Demon, final edition. Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov - (Poems). Demon Sad demon spirit of exile flew

Part I

Sad Demon, spirit of exile,
Flew over the sinful earth,
AND better days memories
A crowd crowded in front of him;
Those days when in the home of light
He shone, a pure cherub,
When a running comet
Hello with a gentle smile
I loved to exchange with him,
When through the eternal mists,
Hungry for knowledge, he followed
Nomadic caravans
In the space of abandoned luminaries;
When he believed and loved,
Happy firstborn of creation!
I knew neither malice nor doubt,
And did not threaten his mind
A sad series of barren centuries...
And a lot, a lot... and everything
He didn’t have the strength to remember!

The long-outcast wandered
In the desert of the world without shelter:
Following the century, the century ran,
Like a minute goes by,
Monotonous sequence.
Ruling the earth insignificantly,
He sowed evil without pleasure,
Nowhere for your art
He met no resistance -
And evil bored him.

And over the peaks of the Caucasus
The exile of paradise flew by:
Below him is Kazbek, like the face of a diamond,
Shined with eternal snows,
And, deep down blackening,
Like a crack, the home of a snake,
The radiant Daryal curled,
And Terek, jumping like a lioness
With a shaggy mane on the ridge,
Roared, - both the mountain beast and the bird,
Whirling in the azure heights,
They listened to the word of the waters;
And golden clouds
From southern countries, from afar
They escorted him north;
And the rocks in a crowded crowd,
Full of mysterious slumber,
They bowed their heads over him,
Watching the flickering waves;
And towers of castles on the rocks
They looked menacingly through the fogs -
At the gates of the Caucasus on the clock
Guard giants!
And it was wild and wonderful all around
God's whole world; but a proud spirit
He cast a contemptuous eye
The creation of his god,
And on his high forehead
Nothing was reflected

And before him there is a different picture
Living beauties bloomed:
Luxurious Georgia Valley
They spread out like a carpet in the distance;
Happy, lush end of the earth!
Pillar-shaped districts,
Sounding running streams
Along the bottom of multi-colored stones,
And the bushes of roses, where the nightingales are
Sing beauties, unrequited
To the sweet voice of their love;
Chinar spreading canopy,
Densely crowned with ivy,
Caves where on a scorching day
Timid deer lurk;
And shine, and life, and the noise of sheets,
A hundred-sounding conversation of voices,
Breath of a thousand plants!
And half a day of voluptuous heat,
And fragrant dew
Always moisturized nights
And the stars are bright as eyes,
How young is the look of a Georgian woman!..
But, besides cold envy,
Nature was not aroused by brilliance
In the barren breast of an exile
No new feelings, no new strength;
And everything that he saw before him
He despised or hated.

Tall house, wide yard
Gray-haired Gudal built himself...
It cost a lot of work and tears
Slaves have been obedient for a long time.
In the morning on the slope of the neighboring mountains
Shadows fall from its walls.
There are steps cut into the rock;
They are from the corner tower
They lead to the river, flashing along them,
Covered with a white veil 1,
Princess Tamara young
He goes to Aragva for water.

Always silent on the valleys
A gloomy house looked down from the cliff;
But there is a big feast in it today -
Zurna 2 sounds, and guilt flows -
Gudal wooed his daughter,
He called the whole family to the feast.
On a roof covered with carpets,
The bride sits between her friends:
Their leisure time is among games and songs.
Passes. By distant mountains
The semicircle of the sun is already hidden;
Striking rhythmically in the palm of your hand,
They sing - and their tambourine
The young bride takes it.
And here she is, with one hand
Spinning it over your head
Then suddenly he will rush faster than a bird,
Then he stops and looks -
And her moist gaze shines
From under an envious eyelash;
Then he will raise a black eyebrow,
Then suddenly he bends over a little,
And it slides and floats across the carpet
Her divine leg;
And she smiles
Full of children's fun,
But the ray of the moon, through the unsteady moisture
A little playful at times
Hardly comparable to that smile
Like life, like youth, alive.

I swear by the midnight star
A ray of sunset and east,
Ruler of Persia golden
And not a single king of the earth
Never kissed such an eye;
Harem splashing fountain
Never on hot days
With your pearly dew
Such a camp has not been washed!
Still no one's hand on earth,
Wandering over your sweet brow,
I didn’t unravel such hair;
Since the world lost paradise,
I swear she's so beautiful
It did not bloom under the southern sun.

The last time she danced.
Alas! I expected it in the morning
Her, the heiress of Gudal,
Freedom's playful child,
The sad fate of the slave,
The Fatherland, alien to this day,
And an unfamiliar family.
And often secret doubt
The bright features were darkened;
And all her movements were
So slender, full of expression,
So full of sweet simplicity,
What if the Demon, flying by,
At that time he looked at her,
Then, remembering the former brothers,
He turned away and sighed...

And the Demon saw... For a moment
Inexplicable excitement
He suddenly felt within himself,
The silent soul of his desert
Filled with a blessed sound -
And again he comprehended the shrine
Love, kindness and beauty!
And for a long time a sweet picture
He admired - and dreams
About former happiness in a long chain,
It's like there's a star behind a star,
They rolled in front of him then.
Chained by an invisible force,
He became familiar with a new sadness;
A feeling suddenly spoke in him
Once native language.
Was this a sign of rebirth?
He is the word of insidious temptation
I couldn’t find it in my mind...
Forget? - God did not give oblivion:
Yes, he would not have accepted oblivion!..
_______________

Having exhausted the good horse,
To the wedding feast at sunset
The impatient groom was in a hurry.
Aragva bright he happily
Reached the green shores.
Under the heavy burden of gifts
Barely, barely stepping over,
Behind him there is a long row of camels
The road stretches, flashing:
Their bells are ringing.
He himself, the ruler of the Synodal,
Leads a rich caravan.
The agile frame is tightened with a belt;
Frame of saber and dagger
Glistens in the sun; behind the back
A gun with a cut-out notch.
The wind plays with its sleeves
His chukhi 3, - she’s all around
All covered with galloon.
Embroidered with colored silks
His saddle; bridle with tassels;
Below him is a dashing horse covered in soap.
Priceless suit, gold.
Frisky pet Karabakh
He spins his ears and, full of fear,
Snoring looks sideways from the steepness
On the foam of a galloping wave.
The coastal path is dangerous and narrow!
Cliffs on the left side,
To the right is the depths of the rebellious river.
It's too late. On top of the snowy
The blush fades; fog has risen...
The caravan quickened its pace.

And here is the chapel on the road...
Here, since ancient times, he has been resting in God.
Some prince, now a saint,
Killed by a vengeful hand.
Since then, for a holiday or for a battle,
Wherever the traveler hurries,
Always earnest prayer
He brought it from the chapel;
And that prayer saved
From a Muslim dagger.
But the daring groom despised
The custom of their great-grandfathers.
His insidious dream
The crafty Demon was indignant:
He is in thoughts, under the darkness of the night,
He kissed the bride's lips.
Suddenly two people flashed ahead,
And more - a shot! - what's happened?..
Standing up on the sonorous 4 stirrups,
Pushing the eyebrows of dads, 5
The brave prince did not say a word;
A Turkish trunk flashed in his hand,
The whip snaps - and like an eagle,
He rushed... and shot again!
And a wild cry and a muffled groan
We rushed through the depths of the valley -
The battle did not last long:
The timid Georgians fled!

Everything became quiet; crowded together
Sometimes on the corpses of horsemen
The camels looked in horror;
And dull in the silence of the steppe
Their bells were ringing.
A magnificent caravan is plundered;
And over the bodies of Christians
The night bird is drawing circles!
No peaceful tomb awaits them
Under a layer of monastery slabs,
Where the ashes of their fathers were buried;
Sisters and mothers will not come,
Covered with long veils,
With longing, sobs and prayers,
To their graves from distant places!
But with a zealous hand
Here by the road, above the rock
A cross will be erected in memory;
And the ivy that grew in the spring,
She will wrap her arms around him, caressing him
With its emerald net;
And, turning off the difficult road,
More than once a tired pedestrian
He will rest under God's shadow...

The horse rushes faster than the deer,
Snores and strains as if to fight;
Then suddenly he’ll stop at a gallop,
Listen to the breeze
Nostrils flaring wide;
Then, hitting the ground at once
The thorns of ringing hooves,
Tossing his disheveled mane,
Flies forward without memory.
It has a silent rider!
He struggles on the saddle sometimes,
Laying his head down on his mane.
He no longer governs the occasions,
He put his feet in the stirrups,
And blood in wide streams
It is visible on the saddle cloth.
Dashing horse, you are the master
He took me out of the battle like an arrow,
But the evil Ossetian bullet
I caught up with him in the darkness!

There are tears and moans in the Gudal family,
People crowd in the yard:
Whose horse came rushing in on fire
And fell on the stones at the gate?
Who is this breathless horseman?
Kept a trace of swearing anxiety
Wrinkles of a dark brow.
There is blood in the weapon and dress;
In the last frantic squeeze
The hand on the mane froze.
Not long for the young groom,
Bride, your gaze expected:
He kept the prince's word,
He rode to the wedding feast...
Alas! but never again
He won’t mount a dashing horse!..

For a carefree family
God's punishment fell like thunder!
She fell on her bed,
Poor Tamara is crying;
Tear after tear rolls down,
The chest is high and difficult to breathe;
And now she seems to hear
Magic voice above you:
“Don't cry, child! don't cry in vain!
Your tear on a silent corpse
Living dew will not fall:
She only blurs her clear gaze,
Virgin cheeks burn!
He's far away, he won't know
He will not appreciate your melancholy;
The heavenly light now caresses
The disembodied gaze of his eyes;
He hears heavenly melodies...
What are life's petty dreams,
And the moan and tears of the poor maiden
For a guest of the heavenly side?
No, the lot of mortal creation,
Believe me, my earthly angel,
Not worth one moment
Your sadness dear!
On the ocean of air,
Without a rudder and without sails,
Silently floating in the fog
Choirs of slender luminaries;
Among the vast fields
They walk in the sky without a trace
Elusive clouds
Fibrous herds.
The hour of separation, the hour of meeting -
They are neither joy nor sorrow;
They have no desire for the future
And I don’t regret the past.
On a day of languid misfortune
Just remember them;
Be to the earthly without participation
And carefree, like them!
Only the night is its cover
The heights of the Caucasus will dawn,
Only the world magic word
Spellbound, he will fall silent;
Only the wind over the rock
He stirs the withered grass,
And the bird hidden in it,
It will flutter more cheerfully in the darkness;
And under the grapevine,
Swallowing the dew of heaven greedily,
The flower will bloom at night;
Only the golden month
Will rise quietly from behind the mountain
And he will look at you furtively, -
I will fly to you;
I will be visiting until the morning
And on silk eyelashes
To bring back golden dreams..."

The words fell silent in the distance,
Following the sound, the sound died.
She jumps up and looks around...
Unspeakable Confusion
In her chest; sadness, fear,
The ardor of delight is nothing in comparison.
All her feelings were suddenly boiling;
The soul broke its shackles,
Fire ran through my veins,
And this voice is wonderfully new,
It seemed to her that it still sounded.
And before the morning the desired dream
He closed his tired eyes;
But he outraged her thought
A prophetic and strange dream.
The alien is foggy and dumb,
Shining with unearthly beauty,
He leaned towards her head;
And his gaze with such love,
I looked at her so sadly
It was as if he regretted her.
It was not a celestial angel,
Her divine guardian:
Crown of rainbow rays
Didn't decorate it with curls.
It was not the terrible spirit of hell,
Vicious martyr - oh no!
It looked like a clear evening:
Neither day nor night, neither darkness nor light!..

Part 2

“Father, father, leave the threats,
Don’t scold your Tamara;
I'm crying: do you see these tears,
They are not the first.
In vain the suitors crowd
People rush here from distant places.
There are many brides in Georgia;
And I can’t be anyone’s wife!..
Oh, don't scold me, father.
You yourself noticed: day by day
I'm withering, a victim of evil poison!
I'm tormented by an evil spirit
An irresistible dream;
I'm dying, have pity on me!
Give it to the sacred monastery
Your reckless daughter;
The savior will protect me there,
I will shed my sorrow before him,
There is no fun in the world for me...
Shrines of the world of autumn,
Let the gloomy cell accept
Like a coffin, ahead of me..."

And to a secluded monastery
Her family took her
And a humble hair shirt
They clothed the young breast.
But also in monastic clothes,
Like under patterned brocade,
Everything is a lawless dream
Her heart beat as before.
Before the altar, with the glow of candles,
During the hours of solemn singing,
A friend, in the midst of prayer,
She often heard speech.
Under the arch of the dark temple
A familiar image sometimes
Slipped without a sound and a trace
In a light mist of incense;
He shone quietly, like a star;
He beckoned and called... but - where?..

In the cool between two hills
A holy monastery was hidden.
Chinar and poplar trees in rows
He was surrounded - and at times,
When night fell in the gorge,
Flashed through them, in the windows of the cell,
Lamp of a young sinner.
All around, in the shade of almond trees,
Where there is a row of sad crosses,
Silent guardians of the tombs,
Choirs of light birds sang.
They jumped on the stones and made noise
The keys are like a icy wave,
And under the overhanging rock,
Merging friendly into the gorge,
Rolled on, between the bushes,
Frost-covered flowers.

Mountains were visible to the north.
With the brilliance of the morning Aurora,
When the blue smoke
Smoking in the depths of the valley,
And, turning to the east,
The muezins are calling to prayer,
And the sonorous voice of the bell
It trembles, awakening the monastery;
In a solemn and peaceful hour,
When a Georgian woman is young
With a long jug for water
It's a steep descent from the mountain,
Tops of the snow chain
Light purple wall
Painted in the clear sky
And at sunset they got dressed
They are a ruddy veil;
And between them, cutting through the clouds,
He stood taller than everyone else,
Kazbek, the mighty king of the Caucasus,
In a turban and brocade robe.

But, full of criminal thoughts,
Tamara's heart is inaccessible
Pure delight. In front of her
The whole world is dressed in a gloomy shadow;
And everything in it is an excuse for torment
And the morning light and the darkness of the nights.
It used to be only sleepy nights
Coolness will cover the earth,
Before the divine icon
She'll fall into madness
And cries; and in the silence of the night
Her heavy sobbing
The traveler's attention disturbs him;
And he thinks: “That mountain spirit
The one chained in the cave is moaning!”
And straining sensitive ears,
He drives the exhausted horse.

Full of longing and trepidation,
Tamara is often at the window
Sits alone in thought
And looks into the distance with a diligent eye,
And all day long, sighing, he waits...
Someone whispers to her: he will come!
No wonder her dreams caressed her,
No wonder he appeared to her,
With eyes full of sadness,
And the wonderful tenderness of speech.
She's been languishing for many days now,
Without knowing why;
Will he want to pray to the saints?
And the heart prays to him;
Tired of the constant struggle,
Will he bow down on his bed of sleep:
The pillow is burning, it’s stuffy, scary,
And she jumped up and trembled all over;
Her chest and shoulders are burning,
There is no strength to breathe, there is fog in the eyes,
Embraces eagerly seek a meeting,
Kisses melt on the lips...
_______________

The evening haze covers the air
Already dressed the hills of Georgia.
Obedient to sweet habit,
The Demon flew in to offend.
But for a long, long time he did not dare
Shrine of Peaceful Refuge
Violate. And there was a minute
When he seemed ready
Leave the intent to cruel,
Thoughtful by the high wall
He wanders: from his steps
Without wind, a leaf in the shadow flutters.
He looked up: her window,
Illuminated by a lamp, glittering;
She's been waiting for someone for a long time!
And in the midst of general silence
Chingura 1 slender jingle
And the sounds of song were heard;
And those sounds flowed, flowed,
Like tears, measured one after another;
And this song was tender,
As if it were for the earth
It was laid out in heaven!
Isn't it an angel with a forgotten friend?
I wanted to see you again
Flew here stealthily
And sang to him about the past,
To ease his torment?..
The longing of love, its excitement
Befell the Demon for the first time;
He wants to leave in fear...
His wing doesn't move!
And, miracle! from darkened eyes
A heavy tear rolls down...
To this day, near that cell
The stone is visible through the burnt
A hot tear like a flame,
An inhuman tear!..

And he comes in, ready to love,
With a soul open to goodness,
And he thinks that there is a new life
The desired time has come.
A vague thrill of anticipation,
The fear of the unknown is silent,
It's like on a first date
We confessed with a proud soul.
It was an evil omen!
He enters, looks - in front of him
Messenger of Paradise, Cherub,
Guardian of the beautiful sinner,
Standing with a shining brow
And from the enemy with a clear smile
He shaded her with his wing;
And a ray of divine light
Suddenly blinded by an unclean gaze,
And instead of sweet hello
A painful reproach rang out:

"A restless spirit, a vicious spirit,
Who called you in the midnight darkness?
Your fans are not here
Evil has not breathed here to this day;
To my love, to my shrine
Don't leave a criminal trail.
Who called you?
In response to him
The evil spirit smiled insidiously;
His gaze lit up with jealousy;
And again he woke up in his soul
Ancient hatred is poison.
"She is mine! - he said menacingly, -
Leave her, she's mine!
You came, defender, late,
And to her, like to me, you are not a judge.
With a heart full of pride,
I have set my seal;
Your shrine is no longer here,
This is where I own and love!”
And the Angel with sad eyes
Looked at the poor victim
And slowly, flapping his wings,
Drowned in the ether of the sky.
………………………………………………………………

Tamara
ABOUT! who are you? your speech is dangerous!
Did heaven or hell send you to me?
What do you want?..

Daemon
You are beautiful!

Tamara
But tell me, who are you? answer...

Daemon
I'm the one you listened to
You're in the midnight silence
Whose thought whispered to your soul,
Whose sadness you vaguely guessed,
Whose image I saw in a dream.
I am the one whose gaze destroys hope;
I am the one no one loves;
I am the scourge of my earthly slaves,
I am the king of knowledge and freedom,
I am the enemy of heaven, I am the evil of nature,
And, you see, I am at your feet!
I brought you joy
Silent prayer of love,
Earthly first torment
And my first tears.
ABOUT! listen - out of pity!
Me to goodness and heaven
You could return it with a word.
Your love is a holy cover
Dressed, I would appear there,
Like a new angel in new splendor;
ABOUT! just listen, I pray, -
I am your slave - I love you!
As soon as I saw you -
And secretly I suddenly hated
Immortality and power are mine.
I was jealous involuntarily
Incomplete earthly joy;
It hurt me not to live like you,
And it’s scary to live differently with you.
An unexpected ray in a bloodless heart
Again warmed up alive,
And sadness at the bottom of the ancient wound
She moved like a snake.
What is this eternity to me without you?
Are my possessions infinite?
Empty sonorous words
A vast temple - without a deity!

Tamara
Leave me, O evil spirit!
Shut up, I don’t trust the enemy...
Creator... Alas! I can't
Pray... a deadly poison
My weakening mind is overwhelmed!
Listen, you will destroy me;
Your words are fire and poison...
Tell me why you love me!

Daemon
Why, beauty? Alas,
I don’t know!.. Full of new life,
From my criminal head
I proudly took off the crown of thorns,
I threw everything that was before into dust:
My heaven, my hell in your eyes.
I love you with an unearthly passion,
How you can't love:
With all ecstasy, with all power
Immortal thoughts and dreams.
In my soul, since the beginning of the world,
Your image was imprinted
He rushed in front of me
In the deserts of the eternal ether.
My thoughts have been troubling me for a long time,
The name sounded sweet to me;
In days of bliss I am in heaven
You were the only one missing.
ABOUT! if you could understand
What a bitter languor
All life, centuries without separation
And enjoy and suffer,
Do not expect praise for evil,
No reward for good;
Live for yourself, be bored with yourself
And this eternal struggle
No celebration, no reconciliation!
Always regret and not desire,
Know everything, feel everything, see everything,
Trying to hate everything
And despise everything in the world!..
Only God's curse
Fulfilled, from the same day
Nature's warm embrace
Forever cooled down for me;
The space before me turned blue;
I saw the wedding decoration
Luminaries I have known for a long time...
They flowed in crowns of gold;
But what? former brother
Not a single one recognized it.
Exiles, their own kind,
I began to call in desperation,
But the words and faces and glances of evil,
Alas! I didn’t recognize it myself.
And in fear I, flapping my wings,
He rushed - but where? For what?
I don’t know... former friends,
I was rejected; like Eden,
The world has become deaf and dumb for me.
At the free whim of the current
So damaged rook
Without sails and without a rudder
Floats without knowing its destination;
So early in the morning
A fragment of a thunder cloud,
Turning black in the azure silence,
Alone, not daring to stick anywhere,
Flying without purpose or trace,
God knows from where and where!
And I didn’t rule people for long,
I didn’t teach them sin for long,
Everything noble has been dishonored
And he blasphemed everything beautiful;
Not for long... the flame of pure faith
I easily filled them forever...
Was my work worth it?
Only fools and hypocrites?
And I hid in the gorges of the mountains;
And began to wander like a meteor,
In the darkness of deep midnight...
And the lonely traveler rushed,
Deceived by a nearby light;
And falling into the abyss with a horse,
He called in vain - and there was a bloody trail
Behind him he wound up the steep slope...
But evil is dark fun
I didn't like it for long!
In the fight against a mighty hurricane,
How often, raising the ashes,
Dressed in lightning and fog,
I rushed noisily in the clouds,
So that in the crowd of rebellious elements
Silence the murmur of the heart,
Escape from the inevitable thought
And forget the unforgettable!
What a story of painful hardships,
The labors and troubles of the crowd of people
Future, past generations,
Before one minute
My unacknowledged torment?
What people? what is their life and work?
They have passed, they will pass...
There is hope - a just trial awaits:
He can forgive, even if he condemns!
My sadness is always here,
And there will be no end for her, like for me;
And she won’t take a nap in her grave!
She caresses like a snake,
It burns and splashes like a flame,
That crushes my thought like a stone -
Hopes of the dead and passions
Indestructible mausoleum!..

Tamara
Why should I know your sorrows?
Why are you complaining to me?
You have sinned...

Daemon
Is it against you?

Tamara
They can hear us!..

Daemon
We are alone.

Tamara
And God!

Daemon
He won't glance at us:
He is busy with the sky, not the earth!

Tamara
And the punishment, the torments of hell?

Daemon
So what? You will be there with me!

Tamara
Whoever you are, my random friend, -
Destroying peace forever,
Involuntarily I am with the joy of mystery,
Sufferer, I listen to you.
But if your speech is deceitful,
But if you, the deception...
ABOUT! have mercy! What glory?
What do you need my soul for?
Am I really dearer to the sky?
Everyone you didn't notice?
They, alas! beautiful too;
Like here, their virgin bed
Not crushed by a mortal hand...
No! give me a fatal oath...
Tell me, you see: I’m sad;
You see women's dreams!
You involuntarily caress the fear in your soul...
But you understood everything, you know everything -
And, of course, you will take pity!
Swear to me... from evil acquisitions
Make a vow to renounce now.
Are there really no vows or promises?
There are no more indestructibles?..

Daemon
I swear by the first day of creation,
I swear on his last day,
I swear by the shame of crime
And eternal truth triumph.
I swear by the bitter torment of the fall,
Victory with a short dream;
I swear on a date with you
And again threatening separation.
I swear by the host of spirits,
By the fate of the brothers under my control,
With the swords of impassive angels,
My never-sleeping enemies;
I swear by heaven and hell,
Earthly shrine and you,
I swear by your last glance
With your first tear,
Breath of your kind lips,
A wave of silken curls,
I swear by bliss and pain,
I swear by my love:
I have renounced my old revenge
I renounced proud thoughts;
From now on, the poison of insidious flattery
No one's mind will be alarmed;
I want to make peace with the sky,
I want to love, I want to pray,
I want to believe in goodness.
I will wipe away with a tear of repentance
I'm on a forehead worthy of you,
Traces of heavenly fire -
And the world is in calm ignorance
Let it flourish without me!
ABOUT! believe me: I am alone today
I comprehended and appreciated you:
Having chosen you as my shrine,
I laid down my power at your feet.
I wait for your love like a gift,
And I will give you eternity in a moment;
In love, as in anger, believe, Tamara,
I am unchanging and great.
I am you, free son of the ether,
I’ll take you to the superstellar regions;
And you will be the queen of the world,
My first friend;
Without regret, without participation
You will look at the ground,
Where there is no true happiness,
No lasting beauty
Where there are only crimes and executions,
Where petty passions only live;
Where they can’t do it without fear
Neither hate nor love.
Or don't you know what it is
People's momentary love?
Young blood excitement, -
But the days fly by and the blood runs cold!
Who can resist separation?
The temptation of new beauty
Against fatigue and boredom
And the waywardness of dreams?
No! not you, my friend,
Find out, destined
Wither silently in a close circle,
The jealous rudeness of a slave,
Among the cowardly and cold,
Feigned friends and enemies,
Fears and fruitless hopes,
Empty and painful labors!
Sad behind the high wall
You will not fade away without passions,
Among prayers, equally far
From God and from people.
Oh no, beautiful creature,
You are condemned to something else;
A different kind of suffering awaits you,
Other delights are deep;
Leave your old desires
And the pitiful light of his fate:
The abyss of proud knowledge
In return, I will open it for you.
A crowd of my servant spirits
I will bring you to your feet;
Servants of the light and magical
I will give it to you, beauty;
And for you from the eastern star
I will tear off the golden crown;
I will take from the flowers of the midnight dew;
I will put him to sleep with that dew;
A ray of ruddy sunset
Your figure is like a ribbon, like a shoe,
Breathing pure aroma
I will drink the surrounding air;
Every hour with a wonderful game
I will cherish your hearing;
I will build magnificent palaces
From turquoise and amber;
I will sink to the bottom of the sea,
I'll fly beyond the clouds
I will give you everything, everything earthly -
Love me!..

And he slightly
Touched with hot lips
Her trembling lips;
Tempted by full speeches
He answered her prayers.
A mighty gaze looked into her eyes!
He burned her. In the darkness of the night
He sparkled right above her,
Irresistible as a dagger.
Alas! the evil spirit triumphed!
The deadly poison of his kiss
Instantly it penetrated into her chest.
Anguished terrible scream
The night was outraged by the silence.
It had everything: love, suffering,
Reproach with a final plea
And a hopeless goodbye -
Farewell to young life,

At that time the midnight watchman
One around the wall is steep
Quietly completing the lesson path,
Wandered around with a cast iron board,
And near the cell of the young maiden
He tamed his measured step
And a hand over a cast iron board,
Confused at heart, he stopped.
And through the surrounding silence,
It seemed to him that he heard
Two lips agreeing kiss,
A minute of screaming and a faint moan.
And unholy doubt
Penetrated into the old man's heart...
But another moment passed,
And everything became quiet; from afar
Just a breath of wind
The murmur of leaves brought
Yes, it’s sad with the dark shore
The mountain river whispered.
Canon of the saint
He hurries in fear to read,
So that the obsession of the evil spirit
Drive away from sinful thoughts;
Crosses with trembling fingers
Dream-stirred chest
And silently with quick steps
The normal one continues on his way.
_______________

Like a sleeping sweetheart,
She was lying in her coffin,
Whiter and cleaner bedspreads
There was a languid color to her brow.
Eyelashes forever drooping...
But who would, oh heaven! didn't say
That the gaze under them only dozed
And, wonderful, I was just waiting
Or a kiss, or a blessing?
But the ray of daylight is useless
Slided over them like a stream of gold,
In vain they are in silent sorrow
Relatives kissed their lips...
No! death eternal seal
Nothing can stop it!

I've never been to the fun days
So colorful and rich
Tamara's festive outfit.
Flowers of the birthplace
(This is how the ancient ritual demands)
They pour their scent over her
And, squeezed with a dead hand,
It’s like saying goodbye to the earth!
And nothing in her face
There was no hint of the end
In the heat of passion and rapture;
And all her features were
Filled with that beauty
Like marble, alien to expression,
Devoid of feeling and mind,
Mysterious as death itself.
The strange smile froze
Flashing across her lips.
She talked about a lot of sad things
She to attentive eyes:
There was cold contempt in her
A soul ready to bloom,
The last thought expression,
Soundless farewell to the earth.
A vain glimpse of a former life,
She was even deader
Even more hopeless for the heart
Forever faded eyes.
So at the hour of solemn sunset,
When, having melted into a sea of gold,
The chariot of the day has already disappeared,
Snow of the Caucasus, for a moment
Preserving the ruddy tint,
Shining in the dark distance.
But this ray is half-dead
In the desert there will be no reflection,
And it won’t light anyone’s path
From its icy summit!

A crowd of neighbors and relatives
We are about to set off on a sad journey.
Tormenting gray curls,
Silently hitting the chest,
Gudal sits down for the last time
On a white-maned horse.
And the train started moving. Three days,
Their journey will last three nights:
Between old grandfather's bones
A shelter for the deceased was dug for her.
One of Gudal's forefathers,
The robber of strangers and sat down,
When illness struck him down
And the hour of repentance has come,
Past sins in redemption
He promised to build a church
On the heights of granite rocks,
Wherever the blizzards can be heard singing,
Wherever the kite flew.
And soon between the snows of Kazbek
A lonely temple has risen,
And the bones of an evil man
They rested there again;
And turned into a cemetery
Rock native to the clouds:
Feels closer to heaven
A warmer posthumous home?..
It's like being further away from people
The last dream will not be indignant...
In vain! the dead can't dream
Neither the sadness nor the joy of past days.

In the space of blue ether
One of the holy angels
Flew on golden wings,
And a sinful soul from the world
He carried him in his arms.
And with the sweet speech of hope
Dispelled her doubts
And a trace of misdeed and suffering
He washed it off with his tears.
From afar there are sounds of paradise
They heard it - when suddenly,
Crossing the free path,
A hellish spirit rose from the abyss.
He was powerful, like a noisy whirlwind,
Shined like a stream of lightning,
And proudly in insane audacity
He says: “She’s mine!”
She pressed herself to her protective breast,
I drowned out the horror with prayer,
Tamara is a sinful soul.
The fate of the future was being decided,
He stood before her again,
But, oh my! - who would recognize him?
How he looked with an evil gaze,
How full it was of deadly poison
Enmity that knows no end -
And the chill of the grave blew
From a still face.
“Get lost, gloomy spirit of doubt! -
The messenger of heaven answered: -
You have triumphed enough;
But the hour of judgment has now come -
And God's decision is good!
The days of testing are over;
With clothes of mortal earth
The shackles of evil fell from her.
Find out! We've been waiting for her for a long time!
Her soul was one of those
Whose life is one moment
Unbearable torment
Unattainable pleasures:
Creator from the best air
I wove their living strings,
They are not made for the world
And the world was not created for them!
I redeemed it at a cruel price
She has her doubts...
She suffered and loved -
And heaven opened for love!”
And the Angel with stern eyes
Looked at the tempter
And, happily flapping his wings,
Drowned in the radiance of the sky.
And the defeated Demon cursed
Your crazy dreams,
And again he remained, arrogant,
Alone, as before, in the universe
Without hope and love!..
On the slope of a stone mountain
Above the Koishauri Valley
Still standing to this day
The battlements of an ancient ruin.
Scary stories for children
Legends are still full of them...
Like a ghost, a silent monument,
Witness of those magical days
It turns black between the trees.
The aul crumbled below,
The earth blooms and turns green;
And a discordant hum of voices
Lost and caravans
They come, ringing, from afar,
And, falling through the mists,
The river sparkles and foams.
And life, forever young,
Coolness, sun and spring
Nature amuses itself jokingly,
Like a carefree child.
But sad is the castle that has served
Once in your turn,
Like a poor old man who survived
Friends and sweet family.
And just waiting for the moon to rise
Its invisible residents:
Then they have holiday and freedom!
They buzz and run in all directions.
Gray spider, new hermit,
Spins its warp webs;
Green lizard family
Plays merrily on the roof;
And a cautious snake
Crawls out of a dark crevice
On the slab of the old porch,
Then suddenly it will be wrapped in three rings,
It will fall in a long strip,
And it shines like a damask sword,
Forgotten in the field of ancient battles,
Unnecessary to a fallen hero!..
Everything is wild; there are no traces anywhere
Years gone by: the hand of centuries
Diligently, it took a long time to sweep them away,
And it won’t remind you of anything
ABOUT glorious name Gudala,
About his dear daughter!
But the church is on a steep hill,
Where their bones are taken by the earth,
Guarded by holy power,
It is still visible between the clouds.
And they stand at her gate
Black granites are on guard,
Covered with snow cloaks;
And on their chests instead of armor
The eternal ice is burning.
Collapses of sleepy communities
From the ledges, like waterfalls,
Suddenly caught by frost,
They hang around, frowning.
And there the blizzard goes on patrol,
Blowing dust from the gray walls,
Then he starts a long song,
Then he calls out to the sentries;
Hearing news in the distance
About a wonderful temple in that country,
One cloud from the east
They rush in a crowd to worship;
But over the family gravestones
No one has been sad for a long time.
Rock of gloomy Kazbek
He greedily guards his prey,
And the eternal murmur of man
They will not be disturbed by eternal peace.

Analysis of the poem “Demon” by Lermontov

Lermontov was one of the first to develop the “demonic” theme in Russian literature. The theme of “demonism” occupied Lermontov from an early age. “Demonic images” appeared in many of the poet’s works. He wrote the poem “Demon” for about 12 years. The work began in 1829. The edition of 1838 is closest to the final text. Lermontov lived in the Caucasus and moved the scene of action there. The main character appeared - Princess Tamara, based on the Georgian folk legend about an evil spirit. The poet continued to make amendments and completed the poem only in 1841.

Lermontov's image of the demon is inspired by his romantic ideas about the proud and rebellious lyrical hero. The poet tried to imagine the internal doubts and experiences of the evil spirit, to understand why he embarked on the path of evil. The demon has biblical origins, he is a fallen angel who was cast into hell by God for his pride and desire for absolute power.

For the poet, the demon is more “human”. He does not enjoy his power for long. The instillation of sinful thoughts soon begins to bore him, especially since people do not try to fight him, but willingly listen to his instructions. Even in hell, the demon experiences acute loneliness. He becomes an outcast among the rest of Satan's servants. Having retired to the gloomy and inaccessible rocks, the demon finds temporary entertainment in the murder of lonely travelers.

In such a sad pastime, the demon notices the beautiful Tamara. It seemed to him that nothing could awaken any strong feelings in him. But the appearance of the young girl struck even the gloomy demon. He is overcome by an irresistible desire to take possession of the beauty's soul. He inspires her fiancé with sinful thoughts, which leads to his death. Having gotten rid of his rival, the demon begins to visit Tamara in her dreams in the guise of an unknown seducer. The princess is frightened by sinful thoughts, and she goes to the monastery. But even here the demon haunts her. During his last decisive appearance, he expels the angel guarding the girl and achieves her consent. Tamara does not renounce God, but she believes in love and that the demon can be cleansed of evil with her. She submits to love and dies.

The demon celebrates victory. He forgets about the oath and appears in his real guise. But Tamara’s soul is already in the hands of an angel. By the power of her love she earned divine forgiveness. The demon is forced to retreat and admit defeat.

Lermontov's attitude towards the demon changes from sympathetic at the beginning to condemning at the end. The author himself destroys his idea of the possibility of a demon being transformed under the influence of a strong feeling. The essence of the devil is unchanging, so he is powerless before the greatness of divine love.

I

Lermontov. Daemon. Audiobook

Sad Demon, spirit of exile,
Flew over the sinful earth,
And the best days of memories
A crowd crowded in front of him;
Those days when there is light in the house
He shone, a pure cherub,
When a running comet
Hello with a gentle smile
I loved to exchange with him,
When through the eternal mists,
Hungry for knowledge, he followed
Nomadic caravans
In the space of abandoned luminaries;
When he believed and loved,
Happy firstborn of creation!
I knew neither malice nor doubt.
And did not threaten his mind
A sad series of barren centuries...
And a lot, a lot... and everything
He didn’t have the strength to remember!

II

Daemon. Artist M. Vrubel, 1890

The long-outcast wandered
In the desert of the world without shelter:
Following the century, the century ran,
Like a minute goes by,
Monotonous sequence.
Ruling the earth insignificantly,
He sowed evil without pleasure.
Nowhere for your art
He met no resistance -
And evil bored him.

III

And over the peaks of the Caucasus
The exile of paradise flew by:
Below him is Kazbek, like the face of a diamond,
Shined with eternal snows,
And, deep down blackening,
Like a crack, the home of a snake,
The radiant Daryal curled,
And Terek, jumping like a lioness
With a shaggy mane on the ridge,
Both the mountain beast and the bird roared,
Whirling in the azure heights,
They listened to the word of the waters;
And golden clouds
From southern countries, from afar
They escorted him north;
And the rocks in a crowded crowd,
Full of mysterious slumber,
They bowed their heads over him,
Watching the flickering waves;
And towers of castles on the rocks
They looked menacingly through the fogs -
At the gates of the Caucasus on the clock
Guard giants!
And it was wild and wonderful all around
God's whole world; but a proud spirit
He cast a contemptuous eye
The creation of his god,
And on his high forehead
Nothing was reflected.

IV

And before him there is a different picture
Living beauties bloomed:
Luxurious Georgia Valley
They spread out like a carpet in the distance;
Happy, lush end of the earth!
Pillar-shaped areas.
Sounding running streams
Along the bottom of multi-colored stones,
And the bushes of roses, where the nightingales are
Sing beauties, unrequited
To the sweet voice of their love;
Chinar spreading canopy,
Densely crowned with ivy.
Caves where on a scorching day
Timid deer lurk;
And shine, and life, and the noise of sheets,
A hundred-sounding conversation of voices,
Breath of a thousand plants!
And half a day of voluptuous heat,
And fragrant dew
Always moisturized nights
And the stars, bright as eyes,
How young is the look of a Georgian woman!..
But, besides cold envy,
Nature was not aroused by brilliance
In the barren breast of an exile
No new feelings, no new strength;
And everything that he saw before him
He despised or hated.

V

Tall house, wide yard
Gray-haired Gudal built himself...
It cost a lot of work and tears
Slaves have been obedient for a long time.
In the morning on the slope of the neighboring mountains
Shadows fall from its walls.
There are steps cut into the rock;
They are from the corner tower
They lead to the river, flashing along them,
Covered with a white veil,
Princess Tamara young
He goes to Aragva for water.

VI

Always silent on the valleys
A gloomy house looked down from the cliff;
But there is a big feast in it today -
The zurna sounds and the guilt flows -
Gudal wooed his daughter,
He called the whole family to the feast.
On a roof covered with carpets,
The bride sits between her friends:
Their leisure time is among games and songs.
Passes. By distant mountains
The semicircle of the sun is already hidden;
Striking rhythmically in the palm of your hand,
They sing - and their tambourine
The young bride takes it.
And here she is, with one hand
Spinning it over your head
Then suddenly he will rush faster than a bird,
Then he stops and looks -
And her moist gaze shines
From under an envious eyelash;
Then he will raise a black eyebrow,
Then suddenly he bends over a little,
And it slides and floats across the carpet
Her divine leg;
And she smiles
Full of children's fun.
But the ray of the moon, through the unsteady moisture
A little playful at times
Hardly comparable to that smile
Like life, like youth, alive

VII

I swear by the midnight star
A ray of sunset and east,
Ruler of Persia golden
And not a single king of the earth
Never kissed such an eye;
Harem splashing fountain
Never on hot days
With your pearly dew
Such a camp has not been washed!
Still no one's hand on earth,
Wandering over your sweet brow,
I didn’t unravel such hair;
Since the world lost its paradise,
I swear she's so beautiful
It did not bloom under the southern sun.

VIII

The last time she danced.
Alas! I expected it in the morning
Her, the heiress of Gudal.
Freedom's playful child,
The sad fate of the slave,
The Fatherland, alien to this day,
And an unfamiliar family.
And often secret doubt
The bright features were darkened;
And all her movements were
So slender, full of expression,
So full of sweet simplicity,
What if the Demon, flying by,
At that time he looked at her,
Then, remembering the former brothers,
He turned away and sighed...

IX

And the Demon saw... For a moment
Inexplicable excitement
He suddenly felt within himself.
The silent soul of his desert
Filled with a blessed sound -
And again he comprehended the shrine
Love, kindness and beauty!..
And for a long time a sweet picture
He admired - and dreams
About former happiness in a long chain,
It's like there's a star behind a star,
They rolled in front of him then.
Chained by an invisible force,
He became familiar with a new sadness;
A feeling suddenly spoke in him
Once native language.
Was this a sign of rebirth?
He is the word of insidious temptation
I couldn't find it in my mind...
Forget? God did not give me oblivion:
Yes, he would not have accepted oblivion!..
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

X

Having exhausted the good horse,
To the wedding feast at sunset
The impatient groom was in a hurry.
Aragva bright he happily
Reached the green shores.
Under the heavy burden of gifts
Barely, barely stepping over,
Behind him there is a long row of camels
The road stretches, flashing:
Their bells are ringing.
He himself, the ruler of the Synodal.
Leads a rich caravan.
The agile frame is tightened with a belt;
Frame of saber and dagger
Glistens in the sun; behind the back
A gun with a cut-out notch.
The wind plays with its sleeves
His crap - she’s all around
All covered with galloon.
Embroidered with colored silks
His saddle; bridle with tassels;
Below him is a dashing horse covered in soap.
Priceless suit, gold.
Frisky pet Karabakh
He spins his ears and, full of fear,
Snoring looks sideways from the steepness
On the foam of a galloping wave.
The coastal path is dangerous and narrow!
Cliffs on the left side,
To the right is the depths of the rebellious river.
It's too late. On top of the snowy
The blush fades; it's foggy...
The caravan quickened its pace.

XI

And here is the chapel on the road...
Here, since ancient times, he has been resting in God.
Some prince, now a saint,
Killed by a vengeful hand.
Since then, for a holiday or for a battle,
Wherever the traveler hurries,
Always earnest prayer
He brought it from the chapel;
And that prayer saved
From a Muslim dagger.
But the daring groom despised
The custom of their great-grandfathers.
His insidious dream
The crafty Demon was indignant:
He is in thoughts, under the darkness of the night,
He kissed the bride's lips.
Suddenly two people flashed ahead,
And more - a shot! - what's happened?..
Standing up in the ringing stirrups,
Pushing the eyebrows of the dads,
The brave prince did not say a word;
A Turkish trunk flashed in his hand,
I snap the whip and, like an eagle,
He rushed... and shot again!
And a wild cry and a muffled groan
We rushed through the depths of the valley -
The battle did not last long:
The timid Georgians fled!

XII

XIII

The horse rushes faster than the deer.
Snores and strains as if to fight;
Then suddenly he’ll stop at a gallop,
Listen to the breeze
Nostrils flaring wide;
Then, hitting the ground at once
The thorns of ringing hooves,
Tossing his disheveled mane,
Flies forward without memory.
It has a silent rider!
He struggles on the saddle sometimes,
Laying his head down on his mane.
He no longer governs the occasions,
With my feet in the stirrups,
And blood in wide streams
It is visible on the saddle cloth.
Dashing horse, you are the master
He took me out of the battle like an arrow,
But the evil Ossetian bullet
I caught up with him in the darkness!

XIV

XV

On the ocean of air,
Without a rudder and without sails,
Silently floating in the fog
Choirs of slender luminaries;
Among the vast fields
They walk in the sky without a trace
Elusive clouds
Fibrous herds.
Hour of separation, hour of goodbye
They are neither joy nor sorrow;
They have no desire for the future
And I don’t regret the past.
On a day of languid misfortune
Just remember them;
Be to the earthly without participation
And careless, like them!

"Only the night as its cover
The heights of the Caucasus will dawn,
Only peace, in a magic word
Spellbound, he will fall silent;
Only the wind over the rock
He stirs the withered grass,
And the bird hidden in it,
It will flutter more cheerfully in the darkness;
And under the grapevine,
Swallowing the dew of heaven greedily,
The flower will bloom at night;
Only the golden month
Will rise quietly from behind the mountain
And he will look at you furtively, -
I will fly to you;
I will be visiting until the morning
And on silk eyelashes
To bring back golden dreams..."

XVI

The words fell silent in the distance,
Following the sound, the sound died.
She jumps up and looks around...
Unspeakable Confusion
In her chest; sadness, fear,
The ardor of delight is nothing in comparison.
All her feelings were suddenly boiling;
The soul broke its shackles,
Fire ran through my veins,
And this voice is wonderfully new,
It seemed to her that it still sounded.
And before the morning the desired dream
He closed his tired eyes;
But he outraged her thought
A prophetic and strange dream.
The alien is foggy and dumb,
Shining with unearthly beauty,
He leaned towards her head;
And his gaze with such love,
I looked at her so sadly
It was as if he regretted her.
It was not a celestial angel.
Her divine guardian:
Crown of rainbow rays
Didn't decorate it with curls.
It was not the terrible spirit of hell,
Vicious martyr - oh no!
It looked like a clear evening:
Neither day nor night, neither darkness nor light!

Part II

I

"Father, father, leave the threats,
Don’t scold your Tamara;
I'm crying: do you see these tears,
They are not the first.
In vain the suitors crowd
They rush here from distant places...
There are many brides in Georgia;
And I can’t be anyone’s wife!..
Oh, don't scold me, father.
You yourself noticed: day by day
I'm withering, a victim of evil poison!
I'm tormented by an evil spirit
An irresistible dream;
I'm dying, have pity on me!
Give it to the sacred monastery
Your reckless daughter;
The savior will protect me there,
I will shed my sorrow before him.
I don't have any fun in this world...
Shrines of the world of autumn,
Let the gloomy cell accept
Like a coffin, ahead of me..."

II

III

In the cool between two hills
A holy monastery was hidden.
Chinar and poplar trees in rows
He was surrounded - and at times,
When night fell in the gorge,
Flashed through them, in the windows of the cell,
Lamp of a young sinner.
All around, in the shade of almond trees,
Where there is a row of sad crosses,
The silent guardians of the tombs;
Choirs of light birds sang.
They jumped on the stones and made noise
The keys are like a icy wave,
And under the overhanging rock,
Merging friendly into the gorge,
Rolled on, between the bushes,
Frost-covered flowers.

IV

V

But, full of criminal thoughts,
Tamara's heart is inaccessible
Pure delight. In front of her
The whole world is dressed in a gloomy shadow;
And everything in it is an excuse for torment -
And the morning light and the darkness of the nights.
It used to be only sleepy nights
Coolness will cover the earth,
Before the divine icon
She'll fall into madness
And cries; and in the silence of the night
Her heavy sobbing
The traveler's attention disturbs him;
And he thinks: “That mountain spirit
The one chained in the cave is moaning!"
And straining sensitive ears,
He drives the exhausted horse.

VI

Full of longing and trepidation,
Tamara is often at the window
Sits alone in thought
And looks into the distance with a diligent eye,
And all day long, sighing, he waits...
Someone whispers to her: he will come!
No wonder her dreams caressed her.
No wonder he appeared to her.
With eyes full of sadness,
And the wonderful tenderness of speech.
She's been languishing for many days now,
Without knowing why;
Will he want to pray to the saints?
And the heart prays to him;
Tired of the constant struggle,
Will he bow down on his bed of sleep:
The pillow is burning, it’s stuffy, scary,
And she jumped up and trembled all over;
Her chest and shoulders are burning,
There is no strength to breathe, there is fog in the eyes,
Embraces eagerly seek a meeting,
Kisses melt on the lips...
. . . . . . . . .

VII

The evening haze covers the air
Already dressed the hills of Georgia.
Sweet obedient to habit.
The Demon flew to the monastery.
But for a long, long time he did not dare
Shrine of Peaceful Refuge
Violate. And there was a minute
When he seemed ready
Leave the intent to be cruel.
Thoughtful by the high wall
He wanders: from his steps
Without wind, a leaf in the shadow flutters.
He looked up: her window,
Illuminated by a lamp, glittering;
She's been waiting for someone for a long time!
And in the midst of general silence
Chingura slender rattling
And the sounds of song were heard;
And those sounds flowed, flowed,
Like tears, measured one after another;
And this song was tender,
As if it were for the earth
It was laid out in heaven!
Isn't it an angel with a forgotten friend?
I wanted to see you again
Flew here stealthily
And sang to him about the past,
To ease his torment?..
The longing of love, its excitement
Befell the Demon for the first time;
He wants to leave in fear...
His wing doesn't move!..
And, miracle! from darkened eyes
A heavy tear rolls down...
To this day, near that cell
The stone is visible through the burnt
A hot tear like a flame,
An inhuman tear!..

VIII

IX

"The spirit is restless, the spirit is vicious.
Who called you in the midnight darkness?
Your fans are not here
Evil has not breathed here to this day;
To my love, to my shrine
Don't leave a criminal trail.
Who called you?"
In response to him
The evil spirit smiled insidiously;
His gaze lit up with jealousy;
And again he woke up in his soul
Ancient hatred is poison.
“She’s mine!” he said menacingly,
Leave her, she's mine!
You came, defender, late,
And to her, like to me, you are not a judge.
With a heart full of pride,
I have set my seal;
Your shrine is no longer here,
This is where I own and love!”
And the Angel with sad eyes
Looked at the poor victim
And slowly, flapping his wings,
Drowned in the ether of the sky.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

X

Tamara and Demon. Artist M. Vrubel, 1890

Tamara
ABOUT! who are you? your speech is dangerous!
Did heaven or hell send you to me?
What do you want?..

Daemon
You are beautiful!

Tamara
But tell me, who are you? answer...

Daemon
I'm the one you listened to
You're in the midnight silence
Whose thought whispered to your soul,
Whose sadness you vaguely guessed,
Whose image I saw in a dream.
I am the one whose gaze destroys hope;
I am the one no one loves;
I am the scourge of my earthly slaves,
I am the king of knowledge and freedom,
I am the enemy of heaven, I am the evil of nature,
And, you see, I’m at your feet!
I brought you joy
Silent prayer of love,
Earthly first torment
And my first tears.
ABOUT! listen - out of pity!
Me to goodness and heaven
You could return it with a word.
Your love is a holy cover
Dressed, I would appear there.
Like a new angel in new splendor;
ABOUT! just listen, I pray, I
I am your slave - I love you!
As soon as I saw you -
And secretly I suddenly hated
Immortality and power are mine.
I was jealous involuntarily
Incomplete earthly joy;
It hurt me not to live like you,
And it’s scary to live differently with you.
An unexpected ray in a bloodless heart
Again warmed up alive,
And sadness at the bottom of the ancient wound
She moved like a snake.
What is this eternity to me without you?
Are my possessions infinite?
Empty sonorous words
A vast temple - without a deity!

Tamara
Leave me, O evil spirit!
Shut up, I don't trust the enemy...
Creator... Alas! I can't
Pray... with deadly poison
My weakening mind is overwhelmed!
Listen, you will destroy me;
Your words are fire and poison...
Tell me why you love me!

Daemon
Why, beauty? Alas,
I don’t know!.. Full of new life,
From my criminal head
I proudly took off the crown of thorns,
I threw everything that was before into dust:
My heaven, my hell in your eyes.
I love you with an unearthly passion,
How you can't love:
With all ecstasy, with all power
Immortal thoughts and dreams.
In my soul, since the beginning of the world,
Your image was imprinted
He rushed in front of me
In the deserts of the eternal ether.
My thoughts have been troubling me for a long time,
The name sounded sweet to me;
In days of bliss I am in heaven
You were the only one missing.
ABOUT! if you could understand
What a bitter languor
All life, centuries without separation
And enjoy and suffer,
Do not expect praise for evil,
No reward for good;
Live for yourself, be bored with yourself
And this eternal struggle
No celebration, no reconciliation!
Always regret and not desire,
Know everything, feel everything, see everything,
Trying to hate everything
And despise everything in the world!..
Only God's curse
Fulfilled, from the same day
Nature's warm embrace
Forever cooled down for me;
The space before me turned blue;
I saw the wedding decoration
A luminary I have known for a long time...
They flowed in crowns of gold;
But what? former brother
Not a single one recognized it.
Exiles, their own kind,
I started calling out in desperation.
But the words and faces and glances of evil,
Alas! I didn’t recognize it myself.
And in fear I, flapping my wings,
He rushed - but where? For what?
I don't know... former friends
I was rejected; like Eden,
The world has become deaf and dumb for me.
At the free whim of the current
So damaged rook
Without sails and without a rudder
Floats without knowing its destination;
So early in the morning
A fragment of a thunder cloud,
In the azure heights turning black,
Alone, not daring to stick anywhere,
Flying without purpose or trace,
God knows from where and where!
And I didn’t rule people for long.
I didn’t teach them sin for long,
He dishonored everything noble,
And he blasphemed everything beautiful;
Not for long... the flame of pure faith
I easily filled them forever...
Was my work worth it?
Only fools and hypocrites?
And I hid in the gorges of the mountains;
And began to wander like a meteor,
In the darkness of deep midnight...
And the lonely traveler rushed,
Deceived by a nearby light,
And falling into the abyss with a horse,
I called in vain and there is a bloody trail
Behind him he wound up the steep...
But evil is dark fun
I didn't like it for long!
In the fight against a mighty hurricane,
How often, raising the ashes,
Dressed in lightning and fog,
I rushed noisily in the clouds,
So that in the crowd of rebellious elements
Silence the murmur of the heart,
Escape from the inevitable thought
And forget the unforgettable!
What a story of painful hardships,
The labors and troubles of the crowd of people
Future, past generations,
Before one minute
My unacknowledged torment?
What people? what is their life and work?
They have passed, they will pass...
There is hope, I am waiting for a just trial:
He can forgive, even if he condemns!
My sadness is always here.
And there will be no end for her, like for me;
And she won’t take a nap in her grave!
She caresses like a snake,
It burns and splashes like a flame,
Then my thought crushes me like a stone
Hopes of the dead and passions
Indestructible mausoleum!..

Tamara
Why should I know your sorrows,
Why are you complaining to me?
You have sinned...

Daemon
Is it against you?

Tamara
They can hear us!..

Daemon
We are alone.

Tamara
And God!

Daemon
He won't glance at us:
He is busy with the sky, not the earth!

Tamara
And the punishment, the torments of hell?

Daemon
So what? You will be there with me!

Daemon
I swear by the first day of creation,
I swear on his last day,
I swear by the shame of crime
And eternal truth triumph.
I swear by the bitter torment of the fall,
Victory with a short dream;
I swear on a date with you
And again threatening separation.
I swear by the host of spirits,
By the fate of the brothers subject to me,
With the swords of impassive angels.
My never-sleeping enemies;
I swear by heaven and hell,
Earthly shrine and you,
I swear by your last glance
With your first tear,
Breath of your kind lips,
A wave of silken curls,
I swear by bliss and suffering.
I swear by my love:
I have renounced my old revenge
I renounced proud thoughts;
From now on, the poison of insidious flattery
No one's mind will be alarmed;
I want to make peace with the sky,
I want to love, I want to pray.
I want to believe in goodness.
I will wipe away with a tear of repentance
I'm on a forehead worthy of you,
Traces of heavenly fire -
And the world is in calm ignorance
Let it flourish without me!
ABOUT! believe me: I am alone today
I comprehended and appreciated you:
Having chosen you as my shrine,
I laid down my power at your feet.
I wait for your love as a gift,
And I will give you eternity in a moment;
In love, as in anger, believe, Tamara,
I am unchanging and great.
I am you, free son of the ether,
I’ll take you to the superstellar regions;
And you will be the queen of the world,
My first friend;
Without regret, without participation
You will look at the ground,
Where there is no true happiness,
No lasting beauty
Where there are only crimes and executions,
Where petty passions only live;
Where they can’t do it without fear
Neither hate nor love.
Or don't you know what it is
People's momentary love?
The excitement of the blood is young, -
But the days fly by and the blood runs cold!
Who can resist separation?
The temptation of new beauty
Against fatigue and boredom
And the waywardness of dreams?
No! not you, my friend,
Find out, destined
Wither silently in a close circle
The jealous rudeness of a slave,
Among the cowardly and cold,
Feigned friends and enemies,
Fears and fruitless hopes,
Empty and painful labors!
Sad behind the high wall
You will not fade away without passions,
Among prayers, equally far
From God and from people.
Oh no, beautiful creature,
You are condemned to something else;
A different kind of suffering awaits you.
Other delights are deep;
Leave your old desires
And the pitiful light of his fate:
The abyss of proud knowledge
In return, I will open it for you.
A crowd of my servant spirits
I will bring you to your feet;
Servants of the light and magical
I will give it to you, beauty;
And for you from the eastern star
I will tear off the golden crown;
I will take from the flowers of the midnight dew;
I will put him to sleep with that dew;
A ray of ruddy sunset
Your figure is like a ribbon, like a shoe,
Breathing pure aroma
I will drink the surrounding air;
Every hour with a wonderful game
I will cherish your ears;
I will build magnificent palaces
From turquoise and amber;
I will sink to the bottom of the sea,
I'll fly beyond the clouds
I will give you everything, everything earthly -
Love me!..

XI

And he slightly
Touched with hot lips
Her trembling lips;
Tempted by full speeches
He answered her prayers.
A mighty gaze looked into her eyes!
He burned her. In the darkness of the night
He sparkled right above her,
Irresistible as a dagger.
Alas! the evil spirit triumphed!
The deadly poison of his kiss
Instantly it penetrated into her chest.
A painful, terrible cry
The night was outraged by the silence.
It had everything: love, suffering.
Reproach with a final plea
And a hopeless goodbye -
Farewell to young life.

XII

At that time the midnight watchman
One around the wall is steep
Quietly completing the appointed path.
Wandered around with a cast iron board,
And near the cell of the young maiden
He tamed his measured step
And a hand over a cast iron board,
Confused at heart, he stopped.
And through the surrounding silence,
It seemed to him that he heard
Two lips agreeing kiss,
A minute of screaming and a faint moan.
And unholy doubt
Penetrated into the old man's heart...
But another moment passed,
And everything became quiet; from afar
Just a breath of wind
The murmur of leaves brought
Yes, it’s sad with the dark shore
The mountain river whispered.
Canon of the saint
He hurries in fear to read,
So that the obsession of the evil spirit
Drive away from sinful thoughts;
Crosses with trembling fingers
Dream-stirred chest
And silently with quick steps
The normal one continues on his way.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

XIII

Like a sleeping sweetheart,
She was lying in her coffin,
Whiter and cleaner bedspreads
There was a languid color to her brow.
Eyelashes forever drooping...
But who would, oh heaven! didn't say
That the gaze under them only dozed
And, wonderful, I was just waiting
Or a kiss, or a blessing?
But the ray of daylight is useless
Slided over them like a stream of gold,
In vain they are in silent sorrow
The lips of relatives kissed...
No! death eternal seal
Nothing can stop it!

XIV

I've never been to the fun days
So colorful and rich
Tamara's festive outfit.
Flowers of the birthplace
(This is how the ancient ritual demands)
They pour their scent over her
And, squeezed with a dead hand.
It’s like saying goodbye to the earth!
And nothing in her face
There was no hint of the end
In the heat of passion and rapture;
And all her features were
Filled with that beauty
Like marble, alien to expression.
Devoid of feeling and mind,
Mysterious as death itself.
The strange smile froze
Flashing across her lips.
She talked about a lot of sad things
She to attentive eyes:
There was cold contempt in her
A soul ready to bloom,
The last thought expression,
Soundless farewell to the earth.
A vain glimpse of a former life,
She was even deader
Even more hopeless for the heart
Forever faded eyes.
So at the hour of solemn sunset,
When, having melted into a sea of gold,
The chariot of the day has already disappeared,
Snow of the Caucasus, for a moment
Preserving the ruddy tint,
Shining in the dark distance.
But this ray is half-dead
In the desert there will be no reflection,
And it won’t light anyone’s path
From its icy summit!..

XV

A crowd of neighbors and relatives
We are about to set off on a sad journey.
Tormenting gray curls,
Silently hitting the chest,
Gudal sits down for the last time
On a white-maned horse,
And the train started moving. Three days.
Their journey will last three nights:
Between old grandfather's bones
A shelter for the deceased was dug for her.
One of Gudal's forefathers,
The robber of strangers and sat down,
When illness struck him down
And the hour of repentance has come,
Past sins in redemption
He promised to build a church
On the heights of granite rocks,
Wherever the blizzards can be heard singing,
Wherever the kite flew.
And soon between the snows of Kazbek
A lonely temple has risen,
And the bones of an evil man
We calmed down there again;
And turned into a cemetery
Rock native to the clouds:
Feels closer to heaven
A warmer posthumous home?..
It's like being further away from people
The last dream will not be indignant...
In vain! the dead can't dream
Neither the sadness nor the joy of past days.

XVI

She pressed herself to her protective breast,
I drowned out the horror with prayer,
Tamara's sinful soul -
The fate of the future was being decided,
He stood before her again,
But, oh my! - who would recognize him?
How he looked with an evil gaze,
How full it was of deadly poison
Enmity that knows no end -
And the chill of the grave blew
From a still face.
“Get lost, gloomy spirit of doubt!”
The messenger of heaven answered: -
You have triumphed enough;
But the hour of judgment has now come -
And God's decision is good!
The days of testing are over;
With clothes of mortal earth
The shackles of evil fell from her.
Find out! We've been waiting for her for a long time!
Her soul was one of those
Whose life is one moment
Unbearable torment
Unattainable pleasures:
Creator from the best air
I wove their living strings,
They are not made for the world
And the world was not created for them!
I redeemed it at a cruel price
She has her doubts...
She suffered and loved -
And heaven opened for love!"

And the Angel with stern eyes
Looked at the tempter
And, happily flapping his wings,
Drowned in the radiance of the sky.
And the defeated Demon cursed
Your crazy dreams,
And again he remained, arrogant,
Alone, as before, in the universe
Without hope and love!..

_________________

On the slope of a stone mountain
Above the Koishauri Valley
Still standing to this day
The battlements of an ancient ruin.
Scary stories for children
Legends are still full of them...
Like a ghost, a silent monument,
Witness of those magical days.
It turns black between the trees.
The village fell apart below.
The earth blooms and turns green;
And a discordant hum of voices
Lost and caravans
They come, ringing, from afar,
And, falling through the mists,
The river sparkles and foams.
And life forever young.
Coolness, sun and spring
Nature amuses itself jokingly,
Like a carefree child.

But sad is the castle that has served
Years in turn,
Like a poor old man who survived
Friends and sweet family.
And just waiting for the moon to rise
Its invisible residents:
Then they have holiday and freedom!
They buzz and run in all directions.
Gray spider, new hermit,
Spins its warp webs;
Green lizard family
Plays merrily on the roof;
And a cautious snake
Crawls out of a dark crevice
On the slab of the old porch,
Then suddenly it will be wrapped in three rings,
It will fall in a long strip
And it shines like a damask sword,
Forgotten in the field of ancient battles,
Unnecessary to a fallen hero!..
Everything is wild; there are no traces anywhere
Years gone by: the hand of centuries
Diligently, it took a long time to sweep them away,
And it won’t remind you of anything
About the glorious name of Gudala,
About his dear daughter!

But the church is on a steep hill,
Where their bones are taken by the earth,
Guarded by holy power,
It is still visible between the clouds.
And they stand at her gate
Black granites are on guard,
Covered with snow cloaks;
And on their chests instead of armor
The eternal ice is burning.
Collapses of sleepy communities
From the ledges, like waterfalls,
Suddenly caught by frost,
They hang around, frowning.
And there the blizzard goes on patrol,
Blowing dust from the gray walls,
Then he starts a long song,
Then he calls out to the sentries;
Hearing news in the distance
About a wonderful temple in that country,
One cloud from the east
They rush in a crowd to worship;
But over a family of gravestones
No one has been sad for a long time.
Rock of gloomy Kazbek
He greedily guards his prey,
And the eternal murmur of man
They will not be disturbed by eternal peace.

From a cosmic height, the “sad Demon” surveys the wild and wonderful world of the central Caucasus: Kazbek sparkles like the face of a diamond, the Terek leaps like a lioness, the Daryal Gorge winds like a snake - and feels nothing but contempt. Evil even bored the spirit of evil. Everything is a burden: indefinite loneliness, immortality, and limitless power over the insignificant earth. Meanwhile, the landscape is changing. Under the wing of the flying Demon is no longer a cluster of rocks and abysses, but the lush valleys of happy Georgia: the shine and breath of a thousand plants, the voluptuous midday heat and dewy aromas bright nights. Alas, these luxurious paintings do not evoke new thoughts in the inhabitants of the superstellar regions. Only for a moment does the Demon's distracted attention catch the festive revival in the usually silent domain of the Georgian feudal lord: the owner of the estate, Prince Gudal, has wooed his only heiress, and in his high house they are preparing for a wedding celebration.

The relatives have gathered ahead of time, the wine is already flowing, by sunset the groom of Princess Tamara, the illustrious ruler of the Synodal, will arrive, and while the servants are rolling out ancient carpets: according to custom, on the carpeted roof, the bride, even before the groom appears, must perform a traditional dance with a tambourine. Princess Tamara is dancing! Oh, how she dances! Now he rushes like a bird, circling a small tambourine above his head, now he freezes like a frightened doe, and a light cloud of sadness runs across his lovely bright-eyed face. After all, this is the princess’s last day in her father’s house! How will someone else's family meet her? No, no, Tamara is not being married off against her will. She likes the groom chosen by her father: in love, young, handsome - what more! But here no one constrained her freedom, but there... Having driven away the “secret doubt”, Tamara smiles again. Smiles and dances. The gray-haired Gudal is proud of her daughter, the guests admire, they raise their horns and say sumptuous toasts: “I swear, such a beauty / She never bloomed under the sun of the south!” The demon even fell in love with someone else’s bride. It circles and circles over the wide courtyard of a Georgian castle, as if chained to a dancing girlish figure by an invisible chain. There is an inexplicable excitement in the desert of his soul. Has a miracle really happened? Truly it happened: “The feeling suddenly began to speak in him / In his once native language!” Well, what will a free son of the ether do, enchanted by a powerful passion for an earthly woman? Alas, the immortal spirit does the same thing as a cruel and powerful tyrant would do in his situation: he kills his opponent. Tamara's fiance, at the instigation of the Demon, is attacked by robbers. Having plundered the wedding gifts, killed the guards and dispersed the timid camel drivers, the abreks disappear. The wounded prince is carried out of the battle by a faithful horse (of a priceless color, golden), but he, already in the darkness, is overtaken, at the tip of an evil spirit, by an evil stray bullet. With the dead owner in a saddle embroidered with colored silks, the horse continues to gallop at full speed: the rider, who in the last frenzied grasp of the golden mane, must keep the prince’s word: ride to the wedding feast, alive or dead, and only having reached the gate, falls dead.

There is groaning and crying in the bride's family. Blacker than a cloud, Gudal sees God’s punishment in what happened. Falling onto the bed as she was - in pearls and brocade, Tamara sobs. And suddenly: a voice. Unfamiliar. Magic. She consoles, calms down, heals, tells fairy tales and promises to fly to her every evening - as soon as the night flowers bloom - so that “on silk eyelashes / to bring golden dreams...”. Tamara looks around: no one!!! Was it really your imagination? But then where does the confusion come from? Which has no name! In the morning, the princess nevertheless falls asleep and sees a strange thing - is it not the first of the promised gold ones? - dream. Shining with unearthly beauty, a certain “alien” leans towards her head. This is not a guardian angel, there is no luminous halo around his curls, but he doesn’t seem to look like a fiend from hell either: he’s too sad, he looks at him with love! And so every night: as soon as the night flowers wake up, it appears. Guessing that it is not someone who is confusing her with her irresistible dream, but the “evil spirit” himself, Tamara asks her father to let her go to the monastery. Gudal is angry - suitors, one more enviable than the other, are besieging their house, and Tamara is refusing everyone. Losing patience, he threatens a reckless curse. Tamara is not stopped by this threat either; Gudal finally gives in. And here she is in a secluded monastery, but here, in the sacred monastery, during the hours of solemn prayers, through the church singing she hears the same magical voice, in the fog of incense rising to the arches of the gloomy temple, Tamara sees the same image and the same eyes - irresistible, like a dagger.

Falling to her knees in front of the divine icon, the poor virgin wants to pray to the saints, and her disobedient heart “prays to Him.” The beautiful sinner is no longer deceived about herself: she is not just confused by a vague dream of love, she is in love: passionately, sinfully, as if the night guest who captivated her with her unearthly beauty was not a stranger from the invisible, immaterial world, but an earthly youth. The demon, of course, understands everything, but, unlike the unfortunate princess, he knows what she does not know: the earthly beauty will pay for a moment of physical intimacy with him, an unearthly creature, with death. That’s why he hesitates; he is even ready to give up his criminal plan. At least, he thinks so. One night, having already approached the treasured cell, he tries to leave, and in fear he feels that he cannot flap his wing: the wing does not move! Then he sheds a single tear - an inhuman tear burns through the stone.

Realizing that even he, seemingly omnipotent, cannot change anything, the Demon appears to Tamara no longer in the form of an obscure nebula, but incarnate, that is, in the image of a winged, but beautiful and courageous man. However, the path to sleeping Tamara’s bed is blocked by her guardian angel and demands that the vicious spirit not touch his angelic shrine. The Demon, smiling insidiously, explains to the messenger of heaven that he appeared too late and that in his, the Demon’s, domain - where he owns and loves - the cherubs have nothing to do. Tamara, upon waking up, does not recognize the young man of her dreams in the random guest. She also doesn’t like his speeches - charming in a dream, in reality they seem dangerous to her. But the Demon opens his soul to her - Tamara is touched by the immensity of the mysterious stranger’s sorrows, now he seems to her like a sufferer. And yet, something bothers her both in the appearance of the alien and in the reasoning that is too complex for her weakening mind. And she, oh holy naivety, asks him to swear that he is not lying, that he is not deceiving her gullibility. And the Demon swears. He swears by everything - heaven, which he hates, and hell, which he despises, and even a shrine that he does not have. The Demon's Oath is a brilliant example of male love eloquence - something a man does not promise to a woman when “the fire of desire burns in his blood!” In the “impatience of passion,” he does not even notice that he is contradicting himself: he either promises to take Tamara to the super-stellar lands and make her the queen of the world, or he assures that it is here, on insignificant earth, that he will build magnificent palaces for her - made of turquoise and amber. And yet, the outcome of the fateful date is decided not by words, but by the first touch - from hot male lips - to trembling female lips. The night watchman of the monastery, making a scheduled round, slows down his steps: in the cell of the new nun there are unusual sounds, something like “two lips kissing in agreement.” Confused, he stops and hears: first a groan, and then a terrible, although weak - like a dying cry.

Notified of the death of the heiress, Gudal takes the body of the deceased from the monastery. He firmly decided to bury his daughter in a high-mountain family cemetery, where one of his ancestors, in atonement for many sins, erected a small temple. Moreover, he does not want to see his Tamara, even in a coffin, in a rough hair shirt. By his order, the women of his hearth dress up the princess in a way that they did not dress up on days of fun. For three days and three nights, higher and higher, the mournful train moves, ahead of Gudal on a snow-white horse. He is silent, and the others are silent. So many days have passed since the death of the princess, but decay does not touch her - the color of her brow, as in life, is whiter and purer than the bedspread? And this smile, as if frozen on your lips?! Mysterious as her death itself!!! Having given his peri to the gloomy earth, the funeral caravan sets off on its way back... The wise Gudal did everything right! The river of time washed away from the face of the earth both his tall house, where his wife bore him a beautiful daughter, and the wide courtyard where Tamara played with her children. But the temple and cemetery with it are intact, they can still be seen now - there, high, on the line of jagged rocks, for nature, with its supreme power, has made the grave of the Demon’s beloved inaccessible to humans.

Retold

Poem by M.Yu. Lermontov's "Demon" can be considered the writer's calling card. Here we see the author’s beloved Caucasus, and the author’s philosophical thoughts regarding good and evil. The poem is not devoid of the theme of the impossibility of love, which was so relevant for Mikhail Yuryevich himself. A masterful depiction of nature, dialogues full of psychologism and romantic pathos, a variety of mythological and folklore motifs - all this is contained in this masterpiece of Russian literature.

The poem “The Demon” has 8 editions, since Lermontov began writing his work at the age of 14 and returned to work on his brainchild throughout his life. Early editions are distinguished by lack of integrity of images and a large number of philosophical discussions. The year 1838 became a turning point for the development of the author’s idea, when the 6th and 7th editions appeared from the poet’s pen. Now a more mature creator does not draw a parallel between the Demon and himself and gives his hero monologues.

The poem is based on the biblical myth of a fallen angel, and also refers to Georgian folklore and details of local life.

Genre and direction

The main character of the poem can be called the prototype of the exiled hero, who firmly took his place in the literature of romanticism. This is a Fallen Angel, suffering for his insolence and disobedience. The very appeal to such an image - characteristic romanticism. One of the first was Milton (“ Lost heaven"), Byron addressed this character and influenced Russian literature, and does not shy away from the eternal image of A.S. Pushkin.

The poem is permeated with ideas of struggle both at the global level (the confrontation between the Demon and God) and within the soul of an individual character (the Demon wants to improve, but pride and thirst for pleasure torment him).

The presence of folklore motifs also allows us to classify “The Demon” as a romantic poem.

About what?

In Georgia, in the luxurious house of Prince Gudal, his daughter, a girl of incredible beauty, Tamara, lives. She is waiting for her wedding, the yard has already been cleared for the celebration, but the Demon flying over the peaks of the Caucasus has already noticed the girl, he is captivated by her. The groom hurries to the wedding, followed by a rich caravan of camels, but in the gorge the travelers are overtaken by robbers. So the joy of a wedding turns into the grief of a funeral.

The demon, now without rivals, appears to Tamara, wanting to take possession of her. The poor girl wants to find protection from God and goes to a monastery. There she is guarded by a Guardian Angel, but one night the Demon overcame this barrier and seduced the girl. Tamara died, but an Angel saved her soul and transported her to Paradise, where she found peace.

The main characters and their characteristics

Daemon- a very complex character in the poem. The very image of the Demon goes back to Biblical stories, but in Lermontov’s poem we already encounter the author’s interpretation of this archetype. He is punished eternal life, and his existence will always be accompanied by loneliness and melancholy. It would seem that one could envy this unique opportunity: to observe the mountain beauty from a bird's eye view, but even this bored the hero. Even evil no longer brings him pleasure. But the characteristics of the Demon cannot be reduced to only negative ones. He meets a girl comparable to a fairy-tale maiden, possessing such beauty that “the world has never seen before.” But she is beautiful not only in appearance and outfits, but also in her soul.
Tamara modest, chaste, believes in God, she was not created for this world, it is no coincidence that the Demon wants to find salvation through love for her. Feeling this new feeling for him, the Fallen Angel wants to do only good, to take the true path. But, as we see further, the hero cannot cope with his pride, and all his good intentions turn into dust. The tempter is bold and persistent; on the path to pleasure, he is not going to give in to either the pleas of a defenseless girl or the persuasion of God's messenger.

Themes

Love. Love occupies a special place in the poem. It has limitless power: sometimes it destroys heroes, sometimes it gives hope, and sometimes it promises eternal torment. A jealous rush to the bride destroys Tamara’s fiancé, but for the Demon this girl is the hope of salvation. Love awakens long-forgotten feelings in the Fallen Angel; it makes him, who terrifies him, afraid and cry.
Struggle. The Demon, rejected by Heaven, can no longer bear his torment. In the poem, he appears to the reader as having already lost all taste for existence; even evil does not bring him pleasure. The last chance to win forgiveness is the love of a young, pure girl. For the Demon, Tamara is a weapon to fight Heaven. He got rid of the Angel, seduced Tamara, but he is not able to overcome himself, his vices, for which he is doomed to suffer forever. Tamara fights the tempter, she does not succumb to his words against the Almighty, desperately wanting to escape the hellish abode.
Loneliness. The “spirit of exile” has been wandering “in the desert of the world without shelter” for several centuries. The only joy of his existence is the memories of the past, when he was among his brothers - the “pure cherubs.” Love for a pure mortal girl makes the Demon celebrate his melancholy and loneliness even more keenly. It seems that at some point he is ready to show humility and bow before the Almighty: he hears the evening song, it reminds the Fallen Angel of Paradise. The demon, who had previously brought fear and horror to everyone, now cries himself with hot tears.
Faith. Only thanks to her unshakable faith in God does Tamara escape the torment of hell. A disdainful attitude towards religion destroys, according to the author's plan, the princess's groom. Tempting the beauty, the Demon whispers to her that God is busy only with heavenly affairs and does not pay attention to earthly ones. But the girl did not succumb to the slander of evil, for which her soul was saved by the Guardian Angel.

Idea

Angel and Demon are two sides of one soul. Man is dual by nature; Good and Evil always fight within him. The purpose of the main character of the poem is to sow doubt, to awaken evil thoughts in a person. For obedience to the Demon, God can severely punish, as happened with Tamara’s fiancé.

The Demon is also defeated, but is Heaven so cruel to him? It gives the exile a chance to be saved through sincere love leading to virtue, but the hero cannot cope with his negative beginning and thereby destroys himself and the girl.

Issues

Love and vice are incompatible - this problem is actualized by Lermontov in “The Demon”. For the author, this feeling is rather sacred, given by Heaven, rather than earthly. When they forget about the beauty of the soul and think only about the pleasures of the flesh, love is replaced by sin. True feeling calls for virtue, self-sacrifice, and renunciation of pride.

But not everyone is given the ability to love in this way. Obsessed with a thirst for superiority over Heaven and the desire to experience pleasure for the first time in many hundreds of years, the Demon breaks the last saving thread. Both the Fallen Angel and Tamara become victims of sinful passion, but the girl who worships God is saved, and the Demon, who stubbornly opposes the Creator, dooms himself to eternal suffering. This is how the moral problem of pride is reflected - dark side the souls of each of us.

The heroes are faced with the problem of moral choice. Between humility and passion, the demon chooses the latter, for which he receives even greater suffering. Tamara’s fiancé listened to the evil voice and neglected prayer on the road, for which he paid dearly. Tamara manages to resist the temptations of the tempter, so the Gates of Paradise are open for her.

Criticism

In the assessment of critics, “The Demon” in certain periods of its literary history, the poem is presented differently. The appearance of this demonic image on Russian soil was in some way a literary event; reviewers treated the work with trepidation, primarily because they realized what history this topic had behind it in world literature. One of the largest authorities of criticism of that time, V.G. Belinsky himself admits that “Demon” became for him a measure of “truths, feelings, beauties.” V.P. Botkin saw in the poem a revolutionary view of the universe. Many of the researchers of Lermontov's work still argue about the importance of some editions, without unconditionally giving the palm to the final version.
The criticism of a later period was completely different. “The Demon” became the object of ridicule and mockery, especially the realists, V. Zaitsev, A. Novodvorsky, had an extremely negative attitude towards one of the main symbols of romanticism.

A. Blok, the beacon of poetry at the beginning of the last century, rehabilitates the poem, continuing the tradition of Lermontov in his poem “Demon”.

III
Daemon
Poem
1831
Dedication
Accept my gift, my Madonna!
Since you appeared to me,
My love is my defense
From reprimands of slander.
You can't help but trust such love,
And the gaze will not hide anything:
You are incapable of being a hypocrite
You're too much of an angel for that!
Shall I tell you? - betrayed by autocracy
Sad passions and fate,
I don't owe happiness to happiness
But I owe everything to you.
Like a demon, cold and stern,
I had fun in the world with evil,
Deceptions were not new to me,
And poison was in my heart;
Now, how gloomy is this Genius,
I have risen again near you
For immaculate pleasures,
And for hopes and for heaven.
* * *
Cain.
Who are you?
Lucifer.
Master of spirits.
Cain.
And being so, canst thou
Leave them, and walk with dust?
Lucifer.
I know the thoughts
Of dust, and feel for it, and with you.
L. Byron. Cain.
Sad Demon, spirit of exile,
Wandered under the blue vault,
And the best days of memories
They crowded in front of him in succession;
Those days when he wasn't evil
When I looked at the glory of God,
Without turning away from him,
When worries and worries
They shunned his mind,
As the darkness of the grave fears the day;
And a lot, a lot... and everything
He didn't have the strength to remember.
His life flowed sadly
In the desert of the World. Infinity
There was a home for him.
He saw eternity indifferently,
Knowing neither good nor evil,
Ruining people needlessly.
Desires were alien to him.
He burned with a fatal seal
Everything that I touched!..
And often the demon is young
He didn’t laugh at his crimes.
Fearing the rays, he ran into the darkness;
Sick with a tormented soul,
He couldn't be happy with anything
Everything became bitter for him;
And, despising everything in the world,
He lived without believing anything
And without admitting anything.
………………
One evening, between the rocks
And over the gray plain of the sea,
Without thoughts, without joy, without grief,
The fugitive of Eden flew by
And with a sinful gaze I contemplated
Lands of desert plains,
And he sees: it turns white under the mountain
Wall of the holy monastery
And the towers have strange tops.
There is silence between the poor cells;
The crimson moon rises;
And to the sleepy monastery
The gloomy tempter enters.
Suddenly a quiet and beautiful sound,
Like the sound of a lute, he listens,
And someone's voice. Greedy rumor
It strains: the coldness embraces
Brow. He wants to leave immediately:
His wing does not move;
And - a miracle! - from darkened eyes
A lead tear rolls down.
To this day, near that cell
The stone is visible through the burnt
A hot tear like a flame,
An inhuman tear.
How much this sound meant!
Centuries of past raptures,
Centuries of exile and torment,
Centuries of fruitless thoughts,
Everything came to life in him again.
But what? He will not be resurrected
For tender feelings. So, if he rushes
Sometimes across the summer sky
A fragment of a thunder cloud,
And the beam will accidentally reflect
On the dark edges, she
That instant shine despises
And the wrong path continues
Cold, as before, and dark.
A confused spirit entered the cell.
He turns away his gaze with fear,
Passing the gilded image,
As if seeing a reproach in him.
He sees divine books,
Lamp, rosary and chains;
But where are the sounds? Where is she
To which a strong dream
Is he attracted to you? She was sitting
On the bed, with a lute in his hands,
And she sang the song of the mountains while playing.
And, it seemed, everything was in her features
It breathed with earthly carelessness;
And rings of light brown curls
They ran away like a blanket,
For ever tender eyes.
Filled with some kind of thought,
The young woman’s chest was worried...
Now she has risen; on the vault gloomy
She decided to take a look:
Like the stars of a darkened distance,
The nun's eyes shone;
Her lily hand
White as the clouds in the morning,
Separated on a black dress,
And the strings answered her
What's next is stronger, stronger.
The melancholy of repentance seemed
That song was composed!
Meanwhile, as a curious traveler,
Out the window, full of participation,
On a maiden, a victim of secretive sadness,
The clear moon looked out!..
Bound by sweet play
There was an evil spirit. Him to love
The heart should not allow:
He is bound by a fatal oath;
(And he swore this oath,
When shining Zion
Left with proud Satan).
He wanted to tempt, but he could not,
I couldn’t find art in myself;
Forget? - God did not give oblivion;
Be in love? – there was a lack of feeling!
What to do? – new dreams
And torments that are alien to this day!
So, demon, hearing these sounds,
You have changed wonderfully.
You cried bitter tears
Looking at your cute object,
That the chain lies between you,
That there is no flame in a dead heart;
When you knew that you wouldn't force
His moment to love
That even soon, maybe
She will be your victim.
And he was in a hurry to leave
From this cell, where for the first time
Broke unearthly vows
And he irritated the prince of the abyss;
But the beauty of sounds and visions
Remained on his soul,
And in the memory of this moment
Nothing will be erased.
………………
After a hundred years the parchment is dusty
I found it among the ruins
Some kind of wanderer. He found out,
That this is a grave monument;
And I read it with curiosity
He is monastery legends
About the life of a young maiden,
And I believed them, and sometimes
I regretted it in my dreaming hours.
He translated it into his language
The story is mysterious, but the light
I will not tell this story:
He is not used to appreciating feelings!
………………
The sad demon has left
From the power of hell from now on.
He's on the ridge of distant mountains
Moved to the ice grotto,
Where they crunched under the snow
They lay down like fiery bark -
Nature's wonderful creations!
Her fancy game
He observes the changes.
Making up light balls,
He sends them on the wind,
Tells the traveler to flash them
And it illuminates over the swamp
Dangerous and stalled path.
When the blizzard hums and whistles,
He guards the stranger;
Blows the snow off his face
And he is looking for protection for him.
And often, raising ashes
In the fight against a flying hurricane,
Dressed in lightning and fog,
He rushes wildly in the clouds,
So that in the crowd of rebellious elements
Silence the murmur of the heart,
Escape from the inevitable thought
And the unforgettable - forget!
But that’s not what worries him,
What before. That iron dream
Passed. He can love, he can
And he really loves;
And wants to hit the road again,
To see the sweet maiden,
Just to look her in the eyes
And fly away irrevocably!
………………
………………
Barely shining light
The youth has ascended to heaven
And the sea is blue glass
The rays of the morning illuminated
As the demon saw before him
The wall of the holy monastery,
And the white towers, and the cells,
And under the lattice window
Blooming garden. And all around
The demon goes around; but fun
He is not available. Secret fear
The icy eyes glow.
There is a simple door in front of them.
Tormented by living torments,
He hesitated for a long time, he could not
Step over the threshold
As if he would destroy there
Everything that rock has not yet taken away.
ABOUT! How noticeable that he loves!
Everything is quiet - he suddenly heard
The ringing of the long-familiar lute;
Words from an inspirational singer
Flowed like bright streams;
But they didn't like it
To the one who has a daring thought
I was looking for hope and love.
The Nun's Song
1
Like a sail over the abyss of the sea,
Like a golden star in the evening,
A holy angel appeared to me -
I will never forget him.
2
He flew to another or to me,
I would try in vain to find out.
Perhaps it was in a dream...
ABOUT! Why should sleep disappear?
3
I only loved you, creator,
To this day, from my infancy days,
But the soul finally sees
What else was in store for her.
4
I shouldn't be guilty:
I do not burn with earthly love;
She's pure like my angel
The thought of him is inseparable from you!
5
He is a reflection of your greatness,
You decorated his forehead yourself.
He appeared to me only for a moment, -
But I won’t give up that moment for eternity!
She fell silent. The wind of the sea is cold
I took the last sound with me.
By invincible fate
Persecuted, sad demon
He entered the cell. What is he
Won't it attract her attention?
Why doesn't he drink her breath?
Not a sigh of love - a grave groan,
Like an echo from a broken chest
Finally he came out drawlingly;
And my heart is filled with rage,
Heavy as lead.
His hand stopped
On air. Folded finger
Frozen. Even if I open my eyes,
Nothing was reflected in it,
Except contempt. But to whom?
What did it seem to him?
Messenger of Paradise, gentle angel,
In smoky, snow-white clothes,
He stood with a shining brow
Close to a beautiful nun
And from the enemy with a clear smile
He covered her with a wing.
They are happy, they are both holy!
And - envy, revenge and malice
They jumped with a demonic soul.
He walked out with a firm foot;
He came out - so many different feelings,
From long ago, familiar to him,
My soul is crowded! How many thoughts
Changes a restless mind!
The beauty must die,
He will not spare her again.
Will die: old love
It will not be a fence for her!
What a pity! He already wanted
Return to the path of salvation,
Forget the crowd of criminal cases,
Allow your heart to revive!
The creator of nature, perhaps,
The demon would make him regret
And grace-filled forgiveness
He would have gotten it.
But it's too late! Sinless son of heaven
Suddenly a rebellious mind awoke:
He seethes, burning with jealousy,
The evil will has appeared again
And the poison of insidious, black thoughts.
But however, he will change
I couldn't: it was just a dream.
And is it early or late to wake up?
Forever he would have to.
Evil has managed to take root
In his soul since ancient times:
Goodness would not live in her;
Appropriate it, be proud of it
A demon could never;
It would be alien in him,
And he would become twice as unhappy.
Look at the wave when
A star is reflected in it;
How wonderfully they crumble
There are silvery streams all around!
But what? That shine is heavenly shine,
They will not take possession of it.
The ray of that star will not warm them;
It goes out - and the wave darkens!
The evil spirit thought for a while:
This is not the first time he has taken revenge!
He takes on the form of a mortal,
The crown caresses his brow,
And the black eyes are burning,
And this very flame is poison!
He waits, wandering near the walls of the saints,
When you're left alone
His young nun
When the immodest moon
It will rise, illuminating the desert;
He waits for a dark hour,
Flowing under the darkness of the night,
An hour of secret meetings and pleasures
And invisible crimes.
He will sneak to her there,
Under the shadow of the sleeping monastery,
And there he will perish forever
The object of your past love!
………………
The lamp in the cell is burning slightly.
The evil one sits with the virgin;
And a wonderful fear overcomes her.
She, turning pale as death, listens.
She
Forget the passions and excitement
I swore a long time ago, you know!
Why are you embarrassing me now?
What do you want to get?
Oh who are you? - your speech is dangerous!
What do you want?
Stranger
You are beautiful!
She
Who are you?
Stranger
I am a demon! – don’t be afraid:
I will not violate the shrine here!
And don’t pray for salvation -
I did not come to tempt the soul.
At your feet, languishing in love,
I offer my humble prayers,
Earth's first torments
And my first tears!
I didn’t set up nets for people
With a menacing crowd of evil spirits;
I wander alone among the worlds
Countless centuries!
Don't squeeze a groan out of your chest,
Don't drive me away with reproach:
Unfair sentence
I am condemned to exile.
Not knowing momentary joy,
I live above the sea and between the mountains,
Like a migrating meteor,
Like the desert wind of the steppe!
And I'm too proud to ask
God has your forgiveness:
I loved my torment
And I can’t stop loving them.
But you, you can revive
With your unfeigned love
My languid laziness
And life is boring and shameful
An impenetrable shadow!
She
What do I need to know about your sorrows?
Why are you complaining to me?
You are guilty…
Stranger
Is it against you?
She
They can hear us...
Stranger
We are alone!
She
And God?
Stranger
He won't even glance at us!
He is occupied with the sky, not with the earth.
She
And the punishment, the torments of hell?
Stranger
So what? – you will be there with me!
We will live lovingly, suffering,
And hell will cost us heaven;
My paradise is wherever I am with you!
So he spoke; and hand
He shook his trembling hand
And sometimes with kisses
The girl's shoulder was covered.
She didn't dare resist
Weakened, melted, burned
From an unknown fire
Like white snow from the sight of the day!
………………
In times of severe weather,
On an autumn day, when between the rocks,
Foaming and swirling, the waters rustled,
The east wind was raging
And dark gray rows
The clouds were rushing across the skies,
The ominous ringing of bells
Like a dying groan
It sounded dully over the waves.
Why does he call the hermits?
They didn’t rush to prayer
To a vast and high temple,
Not two lucky grooms
The candles burned tremblingly:
There was a coffin in the middle of the church,
The dead man lay silent in the coffin,
And a row of nuns surrounded
That coffin with impassive stillness.
Why can't you hear your relatives crying?
And you can’t see them in the temple?
And who is the dead man? Barely noticeable
Remnant of former beauty
Show pale features;
Closed lips are colorless,
And in the heart of ardent passion there is poison
These eyes will not settle,
Although quite recently
Possessed a stormy soul,
Inexplicable, capricious,
In a crazy and unequal struggle
Not knowing the power over herself.
An hour before his sad death,
When the damp darkness of the night
To sleepy valleys
lay down like a transparent haze,
The confessor for a single moment
The young maiden called
So that life's sinful acts
Open with tears of repentance.
And he comes to her; but suddenly
He was met with insane laughter.
The old man noticed her face
Fighting the last torment.
Regardless of the upcoming ones,
The young maiden whispered:
“Oh, demon! O treacherous friend!
With your sweet words
You bewitched the poor thing...
You were loved, but you didn’t love...
You could have saved yourself, but you ruined
Damnation above, darkness below us!
But who is the ruthless villain,
Then the honest old man did not understand,
And the life of my nun
Remained unknown to people.
Many years have passed since then,
The ancient monastery was empty,
And time, the common destroyer,
The trace was gradually washed away
High walls; and the sacred temple
Became a victim of storms and rains.
From door to door in the darkness of the night
The freed wind wanders.
Inside, on the painted faces
And on gold salaries,
Big spider, new hermit,
Lays the networks of its foundations.
More than once, having escaped from steep cliffs,
Saiga or chamois, daughter of freedom,
Shelter from winter weather
They searched in the cells. And sometimes
Forgotten utensils fall
Among the ruins of the deaf
They were surprised!
But nowadays nothing
You can't break the silence:
What can fall, has fallen,
What dies died long ago,
What is alive has become immortal;
But time kept me alive
One memory!
And the sea foams and gets angry,
And it splashes and makes a lot of noise,
When the waves rush
Embrace the coastal granite:
He went out into the sea alone,
A high cross appears black on it.
Always reflected by a rock,
Covered with snow-white dust,
The wave is pressing against the wave,
And their rebellious murmur is heard,
And they leave in crowds
Leaving others to fight.
Over that cross, over that rock,
One morning
I stood in deep thought
Child of Eden, angel of peace;
And silently wiped away my tears
With your sapphire clothes.
And the curls are soft like flax,
They fell from the crowned head,
And the wings are light as a dream,
Behind the white shoulders they shone.
And there was a vault of heaven above him
Decorated with a colorful rainbow,
And water with silver foam
With some kind of trepidation alive
The centuries-old crowded against the rocks.
Everything was quiet. A sad look
My dear angel raised me to heaven,
And with incomprehensible melancholy
For the soul of a young sinner
He prayed to the Creator. And it seemed
Nature prayed with him.
Then over the blue depths
Spirit of pride and rejection
Without a goal he rushed with speed;
But no repentance, no vengeance
Didn't show a stern face:
He's used to defeating himself!
His torment is not for others!
He flashed near the grave
And, casting a piercing gaze,
Ambassador of Paradise Lost
He reproached me with a bitter smile!..
End

Cain.
Who are you?
Lucifer.
Lord of Spirits.
Cain.
But if so, can you
Leave them and stay with mortals?
Lucifer.
I know thoughts
Mortals and I sympathize with them, and at the same time with you.
L Byron. Cain.
(English).