I have erected a monument without hands

What it is

This poem, often known by its Latin title 'Exegi monumentum', was written by Alexander Pushkin in 1836, close to the end of his life. In it he compares his poetic legacy to a monument that will outlast stone structures.

Why it matters

Pushkin declares that he will be remembered across Russia for stirring good feelings through poetry, and specifically for having 'praised freedom in a cruel age' and shown mercy to the fallen. Written not long before his death, the poem reads as Pushkin's own verdict on what he hoped his writing had achieved, under a political system that had censored and exiled him.

Look closer

• Why might Pushkin have chosen to write his own epitaph in verse rather than leave that judgment to others?
• What does his claim to have 'praised freedom' suggest about the risks he took as a writer?
• How might this poem be read differently knowing Pushkin died soon after writing it?