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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Biało-czarny świat Ervina Goja

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The author takes up the language Ervin Goj’s poetry, a regional lachian poet who has written his poems between the years 1931-1977 under the pen name Óndra Łyhorsky. She analyses the meaning of two colours, namely white and black, which in the European culture symbolize the opposition light – dark, good – bad: white symbolizes innocence, truth, purity, simplicity, honesty, while black symbolizes evil, falsehood, nothingness, mourning, atonement. It is associated with everyday human experience which is reflected in the language and is connected with the following patternsprototypes: white – day (bílý den), black – night (černá noc), for example: bílá holubice, bílé světlo, bílá vrána, černé myšlenky, černá ovce, černý pátek etc. In Ervin Goj’s poetry both colours reflect the abovementioned opposition. White connotes such features as: ‘purity’, ‘innocence’, ‘beauty’, ‘light’, ‘brightness’, ‘hope’, for example: Košulky jak béjłe skřydełka moće | a spěwy jak kwjétka wesňane spjéwoće; Pod bjéłym słóncem modreho połédňa | strakate barwy rozhadzuje park; Zřodliće mi střybérnymi wélnami | nebo we hwězdach, taškéntske aryky; W horéčce słónco mě spoliło a z popeła | wyférknuł bjéły wtok. Whereas black connotes such features as: ‘threat’, ‘death’, ‘sorrow’, ‘ugliness’, for example: W płaméňach mře nojwěčšich duchów kwět. | [...] Krématoryjum černe je ceły swět; A černo smérć | čeko, | ež rozpadňe śe swět | do wěčnych | přepaśći; Kraw dwoje w poće sužowanych, | po bokach dwoje dźecek upłakanych, | na polu kaménitym płuh šarpaju. | Za nimi bič a černy chłop čihaju. | Kaj zwjéřa a kaj čłowěk tu začino? However, we are also dealing here with the reversal of antonymy since white may also express ‘evil’ and in such cases connotes such features as: ‘death’, ‘sorrow’, ‘suffering’, for example: Zřéłch ohně, kěre spłaméniły | rowiny s bjéłym sňehém, bjéłym hładém | a s bjéłu smérću tam před Stalingradém; Odpowědź w očach napisano | jedźinej matky w uběžisku. | Tam ona śedźi upłakano, | w sklepě přy masce a přy pjésku, | a jeji usta su tak bjéłé | jak jeji lica, jeji własy. Black may also express ‘good’. It then connotes the feature ‘beauty’, for example: A bjéym krokém mróz přychodźi. | Spomjénky downe w izbu wodźi. | Spomjénky na twój černy klin | Wesňane pérśi. Wélny win. In the section concluding the article the author emphasizes that in his poetry Ervin Goj has on the one hand employed conventionalised semantic features of white and black, while on the other he has modified them in a typical for him way. This is confirmed in examples of metaphorical contexts – the poet’s semantic innovations: hałdy čňo jak černe katafalky; krématoryjum černe je ceły swět; rowiny s […] bjéłym hładém; znowa śe zawřu bjéłe chwile.