“Prayer” stands apart in Lermontov’s work. The poet, prone to an eternal search, including in the religious sphere, the creator of the very controversial (at least from the point of view of Orthodox morality and ethics) “Demon”, suddenly turns to faith. “Prayer” became the answer to all the rumors about Lermontov’s frivolity, and the answer was not caustic and witty, not ridiculing, but pure, sincere, personifying the recognition that turning to God lightens the soul.
The work belongs to the late period of creativity - and this makes it stand out even more strongly among other poems, in which despair and disappointment sound with all the power of poetic talent. In 1839, Lermontov courted Princess Shcherbatova, who pushed him to rethink the religious theme. The princess, in a conversation with the poet, advised him to turn to God and pray when his heart is oppressed by melancholy and sadness, saying that sincere prayer helps. And the eternal rebel obeyed, creating an amazingly beautiful example of Christian lyrics. In 1865, Glinka wrote music for “Prayer”, making it a romance.
The main theme of the poem
The central idea of the work is that faith helps to endure all the hardships and adversities; in prayer the soul is purified and life becomes easier. The lyrical hero, who is considered to be the author himself, faces difficulties, goes through a difficult period and feels confused. From the very first lines, Lermontov immerses the reader in the state of his hero, using the very expressive expression “Is it crowded ...”. This creates a feeling of hopelessness and a truly difficult situation, the atmosphere becomes oppressive - but in the very next lines the poet offers a way to alleviate his lot.
This method is to recite the “wonderful prayer” by heart, turn to God, seeking protection and consolation, calming thoughts. It is symbolic that Lermontov did not mention what kind of prayer he was repeating; this is not so important here: the poet emphasizes that the words can be anything, the main thing is that they come from the heart. Calling the prayer “wonderful,” the poet does not stop; then he writes that the words breathe an incomprehensible, holy charm - perhaps these lines reflect Lermontov’s surprise that simple (and most prayers are very simple) words have such a beneficial effect.
The poem fully reveals the motive of spiritual - and emotional - quest and subsequent calm. Repentant tears and the light of true faith are the salvation of the soul, deliverance from all worries and troubles.
It is worth noting that Lermontov does not list his sins and does not ask for forgiveness. Probably, the stage of reconciliation with himself and awareness has already been passed for the poet; now he only needs forgiveness and peace, which he finds.
Structural analysis of the poem
The work uses both “female” and “male” rhymes, and iambic tetrameter replaces trimeter. In general, for such a small volume—only 3 quatrains—a surprising number of literary devices and tropes are used in “Prayer.” Vivid epithets, subtle metaphors and comparisons convey the religious delight and tranquility of the hero, who has found his “safe haven” after saying a prayer.
Lermontov actively uses “high” vocabulary and does not shy away from some pathos, creating a sense of the philosophical orientation of the work. In addition, “u” is repeated unusually often in the poem (13 times in the 1st quatrain alone). This vowel is pronounced for a long time, creating a phonetic similarity to the drawn-out church litanies. The repetitions (in particular, “so easy, easy”) symbolize the feeling of uplift that arose in the hero after the prayer.
The work can confidently be considered one of the most mature in the work of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov. Having rejected youthful rebellion and later disappointment in society, the poet turns to faith - the only truly reliable source of peace and spiritual strength.
“Prayer” Mikhail Lermontov
I, Mother of God, now with prayer
Before your image, bright radiance,
Not about salvation, not before battle,
Not with gratitude or repentance,I don’t pray for my deserted soul,
For the soul of a wanderer in a rootless world;
But I want to hand over an innocent maiden
Warm intercessor of the cold world.Surround a worthy soul with happiness;
Give her companions full of attention,
Bright youth, calm old age,
Peace of hope to a kind heart.Is the time approaching the farewell hour?
Whether on a noisy morning, or on a silent night -
You perceive, let's go to the sad bed
The best angel, a beautiful soul.
Analysis of Lermontov's poem "Prayer"
The poem “Prayer,” written in 1839, belongs to the late period of Mikhail Lermontov’s work. The author is only 25 years old, but he has already been in exile and rethought his own life, in which he alternately played the role of a socialite and a rowdy.
Returning from the Caucasus with the rank of cornet in the Life Guards, the poet realized that he was unable to change anything in the world that surrounded him. And the feeling of his own powerlessness forced him to turn to God, whom, despite his classical religious upbringing, Mikhail Lermontov never took seriously.
The poet's contemporaries and, in particular, Vissarion Belinsky, note that the stormy and active nature of Mikhail Lermontov very often forces him to first perform actions, and then comprehend them. A rebel in life, he did not even try to hide his political views. However, several months spent in the Caucasus made an indelible impression on the poet. He was not only amazed by Eastern wisdom, but also imbued with the ideas of a certain higher principle, to which the fate of every person is subject. Still remaining a rebel, Mikhail Lermontov apparently decided for himself that trying to prove to others their stupidity and worthlessness was not at all the mission that was destined for him from above. Upon returning to Moscow, he again shines at social events and even experiences some pleasure from the attention to his person from the fairer sex, who are seduced by his fame as a hero, rebel and daredevil. However, of all the young ladies, Mikhail Lermontov singles out young Maria Shcherbakova, who once tells him that only prayer addressed to God gives peace of mind and helps in the most difficult moments of life.
Of course, it would be very naive to believe that a person with the makings of an atheist will go to church or make the Psalter his reference book. Nevertheless, Mikhail Lermontov found in the words of the young lady a certain truth that was inaccessible to his understanding. And he wrote his own “Prayer,” which became one of the poet’s brightest and most lyrical works.
In this poem there are no words addressed to God, no requests, self-flagellation and repentance. However, the poet admits that ordinary words can have healing power, cleansing the soul of sorrow, melancholy and the heavy burden caused by the awareness of one’s own powerlessness. But, most importantly, Mikhail Lermontov really follows the advice of Maria Shcherbakova and begins to pray when he feels trapped in his own thoughts and experiences. An equally terrible enemy of the poet is doubt, which, however, is common to all young people. However, for Mikhail Lermontov they are something of a punishment, since they call into question not only the poet’s lifestyle, but also his goals, desires and aspirations. What if the passion for literature is an empty self-deception, and the bright ideals that identify equality and mutual respect of people are just a fiction generated by a rich imagination? But there are Pushkin and Vyazemsky, Belinsky and Kraevsky, who adhered to similar worldviews. And then, in order to dispel doubts and find spiritual support, Lermontov begins to pray, fervently, with tears and with a feeling of repentance for even allowing the thought that his fate could be different.
The poem “Prayer” is, to some extent, an attempt to come to terms with the path that is destined for the poet. But, at the same time, this is a strengthening of his faith in his own strength and, which is not excluded, a premonition of imminent death. This is repentance in verse, the meaning of which is to fight one’s own weaknesses, which force Lermontov to constantly hide his true feelings and thoughts under the guise of decency.
If you read “Prayer” without announcing the author, it is difficult to even immediately believe that it is Lermontov. The poem does not contain complex structures, metaphors, or even simply long words. A clear, easy-to-follow piece of writing iambic trimeter, leaves the impression of a sincere, friendly story.
The piece is easy to learn by heart: in addition to the clear rhythm and consistent cross rhymes, “Prayer” has a very harmonious composition.
If we analyze the poem by stanzas, then at the beginning of the first one a depressing mood is clearly felt. "In a difficult moment", "sadness is crowding", “I repeat it by heart”- the abundance of combinations of consonants, especially with the letter “r”, creates the impression of difficulty and heaviness. It is also aggravated by the repetition of the sound “u”, causing associations with despondency.
The second stanza is transitional, it describes the revelation of the word, the power of prayer. Strength "blessed", incomprehensible to the lyrical hero, but clearly felt by him. "Consonance of living words", "holy beauty"- these metaphors expressively convey the life-giving feeling that anyone who sincerely reads a prayer experiences. The key word of this stanza is "blessed", giving good - and it completely changes the mood of the work.
With the overshadowed grace of the soul "the burden rolls off", doubts go away - and lightness comes instead. It is felt even in the sound of the stanza: the stressed sounds “a”, “o”, “e” reveal each syllable. Repeating a word "easily", with which the poem ends, leaves the impression of flight and incompleteness, as if the soul of the lyrical hero simply dissolved in a gracious impulse of prayer.
There is only one first-person verb in the entire poem: "I repeat". This is the only action that the lyrical hero performs, and everything else is a consequence of this action, occurring by itself. This is due to the repetition of prayer “doubt will roll away”, and it will become easy, and faith will appear, and tears will flow.
The entire work is a description of a single impulse of the soul and its changing state. Such words could have been uttered either by a deeply religious person, or by someone who denied faith and experienced a revelation. The poem was created in 1839, shortly before the death of Lermontov. It is difficult to say whether he experienced doubts and whether he sought support in faith, but it is certain that philosophical reasoning was characteristic of him, especially in the last years of his life. The poem “Prayer” could not even have been inspired by the poet’s own experiences, but he put them into such sincere, inspiring words that make the reader feel involved in this impulse of the soul.
- “Motherland”, analysis of Lermontov’s poem, essay
- “Sail”, analysis of Lermontov’s poem
- “Prophet”, analysis of Lermontov’s poem
- “Clouds”, analysis of Lermontov’s poem
- “Hero of Our Time,” a summary of the chapters of Lermontov’s novel
Analysis of M.Yu. Lermontov's poem "Prayer"
Main topic:
Turning to God, asking for consolation and seeking protection.
Main idea:
In prayers, a person’s soul finds peace, repentance and sincere faith brings peace to the soul, protection from troubles and salvation from doubts.
Problems of the poem:
Philosophical lyrics, the clash of mental forces with the real, harsh world. The poet’s personal experiences in difficult times, confusion of the soul and the search for peace.
Poem idea:
Show the strength of a person’s faith. Without repenting of sins or asking for forgiveness, but through simple prayer, a person finds true faith in his heart, which protects him and gives him peace.
Main characters:
Artistic means of expression:
Epithets: difficult moment of life, wonderful prayer, grace-filled, incomprehensible power, holy beauty, living words.
Comparisons: a burden will be lifted from the soul.
Metaphors: sadness crowds into the heart, an incomprehensible, holy charm breathes in them.
Assonance -repetition of vowel sounds to add melody, slow down and enhance the dynamics of the work.
Syntactic parallelism: And I believe and cry, And so easily.
Dynamics of the poem:
Rhythmic, due to the rhyme, the poem is increasing, from a slow tempo it moves up, on a sublime note there is a rise, which is facilitated by the stilted style of vocabulary. The first quatrain is chanted, slowed down with the help of assonance, conveys the church style of reading prayers. The second enhances the mood, in the third the spiritual uplift begins.
Poem size: iambic tetrameter and trimeter, 12-stanza poem, three quatrains.
Rhyme: cross (lines 1-3, 2-4 rhyme), alternately masculine rhyme (stress on the last syllable) and feminine rhyme (stress on the penultimate syllable).
M. Yu. Lermontov’s poem “Prayer” is dedicated to the interaction of man with divine power. The writer believes that turning to God helps to get through difficult periods in life.
M. Yu. Lermontov wrote this poem in 1839. At that time, his lover was M. A. Shcherbatova. She advised him to seek peace in the spiritual realm. The author listened to her words, although this work is quite unusual for such a skeptical person.
Later it was included in the collected works, which was published in 1842.
Genre, direction, size
The genre of the poem can be described as a lyrical monologue. The text belongs to romanticism and is written in iambic with pyrrhic.
The author uses cross rhyme, that is, he combines the first line with the third, and the second with the fourth. Masculine rhyme (stress on the last syllable) and dactylic rhyme (stress on the third syllable from the end) are also used.
Composition
- At the beginning of the work, the author writes about a difficult moment in life. One can feel the tension, sadness and dejection of the lyrical hero, who decided to try to find peace in turning to God.
- In the middle of the text, the poet describes feelings during prayer: sensations of grace-filled power and holy charm.
- At the end of the poem we see the consequences of the petition. A heavy burden fell from the hero’s shoulders, and he felt at ease.
Images and symbols
In "Prayer" the burden is a symbol of doubt. It is what gnaws at the poet’s heart most of all. It is not surprising, because the author was a thinking person who often thought about the most serious moral, philosophical and creative issues. And every time, standing at a crossroads, he doubted.
In the image of the hero you can see the writer himself. At that time he was experiencing creative stagnation, and the author was in a bad mood. Only prayer helped him cope with despair.
Mood and motives
The poet reveals the motives for emotional tension and getting rid of it through prayer. The text conveys melancholy, then peace, and, finally, the power of the word of a believer.
M. Yu. Lermontov sets the reader in a positive mood, speaking about the consolation found in turning to higher powers. This spiritual communication cleanses the soul and mind, giving strength to move on.
Topics and issues
The main theme of the work is tranquility through prayer, achieved thanks to the healing and cleansing power of spirituality. Themes of longing and sadness are also evident. A creative person is especially susceptible to mood swings, so it is very important for a poet to find a way to relieve the pain of his heart. He generously gifts the reader with this discovery.
The problematic answers our questions about spirituality and the power of repentance:
- “How to find peace in the soul?”;
- “What can prayer do?”;
- “Can turning to God help in a difficult period of life?”
It is extremely important for a person to be able to escape from worldly worries and find harmony in his soul. Spirituality helps us in this, before which all the moral, everyday and psychological problems that troubled the author’s heart recede. These include sadness, indecisiveness and anxiety.
Idea
The meaning of the text is that prayer helps to cope with adversity during difficult periods. If a person is a believer, then no matter how hard it is for him, he will not be left alone with his problems. A higher power can help and calm, even if loved ones have turned away.
The main idea of the “Prayer” is a call for a doubting and tossing person to find harmony within himself, purifying his soul through communication with higher powers. The poet deliberately does not say what kind of prayer he is talking about. Everyone must find their own language of communication with God and themselves.
Means of artistic expression
In addition, the poet speaks in the language of comparisons: doubt is like a burden.
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