Reading Adam Jarzębski's Gościniec. The Puzzle of One Rhyme

Abstract

Adam Jarzębowski's „Gościniec, albo Krótkie opisanie Warszawy z okolicznościami jej” („The Road or a Short Description of Warsaw and Its Surroundings”) (1643), despite its numerous literary shortcomings is an important historical document that is an exceptionally ample source of knowledge of Warsaw in the middle of the 17^th century, without which a lot of articles could not be written. Many commentators of the guidebook criticised its clumsy rhymes and mistakes, like calling the Mazovian princes „German” when describing their tombstone in St. John Collegiate Church in Warsaw. The mistake was made by the printer who wrongly read Jarzębowski's manuscript. After analysing the Polish rhymes of that time the searched for adjective will be the word bezdziecki (childless). According to Trotz-Moszczeński (1779), bezdzietny/bezdziecki, adj. Kinderlos, qui est sans enfants, bezdzieckim zostaie; bezdzietnym zszedł, umarł (one who remains childless). The princes died unmarried and childless. In Jastrzębowski's language there was the word niedzieckie. The original text of the discussed couplet should read:

Tamci leżą mazowieckie
Książęta strute, niedzieckie.

(There lie Mazovian
princes, poisoned, childless.)