The article deals with the problematic and thematic contexts of the work of Dmitry Taganov, one of the most prominent representatives of modern Mordovian (Erzian) literature. D. Taganov, who was born and lives in the Ural region, personifies the literary diaspora of the Mordovians with his biography and poems. In the course of the study, it was found out that his poetic world is distinguished by an ascetic figurative system and a stable set of figurative and symbolic elements, which almost does not change from collection to collection. The study included not only original texts in the Erzya language but also Russian interlinear translations made by the author, which allow interpreting artistic features and stylistic details in two linguopoetical “projections” at once. It has been established that in his poems D. Taganov mostly avoids the actualization of the ethno-cultural component, prefers ethnically neutral lyrical plots, and pays increased attention to the psychological realities of love existence. Some motif-figurative elements connected with the poet’s professional activity in medicine are shown. An important aspect of this study is the analysis of literary translations of D. Taganov’s poems into Russian. Difficulty in understanding the original works by the translator and facts of inattentive attitude to the core parameters of the original text are demonstrated on the example of texts.