Птицы в лирике Анны Ахматовой
BIRDS IN ANNA ACHMATOVA’S POETRY

Summary/Abstract: In Achmatova’s poetry, the image of a bird is symbolic. An analysis of contexts with the word meaning ‘bird’, those with words referring to specific species, e. g. crow, dove, cuckoo, crane, swallow, lapwing, etc., as well as those with names of mythological creatures, e. g. phoenix, revealed three different uses of the motif of a bird.First, the images of birds perform new poetic functions: they give a mythological character to places (via references to birds typical of Russian folk tradition), augment auditory aspects of space (via evocation of bird voices), and evoke the atmosphere of the lack of lite in a particular space (achieved by emphasizing the lack of birds in that space).Second, the image of a bird is evoked in descriptions of women, whose behaviour and body parts are compared to the behaviour and body parts of a bird; female bird names are also transferred onto the woman. The technique brings about a new poetic and painterly effect, facilitating descriptions of very complex and otherwise undescribable emotions.Third, the image of a bird appears as a symbol of the soul, which in Achmatova’s poetry is referred to by bird names, e. g. swallow, white lapwing, dove, or generally by the figure of a white bird.

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