A gloss on Stanisława Hornowska (transl. by Tadeusz Karłowicz)

Abstract

Stanisława Hornowska is the addressee of Cyprian Norwid's poem with the first line A pani cóż ja powiem? (And what will I say to you, madam?) that could have been written in the summer of 1857 in Paris. There is no information about Hornowska in the next editions of the poet's works, starting with Pisma zebrane (Collected Works) edited by Zenon Przesmycki. Also Kalendarz życia i twórczości Cypriana Norwida (A Calendar of Cyprian Norwid' Life and Work) of 2007 describes her fate, as well as the fate of her relations from Łochów, as not known. However, examination of manuscript sources and other dispersed biographical notes has allowed the author to verify guesses about who Stanisława Hornowska was; it also has allowed determining the date and place of her death, although the year she was born is still unknown. Unpublished as yet notes by Łucja Hornowska nee Dunin-Borkowska (Stanisława's brother's wife) kept in the collection of the National Library have played the key role here. The article also organizes the information about the other members of the Hornowski family of Łochów, contemporary with Norwid, with whom the poet was in contact.