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Joannis Vislicensis

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Name
  
Joannis Vislicensis


Joannis Vislicensis Joannis Vislicensis Wikiwand


Education
  
Jagiellonian University

Joannis Vislicensis (Jan Vislicki, Belarusian: Ян Ві́сьліцкі; ca. 1485/90–1520) was a medieval author of epic poetry in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland, a representative of the new Latin branch of poetry. He was one of the founders of the Belarusian literature in the time of the Renaissance. Some claim he was born in the Lithuanian territory, between Kletsk and Pinsk by the river Vislica. Others consider Wislica in Poland to be his birthplace.

Contents

Joannis Vislicensis Joannis Vislicensis Wikiwand

Biography

Joannis Vislicensis studied at the University of Krakow, he was a member of professor Rusin's literature union. Received a Bachelor's degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree. In 1510–1512, Vislicensis taught Aristotle's philosophy, Euclid's mathematics and Cicero's rhetoric classes to students. He began writing epigrams to his friends, he also wrote an ode to Konstanty Ostrogski who was a commander in the well-known Battle of Orsha in 1514. Vislicensis' best-known work is his poem The Prussian War (1516). He also wrote Ode to the King Sigismund, Elegy to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Epigram on the Envious.

The Prussian War

The poem consists of 1,300 verses in hexameter divided into three parts, or three books, according to the terminology of that time:

  • The first part is a poetic prelude, the exposition of the heroic epics, addressing the gods of Olympus and Calliope, muse of the epic poetry, in order to ask for an inspiration to glorify the king and the Grand Duke Sigismund I the Old, his grandfather Jogaila and the Jagiellon dynasty. Metaphorically Vislicensis calls them "the kings of Sarmats", implying the Sarmatian origin of the Slavic nations.
  • The second part is described by the author as a "history of Lithuania, telling about the great nation where Jogaila came from". It describes the history of the Prussian people, their conquest by the Teutonic Knights, the preparation and the fighting of the Battle of Grunwald (1410). As a source of historical knowledge Vislicensis used The History of Poland by Johannes Dlugossius, letters of Jogaila, legends and historicized narratives. Describing wars Vislicensis used the experience of the ancient poetry, imitation of the pagan mythology, creating specific images. Thus, "the gifts of Ceres" means "grain crops", "Severe Mars has risen" means "the war has started".
  • The third part of the poem is dedicated to the marriage of Jogaila to Sophia Galshanska. Vislicensis describes the Duchess as "the most beautiful girl in the world", who is even more beautiful than Greek goddesses and nymphs.

    • Translations

    The only original copy of The Prussian War is kept in the Jagiellon Library in Krakow. In 1887 the original copy in Latin language was re-printed with Bronisław Kruczkiewicz's comments, also in Latin. In 1874 Władysław Syrokomla translated a part of the poem into Polish. In 1880 Karol Mecherzyński wrote a work on Joannis Vislicensis in which he quoted some verses from The Prussian War. A full translation of the poem appeared in Polish language in 1932 in Lwow. In 2006, the poem was translated into Belarusian by Zhanna Nekrashevich-Karotka. The texts in the book are printed both in Latin and Belarusian.

    References

    Joannis Vislicensis Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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