The Image of the Horse in Kazakh Poetry

Abstract

The horse was always highly important for Kazakh society, especially considering that Kazakhs have followed a nomadic lifestyle for thousands of years. This article discusses how the image and symbolism of the horse in Kazakh poetry have developed from the XIX century to the present, comparing it with the historical processes of this period. The influence of voluntary and involuntary changes, complex transformations, and tragedies in the cultural-historical and social-political life of the Kazakh nation in recent centuries on the depiction of the horse in poetry is assessed. To evaluate the change in symbolic values assigned to the horse in Kazakh poetry, this study employed the method of intertextual analysis and cultural-historical contextualization. In this article, the development path of the horse from a symbol of beauty and gallant, nobility and companionship to a metaphor of solid character and freedom is described and explained with fragments of Kazakh poetry. In addition, the study examines the variety of vocabulary, artistic tools, similes, and epithets in the Kazakh’s nomadic inheritance to describe the horse. The description of the horse in world poetry and its features and similarities in Kazakh poetry are compared. We posit that this research holds practical significance, with potential applications in literary and cultural studies. By enhancing comprehension of the literary and cultural landscape of Central Asia, our findings contribute to the advancement of knowledge in these respective fields.

Keywords

• poetry
• horses
• Kazakhs
• nomads
• symbolism

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