontov in the poem “I’m leaving...” enters into a dialogue with one of his favorite poets, G. Heine. The last stanza has a direct reference to the poem “Death is a night, a cool dream,” where the author dreams of a bed with a tree growing above it, and the singing of a young nightingale heard through sleep.

Another romantic feature is the motif of wandering, which Lermontov developed in his poem "". Only the hero is presented differently: he is not a young rebel, but a mature thinker.

The image of a lyrical hero

In the poem “I Go Out Alone on the Road,” Lermontov creates the image romantic hero. He appears to the reader contemplating harmonious, majestic nature. The world the hero is serene, but what is his inner nature? The narrator does not find peace in his soul. No, he does not suffer from unfulfilled desires or the impossibility of love. This was all characteristic of youthful experiences and early romanticism. Lermontov’s character is not looking for adventures or new worlds, but for “freedom and peace.” This is already an adult, fully formed personality, behind whom there is a lot of life experience, a lot of disappointments, but he now has enough wisdom not to regret the past. The poem speaks of a new stage in his life: he looks at things in a new way, does not strive for the stars, but admires their greatness, wants to comprehend their secret. He dreams of a dream that would remove from his once rebellious soul the accumulation of long years voltage.

Themes

• Wandering. The image of the road that appears from the first lines of the poem can be interpreted as an allegory of the path of life. Where will he lead the wanderer? The unknown torments everyone, but the most important thing is to have a goal in life. Wandering is typical for a romantic hero. Here the character is looking for oblivion, a refuge for his lonely, tired soul.
• Loneliness. A wanderer hero cannot be a happy family man or the “life of the party” - he can only be lonely. But he feels the need for love. Does he believe in her? Do you hope to meet again? Yes, but now this feeling is associated not with passion and excitement, but with affection and peace.
• Nature. The poet uses the epithets “solemn” and “wonderful” for objects associated with nature. He realizes its dignity and greatness, wants to learn from nature so that the same internal balance will be in his soul.

Idea

Lermontov was inspired by the popular thought of the era of romanticism - the closeness of man and nature. Sometimes storms and hurricanes happen, and a person becomes worried and scared. But often in evening hour There comes an indestructible silence, cloudlessness, when the whole cosmos opens up to the human gaze. Evening: the end of the day - the end of life. The tree in the poem “I Go Out Alone on the Road” is an oak - life, its development and continuation. This combination of symbolism makes the reader understand that the hero is aware of the finitude of his path, feels the inevitability of, perhaps, imminent death, but desperately does not want such an outcome: the character dreams of a different kind of peace, but fate is inevitable.

This poem, written in the form of a monologue, reveals the poet’s feelings that overwhelm him while walking. Describing surrounding nature, the author talks about her captivating beauty and perfection. She awakens in him the image of something unshakable that does not tolerate fuss. But he himself, located among all this splendor, feels out of place here and his thoughts are colored with sadness and sadness.

The poet begins to look for the reason in himself, asks questions and answers them honestly. This is the story of a deeply feeling, lonely person who no longer expects anything from life, and wants, like this majestic nature, to become free and observe everything from the outside.

Lermontov believed in the predetermination of fate, and, as many write, unconsciously sought death. Maybe that's true. But as a result of everything that happened to him, he wrote and presented his descendants with wonderful examples poetic lyrics, which still touches readers with its penetration.

Written shortly before his death, the poem accurately conveys the poet’s state of mind at that time. By the age of thirty-six, he realized the futility of his efforts. It seemed to him that the time of great victories had passed, he was born too late and was not needed by his time. It so happened that this work became, as it were, his testament, written in verse. Mikhail Yuryevich was buried in his homeland in the village of Tarkhany, and as he wrote in the last lines, next to his grave stands a huge, old oak tree.

Lermontov - I go out alone on the road, analysis of the poem

This poem can be attributed to the mature work of M.Yu. Lermontov, it was written several months before the duel. His contemporaries recalled that he seemed to have a presentiment of death and was in a depressed and thoughtful state.

However, it is in this work that there is no sound of despondency or despair; it is imbued with light sadness and reflection.

The poem begins with the fact that the poet finds himself alone with the universe: the “flint path” stretches out in front of him, above him is the quiet night sky, strewn with stars. The world seemed to stand still and lyrical hero mesmerized by the picture that opened before him. The epithets are very expressive: “the flint path”, “blue radiance”.

The night landscape described in the poem is imbued with calm and tranquility. The more acutely the reader perceives the poet’s state of mind, who is tormented by questions about his life, past and future. Lermontov is having a conversation with himself or with God himself, who is invisibly present in the “desert” through which his path lies.

Contrast is one of the poet’s favorite techniques, which helps him more clearly show the problem of his creation.

He is very lonely, and the landscape around him only emphasizes this. The conclusions that the poet comes to by asking himself questions do not please him. Because he believes that he is unlikely to be able to become happy and therefore does not expect “anything from life.” Emotionality is achieved due to the fact that the poem is written in the first person, and in addition contains an abundance of rhetorical questions and exclamations.

He has one wish left:

I'm looking for freedom and peace!
I would like to forget myself and fall asleep!

But this is not the peace and sleep that gives oblivion that death brings with it.

“I would like to sleep like this forever,” the theme of memory begins with these lines. It is important for Lermontov that he is remembered by his descendants, who could appreciate his work. That is why the image of a green oak appears in the poem, as a symbol of a monument to the poet and his work.

For me this is one of the best philosophical works Lermontov, when a very big meaning is hidden in a small volume and serious questions are asked that almost every person asks himself. The rhythmic pattern of the poem is created using pentameter trochee with pyrrhic, as well as alternating female and male rhymes.

Analysis of Lermontov's verse I go out alone onto the road

Lermontov is a person who is very principled. This man always believed that you need to die with dignity and beauty. For him it was to die on the battlefield. It was the last years of his life that were associated with the fact that he constantly tried to rethink everything he lived and enjoyed and hated. His condition recent years it was like this - he didn’t want to argue with his fate. To some extent, as critics of our time think, he had a presentiment of his death. Maybe that's why he didn't want to think that fate could be changed. He was very pessimistic.

Literally a few months before the duel, which was a fatal harbinger of Lermontov’s death, the poet himself wrote a poem entitled “I go out alone on the road...”. This work, unlike many others written at that time, turned out to be not so pessimistic. It shows how lonely the author of the work is. His soul simply cries out for someone who could understand him, make him happier, and not so lonely. But does such a person exist, be it a woman or a man? Lermontov almost never met anyone like him throughout his life. In the poem, the poet describes all the beauties of nature, and not just nature - but night nature. After all, the night is full of hidden sadness and beauty. Not everyone will be able to see something beautiful and mysterious in the night. But, if he can, he just saw happiness with his own eyes.

Lermontov’s work not only describes beautiful nature, but also hides its own specific meaning. The writer meant that even the bright stars, which seem so proud and unapproachable, communicate and are friends with each other in the sky. And a writer - a person who is endowed with all abilities and talents - cannot find something that will become his meaning in life. People are given more than other creatures, but sometimes it is people who endure more pain and loneliness, as if in compensation for their abilities and capabilities. Lermontov emphasizes well that his ability to enjoy life just like that - without reason, simply almost no longer exists. After all, many circumstances contributed to this. Individuality is what especially emanates from Lermontov’s works.

The poet’s entire poem seems to be built on contrast - the contrast between nature and himself. After all, how different they are - sky, nature and night - and a person who, being among millions of people, is still alone. Lermontov is actually a person who is not so pessimistic, but this is exactly the state in last days his life testifies to the fact that he nevertheless had a presentiment of his imminent end of life.

The poem “On the Swing” was written by Afanasy Fet in 1890. At that time, the writer was already 70 years old. This work is one of the poet’s gentle, lyrical creations.

“I go out alone on the road...” Mikhail Lermontov

I go out alone on the road;
Through the fog the flinty path shines;
The night is quiet. The desert listens to God,
And star speaks to star.

It’s solemn and wonderful in heaven!
The earth sleeps in a blue radiance...
Why is it so painful and so difficult for me?
Am I waiting for what? Do I regret anything?

I don't expect anything from life,
And I don’t regret the past at all;
I'm looking for freedom and peace!
I would like to forget myself and fall asleep!

But not the cold sleep of the grave...
I would like to sleep like this forever,
So that the strength of life slumbers in the chest,
So that when breathing, your chest rises quietly;

So that all night, all day my hearing is cherished,
A sweet voice sang to me about love,
Above me so that it is forever green
The dark oak bowed and made noise.

Analysis of Lermontov's poem “I go out alone on the road...”

The last period of Mikhail Lermontov's creativity is associated with rethinking life values and summing up. According to eyewitnesses, the poet had a presentiment of his death, so he was in a kind of detached state, believing that it was pointless to argue with fate. Moreover, he tried to forestall it and actually sought his death, believing that death on the battlefield was a worthy end to life.

A few months before the fatal duel, which occurred in the spring of 1841, Lermontov wrote the poem “I Go Out Alone on the Road,” which, contrary to many other works of this period, is filled not with despair, but with light sadness and regret that some very important and significant events did not leave a mark on the poet’s soul. As in his youth, Lermontov still experiences an acute feeling of loneliness; the poet portrays himself in this work as a wanderer who wanders along the night road, not realizing where and why he is going.

The poem “I go out alone on the road...” is built on contrast. The author consciously contrasts the beauty of night nature, which exudes peace, and his own state of mind, trying to find the answer to the question of why he is so hurt and sad. His conclusions are disappointing, since the poet admits that he has lost the ability to rejoice and feel truly happy man. “I don’t expect anything from life, and I don’t regret the past at all,” the poet sums up. And at the same time he notes that his most cherished dream is freedom and peace.

Lermontov associates such a state of mind, given his restless and active nature, only with death. But even this outcome of events does not satisfy him, since the physical cessation of existence is tantamount to complete oblivion for the poet. Of course, Lermontov craves fame, although he has no illusions about his work. His cherished dream is to repeat the feat of the participants in the Battle of Borodino and go down in history as a great commander who was able to defend his homeland from enemies. But these dreams were not destined to come true, since the poet happened to be born in a different era, when honor and valor were no longer in favor. Therefore, the author wants to fall asleep in a wonderful and deep sleep that will allow him to overcome time, but at the same time remain an outside observer in order to know what Russia will become in years to come.

“I would like to sleep like this forever,” the poet notes, implying the borderline state between life and death. At the same time, in his words there is a clear desire to leave a memory of himself for centuries; the poet wants him to be “eternally green, dark oak bowed down and made noise.” To some extent, this work can be considered prophetic, since Lermontov’s desire nevertheless came true. Having died in a senseless and stupid duel, he not only remained in people’s memory as a brilliant Russian poet, but also inspired subsequent generations with his creativity to perform feats in the name of justice. And, thus, he fulfilled his mission, which was destined for him by fate, and the essence of which he was never able to understand during his lifetime, despite the fact that he never considered poetry to be an ordinary hobby.

Lermontov's lyrics are a special poetic diary, in which the author managed to fully reflect his feelings and experiences. The poet’s work is usually divided into two periods: early and late. In each of them, certain motives prevailed, being realized in their own way. One of the brightest creations that Lermontov created is “I Go Out Alone on the Road.” shows how the poet’s worldview changed with age (although he was only 25 years old!), as well as how his poetic system is refracted.

Theme and idea of ​​the poem

The main theme of the work is loneliness. This can be understood from the very first line. After all, the lyrical hero is “one”. However, oddly enough, there is no reproach to society in this poem. All reproaches and indignation are in the past, in early lyrics poet. Here we see calm thoughtfulness, reflection on the past. The poem by M. Yu. Lermontov “I go out alone on the road” contains the following main idea: a lonely hero, like the lyrical one, finds peace only alone with nature. A similar thought had already been voiced by Lermontov before, for example, in the work “When the Yellowing Field is Worried.” To better understand the meaning of the poem, it is necessary to perform a more detailed analysis of it.

Lermontov “I go out alone on the road”: analysis of images

The work has a complex emotional content. Each of the stanzas sequentially carries out main idea works.

In the first stanza, the author brings his lyrical hero to the fore, showing that he is different from other people. The picture that surrounds the hero is night, desert, stars. These are images that create the main background and set the reader in the right meditative mood. In nature everything is harmonious, quiet and calm, in it “star speaks to star.” This means that what surrounds the poet sympathizes with him. All natural phenomena can perceive human thoughts and experiences.

But what is going on in the hero’s soul? The second stanza begins to smoothly introduce us to the lyrical hero. It’s “painful and difficult” for him. There is discord in his soul, he can hardly understand his own feelings.

In the third stanza, he himself gives answers to his own questions. He expects nothing more from life, he does not regret the past. The only thing that depresses him is that he does not experience the peace he needs. What is peace for Lermontov? This is another significant image in the poet’s entire work. Lermontov perceives peace in a special way. Is not " cold dream graves", not constant inaction. The hero needs peace of mind, in which, however, there would be both feelings and passions. It can be assumed that peace for Lermontov is a synonym for the word “happiness”.

Means of expression

Metaphors, epithets, personifications and antitheses are far from full list means of expression that Lermontov uses. “I go out alone on the road” (analysis confirms this) is a poem in which syntactic means of expressiveness predominate. But we can also find lexical ones.

In the first stanza, the author talks about nature, endowing it with human qualities. The stars speak to each other, the earth itself sleeps. This technique reflects the poet's worldview. For him, man and nature are inseparable. But nature is more intelligent in comparison with man, and, moreover, he is eternal.

In the third stanza, “I go out alone on the road,” M. Lermontov uses to connect different sections of the poem. There is also syntactic parallelism.

In the penultimate four lines we find anaphora and parallelism (“So that the strength of life slumbers in the chest, so that, breathing, the chest rises quietly”).

Among the lexical means (in addition to personification), we can name epithets: “sweet voice”, “dark oak”.

Rhythm and rhyme

The poetic meter is trochee pentameter. He gives the work a special rhythm; it sounds melodic, somewhat reminiscent of an elegy. which Lermontov chooses is cross. Women's rhyme alternates with men's.

Such a calm, meditative work seems uncharacteristic of Lermontov’s work. However, all of his later lyrics indicate that the poet has matured. In his poems there is no longer a rejection of half-measures, energetic denial and challenge to society.

Mikhail Lermontov: “I go out alone on the road” in the context of the writer’s work

This text can be called final; it draws a certain line under everything that Lermontov created. “I go out alone on the road” (analysis of the content and form proves this) is reminiscent of the earlier “When the yellowing field is agitated.” Already in it the author talks about the miraculous power of nature, about how beautiful it is. Nature harmonizes the discord in the hero’s soul, allows him to look at the world differently, to see God in heaven. “I go out alone on the road” by M. Yu. Lermontov is generally not unusual. It also contains a motif of loneliness that is characteristic of all the poet’s work, a mention of discord with society, that he is a chosen one, and not an ordinary person.

How to analyze a poem correctly?

To properly analyze a lyric text, you need to follow a clear plan. The best way to start your essay is by stating the theme and idea of ​​the work. Then it is necessary to talk about the emotional content of the text. If we are talking about the poem “I Go Out Alone on the Road” by M. Yu. Lermontov, then this mood is meditative, sad.

Also a necessary point is the analysis of lexical and syntactic ones with examples from the text. It should be remembered that each use of a figure of speech has its own meaning, and therefore needs to be indicated.

The last thing you need to talk about is the mood that the text evokes and give it your own assessment.

The poem “I Go Out Alone on the Road” was written in the summer of 1841, a few days before the duel and death of the poet. Genre: lyrical monologue. Compositionally, it is divided into two parts. The poem begins with a beautiful description of nature - a night landscape. The world depicted here is full of harmony. The landscape is simple and at the same time majestic:

The night is quiet. The desert listens to God
And star speaks to star...

The second part describes the feelings of the lyrical hero. These two parts are opposed, because there is no harmony in a person - he is full of anxiety, torment and even despair:
Why is it so painful and so difficult for me?
Am I waiting for what? Do I regret anything?

But the ending corresponds to the beginning - a harmonious, peaceful picture again appears there and speaks of the lyrical hero’s desire to merge with nature forever. Many of M. Yu. Lermontov’s poems contain motifs of sadness and loneliness: “The Cliff,” “It Stands Lonely in the Wild North,” “Sail,” “It’s Boring, and Sad, and There’s No One to Give a Hand to...”. But this motive is especially noticeable in the poem “I go out alone on the road...”. And the entire poem consists of motifs and symbols that are iconic for Lermontov.

In the first stanza there is a motive of loneliness, wandering. The road here is life path a hero who is predestined for everyone from above, and on this road every person is alone. The road of the lyrical hero is difficult - “the flinty path.” An alarming motif of the unknown and uncertainty is also noticeable - the hero sees his way “through the fog”. Next, the poet turns to the heavens, the “blue radiance”, and then to another cosmos - to his soul.

The last lines contain the motif of the past and the future. In the future, the lyrical hero would like only “freedom and peace,” which can be found by forgetting and falling asleep. This is how the theme of death is introduced into the poem. But this topic is not developed; it turns out that sleep is not death, but a bright and beautiful dream. And everything in this dream speaks of life, and not of death - a sweet voice singing about love, the quiet breathing of the hero, his sensitive hearing. In addition, the image of a green and mighty oak appears - a symbol of the strength of life and its eternity. The beauty and grace of nature in the first part are emphasized by expressive means of language.

Lermontov uses metaphors (star speaks to star); personifications (I listen to the desert. Vagu; the earth sleeps). The motive of the hero’s mental discord and loneliness is set by a chain of rhetorical questions: “Why is it so painful and so difficult for me? / Am I waiting for what? Do I regret anything?”; inversion: “I don’t expect anything from life”; exclamatory sentences and anaphora: “I am looking for freedom and peace! / I would like to forget myself and fall asleep! "; “So that the strength of life slumbers in the chest, / So that, breathing, the chest rises quietly.” The author uses assonance (but not that cold sleep of the grave) and alliteration (cherishing my hearing, / A sweet voice sang to me about love; I don’t expect anything from life, / and I don’t regret the past at all). The repetition of hissing sounds gives the story intimacy, imitates quiet speech, a whisper in the night.

The melody and rhythm of the poem are also determined by its caesura (the presence of pauses), which divide the poetic line into two halves: “The night is quiet. // The desert listens to God.” The poem is philosophical in nature, but it does not sound abstract. It is unusually lyrical - everything the poet talks about becomes close to the reader. The poem is written in trochee pentameter, alternating between masculine and feminine rhymes. The rhyme is cross. All this gives smoothness and musicality to the verse. Lermontov's poem attracted the attention of dozens of composers, but the most famous was the romance written in the 19th century by E. S. Shashina.