BALTIC MEETINGS - Baltic Writers Council

Rimantas Černiauskas
e Lithuanian Homer
Königsberg, town of the Kings for Lithuanians, laid the foundations for Lithuania’s entire
literary culture. In 1547 Martynas Mažvydas published the first Lithuanian book here, and
two centuries later, in 1736, the future priest of Tollmingkehmen (Tolminkiemis) and author
of the first Lithuanian poem “Metu laikai” (e Seasons), Kristijonas Donelaitis, began his
studies at the university of Albertina. It is possible that it was whilst at university attending
Lithuanian language lectures by professor F. Schultz, reading the works of Homer, Heziod
and Vergilius, that the young Kristijonas decided to write his own poem in Lithuanian about
the customs and life of his countrymen. At that time, when Lithuanian identity was pushed
to the periphery of public and cultural life, this decision by the young man seemed like the
last wish of the condemned. Probably, in that way Kristijonas Donelaitis was trying to save
the heritage of language and creating evidence of his vanishing nation for future generations.
at is better at least, than establishing an academic cluster of research into the vanishing
Lithuanian language, as was suggested by the other Prusland priest, Keimell. Perhaps he wrote
poetical words wishing to reprove or educate peasants of his village. It is a known fact that the
priest Kristijonas read small parts of his poem for peasants at Mass time. It is not yet known if
at that time he took part in academic discussions, but he was certainly well educated and knew
Latin, Hebrew, Greek, French and, of course, German.
Kristijonas Donelaitis himself never spoke much about his own creativity. He was, instead,
very proud of his well ordered garden, his self-constructed barometer, thermometer, but
especially – his piano, made with his own hands, on which he played his originally-composed
cantatas for his friends. „I do it better than that Italian Bartholomay“- he used to say. He had
never even tried to publish his poetical heritage. He only allowed himself to rewrite his poem
and fables for his friends and literature admirers – the priests J. Jordan and J. Hohlfeldt. He
even left his grand work without untitled.
It was Liudvikas Reza (Dr. Ludwig Rhesa), a professor at the same Albertina university, who
entitled this poem „Metu laikai“ (e Seasons), who gathered it from pieces, collected them
and translated it into German. is happened long after Donelaitis’ death, in 1818. Rhesa
introduced the work of Donelaitis to the most famous authorities of German culture and
literature – to Wilhelm von Humboldt, J. W. Goethe and the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz.
Goethe found parallels between “Metai” and Homer because of its epic dimension and
hexameter, and the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz even reproached his countrymen for not
being interested enough in their own history and identity. Alexander Alexandrov, the famous
Russian linguist, wrote of Donelaitis’ work in his dissertation, published in German in 1886:
“If only Donelaitis had written his poem in any cultural language, he would be called one of
the great writers of the world”.
Kristijonas Donelaitis, the author of the poem, was born January 1 st , 1714 in the village of
Lazdyneliai (Lasdinehlen, now it is called Michiurno) in a free peasant family. Nowadays
only a monumental stone stands instead of his home village. ough the plague that mowed
down the whole of Prussia passed by the family of Donelaitis, his father died very early and
his mother was left alone with seven children. Being a highly teachable boy, Kristijonas was
sent to Kneiphof school for the poor in Königsberg. In 1736-1740 he studied theology at
Königsberg university. After his studies he worked as a teacher’s assistant in Stallupönen (now
Nesterov). He taught the children music, led the chorus and played the organ at Mass there.
He married Ana Regina, the widow of an ex-director of the school. Unfortunately, they did
not have any offspring. In 1743 he became a priest at the church in the village of Tolminkiemis
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