Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s Cato (Lyr. II 6) and exercitia Seneciana

The starting point for the research presented in this article was an attempt to trace the literary tradition which inspired the creation of the lyrical subject and the titular figure of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s ode II 6 (Cato Politicus). The presence of this name implies that the intertextual dimension of the poem should be taken into account in its interpretation, hence, the author of this article assumed that the question of the literary tradition should be addressed before a hypothesis about the meaning of the poem is put forth.

A review of Sarbiewski’s potential sources of inspiration – primarily works that were included in the basic and supplementary reading lists in Jesuit colleges – brings satisfactory results. It turns out that the ancient author who often mentions Cato the Younger is Seneca Philosophus, moreover, there are numerous similarities between some passages in his works and ode II 6. Sarbiewski seems to have been especially inspired by his Epistulae morales ad Lucilium, and also by the Senecan Consolationes. However, rather than refer to the views attributed by Seneca explicitly to Cato, the Polish poet explores the thoughts of the Philosopher himself, possibly assuming that the views of the politician and the philosopher were similar; this assumption could be justified by the fact that Seneca not only repeatedly expresses highest praise of the republican hero, but he also openly recommends to treat Cato Uticensis as a role model.

These issues are discussed in the first part of this paper. In the second part, the author compares selected passages from Seneca’s works and two poems (II 5 and II 7) adjacent to the ode Cato Politicus. The comparison shows that the convergences discussed above are not incidental. On the contrary, there is a series of Sarbiewski’s odes inspired by Seneca, and therefore the Roman philosopher and tragedian can be considered the next, after Horace, master of the Jesuit poet. It is postulated that these inspirations deserve more recognition in further studies on Sarbiewski’s poetry, as they may be helpful in the interpretation of some problematic passages of his odes.

Between the Rainbow and the Crystal Glass: Echo in Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski as a Species of Refraction in the Light of His Commentary on Summa theologica by Thomas Aquinas

The aim of this essay is to highlight an important gap in the research into the works of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (1595–1640), Jesuit neo-Latin poet and philosopher, namely the fact that his still unpublished lectures on one God in three persons and on angels, held in Vilnius Academy in the years 1631–1633, have remained largely unexplored by researchers so far. The main thesis is that these thomistic commentaries can considerably deepen our understanding of the dialectical and theological context of Sarbiewski’s poetry. For example, they shed new light on his Marian imagery (inter alia, the usage of the invocation ‘purum sine fraude vitrum’), or on his way of avoiding the danger of the infinite regress of concepts as being similar to mirror reflections.

The argument concentrates on the figure of echo in two poems: the praise of Jan Karol Chodkiewicz and the ode Secunda leuca seu Vaca as influenced by a new version of the Litany of Loreto (Litaniae Deiparae Virginis Mariae). It makes use of the definition of echo as taught in the Coimbra Jesuit Aristotelian courses. The phenomenon of echo is taken together with other species of refraction: the rainbow and reflection (Aristotle, Posterior Analytics, 98a.24–29), and set against the background of new technologies, such as the production of crystal mirrors.

Fiery Love: Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s Ode to Saint Stanislaus Kostka

The objective of the article is to provide background for the reading of a new annotated bilingual edition of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s ode to Saint Stanislaus Kostka. Written in 1638, when Kostka had not yet been canonized, the ode was published posthumously, many years after the poet’s death.

First, the origins of the poem are presented, including the suggestions advanced by Stanisław Łubieński, the bishop of Płock, that Sarbiewski should create odes worshipping Polish saints. Other texts devoted to the venerable young man written by, or attributed to Sarbiewski are also briefly discussed. This is followed by an analysis of the ode, with special focus on its visual and theatrical properties, and on the poet’s emphasis on the mystic experiences of the Jesuit saint and his special bond with Mary. The manner of portraying the saint’s life deployed by Sarbiewski is shown to be modelled on the contemporary iconographic tradition, especially a drawing by Giacomo Lauro, which, copied by an anonymous artist was subsequently included in the collection Icones et miracula sanctorum Poloniae (Cologne 1605). Literary hagiographic works on which Sarbiewski might have drawn – both poetry and prose – are also mentioned.

After the introductory section, the ode is presented in two language versions: the original Latin and the new Polish translation. The text is provided with comments detailing historical facts, discussing the ancient similia and elocutionary relations to Sarbiewski’s other texts.

A Translation of the First Eclogue “Honorable love and its happy outcome” (De honesto amore et felici eius exitu) from the Adolescentia by Battista the Mantuan

The article presents a translation of the first eclogue from the 15th-century collection of bucolics Adolescentia by Battista the Mantuan (1447–1516). The eclogue, entitled De honesto amore et felici eius exitu, is supplemented by an introduction and commentary. To this day, two critical editions of the work have been published: by Wilfred Mustard (1911) in English, and by Andrea Severi (2010) in Italian.

The introduction presents the author’s biography and gives a brief description of the whole collection, in particular the eclogue under discussion. The Italian poet Battista the Mantuan was a Carmelite and became Blessed of the Catholic Church. A prolific writer, he is best known for his Adolescentia, a collection of bucolics created at a young age, edited and expanded later. Published originally in 1498, Adolescentia quickly gained popularity among readers and were established as school reading.

Other issues discussed in the introduction include the sources of Mantuan’s inspiration, the role of the collection in education and in the Reformation, as well as the reception of Adolescentia. It is also pointed out that the first eclogue should be seen in a wider context of Renaissance eclogues exploring the theme of marriage. The interpretation of the eclogue offered in the article draws on its biblical and ancient sources, i.e. the Book of Ruth and Virgil’s eclogues, respectively, as well as the conventions of the genre, especially of elegy, that affected its form.