In Mikhail Lermontov's poetry, love is not an idyll, but rather a tragic clash of ideals and reality, a bright impulse and inevitable disappointment. His poems about love are permeated with melancholy, loneliness, and a rebellious spirit. Lermontov's heroes often suffer from unrequited feelings and the inability to find harmony in their relationships. In his works, love is presented as a fatal passion, capable of both elevating and destroying a person. These poems reflect the poet's complex and contradictory soul, his striving for an ideal and his awareness of its unattainability.
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I saw you…
I saw you; but it was like a fleeting vision, like a pure and innocent genius, in a brief moment before me. I remember you; but this memory is vague, like a dream, like an echo, as if I loved you, and tormented you, and troubled you.
Don't trust words, there are many of them in the world...
Don't trust words; there are many in the world, and few that are filled with truth. Seeking revelation in the eyes, you often see only deception. Love, but don't give in to passion. Keep your pure light within. Otherwise, in an instant, like melted ice, your greeting of happiness will melt away.
leaflet
A leaf, yearning in the wind, broke from the branch and flew away. It sought love, sought warmth, but only cold brought it. So my soul, a leaf, found hope in love, but was met only with indifference, and is now alone in emptiness.
When the noise of life dies down...
When the noise of life fades, and my heart stops beating, I will remember the look in your eyes, and the innocent flash of your lips. And even if love was just a dream, and happiness a ghostly hope, I will remember you as a divine ignoramus.
In a difficult moment of life...
In a difficult moment of life, When sadness crowds in the heart: I pray to one will, Let it be for that alone. Let others say, That there is no truth in the world, That everything is deception and sorrow, And there is no reward in love.
It's both boring and sad.
It's boring and sad, and there's no one to lend a hand, And there's a longing in my heart that words can't express. I see only empty spaces around me, And hear only echoes of distant days. Love is a phantom, alluring and evil, It gives hope, and then only pain. And it's better to live in proud solitude Than to believe in the deceptions that love gives.
Farewell, unwashed Russia...
Farewell, unwashed Russia, land of slaves and mirages! Love for you is but bitter poison, and an eternal, dark war. I am leaving for foreign lands, where there is no lies or vanity. Where the heart can find freedom, joy, and purity.
The Death of a Poet
No, I didn't flatter myself sadly, I didn't think that love is a reward. It only hurts, only yearns, And leaves poison in the heart. I saw the sparkle of your eyes, And heard your sweet voice, But it all passed, like smoke from a fog, And a coldness remains in my memory.
Insomnia
Insomnia! Torment and pain! A flame rages in my soul. I remember your gentle peace, And your image, like a banner. But you are gone, and there is darkness in my heart, And only strange thoughts in my head. I seek you at every step, In vain and deceitful hopes.
Thought
With sadness I look upon the burden of youth, which is fading into the distance. Love is but a moment, but a shadow of doubt, and leaves sadness in the heart. I remember passion, I remember torment, I remember vows under the moon. But it all passed, like smoke over boredom, and I am left only with you – with a longing that will live forever.
Star
A star in the sky, like the eye of a loved one, looks down upon the earth in silence. And in that gaze—an invisible sadness, and echoes of you. I remember the night, I remember the meeting, I remember the whisper of tender words. But everything is gone, as if forever, and in my heart there is only cold and blood.
Cliff
Above the abyss where the wind howls, a cliff stands, a symbol of passion. My love, like waves, beats against the rocks of bitter, evil misfortune. I know that we will never be together, that you are just a ghost, just a dream. But my heart is torn in this abyss, and in it there is only pain and emptiness.
Parting
Separation is a bitter, heavy captivity, It burns the soul to dust. I remember your image in return, And in my heart there is only longing and fear. I wait for you like a traveler for water, Like a prisoner for freedom, like a blind man for light. But I know there will be no freedom, And in my heart there is only the summer of separation.
In the north, where there is darkness and cold...
In the north, where there is darkness and cold, love lives like an icy flower. It is beautiful, but prickly, and leaves a chill in the heart. I remember the look in your eyes, and the innocent smile of your lips. But it all went away, like a night's dream, and I was left in an evil fate.
Forgotten Land
In a forgotten land, where only shadows remain, I remember you. My love is like an ancient song, whispered by the wind in the silence. I know we can never be together, that you are just a ghost, just a dream. But my heart remembers you, and in it there is only sadness and emptiness.