Osip Mandelstam is poet of the individual. He lauds social relationships, yet simultaneously attempts to know other people through his experience of self. One could easily call him an introspective author. In fact, a good majority of his poems deal with issues of identifying the self, experiencing the present moment, and relating to other people.
While he frequently addresses concepts of loneliness and isolation, Mandelstam speaks rather pleasantly about these experiences. "Alone I stare into the frost's white face" deals with a snow storm. In his very isolation due to nature's force, the narrator finds a deep satsifaction in observing the natural beauty of the world around him. Being alone allows him to feel personally honored by the sights and feelings of the storm, as if they were intended only for his eyes.
Even in a discussion of death, Mandelstam remains adamant of his reassurance in himself. He is not afraid of being alone because he does not feel truly alone. Looking up, he sees human connection in the people around him, though he may not know them personally. "Yet to die. Unalone still" is a rather direct assertion of the interconnectedness of human beings. Mandelstam writes about the peculiarly self-induced suffering which is to isolate oneself despite the vitality and abundance of the surrounding world.
