The Poetics of M. Yu. Lermontov’s Authentic Text “So Dull, So Sad! — and No One to Lend a Hand…” (1840)

The object of research is the autograph of Lermontov’s poem “So Dull, So Sad! — and No One to Lend a Hand…” (1840), which is stored in the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art and contains the author’s edit, as well as the history of its publication: from the first in “Literaturnaya gazeta” (1840) to scientific publications in the 20th-21st centuries. The purpose of research is to identify the specifics of Lermontov’s thinking, the features of his worldview captured in the definitive text of the poem. The need to revise the traditional approach to preparing a work for publication is discussed. A comparison of the autograph with the publications of the poem in “Literaturnaya gazeta” and the first collection of poems (1840), as well as in subsequent scientific publications, revealed that the text was reproduced inaccurately, with significant divergences from the author’s punctuation (significant dashes were often removed or moved, ellipses were added, the exclamation mark at the end of the poem was removed), conjunctions and a pronominal were replaced with adverbs. It demonstrates that turning to the autograph of the poem “So Dull, So Sad! — and No One to Lend a Hand…” allows to identify the expediency of introducing readers to the authentic text, which complements the representation of Lermontov’s worldview and deepens the understanding of the text. The analysis of the numerous antinomies constructed by the poet and attention to the author’s punctuation allowed to overcome the cliches of the poem’s perception and provide an interpretation consistent with Lermontov’s worldview. The article identifies the semantic centers of the poem associated with the expression of the spiritual and mental state of the lyrical hero, and defines the value constants of his spiritual life. Reading the poem in its authentic form allows us to get closer to understanding the poet’s mental state, the peculiarities of his thinking and reveal the spiritual meanings of Lermontov’s masterpiece.