Heraklit Miłosza

Heraclitus was one of the most often mentioned ancient philosophers in the literary output of Czesław Miłosz. The thinker from Ephesus was important for the formation of the poetic imagination of the Polish poet. Two main Heraclitean themes appear in Miłosz’s poetry: the image of slow flowing river and a fire bringing both the destruction and the purification of the world. The first theme comes from poet’s memories relating to a childhood spent on the Nevėžis River in Lithuania. We can observe the fascination with movement, change, metamor-phosis in Miłosz’s poetry. The flowing river becomes ambivalent symbol of passing and con-stancy of all what exists. The metaphor of the river of time also relates to the experience of his-tory – in the personal and universal dimension. Miłosz exchanged notes on the symbolism of fire in correspondence with Thomas Merton. Heraclitean metaphor of fire as arché connects to the eternal fire (foco etterno) that appears in Dante’s The Divine Comedy.