The reception of the chinese poetic tradition in the work of Leonid Cherkassky: cultural transmission as a path to poetic synthesis

The subject of this research is the reception of the Chinese poetic tradition in the works of the sinologist and poet-translator L. E. Cherkassky (1925–2003). The analysis focuses on his original works: the poetry collection *"Stikhi o prekrasnoi dame i ob odnom gospodine"* ("Poems about a Beautiful Lady and a Certain Gentleman") and the memoirs *"Ya ryadom s kornem dushu uspokoyu"* ("I Shall Soothe My Soul Near the Root"). The study examines the process of adapting Chinese artistic forms and imagery systems within the Russian-speaking cultural space. Particular attention is paid to the ways of synthesizing Chinese genre poetics—such as *"lüshi"* (regulated verse) and *"zaju"* (variety play)—with the Russian lyrical tradition, as well as the transformation of allusions to classical Chinese poets Tao Qian, Lu You, and Zhou Dunyi. The analysis aims to reveal how Chinese elements, through the prism of Cherkassky's personal experience and literary mastery, enter into a dialogue with the Russian poetic tradition, giving rise to their organic artistic fusion. Thus, the focus is not merely on the influence of Chinese culture, but on the specific process of its transmutation into Russian poetics through the work of the poet-sinologist, which establishes him as a key figure for studying intercultural reception in the 20th century. The method of analysis involves a multi-level comparison of Cherkassky's work with Chinese poetry: from the assimilation of genre traditions to the identification of imagery system transformations in new cultural contexts. The novelty of the research is determined by the fact that for the first time, Cherkassky's work is considered not as a collection of translations, but as a systematic poetic practice in which Chinese artistic forms and imagery systems become the basis for the emergence of new aesthetic codes in Russian literature. Until now, his original works have not been studied as a unified project of cultural mediation, and the role of the poet-translator as an active creator of an intercultural synthesized poetics remained unexplored. It is established that the adaptation of Chinese elements occurs not through superficial borrowing, but through a deep reworking of genre structures (*"lüshi", "zaju"*) and the transformation of allusions to Tao Qian, Lu You, and Zhou Dunyi, which turns them from exotic references into organic components of Russian lyricism. The findings confirm that Cherkassky acts not as a passive intermediary, but as an original author, forming a unique synthetic tradition. The results of the study may be of interest for research in the history of Russian-Chinese literary relations and comparative poetics, deepening the understanding of the role of poet-translators as conductors of intercultural dialogue.

L. E. Cherkassky, reception of Chinese poetry, Russian-Chinese literary connections, poet-translator, lüshi, zaju, poetic synthesis, intercultural dialogue, transformation of allusions, artistic merging