‘I did know who they were’: The red horse and the white poodle in Viktor Sosnora’s The Latvian Ballad
- DOI
- 10.5922/pikbfu-2024-2-7
- Pages
- 74-83
Abstract
This article aims to interpret the images of the red horse and the white poodle featured in Victor Sosnora’s poem The Latvian Ballad. These characters, mentioned in the final verses of each odd-numbered stanza, provide the leitmotif of the poem. Their appearance in the fictional world of The Latvian Ballad constitutes the primary event of the text. The title, indicating the genre and setting a national or local context, also significantly influences the meanings attributed to the red horse and the white poodle. The analysis pays particular attention to the spatiotemporal organisation of the text, highlighting the persona’s interpretation of the appearance of the red horse and the white poodle as miraculous within the context of the depicted rural idyll. A description is provided of the persona’s perspective and some aspects of the lyrical plot, which is chiefly shaped by the images of the two animals. A conclusion is drawn regarding the status of the persona as an artist and creator, which allows the entire The Latvian Ballad to be considered as a poetic text dedicated to the art and mission of the artist capable of perceiving hidden facets of the world and conveying to others the emotions evoked by what they have seen.