The polygenetic nature of K.D. Balmont's poetics and cultural traditions of ancient China

The article discusses the polygenetic nature of K.D. Balmont's poetics on the basis of underinvestigated materials related to ancient Chinese cultural traditions by using the principles of comparative studies, historical poetics, hermeneutics and the mythopoetic method. The object of the analysis is the “Chinese” cycle, consisting of five sonnets included in Balmont's collection of poems “Sonnets of the Sun, Honey and Moon. Song of the Worlds” (1917). Special attention is paid to the analysis of the mythological images, motives and plots in these poems, identifying their sources and revealing the poet's creative intention. It is taken into account that S.M. Georgievsky's book “Mythical beliefs and myths of the Chinese” (1892) had a significant influence on Balmont's perception of Chinese mythology and it is an important basis for the creation of these sonnets. It is claimed that the source of this cycle is the Chinese treatise “Huainan Tzu” (Philosophers from Huainan, no later than 139 BC), which is essentially a Taoist philosophical work. It is noted that Balmont's reference to “Huainan Tzu” testifies to his continuing attention to Taoism, which turned out to be one of the main sources of the poet's spiritual exploration. The theme of the Eternal Femininity in this cycle is considered as a point of contact between the Silver Age culture and ancient Chinese culture, primarily Solovyov's doctrine of Sophia and Lao Tzu's philosophy. It is concluded that, firstly, Balmont's sonnets can be perceived not only as an attempt to stylize ancient Chinese myths, as researchers often assume, but also as a phenomenon indicating the transformation of the semantics of the myth created by the poet and its deepening on the basis of mythological traditions of ancient China. Secondly, the use of common motifs in Eastern and European mythology and the combination of Chinese mythology with the European poetic form reflects the polygenetic nature of Balmont's poetics and the contamination of traditions.