The Lowworld in the Lyrics of O.E. Mandelstam: Comments on the Topiс

Abstract

This article is a commentary on the topic “the lowworld” in the lyrics of O.E. Mandelstam. The closeness of the afterlife to the lyrical hero of the poet is confirmed. The images related to the underground kingdom of the dead are analyzed: toad (“There are disgusting toads here...”), Erebus (“I see a stone sky...”). Their connection with Greek mythology is revealed. Additions concerning the semantics of the image of the swallow-daughter and the boat in the poem “What the grasshopper-clock sings...” are made, in particular, an interpretation of the stanza is proposed, which is an alternative interpretation of the poem made by K. Taranovsky. A commentary is given on Levin’s interpretation of some lines of the poem “Megan”. Parallels to the image of the black sun are added (from ancient Egyptian and ancient Greek myths). Generalizations concerning the image of the black sun and the image of bees are made. The result of the study shows that the motif of going down of the lyrical hero into the underworld is the dominant and determining one for the mythological layer of O.E. Mandelstam’s lyrics.