Discussion
Abstract: My paper explores the complex interweaving of musical and linguistic structures in the poetry of Elizaveta Mnacakanova, with a focus on the first poem in the collection
Das Buch Sabeth. Drawing on unpublished correspondence and recent critical scholarship, I argue that Mnacakanova developed a unique compositional method which treats language not merely as a semantic medium but as musical material. Her deliberate use of variation, acoustic resonance, polyphony, and leitmotif constructs a musico-textual structure that operates within literary constraints while echoing musical forms.
Although some scholars have addressed the musical dimensions of Mnacakanova’s poetry, only a few have attempted a systematic analysis of the interplay between verbal and musical structures—an effort my paper undertakes in detail, albeit not exhaustively. Through neologisms, paronomasia, and morphological mutations, Mnacakanova blurs the boundary between meaning and sound. Words are treated as both signifiers and sonic events, and the reader is invited to "hear" the text as a musical score.
The poem examined exemplifies this approach through its transformation of the phrase “на прогулке” into a series of thematic and acoustic variations, and the subtle integration of the Latin laudemus, which bifurcates into laudate and lacrimosa, evoking Mozart’s Requiem. These textual strategies culminate in a complex polyphonic architecture: three parallel reading paths unfold, each forming a distinct yet interwoven "voice," suggesting a performative, layered mode of reception.
Crucially, the presence of recurring motifs such as март and цезарь introduces a Wagnerian concept of leitmotif into the poetic fabric, marking semantic nodes of death, war, and historical memory. In contrast to the joyful connotations of spring, these motifs generate an atmosphere of impending loss, aligning with the genre of the Laudes but subverting its celebratory tone.
Ultimately, Mnacakanova’s work challenges us to read poetry as one would listen to music, revealing new interpretive possibilities in the fusion of acoustic and semantic codes. As my analysis—alongside Orlickij’s reflections—demonstrates, her poetry is not only to be read, but listened to—and perhaps even performed—inviting a synesthetic and temporally dynamic engagement with text.
