Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.47960/2712-1844.2026.12.309
Motifs of Suffering and Death in the Poetry of Antun Branko Šimić and the Marian Lament Tradition in Western Herzegovina
Helena Novak Penga
; Sveučilište u Zadru
Sažetak
Originating in Croatian medieval Glagolitic and Latin manuscripts, the Passion lament known as Gospin plač (Marian Lament) has persisted in Croatian cultural tradition into the early twenty-first century. In Western Herzegovina, this form of folk church singing holds a significant place, focusing on the Passion and death of Christ and the suffering of Mary. Like Gospin plač within the Glagolitic chant tradition, the Western Herzegovinian Gospin plač has been transmitted orally, while its musical layer reflects a folk secular vocal style. The Franciscan order played a key role in transmitting and translating this literary and musical genre across Croatian regions, while also supporting its preservation in local communities.
The motifs of suffering and death also occupy an important place in the poetry of Antun Branko Šimić, particularly in the poems Raspeće (Crucifixion) and Marija (Mary). Considering Šimić's regional background in Western Herzegovina (Drinovci and Široki Brijeg), this paper examines possible thematic and cultural connections between the local tradition of Gospin plač and these Passion poems. The conducted comparative motif analysis of selected passages proceeds from the assumption that, prior to moving to Croatia, Šimić lived in a cultural environment in which this form of popular devotion was present. The analysis demonstrates that there are clear thematic and symbolic points of contact between the West Herzegovinian Gospin plač and Šimić's poems Raspeće and Marija.
The motifs are interpreted within the broader cultural and religious context of Western Herzegovina and are primarily reflected in depictions of dramatic cosmic disturbances following the Crucifixion, Christ's suffering and death, and Mary's sorrow, all of which carry a strong emotional, dramaturgical, and theological dimension in both textual corpora. However, while Gospin plač shapes these motifs through a collective folk narrative, Šimić transforms them into a subjective and reflective poetic expression characteristic of modern Croatian literature. This transformation points to a cultural framework in which folk tradition functions as an element of cultural memory. In this context, Gospin plač emerges as an important component of the cultural identity and collective memory of Western Herzegovina, in which folk devotion, collective memory, and collective identity are shaped and transmitted through oral and musical tradition. This demonstrates that the West Herzegovinian tradition of Gospin plač does not influence Šimić's poetry as a direct literary model, but rather as part of the cultural and religious context that participates in shaping the cultural memory of that region.
Ključne riječi
folk church singing; Western Herzegovina; Marian Lament (Gospin plač); Antun Branko Šimić; motif of death; Passion motifs; collective identity; cultural memory.
Hrčak ID:
351190
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.10.2026.
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