The article focuses on the poetic dialogue between Osip Mandelstam and Innokentii Annenskii as the reflection of the influence of the elder poet on the conception of creativity manifested in Mandelstams' book Kamen'. In connection with this goal, the article analyzes poems “Today is a bad day” (1911), “Why the soul is so song-like” (1911), and “I haven't heard the tales of Ossian” (1914). The comparison of these poems with the imagery and motifs of Annesnky's lyrics reveals the ways of Mandelstam's absorption and development of Annesky's understanding of the meaning of poetry and the poet's mission.