BALTIC MEETINGS - Baltic Writers Council

(Tollmingkehmen), where he worked until his death, and which he never left. He was buried
by the church, rebuilt by his own hands in 1780. It is supposed that whilst working as a priest
and closely communicating with the peasants of his parish he finished the first Lithuanian
poem “Metu laikai” (e Seasons).
e poet never even dreamed about such huge success for his poem. Recently “Metu laikai”
has been published in several world languages, and there have been four variations of it just
in German. e poem has been translated into English (two different versions), Russian,
Ukrainian, Polish, Japan, Georgian and other different languages. In 1977 “Metu laikai” was
incorporated in the list of “Masterpieces of European literature”, drawn up by UNESCO.
“Metu laikai” was first translated into Russian when Maxim Gorky was preparing an anthology
of Lithuanian literature for printing. At that time, the Russian poet Vyacheslav Ivanov
translated the first part of the poem “Pavasario linksmybes” (“Revel of spring”). A complete
translation in Russian showed up only in 1946. e poet David Brodsky, while translating this
poem, learned the Lithuanian language and later introduced Russian readers to fables by the
same K. Donelaitis and to the creations of another Lithuanian, the poet Strazdas.
Donelaitis is not so close or important as a literal monument or as an inclusion in history for
the Lithuanian reader. Even so, his creation is one of the most important and modern examples
of Lithuanian poetry. Justinas Marcinkevicius, a poet, writes in his poem “Donelaitis”: “own
– till the last blood drop, joyful and pitiful till teardrops”. We speak that way about living
beings. It is not surprising one of the leading Lithuanian theatre directors, E. Nekrosius, has
chosen to stage K. Donelaitis’ “Metai” alongside Shakespeare and Chekhov. is play is now
successfully touring the stages of European theatres.
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