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Among the writers who appeared on the scene in the years 1918-1940, Vincas Mykoláitis-Pùtinas stands out. This author and literary researcher of enormous intellect distanced himself from the usual tendency in belles-lettres of basing one's work only on the means of expression of the folk language. He searched out means of expression in the written language. The themes of his works were the deciding factor. In his works he didn't depict the village people, but rather the lives of intellectuals and educated people. In his poetry and prose, which are distinguished by their intellectual quality, there are many abstract nouns. He especially liked verbal abstracts, e.g., tobulýbe 'perfection', buitìs 'manner of life', pólekis 'flight (of fancy)', butìs 'being, existence', lukesys 'expectation', geismas 'desire', síelgrauza 'mental distress' (literally 'gnawing at the soul'). He used international words abundantly, e.g. harmònija 'harmony', mirãzas 'mirage', iliùzija 'illusion', ideãlas 'ideal,' hierárchija 'hierarchy', chaòsas 'chaos'. He used just the right adjectives with abstract nouns, e.g., álkanas liudesys 'hungry grief, famished melancholy', klaikì vienãtve 'dreadful loneliness', nerimastìnga buitìs 'anxious way of life'. His novel, In the shadow of the altars, was the first intellectual psychological novel in Lithuanian literature. The principal hero of this Stendhal type novel, Liùdas Vasãris, a seminary student and later a priest, writes poetry and cannot reconcile priest and poet in himself. Obedience to the will of his parents and the desire to serve his country have led him to the seminary. Vasãris overvalues the contribution of the priestly class to Lithuanian culture and chooses the goal of following in the footsteps of the poet-priests Mairónis, Antãnas Baranáuskas, and others. In the shadow of the altars has quite a few autobiographical features. The author of the book himself had experienced the conflict of poet and priest.

Mykoláitis-Pùtinas graduated from seminary and became a priest, but later gave up the priesthood. It is the aforementioned conflict that makes up the intellectual and emotional core of his novel. The attainment of freedom is the essence of the human being and art is the most authentic expression of this essence. Vasãris comes to understand that the priesthood has isolated his talent from the living sources of art, love for experience, natural communication with other human beings, and spontaneous expression without any moralizing. There arises the irresistible urge to experience life for the sake of creativity, so that his talent, a gift of God, might not be destroyed. He is also distinguished by the disharmony and duality of his personality. He seeks out, analyzes, and investigates scrupulously his inner contradictions, on the one hand from the point of view of his priestly duty and on the other hand from the point of view of the imperative of the poet's vocation. His indecisiveness, his compromising surrender to circumstances, resignation, silent suffering, and rebellious internal discontent reflect typical features of the Lithuanian character.

Reading and Textual Analysis

In the selection given below, from the first part of the novel, Vasãris considers three possibilities as to how he should act with his talent. He has already rejected his girl friend and taken the first vows of priesthood. Although he was firmly determined to become a good priest, he still felt that the source of his poetry was not "the virtues required of a clergyman, but the whirlpool of the world infected with the microbes of sin." He is constantly tormented by the thought of how to reconcile the free flight of poetry with the ideals of the life of a priest. These two lives are irreconcilably contrary to each other. What seems natural, understandable and unavoidable in one seems strange and forbidden in the other. He feels that the environment of the seminary is destroying his poetic talent, arousing discord and the splitting of his soul.

In the selection, one can find a fair number of international words and abstract nouns. Adjectives are used abundantly, especially those with the suffixes -ingas, -iskas and -inis; there are also comparisons, e.g., sáltas kaip ledas 'cold as ice,' nusitvere kaip skestas siaudelio 'grasped for (it) like a drowning man for a straw'.

Pirmàsis galimùmas bùvo visái mèsti tã poèzija ir visàs tàs svajonès.

• pirmàsis -- definite number; nominative singular masculine of <pìrmas, pirmà> first -- the first
• galimùmas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <galimùmas> possibility -- possibility
• bùvo -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <buti, yrà, bùvo> be -- was
• visái -- adverb; <visái> completely, totally -- completely
• mèsti -- verb; infinitive of <mèsti, meta, mete> abandon -- to... abandon
• tã -- pronoun; accusative singular feminine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- ...
• poèzija -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <poèzija> poetry -- poetry
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• visàs -- pronoun; accusative plural feminine of <vìsas, visà> all -- all
• tàs -- pronoun; accusative plural feminine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- those
• svajonès -- noun, feminine; accusative plural of <svajõne> dream -- dreams

Tai butu tinkamiáusias ir paprasciáusias kláusimo sprendìmas.

• tai -- pronoun; neuter of <tàs, tà> this, that -- that
• butu -- verb; 3rd person subjunctive of <buti, yrà, bùvo> be -- would be
• tinkamiáusias -- adjective; nominative singular masculine superlative of <tinkamas, tinkamà> appropriate -- the most appropriate
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• paprasciáusias -- adjective; nominative singular masculine superlative of <pàprastas, paprastà> simple -- simplest
• kláusimo -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <kláusimas> question -- to the problem
• sprendìmas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <sprendìmas> solution -- solution

Bèt Vasãris nùjaute, kàd jìs vargù ar pajegs issizadeti tu vilciu, kuriõs ìs dalies ji i seminãrija àtvede.

• bèt -- conjunction; <bèt> but -- but
• Vasãris -- proper noun, masculine; nominative singular of <Vasãris> Vasaris -- Vasaris
• nùjaute -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <nujausti, nujaucia, nùjaute> feel -- felt
• kàd -- conjunction; <kàd> that -- that
• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- he
• vargù -- particle; <vargù> hardly, scarcely -- hardly
• ar -- particle; <ar> if, or -- ...
• pajegs -- verb; 3rd person future of <pajegti, pajegia, pàjege> have the strength -- could... have the strength
• issizadeti -- verb; infinitive of <issizadeti, issìzada, issizadejo> give up -- to give up
• tu -- pronoun; genitive plural feminine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- those
• vilciu -- noun, feminine; genitive plural of <viltìs> hope -- hopes
• kuriõs -- pronoun; nominative plural feminine of <kurìs, kurì> which, who -- which
• ìs -- preposition; <ìs> from -- to
• dalies -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <dalìs> part -- some degree
• ji -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- him
• i -- preposition; <i> at, for, in, to -- to
• seminãrija -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <seminãrija> seminary -- the seminary
• àtvede -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <atvèsti, àtveda, àtvede> bring -- had brought

Seminãrijos gyvenimas, tiesà, gerókai jàs apgrióve, taciau tuo paciù metù jisai vìs delto pamãte turis tãlenta.

• seminãrijos -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <seminãrija> seminary -- seminary
• gyvenimas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <gyvenimas> life -- life
• tiesà -- noun, feminine; nominative singular of <tiesà> truth -- indeed
• gerókai -- adverb; <gerókai> rather -- practically
• jàs -- pronoun; accusative plural feminine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- them
• apgrióve -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <apgriáuti, apgriáuna, apgrióve> destroy -- had... destroyed
• taciau -- conjunction; <taciau> but -- but
• tuo paciù -- pronoun; instrumental singular masculine of <tas pàts, ta patì> same -- the same
• metù -- noun, masculine; instrumental singular of <metas> time -- at... time
• jisai -- definite pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- he
• vìs delto -- particle; <vìs delto> nevertheless -- nevertheless
• pamãte -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <pamatýti, pamãto, pamãte> see -- saw
• turis -- verb; nominative singular masculine of present participle active of <tureti, tùri, turejo> have -- (that) he had
• tãlenta -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <tãlentas> talent -- talent

Ir dabar vìsko issizadeti?

• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• dabar -- adverb; <dabar> now -- now
• vìsko -- pronoun; genitive singular of <vìskas> everything -- everything
• issizadeti -- verb; infinitive of <issizadeti, issìzada, issizadejo> give up -- to give up

Nè, tai negãlimas dáiktas.

• nè -- particle; <nè> no, not -- no
• tai -- pronoun; neuter of <tàs, tà> this, that -- that
• negãlimas -- negative particle; <ne> not + adjective; nominative singular masculine of <gãlimas, galimà> impossible -- (is) impossible
• dáiktas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <dáiktas> thing -- (a) thing

Antràsis galimùmas siule jám suderinti kurýba sù kùnigisku gyvenimu.

• antràsis -- definite number; nominative singular masculine of <antras, antrà> other -- the second
• galimùmas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <galimùmas> possibility -- possibility
• siule -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <siulyti, siulo, siule> offer -- offered
• jám -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- him
• suderinti -- verb; infinitive of <suderinti, suderina, suderino> reconcile -- to reconcile
• kurýba -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <kurýba> creativity -- creativity
• sù -- preposition; <sù> with -- with
• kùnigisku -- adjective; instrumental singular masculine of <kùnigiskas, kùnigiska> priestly -- priestly
• gyvenimu -- noun, masculine; instrumental singular of <gyvenimas> life -- the... life

Bèt kaip?

• bèt -- conjunction; <bèt> but -- but
• kaip -- adverb; <kaip> how -- how

Lig siõl jám tai nepavyko.

• lig siõl -- adverb; <lig siõl> up to now -- up to his time
• jám -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- he
• tai -- pronoun; neuter of <tàs, tà> this, that -- ...
• nepavyko -- negative particle; <ne> not + verb; 3rd person preterit of <pavykti, pavyksta, pavyko> succeed -- had not succeeded

Jìs zinójo ir tikejo, kàd Dievas yrà visókios tobulýbes, grõzio ir kilniáusios poèzijos saltìnis.

• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- he
• zinójo -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <zinóti, zìno, zinójo> know -- knew
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• tikejo -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <tiketi, tìki, tikejo> believe -- believed
• kàd -- conjunction; <kàd> that -- that
• Dievas -- proper noun, masculine; nominative singular of <Dievas> God -- God
• yrà -- verb; 3rd person present of <buti, yrà, bùvo> be -- is
• visókios -- pronoun; genitive singular feminine of <visóks, visókia> all -- all
• tobulýbes -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <tobulýbe> perfection -- of... perfection
• grõzio -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <grõzis> beauty -- beauty
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• kilniáusios -- adjective; genitive singular feminine superlative of <kilnùs, kilnì> noble -- the noblest
• poèzijos -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <poèzija> poetry -- poetry
• saltìnis -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <saltìnis> source -- the source

Bèt kodel visì relìginiai, doróviniai, amzinõsios tiesõs, gerio ir grõzio motyvai ji palìkdavo sálta kaip leda, õ kurýbinis lyrinis susijáudinimas vèsdavo i gyvenimo zabángas ir pavojùs?

• bèt -- conjunction; <bèt> but -- but
• kodel -- adverb; <kodel> why -- why
• visì -- pronoun; nominative plural masculine of <vìsas, visà> all -- all the
• relìginiai -- adjective; nominative plural masculine <relìginis, relìgine> religious -- religious
• doróviniai -- adjective; nominative plural masculine <doróvinis, doróvine> moral -- (and) moral
• amzinõsios -- definite adjective; genitive singular feminine of <ámzinas, amzinà> eternal -- eternal
• tiesõs -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <tiesà> truth -- of... truth
• gerio -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <geris> goodness -- goodness
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• grõzio -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <grõzis> beauty -- beauty
• motyvai -- noun, masculine; nominative plural of <motyvas> motif -- motifs
• ji -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- him
• palìkdavo -- verb; 3rd person frequentative of <palìkti, palieka, palìko> leave -- did... leave
• sálta -- adjective; accusative singular masculine of <sáltas, saltà> cold -- (as) cold
• kaip -- conjunction; <kaip> as, like -- as
• leda -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <ledas> ice -- ice
• õ -- conjunction; <õ> and, but -- whereas
• kurýbinis -- adjective; nominative singular masculine of <kurýbinis, kurýbine> creative -- creative
• lyrinis -- adjective; nominative singular masculine of <lyrinis, lyrine> lyric -- lyric
• susijáudinimas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <susijáudinimas> emotion, excitement -- emotion
• vèsdavo -- verb; 3rd person frequentative of <vèsti, veda, vede> lead -- led
• i -- preposition; <i> at, for, in, to -- to
• gyvenimo -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <gyvenimas> life -- of life
• zabángas -- noun, feminine; accusative plural of <zabánga> trap, snare -- the traps
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• pavojùs -- noun, masculine; accusative plural of <pavõjus> danger -- dangers

Õ treciàsis galimùmas tuõ metù jám bùvo dár tìk pradejes aisketi.

• õ -- conjunction; <õ> and, but -- and
• treciàsis -- definite number; nominative singular masculine of <trecias, trecià> third -- the third
• galimùmas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <galimùmas> possibility -- possibility
• tuõ -- pronoun; instrumental singular masculine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- that
• metù -- noun, masculine; instrumental singular of <metas> time -- at ... moment
• jám -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- him
• bùvo -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <buti, yrà, bùvo> be -- had
• dár -- adverb; <dár> even, still -- just
• tìk -- particle; <tìk> only -- ...
• pradejes -- verb; nominative singular masculine of preterit participle active of <pradeti, pràdeda, pradejo> begin -- begun
• aisketi -- verb; infinitive of <aisketi, aiskeja, aiskejo> become clear -- to become clear

Jõ paties prãktika róde jám, kàd "kunigãvimas" ir "poetãvimas" yrà dù visái skirtìngi, jéigu nè príesingi, pasaukìmai.

• jõ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- his
• paties -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <pàts, patì> own -- own
• prãktika -- noun, feminine; nominative singular of <prãktika> practice -- practice
• róde -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <ródyti, ródo, róde> show -- had shown
• jám -- pronoun; dative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- him
• kàd -- conjunction; <kàd> that -- that
• kunigãvimas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <kunigãvimas> being a priest -- being a priest
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• poetãvimas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <poetãvimas> poeticizing -- poeticizing
• yrà -- verb; 3rd person present of <buti, yrà, bùvo> be -- are
• dù -- number; nominative masculine of <dù, dvì> two -- two
• visái -- adverb; <visái> completely, totally -- completely
• skirtìngi -- adjective; nominative plural masculine of <skirtìngas, skirtìnga> different -- different
• jéigu -- conjunction; <jéigu> if -- if
• nè -- particle; <nè> no, not -- not
• príesingi -- adjective; nominative plural masculine of <príesingas, príesinga> opposing -- opposing
• pasaukìmai -- noun, masculine; nominative plural of <pasaukìmas> vocation -- vocations

Tàd kám juõs butinai jùngti?

• tàd -- conjunction; <tàd> then, thus -- then
• kám -- adverb; <kám> why -- why
• juõs -- pronoun; accusative plural masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- them
• butinai -- adverb; <butinai> necessary -- (is it)necessary
• jùngti -- verb; infinitive of <jùngti, jùngia, jùnge> unite, join -- to unite

"Kaip kùnigas, às nè poètas, õ kaip poètas, às nè kùnigas."

• kaip -- conjunction; <kaip> as, like -- as
• kùnigas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <kùnigas> priest -- a priest
• às -- pronoun; nominative singular of <às> I -- I
• nè -- particle; <nè> no, not -- (am) not
• poètas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <poètas> poet -- a poet
• õ -- conjunction; <õ> and, but -- and
• kaip -- conjunction; <kaip> as, like -- as
• poètas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <poètas> poet -- a poet
• às -- pronoun; nominative singular of <às> I -- I
• nè -- particle; <nè> no, not -- (am) not
• kùnigas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <kùnigas> priest -- a priest

Stai fòrmule, kurià Liùdas Vasãris savè apgaudinejo ìlga laika.

• stai -- particle; <stai> here -- this (is)
• fòrmule -- noun, feminine; nominative singular of <fòrmule> formula -- the formula
• kurià -- pronoun; instrumental singular feminine of <kurìs, kurì> which, who -- with which
• Liùdas -- proper noun, masculine; nominative singular of <Liùdas> Liudas -- Liudas
• Vasãris -- proper noun, masculine; nominative singular of <Vasãris> Vasaris -- Vasaris
• savè -- pronoun; accusative of <saves> oneself, itself -- himself
• apgaudinejo -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <apgaudineti, apgaudineja, apgaudinejo> deceive -- deceived
• ìlga -- adjective; accusative singular masculine of <ìlgas, ilgà> long -- long
• laika -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <laikas> time -- for a... time

Sìto psichològinio sofìzmo, ivairiomìs atmainomìs gyvenime ganà daznai sutinkamo, jisai nusitvere kaip skestas siaudelio.

• sìto -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <sìtas, sità> this -- this
• psichològinio -- adjective; genitive singular masculine of <psichològinis, psichològine> psychological -- psychological
• sofìzmo -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <sofìzmas> sophism -- for... sophism
• ivairiomìs -- adjective; instrumental plural feminine of <ivairùs, ivairì> various, different -- various
• atmainomìs -- noun, feminine; instrumental plural of <atmainà> guise -- in... guises
• gyvenime -- noun, masculine; locative singular of <gyvenimas> life -- in life
• ganà -- adverb; <ganà> rather -- rather
• daznai -- adverb; <daznai> frequently, often -- frequently
• sutinkamo -- verb; genitive singular masculine of present participle passive of <sutìkti, sutinka, sutìko> encounter, come across -- encountered
• jisai -- definite pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- he
• nusitvere -- verb; 3rd person preterit reflexive of <nusitvérti, nusìtveria, nusitvere> grasp -- grasped
• kaip -- conjunction; <kaip> as, like -- like
• skestas -- verb; nominative singular masculine of present participle active of <skesti, skesta, skendo> drown -- a drowning (man)
• siaudelio -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <siaudelis> straw -- (grasping) for a straw

Sità iliùzija ìlgus metùs laike ji pavirsiuj, jìs "kunigãvo" ir "poetãvo", õ tuõ tárpu kùnigas ir poètas vãre jamè zutbutìne tarpùsavio kõva.

• sità -- pronoun; nominative singular feminine of <sìtas, sità> this -- this
• iliùzija -- noun, feminine; nominative singular of <iliùzija> illusion -- illusion
• ìlgus -- adjective; accusative plural masculine of <ìlgas, ilgà> long -- long
• metùs -- noun, masculine; accusative plural of <metai> year -- for... years
• laike -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <laikýti, laiko, laike> keep -- kept
• ji -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- him
• pavirsiuj -- noun, masculine; locative singular of <pavirsius> surface -- afloat
• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- he
• kunigãvo -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <kunigáuti, kunigáuja, kunigãvo> be a priest -- acted as a priest
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• poetãvo -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <poetáuti, poetáuja, poetãvo> be a poet -- acted as a poet
• õ -- conjunction; <õ> and, but -- and
• tuõ -- pronoun; instrumental singular masculine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- the same
• tárpu -- noun, masculine; instrumental singular of <tárpas> space, period -- at... time
• kùnigas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <kùnigas> priest -- the priest
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• poètas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <poètas> poet -- poet
• vãre -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <varýti, vãro, vãre> be engaged -- were engaged in
• jamè -- pronoun; locative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- in him
• zutbutìne -- adjective; accusative singular feminine of <zutbutìnis, zutbutìne> desperate -- desperate
• tarpùsavio -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <tarpùsavis> between oneself -- ...
• kõva -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <kovà> battle, struggle -- a ... struggle

Jisai uzfiksãvo daugeli siõs kovõs momentu ir mãne, kàd kùria poèzija.

• jisai -- definite pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- he
• uzfiksãvo -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <uzfiksúoti, uzfiksúoja, uzfiksãvo> capture -- wrote down
• daugeli -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <daugelis> many -- many
• siõs -- pronoun; genitive singular feminine of <sìs, sì> this -- this
• kovõs -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <kovà> battle, struggle -- of ... struggle
• momentu -- noun, masculine; genitive plural of <momentas> moment -- of the moments
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• mãne -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <manýti, mãno, mãne> think -- thought
• kàd -- conjunction; <kàd> that -- that
• kùria -- verb; 3rd person present of <kùrti, kùria, kure> create -- (he) was creating
• poèzija -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <poèzija> poetry -- poetry

Tuõ tárpu jìs rãse sàvo zuvìmo krònika, vienur kitur pamárginta tikrù kurýbos zíedu - liudnù jõ tãlento liùdininku.

• tuõ -- pronoun; instrumental singular masculine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- the same
• tárpu -- noun, masculine; instrumental singular of <tárpas> space, period -- at... time
• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- he
• rãse -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <rasýti, rãso, rãse> write -- was writing
• sàvo -- pronoun; genitive of <sàvo> he, she -- his
• zuvìmo -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <zuvìmas> ruin -- of... ruin
• krònika -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <krònika> chronicle -- the chronicle
• vienur -- adverb; <vienur> in one place -- here
• kitur -- adverb; <kitur> elsewhere -- (and) there
• pamárginta -- verb; accusative singular feminine of preterit participle passive of <pamárginti, pamárgina, pamárgino> mark -- marked
• tikrù -- adjective; instrumental singular masculine of <tìkras, tikrà> genuine -- true
• kurýbos -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <kurýba> creativity -- of creativity
• zíedu -- noun, masculine; instrumental singular of <zíedas> blossom, flower -- by a... spark
• liudnù -- adjective; instrumental singular masculine of <liudnas, liudnà> sad -- sad
• jõ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- his
• tãlento -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <tãlentas> talent -- of... talent
• liùdininku -- noun, masculine; instrumental singular of <liùdininkas> witness -- the... witness

Lesson Text

Pirmàsis galimùmas bùvo visái mèsti tã poèzija ir visàs tàs svajonès. Tai butu tinkamiáusias ir paprasciáusias kláusimo sprendìmas. Bèt Vasãris nùjaute, kàd jìs vargù ar pajegs issizadeti tu vilciu, kuriõs ìs dalies ji i seminãrija àtvede. Seminãrijos gyvenimas, tiesà, gerókai jàs apgrióve, taciau tuo paciù metù jisai vìs delto pamãte turis tãlenta. Ir dabar vìsko issizadeti? Nè, tai negãlimas dáiktas.

Antràsis galimùmas siule jám suderinti kurýba sù kùnigisku gyvenimu. Bèt kaip? Lig siõl jám tai nepavyko. Jìs zinójo ir tikejo, kàd Dievas yrà visókios tobulýbes, grõzio ir kilniáusios poèzijos saltìnis. Bèt kodel visì relìginiai, doróviniai, amzinõsios tiesõs, gerio ir grõzio motyvai ji palìkdavo sálta kaip leda, õ kurýbinis lyrinis susijáudinimas vèsdavo i gyvenimo zabángas ir pavojùs?

Õ treciàsis galimùmas tuõ metù jám bùvo dár tìk pradejes aisketi. Jõ paties prãktika róde jám, kàd "kunigãvimas" ir "poetãvimas" yrà dù visái skirtìngi, jéigu nè príesingi, pasaukìmai. Tàd kám juõs butinai jùngti? "Kaip kùnigas, às nè poètas, õ kaip poètas, às nè kùnigas." Stai fòrmule, kurià Liùdas Vasãris savè apgaudinejo ìlga laika. Sìto psichològinio sofìzmo, ivairiomìs atmainomìs gyvenime ganà daznai sutinkamo, jisai nusitvere kaip skestas siaudelio. Sità iliùzija ìlgus metùs laike ji pavirsiuj, jìs "kunigãvo" ir "poetãvo", õ tuõ tárpu kùnigas ir poètas vãre jamè zutbutìne tarpùsavio kõva. Jisai uzfiksãvo daugeli siõs kovõs momentu ir mãne, kàd kùria poèzija. Tuõ tárpu jìs rãse sàvo zuvìmo krònika, vienur kitur pamárginta tikrù kurýbos zíedu - liudnù jõ tãlento liùdininku.

Translation

The first possibility was to completely abandon poetry and all those dreams. That would be the most appropriate and simplest solution to the problem. But Vasaris felt that he could hardly have the strength to give up those hopes, which to some degree had brought him to the seminary. Seminary life, indeed, had practically destroyed them, but at the same time he saw that he had talent nevertheless. And now to give up everything? No, that is an impossible thing.

The second possibility offered him (the chance) to reconcile creativity with the priestly life. But how? Up to this time he had not succeeded. He knew and believed that God is the source of all perfection, beauty and the noblest poetry. But why did all the religious and moral motifs of eternal truth, goodness and beauty leave him as cold as ice, whereas creative lyric emotion led to the traps and dangers of life?

But at that moment the third possibility just began to become clear. His own practice had shown him that being a priest and poeticizing are two completely different, if not opposing vocations. Then why is it necessary to unite them? 'As a priest I am not a poet, and as a poet I am not a priest.' This is the formula with which Liudas Vasaris deceived himself for a long time. Like a drowning man (grasping) for a straw, he grasped for this psychological sophism, rather frequently encountered in various guises in life. For long years this illusion kept him afloat; he acted as a priest and acted as a poet, and at the same time the priest and poet in him were engaged in a desperate struggle. He wrote down many of the moments of this struggle and thought that he was creating poetry. At the same time he was writing the chronicle of his ruin, here and there marked by a true spark of creativity, the sad witness of his talent.

Grammar

11. The Accent Classes of the Nouns

There are four accent classes of the nouns in Lithuanian. The principal criterion for the attribution of a noun to one or another class is its stress pattern in the dative and the accusative plural. Some nouns have a constant stress, e.g., in all cases the stress falls on one and the same syllable. But in the majority of nouns the stress alternates between the ending and the stem.

Accentuation is rather difficult even for native speakers. In colloquial Lithuanian they often shift the stress from the short ending to the stem.

The current four accent classes developed from the earlier two accent paradigms (the barytone (fixed) stress paradigm and the mobile stress paradigm). The shifting of the stress defined by de Saussure's law determined the development of the present Lithuanian accentuation system. According to this law, the stress passes from a short or circumflex (rising) syllabic nucleus to an acute (falling) one.

In dictionaries the accent class is indicated in Arabic numerals: 1; 2; 3; 4; e.g., áuksas 1 'gold'; pirstas 2 'finger'; bérzas 3 'birch'; ausìs 4 'ear'. Knowing the peculiarities of each accent class, we can locate the stress and use the appropriate accent in all the forms of the noun. Dictionary listings of adjectives, numerals and pronouns provide information on accent class.

11.1. The First Accent Class

The first accent class comprises nouns which in the dative and accusative plural always have their stress on one and the same syllable of the stem.

In two-syllable nouns the stress is always on the first syllable and it is always an acute, e.g., kója 'leg'; zéntas 'son-in-law'. In polysyllabic nouns, one can have either the acute or the circumflex, or the syllable may be short, e.g., vãsara 'summer'; busena 'state, condition'; dìdvyris 'hero'. But when the stress falls on the penultimate syllable only the acute is possible, e.g., saváite 'week'; varnenas 'starling'.

The stress always remains on the same syllable in all the cases in the singular and plural if the noun belongs to the first accent class. This is the most important feature of the first accent class.

11.2. The Second Accent Class

The second accent class comprises nouns which in the dative plural have their stress on the stem, while in the accusative plural they are stressed on the ending, e.g., dative plural bãtams 'shoes', acc.pl. batùs; dat.pl. pùpoms 'beans', acc.pl. pupàs.

The penultimate syllable has the circumflex or the short intonation. The circumflex or the short stress remains constant, except: in the (a) instrumental singular and (b) accusative plural. If the noun ends in -as, then in addition to the two cases above, the locative singular is also stressed on the ending, e.g., loc.sg. batè 'shoe'. If the noun has -a in nominative singular, then this -a is stressed, e.g., nom.sg. pupà 'bean'.

12. Pronouns

12.1. The Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns refer to:

• a definite person or phenomenon (tàs, tà 'this', 'that'; sìs, sì, sìtas, sìta / sità 'this'; anàs, anà 'that'; tas pàts, ta patì 'the same');
• a definite property of a person or phenomenon (tóks, tokià 'such a'; sióks, siokià, sìtoks, sìtokia 'this kind of'; anóks, anókia 'that kind of');
• a situation (tai 'it'; sìta(i) 'it', tas pàt(s) 'the same').

The demonstrative sìs contrasts with tàs. Both sìs and tàs contrast with anàs which denotes a third object which is farther away than objects referred to by tàs, e.g.,

• Sis nãmas yrà màno, tàs nãmas yrà tàvo, õ anàs nãmas yrà jõ
• 'This house is mine, that house is yours, but the one over there is his'.

Demonstrative pronouns can be used both as nouns and as adjectives, e.g.,

• Draugai kviecia Diãna eiti papietáuti, õ sì sedi ir ziuri prõ lánga 'Friends invite Diana to go out to dinner, but she (the latter) sits and looks out the window'.
• Bèt Vasãris nùjaute, kàd jìs vargù ar pajegs issizadeti tu vilciu 'But Vasaris felt that he could hardly have the strength to give up those hopes'.

When sìs, sì, tàs, tà, anàs, anà are used as adjectives (before a noun), they contribute definite status to the noun.

The pronouns sìtoks, sìtokia, tóks, tokià can also used before nouns as intensifiers, e.g., Sìtokia baisì avãrija 'such a terrible accident'.

The declension of sìs, sì is like that of the personal pronouns jìs, jì. The demonstrative pronouns tàs, tà and tòks, tokià are declined as follows:

The declension of sìtas, sità is exactly like that of tàs, tà. Anóks, anókia and sìtoks, sìtokia have the same endings as tóks, tokià, but the stress pattern is different (always on the same syllable). These pronouns have influenced the declension of the adjectives.

12.2. The Interrogative and Relative Pronouns

All intrrogative and relative pronouns begin with the consonant k: kàs 'what', 'who'; kóks, kokià 'what kind of'; kurìs, kurì 'which'; katràs, katrà 'which of two'; kelì, kelios 'how many', kelerì, kelerios 'how many (used with pluralia tantum); kelintas, kelintà 'which'.

The interrogative pronoun kàs 'who, what' is declined as follows:

This pronoun has no plural declension and it may refer to either masculine or feminine nouns or pronouns. Kienõ 'whose', 'of whom', 'by whom' is used to denote possession or as the subject or agent of a passive verbal construction, whereas kõ is reserved for other genitive uses, cf:

• Kàs ji sumuse? 'Who beat him up'?
• Kienõ jìs bùvo sùmustas? 'By whom was he beaten up'?
• Kõ jám nepasìseke isvéngti? 'What was he not able to avoid'?

Kóks, kokià are declined like tóks, tokià; kurìs, kurì are declined like jìs, jì; katràs, katrà are declined like tàs, tà; kelerì, kelerios are declined like kelì, kelios; kelintas, kelintà are declined like regular adjectives.

Kelì and kelios are used only in the plural:

When these pronouns introduce a direct question, they are interrogatives:

• Kienõ tàs automobìlis? 'Whose car is that'?
• Kàs gãli atsakýti i si klaúsima? 'Who can answer this question'?
• Kurì suknele táu patinka? 'Which dress do you like?'
• Kókias knygàs jus pardavinejate? 'What kind of books do you sell'?

Kas, kurìs, kurì, kóks, kokià can also be used as relative pronouns. The number and the gender of the relative pronoun are determined by the word to which it refers, but the case of this pronoun is determined by its use in the clause of which it is a part, e.g.:

• Mán patinka tà suknele, kuriã tù mán nupirkai
• 'I like the dress which you have bought for me'.

The relative pronoun kuriã is feminine and singular because it refers to suknele which is feminine and singular, but it is in the accusative case because it is the object of the verb nupirkai.

Kokià ziemà, tokià ir vãsara 'Whatever the winter is (like) thus also is the summer'.

12.3. The Indefinite Pronouns

Kàs 'someone', 'somebody', 'something' may be used as an indefinite pronoun by itself, e.g., Jám turbut pasivaideno kàs 'He probably imagined somebody'.

Kàs, kòks and kurìs also may be used in conjunction with nórs, kazì(n) and kaz-. Kas nórs, koks nórs, kuris nórs have the meaning 'someone', 'somebody', 'anybody' 'something', 'some kind of':

• Gál noretu kas nórs padirbeti?
• 'Would anybody like to work for some time'?

Kazkàs, kazkóks, kazkurìs share a common semantic element meaning 'uncertain', someone not known', 'what', 'which', 'what kind of'. The same meaning is shared by the corresponding compound pronouns with the first component kazì(n), e.g., kazi(n) kàs, kazi(n) kóks, kazi(n) kurìs:

• Tòmas isvýdo kazin kóki keista dáikta
• 'Tomas saw some strange thing'.

13. Adjective Inflection

Adjectives agree in gender, number and case with words they modify. As attributes, adjectives can be used only with nouns, e.g., pàprastas sprendìmas 'a simple decision'.

There are three gender forms of adjectives in Lithuanian: masculine, feminine and neuter. All adjectives can have masculine forms and the respective feminine forms, e.g., nominative singular masculine liudnas 'sad', kilnùs 'noble'; nominative singular feminine liudnà, kilnì. The neuter forms can be derived by dropping the -s from the masculine nominative singular, cf.: nominative singular masculine liudnas and neuter liudna; nominative singular masculine kilnùs and neuter kilnù. These forms are generally used in certain impersonal constructions as part of the nominal predicate:

• Mán liudna 'I am sad' (lit. 'To me is sad');
• Cià bùvo tamsù 'Here it was dark'.

The present tense forms of buti 'to be' are mostly omitted in such sentences.

The qualitative adjectives have degrees of comparison. As in English, there are three basic degrees of comparison in Lithuanian: the positive, the comparative, and the superlative, e.g., positive liudnas 'sad', sunkùs 'difficult', 'heavy'; comparative liudnèsnis 'sadder', sunkèsnis 'more difficult', 'heavier'; superlative liudniáusias 'the saddest', sunkiáusias 'the most difficult', 'the heaviest'. Descriptive adjectives can have definite forms, which in addition to their lexical meaning of the quality contribute definite status to the noun they determine, e.g., amzinóji tiesà 'the eternal truth'. Historically, definite forms derived from the blend of adjectival endings with the pronoun jìs 'he', jì 'she', e.g., amzinàsis 'eternal-he', amzinóji 'eternal-she'.

Masculine and feminine adjectives have two numbers: singular and plural.

All adjectives are traditionally classified into three declensions. The easiest way to determine which declension an adjective belongs is by checking the endings in the nominative singular and the nominative plural.

The declension of masculine and feminine adjectives is quite different. Since early times, feminine adjectives were declined like nouns, but the masculine adjectives have adopted some of the endings of the gendered pronouns, cf.: dative singular masculine liudnám 'sad' and tám 'that'; locative singular masculine liudnamè and tamè; nominative plural masculine liudnì and tie; dative plural masculine liudníems and tíems.

13.2. First Declension Adjectives

All adjectives ending in -(i)as (masculine nominative singular) and -(i)a (feminine nominative singular) belong to the first declension. The declension of these adjectives should be compared with that of the first and second declension nouns. The declension of the masculine adjectives differs in the dative and locative singular and the nominative and dative plural from that of the first declension nouns.

The forms of the 1st declension adjectives are as follows:

13.3. Second Declension Adjectives

Adjectives belonging to the 2nd declension are characterized by the ending -us in the masculine nominative singular and the ending -i in the feminine nominative singular.

The -ti- and -di- of the feminine nominative singular are replaced by -ci- and -dzi- respectively in position before the vowels -a-, -o-, -u- in the second declension of adjectives, cf.: nominative singular masculine kartùs 'bitter' and instrumental singular masculine kárciu; nominative singular masculine saldùs 'sweet' and instrumental singular masculine sáldziu, etc. In this position, -c- and -dz- merely denote a soft or palatalized -c- or -dz- sound; the letter -i- here does not denote a vowel, but merely the softening or palatalization of the preceding consonant. The endings of the nouns of the 4th declension should be carefully compared with the masculine endings above, cf.: sunùs 'son' and 'gilùs 'deep'. The endings of feminine nouns in -i of the second declension should be carefully compared with the feminine endings above, cf.: martì 'daughter-in-law' and saldì 'sweet'.

13.4. Third Declension Adjectives

The nominative singular of all adjectives in this declension ends in -is for the masculine and -e for the feminine.

Third declension adjectives are usually derived from nouns, cf.:

• n. áuksas 'gold' and adj. auksìnis 'gold', 'golden';
• n. vìlna 'wool' and adj. vilnõnis 'woolen';
• n. ãkcija 'stock' and adj. ãkcinis 'joint-stock';
• n. stãlas 'table', 'desk' and adj. stalìnis 'table', 'desk'.

Some adjectives of this declension are also derived from other adjectives and past passive participles, cf.:

• adj. lýgus 'flat', 'even' and adj. lýginis 'even';
• past.pass.ptc. pirktas 'purchased', 'bought' and adj. pirktìnis 'purchased', 'bought'.

14. Mood

14.1. The Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive mood indicates a possible action. The simple forms of the subjunctive mood are formed by removing the infinitive ending -ti and adding the endings listed below:

The subjunctive mood has two parallel forms for the 1st and the 2nd person plural. It is commonly believed that the longer forms are more common than the shorter ones. In dialects and old writings there is an even greater variety of subjunctive forms.

The compound subjunctive forms consist of the simple forms of the auxiliary buti 'to be' and active or passive participles, e.g., butum zinójes 'you would have known'; butu zìnomas 'he would be known'.

As subjunctive mood forms have an infinitive stem, they preserve the stress and intonation of the infinitive.

The subjunctive mood may be used in both the main clause and the if-clause of a sentence which contains a contrary-to-fact condition, e.g.:

• Jéi paprasýtum, paskõlinciau 'If you would ask, I would lend';
• Jéigu tù butum protingèsne, taip dabar nekalbetum 'If you were wiser, you would not speak like this now'.

If there is no contrary-to-fact condition, then the subjunctive mood is not required, e.g., Jéi paprasýsi, paskõlinsiu 'If you ask, I shall lend'; Jéi netùri, neduók 'If you do not have, don't give'. The future tense (not the present, as in English) is used with jéi 'if', when a future time is implied.

The subjunctive mood is also used to express purpose, generally with the subordinating conjunction kàd 'that', 'in order that', e.g.,

• Jis padejo pìnigus ant stãlo, kád visì matýtu 'He put the money on the table in order that everyone would see (it)';
• Às nóriu, kà tù atvaziúotum 'I want you to come' (lit. I want that you would come).

Lithuanian does not use the object of a verb of wishing or saying as the subject of an infinitive as in English.

14.2. Imperative

There are three basic forms of imperative in Lithuanian: 2nd person singular, 1st person plural, and 2nd person plural. As a rule, the action is addressed to another person. Hence the most common forms of the imperative are 2nd person singular and 2nd person plural.

The formation of these forms is fairly simple:

• 2nd person singular: drop the -ti from the infinitive, add -k: skaity + k = skaitýk;
• 1st person plural: drop the -ti from the infinitive, add -kime: skaity + kime = skaitýkim(e);
• 2nd person plural: drop the -ti from the infinitive, add -kite: skaity + kite = skaitýkit(e).

The stress is the same as for the infinitive.

The 2nd person singular is used in addressing children, animals, close friends, members of the immediate family and God. The 2nd person plural is used to address a group of persons or animals, or to address one person politely. The 1st person plural renders the English 'let us', e.g., skaitykim 'let us read'.

Frequently the first person plural of the present tense when used without a pronoun has hortative meaning:

• Perkam! 'Let's buy'!
• Dainúojam! 'Let's sing'!

14.3. The Optative Mood

Traditionally, the imperative mood includes the forms of the optative (permisive) mood. The inclusion of the optative mood raises problems, since the optative mood is permissive, not imperative.

The optative may be formed by prefixing te- to the third person form of the verb, e.g., te-skaito 'may he (she) read', 'let him (her) read; te-eina 'may he (she) go', 'let him (her) go'. Sometimes these forms are created by a synthetic combination of tegul 'let...' or tegù 'let...' with the third person of the verb, e.g., tegul skaito 'may he (she) read', 'let him (her) read'; tegù eina 'may he (she) go', 'let him (her) go'.

An alternative formation is furnished by adding the endings -ai (for the verbs of the third conjungation) or -ie for other verbs to the present stem, e.g., 3 pres. skait-o 'reads', opt. te-skait-ai 'may he (she) read', 'let him (her) read'; 3 pres. ein-a 'goes', opt. te-ein-ie 'may he (she) go', 'let him (her) go'. These forms are recognized as archaic; they are found in older Lithuanian writings. The only verb used fairly often in Standard Lithuanian is the verb buti 'to be': tebunie, teesie 'let it be'. They are also found in prayers:

• Teesie sventas tàvo vardas 'Hallowed be Thy name';
• Teateinie tàvo karalyste 'Thy kingdom come';
• Tebunie tàvo valià kaip dangujè taip ir zemeje 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven'.

15. Interrogative Words and Interrogative Sentences

In Lithuanian most interrogative sentences are similar in structure to declarative sentences. They can be marked by intonation alone and, sometimes, by word order:

• Tù namie? 'Are you at home'?;
• Jìs tikrai gìme Pietu Ãfrikoje? 'Was he really born in South Africa'?
• Rasýti baiget? 'Did you finish writing'?

General questions either contain no interrogative marker, or may begin with the particles ar, argi, gál, nejau, nejaugi. The affirmative answer begins with the affirmative particle taip 'yes', and the negative answer with nè 'no':

• Ar mes dalyváusime? 'Will we be taking part'?; Taip, bè jokiõs abejõnes 'Yes, without any doubt';
• Gál jùms padeti? 'May I help you'? Ãciu, nè (or nereikia) 'No, thank you' (or 'it is not necessary');
• Nejaugi jie suklýdo? 'Did they really make a mistake'? Taip, suklýdo 'Yes, they did'.

Special questions usually require a concrete answer. They are formed with various case forms of the interrogative pronouns kàs 'who, what', kurìs 'which', kóks 'what (kind of)', kelì 'how many', kelintas 'which' (of the ordinal number), and with the interrogative adverbs kur 'where', kadà 'when', kaip 'how', kodel 'why', kíek 'how many'. These markers are placed initially:

• Kàs cià atsitìko? 'What has happened'? Dúrys uzsìtrenke 'The door slammed';
• Kám tù noretum paskambinti? 'Whom would you like to call'? Sàvo draugáms Lietuvojè 'My friends in Lithuania';
• Kur jìs isvaziúoja? 'Where is he leaving for'? I Kìnija 'For China'.
• Kodel jus tóks pìktas? 'Why are you so angry'? 'Pa\mec^iau pinigi\ne*' 'I have lost my purse'.

Lithuanian also uses "tag questions" but, compared to English, they are less common. There are several ways to express 'do you', 'don't you', 'haven't you', 'will you', won't you', 'aren't you', etc., in Lithuanian. Literally the negative question ar nè? means 'is it not', 'was it not', 'will it not (be)', etc. after positive statements. The word tiesà? 'true, correct'? can be used both after positive and negative statements. Ar nè tiesà? 'is it not so'? is used after positive statements, but sometimes also after negative sentences or clauses:

• Jì dainininke, ar nè? 'She is a singer, isn't she'?
• Mìlda niekadà nesugris, tiesà? 'Milda will never come back, will she'?
• Zmónes yrà linke slepti tikrúosius jausmùs, ar nè tiesà? 'People have an inclination to hide their real feelings, don't they'?
• Tù pasiteiravai, kodel jie neatvyko, ar nè 'You asked why they had not come, didn't you'?