THE CONCEPT OF NATURE, SEASONAL SYMBOLISM, AND CULTURAL TIME IN UZBEK POETRY

Abstract

This article examines the linguocultural and poetic functions of the concept of nature, seasonal symbolism, and cultural time in Uzbek poetry, with particular attention to the works of Cho‘lpon and Abdulla Oripov. The study treats nature not merely as a descriptive background but as a semantically active sphere through which emotional states, historical memory, national values, and philosophical reflection are articulated. The analysis focuses on the anthropomorphization of natural phenomena, the cultural semantics of the four seasons, and the sensory organization of poetic imagery through color, sound, temperature, movement, and silence. Particular attention is paid to the way universal calendrical time is transformed into culturally marked poetic time. A comparative reading shows that in Cho‘lpon’s poetry seasonal and landscape images frequently acquire a social and historical function and become symbolic expressions of national destiny, whereas in Abdulla Oripov’s poetry, especially in the poem “Bahor” (“Spring”), nature is more closely associated with the lyrical subject’s inner experience and with reflections on memory, life and death, homeland, love, and human existence. The findings demonstrate that seasonal imagery in Uzbek poetry functions simultaneously as a national-cultural code, an axiological marker, a psychological correlate, and a compositional device.