Sentence:  Nikolai Cherkasov , the Russian actor who has played such heroic roles as Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible , performs the lanky Don Quixote , and does so with a simple dignity that bridges the inner nobility and the surface absurdity of this <WSD>poignant</WSD> man . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  keenly distressing to the mind or feelings