Ona Daukšienė. Sigismundus Laetus – Sigismundus Lauxmin? On Some Mysterious Addressees of Sarbievius’s Odes. Ona Daukšienė The paper raises the issues of identification of so far unknown or little known addressees of poetry by Mathias...
moreOna Daukšienė. Sigismundus Laetus – Sigismundus Lauxmin? On Some Mysterious Addressees of Sarbievius’s Odes. Ona Daukšienė
The paper raises the issues of identification of so far unknown or little known
addressees of poetry by Mathias Casimirus Sarbievius (Maciej Kazimierz
Sarbiewski, 1595–1640), or of revision of information about them. Neither
Lithuanian nor Polish scholars have achieved much in this field during the
past decades: since Krystyna Stawecka’s paper on the addressees of Sarbievius’
poetry (1975), the data has not been updated with some exceptions, including
specifications made by Józef Warszawski SJ (1984) and information on Wojciech
Turski (Albertus Turscius), the addressee of Ode IV. 32, in a recent paper by
Wojciech Ryczek (2016).
Therefore in the present study attention was focused on two groups of
addressees of Sarbievius’s lyrical poetry. The first group consisted of his friends or
fellow-students, mostly Jesuits, the information about whom is scarce, while the
second group included individuals referred to in pseudonyms that have not been
identified yet and who, in the opinion of earlier scholars, could be fictitious. In
the effort to find out whether the supposedly real friends of the poet did not hide
behind these pseudonyms, the yet-unidentified addressee of Ode IV. 11 named
by the pseudonym of Sigismundus Laetus, was identified. It was Žygimantas
Liauksminas SJ (Sigismundus, Zygmunt Lauxmin SJ, 1587/98–1670), the
author of well-known works on rhetoric and music theory and a future vicerector
of Vilnius University. According to some sources, his risible nature had
earned him the nickname ‘Tėvas Linksmas’ (‘Father Joyful’, in the Latin laetus).
He was several years younger than Sarbievius and, correspondingly, entered the
novitiate in Vilnius later, but it was at Vilnius Academy that during certain stages
of their studies their paths crossed. This happened between 1620 and 1622,
when Liauksminas was studying philosophy and Sarbievius was a student of
theology; also, between 1627 and 1629, when the former continued and then
successfully completed his studies of philosophy, and the latter was teaching
rhetoric and philosophy. The characteristic of Liauksminas in the reference of
his tertianship (1629–1630, written by Laurentius Bartilius SJ in 1630) found
in Liber provincialis, about how he could not often suppress laughter, matches
the nickname ‘Father Joyful’ mentioned in other sources. Associations with
Sarbievius’ Ode IV. 11 can be discerned in this reference. The author recommends
72 S E N O J I L I E T U VO S L I T E R AT Ū R A. 44 K N YG A
the addressee to maintain silence (silentium commendat); from the position of
an older companion (socius), he offers well-meant advice on despising vain glory,
avoiding fame and the favour of the crowd. (The above-mentioned characteristic
mentions Liauksminas’ certain ‘not completely suppressed’ habits and points out
that he is open to a warning and adequately receptive to criticism addressed to
him.) Up until now, Sigismundus Laetus, the addressee of Ode IV. 11, has been
referred to as a fictitious or anonymous individual both by Polish and Lithuanian
scholars. The approximate date of the composition of this ode was presumed to
be between 1628 and 1631, which almost coincides with the documented dates
of communication of the two famous Jesuits of the Lithuanian province. In this
paper, however, it is proposed that the later date should be moved to 1630 or
even to 1629.
In addition, the paper provides additional information on Wojciech Turski,
the addressee of Ode IV. 32. Very likely he met Sarbievius at Polotsk College in
1626–1627 when they both taught there: Turskis was in charge of the grammar
class and Sarbievius taught rhetoric. There is no doubt that from 1628 they
communicated in Vilnius: from 1628 to 1631, Sarbievius must have been
Turski’s professor in philosophy, and from 1632 to 1635 he taught theology.
According to Liber provincialis, on 2 June 1631 Turski took an examination in
metaphysics and received the highest grades in his course, and Sarbievius was
one of the examiners. The paper raises a hypothesis that the themes of the ode
dedicated to Turski (dreams, poetry, and flight) were not incidental, and that the
ode might have been written in 1631.
A conclusion is drawn that Sarbievius’ poetical works dedicated to the abovementioned
and other identified or implied fellow Jesuits comprise a common
thematic field that encompasses the elements of Jesuit spirituality, poetical
representations of the significance of vows, treasured friendship of the socii,
or companions, the motifs of the importance of well-meant advice for spiritual
advancement, and the like. This conclusion opens possibilities to expand the
existing interpretations of Sarbievius’ verses, because it is this particular type
of his work that is often and rather one-sidedly treated as merely adaptations of
Horatian patterns or, for instance, as presentation of stoicism ideas.
