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 in a chain 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 separate a line of poetry 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, with alternating 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.
I go out alone onto 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.
Mikhail Lermontov
1841
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The last period of Mikhail Lermontov’s work is associated with a rethinking of life values and summing up results. 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 took place 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 trace in 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 emanates 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.
I go out alone on the road;
Through the fog, the flinty path shines;
The night is still. The desert hears God,
And the star with the star says.
In heaven is solemn and wonderful!
The earth is asleep in the shining blue...
Why is it so painful and so difficult?
Waiting for what? am I sorry about what?
I do not expect anything from life,
And don't drink me for the past;
I"m looking for freedom and peace!
I would like to forget and fall asleep!
But not the cold sleep of the grave...
I would like to fall asleep forever,
So that the strength of life might be dormant in the breast,
In order to breathe, my chest is soft;
So that all night long, all day long my ears cherish,
About love, my sweet voice sang,
I need to be forever green
The dark oak bent and rustled.
Mikhail Lermontov
1841
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The last period of Mikhail Lermontov's creative work is connected with the rethinking of life values and summing up the results. According to eyewitnesses, the poet anticipated his death, therefore he remained in a certain detached state, believing that it was pointless to argue with fate. Moreover, he tried to prevent it and actually sought his death, believing that a worthy end to life is death on the battlefield.
A few months before the fateful duel that occurred in the spring of 1841, Lermontov wrote a poem "I"m leaving alone for the road," which, contrary to many other works of this period, is filled not with despair, but with bright sadness and regret that some very important and landmark events did not leave a trace in the soul of the poet. As in his youth, Lermontov still feels an acute sense of loneliness, the poet portrays himself in this work as a stranger who wanders along the night road, not realizing where and why he is on his way.
The surrounding nature, to which the poet constantly addresses in his work. Only emphasizes his loneliness. After all, in the midnight sky, even a "star with a star says", while the author is not able to share his thoughts with those who could be, if not a good conversationalist, at least a grateful listener. Lermontov decided to assign this mission to his descendants, although he was not sure that after a few years his poems would be in demand.
The poem "I"m leaving alone for the road ..." is built on contrast. The author consciously contrasts the beauty of the nocturnal nature, from which he breathes peace, and his own state of mind, trying to find the answer to the question why it is so painful and sad. His conclusions are disappointing, since the poet admits that he has lost the ability to rejoice and to feel himself a truly happy person. "I do not expect anything from life, and I do not pity the past for me," sums up the poet. And at the same time he notes that his most cherished dream is freedom and peace.
Lermontov's similar mental state, in view of his restless and active nature, is associated only with death. But even this outcome of events does not satisfy him, since the physical cessation of existence is for the poetic equivalent to total oblivion. Of course, Lermontov is hungry for glory, although he has no illusions about his work. His cherished dream is to repeat the feat of the participants of the battle of Borodino and go down in history as a great general who was able to protect his homeland from enemies. But these dreams can not come true, since the poet happened to be born in another era, when honor and valor have ceased to be in favor. Therefore, the author wants to fall asleep with a marvelous and deep sleep that will allow him to overcome time, but at the same time remain an outside observer to know what Russia will become in years.
"I would like to fall asleep forever," the poet notes, implying the borderline between life and death. At the same time, his words clearly sound the desire to leave a memory for himself for centuries, the poet wants to be "forever green, a dark oak bending and making noise". To some extent this work can be considered prophetic, since Lermontov's desire was nevertheless realized. Having perished on a senseless and stupid duel, he not only remained in the memory of people as a brilliant Russian poet, but also inspired his creativity to exploits for the sake of justice the succeeding generations. And, thus, fulfilled his mission, which was destined for him by fate, and the the essence of which he could not understand in life, despite the fact that he never considered poetry a common passion.
The poet Mikhail Lermontov entered the history of Russian literature as the author of numerous lyric poems, romantic poems and even prose texts. We invite you to get acquainted with the analysis of “I Go Out Alone on the Road” by Lermontov, one of the poet’s most popular poems.
Analysis plan
To analyze a poetic text from all sides, you should adhere to the following plan:
- Title of the work and author.
- History of creation, interesting facts about the poem.
- Key themes of the poetic text.
- Idea and main idea. When revealing this point of the plan, it is necessary to indicate what exactly the author wanted to convey to his readers, otherwise, for what purpose the text was created.
- The main artistic techniques used by the poet: tropes, features of sentence construction, rhetorical questions.
- Composition. The questions should be answered: what structural parts are there in a poetic text, how the author manages to achieve integrity and unity. Is it subordinated compositional structure poems expressing the author's thoughts.
- The image of a lyrical hero.
- As a result, it should be indicated whether the text belongs to a certain direction in literature and why, what its genre is, what features indicate belonging to a certain genre.
It is this plan that will help to conduct a deep analysis of “I Go Out Alone on the Road” by Lermontov and any other poetic text. If necessary, the items can be swapped.
Basics
Let’s start the analysis of Lermontov’s “I Go Out on the Road” with brief description history of creation. The poetic text was written in 1841, shortly before the author’s death, and represents the result of his searches and reflections. First publication in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski two years later. It is a known fact that Odoevsky presented Lermontov with a gift notebook so that he completely fills it with poetry. After the poet's death, this notebook was discovered; among others, it contained the poem in question.
Subjects
Continue analysis of the text by M.Yu. Lermontov’s “I Go Out Alone on the Road” follows the definition of the topic, that is, what is said in it. At first glance, everything is simple - the lyrical hero enjoys the splendor of night nature, the sky and stars, and this leads him to sad thoughts. He asks himself questions and cannot find answers to them; he feels good alone with the natural world and does not at all want to return to the company of people. The hero is disappointed and does not expect “anything from life.”
Idea and main idea
When analyzing “I Go Out Alone on the Road” by Lermontov, it is imperative to consider what ideas the poet touched on. First of all, this is loneliness, generally inherent in the author’s lyrics, which is why the image of the desert appears in the text. It is in this work The motive of sadness sounds especially strong. The lyrical hero is tired of the eternal struggle, longs for “freedom and peace,” he feels close to nature.
The theme of fate also appears in the poem. Thus, the lyrical hero is sure that his life path is already predetermined. One can also note echoes of the theme of the unknown, which is why the road the hero takes is covered in fog - the character does not know what awaits him ahead.
In such a small work, the poet managed to reveal the most important themes that worried him all his life. Isn't this an example of true craftsmanship?
Poetics of the text
The next step in analyzing M. Yu. Lermontov’s poem “I Go Out Alone on the Road” is to identify those techniques that help the writer express his ideas:
- Vivid figurative epithets: “flint path”, “dark oak”, “cold sleep of the grave”.
- Personifications and metaphors: “the desert listens to God,” “the star speaks,” “the earth sleeps.”
- Rhetorical questions. The hero, against the backdrop of the stunning splendor of nature, asks questions to which he is unable to give answers.
- Anaphora: the same beginning of lines with the words “I”, “so that” - this strengthens the content.
- Abundance exclamation sentences speaks of the emotional anguish of the lyrical character, who speaks with pain about his condition.
The poet refers to the symbol of the road, which in the text is not only the path itself, but also the life path of the lyrical character along which he wanders.
Musicality and smoothness of the text is achieved by using cross rhyme: ABAB. The size of the verse is trochee pentameter, female and male rhymes alternate.
Features of the composition
The composition of the poem is quite harmonious and is subject to a single logic:
The beginning of the text is sublime vocabulary, using which the author describes the splendor of the night revealed to the gaze of the lyrical hero. The intonation in this part is also solemn.
The motive of doom and loneliness increases due to the rhetorical questions that are heard in the second part of the second stanza. The state of the lyrical hero - oppressed, depressed - is contrasted with the nature around him, in which harmony reigns. That is why for the most part they chose to describe the character interrogative sentences, and when talking about nature, the poet uses narrative.
The next part of “I Go Out Alone on the Road” by M. Lermontov is an attempt by the lyrical hero to understand his own inner world, he himself gives answers to his questions and formulates his life position. He wants to get rid of internal conflict and enjoy freedom and peace. At the same time, there is no motive for death in the text; the hero longs for life, but in a completely different way.
Finally, the last stanzas of the work are the formulation of an ideal, from the poet’s point of view, life - in unity with nature and away from worldly vanity.
