THE MOTIVE OF THINKING IN E. BORATYNSKY'S POETRY: ON THE PROBLEM OF THE POET'S WORLDVIEW

Abstract

For the first time in the article, in the line of motivic analysis of Russian lyrics, the motive of thinking in Boratynsky's poetry is highlighted and investigated. It is thematically manifested in the lexemes "mind" and "thought", forming a special line in the poet's work – a kind of phenomenology of thought. In Pushkin and Lermontov’s poetry this motive is found in fragments of poems, in some Boratynsky's poems thinking is the central object of poetic reflection. These poems receive a new interpretation in the article. It is shown that Boratynsky's thoughts are characterized by striving beyond the limits of rationality, beyond the earthly. At the same time, the tragic notes are due to the unattainability of the desired knowledge of the spiritual world – with an organic proximity to this area of being; this intention of the poet takes away its value from life, cooling the soul to everything earthly. The poet's doom to mental aspirations that are never fully achieved is the source of the pain of being. This is due not only to the spiritual originality of the poet's personality, but also to the general processes in the history of self-awareness reflected in Russian poetry.

Extended abstract:

For the first time, this article explores the motive of thinking in the context of the motivic analysis of Russian philosophical lyrics, revealing the originality of the poet's spiritual personality as a kind of poetic phenomenology of thought. This exploration aligns with the tasks of poetology. The material for analysis is the poetry of E.A. Boratynsky. While researchers have noted the importance of thought in his poetry, they have not delved into the topic in depth. The motive of thinking, as understood by the poet, is thematically manifested in the lexemes "mind" and "thought," forming a distinctive thread in his work. Boratynsky reflects on his own thinking and the possibility of knowing the truth. Unlike the poetry of Pushkin and Lermontov, where the motif of thinking appears in isolated fragments, in Boratynsky's poetry, thinking emerges as the central theme in his key works, which receive a new interpretation in this article.

The article demonstrates that Boratynsky's thoughts are not confined to rationality (though researchers often interpret his ideas in this way) but are primarily characterized by a desire to transcend the visible and the earthly. At the same time, the tragic undertones of his poems stem from the inability to attain the desired knowledge of the spiritual world, despite the poet's profound sense of connection to this higher realm of being. This aspiration—striving from the mundane world to the higher one—diminishes the value of everyday life, cooling the soul's attachment to earthly existence. The poet highlights the negative impact of thought on life in general. The yearning for a realm that cannot be fully reached through thought alone becomes a source of existential pain, repeatedly expressed in his poetry. After all, the poet cannot control the spiritual revelations, visions, and insights that occasionally descend upon him from above and are captured in his verses; he has no power over them.

Another significant motif is the interference of demonic forces, which obscure the spiritual realm from human perception—a conclusion drawn from the poet's experiences in exploring the darker dimensions of existence. This mental and spiritual predicament is tied to the poet's unique spiritual personality and reflects broader historical processes of self-awareness during an era marked by the decline of the spiritual and the rise of the material, as mirrored in Russian poetry.