Аннотация
This study analyses the visual structure of the Old Irish poem ‘Cros Chríst’, believed to have been written in the 10th century, and is an example of a lorica — a Christian hymn for a believer’s protection. The objective is to construct a visual structure for an Old Irish poem, specifically ‘Cros Chríst’, which can be used to analyse other Old Irish poems. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to demonstrate through intermediate analysis that the visual structure of the poem ‘Cros Chríst’ unfolds at multiple levels simultaneously. These levels include verbal (word-level analysis), audial (analysis of auditory techniques expressed visually in the text, such as Old Irish alliteration with external expression), and material (analysis of the text’s location in the manuscript). The text discusses various factors that can influence the interpretation of a poem, including drawings, marginal glosses, comments, and the font used. It also mentions synesthetic associations and how a reader-viewer may interpret the poem. The research findings indicate that the poem’s visual structure, including grammatical and graphic parallelism, as well as the use of anaphors, epiphoras, and circle forms, contribute to the formation of a coherent image of both the individual and the world, moving from the specific to the general. Furthermore, the poem symbolically represents the cross as a talisman, which can manifest in both tangible and intangible forms. This study provides a new perspective on the interpretation of Old Irish poetic texts by utilising medieval manuscripts and constructing a multilevel visual structure of a poem.