The Forest of Anyksciai

poem by Baranauskas

Also known as: “Anykysciu silelis”

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June 26, 2026

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The Forest of Anykščiai is a renowned poem by Antanas Baranauskas, written between 1858 and 1859. This 342-line work, composed in the East High Lithuanian dialect, is considered a masterpiece of Lithuanian literature.

The poem vividly describes the former beauty of a pine grove near Baranauskas's village and laments its subsequent destruction by Russian forces. Through this depiction, the poem symbolically represents the difficult plight of Lithuania under the oppressive tsarist regime. Baranauskas, a bishop and poet, also had interests in dialectology and mathematics, though his work in these fields was limited by his formal training.1

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Antanas Baranauskas
…literature, Anykyščių šilelis (1858–59; The Forest of Anykščiai). The 342-line poem, written in East High Lithuanian dialect, describes the former beauty of a pine grove near his village and its despoliation under the Russians (“Hills with tree-stumps, bare slopes! Who would believe in your former beauty?”); it depicted in symbolic…
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…literature, Anykyščių šilelis (1858–59; The Forest of Anykščiai). The 342-line poem, written in East High Lithuanian dialect, describes the former beauty of a pine grove near his village and its despoliation under the Russians (“Hills with tree-stumps, bare slopes! Who would believe in your former beauty?”); it depicted in symbolic…
Read More

Lithuanian literature
…was Anykščių šilelis (1858–59; The Forest of Anykščiai). The literature of this era sought to rally Lithuanians against the political control of Russia and the cultural influence of Poland.
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…was Anykščių šilelis (1858–59; The Forest of Anykščiai). The literature of this era sought to rally Lithuanians against the political control of Russia and the cultural influence of Poland.
Read More