Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski
Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski | |
---|---|
Born | 24 February 1595 Sarbiewo, Masovian Voivodeship |
Died | 2 April 1640 (aged 45) Warsaw |
Resting place | Powązki Cemetery |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Poet, writer, university teacher |
Employer | |
Movement | Baroque |
Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (in Latin, Matthiās Casimīrus Sarbievius; Lithuanian: Motiejus Kazimieras Sarbievijus; Sarbiewo, Poland, 24 February 1595[1] – 2 April 1640,[1] Warsaw, Poland), was Europe's most prominent Latin poet of the 17th century, and a renowned theoretician of poetics.
Life
Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski was born in
Returning to Poland, Sarbiewski taught rhetoric, philosophy, and theology at Vilnius University from 1626 to 1635, was then made preacher to King Władysław, and was for four years companion in his travels.[3] The fame of Sarbiewski is as wide as the world of letters. He was gifted with remarkable general talent, especially in music and the fine arts, but his chief excellence was as a poet versed in all the metres of the ancients. He was especially devoted to Horace, whose Odes he knew by heart. He also made the lyrical poetry of Pindar his own. To his familiarity with these great poets he added an industry which has given the splendid yield of his poetic works. The latest edition of these, printed at Stara Wieś in 1892, embraces four books of lyrics, a book of epodes, his posthumous Silviludia (Woodland Notes), and his book of epigrams. Of all these the lyrics furnish the best example of his qualities of mind and heart. All are pitched in a high key of thought, sentiment, or passion. His themes are for the most part love and devotion for Christ Crucified, for Our Blessed Lady, or friendship for a noble patron, such as Bishop Łubieński, Cardinal Francesco Barberini, nephew to Urban VIII, and that pontiff himself, whom he hailed as his Maecenas in several odes of exquisite finish. His noblest and most sustained efforts, however, are his patriotic odes upon the fatherland, the Knights of Poland, and kindred subjects. His tenderest pieces are those in praise of the rose, the violet, and the grasshopper, in which he rivals the grace and happy touch of Horace himself. He was crowned poeta laureatus by King Władysław IV Vasa. Urban VIII named him one of the revisers of the hymns of the Breviary, and he in particular is credited with having softened their previous ruggedness of metre. Some critics have urged that in his love of Horace he went so far as to become servile in imitating him, while others again have made a very virtue out of this close imitation. As a religious he was noted for his love of solitude, turning from the attractions of court life to solitude, prayer, and useful study and occupation.
Works
His prose works are:
- De acuto et arguto liber unicus, sive Seneca et Martialis;
- Dii gentium, a speculative work on the ancient arts and sciences;
- De perfecta poesi libri quattuor;
- De Deo uno et trino tractatus;
- De angelis;
- De physico continuo;
- Memorabilia;
- scattered orations, sermons, and letters.
Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski was the first
Gallery
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Sarbiewski portrait at the Church of St. Johns in Vilnius (by Sofija Veiverytė)
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Vilnius University Faculty of Philology(by Rimantas Gibavičius)
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One of the Vilnius University courtyards is named after M.K. Sarbiewski
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Józef Tadeusz Polkowski: Portrait of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski
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The odes of Casimire. London: printed by T. W. for Humphrey Moseley [...], 1646
See also
- List of Poles
- History of the concept of creativity
Notes
- ^ ISBN 83-211-0082-1.
- ^ John L. Flood (2006), Poets Laureate in the Holy Roman Empire: A Bio-bibliographical Handbook, Walter de Gruyter, vol. 4, pp. 2343–2345.
- ^ "Motiejus Kazimieras Sarbievijus – poetas laureatas?". ldkistorija.lt. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
External links
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Mathias Casimir Sarbiewski". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- JSTOR 25779589.
- Works by Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski at Internet Archive
- International Days of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, SI - Academia Europea Sarbieviana
- Krzysztof Fordoński; Piotr Urbański, eds. (2008). Casimir Britannicus: English Translations, Paraphrases, and Emulations of the Poetry of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski. MHRA. ISBN 9780947623739.