Przypisy
Z. Wróbel, Erotyzm w literaturze dawnych wieków [Eroticism in in the literature of past ages] (Łódź: 1986), p. 137.
Extracts from these kinds of works, either anonymous or marked by copyists and later readers with the names of both famous and lesser-known authors, include the following manuscripts: B PAN Kr. 615, B PAN Kórn. 11190, B Ossol.: 451/III; 5833/II; 5834/III; 7070/II, vol. XLIII (Erotica XVIII wieku [Erotica of the 18th century] – a collection of texts developed by Ludwik Bernacki on the basis of manuscript copies); BAN Lviv, collection of G. Pawlikowski 246; National Central Historical Archive in Kyiv, ref. F. 228, register 2, no. 14 (in this case, narrative poems assigned to Naruszewicz: Czyściec [Purgatory], Pielgrzym [Pilgrim], Słowik [Nightingale]); B Pol. w Paryżu 127 (here, e.g., entry 30, a narrative poem entitled Hilary by the same author, entitled Przypadki Imci Pana Hilarego [The Fortunes of Mr. Hilary]).
That was visible in Old-Polish bucolics, e.g., in the collection of Szymon Zimorowic Roksolanki to jest Ruskie panny [Roksolanki or Russian girls]. See D. Chemperek, “Miłość i erotyzm w cyklach sielankowych pierwszej połowy XVII wieku” [Love and eroticism in the idyllic cycles of the first half of the 17th century], in: “Amor vincit omnia”. Erotyzm w literaturze staropolskiej [Eroticism in Old Polish literature], ed. R. Krzywy (Warsaw: 2008), p. 47. Conversely, in Sielanki [Idylls] Szymonowic stipulated the need to maintain erotic passion within the limits of Christian morality (ibid., pp. 42-43).
Compare: a bucolic by Karpiński entitled Laura i Filon, in which the protagonist expressed his hope that Laura would eventually learn ‘co do dzisiejszej łaski przyczynić’ [what could bring today’s grace closer] and that ‘taka miłość niecała’ [such love is partial]; see: idem, Wiersze zebrane [Collected poems], part I, publ. T. Chachulski (Warsaw: 2005), p. 51 (“Biblioteka Pisarzy Polskiego Oświecenia” [The Library of Writers of the Polish Enlightenment], vol. 5).
Amor dziś moim hetmanem. Erotyki wszeteczne i wstydliwe [Amor is my chieftain today. Sexual and shameful eroticism], selection and edition W. Nawrocki (Warsaw: 1995); “Płodny jest świat w występki”. Antologia polskiej libertyńskiej poezji erotycznej XVIII wieku [‘The world of vices is fruitful.’ Anthology of Polish libertine erotic poetry of the 18th century], selected and prepared for printing and introduction, and notes of authors and their origins by W. Nawrocki (Piotrków Trybunalski: 1996).
Sekscytacje. Antologia polskiej literatury frywolnej, rubasznej i obscenicznej [Sexcitations. An anthology of Polish literature, frivolous, coarse and obscene], selection, introduction, bios and notes by A. Możdżonek, illustrations by F. Maśluszczak (Brwinów: 2009). Enlightenment poems were included on pages 53-119.
See J. Szczepaniec, Cenzura [Censorship], in: Słownik literatury polskiego oświecenia [Dictionary of Polish Enlightenment Literature], ed. T. Kostkiewiczowa (Wrocław: 2002), 3rd edition unaltered, pp. 43-50.
Derived from Sotades of Maroneia (a Greek poet who died in 279 BC), who framed his eroticism-filled poetry in elegant, refined language devoid of any obscenities (compare entry: Sotades, in: Słownik pisarzy antycznych [Dictionary of Ancient Writers], ed. A. Świderkówna (Warsaw: 1982), p. 432).
Obscene literature applies not only to the sphere of sexuality but also to physiology and revealing intimate private issues in the context of specific persons, though, of course, eroticism is the topic most commonly raised in obscene work, and it is the most popular among readers.
This strategy was common in ephemeral political poetry of the Enlightenment, however, the use of private and intimate matters of public figures for the purposes of disavowing them by their political opponents has not yet been studied in a comprehensive manner.
This was the character of, e.g., invasive poems by Adam Naruszewicz or Antoni Korwin Kossakowski (the latter being an author of panegyric, reflective, religious and political works, and of Przewodnik warszawski [Warsaw Guide], as well as wanton poems, the so-called ‘dessert’ poems, placed underneath napkins of the guests coming to the King’s literary Thursdays) – friends once, who in time began attacking each other, each accusing the other of writing obscene erotic works; see: R. Kaleta, “Bójka literacka A. Naruszewicza z A.K. Kossakowskim” [A. Naruszewicz’s literary fight with A.K. Kossakowski], in: idem, Oświeceni i sentymentalni. Studia nad literaturą i życiem w Polsce w okresie trzech rozbiorów [Enlightened and sentimental. Studies on literature and life in Poland during the three partitions] (Wrocław: 1971), pp. 137-168.
E. Rabowicz, “Oświeceniowe ‘przewodniki’ po warszawskich domach rozkoszy” [Enlightenment ‘guides’ to Warsaw’s pleasure homes], in: Przewodniki warszawskie [Warsaw Guides], texts organised and edited by idem, Zeszyty Naukowe Wydziału Humanistycznego UG. (Dodatek do prac historycznoliterackich) [Scientific Journals of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Gdańsk. (Supplement to historical and literary works)], issue 8–9 (Gdańsk: 1985), p. 22.
See an interesting article by Anna Śledź, “Przerywnik czy wykrzyknik? Analiza semantyczna i składniowa pewnych użyć słów uważanych za wulgarne” [Intermission or exclamation mark? Semantic and syntactic analysis of certain uses of words considered vulgar], in: Poradnik Językowy [The Linguistic Guide] issue 3 (2003), pp. 69-74.
Compare: the remarks contextual for these works by Edmund Rabowicz on the influence of Piron on the writers of Polish Enlightenment (idem, “Stanisław Trembecki w świetle nowych źródeł” [Stanisław Trembecki in the light of new sources], in: Studia z Okresu Oświecenia [Studies from the Enlightenment Period], vol. 3 (Wrocław: 1965), pp. 266-267).
This is the title in: E. Rabowicz, “Oświeceniowe ‘przewodniki’ po warszawskich domach rozkoszy” p. 23. The title, after applying transcription rules in reference to works of literature from the second half of the 18th century: Pochwała burdelu.
Title in: “Płodny jest świat w występki”…, pp. 105-108; compare also: J. Snopek, Objawienie i oświecenie. Z dziejów libertynizmu w Polsce [Revelation and Enlightenment. From the history of libertinism in Poland] (Wrocław: 1986), p. 135 (it includes remarks on the blasphemous narrative poem by S.K. Potocki); rough copy version of the work in: AGAD, Archiwum Publiczne Potockich 250, pp. 126-128.
J. Ziomek, Pornografia i obscenum [Pornography and obscene], in: idem, Powinowactwa literatury. Studia i szkice [Affinities of literature. Studies and essays] (Warsaw: 1980), p. 301.
These kinds of erotic works will not be discussed in detail here, as fundamentally they did not violate any taboos.
The term ‘erotic portions’ appeared in a discussion of ‘salty literature’ in the typology of erotic literature proposed by Paul Englisch, who was one of the first researchers to attempt to organise the vast body of literature in this area and who proposed terminology that was intended to encompass the majority of these kinds of works (idem, Geschichte der erotischen Literatur (Stuttgart: 1927), pp. 3-8). His identification of the branches of erotic literature raises many issues, mainly considering its inconsistent criteria for distinguishing types of erotic literature where, e.g., some criteria considered the linguistic layer while others the topics (the dominant theme or the so-called ‘erotic portions’), or the ethical/moral undertone of the erotic content included in the works; other criteria considered the functions being realised in the readings of the texts while other still looked at the intentions of authors (be it to mock, accept, or play). Though it is difficult, if not impossible, to unequivocally ascribe erotic works to a specific type, one must conclude that this division does seem useful, mainly because it inspires one to apply corrections or further specify the types. That seems to be the reason why the views of P. Englisch were so influential on later researchers of this kind of literature, including on Polish scholars (e.g., Zdzisław Wróbel, Juliusz Wiktor Gomulicki and Jerzy Ziomek).
Manuscript B PAN Kr. 1141, p. 160; see also: R. Kaleta, Oświeceni i sentymentalni…, p. 247.
Remarks regarding this text in the context of other poems by Czyż – see: T. Kostkiewiczowa, Klasycyzm, sentymentalizm, rokoko. Szkice o prądach literackich polskiego Oświecenia [Classicism, sentimentality, Rococo. Sketches on the literary trends of the Polish Enlightenment] (Warsaw: 1975), p. 370 and 379-380.
See: B. Wolska, “Poezja polityczna czasów pierwszego rozbioru i sejmu delegacyjnego 1772-1775” [Political poetry during the first partition and the delegation parliament 1772-1775] in: Studia z Okresu Oświecenia, vol. 19 (Wrocław: 1983), p. 225; see also: E. Rabowicz, “Oświeceniowe ‘przewodniki’ po warszawskich domach rozkoszy”, p. 12. A more extensive discussion of the text and its critical edition in: B. Wolska, “Wierszowane pamflety polityczne na przywódców sejmu rozbiorowego (1773-1775)” [Verse political pamphlets for the leaders of the Partition Sejm (1773-1775)], in: Miscellanea z doby Oświecenia [Miscellanea from the Age of Enlightenment], 6, ed. Z. Goliński (Wrocław: 1982), Archiwum Literackie [Literary Archive], vol. 25, pp. 76-77; 93-95.
On this topic, see: K. Maksimowicz, introduction to: Wiersze polityczne Sejmu Czteroletniego [Political poems by the Four-Year Sejm], from letters by E. Rabowicz edition eadem, part I: 1788-1789 (Warsaw: 1998), p. 18; “Wizerunek Wojciecha Suchodolskiego w wierszach czasu Sejmu Czteroletniego” [The image of Wojciech Suchodolski in the poems of the time of the Four-Year Sejm], in: Prace Polonistyczne [Studies in Polish Literature], series LXIV (Łódź: 2009), pp. 49-51.
Allegedly, Naruszewicz was the dominant figure among the authors who represented the field of erotic literature in the Enlightenment during the rule of king Stanisław II August. It is generally considered that he was unrivalled when it came to the sheer number of texts (ascribed to him). Compare judgements voiced by people from the epoch referenced in: R. Kaleta, “Obiady czwartkowe na dworze króla Stanisława Augusta. Próba monografii” [Thursday dinners at the court of King Stanisław August. An attempt at a monograph], in: Warszawa XVIII wieku [Warsaw of the 18th century], coll. 2, p. 79, Studia Warszawskie [Warsaw Studies], vol. XVI. Today, it is difficult to verify the opinion about the royal poet’s major role in writing erotic obscene works. It does seem exaggerated. One cannot trust the indications of copyists indiscriminately. It is also to be noted that Naruszewicz was referenced in manuscript codes as an addition made in a copy of a text in a different handwriting.
I usually quote fragments of smaller poems as per the manuscript B PAN Kr. 615 or manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190; obscene narrative poems ascribed to Adam Naruszewicz as per the following sources: Hilary, per: Wybór powieści erotycznych wierszem i prozą. Nowa edycja w Knidzie [A selection of erotic novels in verse and prose. New edition in Knidos] [per the testimony of Karol Estreicher (idem, Bibliografia polska [Bibliography of Polish works], vol. X (Kraków: 1889), p. 33.) in Warsaw] 1809, pp. 189-229; copy at Wojewódzka Biblioteka Publiczna – Kopernikańska w Toruniu, ref. W F 133; Pielgrzym i Czyściec, per manuscript of National Central Historical Archive in Kyiv, ref. F. 228, collection: Kolekcja rękopisów z zakresu historii literatury i prawa [Collection of manuscripts on the history of literature and law], register 2, no. 14, sheets 21-25. Pielgrzym, sheets 194-197 (Czyściec); Słowik per ephemera entitled Słowik. Powieść z francuskiego na polski język przełożona. [Nightingale. The novel translated from French into Polish] B. m. r. [1777], 8º, pp. 1-16; copy of B Ossol. XVIII. 12203 (print description see also: K. Estreicher, Bibliografia polska [Bibliography of Polish works], vol. XXIII (Kraków: 1910), p. 50, vol. XXVIII (Kraków: 1930), p. 269).
For example, in works by Stanisław Trembecki: Epitalamion Dorantowi i Klimenie. Miłość stateczna [Epithalamium to Dorant and Climene. Sedate love] (often circulated in copies as Łożnicopiew Dorantowi i Klimenie – e.g., in manuscript B PAN Kr. 615, pp. 34-35) or Łożnicopień… – in manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 29), Epitalamion Hipolitowi i Belinie [Epithalamium to Hippolytus and Belina]; in the poem Przypadek siostry starszej opowiedziany siostrom młodszym [An Older Sister’s Incident Told to Younger Sisters], ascribed to either Trembecki or Naruszewicz; in Uleczenie, ascribed in copies to Naruszewicz; in a paraphrase from Ovid, assigned to Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz entitled Spotkanie się południowe [Encounter at Noon].
For example, in the libel Na Elżbietę [On Elisabeth], ascribed to either Trembecki or Zabłocki (in this case: as a ‘monstrum’ [monstrosity]); in a work ascribed to Naruszewicz Do młodzieńca żeniącego się ze starą babą [To a Young Lad Marrying an Old Hag] (with distaste in this case: ‘Wpadniesz w kiep siwy, jak pies w wilczą jamę’ [You’ll fall into the grey fanny as a dog falls into a wolf’s lair], when you consider the old meaning of the word kiep, which was a crude reference to female vulva; in Pieśń [Song] by Franciszek Ksawery Woyna, also known as Wab powszechny, czyli wiersz na kątek [Common Charm or a Poem for the Nook] (in this case with a clear inclination, particularly visible in the distinctive chorus: ‘Hej! Wiwat, wiwat! ten miły kątek,/ Z którego mamy życia początek!’ [Hey! Cheer, cheer! this pleasant nook,/ From which life begins!]); in manuscript B PAN Kr. 615 the text of Pieśń is marked as by Franciszek Bohomolec; Woyna’s authorship was indicated by Roman Kaleta: idem, “Antologia poetycka Franciszka Ksawerego Woyny” [A poetic anthology by Franciszek Ksawery Woyna], in: Ze skarbca kultury [From the treasury of culture] coll. 28 (Wrocław: 1983), pp. 111-112.
A few descriptions in Kapituła bernardynów ascribed to Naruszewicz; the broadest depiction can be found in Przypadek siostry starszej opowiedziany siostrom młodszym; in a shorter form, this ‘ciekawy przymiot człowieka’ [peculiar human feature] signalled by Trembecki in Epitalamion Hipolitowi i Belinie; additionally, various phallic metaphors were used in, e.g., the epigram Wyznanie [Confession], allegedly written by Węgierski, the poem Węgierski do Rogalińskiego... [Węgierski to Rogaliński]; in Czyż’s epigram entitled Pokusa [Temptation]; in the song Kołek [Stake] (modelled after Woyna’s Pieśń) with the chorus: ‘Hej! Wiwat, wiwat! ten miły kołek, / Który się mieścić zdoła w podołek!’ [Hey! Cheer, cheer! this pleasant stake, / That fits right into the lap]; inventive metaphors in a poem ascribed to Naruszewicz entitled O tęgości wieku [On the Roundness of Age], where metaphors utilise various musical instruments, losing power as men become older; in the narrative poem entitled Hilary an erect penis is referred to as a ‘naprężona żyła’ [tensioned vein] or ‘interes napięty’ [tense privates].
Nice pasterka [Nice the Shepherdess] by Węgierski; Epitalamion Dorantowi i Klimenie and Epitalamion Hipolitowi i Belinie by Trembecki; Pomiarkowanie [Restrainment], a word ascribed to Onufry Korytyński, inc.: ‘Irys z Tyrsysem jadąc w podróż jedną…’ [Iris with Tyrsys going on a journey together...]; Głuszec włoski [Italian Grouse] by Naruszewicz; applicable fragments of obscene narrative poems by this author (Czyściec, Hilary, Pielgrzym, Słowik).
For example, in a witty epigram Przedwieczerze [Pre-supper] (in manuscript B PAN Kr. 615, p. 89 signed with the name J. Chrzanowski) or in the poem Cytryniarka [Lemon Girl] by Marcin Molski.
The notion of sexual impotence was also mentioned in Old-Polish literature; it was, e.g., the source of jokes as indicated by some works by Jan Andrzej Morsztyn, Jan Gawiński, and Wacław Potocki – see: J. Korczak, “Sz. Szymonowic i J. Gawiński a magicznie zadawana impotencja” [Sz. Szymonowic and J. Gawiński and magically inflicted impotence], in: “Amor vincit omnia”…, pp. 49-63.
For example, in anonymous works: Uskarżanie się wydanej za mąż damy, a w swoim żądaniu omylonej, czyli Desperacja [Complaining of a Lady Married Off, Mad in Her Desire, or Desperation]; Skarga młodej żony na męża starego [Complaint of Young Wife Against Old Husband]; in the poem Zdarzenie opuszczone [Omitted Occurrence] by Węgierski; in works ascribed to Naruszewicz, i.e.: Ojciec Gaudenty – in reference to the deputy cup-bearer’s son whose ‘legs got broken by Mercury’ (‘połamał nogi Merkury’) (in this metaphor the author framed the frailty and lack of sexual prowess of the unfortunate lover); Łożnica Izraela [Israel’s Bedroom]; Pierścionek [Ring] – in this case, the worries and concerns of an old husband betrayed by his young wife whom he could not satisfy sexually was thus described: ‘fertyczna, nadobna i gładka,/ Pierś wolna, krzyż szeroki, spodem bujne runo’ [sprightly, comely and smooth,/ Free breast, broad lower back, lush fleece down there]; she ‘Zmierziwszy siwy pendant swego Jupitera,/ Tam gorzała, gdzie żywsza i mina, i cera’ [Having ruffled the grey pendant of her Jupiter,/ She glowed where there was a livelier face and complexion] and she was full of eagerness only when ‘Można się było z jakim nacackać młokosem’ [She could fondle with some kid] (quoted as per manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 20).
For example, in the poem Pierścionek, which colourfully described the ‘troski niezliczone’ [countless worries] of the deputy cup-bearer, who as a ‘Kawaler sześćdziesiątej paszy,/ Poślubił, za indultem, młodziusieńką żonę’ [An older bachelor,/ Married, on a indult, a very young lass] (loc. cit.).
As per the elegant dedicated work Do Ignacego Zapolskiego [To Ignacy Zapolski], ascribed to Naruszewicz by Juliusz Wiktor Gomulicki based on a testimonial in manuscript: BN 5396 acc. and B PAN Kr. 615, edited in: A. Naruszewicz, Liryki wybrane [Selected Lyrics], selection and introduction by J.W. Gomulicki (Warsaw: 1964), p. 129 (quoted therefrom). The author of the poem was most certainly aware of the royal chamberlain’s marital problems as he married off to Zapolski the beautiful Józefka, mistress to the king’s brother Kazimierz Poniatowski.
For example, in poems by Węgierski: Zdarzenie opuszczone, Nice pasterka; in Spotkanie się południowe ascribed to Niemcewicz.
As in works: Przypadek siostry starszej opowiedziany siostrom młodszym, ascribed to Trembecki, or in a witty short poem Przypadek w piwnicy [Occurrence in the Cellar] by Węgierski.
For example, in the narrative poem Pielgrzym, ascribed to Naruszewicz, adapted from a novella by Boccaccio, specifically the seventh tale from the seventh day in The Decameron, and in the narrative poem Słowik which is an adaptation of Boccaccio’s / La Fontaine’s work with the same title.
In the narrative poem Czyściec, also associated with Naruszewicz, which constitutes a libertine adaptation of Boccaccio’s eight tale from the third day of The Decameron.
As in the work ascribed to Naruszewicz entitled Hilary, which is an adaptation of a fragment of a work by Ariosto entitled Orlando furioso, which depicts the joint erotic conquests of king Mieszko (with a ‘historical’ reference to Mieszko III, son of Bolesław III Wrymouth) and one his subjects, the protagonist of the narrative poem.
Influential women ensuring a higher social position for their lovers – it is an interesting premise in Warsaw-set obscene and moral poetry developed within an allusive framework, sometimes with personal references, also present in, e.g.: Oddalenie się z Warszawy literata [The Man of Letters Leaves Warsaw] by Franciszek Zabłocki, Bielany. W poniedziałek Zielonych Świątek [Bielany. On a Green Week Monday] by Jan Ancuta.
See: J. Kott, Uwagi o tekstach [Notes on texts], in: S. Trembecki, “Obscoena. Dodatek do Pism wszystkich” [Obscoena. Supplement to ‘All scriptures’] ([Warsaw]: 1953), p. 14 (this is a unique print, which constitutes a separate supplement prepared for academic research to: S. Trembecki, Pisma wszystkie. Wydanie krytyczne [All scriptures. Critical edition], ed. J. Kott, vol. 1-2 (Warsaw: 1953); copy at Biblioteka UMK w Toruniu, Cimelia, ref. 183515. Jan Kott emphasised: ‘Autorstwo przekładu jest niewątpliwe. (...) Trembecki wiersz ten przełożył niewątpliwie na zamówienie króla’ [The authorship of the translation is clear. Trembecki translated this poem most certainly at the king’s request]. See also: J. Snopek, Objawienie i oświecenie…, pp. 90-91, 95.
Initially, Jan Kott had indicated that ‘wiersz Na Elżbietę, o Sapieżynie, to niewątpliwie utwór Zabłockiego’ [the poem Na Elżbietę, about Sapieżyna, is certainly a work by Zabłocki] (idem, “Trembecki w świetle rękopisów i pierwodruków” [Stanisław Trembecki in the light of manuscripts and first prints], in: Sprawozdania z Czynności i Posiedzeń Akademii Umiejętności w Krakowie, vol. LI (1950), (Kraków: 1951), p. 571, and only later indicated that ‘autorstwa paszkwilu Na Elżbietę nie potrafimy obecnie rozstrzygnąć’ [it is impossible to settle the authorship of the Na Elżbietę libel] and considered the arguments that supported both authorships (idem, Uwagi o tekstach, in: S. Trembecki, Obscoena. Dodatek do “ Pism wszystkich”, p. [18]).
As quoted in: S. Trembecki, Obscoena. Dodatek do “Pism wszystkich”, p. 11. The basis for the publication of the poem Na Elżbietę was the manuscript B PAN Kr. 615, p. 196.
Antoni Felicjan Nagłowski is the author of Przewodnik warszawski while Antoni Korwin Kossakowski of Suplement “Przewodnikowi [Warszawskiemu]” [Supplement to [Warsaw] Guide]. Both works were edited in: Przewodniki warszawskie, established and edited by E. Rabowicz, pp. 27-43; pp. 45-67.
Remarks regarding the intrepid and uncompromising remarks in these and other works that depicted the moral realities of contemporary Warsaw – see: T. Kostkiewiczowa, Klasycyzm, sentymentalizm, rokoko…, pp. 369-380.
References as per: Przewodniki warszawskie, established and edited by E. Rabowicz, pp. 27, 28, 29.
Quoted per manuscript B PAN Kr. 615, p. 327. Pasternak – ‘a tall plant with a spindly white root, with thickness similar to a finger and a raised stem, hairy at the base’; a metaphor of a human penis (similarly in Przypadek siostry starszej…).
Kapituła bernardynów was originally based on the narrative poem Le Chapitre generale des cordeliers (see R. Kaleta, Obiady czwartkowe na dworze króla Stanisława Augusta. Próba monografii, pp. 78-79), while Dwudziestówka on Le petit fils d’Hercule – according to Juliusz Wiktor Gomulicki written for the Russian empress Catherine II (this opinion of the Warsaw-based researcher was referenced by Roman Kaleta, ibid., p. 79).
On the paraphrasing of Oda do Priapa by Trembecki see remarks by Teresa Kostkiewiczowa (eadem, Oda w poezji polskiej. Dzieje gatunku [Ode in Polish poetry. The history of the species] (Wrocław: 1996), pp. 168, 208).
That is emphasised by the final fragment of Przewodnik warszawski: ‘Bo choćbyś nie znał Grzybowa, Nalewek,/ To w którą zechcesz udając się stronę,/ Znajdziesz tych tłuków pełne domy wszędzie./ Gdzie wiecha kurwisk, rajfurek, kurewek’ [Even if you don’t know Grzybowo or Nalewki,/ Whichever way you go,/ You’ll find houses full of those fuckers everywhere./ Where the pinnacle of whores, bawds, harlots] (quoted per: Przewodniki warszawskie, established and edited by E. Rabowicz, p. 43).
Teresa Kostkiewiczowa has stressed that in this and other works by Czyż ‘observations regarding sexual freedom are formulated in a provocatively blunt or even vulgar manner’; see: eadem, Klasycyzm, sentymentalizm, rokoko…, p. 379.
Quoted as per manuscript: B PAN Kr. 615, p. 440; B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 64.
In non-personal satires, e.g., Żona modna [Fashionable Wife] by Krasicki or Małżeństwo [Marriage] by Naruszewicz, the authors either indicated other reasons for the crisis of conjugal life or reasons related to eroticism and the fact of drawing various benefits from sexual stimuli suggested in a more subtle manner. In his lyrical poems Naruszewicz emphasised that the breakdown of marriage was caused by the habit of marrying young girls off to older men driven by the girl’s family’s material interests.
See: E. Rabowicz, “Oświeceniowe ‘przewodniki’ po warszawskich domach rozkoszy”, p. 26. This contains the researcher’s important remark stating that the poems by Trembecki, Potocki and Jasiński ‘reflected the extremes of the ideological approach of Polish libertinism.’
Compare a remark by Anna Śledź that ‘the presence of vulgarisms constitutes an inseparable feature of the syntax and lexis of colloquial speech,’ which refers to modern Polish, but it could just as well be applied to the Polish of previous centuries (eadem, “Przerywnik czy wykrzyknik? Analiza semantyczna i składniowa pewnych użyć słów uważanych za wulgarne”, p. 69).
Entertaining moral vignettes that suggested clergymen’s interest and knowledge of sexual matters. The former indicates in a humorous manner the erotic experiences of priests indicated by an absolutely accurate identification of a sexual position by the confessor which caused in the confessing young man ‘wielkie zmysłów [...] poruszenie’ [stirred his senses greatly]. The priest, discerning the kind of sin at hand, suddenly arrives at a revelation: ‘Ach, już wiem – rzecze – z tyłuś ją chędożył’ [“Oh, I know,” he said, “you fucked her from behind”]. The latter is amusing because of the prior’s unexpected awareness of the strength of erotic potential of one of the monks; when he learns the name of the ‘chwalbiś’ [braggart]: ‘Powie bez zastanowienia: “Prawda, ojciec Anastazy/ Potrafiłby dziesięć razy”’ [He’ll say without a moment’s hesitation: “Truly, father Anastazy/ He could do it a tenfold”] (quoted as per manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190: p. 60; p. 58).
A morality scene from the life of a convent; witty wordplay with a punchline expression: ‘nadstawić żywota’ [offer your żywot] (żywot – ‘life, health’, but also ‘womb, lower part of the abdomen; uterus’); in colloquial language this expression otherwise meaning sacrificing something for an important cause (e.g., to defend one’s homeland) suddenly gains a completely new meaning. The explanation offered by a nun who apparently became pregnant because a man ‘dosiągł ją po brzuszku’ [reached her belly] in a cell during the silentium is sneeringly summarised by her mother superior: “O, wielka – rzecze ksieni – zakonnicza cnota,/ Dla całości reguły nadstawić żywota” [“Oh, how great,” said the abbess, “the nun’s virtue,/ To offer her żywot for the entire convent”] (as quoted in: A. Naruszewicz, Wiersze [Poems], introduction B. Wolska, texts prepared by students of Polish philology at the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz, editing minor participants (Łódź: 2001), p. 111).
Versed stories, ‘salty’ anecdotes proliferated in numerous copies. In the former a sought-after grouse is given to a widow after the cunning huntsman reasons to justify not a one-time but a multiple ‘zdupczenie’ [fucking] of the woman, while in the latter there occurs an insertion of the penis of a priest and chemist (supposedly his ‘thumb’ suffering from an ulcer) into the vulva of a girl grateful to him for his advice that helped her treat a similar malady. The credulous girl thinks that she prompted a similar ‘healing’: ‘Ojcze! wasz wrzód pęknął!’ [Father! your ulcer burst!] (quoted as per manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 93).
On the similarities of the poem to poems included in nobility silvae rerum of noble families, see remarks by Edmund Rabowicz (idem, “Oświeceniowe ‘przewodniki’ po warszawskich domach rozkoszy”, p. 12).
Quoted as per manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 89.
‘Pomocnik w skarbcu… ty w kominie z nogi./ Zdrzymniesz się z kuflem… a ockniesz się z rogi!’ [Assistant in the vault... you up in the air./ You doze off drunk... and wake up a cuckold!] (quoted as per: A. Naruszewicz, Liryki wybrane, p. 129).
J. Kott, Uwagi o tekstach, in: S. Trembecki, Obscoena. Dodatek do “Pism wszystkich”, p. [18].
Loc. cit. In his remarks on Na Elżbietę, which referred to Sapieżyna, Jan Kott wrote before provided the couplet quoted here: ‘About her husband there circulated the following piece, the authorship of which was also ascribed to Trembecki.’
Kiep – dated (15th–18th centuries) vulgar word for female vulva, since the 17th century metaphorically denoting also a fool, idiot, and a clod.
Quoted as per manuscript B PAN Kr. 615, p. 232.
This poem could have been written as a reaction to the birth of his son Michał (1770) or (more probably) Adam (Franciszek) (1772), because in the case of the latter A. M. Sapieha long refused to consider him his rightful son, doubting his fatherhood. This clever couplet is yet another example of how the private matters of the members of the aristocratic elite revealed in erotic obscene works by their authors became public matters and even if the less informed readers could find it difficult to identify the protagonists (as it is also sometimes for modern researchers), they did, however, achieve the satisfaction of spinning speculations.
This is the title in manuscript B PAN Kr. 615; in manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 6: Do lubieżnej. In edition: Sekscytacje. Antologia polskiej literatury frywolnej, rubasznej i obscenicznej, p. 68 – text ascribed to F. D. Kniaźnin (under the incorrect title: Do lubieżcy (!)).
Quoted as per manuscript B PAN Kr. 615, p. 255. Kossowski’s (who received the nickname ‘Rożek’ [small horn]) wife was Barbara née Bielińska, known for her beauty and temperament, the protagonist of a work ascribed to Trembecki Wiersz na pochwałę J. W. Kossowskiej… z okoliczności jej tańca na warszawskiej reducie [A Poem of Praise for J. W. Kossowska... From the Circumstances of Her Dance at Warsaw’s Redoubt].
The young rogue enjoyed the man’s peculiar proposed method of payment for lemons (‘Ja tak nie płacę, lecz jeśli być może,/ To cię za każdą trzy razy schędożę’ [I don’t pay like that, but if I could,/ I’ll fuck you thrice for every one]) so much that she accepted that offer and stated: ‘Bierz, co chcesz, ale wiesz o tym, mój ładny,/ Że ci na borg nie dam żadnéj’ [Take whatever you want, but know this, my fair lad,/ That I won’t give a single one without payment] (quoted as per manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 56).
She stated with absolute candour that she could not have ‘Gryźć, tłuc, drapać i zabić zuchwalca w ostatku’ [Bite, smack, scratch or kill the insolent fellow eventually] (as the judge had suggested) because she had no strength left to defend herself because during the act she was laughing so hard (ibid., p. 57).
Quoted as per ibid., p. 63. In the conclusion, the author reaffirmed it once again, even more emphatically: ‘O chuju żadna nie gada,/ Każda mu jest jednak rada;/ Powiem, choć rozgniewam może:/ Chuja chce małżeńskie łoże’ [No woman talks about the dick,/ But every one is pleased with it;/ I’ll say this but I may dismay some:/ The marital bed demands the dick].
Ibid., p. 20.
This cause is expressed unceremoniously by one of the two men in love with the same woman: ‘Taka tedy różnica była między nami,/ Że on ruszał dupą, a ja ramionami’ [That was the difference between us,/ He swayed his arse, and I my arms] (ibid., p. 59).
E. Rabowicz, Rokoko [Rococo], in: Słownik literatury polskiego oświecenia, pp. 520-527.
See: W. Mincer, “Miscellanea bibliograficzne z epoki Oświecenia” [Bibliographic miscellanea from the Age of Enlightenment], in: Pamiętnik Literacki [Literary Memoir] (1956), coll. 1, pp. 171-177; W. Preisner, “Recepcja fragmentu ‘Orlanda szalonego’ u autora polskiego z końca XVIII wieku” [Reception of a fragment of ‘Orlando Crazy’ by a Polish author from the end of the 18th century], in: Sprawozdania Towarzystwa Naukowego w Toruniu [Reports of the Scientific Society in Toruń ] (Toruń: 1958), vol. 10, coll. 1-4 (1956), pp. 66-71; see also discussion of these extensive erotic works in: B. Wolska, “Poematy obsceniczne przypisywane Naruszewiczowi jako adaptacje wzorów obcych” [Obscene poems ascribed to Naruszewicz as adaptations of alien patterns], in: Literaturoznawstwo [Literary Studies], issue 1 (1), ed. R. Jagodzińska (Łódź: 2007), pp. 39-68.
See: M. Hanusiewicz, Pięć stopni miłości. O wyobraźni erotycznej w polskiej poezji barokowej [Five degrees of love. About erotic imagination in Polish Baroque poetry] (Warsaw: 2004), pp. 151-155.
Castellum – ‘a fortified castle, a small fortlet’ (from Latin castellum).
Bloch – ‘a war fort, a stronghold’ (from German Blockhaus).
The metaphor of horse-riding used for sexual descriptions is present in, e.g., three songs (VIII, X and XXVIII) in Ariosto’s Orlando furioso, which inspired the author of Hilary. Cf. also: D. Ackerman, Historia naturalna miłości [Natural history of love], Polish transl. by D. Gostyńska (Warsaw: 1997), pp. 229-249.
Compare the related examples of French poetry, Polish Baroque poetry and fragments of Orlando furioso discussed by Mirosława Hanusiewicz (eadem, Pięć stopni miłości…, pp. 157-162).
M. Hanusiewicz, Pięć stopni miłości…, p. 144.
Hub – ‘thick, round, strengthened part of a wheel of a vehicle close to the shaft on which the wheel is placed.’
See: M. Hanusiewicz, Pięć stopni miłości…, p. 144; D. Wężowicz-Ziółkowska, Miłość ludowa. Wzory miłości wieśniaczej w polskiej pieśni ludowej XVIII–XX wieku [People's love. Patterns of peasant love in Polish folk songs of the 18th and 20th centuries] (Wrocław: 1991), pp. 150-160; compare also: T. Kostkiewiczowa, Erotyk [Erotic], in: Słownik literatury polskiego oświecenia, pp. 116-121, where the researcher has discussed, e.g., the main models that influenced the shape of erotic poetry, including lyrical folk song and within it the means for masking inconvenient content (ibid., p. 117).
Quoted fragments of Pomiarkowanie as per manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 70.
The quoted fragment of Kominiarz. Pieśń liryczna as per manuscript B PAN Kr. 615, p. 128.
Compare the verb chędożyć – ‘to clean, cleanse, sweep, dust’ and in an expression classified as an obscoenum: chędożyć kobietę – ‘feel up, have corporal conduct with [a woman]’ (S. B. Linde, Słownik języka polskiego [Polish Dictionary], 3rd edition photo-offset, vol. 1 (Warsaw: 1951), pp. 237-238).
Consider the epigram quoted as per manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 65:
‘Języki ludzkie do siebie to mają,
Że źle, czy dobrze o ludziach gadają.
Mówią, że czyjsiś pług bywa w mej roli;
Gdy mój grunt orzą, niech sąsiad nie boli.’ [Human tongues are like that/ They talk good or bad about people./ They say that someone’s plough sometimes visits my field;/ When they plough my field, may the neighbour not pity me] [nie boli — in this case: ‘nie boleje’].
Moreover, the role of the ‘plough’ is also mentioned in Słowik, where the erotic struggles of young lovers end in exhaustion and they fall asleep because ‘jeden i druga/ Nie byli zdolni jeszcze do dźwigania pługa’ [both he and she/ Were not yet able to pull the plough].
Quoted as per the manuscript in the National Central Historical Archive in Kyiv, ref. F. 228, record 2, no. 14, sheet 4. A discussion of this erotic epigram in the context of Enlightenment poems referring to balloon flight – see: B. Wolska, W świecie żywiołów, Boga i człowieka. Studia o poezji Adama Naruszewicza [In the world of the elements, God and man. Studies on poetry by Adam Naruszewicz] (Łódź: 1995), pp. 77-79. See also: A. Roćko, “Astronomowie w poetyckiej apostrofie Adama Naruszewicza i Ludwika Osińskiego” [Astronomers in the poetic apostrophe of Adam Naruszewicz and Ludwik Osiński], in: Literatura. Historia. Dziedzictwo. Prace ofiarowane Profesor Teresie Kostkiewiczowej [Literature. History. Heritage. Works donated to Professor Teresa Kostkiewiczowa], eds T. Chachulski and A. Grześkowiak–Krwawicz (Warsaw: 2006), pp. 315-316. This work, indicated as an example of the influence of scientific discoveries made at that time on erotic literary imagination (under a different title Na podróż Blancharda [On Blanchard’s Journey]), was treated as a text authored by S. Trembecki (as indicated in: S. Trembecki, Poezje wybrane [Selected poems], selection and introduction J.W. Gomulicki (Warsaw: 1978), p. 95). Compare remarks by Edmund Rabowicz, who argued that Gomulicki’s attribution was incorrect, in: idem, “Stanisław Trembecki w świetle nowych źródeł”, p. 276.
A similar metaphor (‘szczupłe do rozkoszy drzwiczki’ [slim door to delight]) is present in Epitalamion Dorantowi i Klimenie by Trembecki.
As quoted in: R. Kaleta, Sensacje z dawnych lat [Sensations from the past] (Wrocław: 1986), pp. 114-115. The researcher has indicated that the work was first announced by a Soviet researcher N. P. Bobrik, as per a copy surviving in the National Central Historical Archive in Kyiv, ref. F. 228, record 2, no. 14, sheet 67 (“Neopublikovannoje stikhotvorenje T.K. Wengierskiego”, in: Slavyanskij Archiv (Moscow: 1959), p. 197). This salty poetic letter was addressed to Kasper Rogaliński, a politician and poet who participated in Thursday dinners and in the years 1778-1788 was the voivode of the Inflanty Voivodeship. The mentioned Kampanuczy (Giuseppe Campagnucci), Italian castrato, delivered guest performances in Warsaw as a soprano in several operas together with the singer Katarzyna Bonafini in the early 1776, a fact enables one to define an a quo date when the work was written. See also: E. Rabowicz, “Oświeceniowe ‘przewodniki’ po warszawskich domach rozkoszy”, p. 17.
I discussed this work only in short, as one of several poetic descriptions of the sexual act, mainly in terms of the attitude to the taboo of eroticism. A more detailed discussion of this and other epithalamiums by Trembecki can be found in: R. Krzywy, “Rokokowe epitalamiony Stanisława Trembeckiego wobec tradycji gatunku” [Stanisław Trembecki’s Rococo epithalamions versus the tradition of the genre], in: Wiek Oświecenia [Age of Enlightenment], vol. 20: Stanisław Konarski (1700-1773) (Warsaw: 2004), pp. 119-142.
Jan Kott has indicated that Trembecki’s authorship was not certain, he mentioned that the copyist in manuscript B Jag. 1924/IV ascribed it to Naruszewicz but also added that ‘Obscoena Naruszewicza, a jest ich bardzo wiele, mają jednak często charakter bardziej sarmacki’ [Naruszewicz’s obscene poems, and there are many of those, often have, however, a more Sarmatic character]; see: idem, Uwagi o tekstach, in: S. Trembecki, Obscoena. Dodatek do “Pism wszystkich”, p. 16.
This was probably why the work was not published during Naruszewicz’s lifetime and it was circulated only in the manuscript version. The authorship was indicated by Juliusz Wiktor Gomulicki: A. Naruszewicz, Liryki wybrane, pp. 27-28 (argumentation), pp. 150-151 (text), p. 211 (approximate dating: 1777, with a question mark).
See: B. Wolska, W świecie żywiołów, Boga i człowieka…, p. 79; A. Roćko, “Astronomowie w poetyckiej apostrofie Adama Naruszewicza i Ludwika Osińskiego”, pp. 312-315.
It includes a skilful variation on the notion of the overcoming of limitations to the human condition (outside elements) present in the literary traditions of antiquity (e.g., in Horace’s works) and the condition underlined in those activities, i.e, the courage to overcome previously unknown areas (e.g., the sea).
Quoted as per manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 105.
Short fragments of Epitalamion Dorantowi i Klimenie quoted per: S. Trembecki, Pisma wszystkie. Wydanie krytyczne, vol. 1, pp. 31-32.
Quoted fragments of poem Spotkanie się południowe as per manuscript B PAN Kórn. 11190, p. 13.
See: J. Kott, Uwagi o tekstach, in: S. Trembecki, Obscoena. Dodatek do “Pism wszystkich”, p. 16.
Quoted fragments of Przypadek siostry starszej opowiedziany siostrom młodszym as per: S. Trembecki, Obscoena. Dodatek do “Pism wszystkich”, pp. 7-[10]. This is an edition as per manuscript B PAN Kr. 615, p. 45, with indication of variants as per manuscript B Jag. 1924/IV, p. 321.
On this topic, see remarks of Edmund Rabowicz, in: idem, “Oświeceniowe ‘przewodniki’ po warszawskich domach rozkoszy”, p. 26.
Szlachta’s erotic poetry of the Baroque period drew eagerly ‘from native folk tradition or at least developed parallel ideas and imagery,’ see: M. Hanusiewicz, Pięć stopni miłości…, p. 144, 164.
See E. Rabowicz’s description of domestic radical literary trend of Rococo, in: idem, “Polskie rokoko literackie” [Polish Literary Rococo], in: Gdańskie Zeszyty Humanistyczne. Prace Literackie [Gdańsk Humanistic Notebooks. Literary Works] issue 2 (1969), pp. 91-95. Compare also: idem, “Oświeceniowe ‘przewodniki’ po warszawskich domach rozkoszy”, p. 11.
See, e.g., S. Tomkowicz, Nieco o dowcipach, żartach i poezjach okolicznościowych na dworze Stanisława Augusta [A bit about jokes, jests and occasional poetry at the court of Stanisław August], in: idem, Z wieku Stanisława Augusta [From the age of Stanisław August] (Cracow: 1882), vol. 2, pp. 83-96; see also: R. Kaleta, Obiady czwartkowe na dworze króla Stanisława Augusta. Próba monografii, pp. 77-79; B. Wolska, “Poematy obsceniczne przypisywane Naruszewiczowi jako adaptacje wzorów obcych”, pp. 65-66.
This is how violations of linguistic prohibitions, within the realm of sexuality, physiology and other intimate strictly personal matters were treated in folk culture. For more on this topic, see: A. Krawczyk-Tyrpy, Tabu w dialektach polskich [Taboo in Polish dialects] (Bydgoszcz: 2001).
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