CONCEPTUALIZATION OF FLORAL SYMBOLISM IN THE POETIC TEXTS OF KOSTIANTYN DUB

Abstract

The article explores floral symbolism in the poetic texts of Kostiantyn Dub, a poet from the Dnipro region. Based on the poet’s collections Kalynychyna Aptechka, Vinochok Kvity Riznobarvnyi, and Rusalok Krasa Dyvotvorcha, the study describes the conceptualization of floral nomenclature as nationally marked components of poetic texts. The plant world – grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees – appears as symbols of folk ethics and morality, infused with the poet’s individual vision. Through the author’s perspective, the study reveals the unique characteristics of each floral and dendrological image. Emphasis is placed on the poet’s rich and expressive use of floral symbolism, which is humanized and aestheticized in the poetic text. The article highlights the conceptual modeling of the poet’s artistic world, exploring the deep connotative connections between depictions of plant life and the author’s vision of humanity and reality. To conceptualize the dendronym oak (dub), the poet plays on his surname Dub, symbolically revealing the essence and sacred nature of this archetype. He reinforces the core message of his floral worldview: at the center, there must be a backbone that provides the energy of life. The study traces the reconstruction of the oak symbol into a humanized female dendronym – Mavka-Dubytsia, a deeply symbolic image representing eternity and immortality while retaining an inner energetic core. The lyrical hero perceives this dendronym as ambivalent – combining both masculine and feminine elements. The work also focuses on the image of the rusalka (water nymph), which is represented through numerous floral symbols performing structural, modeling, moral-ethical, aesthetic, conceptual, nominative, and sacred functions. A wide range of expressive techniques – from fixed epithets to evocative metaphors – allows for the analysis of these symbols at all levels of the poetic text. Finally, the article highlights the poet’s skill in verbalizing floral symbols and emphasizing anthropological features, which contributes to constructing a unique internal landscape. This landscape is imbued with idealistic, somewhat utopian traits of a harmonious society where everything exists in a happy balance of prosperity and development. It has been proven that the poet’s individual conceptualization of floral nomenclature not only reflects his love and reverence for nature but also attains a philosophical and conceptual manifestation.