Olbrycht Karmanowski


Olbrycht Karmanowski was a Polish nobleman, member of Polish Brethren Church, courtier, poet and translator. He is regarded as one of the minor poets of Polish late Renaissance and Baroque.

Biography

Olbrycht Karmanowski was born into a family of noblemen. Information about his life is scanty. His coat of arms was Prus I. He was well educated, probably in schools at Raków and Lubartów. He also studied abroad. He took part in the Zebrzydowski Rebellion in 1607. Later he became a courtier of a powerful magnate, Lithuanian duke Krzysztof Radziwiłł the younger. Among others he was a supervisor of Radziwiłł's real estates.

Works

Olbrycht Karmanowski is the author of several poems that are preserved to this day. Among his works is the cycle Pieśni pokutne. His well-known poem is Olbrycht Karmanowski Piotrowi Kochanowskiemu, autorowi przełożenia "Gofreda". Karmanowski's Pieśń 13. W chorobie is especially interesting as an early example of enneasyllable with the caesura after the fifth syllable. This metre, introduced into Polish Renaissance verse by Jan Kochanowski but not much used before the 19th century, is extremely popular today. He used Sapphic stanzas in the poem O śmierci, too. Karmanowski was also a translator of verse, including poems by Anacreon and Ovid.

Criticism