The article aims at elucidating relationships between De vanitate mundi, a long poem by a Jesuit poet Jakob Balde (1604–1668), and its two Old-Polish translations from the seventeenth century. Their authors were Zygmunt Brudecki (1610–1647), also a Jesuit, and king’s secretary Jan Libicki (late sixteenth century–1670).
The article is divided into five chapters. The German poet and both translators are briefly introduced in the fi rst chapter. Afterwards, the edition of De vanitate mundi which served as the base for the Polish translators is identifi ed. The chronology of the two translations and their interdependence are also described. The four following chapters analyse the translations in detail, revealing the similarities between the two versions and features characteristic for each translator. Finally, the differences between Latin and Polish, with which Brudecki and Libicki had to cope in their work, are highlighted. Th e article attempts at demonstrating the complexity of relationships between the three texts and sheds light on Balde’s reception in Poland. More generally, the analysed case illustrates how the Jesuit literature spread in Europe.