The critical edition of Promethidion (transl. by Tadeusz Karłowicz)

Abstract

The article is concerned with the edition of Cyprian Norwid's Promethidion prepared by Stefan Sawicki. The recognized theoretician, historian and interpreter of literature appears here both as the author of a comprehensive monograph of Promethidion and as an experienced editor embracing the central categories of the poet's viewpoint and artistry, and, on the other hand, with a linguistic precision analyzing particular expressions and tropes. His discerning analysis, careful textological edition of the text and comprehensive interpretation of the poem serve each other. The edition, albeit designed for a broad group of readers, meets the requirements of a critical edition, gives a lot of precisely justified amendments, the necessary explanations, and a list of variants of the text. In the sphere of meanings and structures the poem glitters with variety and shows many aspects of the problems. “Concepts-keys” that are central to the poem are the concept of art (“with no limits”) whose definition is in many ways completed by the concepts of beauty, love, work, good and truth, “constantly approached as if from the side of the conscience”. They are made manifest in utterances by many subjects that have differentiated styles and genres, which is done by means of peculiar techniques (amplifications, approximations, speaking by negation assuming the form of a dialogue, the “counterpoint” technique, evoking the value “by negating anti-values”). However, the whole forms a cohesive “Norwidian collage”, and the image of a “superior speaking subject” appearing as an “image of a prophet of the contemporary Church” has a clear author's stamp. Hence, the message of the poem is perceived “as the voice of a poet: a real one, convinced that what he wants to convey to the society is just”