K.D. Balmont and the Culture of Islam

Shashneva Ekaterina Nikolaevna ORCID: 0000-0002-2896-9863 PhD in Cultural Studies Senior Lecturer of the Department of Russian Language and Teaching Methods of the Shuisky Branch of the Ivanovo State University 155900, Russia, Ivanovo region, Shuya, ul. Cooperative, 24 liliya0601@mail.ru Other publications by this author     Mihailov Aleksei Aleksandrovich ORCID: 0000-0002-2222-5708 Doctor of Pedagogy Professor of the Department of Cultural Studies and Fine Arts of the Shuisky Branch of the Ivanovo State University 155900, Russia, Ivanovo region, Shuya, ul. Cooperative, 24 fairytail@mail.ru Other publications by this author     Val'kevich Svetlana Ivanovna Doctor of Cultural Studies Associate Professor of the Department of Cultural Studies and Fine Arts of the Ivanovo State University 155900, Russia, Ivanovo region, Shuya, ul. Cooperative, 24 svalkevich@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

Maslov Viktor Georgievich Doctor of Philology Professor of the Department of Russian Language and Teaching Methods of the Shuisky Branch of the Ivanovo State University 155900, Russia, Ivanovo region, Shuya, ul. Cooperative, 24 vgmas@mail.ru Other publications by this author

The relevance of research.In an era of crises and unrest, when the moral foundations created over the centuries are crumbling, and dubious teachings come to replace them, traditions remain the core of culture. And Islam is such an unshakable core of cultural and religious tradition. The whole life of a devout Muslim is in the desire to get to heaven, and therefore a Muslim tries to follow the path of the Koran and the five pillars of faith.

 In the XX century, Islam is glorified by such writers and poets as: A. Akhmatova, S. Yesenin, V. Khlebnikov, M. Lokhvitskaya, I. Bunin, K. Balmont, etc. Due to the appearance of many translations of the Koran and accessibility for ordinary people, there is a genuine interest in Islam. Symbolist poets in their poems pay attention to oriental motifs and images, glorify the traditions of Islam, the beauty and melody of the Koran, the heroism of the sons of Islam, the purity of faith in Allah, the moral virtues of Muslims, modesty and beauty of Oriental girls.  And it is not by chance that K.D. Balmont traveled around the world to the countries of the East, visiting Egypt, India, Japan, China, Asia. Deeply studying the culture and religion of these countries and their language, the poet was imbued with the beauty of temples, cultural monuments, sarcophagi and pyramids, mosques. He became interested in Arabic and translations of the Koran, melodious Arabic script.  Subsequently, his essays, poems and travel notes will be filled with religious and cultural images. The culture of Islam is a little-studied topic in his work.

Important details of the poet's biography are drawn from the study of P.V. Kupriyanovsky and N.A. Molchanova "Poet Konstantin Balmont. Biography. Creation. Fate." The topic of Islam in the works of K.D. Balmont is touched upon in scientific articles by A.A. Tsivelev, G.G. Isaev, A.G. Gavrilov, E. V. Kontsov.The book "Interpenetration of Cultures: The Koran in Russian Poetry" by authors A. G. Shevchenko, Yu. A. Gavrilov, contains Balmont's Islamic poetry. Researchers A.F. Galimullina, T.N. Skok write about the motives of fire and garden in the poet's work. The Russian orientalist V. V. Bartold writes about the culture of Islam "Islam. The culture of Islam". N. Y. Chalisova in her article believes that for the Russian mentality, eastern poetry is heavily overloaded with images.

Thus, the purpose of our research is the work of K.D. Balmont, studied through the prism of the culture of Islam.

The objectives of the study are:

1. Consider the culture of Islam.

2. To study Islam and show the connection of Islam with the cultural life of people.

3. To study some essays, poems and translations of K.D. Balmont and consider his work through the prism of Islam.

The following methods were used in the study: synchronic, structural and functional, biographical, historical and cultural.

The culture of Islam in the works of K.D. Balmont.  The Islamic type of culture is a traditional type of culture that defines all aspects of Muslim life and is the value-based ideological core of culture.

V.V. Bartold, Arabist, Orientalist, Islamic scholar in his book "Islam. The Culture of Islam" writes about the emergence of Islam, about the culture of the Muslim world and its history. ^[1] Noteworthy for our research is the birth of Islam. V.V. Bartold writes that Islam was born in the ancient city of Mecca around 610, and the founder of this world religion is the prophet Muhammad. The medieval city was a commercial one, and having neither gardening, nor agriculture, nor industry, it was on the main caravan route from Yemen to Syria. At that time, the rich ruled the poor, and the family of Muhammad was no exception. His great-grandfather Hashim was a merchant and merchant, but according to legend he died in Gaza. Mohammed grew up an orphan, was in need, and thanks to his marriage to a rich widow, Khadija, he improved his fortune. He lived with her for more than 20 years and their daughter Fatima was the successor of the family, who left offspring and heirs. Mecca has become a holy city for all Muslims. Every Muslim should visit this holy city, make a Hajj (pilgrimage), and also visit the Hira cave on the top of Jabal al-Nur Mountain (also known as the "mountain of light"), where the holy book of the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The architectural structure, which was designed by architect Samir Elabd in the form of a book, is the gate of Mecca. The Masjid al-Haram Mosque has also become an architectural and cultural monument of the city. According to legend, this mosque is the home of the Kaaba, in the direction of which all Muslims of the world pray. "The creed of Islam is expressed by the short formula "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet", this is the first of its five pillars, the rest relate mainly to ritual prescriptions: daily prayer – prayer, fasting in the month of Ramadan, tax for the benefit of the poor – Zakat, pilgrimage to Mecca – Hajj."^[2] Islam is currently the world religion. 1.8 billion people in the world are adherents of Islam. "Islam in Arabic means "submission", and adherents of this faith are called Muslims (from "Muslim" – who gave himself to Allah)." ^[3] The Holy Book of Muslims is the Koran.  "The Quran, the holy book of Muslims, consists of separate surahs, some of them are written in rhythmic prose – saj. Since the Quran was given by God in Arabic, Muslims, regardless of which language was their native language, had to read and understand the Quran in Arabic."^[1]

The creed of Islam consists of the religious rules of al-Islam as a set of five arcana. Faith in the truth of Allah, in the revelations that were given to the Prophet Muhammad – al–iman. Also, a Muslim needs to accept all the dogmas and precepts of the faith – al-ihsan, which consists of five foundations of faith: in one God, in the justice of Allah, in the prophetic mission of Muhammad, in resurrection and afterlife, Judgment Day, recognition of the imamate (caliphate) of legitimate authority.

According to the teachings of Islam, man was created by Allah from a clot of blood and soul, the so-called particle of Allah in man. When a person dies, he is met by two angels Nakir and Munkar. They determine where a person's soul will go. If a person was a devout Muslim, fulfilled all the instructions of the Koran, believed in Allah and prayed, then his soul goes to paradise (al-jannah). And if a person has behaved unrighteously, then he is destined to end up in hell (jahannam). The eschatological teaching of the Qur'an is contained in heavenly joy in paradise. The idea of paradise is connected with material benefits – it is a beautiful garden where honey, milk, wine rivers flow. Fruit trees are constantly bearing fruit there, and houris meet the righteous. In contrast to the beautiful paradise, there is a hell where sinners burn in fire and suffer from their sins.

Culture, architecture, and art in the Muslim world are inextricably linked with the religion of Islam. Since there is a ban on the depiction of humans and animals, there is no sculpture and painting in the European or antique sense. However, there is another kind of painting that represents ornaments and abstract motifs. Such types of art as carpet weaving, painting, architecture, calligraphy are represented in the beauty of the drawing, the harmony and expressiveness of geometric shapes, patterns and diagonal symmetry, arabesque.  

         Special genres of poetry that were created in the East that have no analogues in the world are kasida, gazelle, rubai.  Islamic poets and writers are known in the world culture: O. Khayyam, Firdousi, Nizami, Saadi.

In contrast to the opinion about the beautiful singing language and melodious literature, researcher N. Chalisova in her article speaks unflatteringly about the Arabic language and Arabic poetry. She writes that "flowery and ornate were not at all included in the nomenclature of the basic aesthetic requirements imposed on an exemplary work of art by the Arabs and Persians themselves." This ornate language, a way of life in hot deserts, where there is constantly not enough water, climatic and natural conditions are far from Russia. In Russia, the language and images are simpler and clearer, the climate is cooler. "It is obvious that the idea of the flowery and redundancy of the Oriental syllable (note that this designation indicates the common thing that the eye of a European has seen in quite different, in the opinion of experts, literatures) is directly related to the skills of drawing the line between artistically justified, "necessary" and poetically "inappropriate", characteristic of the bearers of European culture new time. So, in the situation of a meeting of poetically "European" Russia with the Asian East, against the general background of admiration for the pearls of exotic fantasy and "efforts to get used" to the monuments of the word generated by it, the area of inadequate understanding is outlined. The stylistic characteristics "necessary" for a poetic text from the point of view of Eastern critics, creating its clarity, lightness and grace, are read as "redundant", leading to heaviness and obscuration of meaning." ^[16]

The desire to reflect the beauty and harmony of the world is inherent in the magnificent architecture of the Arab East. Both religious (mosques, minarets, madrasas) and secular structures - caravanserais and covered markets, palaces of rulers and nobles, majestic bridges, etc. are imbued with great imaginative power. The main religious building is a mosque - a place for prayer.

The musical culture in Islam has developed in connection with strict canons on the prohibition of playing musical instruments. Therefore, only a mullah can sing a prayer (azen) in a loud, beautiful, drawling voice on the minaret. This art is called tajvida – melodic singing of the Koran. Other types of sacred music were performed in the holy month of Ramadan (fuzzaizist), and on the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, hymns and chants were sung in honor of his birth.

According to A.A. Tsivelev: "The end of the XIX century and a new outbreak in Russian literature of interest in the East, Islam. M. Mikhailov: poetic translations of the Koran, Rumi, Saadi, Jami, etc. A. Apukhtin: ballads and "Imitation of Arabic", A. Maikov: "Prayer of the Bedouin", M. Lokhvitskaya: "On the way to the East", interpretation of the Koran by the poet K. Balmont. The attention of Russian poets to the Koran indicates that in the multinational, multicultural and unitary absolute monarchy, which was imperial Russia, it was the poets who in many ways turned out to be the conductors and initiators of the civilizational-religious dialogue conducted in addition to the official power structures. Without posing the problems of religious syncretism and without speaking from the standpoint of theological disputes, the poets brought closer the possibility of mutual understanding of cultures by their own means." ^{[4, p.238]}

In the article by G.G. Isaev we read about the attractiveness of the Islamic doctrine for K.D. Balmont. "The genesis of his work should be sought not only in Russian literature, but also in the literature of many peoples of Asia, America, and Europe. In one form or another, he introduced into his poetry the traditions of the cultures of Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Persia (Zoroastrianism), India (Buddhism and Jainism), pre-Columbian America (Maya religion), China, Georgia, Armenia, Lithuania, Ancient Russia (paganism), England, France, Germany, etc. Among these are the literary traditions of Muslim peoples – Arabs, Iranians, Turks. The history and philosophy of Islam were extremely attractive to him, he made certain provisions of his doctrine elements of his worldview." [5 p. 23]

Researcher A.Y. Gavrilov writes that Balmont got acquainted with the Koran when he was in Egypt in 1909.  The poems "Koran" were published in the magazine "Moskovskaya Mysl", which is an arrangement of twelve surahs from the Koran. "For his poetic interpretations, Balmont chooses mainly suras of the Meccan period. This is a prophetic proclamation of God's greatness: poems "I swear" (Sura 100 "Rushing"), "Merciful" (Sura 55 "Merciful"), "Great News" (Sura 78 "News"); denunciation of the wicked and proclamation of God's judgment: "Blow" (Sura 101 "Striking"), "O Prophet" (sura 73 "Wrapped up"), "Rich" (Sura 83 "Hanging"); eschatological prophecies: "Trumpet sound", "Then", "Smoke" (Sura 44 "Smoke"); posthumous retribution to sinners and the righteous: "Al-Hotama", "Event", "Do not forget".[6 p.88]

For the culture of Islam, the concepts of heaven and hell are a very important component. Balmont in the poem "Event" describes paradise as "Gardens of delights. Gardens of delights. Delight" where women will delight the eyes of those who are in paradise, with jugs and bowls to walk in a beautiful garden, where fruits on trees and water in streams, where lotuses bloom and stars shine. 

In the article by A. Galimullina, the garden is presented as a place of harmony and beauty:  "As a rule, poetry presents the image of a garden-paradise, a place where the lyrical hero finds harmony, feels protected from this hostile world, this is a place where you can create beauty and harmony. It is known that "paradise (from the Greek paradise – a garden, a park, a fenced place from everywhere) is in Christian ideas a place of eternal bliss promised to the righteous in the future life" The garden appears as an image of a space "fenced from everywhere and therefore sheltered, orderly and decorated, habitable and friendly to man" ^{[7, p. 127]}. This place of heavenly bliss is also represented in Islam.

There are several common names for hell in Islam. For example, "an-Nar", "Jahannam", "al-Jahim", "al-Khutama": "Allah Almighty said: "Oh no! He will be thrown into a crushing Fire. How could you know what a crushing Fire is? This is the kindled Fire of Allah" (al–Humaza 104:4-6) ^[8]

Fire is sung by Balmont in the "Hymn to Fire" - it is an all-pervading fire, but in the book "Burning Buildings" in the section "Conscience" fire has a destructive character and is associated with the image of the Last Judgment. ^{[9, p. 127]}

Hell, according to Balmont, is something else, terrible and fiery. In the poem "Al-Hotama", a stuffy hell and a flame of fire, boiling and fire are the images that Balmont uses in describing the Muslim hell. Hatred, shame and shame will haunt the sinner in hell. Balmont uses the name Al-Khutama in his poem, focusing specifically on the 104th Surah.

In the poem "Don't Forget", the truth of the Quran is the way in which a believer should move. The Quran is written by scribes, and angels in heaven have read it, and people should follow the scriptures of the Quran. To pray and gather the fruits that will grow from the grain of prayer and reading the Quran. 

Female images have always been present in Balmont's work. In the poem "Circassian girl" the Caucasian girl is shown by the poet both from the inside and from the outside. The comparison of a girl with a thin lily and with a poplar is very symbolic.  "So, in comparison of the Circassian with the "tender willow weeping", the traditional oriental motif of female gentleness, grace, light sadness, the ability to quickly restore mental strength develops. Balmont's perception of willow as a crying tree remains unclaimed." ^{[10, p.27]}

ConclusionsK.D. Balmont, the poet of the Silver Age, was a versatile person.

He was fond of different cultures and beliefs, knew about thirty foreign languages.  The poet read and translated religious books in the original source, which resonated in his work. Imbued with the culture of Islam, the poet creates a cycle of poems on the Quranic theme of 12 surahs. In these poems there are images of heaven and hell, beautiful houris, prayer, the creator of all things. However, at the end of his life, while in exile in France, Balmont came to Christianity and confessed to a priest. The priest was shocked by the depth of repentance and the sincerity of his confession. Balmont considered himself an incorrigible sinner whom God would not forgive. The funeral service was held in the town of Noisy le Grand, Balmont spent the last days of his life as a Christian.

In connection with the tasks set, the following conclusions can be drawn.

1. The following provisions of Islam are considered:

Islam originated around 610 in the ancient city of Mecca.

·        The founder of Islam is the Prophet Muhammad.

· The city of Mecca has become the holy city of all Muslims.

·        Every Muslim should visit this holy city and make a hajj (pilgrimage).

·        The Holy Book of Muslims is the Koran.

·        The teachings of Islam are expressed in five pillars: 1. There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is his prophet. 2. Prayer namaz, which is performed five times a day. 3. In the month of Ramadan, it is necessary to fast. 4. Paying tax in favor of the poor is zakat. 5. And make a Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

·        The creed of Islam consists of the religious rules of al-Islam as a set of five arcana. Faith in the truth of Allah, in the revelations that were given to the Prophet Muhammad – al–iman. Also, a Muslim needs to accept all the dogmas and precepts of the faith – al-ihsan, which consists of five foundations of faith: in one God, in the justice of Allah, in the prophetic mission of Muhammad, in resurrection and afterlife, Judgment Day, recognition of the imamate (caliphate) of legitimate authority.

·        The eschatological teaching of the Qur'an is represented by the teaching of heaven and hell.

· Culture, architecture, art in the Muslim world are inextricably linked with the religion of Islam. Since there is a ban on the depiction of humans and animals, there is no sculpture and painting in the European or antique sense. Carpet weaving, painting, architecture, calligraphy are represented in the beauty of the drawing, the harmony and expressiveness of geometric shapes, patterns and diagonal symmetry, arabesque. 

·         Special genres of poetry that were created in the East that have no analogues in the world are kasida, gazelle, rubai.  Islamic poets and writers are known in the world culture: O. Khayyam, Firdousi, Nizami, Saadi.

2. Such poets as: M. Mikhailov, A. Apukhtin, M. Lokhvitskaya, K. Balmont turned their attention to the Muslim book of the Koran, to its poetry and melodiousness. These poets were the conductors of religious dialogue in imperial Russia. At the same time, they avoided theological disputes, which brought closer the possibility of mutual understanding of cultures.

3. After studying the Quran, 12 surahs appeared: "I swear", "Merciful", "Great News", "Blow", "O Prophet", "Rich", "Trumpet sound", "Then", "Smoke", "Al-Hotama", "Event", "Don't forget." There were also many translations from Arabic, travel notes, essays, and the epistolary legacy of Balmont.

The research materials can be used in teaching cultural studies and Russian literature of the XX century, seminars and practical classes in specialized secondary and higher educational institutions.