View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Journals from University of Tartu INTERLITT ERA RIA 2014, 19/2: 276–292 “Finis epigrammatis est anima eius”: Transformations of the Content of the Latin Epigram in the Epoch of the Baroque ŽIVILĖ NEDZINSKAITĖ Abstract. After the flowering of the epigram in Ancient Greece and Rome, greater attention to this genre was paid at the beginning of the Renaissance, and the epoch of the Baroque (the 17–18th centuries) could be called one of the brightest periods of epigram revival and prosperity in all Europe. In the 16–18th centuries literary theorists in their works discussed the place of the epigram in the hierarchy of literary genres, determined their functions, form, defined the possibilities of content. By suggesting that the form of the epigram had not been settled in Antiquity, theorists gave most attention to the content of the epigram and explained how, when in imitating the most famous ancient authors, the epigram could be given Christian features. The article, using comparative methods, will analyze how epigrams of Martial were imitated by the poet of the 17th century Grand Duchy of Lithuania M. C. Sarbievius. Keywords: epigram, Baroque, poetics, rhetoric, Neo-Latin Literature Introduction In the epoch of the Baroque, especially great attention was paid to the small poetic genres – the epithalamium, emblem, etc. Most popular and flourishing was the epigram which was considered to be the basis of all small literary forms and was treated as the genre demanding the highest poetical technique from the author as well as mature talent and artifice. The peculiarity of the public life of the 17–18th centuries also contributed to the popularity of the epigram. At that time, the most important moments in the public life of the higher estates – weddings, funerals, celebrations on the occasion of taking up positions of worldly or church authority, meetings of the lords, their family members, war leaders, etc. – were celebrated in texts which were recited, written on occasional decorations, were printed in special publications. Most of such texts were epigrams and their derivatives (Patiejūnienė 1998: 13). Epigrams were also an important part of the work of the most famous poets of the 17th century who wrote in Latin. In Europe, there came into DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12697/IL.2014.19.2.3 277 Transformations of the Content of the Latin Epigram in the Epoch of the Baroque being the Olympus of the authors of epigram poetry, and mostly the members of the Society of Jesus (Societas Iesu) belonged to it. In Germany, famous for the epigrams were Jacob Bidermann (Jacobus Bidermanus, 1578–1639), in Belgium – Bernard van Bauhuysen (Bernardus Bauhusius, 1575–1619), in France – François Remond (Franciscus Remondus, 1558 or 1562–1631), in England – John Owen (Ioannes Audoenus, 1563–1622), in Italy – Emanuele Thesauro (Emanuel Tesaurus, 1591–1675), in Poland – Albert Ines (Albertus Ines, 1619–1658), Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (Mathias Casimirus Sarbie- vius, 1595–1640). Theoretical resources of the epigram After the flowering of the epigram in Ancient Greece and Rome, greater attention to this genre was given at the beginning of the Renaissance, when intensive copying of collections of antique epigrams, looking for unknown texts and comprising new anthologies came into fashion. Precisely in this epoch, the epigram and its cognate genre forms also started to be explained and analysed in the works of the most famous literary theorists. The following epoch of the Baroque (17–18th centuries) could be called one of the brightest periods of epigram revival and flourishing in the whole of Europe. In the 16–18th centuries, literary theorists in their works discussed the place of the epigram in the hierarchy of literary genres, determined its functions, form, defined the possibilities of content. Considering the form of the epigram as having been settled, the focus was on the content and how this could be made Christian. Epigram in Scaliger’s Poetices libri septem The most famous theorists of literature of the Renaissance, Julius Caesar Scaliger, whose typology of genres and poetry was in use for the subsequent two hundred years, in the work Poetices libri septem (1561) offered the definition of the epigram, which in the course of time has become a classical one and was almost literally repeated by other theorists: “So, the epigram is a short poem, usually evaluating a thing, person or event, or making a conclusion from the given statements.” (Scaliger 1586: 430) In his work Scaliger presented the classification of epigrams as well, distinguishing two main types: the simple one (simplex) and the compositional one (compositus). The simple epigrams describe a certain event. The purpose of the compositional epigrams is different – their content, i.e. the depicted 278 NEDZINSKA ITĖ events, is only the first stage in a more complex interpretation of the chosen topic, which sometimes can be contrary to the reader’s preconceived notions (Scaliger 1586: 431). Scaliger also named the main features of the epigram which already in Antiquity had become “the visiting card” of the genre. First of all, he indicates the brevity (brevitas) of the work, and as another, but not less important feature, the vividness or flexibility (argutia). For the authors of the epoch of the Baroque, the most important feature of the epigram was flexibility (argutia), which was especially emphasized by Scaliger as well, calling flexibility the soul and the form of the epigram (anima ac forma) and indicating that it can best be achieved through a sudden or unanticipated end of the work (Scaliger 1586: 431). Discussing the variety of kinds of epigrams, topics, ways of versification, Scaliger emphasized that even for the most talented author it is very difficult to comprehend and reveal all the nobility and dignity codified in the genre. The theorist warned that only a few are able to match and ingeniously combine many different and usually controversial things in one short work: word elegance with the validity of the chosen topic, sharpness of idea with the grace of expression, perfect rhythm with proper sound. Also a difficult task of the author is to grip the listeners since the first till the last word and not to forget to reveal what is most important – the truth (Scaliger 1586: 433). The main ideas of Scaliger’s poetics were absorbed by other famous theorists of literature in the 17th century, and in the course of literary and cultural change, with minor literary forms becoming more popular, the genre of the epi gram in literary works was discussed more consistently and comprehensively. Theory of Epigram in Pontano’s Poeticarum institutionum libri tres Scaliger’s work was continued by one of the most famous Jesuit philologists Jacob Pontano. His book Poeticarum institutionum libri tres (1594), published as the textbook for Jesuit school, was not only the first, but also one of the most popular Jesuit poetics, which was the basis for many literary theorists of the 17th century.1 Considering Scaliger an unquestioned authority and having taken his model of literary genres, Pontano considered the new tendencies of 1 Later Pontano’s work was supplemented and arranged by John Buchler (Ioannes Buchlerus, 1570–1640). Pontano’s work was often printed as the addition to the 279 Transformations of the Content of the Latin Epigram in the Epoch of the Baroque that time as well. Therefore in his work, most attention is given to emerging popular minor literary genres, which were shortly discussed by Scaliger. According to the language structure, Pontano distinguished three kinds of poetry, considering the genres fully subordinate to them. But not limiting himself to such a scheme, in the second and third parts of his work he presented to the readers many different forms of poetry, beginning with the epic, tragedy, comedy, and finishing with the epigram and epitaph.2 It should be noticed that the genre of epigram was analysed by Pontano in more detail than Scaliger. At the beginning sharing Scaliger’s definition of the epigram and epigram distribution into the simple and complex ones, stating that epigrams have to be written gracefully, sharply, exquisitely and briefly (eleganter, acute, urbane, breviter) (Pontanus 1609: 80), Pontano later discussed a more elaborate classification of the epigrams, referring to different criteria. Firstly, a formal distribution of epigrams is presented according to their direct purpose: some are used for making records of things, others contain appraisals or the defects are indicated, and the third ones flexibly tell what is unexpected, new, surprising or what is imagined by the author of the work himself (Pontanus 1609: 83). One more distribution of epigrams in Pontano’s work concerns features that are borrowed from the tragedy, the comedy and the epic. Pontano stated that epigram has taken from the epic the appraisals for famous men, cities, rivers, ports, places, sources, monuments etc. The environment of the fairy- tale and miracle is also borrowed from the epic, as in the epigram “unbelievably beautifully there speak God or nymph, satyr, etc.” (Pontanus 1609: 84). Tragedy, as it was stated by Pontano, is characteristic of the depiction of important and magnificent things that ennoble the listener or reader through sufferings and sympathy. The tragedy is also characteristic of wonder which is first of all caused by unexpected vicissitudes (fortuna), and still more surprising are the things which result from each other unexpectedly. The epigrams, written on the topic of death, are also related to tragedy because death in itself is a tragic event. In the comedy, one is blamed for improper and immoral behaviour, somebody’s bad acts and works are presented or ridiculed.