Jan Kochanowski
Jan Kochanowski | |
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Kingdom of Poland | |
Died | August 22, 1584 | (aged 53–54)
Resting place | Zwoleń |
Other names | Jan z Czarnolasu |
Alma mater | University of Padua |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1550–1584 |
Known for | Major influence on Polish poetry; first major Polish poet |
Notable work |
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Spouse | |
Children | 7 |
Signature | |
Jan Kochanowski (Polish:
In his youth Kochanowski traveled to Italy, where he studied at the University of Padua, and to France. In 1559 he returned to Poland, where he made the acquaintance of political and religious notables including Jan Tarnowski, Piotr Myszkowski (whom he briefly served as courtier), and members of the influential Radziwiłł family.
From about 1563, Kochanowski served as secretary to King Sigismund II Augustus. He accompanied the King to several noteworthy events, including the Sejm of 1569 (held in Lublin), which enacted the Union of Lublin, formally establishing the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1564 he was made provost of Poznań Cathedral. By the mid-1570s he had largely retired to his estate at Czarnolas, where in 1584 he died, most likely of a heart attack.
All his life, Kochanowski was a prolific writer. Works of his that are pillars of the
Life
Early life (1530–1550s)
Details of Jan Kochanowski's life are sparse and come primarily from his own writings.
Little is known of Jan Kochanowski's early education. At fourteen, in 1544, he was sent to the
Career and royal court (1559–1570s)
In 1559 Kochanowski permanently returned to Poland, where he was active as a humanist and a Renaissance poet. He spent the next fifteen years as a courtier, though little is known about his first few years on return to Poland. The period covering the years 1559-1562 is poorly documented. It can be assumed that the poet established closer contacts with the court of Jan Tarnowski, the voivode of Kraków, and the Radziwiłłs.[9] In mid-1563, Jan entered the service of the Vice Chancellor of the Crown and bishop Piotr Myszkowski, thanks to whom he received the title of royal secretary. There are no details concerning the duties performed by Jan at the royal court. On 7 February 1564 Kochanowski was admitted to the provostship in the Poznań cathedral, which Myszkowski had renounced.[10]: 114–121
Around 1562–63 he was a courtier to Bishop Filip Padniewski and Voivode Jan Firlej. From late 1563 or early 1564, he was affiliated with the royal court of King Sigismund II Augustus, serving as a royal secretary. During that time he received two benefices (incomes from parishes). In 1567 he accompanied the King during an episode of the Lithuanian-Muscovite War , itself a part of the Livonian War: a show of force near Radashkovichy. In 1569 he was present at the sejm of 1569 in Lublin which enacted the Union of Lublin establishing the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.[3]: 186 [4]: 61
Late life and Czarnolas (1571–1584)
From 1571 onward, Kochanowski began to spend more time at a family estate in the village of
In 1576 Kochanowski was a royal envoy to the
Kochanowski died, probably of a heart attack, in Lublin on 22 August 1584, aged 54. He was buried in the crypt of a parish church in Zwoleń.[3]: 187 [4]: 61 [14][15] According to historical records, at least two tombstones were erected for Kochanowski, one in Zwoleń and another in Policzno, neither of which survives. In 1830 Kochanowski's remains were moved to his family crypt by the Zwoleń church authorities. In 1983 they were returned to the church, and in 1984 another funeral was held for the poet.[16]
In 1791 Kochanowski's reputed skull had been removed from his tomb by Tadeusz Czacki, who kept it in his estate at Porycko.[17] He later gave it to Izabela Czartoryska; by 1874, it had been transported to the Czartoryski Museum, where it currently resides. However, anthropological studies in 2010 showed it to be the skull of a woman, possibly Kochanowski's wife.[18]
Works
Kochanowski's earliest known work may be the Polish-language Pieśń o potopie (Song of the Deluge ), possibly composed as early as 1550. His first publication was the 1558 Latin-language Epitaphium Cretcovii , an epitaph dedicated to his recently deceased colleague Erazm Kretkowski . Kochanowski's works from his youthful Padua period comprise mostly elegies, epigrams, and odes.[3]: 187
Upon his return to Poland in 1559, his works generally took the form of epic poetry and included the commemoratives O śmierci Jana Tarnowskiego (On the Death of Jan Tarnowski, 1561) and Pamiątka wszytkimi cnotami hojnie obdarzonemu Janowi Baptiście hrabi na Tęczynie (Remeberance for the All-Blessed Jan Baptist, Count at Tęczyna, 1562-64); the more serious Zuzanna (1562) and Proporzec albo hołd pruski (The Banner, or the Prussian Homage , 1564); the satirical[1][5] social- and political-commentary poems Zgoda (Accord , or Harmony, ca. 1562) and Satyr albo Dziki Mąż (The Satyr, or the Wild Man , 1564); and the light-hearted Szachy (Chess, ca. 1562-66).[3]: 187 The last, about a game of chess, has been described as the first Polish-language "humorous epic or heroicomic poem".[4]: 62
Some of his works can be seen as journalistic commentaries, before the advent of journalism per see, expressing views of the royal court in the 1560s and 1570s, and aimed at members of parliament (the
A major work from that period was Odprawa posłów greckich (
During the 1560s and 1570s, Kochanowski completed a series of elegies titled Treny, which were later published in three volumes in 1584 (in English generally titled Laments rather than
In 1579 Kochanowski translated into Polish one of the Psalms, Psalterz Dawidów (David's Psalter). By the mid-18th century, at least 25 editions had been published. Set to music, it became an enduring element of Polish church masses and popular culture. It also became one of the poet's more influential works internationally, translated into Russian by Symeon of Polotsk and into Romanian, German, Lithuanian, Czech, and Slovak.[3]: 188 [23] His Pieśni (Songs ), written over his lifetime and published posthumously in 1586, reflect Italian lyricism and "his attachment to antiquity", in particular to Horace,[4]: 65–66 and have been highly influential for Polish poetry.[3]: 187
Kochanowski also translated into Polish several ancient classical Greek and Roman works, such as the Phenomena of Aratus and fragments of Homer's Illiad.[3]: 188 Kochanowski's notable Latin works include Lyricorum libellus (Little Book of Lyrics, 1580), Elegiarum libri quatuor (Four Books of Elegies, 1584), and numerous occasional poems. His Latin poems were translated into Polish in 1829 by Kazimierz Brodziński, and in 1851 by Władysław Syrokomla.[1][5]
In some of his works, Kochanowski used
Views
Like many persons of his time he was deeply religious, and a number of his works are inspired by religion. However, he avoided taking sides in the strife between the Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations; he stayed on friendly terms with figures of both Christian currents, and his poetry was viewed as acceptable by both.[4]: 62
Influence
Kochanowski has been described as the greatest Polish poet prior to
According to Ulewicz, Kochanowski both created modern Polish poetry and introduced it to Europe.
Kochanowski never ceased writing in
American historian Larry Wolf argues that Kochanowski "contributed to the creation of a vernacular culture in the Polish language";[27] Polish literary historian Elwira Buszewicz describes him as "the 'founding father' of elegant humanist Polish-language poetry";[23] and American Slavicist and translator David Welsh writes that Kochanowski's greatest achievement was his "transformation of the Polish language as a medium for poetry".[24]: 136 [28][3]: 187 Ulewicz credits Kochanowski's Songs as most influential in this regard, while Davies writes that "Kochanowski's Psalter did for Polish what Luther's Bible did for German".[29]: 259 Kochanowski's works also influenced the development of Lithuanian literature.[22]
Legacy
Kochanowski's first published collection of poems was his David's Psalter (printed 1579).[4]: 63 A number of his works were published posthumously, first in a series of volumes in Kraków in 1584–90, ending with Fragmenta albo pozostałe pisma (Fragments, or Remaining Writings).[3]: 189 [5] That series included works from his Padua period and his Fraszki (Epigrams).[3]: 187 1884 saw a jubilee volume published in Warsaw.[3]: 189 [5]
In 1875 many of Kochanowski's poems were translated into German by H. Nitschmann.
Kochanowski's oeuvre has inspired modern Polish literary, musical, and visual art. Fragments of Jan Kochanowski's poetry were also used by Jan Ursyn Niemcewicz in the libretto for the opera Jan Kochanowski, staged in Warsaw in 1817.[34] In the 19th century, musical arrangements of Lamentations and the Psalter gained popularity. Stanisław Moniuszko wrote songs for bass with piano accompaniment to the texts of Lamentations III, V, VI and X.[35] In 1862, the Polish history painter Jan Matejko depicted him in the painting Jan Kochanowski nad zwłokami Urszulki (Jan Kochanowski and his Deceased Daughter Ursula). In 1961 a museum (the Jan Kochanowski Museum in Czarnolas ) opened on Kochanowski's estate at Czarnolas.[3]: 189
See also
- The Dismissal of the Greek Envoys
- Laments (Kochanowski)
- List of Poles
- Political fiction
- Sapphic stanza in Polish poetry
References
- ^ a b c d e f This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). . Encyclopedia Americana.
- ^ a b Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Ulewicz, Tadeusz (1968). "Jan Kochanowski". Polski słownik biograficzny (in Polish). Vol. 13. Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich - Wydawawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-520-04477-7.
- ^ New International Encyclopedia(1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
- ^ a b Smusz, Aleksandra (11 September 2021). "Jan Kochanowski - informacje o autorze, biografia". lekcjapolskiego.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-000-45359-1.
- ^ a b Kotarski, Edmund. "Jan Kochanowski". Virtual Library of Polish Literature. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ISBN 978-83-214-0379-3.
- ^ a b Garbaczowa, Maria; Urban, Wacław, eds. (1985). Źródła urzędowe do biografii Jana Kochanowskiego [Official sources for the biography of Jan Kochanowski] (in Polish). Warszawa: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich.
- ISBN 83-7059-009-8.
- ISSN 0551-3790.
- ^ Józef, Gacki (1869). O rodzinie Jana Kochanowskiego, o jej majętnościach i fundacyach: Kilkanaście pism urzędowych (in Polish). Warszawa: Gebethner i Wolff. pp. 75–76.
- ^ "Krypta ze szczątkami Jana Kochanowskiego dostępna dla turystów". Dzieje.pl (in Polish). Warsaw: Polish Press Agency and Polish History Museum. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ Pisze, Jakub (3 September 2012). "W poszukiwaniu wiecznego spoczynku – tułaczka szczątków Jana z Czarnolasu". HISTORIA.org.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ISBN 83-01-01196-3.
- ^ Zgorzelski, Czesław (1930). "Czesław Zgorzelski, Sycyna, Czarnolas i Zwoleń w opisach wędrówek po kraju". Alma Mater Vilnensis (in Polish). 9. Wilno: 37.
- ^ Mrowiec, Małgorzata (15 November 2010). "Głosy sceptyków nad żeńską czaszką Jana Kochanowskiego". Dziennik Polski (in Polish). Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ OCLC 226295845.
- ^ Paczkowski, Grzegorz (31 July 2021). "Odprawa posłów greckich - streszczenie – Jan Kochanowski, Odprawa posłów greckich - opracowanie – Zinterpretuj.pl" (in Polish). Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- OCLC 11843473.
- ^ ISSN 1392-4095.
- ^ S2CID 260784636.
- ^ JSTOR 306298.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-925339-5.
- S2CID 164055835.
- ISSN 1876-3308.
- ISBN 978-0-8057-2490-5.
- ISBN 978-0-19-164713-0.
- ^ The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature. Maxwell Sommerville. 1894.
- ^ S2CID 164224517.
- JSTOR 25777888.
- OCLC 32237008.
- ^ Niziurski, Mirosław (1981). "Muzyczne opracowania tekstów Jana Kochanowskiego". Rocznik Świętokrzyski. IX: 199–210.
- ^ Opieński, Henryk (7 June 1930). "Kurier Poznański". Vol. 261. p. 25.
Further reading
- Welsh, David J. (1974). Jan Kochanowski. Twayne Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8057-2490-5.
External links
- Digitized works by Jan Kochanowski in Polish Digital National Library
- Works by Jan Kochanowski at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Jan Kochanowski at Internet Archive
- Works by Jan Kochanowski at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Works by Kochanowski with commentary at WolneLektury.pl
- Selection of translated poems
- Translations of Jan Kochanowski Archived 3 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine by Teresa Bałuk-Ulewiczowa
- Translations of Jan Kochanowski by Michał J. Mikoś
- Jan Kochanowski at culture.pl
- Jan Kochanowski collected works (Polish)