BARBARIAN THEME IN LITHUANIAN AND RUSSIAN POETRY

Three poems with the same title “The Scytians“ by different authors are being analysed in this article. These authors are — Alexander Blok, who wrote this poem in January 1918, Albinas Bernotas, the poem being found in his collection “The Ruts“ (1981), and Vytautas Bloze, the poem being found in his collection of poems “In the old manor“ (1994). The themes of history, relations between diffe- rent nations, their survival and extinction and other moments are being reflecting in all the three texts. The connection of the past to the present, the relationship between Russia and West European countries in the end of the World War I were relevant to Alexander Blok. In Albinas Bernotas’ poem history is being presented as the space for war, fighting and death, in which the Scythians were only the element of history. Vytautas Bloze portrays the Scythians as the invaders from the East, ha- ving destroyed his parents’ house. Between Lithuanians and Russians there has al- ways been great cultural and political tension. This determines different approaches to the understanding of the idea and image of a barbarian and barbarism.