The author in the article considers the uniqueness of the Chechen poetic picture of the world and the role of metaphor as a figurative means and mechanism of thinking in the translation of ethnocultural meanings. Based on the analysis of the poetic works of Chechen authors, dominant metaphor concepts in Chechen poetry are distinguished, an attempt is made to establish the system, internal structure and connections of metaphorical models, reveal their mental intentions and determine the role of metaphor in creating imagery in the artistic structure of a lyrical text. A practical analysis of the representation of basic ethno-cultural metaphors in a poetic work is carried out on the material of the lyrics of the classics of Chechen literature by M. Isaeva, Sh. Aishanova, A. Dudaeva, M. Mamakaeva, etc. It is revealed how metaphor participates in the creation of artistic reality, how the idea of metaphor, which has developed in cognitive linguistics, correlates with the realization of the symbolic load of the image in the lyrical text. The author defines the dominant ethno-cultural metaphors of the Chechen ethnos “mountain, tower, river, burka, papakha, dzhigit (monk), wolf, eagle” and a number of others and correlates them with the national axiological scale, namely its categories such as “freedom, fearlessness, inflexibility, love for the native land, protection of the motherland, honor, dignity” and others. Attention is drawn to the fact that the author’s picture of the world is under the unconscious influence of his ethnic worldview. The analysis allows us to conclude that the Chechen poetic text implements a single metaphorical complex in which the basic ethno-cultural concepts of the Chechen linguistic worldview interact, complementing and enriching each other.