Mikhail Y. Lermontov - Demon

Demon is one of the early works by Mikhail Y. Lermontov. It is a very beautiful poem. It is quite long consisting of 3 parts. You may need to read it more than once to catch all the details. I read it twice. The poem tells a story of one demons passion for a young beauty. Given a literal interpretation the young woman is a nun in a monastery. However this romance would not be compete without a third party in the mix. Another pin in this triangle is an angel who. Lermontov describes the tenderness that this demon feels toward the young woman and   that nothing is the same ever since he encounters her for the first time. The dramatic shift of character from a tenderness to jealousy when he discovers an angel defending the sister. This is also a story of betrayal. Demon succeeds in his temptation. He persuades the nun to make love with him and by doing so destroys her. The poem closes as the angel is playing for the soul of the young nun. It is this moment that really shines light on the meaning of the entire poem. The reader can see in this prayer a heartbroken lover. The lover who loves even now when many years have past. The lover who loves with unconditional love that does no vanish even though the object of his affection betrayed him years ago. This is the moment that puts a different meaning to the scene when demon walks in on him and the young beauty. It now looks like a duel. The angel defending his love.

I read an interpretation that the young nun and the angel are really two lovers on their wedding day. I can certainly see it interpreted that way. After all, after taking her vows the young sister becomes Lord's bride.