СИМВОЛ ТОПОЛІ В ПОЕЗІЇ ТАРАСА ШЕВЧЕНКА

In his early poetic output Taras Shevchenko remains under strong influence of romanticism, drawing inspiration from Ukrainian folklore. One of the most distinctive images of his poetry is a poplar symbolizing a young, beautiful girl who dies because of heartbreak, dumped by her beloved one (Катерина, 1838, Утоплена 1841). The theme of transformation of a desperate girl into a poplar is present, i.a., in such poems as Тополя, 1840, Не тополю високую, 1848, Коло гаю, в чистім полі, 1848. In Shevchenko’s works there is also the motif of a lone poplar, as well as the so-called „poplar on the horizon” being an integral element of Ukrainian steppes and countryside roads, i.a. in such narrative poems as Сон (1844), Княжна (1847).