Ognista miłość. Oda Macieja Kazimierza Sarbiewskiego do Świętego Stanisława Kostki
Fiery Love: Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s Ode to Saint Stanislaus Kostka

Summary/Abstract: The objective of the article is to provide background for the reading of a new annotated bilingual edition of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s ode to Saint Stanislaus Kostka. Written in 1638, when Kostka had not yet been canonized, the ode was published posthumously, many years after the poet’s death. First, the origins of the poem are presented, including the suggestions advanced by Stanisław Łubieński, the bishop of Płock, that Sarbiewski should create odes worshipping Polish saints. Other texts devoted to the venerable young man written by, or attributed to Sarbiewski are also briefly discussed. This is followed by an analysis of the ode, with special focus on its visual and theatrical properties, and on the poet’s emphasis on the mystic experiences of the Jesuit saint and his special bond with Mary. The manner of portraying the saint’s life deployed by Sarbiewski is shown to be modelled on the contemporary iconographic tradition, especially a drawing by Giacomo Lauro, which, copied by an anonymous artist was subsequently included in the collection Icones et miracula sanctorum Poloniae (Cologne 1605). Literary hagiographic works on which Sarbiewski might have drawn – both poetry and prose – are also mentioned. After the introductory section, the ode is presented in two language versions: the original Latin and the new Polish translation. The text is provided with comments detailing historical facts, discussing the ancient similia and elocutionary relations to Sarbiewski’s other texts.

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