The purpose of the study is to identify the artistic means by which the aesthetic postulates of Taoism are manifested in the poetic works of K. D. Balmont. The article examines images and symbols borrowed from the philosophy of Taoism in the context of Russian poetry of the early 20th century. Special attention is paid to the analysis of such elements as nature, harmony, the flow of time and human interaction with the outside world, which are central to Taoism and are reflected in the poet’s work. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time (based on the poetry collections “Burning Buildings”, “Let Us Be like the Sun”, “Only Love” and Balmont’s articles), the problem of the artistic realization of Taoist ideas in Balmont’s work is brought to the fore. As a result of the research, it was found that Taoism and the philosophy of Lao Tzu significantly influenced Balmont’s worldview and artistic work: philosophical categories such as “Tao”, “wu-wei”, “yin and yang” were reflected in the poet’s works. In addition, the poet often touches on the Taoist theme “life is like a dream” and expresses his willingness to “live in the moment”, which resonates with the aesthetic attitudes of Chinese Taoist thinkers.
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