Studia Filologiczne UJK

Summary

References to antiquity occupy a special position in poetry by Zbigniew Herbert. They include topics from the great canon of European culture, references to Judaism, Christianity, or mythology. The subject of poetic attention is most frequently a fragment of history with its ambiguity of events that an individual is dragged into. This attitude of the poet is provoked and explained by the Bible itself, its fragmentary nature, self-restraint in talking about characters or the lack of psychological justifications of various forms of behaviour. The article focuses on the interpretation of two texts within the theme of the Passion and death of Jesus. These poems are Hakeldama and Domysły na temat Barabasza (Elegia na odejście 1990).