Swan as a Symbol of Beauty and Purity in Kazakh Poetry

The paper discusses the use of swan image in Kazakh poetry. Swan is one of the traditional images in Kazakh poetry. The tradition of celebrating swan as a symbol of beauty, laid by Asan Kaigy in the 15th century has also found its extension in modern Kazakh poetry. In the poems of S. Seifullin, I. Zhansugurov, K. Amanzholov, M. Makatayev, K. Akhmetova, K. Salykova the swan is praised as a symbol of purity, beauty and holiness. Comparison of different writers and their examples of the images of a swan in the literature are provided. The poems of Asan Kaigy, K. Amanzholov, S. Seifullin are analyzed from the point of view of the image of swan description.