Antanas Strazdas
Encyclopedia
Antanas Strazdas was a Lithuania
n priest and poet. Because of his humble origins and lifestyle, he became somewhat of a folklore hero.
Born to a poor serf
family, he attended many schools established by monasteries, including ones in Polatsk
and Daugavpils
. In 1789 he finally graduated from Varniai
theological seminary. Due to his restless nature, he traveled from one parish to another, often living on his own as a farmer. In 1820 he settled more permanently in Kamajai
, where he bought land and kept up a farm, only sometimes performing his duties as a priest. In 1828 he was accused of improper behavior for a priest and confined in the Pažaislis Monastery
. Next year he left the monastery and returned to Kamajai, where he died just four years later.
During his lifetime, only two thin poetry books were published. One of them, Secular and Holy Songs (Lithuanian: Giesmės svietiškos ir šventos) published in 1814, contains nine secular verses and two religious hymns written in the Lithuanian language
. The second, Ode to Riga, was published in the Polish language
in 1824. The third collection of Lithuanian poems was destroyed by the censors. As many as 50 songs are attributed to Strazdas and passed by word of mouth to this day. However, the authorship is hard to establish because of lack of written proof and because of the tendency of Strazdas' songs to become part of folklore
.
His best known work, the hymn Pulkim ant kelių (Let us Fall on Our Knees) is still sung to this day in churches. His most famous poems include Strazdas (The Thrush
), where the poet, personified by the bird, sings about peasant's joys and worries; Aušra (The Dawn) tells about the joy a dawn brings and that breaks a lot of rules on rhythm and rhyme; Barnis (The Quarrel) is the only poem about Strazdas himself.
Strazdas avoided the nobles and remained closely connected to the ordinary people. Strazdas borrowed melody, tone, and style from the folk songs, writing his poetry for the common peasents. His songs are simple and the content is usually dealing with a peasant's life and labor. His works were also affected by Polish poems, especially the sentimental poetry. However, his Ode to Riga, written for the anniversary of founding of Riga
, proved the he was able to handle more complicated and sophisticated poetic forms.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n priest and poet. Because of his humble origins and lifestyle, he became somewhat of a folklore hero.
Born to a poor serf
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
family, he attended many schools established by monasteries, including ones in Polatsk
Polatsk
Polotsk , is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina river. It is the center of Polotsk district in Vitsebsk Voblast. Its population is more than 80,000 people...
and Daugavpils
Daugavpils
Daugavpils is a city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. Daugavpils literally means "Daugava Castle". With a population of over 100,000, it is the second largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some...
. In 1789 he finally graduated from Varniai
Varniai
Varniai , is a city in the Telšiai County, western Lithuania. In the Middle Ages the city was known as Medininkai. It was established in the 14th century, on the bank of the Varnelė River, near an important Samogitian castle. It was the center of Samogitian Catholic church: after the baptism of...
theological seminary. Due to his restless nature, he traveled from one parish to another, often living on his own as a farmer. In 1820 he settled more permanently in Kamajai
Kamajai
Kamajai is a small town in Rokiškis district municipality, Lithuania. It is situated on the banks of the Šetekšna River, some 14 km to south of Rokiškis. According to the 2001 census, it had 680 residents. The town has a small hospital, library, and hosts annual "Kuc kuc Kamajuos" festival.The...
, where he bought land and kept up a farm, only sometimes performing his duties as a priest. In 1828 he was accused of improper behavior for a priest and confined in the Pažaislis Monastery
Pažaislis Monastery
Pažaislis monastery and church form the largest monastery complex in Lithuania, and the most magnificent example of Italian baroque architecture in the country...
. Next year he left the monastery and returned to Kamajai, where he died just four years later.
During his lifetime, only two thin poetry books were published. One of them, Secular and Holy Songs (Lithuanian: Giesmės svietiškos ir šventos) published in 1814, contains nine secular verses and two religious hymns written in the Lithuanian language
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
. The second, Ode to Riga, was published in the Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
in 1824. The third collection of Lithuanian poems was destroyed by the censors. As many as 50 songs are attributed to Strazdas and passed by word of mouth to this day. However, the authorship is hard to establish because of lack of written proof and because of the tendency of Strazdas' songs to become part of folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
.
His best known work, the hymn Pulkim ant kelių (Let us Fall on Our Knees) is still sung to this day in churches. His most famous poems include Strazdas (The Thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
), where the poet, personified by the bird, sings about peasant's joys and worries; Aušra (The Dawn) tells about the joy a dawn brings and that breaks a lot of rules on rhythm and rhyme; Barnis (The Quarrel) is the only poem about Strazdas himself.
Strazdas avoided the nobles and remained closely connected to the ordinary people. Strazdas borrowed melody, tone, and style from the folk songs, writing his poetry for the common peasents. His songs are simple and the content is usually dealing with a peasant's life and labor. His works were also affected by Polish poems, especially the sentimental poetry. However, his Ode to Riga, written for the anniversary of founding of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, proved the he was able to handle more complicated and sophisticated poetic forms.