The scattering of plane electromagnetic waves by a gold nanocylinder in the optical range is calculated using the finite-element method to solve 3D vector Helmholtz equation. As shown for the resonant mode, (i) the active energy (power) of the dipole induced within the nanocylinder is mainly produced through its side surfaces; (ii) the spatial distribution of the reactive energy of the dipole has explicit local character–it is distributed near the surface of the nanocylinder in the near-field zone, and the level of the reactive energy is more than three times bigger compared with the active energy in this zone; (iii) the electromagnetic-energy exchange between the incident plane wave and the dipole induced in the nanocylinder takes place (it occurs two times during the period of this wave). The oscillation process is dominant in the near-field zone compared with the wave process in this zone (the physical nature of the energy reemitting in the near-field zone is not active, but it is reactive). The intensity of flow of Poynting vector in the near-field zone exceeds by a factor of ten the intensity of flow in the non-resonant mode.