Buddhist Reminiscences in the Poetry of I.F. Annensky

Abstract

In terms of content, the poetry of Innokentii Annensky summarizes the experience of world culture achievements in its various manifestations. Buddhism occupies a significant place in the diversity of this experience. The article proves that from his student years Annensky was familiar with the topics and imagery of Buddhism and showed his interest in it throughout his life. This is proved by the facts of his personal biography and his works. The article reveals various Buddhist reminiscences in the texts of the poet with the help of semantic and functional analysis methods. They make it possible to identify semantic complexes directly related to Buddhist ideas, constants and symbols. These complexes are embodied in the text passages of various lengths: a word, a segment of a text, a whole text, a topic of several texts. The article defines the poet’s texts, which unambiguously refer to Buddhism, and the constants of Buddhism, to which the poet is orientated. The conclusion is made about the essential role of Buddhism in the works of Annensky and the variety of forms of its embodiment.