THE POETIC WORD AND THE SACRED WORD: BIBLICAL MOTIFS IN THE POETRY OF JOSEPH BRODSKY (RUSSIA).

摘要

Biblical themes in general and Christian motifs in particular are integrally related to central themes in the poetry of Joseph Brodsky: themes of loss and separation, suffering and sacrifice, exile and betrayal, death and salvation. In this study I present detailed analyses (thematic and formal) of eleven Biblical poems, most of which have not been treated at length elsewhere. I examine the poetic devices unique to Brodsky's style; the distinctive features of his language, imagery and form; his use of Russian Biblical language. I note Brodsky's concern with the dilemma of human existence in the 20th Century: using the "poetic word," he draws on the "Sacred Word" (among other sources from the past) to restore spiritual values to the present.;"Sreten'e" is based on Luke 2:22-39 (the Presentation of the Christ Child), the Biblical event which Brodsky views as the transition between the Old Testament and the New. I also examine this poem as Brodsky's special tribute to Anna Axmatova.;I treat six Nativity poems. Among those which affirm faith in miracle and spiritual renewal are "24 dekabrja 1971 goda" and "Vtoroe Rozdestvo na beregu . . ."; on the other hand, "Rozdestvenskij romans" and "Laguna" express a growing sense of despair in the light of the perceived absurdity of human existence. I also show how Brodsky intertwines classical and Christian motifs in a number of these poems in connection with the theme of time.;My analyses of three Easter poems, "Proscajte, madmuazel' Veronika," the 1400-line "Gorbunov i Gorcakov," and "Natjurmort," consider the themes of separation and loss, betrayal and abandonment, death and resurrection, and show how Brodsky uses Passion motifs to shed light on the meaning of human suffering.;I analyze Brodsky's first major Biblical poem, "Isaak i Avraam," (Genesis 22:1-19) as a "variation on the theme of sacrifice." I note the importance of this poem as an early example of Brodsky's concern with the theme of sacrifice and its direct association with the poetic endeavor.;For Brodsky no real boundary exists between the sacred and poetic words: the poetic word also heals and restores life; poetry offers a way of coming to terms with loss, a mode of enduring the horrors of existence.