THE LOST ‘BEAD’ OF “THE WITHERED LEAVES”

The paper deals with the poem by Ivan Franko “My soul! The soul of my soul!”, which wasn’t published during the poet’s lifetime. As one of the poems from Franko’s poetic cycle “The First Bunch” it might have been included in the forthcoming collection “The Withered Leaves”. That’s why the general context of this collection is relevant. The researcher reviews the genre and creative history of the poem and gives attention to its psychobiographical context. The comparison of the published text with the autograph revealed a discrepancy that modifies interpretation. The basis of this poetic reflection is the poet’s intimate feelings for Celina Żurowska (married name Zygmuntowska), so the paper focuses on this Polish woman, in particular her attitude to the poet and her influence on his work. The research focus also includes other works of the writer, which somehow relate to Celina. Her pride, stubbornness, and sometimes even contempt caused pain in the poet’s soul, which gave rise to poetic masterpieces. The memories of Franko’s contemporaries, as well as the ones of Celina herself, help to interpret the poem. The researcher analyzed the work in terms of its structure, poetic composition, emotional tone, and iconosphere. The images of the pearl (shell) and the soul, which are the central symbols of this work, show semantic similarity. The pearl is a symbol of love that grows and becomes stronger due to patience, and at the same time, it is a metaphor for the soul. The poetic language and versification have been examined as well.