The Pleasure of Inter-Texts. On Poems Concerting in the Key of o (Józef Czechowicz's przez kresy [Through the Borderland]

Abstract

The literary method demonstrated by Białoszewski that allows one to recognise the poetics of the poem przez kresy might be divided into two ways: into adding words to words and into words that are concerting. Both these methods have a lot in common with sound organisation. The case of a special key of „O” proves the most interesting. In the poem Podłogo, błogosław, from which „the key of O” is derived, the words are concerting, proud of the fact that they are so nice in their sound arrangement. I understand the key of O as a set of alliterations, paronomasias concentrated on the sound „o”. When reading Czechowicz's lyric we think of the intra-textual weave appearing in Białoszewski's poem. At the same time a chain of associations leads us to alliterative measures used by the old masters describing the turns of the... world.