Techniki obrazowania w poezji Sydoniusza Apollinarisa
The Figurative Techniques in the Poetry of Sidonius Apollinaris

Summary/Abstract: Sidonius’ poetic works, especially those more elaborated, in their structural dimension depict a mythological-ekphrastic composition, similar to so-called Alexandrian and neoteric epyllion. One notices here a spectacular dimension of poetry, typical of late antique aesthetics. This dimension is manifested in definite figurative techniques, especially the excessive use of mythological metaphor, together with numerous ekphrases. Their presence has from the very beginning been very meaningful in epic poetics; it was used to obtain one of the basic categories, the so-called aesthetics of the reception of a literary work – the impression of intuition of the presented plot (ἐνάργεια – evidentia). Decisively, the most interested examples of the application of mythological metaphor in the function of figurative techniques are found in Sidonius’ emperor’s panegyrics. They are related to the manner in which goddess Roma is presented, the goddess present in all three panegyrics. Its creation is most fully rendered by the allegorical message of mythological personification in the real-historical contents of the panegyrics. Each of the portraits of Roma reflects, by way of an allegory, Sidonius’ definite political intention and it is an artistic mode to present his personal political ideas.

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