The Hymnals of Prussian Lithuania in the Time of Donelaitis

Kristijonas Donelaitis (1714-1780), who was born and lived in Prussian Lithuania, was a Lutheran priest,therefore, it was not surprising that his poem "The Seasons", as it was observed a long time ago, reflectedthe Lutheran ideology prevailing in Prussia at that time.To date, the links of Donelaitis' poetry with the that time hymnals of Prussian Lithuania have not beenpaid sufficient attention to, although the texts of a high artistic level published in the hymnals, mainlytranslated from the German originals, were bound to contribute to the mature poetic expression demonstratedin the writing of the poem to be considered the first masterpiece of the Lithuanian belles lettres.The issue was raised in the monograph by L. Gineitis "Kristijonas Donelaitis ir jo epocha" [KristijonasDonelaitis and his Epoch], however, the author did not indicate the particular hymnals by means ofwhich Donelaitis could have become acquainted with the church hymns that influenced his poetic imagination.That is understandable, since, during the Soviet times. Some important hymnals stored in theforeign libraries were unknown to, or unavailable to, Lithuanian scholars. KEY WORDS: Prussian Lithuania, the Lutheran Church, hymnals, church hymns, translated literature. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.15181/ahuk.v26i0.50