Šiluva lietuvių poezijoje

Abstract

Šiluva in the oeuvre of Lithuanian poets occupies an exceptional place. On the basis of the creations by Kazys Bradūnas and Ričardas Mikutavičius devoted to Šiluva and Our Lady of Šiluva, the article analyses references of three levels: culture, figurative semantics and concept. It identifies linguistic phenomena characteristic of Lithuanian ethnic and Catholic culture such as artefact namings, means of expression for the world-view and spiritual content (cultural metaphors, symbols, personifications, etc.) and intertexts. The analysis of poetry as a text is based on the concept of reference. On the grounds of the theories of the interpretation of poetic discourse, cultural semiotics and cognitive semantics, an attempt is made to define the concepts of Our Lady of Šiluva in poetic consciousness of two different periods. The tryptich by Kazys Bradūnas Our Lady of Šiluva is characterized by lyric poetic movement with elements of ballad narration. The concept of Šiluva consists of the intertexts of the historical Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Šiluva and the establishment of the Church and those of the Bible, Faith and Eucharist. An inseparable part of the concept is constituted by the journey which is made through the meditation of the meaning of God to man and nature. The vertical axis of the journey takes the meditation of devotion which ends with the vision and prayer. The conceptual meaning of Šiluva lies in the unfolding of the dramatic spiritual content and the prayer. The travel involves a spiritual journey; therefore, the traveller can be named as the pilgrim. This pilgrim is familiar with peculiarities of the Lithuanian spiritual journey.[...]