Благопожелание чаю в современной калмыцкой лирике: фольклорный аспект

Abstract

Introduction. The article examines the genre of tea well-wishes in contemporary Kalmyk lyric poetry through the prism of folklore tradition. The fact that the theme has been somewhat understudied from the latter perspective makes the work relevant enough. Goals. The article aims to investigate the folklore aspect in Kalmyk poets’ narratives addressing Kalmyk tea. Materials and methods. The paper analyzes related Kalmyk- and Russian-language poems by contemporary Kalmyk poets representing different generations. The study shall examine a number of folklore genres, such as tea well-wishes, proverbs, sayings, and three-part (ternary) poems. The main methods employed are historical-literary, historical-functional, comparative analysis ones, and that of descriptive poetics. Results. In modern Kalmyk lyric poetry, the mentioned genre is represented by a number of poems dealing with ethnic foods. These are texts in Kalmyk and Russian created by poets of different generations — elderly and young ones. In terms of genre, literary tea well-wishes — like the latter’s folklore analogues — largely tend to synthesize different patterns: these often resemble yöräls (well-wishes) and magtals (praises), sometimes — tea well-wishes proper (Kalm. цәәд тәвх йөрәл) and farewell well-wishes (Kalm. хаалhин йөрәл). Conclusions. Tea well-wishes authored by Kalmyk poets describe offerings to ancestors, deities, as well as treats to guests, which reveals the primacy and undeniable significance of tea in rituals, rites, and hospitality. In the folklore tradition, representative texts addressing Kalmyk tea have been created mainly by elderly and middle-aged poets fluent in mother tongue, familiar with oral folklore, customs, rituals, and beliefs of ancestors.