Demon (poem)

1829–1839 poem by Mikhail Lermontov

Demon (Russian: Демон) is a poem by Mikhail Lermontov, written in several versions in the years 1829 to 1839. It is considered a masterpiece of European Romantic poetry.

Lermontov began work on the poem when he was about 14 or 15^[1]^[2] but completed it only during his Caucasus exile.^[3] Lermontov wrote six major variations of the poem, and the final version was not published until 1842, after his death.

Summary

The poem is set in the Caucasus Mountains. It opens with the eponymous protagonist wandering the earth, hopeless and troubled. He dwells in infinite isolation, his immortality and unlimited power a worthless burden. Then he spies the beautiful Princess Tamara, dancing for her wedding, and in the desert of his soul wells an indescribable emotion.

The Demon, acting as a brutal and powerful tyrant, destroys his rival: at his instigation, robbers come to despoil the wedding and kill Tamara's betrothed. The Demon courts Tamara yet in him she sees not a demon nor an angel but a tortured soul. First, she asks her father to send her to a monastery, understanding that she is being tormented by an evil spirit. Eventually she yields to his embrace, but his kiss is fatal. And though she is taken to Heaven, the Demon is left again "Alone in all the universe, Abandoned, without love or hope!...".^[1]^[4]

Gallery

Tamara and the Demon - Konstantin Makovsky, 1889
Tamara and the Demon - Mikhail Vrubel, 1890

References

^ ^a ^b Liukkonen, Petri. "Mikhail (Yuryevich) Lermontov". Books and Writers (kirjasto.sci.fi). Finland: Kuusankoski Public Library. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011.
^ Otzoupe, N.; Friedeberg Seeley, F. (1956). "Vigny's "Eloa" and Lermontov's "Demon"". The Slavonic and East European Review. 34 (83): 315. ISSN 0037-6795. JSTOR 4204745. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
^ "Michael Lermontov (1814–1841)". Friends & Partners. 2005 [1996]. Retrieved March 1, 2011. (in English)
^ Novikov, V, ed. (1996). "Demon". Все шедевры мировой литературы в кратком изложении. Сюжеты и характеры. Русская литература XIX века [All the Masterpieces of World Literature in Summary Form. Plots and Characters. Russian literature of the 19th Century] (in Russian). Moscow: Olympus. Retrieved March 1, 2011. (in Russian)

External links

Mikhail Lermontov - The Demon in English and Russian
Full text of Demon (in Russian)
Full English translation at Archive.org (in English)
Another English version Archived 2017-06-25 at the Wayback Machine (in English)
Pulhritudova, E (1964). ""Демон" как философская поэма" ["Demon" as a philosophical poem]. Творчество М. Ю. Лермонтова: 150 лет со дня рождения, 1814—1964 [The Works of Lermontov: 150 years from his date of birth, 1814–1964] (in Russian). Moscow: Nauka. pp. 76–105. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2011. (in Russian)
Analysis of Demon at Russian Cinema (in Russian)
Analysis of Demon at Litra.ru (in Russian)
Comparative analysis of Demon and Mtsyri at Erudition.ru (in Russian)