And a strange melancholy oppresses. Analysis of the poem “How often, surrounded by a motley crowd

How often, surrounded by a motley crowd,
When in front of me, as if through a dream,
With the noise of music and dance,
At the wild whisper of hardened speeches,
Flickering images of soulless people,
Properly tightened masks,

When my cold hands touch
With the careless boldness of urban beauties
Long untrembling hands, -
Outwardly immersed in their brilliance and vanity,
I caress an old dream in my soul,
Lost years holy sounds.

And if somehow for a moment I succeed
To be forgotten - a memory of recent antiquity
I fly free, free bird;
And I see myself as a child, and around
Native all places: high manor house
And a garden with a destroyed greenhouse;

A green net of herbs will cover a sleeping pond,
And behind the pond the village smokes - and they get up
In the distance fog over the fields.
I enter the dark alley; through the bushes
The evening beam looks, and yellow sheets
Noisy under timid steps.

And a strange melancholy oppresses my chest;
I think about her, I cry and love,
I love the dreams of my creation
With eyes full of azure fire,
With a pink smile like a young day
Behind the grove the first radiance.

So the kingdom of the marvelous almighty lord -
I spent long hours alone
And their memory lives on to this day.
Under a storm of painful doubts and passions,
Like a fresh island harmless among the seas
Blooms in their wet desert.

When, having come to my senses, I will recognize the deception
And the noise of the human crowd will frighten away my dream,
An uninvited guest on a holiday,
Oh, how I want to embarrass their cheerfulness
And boldly throw an iron verse into their eyes,
Filled with bitterness and anger!

Analysis of the poem "How often, surrounded by a motley crowd" Lermontov

M. Yu. Lermontov towards the end of his life completely cooled off to a secular way of life. From birth, he was inherent in the desire for loneliness, intensified by a passion for romanticism. Lermontov had strong convictions that he could not freely express in the highest circles. His open views aroused ridicule and suspicion. This closed the poet even more in himself, he gave the impression of a constantly gloomy and gloomy person. But the position of the nobility obliged him to attend the most important secular balls. One of these masquerade balls took place in January 1840. The poet reluctantly visited it and expressed his feelings in the poem "How often, surrounded by a motley crowd ...".

Already from the first lines, the poet's irritation from what is happening is felt. Balls were accompanied by the observance of strict decorum and refined speeches to the sounds of beautiful music. The characterization of the ball by Lermontov gives a completely different picture: “dance”, “wild whisper”, “soulless images”. The author knows that everyone present is well aware of the unnaturalness of what is happening, but they will never admit it. Any ball is saturated with falsehood and deceit. People's conversations do not make sense and do not touch on any meaningful topics. Mutual hatred and anger is hidden under masks. Moreover, under the masks, Lermontov means not so much paper decorations as unnatural faces of people. The generally recognized beauties have long lost their freshness and charm, their feelings have become dulled from endless romances.

Lermontov's only salvation during the ball is to be carried away by memories of his distant childhood with his naive dreams and hopes. The poet, only as a child, could devote himself wholeheartedly to the beauty of the surrounding landscape. He was not yet familiar with the vicious and deceitful human society. These memories awaken in the author's heart a long-forgotten feeling of pure love for life. They allow him to feel young and full of energy again. Lermontov can be in such a pleasant oblivion for a long time, protecting himself from the outside world. It was for this complete immersion in oneself that the poet was given the bad reputation of a closed and unsociable person.

The longer the poet stays in this state, the more painful and tragic his parting with him. "The noise of the crowd of people" brings him to his senses. Lermontov, as after a deep sleep, looks around with horror and again sees the hated picture of disgusting fun. This infuriates him. The poet dreams of breaking the idyll with some daring trick. Realizing that this would lead to the final fall of his authority, Lermontov limited himself to the “iron verse”, which was the work “As often, surrounded by a motley crowd ...”.

"Iron verse" splashed out the tragedy of Lermontov's lyrics in a poem "How often surrounded by a motley crowd", written in 1840 under the impression of a masquerade arranged at the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater in honor of the celebration of the New Year. There, among the noisy crowd, hidden under intricate masks, was Nicholas the First himself. That is why, the date affixed by Lermontov, January 1, 1840, angered the autocrat, who perfectly understood who the poet was throwing loud accusations at.

The first two stanzas are peace, "hostile" for lyrical hero. Everything is disharmonious in it: sounds ( "wild whisper of hardened speeches", "noise of music and dance"), colors ( "motley crowd") and people ( "masks", "soulless images"). The painful interaction of the hero with the world of lies, where everyone wears a mask that kills real life, is conveyed through a series of epithets ( "wild whisper", "unquivering hands").

Mortality, soullessness, the static of a masquerade is shown through syntactic means. Complex sentences with numerous isolated constructions slow down the movement: and the noisy ball does not pulsate with life, only the painful experience of the present by the lyrical hero is intense here.

"As if through a dream" sees another world in the poem. The central part of the work takes the reader into "wonderful kingdom". A dream-remembrance of a native house and garden, "sleeping pond", "dark alleys" picturesque and colorful. Harmony and purity shine through in every image. Right here in the lost "fresh island", the subject of the hero's dreams is a beautiful girl, about whom he cries and yearns.

To this dear antiquity a hero is directed "free, free bird". double repeat epithet speaks of an irrepressible thirst for freedom and harmony.

Even here, in his own world, the hero is infinitely lonely:

I sat alone for long hours.

but this loneliness is ambivalent, it is both a blessing and a curse at the same time.

compositional art antitheses in the poem, the piercing psychologism of Lermontov's creativity is clearly emphasized. The third part of the work, echoing the first and thus creating a frame composition, synthesizes the content of the previous stanzas. The deception realized by the lyrical hero strengthens his anger, which gives strength not to succumb to the general inertia of life, but to oppose activity to it. Exclamatory intonations and interjections show how the desire for a dream, frightened by the noise of a faceless crowd, is replaced by a thirst for revenge, which develops a new image of poetry, "iron verse, doused with bitterness and anger".

“How often surrounded by a motley crowd” is a poem in which the infinite amplitude of tragic fluctuations from spiritual uplift to despair filled with rage helps to understand the fundamental principles of the poet’s entire creative worldview.

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The themes of Lermontov's poems have always been distinguished by their diversity, but lyricism occupied a special place in the work of the great Russian classic. Mikhail Yuryevich, as a teenager, always dreamed of getting to the ball, to shine in, but when his dream finally came true, he realized how hypocritical all the people around him were. The man quickly lost interest in tricks, stilted conversations that were meaningless and radically different from the surrounding reality.

An analysis of Lermontov’s “How often he is surrounded by a motley crowd” makes it possible to understand how difficult it was for the poet to be among those who put on friendly masks, but did not have a heart, pity and conscience. Mikhail Yuryevich himself did not know how to conduct a secular conversation, he never complimented women, and when, according to etiquette, it was necessary to maintain a conversation, he became too sarcastic and harsh. Therefore, Lermontov was called a rude and ill-mannered person who despises etiquette.

The poem “How often surrounded by a motley crowd” was written in January 1840, just during this period the writer received a vacation and came to visit Moscow for several weeks. At this time, winter balls were held one after another, although Mikhail Yuryevich did not want to attend social events, but he could not ignore them either. An analysis of Lermontov's "How often he is surrounded by a motley crowd" makes it possible to understand how alien the people around him are to the author. He is among the bustle of colorfully dressed ladies and gentlemen, leading secular conversations, and he himself is immersed in thoughts of irretrievably past days.

Mikhail Lermontov kept memories of his childhood in his memory, when he was still happy. Thoughts carry the poet to the village of Mikhailovskoye, where he lived with his parents. He cherishes that period of carefree childhood, when his mother was alive, and he could spend hours wandering around the garden with a destroyed greenhouse, rake fallen yellow leaves and live in a high manor house. An analysis of Lermontov’s “How often he is surrounded by a motley crowd” shows how different the idealistic picture drawn by the author’s imagination is from reality, in which he is surrounded by images of soulless people, a “whisper of hardened speeches” is heard.

At secular receptions, Mikhail Yuryevich preferred to retire to a secluded place and indulge in dreams there. He personified his dreams with a mysterious stranger, he himself came up with her image and found it so charming that he could sit for hours without noticing the hustle and bustle of the crowd scurrying around. An analysis of Lermontov’s “How often he is surrounded by a motley crowd” makes it possible to understand how difficult it was for the poet to restrain his feelings and cover up his impulses with an insensitive mask.

Michael's moments of solitude ended sooner or later, and someone from those present interrupted his dreams with meaningless chatter. At the moment of returning to the real world of affectation and lies, he really wanted to throw something sharp into the eyes of the hypocrites, pour anger and bitterness on them, spoil the fun. The poem “How often surrounded by a motley crowd” ideally characterizes the unpredictable and contradictory inner world of the poet, because it combines both romance and aggression.

Lermontov is a man who will always adhere to his principles, no matter what. No wonder his works became every year - more and more fundamental.

It was in 1840 that a work entitled “How often surrounded by a motley crowd” was written by Mikhail Lermontov. This man deeply experienced all his memories of his childhood, it was not without reason that in this poem he described all his strongest impressions of childhood and youth. The world is a world that is not the same as it existed in the memory of the young Lermontov. This person would not mind returning to childhood, but nothing can be changed. That is why the beautiful memories of nostalgia are suddenly abruptly replaced by something completely different - reality.

The reality of Lermontov's time is this - all people put on masks, all are deceitful and insincere. Therefore, the world is not the same as before. That is why the poet's feelings and his sadness are very felt, that this may not happen again, not repeat such a time. The vocabulary of the work mainly consists of the present tense. The real world, as Lermontov wanted to show then in his work, is vanity of vanities, and nothing more. The brilliance of all this is a complete falsehood.

Analysis of Lermontov's Poem "How often surrounded by a motley crowd ..."

The poem “How often, surrounded by a motley crowd ...” was written by M.Yu. Lermontov in 1840. It was created under the impression of a secular New Year's ball. I.S. Turgenev, who was present at this ball, recalled: “I saw Lermontov at a masquerade in the Noble Assembly, on the eve of the new year 1840 ... Internally, Lermontov was probably deeply bored; he was suffocating in the narrow sphere where fate had pushed him ... At the ball ... they did not give him rest, they constantly pestered him, took him by the hand; one mask was replaced by another, and he almost did not move from his place and listened to their squeak, turning his gloomy eyes on them in turn. It seemed to me at the same time that I caught on his face a beautiful expression of poetic creativity. Perhaps these verses came to his mind:

When my cold hands touch With the casual courage of the beauties of the city Long untrembling hands ... ".

The style of the work is romantic, the main theme is the confrontation between the lyrical hero and the crowd.

The poem is built on a sharp contrast between reality and the ideal of the poet. The main images of the real world are “a motley crowd”, “images of soulless people”, “masks pulled together by decency”. This crowd is devoid of individuality, people are indistinguishable, all colors and sounds are muffled here:

With the noise of music and dance,

At the wild whisper of hardened speeches, images of soulless people flicker,

Properly tightened masks ...

The picture of a masquerade reminds us of a nightmare, time seems to have frozen here, it has become motionless. To emphasize this, the poet uses a few present tense verbs. And outwardly the hero is immersed in this frozen, lifeless element. However, internally he is free, his thoughts are turned to his “old dream”, to what is truly dear and close to him:

And if somehow for a moment I succeed in Forgetting myself, - with a memory of recent antiquity I fly a free, free bird;

And I see myself as a child, and all around are Native places: a high manor house And a garden with a destroyed greenhouse.

The main images of the "old dream" of the lyrical hero are "native places", "sleeping pond", "high manor house", "dark alley", green grass, a fading ray of sun. This dream is like a "blooming island in the middle of the seas." The researchers noted here the situation of constrained dreams by the surrounding hostile elements. That is how strong the hero's impulse for freedom, his desire to overcome this constraint, to escape from hostile captivity. This impulse is captured in the final lines of the work:

When, having come to my senses, I will recognize the deception

On a holiday an uninvited guest,

Oh, how I want to embarrass their cheerfulness Drenched in bitterness and anger.

Compositionally, we can distinguish three parts in the poem. The first part is a description of the masquerade (the first two stanzas). The second part is the appeal of the lyrical hero to his sweet dream. And the third part (the last stanza) is his return to reality. Thus, we have a ring composition here.

The poem is written using a combination of six-foot and four-foot iambic. The poet uses various means of artistic expression: epithets (“with a motley crowd”, “with a wild whisper”, “azure fire”, “with a pink smile”), metaphor (“I caress an old dream in my soul”, “And boldly throw them in the eyes iron verse, Drenched in bitterness and anger!”), anaphora and comparison (“With eyes full of azure fire, With a pink smile, like a young day Beyond the grove, the first radiance”), lexical repetition (“I fly free, free bird”). At the phonetic level, we note alliteration and assonance (“With eyes full of azure fire”).

Thus, various motives sound in the poem. This is a romantic conflict between dreams and reality, a conflict in the soul of the lyrical hero, the tragic duality of his consciousness (which was then typical for the lyrical hero Blok). We can consider this work in the context of the poet's lyrical reflections on his place in the world, on loneliness, lack of mutual understanding and happiness - the poems "Cliff", "Leaf", "I go out alone on the road ..", "And boring and sad ..." .

Analysis of the poem by M.Yu. Lermontov “As often, surrounded by a motley crowd. »

“How often, surrounded by a motley crowd ...” was created by Lermontov in 1840. He attended a ball dedicated to the celebration of the new year, which was attended by Nicholas I himself. The poet could not leave this event unattended, so he wrote a poem in which he criticized all the high society. Nicholas I saw the epigraph of the work "January 1" was shocked by Lermontov's impudence, he realized that for the most part the poem was addressed to him.

The lyrical hero here is a lonely person whose views and principles do not coincide with the public. He does not intend to adapt to a society that he does not accept. All the people at the ball are hiding behind masks. The feeling that under these masks they hide their vices. People in masks are impersonal, they are like a "motley crowd".

The hero is unpleasant to be among these people. First, he describes this crowd, and then goes deeper into his memories. He recalls his childhood and his native places where he liked to spend time. Then the hero returns to the real world and puts an end to it, saying that he wants to break the general fun by throwing an “iron verse” into his eyes.

The poem is written in iambic. The poet used the whole variety of artistic means: from epithets to comparisons. If we talk about the phonetic level, then there is assonance and alliteration in the work. The style of the poem is romantic. It is based on the conflict of the lyrical hero and high society. Lermontov talks about his loneliness, the vices of society and the fact that people, like slaves, are ready to serve the authorities.

Analysis of the poem by M.Yu. Lermontov "How often surrounded by a motley crowd ..."

“As often, surrounded by a motley crowd. "- one of Lermontov's most intimate lyrical poems, dedicated to the dream of human understanding that arose in childhood, which was not given to come true. This dream was embodied by the author in his poetic images, opposing the dead, cold, soulless reality.
The poem has an author's epigraph: "January 1st" and is dedicated to a masquerade ball, where the high society and the imperial family were present. The New Year's ball took place on the night of January 1-2, 1840 at the Bolshoi Stone Theater, Nicholas I and members of the royal family were present. The creation and publication of a poem describing a ball with royalty was a bold act of the poet Lermontov. This work indirectly offended the emperor himself and, therefore, exacerbated the hostile emotions of Nicholas I towards the author.

The main theme of the poem “How often, surrounded by a motley crowd” is the denunciation of the life “masquerade”, the cold soullessness of secular society.

From the very first lines of the poem, the author embodies the idea of a masquerade, a New Year's ball with its "brilliance and vanity." He draws a merry holiday with "the noise of music and dancing." But this is only an introduction, anticipating the further monologue of the author.
Already in the fourth line we read:

“At the wild whisper of hardened speeches…”
and hear sharp criticism of those present.
The splendor of the New Year's ball immediately dims, and we see a completely different picture:
“Images of soulless people flash,
Decency tightened masks ... "

All those present seemed to put on masquerade masks to hide their callousness, callousness and other vices of society.

Outwardly plunging into their brilliance and vanity,
Lost years holy sounds.

And the imaginary past turns out to be a true reality for him, depicted very accurately and with great love:

And behind the pond the village smokes - and they get up
In the distance fog over the fields ...

I love the dreams of my creation.

The contradiction between the dream and the soulless reality makes the author feel protest and he challenges the society:

“When, having come to my senses, I will recognize the deception
And the noise of the human crowd will frighten away my dream,
On a holiday not invited by a guest,
Oh, how I want to embarrass their cheerfulness
And boldly throw an iron verse into their eyes,
Filled with bitterness and anger.

The poet challenges the society, which is trying to destroy his bright dream. This challenge is expressed in Lermontov's "iron verse", boldly thrown into the eyes of a rejoicing society.
The poem about the New Year's ball became an event in Russian literature. It became obvious that another talented and courageous poet appeared in Russia, who turned his work into a weapon against the vices of society.
The lyrical hero of Lermontov's poem is a proud, lonely person, opposed to society. Loneliness is the central theme of his poetry and, first of all, the poem "How often, surrounded by a motley crowd." The hero finds no place for himself either in secular society, or in love, or in friendship. Lermontov and his heroes yearn for real life. The author regrets the "lost" generation, envies the great past of the ancestors, full of glorious great deeds.
All Lermontov's work is filled with pain for his fatherland, love for everything that surrounds him and longing for a loved one.

During his short life, Lermontov created so many works that he forever glorified Russian literature and continued the work of the great A.S. Pushkin, becoming on a par with him.

“How often surrounded by a motley crowd”, analysis of Lermontov’s poem

"Iron verse" splashed out the tragedy of Lermontov's lyrics in a poem "How often surrounded by a motley crowd". written in 1840 under the impression of a masquerade arranged in the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater in honor of the celebration of the New Year. There, among the noisy crowd, hidden under intricate masks, was Nicholas the First himself. That is why, the date affixed by Lermontov, January 1, 1840, angered the autocrat, who perfectly understood who the poet was throwing loud accusations at.

The first two stanzas are peace, "hostile" for lyrical hero. Everything is disharmonious in it: sounds ( "wild whisper of hardened speeches". "noise of music and dance"), colors ( "motley crowd") and people ( "masks". "soulless images"). The painful interaction of the hero with the world of lies, where everyone wears a mask that kills real life, is conveyed through a series of epithets ( "wild whisper". "unquivering hands").

"As if through a dream" sees another world in the poem. The central part of the work takes the reader into "wonderful kingdom". A dream-remembrance of a native house and garden, "sleeping pond". "dark alleys" picturesque and colorful. Harmony and purity shine through in every image. Right here in the lost "fresh island". the subject of the hero's dreams is a beautiful girl, for whom he cries and yearns.

To this dear antiquity a hero is directed "free, free bird". double repeat epithet speaks of an irrepressible thirst for freedom and harmony.

Even here, in his own world, the hero is infinitely lonely:

I sat alone for long hours.

but this loneliness is ambivalent, it is both a blessing and a curse at the same time.

“How often, surrounded by a motley crowd ...” M. Lermontov

How often, surrounded by a motley crowd,
When in front of me, as if through a dream,

With the noise of music and dance,

At the wild whisper of hardened speeches,
Flickering images of soulless people,

Properly tightened masks,

When my cold hands touch
With the careless boldness of urban beauties

Long untrembling hands, -

Outwardly immersed in their brilliance and vanity,
I caress an old dream in my soul,

Lost years holy sounds.

And if somehow for a moment I succeed
To be forgotten - a memory of recent antiquity

I fly free, free bird;

And I see myself as a child; and around
Native all places: high manor house

And a garden with a destroyed greenhouse;

A green net of herbs will cover a sleeping pond,
And behind the pond the village smokes - and they get up

In the distance fog over the fields.

I enter the dark alley; through the bushes
The evening beam looks, and yellow sheets

Noisy under timid steps.

And a strange melancholy oppresses my chest:
I think about her, I cry and love,

I love the dreams of my creation

With eyes full of azure fire,
With a pink smile like a young day

Behind the grove the first radiance.

So the kingdom of the marvelous almighty lord -
I spent long hours alone

And their memory lives on to this day.

Under a storm of painful doubts and passions,
Like a fresh island harmless among the seas

Blooms in their wet desert.

When, having come to my senses, I will know the deceit,
And the noise of the human crowd will frighten away my dream,

On a holiday an uninvited guest,

Oh, how I long to confuse their gaiety,
And boldly throw an iron verse into their eyes,

Filled with bitterness and anger.

Analysis of Lermontov's poem "How often, surrounded by a motley crowd ..."

As a teenager, Mikhail Lermontov dreamed of shining in secular society. However, over time, he realized that the people with whom he had to communicate at various balls and receptions were distinguished by amazing hypocrisy. Very soon, the young poet got bored with empty and grandiloquent conversations that had nothing to do with reality, and he began to avoid communicating with those whom he considered "people with a double bottom."

It should also be taken into account that Lermontov himself was by nature a rather secretive person, he did not know how to maintain a secular conversation at the proper level and reward women with flattering compliments. When etiquette demanded it, the poet became sharp and mocking, because of which he very soon gained fame as an ill-mannered rude person who despises etiquette. What was the poet thinking at that moment? He tried to express his thoughts and observations in the poem “How often, surrounded by a motley crowd ...”, which he wrote in January 1840. At this time, Lermontov, having received another vacation, arrived in Moscow for several weeks and found himself in the thick of social events, when traditional winter balls followed literally one after another. He could not ignore them, but he clearly did not feel the pleasure of having to attend each such event.

Watching the entertainment of the "variegated crowd", the author emphasizes that at this moment, "outwardly plunging into their brilliance and bustle, I caress an old dream in my soul" . What is Lermontov dreaming about at this moment? Thoughts take him to the distant past, when he was still a child and lived with his parents in the village of Mikhailovskoye, not far from the town of Tarkhany. This period of childhood, when the poet's mother was still alive, Lermontov recalls with special warmth. He sees "a tall manor house and a garden with a destroyed greenhouse", which he loved to wander around, listening to the rustle of fallen yellow leaves under his feet.

However, the idealistic picture that the poet paints in his imagination does not at all fit with the reality surrounding him, when “with the wild whisper of hardened speeches, images of soulless people flash by.” Therefore, at balls and secular receptions, Lermontov prefers to retire in order to indulge in dreams in which peace and harmony reign. Moreover, the poet personifies his dreams with a mysterious stranger, who is drawn to him in the form of a young girl "with eyes full of azure fire, with a pink smile, like a young day behind the grove the first radiance." This image captivated the author so much that he found a special charm in solitude and “sat alone for long hours”, not paying attention to the noise and bustle of the crowd.

But sooner or later, the moment came when one of those present destroyed the poet's dreams, forcing him to return to the real world, completely false, full of lies and affectation. And then Lermontov had only one desire - "to embarrass their gaiety and boldly throw an iron verse in their eyes, drenched in bitterness and anger."

This work, filled with romance and aggression at the same time, perfectly characterizes Lermontov's inner world, contradictory and unpredictable. For 28 years of his life, the poet never managed to learn to live in harmony not only with the people around him, but also with himself. Therefore, his later poems are filled with bitterness, resentment and regret that the author did not manage to know the feeling of all-consuming happiness. The poet was dissatisfied with his own fate, but even more angry in him were the actions of representatives of the high society, whom Lermontov considered empty and worthless people who live only to indulge in passions and vices. And the poet splashed out this feeling of irritation not only in public, but also in his poems, thus defending himself from human indifference and the meaninglessness of being.

Listen to Lermontov's poem How often a motley crowd

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Picture for the essay analysis of the poem How often a motley crowd

One of the most significant poems of Lermontov, written in 1840, in its accusatory pathos close to "Death of a Poet".

The creative history of the poem is still the subject of ongoing debate between researchers. The poem has the epigraph "January 1st", indicating its connection with the New Year's ball. According to the traditional version of P. Viskovaty, it was a masquerade in the Assembly of the Nobility, where Lermontov allegedly violated etiquette: he boldly answered “two sisters” (the daughters of Emperor Nicholas I - Olga and Maria) in blue and pink dominoes, who hit him with a “word”; the position of these "sisters" in society was known (a hint of their belonging to the royal family). Paying attention to Lermontov's behavior at that moment turned out to be inconvenient: “It would mean making public what has gone unnoticed by the majority of the public. But when the poem “The First of January” appeared in the “Notes of the Fatherland”, many expressions in it seemed unacceptable”(viscous).

(daughter of Emperor Nicholas I)

I. S. Turgenev in "Literary and Everyday Memoirs" claimed that he himself saw Lermontov in the masquerade of the Nobility Assembly "on the eve of the new year 1840", and in this connection cited disparaging lines about ballroom beauties from verse. "How often...".

It has now been established that there was no New Year's masquerade in the Nobility Assembly. This seems to turn Viskovaty's message into a legend. It has been suggested that Lermontov's trick did take place, but long before his New Year's poem, she did not refer to the royal daughters, as was previously thought, but to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; it is to January and February 1839 that her visits to masquerades in the Assembly of the Nobility belong. During these same days, she was interested in Lermontov's unpublished poems.

It is possible that the deaf stories about the masquerade events in 1839 and the impressions of the New Year's poem of 1840 merged in the memory of contemporaries into one episode. According to another assumption, the poem referred to a masquerade on the night of January 1 to 2, 1840 at the Bolshoi Kamenny Theater, where the emperor and heir were present. The real basis of the version about the biographical source of the poem is subject to further verification. There is no doubt, however, that the publication of the poem in Otechestvennye Zapiski led to new persecution of Lermontov.

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