Birtalan Ágnes: Kalmyk Folklore and Folk Culture in the Mid-19th Century: Philological Studies on the Basis of Gábor Bálint of Szentkatolna’s Kalmyk Texts.

FOLKLORE GENRES

I. Pure Lyric songs 1. Love i) love, desire: 1

s

t song, 2

n

d song, 4

t

h song, 8

l

h song, 10

t

h song, 11

t

h song 14

,

h song ii) love, praise: 5

t

h song, 7

t

h song. 2. Family i) mother and father: 9

,

h song ii) mother: 3

r

d song Hi) family, parents, brothers: 13

t

h song iv) brothers: 6

l

h song 3. Religion: 3

r

d song 4. Mourning Song (Kalm. yundl): 12

t

h song II. Lyrico-dramatic song (a dialogue song): 15

t

h song III. Improvisatory song (with motifs of curses, exclamations and references on the actual situation): 16"' song Due to space restriction, a more detailed structural and poetical analysis of the songs is not possible within the pages of the present monograph, so here I will touch upon only two phenomena. First through the role of the zäsng, 1 will briefly refer to the improvisatory spontaneous characteristics of songs created in situ, secondly I will offer a collection of parallel texts to particular stanzas of Bálint's songs. The frequent use of various proper names refers to the spontaneous character of some songs improvised partly on the spot, but additionally the singers also use well-established motifs, motif elements, poetical passages, solutions typical for the community they live in. The names were recognisable in narrow communities and indicate well-known events for people singing the particular song. Although the actual situations might have been familiar for the people who informed Bálint, some allusions are hard to interpret now with the passing of time (cf. Sixteenth song). Elaborating Ramstedt's Kalmyk songs Aalto came to a similar conclusion: "Einige andere behandeln Ereignisse aus der Umgebung des Dichters, oft spöttischem Ton, so vor allem das Lied von dem priesterlichen Astrologen, der sich in ein Mädchen verliebte."

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1 Besides the proper names the improvisatory songs tell about misdeeds of the members of the community; the affairs of people familiar to the singer are revealed in the lines of the songs. Another typical person in the Kalmyk songs of Bálint and in Ramstedt's collection is the zäsng "hereditary nobleman of lower rank" who is usually a negative figure, described as a mischief, a drinker and a womanizer. In Ramstedt's, however, he also appears in a neutral or positive role: nijéd nijéd aqtaigén neren tölei tabalanai, neretei töröltei zaisanggüd nigen kürtelén züdkeldéd. Die Reitpferde werden einzeln und einzeln wegen des Ruhmes trainiert. Die Stammältesten mit Ruhm und Abstammung strengen sich bis zum letzten Mann an.

50

2 tergeni yurbun zerdén tendésin xalxain temdeqtéi (?), temdeqtéi zaisang Jowä Dorzin [siel] tenggerin orondu ozi (?). [siel] Die drei rehfarbigen Wagenpferde haben einen Stempel an der dortigen Seite. Der mit Medaille dekorierte (?) Stammälteste Dzowä Dordzi ist nach dem himmlischen Orte gegangen.

5

0' 51,

1 Aalto, Pentti: Ausdruckformen in kalmückischen Liedern. In: Aspects of Altaic Civilisation. Proceedings of the Fifth Meeting of the Permanent International Altaistic Conference Held at Indiana University. June 4-9 1962. Ed. Sinor, Denis. (Uralic and Altaic Series 23) Bloomington Indiana, Indiana University - The Hague, The Netherlands, Mouton & Co. 1963. pp. 67-74, on p. 67. Cf. Nr. 43. Ramstedt - Balinov - Aalto: Kalmückische Lieder, pp. 78-81. 311

2 Nr 21. stanza 5. Ramstedt - Balinov - Aalto: Kalmückische Lieder, pp 50-51. 76