dc.description.abstract | The monograph comprises a series of essays discussing various aspects
of the elegiac poetry of Jan Kochanowski, whose most profound literary
achievement were undoubtedly the Laments, dedicated to his departed
thirteen-month-old daughter. Chapter One, “The Issue of Genetics”
constitutes a discussion of the early elegiac poetry of Jan of Blackwood,
particularly a text written in Polish and dedicated to Jan Tarnowski,
a distinguished Polish commander. The author, quoting passages from
a 16th-century scholar Julius C. Scaliger, proves that Kochanowski, by directing
his poetic message to the son of the late commander, was inspired
by the generic characteristics of consolation speech (Consolatio), discussed
by Scaliger in his theoretical treatise. The two following subchapters of the
first part of the monograph are respectively devoted to metapoetic themes
in Laments as well as the issue of genology of the series of poems dedicated
to Orszulka Kochanowska. The metapoetic themes which exemplify the
poet’s creative awareness and his aspiration to compete with the ancient
tradition (aemulatio) are present primarily in the “seminal” texts and include:
the title, which references the ancient Greek literary tradition of
laments; the dedication; the epigraph; the epitaph for his other departed
daughter, Hanna, added to the cycle; as well as the opening poems in the
cycle, especially Lament i and Lament ii. The author, on the basis of the conducted analysis, postulates that the
poet of Blackwood accepted the ancient rule of decorum but understood
it in a different, innovative way, thus setting himself apart from his contemporaries
as he suggested that each person had the right to individual
opinions and values. The content of the dedication which precedes the
Laments testified to the subjective relationship of the mourner to the close
relative. Thus the little girl—the subject of Laments—is presented not
from the perspective of social or general human judgments, but rather
she is presented through the lens of the values characteristic of a given
person. For the poet, that departed child was a prominent figure, worthy
of the lofty style, as a poem about the suffering and moral quandaries of
the humanist thinker practically demands that sort of style. Thus, both
the “seminal” (delimitative) texts which accompany the Laments and intratextual
utterances which are metapoetic in nature testify to the fact
that Kochanowski, even though he accepted and applied poetic norms
as dictated by tradition as well as the rules of poetics of that time, still
insisted on searching for new poetic solutions and new interpretations of
normative rules originating in the ancient times.
The last subchapter on “the issue of genetics” concerns the genological
characteristic of the Laments. Analysing various formal elements of the
poem (the type of the lyrical I, the addressees, the character of the world
of the poem, composition, versification, the perspective on the subject,
and others), the author concludes that the text was influenced by various
literary forms, e.g. philosophical poem, classical epicedium, ancient tragedy,
psalm, ancient Greek lament. Laments are characterised by a peculiar
syncretic form, and the thesis that one of the genological forms is superior
to others constitutes only one avenue of interpretation.
The aim of Chapter Two, “The Expression of Silence in the Laments,”
is to discuss the function of one of the tools which Kochanowski draws
from the literary tradition. The expression of silence constitutes a literary
means of expression which was used successfully by ancient tragedians such
as Aeschylus and later on was adapted for the purposes of the planctus in
the Middle Ages, and both their influences can be seen in the Laments.
Moreover, Kochanowski skilfully and tastefully adapted this poetic tool to
let it reflect new meanings and allow for the posing of existential questions.
Chapter Three, entitled “ ‘Understanding through suffering…’ In
Search of the Tragic Formula in the Laments,” focuses on the issue of suffering and tragedy in the poem dedicated to Orszulka. The author
attempts to reveal the conflicting mechanism of the poetic world of the
Laments. This conflict is exemplified by the struggle, the act of choosing
and the deeds of man—and it is precisely that which constitutes the
essence of tragedy. These contradictions are noticeable even in the very
construct of being, which the lyrical I of the Laments comes to recognise,
in the chaos of various phenomena and the multiplicity of meanings of
particular words and symbols emphasised in the work. These antinomies
are present also in the human subject—the lyrical I, who struggles with
himself as well as the ever-present, insidious evil. Thus, the mind of the
subject shaped by the Renaissance principle of humanism, which emphasises
the importance of order and harmony, experiences an internal battle
between opposing forces. The shocking experiences and reflections of the
lyrical I—the father—allow for the emergence of the will to overcome
the tragedy, but at the same time they contribute to a certain intellectual
scepticism on the part of the subject (see: the word “uncertain” at the
beginning of the last verse of Lament xix).
In Chapter Four, “Towards Allegoresis. Allusions to Greek and Roman
Mythology and Mythological Figures in the Laments,” the author
discusses the allegorical dimension of Kochanowski’s references to mythological
figures. The truth concerning reality, which exists on the allegorical
level of the myth, i.e. the truth about the connection between the human
life and the cycle of nature and the connection with earth, the truth about
the inexorable passage of time and the inevitability of death regardless of
age or experience—this truth remains unacceptable for the lyrical I. The
confrontation of human, subjective logic with the logic of nature reveals
the lack of acceptance on the part of the subject and certain rejection of
the objective laws of the universe (“wretched Persephone”), which appears
as mysterious, uncertain and impossible to understand completely by the
human mind. The only thing which remains unsusceptible to death seems
to be love (Orpheus), but love neither soothes nor eradicates suffering.
The last chapter, entitled “Stone as a Motif and as a Symbol in Kochanowski’s
Works,” is devoted to the analysis of the motif of the stone
in Jan Kochanowski’s poetry. In the chapter, the author ventures beyond
the elegiac texts and analyses not only the Laments, but also Psalms, Songs,
Epigrams, Forricoenia (written in Latin) and other—less well-known—
works. Comparing Kochanowski’s paraphrase of the psalms with other 16th-century translations of David’s Psalter testifies not only to Kochanowski’s
excellent craftsmanship but also makes evident the peculiar
and omnipresent symbolism of the motif of the stone in his poetry. The
motif of an uncut stone as an element of nature or, in a broader sense,
an element of creation, appears usually in his works which allude to the
Judeo-Christian tradition. In Psalms, it reflects the power of God, and, as
an element which supports the enormous weight of a symbolic edifice, it
symbolises Jesus Christ. Moreover, the motif of the rock (pillar of strength,
mountain) appears in Psalms far more often than in his other works. The
rock, thus, comes to symbolise the holy place, the glory of God, safety and
support which God grants righteous and pious men. On the other hand,
the motif of a carved stone, one which has been adapted for everyday use,
is present predominantly in poems which allude to the Greek and Roman
ancient order. These poems are primarily metapoetic or meditative in
character, but there are several elegiac or love poems among them as well.
Similarly to the psalms, the symbolic nature of the stone seems to be vast,
encompassing a variety of meanings. The stone can symbolise both values
highly regarded by the human subject, and, on the other hand, the negative
aspects of reality, including the evil present in the world.
In “Conclusions,” the author emphasises that the rejection of schematic
thinking expressed in the poems, as well as their apology of individual
choices made by a subject, the preference for not only a particularly
understood “virtue” but also subjective systems of values appear to have
been so far mostly ignored by the literature on the subject. The author’s
individualism is manifested not only in his search for new artistic solutions
and his innovative attitude towards the literary legacy of antiquity (aemulatio).
Quite the opposite, the content of his works also betrays a deep
conviction concerning the necessity of respecting all human lives. Looking
back at Kochanowski’s works from the perspective of the 21st century,
when the threat of schematic thinking—for various reasons, including
perhaps the influence of contemporary media—has finally become real,
we can appreciate not only the artistry, but also the lyrical and meditative
attitude, built on extremely strong foundations (Bible and the Greek and
Roman antiquity), which remain omnipresent in the works of Jan of
Blackwood—a poet, a sage, and a humanist. | pl_PL |