The image of the grove as a means of expressing the author 's axiological concept in the lyrics of Z. Dudina

Lyubimov Nikolay Ivanovich ORCID: 0000-0002-0879-0890 Postgraduate student, Department of Finno-Ugrian Comparative Philology, Mari State University 424000, Russia, Republic of the Republic of Mari El, Yoshkar-Ola, Lenin Square, 1 nikolay_lyubimov@inbox.ru Other publications by this author

For the Mari people, the grove (in Mari oto) is a sacred (sacred) place; a symbol of the connection between man and nature, between the Mari people and their gods. Mari gather in groves for prayers, celebrate religious and pagan holidays, perform ritual and ceremonial actions. All this retains its significance to the present time, which actualizes a comprehensive scientific study of the Mari sacred groves and measures to preserve the unique cultural landscapes of the Republic of Mari El. To date, information about 327 sacred groves has been entered into the unified state register of cultural heritage objects of the Russian Federation ^[15].

The Mari Sacred Grove is of interest to researchers of various humanities: history ^[19], linguistics ^[1], religious studies ^[14], ethnography ^[2], ecology ^[13], cultural studies ^[5], philology ^[8], etc. The word "grove" on February 21, 2023, on the International Mother Tongue Day, within the framework of the cultural and educational project "Our Word" was declared the word of the year in the Republic of Mari El ^[9].

The image of the grove is an integral part not only of the cultural experience of the people, but also a very vivid component of the ethnic, "national landscape" ^{[20, p. 156]} (M. N. Epstein), which implements the theme of native expanses in modern Mari poetry.

The purpose of this article is to identify the ethnocentric semantic components of the mythopoetic image of the grove in the lyrics of Zoya Dudina and the ways of their artistic embodiment. The material of the study was the poems included in her collection "Kuanyshym, kuem ?ndal ..." (Rejoiced, hugging a birch ...) (2012), which is considered for the first time in the above scientific perspective. Some (mostly general) approaches to the study of the mythopoetics of Zoya Dudina's creativity were stated in the framework of the study of the figurative system and color symbols of the poet – in the works of S. P. Manaeva-Chesnokova ^[12], in the monograph "Modern Mari lyrics: artistic models of the world and the poetics of creative individuality" ^[16], R. A. Kudryavtseva and T. N. Belyaeva ^[8], as well as in some publications of the author of this article [See: 10: 11]; but the image of the grove does not receive specific analytical consideration in them.

The methodology of our research is determined by the structural and semantic analysis of lyrical texts, which allows us to identify and describe the main structural components of the poetic image, as well as to understand their interrelationships and semantic organization at the level of the author's axiology. The author of the article also relied on the works of Mari literary critics devoted to building the ethnoaxiological paradigm of Mari literature ^{[3; 7; 21]}.

         The image of the grove in Zoya Dudina's collection "Rejoiced, hugging a birch tree" appears for the first time in the poem "Araltysh" (Amulet), written in July 2004 and in which the phrase used as an epigraph is a phrase that exists in the folk environment: Mari kalykym Humo aralen coden (the Mari people are preserved by God). This phrase clarifies a lot in the ethno-cultural code of the Mari people, who were able to preserve their traditional faith and preserved themselves, their identity thanks to this faith and special divine grace. The image of the grove that arises in this context easily fits into the paradigm of the pagan perception of the world and the world of the people and is filled with an unconditional mythopoetic and ethnically significant meaning (chimarium otho – pagan grove):

         Kazhne kalykyn ulo onchaltysh,

         It seems like kalykyn ulo yala.

Mylanna ?myreshlan Araltysh –

Chimariy oto, yumyny?la ... ^{[6, p. 57. The subscript translation into Russian here and further is ours everywhere. – N. L.]}

(Every nation has its own view,

Every nation has a tradition.

For us for life a talisman –

Pagan [unbaptized Mary – N. L.] grove, religion).

 The word "grove" in the given fragment of the poem is separated by a comma next to the word "religion" (as in the synonymous series). The author consciously brings them closer in this way, emphasizing the sacredness of the natural image used by him.

The meaning of the amulet (araltysh) and the guardian (serlagysh), originally, according to pagan canons, embedded in this image, in addition to the beginning of the poem, occurs in it two more times, each time actualizing and strengthening the author's idea of the value of divine protection.

Mylanna kurymeshlan serlagysh –

Osh p?rt?s Yumyna, onapu ^{[6, p. 57]}

(For us, a lifelong guardian –

Our white natural God, the sacred tree ["the tree before which prayer was performed". See: 4, p. 222]).

The image of the prayer grove as part of the divine world in this case is concretized and metonymized in the image of a sacred tree, which, like all components of the pagan world, is able to protect and protect the Mari people. Historical loyalty of their relatives to the traditional faith (past and present) Zoya Dudina interprets as love for the people, which is invincible, and recalls the tragic fate of the classic of Mari literature Sergey Chavain, who created the image of the grove in the first original poem in the Mari language at the beginning of the twentieth century and suffered precisely for the love of his people, who challenged those who considered love for the people and their faith a crime. He was shot, but the Mari faith did not perish, it is alive in the sacred grove sung by the classic, quiet, peaceful, radiating light and goodness, giving birth to strength and conquering darkness:

...But the codes are different,

Tymyk otyshto tynys ila.

Neshtesh tyshan kumyl – chon soto,

Orlyk-oigo tul-shiksh den ilna ^{[6, p. 57]}

(...But the grove remained,

The world lives in a quiet grove.

Inspiration is born here – spiritual light,

Defeating the fire-smoke of suffering-troubles).

The ethno-significance of faith is maximally strengthened in the last stanza, which returns the reader to the beginning of the poem, and a circular frame is created, based not only on the unified syntactic and verse organization of the text, on the literal repetition of three verses out of four, but also on the motive of divine protection. But if at the beginning of the poem, in a different verse, the author speaks about the protective power of the sacred grove, using the pronominal subject (mylanna), noting that this protection is for life, then at the end of the poem Zoya Dudina focuses on the fact that it is aimed at the Mari people and that it is reliable (Mari-vlaklanshanle araltysh). Thus, with the help of the image of the grove, the author proclaims and actualizes the hierarchy of ethnocentric attitudes in the life of the people: respect and loyalty to traditions, reverence for God on the part of the people and maximum protection of the people on the part of God. The preservation of this hierarchy is the key to the continued existence of the Mari world, the ancient people and the ancient land. The author sincerely believes in the continuation of this world. In the poem "Chimariy t'nya" (The Pagan World):

Ila chever p?rt?s lo?gase kalyk,

Kova-kochanan sugynzhym shuktalyn,

Poyan yala gychyn pogen viy-alym,

Kuatle shochmo mlandym y?ratalyn,

Kugu Osh Yumylan cholgan kumalyn ^{[6, p. 136]}

(The people live in the depths of beautiful nature,

Fulfilling the precepts of the ancestors,

Gaining strength from rich customs,

Loving the powerful native land,

Actively praying to the Big White God [lives. – N. L.]).

         The mention of the grove in the poem "Agavayrem godym" (During Agavayrem [Agavayrem – "holiday before spring field work") is also inserted into the religious context. – See: 4, p. 12]):

Poro tazalykym shulykym pu(s)for.

Nur oto guy atylanyl ilalyn,

Nur kue gai yolvalalt oshemalyn, ...

Iy gychyn iyysh ashnash yodyna ^{[6, pp. 138-139]}

(Give me good health.

Living, developing [lit. to grow riotously. – N. L.], like a grove in a field,

Earrings turning white, like a birch in the field, ...

We ask you to support us from year to year)

The religious context of the image is evidenced, first of all, by the form of the poem: it is built as a prayer, an appeal to the seven pagan deities of fertility, the earth and the forces of nature, which are listed in the first stanza, with a request for an abundant harvest, protection of their labors, as well as joy, well-being and health to livestock, family members. The word "ashnash" (to contain) is also from the pagan lexicon of Mari; used in the prayer text, it has a deep meaning already indicated by us: the people are under God, protected and protected by him. And the definition combined with the word "grove" (nur oto gai) hints at the traditional location of sacred groves (in the field). And the instruction "To grow violently like a grove" for any believer has a sacred meaning: everything grows, blooms, smells, lives better in a sacred grove than in an ordinary grove, because the divine consciousness lives in it, everything pleases the eye with a special, divine power and incredible beauty. Let's remember Sergey Chavain, who wrote about this in his poem "Oto" (Grove):

Shoga tudo oto kugu er seryshte.

Tushto ladyra dech ladyra pushe?ge kushkesh,

 Tushto motor dech motor saska shochesh,

Tushto, uzhar lyshtash lo?gashte, sh?spyk mura,

Tudo oto gych yeryshke yandar pamash yoga.

Tushto shudyzhat uzhargyrak,

Tushto peledyshat sylnyrak ^{[18, p. 9]}

(She is on the shore of a large lake.

The trees there are more sprawling than sprawling grow,

Flowers are more beautiful than the most beautiful blooming,

Nightingales are singing in the dense foliage there,

There, the stream is rushing towards the lake, murmuring.

There is also grass of any grass fresh,

There are flowers of any color more tender ^[17].

The syntactic, rhythmic and compositional structure of the poem resembles the speech of the Mari priests during prayers in sacred groves, contains all the components of pagan prayer arranged in a certain order. Zoya Dudina enhances this speech through poetic means of lyricism and expression aimed at expressing the deep connection between living and inanimate nature, between God and man:

Kumyl oynazhym, ?l?l t?tyra,

K?sh k?zyktal, and tidechyn vara

Yodyn kumalym, k?sh?l t?tyra,

?lyk volten pu da yyvyrtyktal ^{[6, p. 139]}

(Inspired by our words, the lower fog,

Lift it up to heaven, and then

What they asked for, praying, the upper fog,

Let me down and give me joy).

As we can see, the grove in the lyrics of Zoya Dudina carries important cultural information, reflects the system of spiritual values of the Mari people.  "According to Mari's religious beliefs, the sacred grove is a place of temporary residence of the gods. They come down here during prayers. It is in the sacred grove of Mari that they communicate with the gods, asking for prosperity for the family, clan, people; peace and mutual understanding between peoples; fertility of the earth, abundance of bread, fertility of livestock and bees, health and well–being," writes L. A. Abukayeva ^[2].

The religious-mythological and ethnocentric context also takes place in the poem "Otyshto oylyshash kumaltysh mut" (Prayer words in the grove) ^{[6, p. 152]}, also written in the form of prayer. The word "oto" itself is found in it only in the framework text (in the title), while the main text presents the metonymy "onapu" (a sacred tree as part of a whole – a sacred grove). Unlike traditional prayer, it presents an appeal not only to the gods, but also to national heroes-heroes (Chumbylat, Akpatyr, Chatterbox), to whom the lyrical heroine addresses similar requests – to ensure a good life (Poro ilyshym me srvalen yodyna). At the same time, she calls both God and the people with whom she identifies herself white (Osh Mari kalyket, Osh Mari ulyna), emphasizing its natural purity and involvement in the divine world. The poem contains not only the image of the sacred tree, but also all the other attributes of the religious action associated with the grove: treats to God; sacrifice (nemyr raise saken, / T?san combo den ludym tylat p?leklen ^{[6, p. 152]} – hanging a pot of porridge, / Bringing you a gift of a certain color goose and duck); dressing in white; saying prayers in their native language; silver candles, etc. The semantic algorithm of prayer is clearly marked. But the requests are formulated not only with the help of traditional folk sayings addressed to God (y?nim yyte ilash, tushman dechyn utlash, poro serlagyshym pu, poro shulykym pu, perke deke shke luk, poro ilyshym), but also in the form of individual authorial inclusions expressing a voice from modernity, resulting in the addressee-addressees such unexpected for the prayer form as the native word and the Mari dwelling (house with buildings) are added to God, the traditional request is supplemented with wishes relevant to the modern Mari world (po): 

T?nambal kumdykesh rash yo ?galt, shochmo muth,

T?nambal kumdykesh chaplanal, mari surt....

You are serlagysh pelen yandareshtshe ush-akyl,

Shinchymash dene ilizhe kalyk sh?m-chon.

Tyrshymash dene toljo kuatle mastarlyk... ^{[6, p. 152]}

(Sounds in the world space, native word,

Be famous in the world space, the Mari dwelling....

Let the mind be enlightened next to this guardian,

Let the soul of the people live with knowledge.

Let mastery come through diligence...).

The wishes express the most important value aspirations, which, in the author's understanding, are important for the development of the ethnic group in the present and for its preservation in the future.

In the poem "Osh lumyn oshyjo ..." (The whiteness of snow ...), the image of the grove is presented directly in the version "k?soto" (prayer, sacred grove), which is directly associated with divine light and salvation:

And M?ndyrn? mari k?soto

Volgalt shoga – yilt Piyambar ^{[6, p. 230]}

(And in the distance the Mari sacred grove

Glows – like a Prophet).

As an epigraph to the poem, it is no coincidence that the words of the Mari poet, playwright and translator V. Abukaev-Emgak are given: Ala my tide yrshyn my washed? (Maybe I'm not me at all?). They express the main problem of the poem – it is the search for oneself, the formation of oneself as a person. It is clearly visible when Zoya Dudina adds the expression "Ta?emyn k?dyn ilanen?" to the words from the epigraph, repeated almost unchanged in the main text of the poem (Ala my – yrshynat my washed ...), Zoya Dudina adds the expression "Ta?emyn k?dyn ilanen?" (Having taken root near a friend?) and makes the whole sentence interrogative, calling the reader to reflection. The search for oneself is a constant test of strength (Alanysh korno pesh agar – The road to the clearing is very treacherous [lit. greedy, insatiable; impudent, rude, impudent. – N. L.], overcoming oneself and knowing the laws and contradictions of the world and its unity in them. Overcoming / cognition of one phenomenon is a necessary step to understanding another (contrasting) phenomenon, to reward, it is a powerful way of self–development and self-education:

Osh lumyn oshyzhym om kel gyn,

Keezh uzhargyzhym ok pu.

Om zhaple gyn v?dshoryn kelgym,

Shem shyzhyn shyrtnyzhym om mu. ...

Pychkemysh R?pysht? – chon soto,

Yd vudakashte – osh yandar ^{[6, p. 230]}

(If I don't walk through deep white snow,

Summer will not give its greenery.

If I don 't respect the depth of the flood,

I won't find the gold of autumn. ?…?

In the solid darkness – spiritual light,

In the dead of night – white purity).

In this search for herself, a kind of guiding star for Zoya Dudina already in her early lyrics (the poem was written in 1998) becomes the traditional faith of Marie with the bright image of the sacred grove, the poetic text of the author has already been marked by mythopoetics, which will fully manifest itself in the subsequent experience of the poet, in particular, in the poem "My Tymyk otyshko Tolam..." (I'll come to a quiet grove ...) (2005) and the lyric cycle of the same name, where this poem is the key in ideological terms [see their analysis is in the article: 8]. The poem presents an archetypal plot of staying in a grove: the lyrical heroine gratefully and with pleasure performs the entire traditional set of actions in a sacred quiet place (embraces a spreading tree, talks to a nightingale, a spring, listens to plants, talks to a spring, etc.), feeling the divine beauty of the forest and her indissoluble connection with God, and rises to God. Contact with the grove is perceived as an opportunity to preserve Mari as a unique ethnic group, as a way to preserve not only traditions, but also the Mari soul. It is in this context that the author recalls in his poem about Sergei Chavain, who also expressed his love for the grove and left a testament to the descendants of Marie:

Tyge me otym y ?raten,

Poetyn sugynzhym shukten,

Mari jeongnam aralena,

Osh Yumylan taushten ^{[6, p. 146]}

(So we are loving the grove,

Fulfilling the poet's testament,

We keep the Mari spirit,

We thank the White God).

Hence, it is no coincidence that Zoya Dudina chose the opening verse of Sergei Chavain's poem "Oto" (Grove) as an epigraph to her work (1905), in which the testament of the classical poet sounds:

Tudo otym my y?ratem,

Tushto pushe?ge ruyshym my vursem ^{[18, p. 10]}

(I love that grove,

The one who cuts down trees there, I scold).

In her lyrical cycle "I will come to a quiet grove" Zoya Dudina included the cantata "K?soto" (Sacred Grove) (the music for it was written by the Mari composer Sergei Makov), in which the grove is both the place of lyrical action and the subject of the author's reflections.

Osh Kugu Yumo!

K?sotyshko tolyn ulo mari kalyket.

YODYNA:

Polsho ilash mylanna Onar semyn.

Tyye kodet gyn,

Me yylt yomyna ^{[6, p. 168]}

(White Big God!

All your Mari people have come to the grove.

We ask:

Help us to live like Onar.

If you leave,

We will completely disappear).

Starting from the image of the grove, the author reflects on the Mari faith as a whole, and on the fate of the people, and on his own fate in unity with God. Faith is the spiritual support of the lyrical heroine and her native people.

So, based on the structural and semantic analysis of the lyrical texts included in the poetry collection "I was glad, hugging a birch ...") and containing the mythopoetic image of the grove, we proved that Zoya Dudina's lyrics recreate the multifaceted image of the Mari sacred grove; the central place in it is given to ethnically significant and sacred content and mythopoetics, which does not limit the author in the expression of individual creative aspirations, in the affirmation of universal values. The grove for the lyrical heroine Zoya Dudina is a symbol of hope, spiritual and moral support, salvation of the soul and preservation of the Mari people.