Symbolic Meaning of Images of Moon and Month in Poetry of Li Bo and Sergei Yesenin
https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2025-14-2-205-230
Abstract
The article is dedicated to the study of the symbolism of the images of the Moon and the Month in the works of the Chinese poet Li Bo and the Russian poet Sergey Yesenin, as well as to defining the cultural and aesthetic significance of these concepts in the individual-authorial perception of both poets. The authors of the article argue that in Yesenin’s poetry, the image of the Month is created based on a synthesis of folk traditions and Christian beliefs, with the Moon and the Month serving as symbols associated with events from the past, nostalgia, and a sense of the irreversibility of time, as well as harbingers of the poet’s impending demise. It is demonstrated that in Li Bo’s poetry, the Moon symbolizes various phenomena of human life: noble character, life ideals, longing for relatives and friends, as well as the historical and political peculiarities of the country. The article shows that in the works of both poets, the images of the Moon and the Month are connected to the theme of their native land, the motif of solitude, appreciation of female beauty, and engagement with “eternal” questions of existence. Through comparative analysis, the article reveals the distinctive influences of cultural and historical factors on the interpretation of the images of the Moon and the Month in the poetry of Li Bo and Yesenin. This article contributes to understanding the symbolic language and metaphorical interpretation of images in the works of Chinese and Russian poets, as well as the cultural and philosophical traditions that shaped their worldview.
Supporting agencies: The study was financially supported by the China Scholarship Council as a part of the program “Scholarship of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation”, № 202108370287
About the Authors
C. Wang
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Wang Congcong, Postgraduate student, Department of Russian and Foreign Literature
Moscow
K. N. Galay
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Karina N. Galay, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Department of Russian and Foreign Literature
Moscow
References
1. Baranov, A. V. (2018). Functional and semantic features of the lexeme “month” in early poems and mini-poems by Sergei Yesenin. Modern Yesenin studies, 3 (46): 45—51. (In Russ.).
2. Barinova, E. O. (2021). “And the month will sail and sail, / Dropping oars on the lakes...”: transformation of the image of the moon (month) in the works of S. A. Yesenin. In: National style of Russian literary classics: Materials VI Interuniversity scientific and practical conference with international participation. Moscow: Moscow City Pedagogical University. 133—143. (In Russ.).
3. Clean and smooth melodies. Traditional Chinese poetry. (2018). Moscow: RIPOL Classic Group of Companies, Palmyra Publishing House. 335 p. ISBN 978-5-386-10855-7. (In Russ.).
4. Fatkullina, F. G. (2011). Reflection of ethnic character and culture in the conceptual sphere of different-structured languages. In: Russian language in the modern world: traditions and innovations in teaching Russian as a foreign language and in translation. Moscow: Higher School of Translation (Faculty) Lomonosov Moscow State University. 702—706. (In Russ.).
5. Go Li. (2012). The concept of nature in the works of Yesenin and Li Bo. Almanac of Modern Science and Education, 3 (58): 38—44. (In Russ.).
6. Ivanova, A. M., Krider, A. V. (2023). The concept of “Moon” in the works of Li Bo. In: Philosophy and science in the cultures of the West and East: A collection of articles based on the materials of the VI All-Russian Scientific Conference with international participation. Tomsk: National Research Tomsk State University. 127—132. (In Russ.).
7. Liu Huairong, Song Qiaoyun. (2005). An overview of the studies of the image of the moon in classical poetry since the 20th century. Bulletin of Liaocheng University (Series: Social Sciences), 3: 67—72. (In Chin.).
8. Liu Kuansing. (1992). Moon over Chinese poetry: a study of archetypes Chinese poetry II. Note Dongyue, 2: 105—110. (In Chin.).
9. Maslobrod, S. N. (2022). Sergey Yesenin — the most “lunar” poet in Russian literature. Modern Yesenin Studies, 4 (63): 34—37. (In Russ.).
10. Meng Xiuxiang. (1991). About the archetypal image of the “moon” in Chinese literature. Journal of Literature, History and Philosophy, 5: 82—85. (In Chin.).
11. Nesterov, S. B., Belyaeva, E. V. (2016). Uncomfortable liquid moon. Russian Scientific Journal, 3 (52): 129—139. (In Russ.).
12. Pimenova, M. V., Bakirov, A. A. (2019). Features of conceptualization of the sky and its objects in the works of S. A. Yesenin. IV Firsov readings. Language in modern discursive practices: materials of reports and reports of the International Scientific and Practical Conference. Moscow: People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University). 167—176. (In Russ.).
13. Shijing: The Book of Songs and Hymns. (1987). Moscow: Art. Lit. 351 p. (In Russ.).
14. Sun Qiuhua. (2018). The linguistic and cultural aspect of the study of poetry by S. A. Yesenin and Li Bai. Foreign languages in higher education, 1 (44): 71—78. (In Russ.).
15. Sun Qiuhua. (2018). The relationship between the conceptual picture of the World and national culture in the poetry of Sergei Yesenin and Li Bai. Modern science: actual problems of theory and practice. Series: Humanities, 3: 187—191. (In Russ.).
16. Tian Qiansheng. (2002). The image of the moon in the poems of Li Bo. Journal of Literature and History, 3: 30—33. (In Chin.).
17. Ufimtseva, N. V. (2015). Linguistic consciousness — the image of the world — the linguistic picture of the world. Questions of psycholinguistics, 24: 115—119. (In Russ.).
18. Vakhtel, A. D. (2023). The image of water and the moon in the works of Li Bo. In: Youth of the XXI century: education, science, innovation: Proceedings of the XI All-Russian Student Scientific and Practical Conference with international participation. Novosibirsk: Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University. 158—159. (In Russ.).
19. Vasilevskaya, A. S. (2019). A three-color model of the worldview in the cycle of poems by S. Yesenin “Persian motifs”. Current issues of modern philology and journalism, 4 (35): 74—82. (In Russ.).
20. Xu Xiubing. (2015). Literary meaning and cultural interpretation of “The Moon”. Bulletin of the Weinan Pedagogical University, 30 (13): 51—56. (In Chin.).
21. Yuzhakova, Yu. A. (2021). The symbolism of celestial bodies in the lyrics of S. A. Yesenin. In: Actual problems of modern linguistics: proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference. Ryazan: Federal State-owned Military Educational Institution of Higher Education “Ryazan Higher Airborne Order of Suvorov Twice Red Banner Command School named after Army General V. F. Margelov” of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. 91—95. ISBN 978-5-4331-0186-9. (In Russ.).
22. Zhao Panpan. (2019). Translation of the meaning of the hieroglyph “Moon” in the poetry of Li Bo. Bulletin of the Bashkir University, 24 (3): 718—724. (In Russ.).
23. Zhong Yiming. (2008). Analysis of Li Bo’s poetry about the moon. Bulletin of the Qingyuan Vocational Institute, 1 (1): 99—102. (In Chin.).
24. Zhu Lin. (1998). Analysis of the images of the “Moon and the Month” in the poetry of Sergei Yesenin. Admiring famous works, 1: 60—63. (In Chin.).
25. Zhu Lin, Lin Jinling. (1998). The color allegory of the images of the Moon and the Month in the poetry of Sergei Yesenin. Teaching foreign languages (Bulletin of the Xi’an Institute of Foreign Languages), 3: 61—64. (In Chin.).
Review
For citations:
Wang C., Galay K.N. Symbolic Meaning of Images of Moon and Month in Poetry of Li Bo and Sergei Yesenin. Nauchnyi dialog. 2025;14(2):205-230. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2025-14-2-205-230
Views:
478
Email this article 