야로슬라브 사이페르뜨의 후기 문학의 특징

The Characteristic of Jaroslav Seifert's Poetry in the Middle and Late Stages

In 1950 Jaroslav Seifert (1901-1986) published a very important volume of poetry of the postwar Czech literature, Píseň o Viktorce (Song About Viktorka) dediacted to Božena Němcová and her heroine Viktorka, especilly to their tragic love and beauty. Four years later he published a reminiscent poetry Maminka (Mother) which became one of the most popular works of his whole poetry. In 1956 Seifert published two volumes of poetry, Praha a věnec sonetů (Prague and A Wreath of Sonnets) dedicated to his home town Prague and Chlapec a hvězdy (The Boy and the Star) inspired by the work of Czech national artist, Mikuláš Aelš. The latter was a continuation of his earlier poetry Šel malíř chudě do světa (Poor Painter Comes Into the World) in 1949, which was ispired by Josef Lada's paintings. Both of them show the poet's love of the Czech countryside and its people, the origin of Czech nation. All these works including his first postwar collection Přilba hlíny (The Clay Helmet), published in 1945, are common in the poet's concern and love for Czech nation and Czech national life. Beside's their national themes, Seifert's postwar poetry have maintained its formal virtuosity and melodic quality since 1930‘s. When Seifert renewed his poetic activities in 1965 he abadoned his former poetics. Instead of the fixed form of verse he turned to the free verse of his early stage, unrhymed and prosaic poetry, this time almost to its extreme extent, which enabled his poetry more communicable. The first volume of his new stage, Koncert na ostrově (Concert On the Island) adapts the new poetic approach as well as new perspective of life. Through reflection he introduces into his poetry childhood memories, dead friends, private and public events,and power of love. The reflection and meditation on the past continues in his next two volumes, Halleyova kometa (Halley's Comet) and Odlévání zvonů (The Casting of the Bells). In Seifert's last three volumes of poetry, Morový sloup (The Plague Monument), Deštník z Piccadilly (An Umbrella From Piccadilly), and Býti básníkem (To Be A Poet), melancholies, sufferings, pains, and death make more frequent appearance. But they help the lyric poet to raelize the meaning and importance of life and to catch the joy and pleasure of life in this world. Poetry, music, beauty of women, love, sensuality including eroticism became dominat themes in his later works. Although Seifert shows his consistent concern with Prague and Czech nation the focus of his later poetry moves to the more general human values such as “mutual understanding, sympathy, and good will”, mentioned in his Acceptance Speech for an Honorary Doctor of Letters presented by Hampden-Sydney Collage on May 5, 1985. In this speech he emphasized that poetry should never lose any of its human warmth or its function to remind humans of their earthly existence. Seifert has fought all his life time to defend the freedom and independence of poetry. He wanted his poetry to be enough realistic and enough idealistic as well. In the same speech he remarked that the best place of poetry should be between heaven and earth - high enough to be able to touch heaven, but at the same time firmly rooted in the earth. It is my belief that Seifert's poetry itself stands in the best position, between heaven and earth.