SZYMONOWICZ
422
SZYMONOWICZ
also educated; after which (1614) he retired to the
country, where he remained until his death. He was
never married. Szymonowicz may be styled the last
of the Polish Humanists, to whom indeed he belongs
both by his erudition and by the character of his
creations. He spent the greater part of his hfe
writing Latin poems, once much appreciated through-
out Kurope. The best of these are: "Flagellum
Livoris", a collection of odes dedicated to Zamoyski;
"iEUnopa^an", in honour of one of Zamoyski's vic-
tories; Joel Propheta", a paraphrase of the Book
of Joel, inscribed to Clement VIH, whom our poet
had known personally as a legate in Poland; "Her-
cules Prodiceus", written for his pupil, the young
Thomas Zamoyski; and two dramas: "Penthesilea"
and "Castus Joseph".
His first Polish verses were written in 1606, in favour of the rebellion of Zebrzydowski. He also wrote a few fugitive poems, but his fame mainly rests on his "Idyls", which appeared in 1614. They were the first and still remain the best poems of the kind in the Polish lansuage. They faithfully follow the old classical type, so often imitated by French and
Italian Humanists in the fifteenth and sixteenth cen-
turies; but under this form there is a true national
element, and the Polish landscape and peasantry are
gracefully described. Like Virgil's "Eclogues", all
are short; several were composed on special occasions.
Not all are uniformly beautiful, indeed the finest are
often marred by weak passages. But they have the
merit of simplicity, not unfrequent depth of feeling
or pleasant wit and humour, profound poUtical allu-
sions, clarity of thought and a noble diction. His
influence is visible in the writings of both the Zi-
morowicz, and also in Gavinski's "Idyls". More
recently he has been imitated by Naruszewicz, and at
times by Kniaznin and Karpinski. In the nine-
teenth century Mickiewicz appreciated him admir-
ably in his course of lectures on Slavic Uterature, and,
we may say, rediscovered him.
BiELOWSKi, Szymon Szymonowicz (Cracow, 1875) ; Tysztnski. Szymmiowicz i jegosielanki (Warsaw, 1.875); Weilewski, Sielnnki Szymona Szymonowicza (Kutno, 1S64) ; Kallenbach, Szymonowicza Dramal Castus Joseph (Warsaw, 1892) ; Ubanowicz, Zywot S. Szymonowiera (ZIoczow, 1894); Chrzanowski, Tra~ yedya S. Szymonowicza Castus Joseph (Warsaw. 1892); Hahn, Szymonowicz Jakz filo of (Lemberg, 1897) .
St. Tarnowski.
