Szymon Szymonowic (in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, Simon Simonides; in
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
, Շիմոն Շիմոնովիչ; also, in
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
, "Szymonowicz" and "Bendoński"; born
Lwów, 24 October 1558 – died 5 May 1629,
Czarnięcin, near
Zamość
Zamość (; yi, זאמאשטש, Zamoshtsh; la, Zamoscia) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021.
...
) was a Polish
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
. He was known as "the Polish
Pindar
Pindar (; grc-gre, Πίνδαρος , ; la, Pindarus; ) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar ...
."
Life
![Herb Kosciesza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Herb_Kosciesza.jpg)
Szymonowic studied in Poland (
Lwów,
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
), France and Belgium. From 1586 he was associated with
Grand Hetman
( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders.
Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military ...
and
Royal Chancellor Jan Zamoyski
Jan Sariusz Zamoyski ( la, Ioannes Zamoyski de Zamoscie; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, and the 1st '' ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Cha ...
, with whom in 1593–1605 he organized the
Zamojski Academy
The Zamoyski Academy ( pl, Akademia Zamojska; la, Hippaeum Zamoscianum) 1594–1784) was an academy founded in 1594 by Polish Crown Chancellor Jan Zamoyski."''Akademia Zamojska''" ("Zamojski Academy"), '' Encyklopedia Polski'', p. 13. It was th ...
.
In 1590 he was elevated to the nobility (''
szlachta''), with
Kościesza coat-of-arms.
A humanist fluent in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, Szymonowic wrote in Polish ''Sielanki'' (Pastorals, 1614), a work influenced by the pastoral poems of
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
and
Theocritus
Theocritus (; grc-gre, Θεόκριτος, ''Theokritos''; born c. 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Greek poet from Sicily and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry.
Life
Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from h ...
. He also wrote plays in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, e.g., ''Castus Joseph'' (1587) and ''Pentesilea'' (1614). Szymonowic is considered the last great poet of the
Polish Renaissance
The Renaissance in Poland ( pl, Renesans, Odrodzenie; literally: the Rebirth) lasted from the late 15th to the late 16th century and is widely considered to have been the Golden Age of Polish culture. Ruled by the Jagiellonian dynasty, the Crown ...
.
He was acquainted with the Scottish Latinist
Thomas Seget of Seton (1569 or 1570–1627).
[Otakar Odlozilik, "Thomas Seget: a Scottish Friend of Szymon Szymonowic," '']The Polish Review
''The Polish Review'' is an English-language academic journal published quarterly in New York City by the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. ''The Polish Review'' was established in 1956.
Editors-in-chief
The following persons hav ...
'', vol. 11, no. 1, 1966.
See also
*
List of Poles
This is a partial list of notable Polish or Polish-speaking or -writing people. People of partial Polish heritage have their respective ancestries credited.
Science
Physics
* Czesław Białobrzeski
* Andrzej Buras
* Georges Charpa ...
*
Polish poetry
Polish poetry has a centuries-old history, similar to the Polish literature.
Prominent Polish poets include
*Marcin Bielski (1495–1575); Polish historian, chronicler, writer and Renaissance satirical poet, first to use Polish, hence his designa ...
*
List of Polish-language poets
Notes
External links
*
Szymonowic's works on Polish Wikisource
1558 births
1629 deaths
16th-century Latin-language writers
17th-century Latin-language writers
Polish male writers
Polish people of Armenian descent
Writers from Lviv
16th-century Polish nobility
Polish male poets
17th-century male writers
17th-century Polish nobility
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