Księdza Wojciecha Waśniowskiego "Wielkiego Boga wielkiej Matki ogródek" - klasyczny przykład maryjnej poezji kunsztownej

The object of the study is a volume of Marian poetry titled Wielkiego Boga wielkiej Matki ogródek (The garden of the great Mother of the great God), Cracow 1644, published by Wojciech Waśniowski, a parson from Brzesko, the Małopolska region, between 1636 and 1652. Waśniowski attempted to convey complex theological questions to the reader in a comprehensible manner, using a simple message containing the essence of problems included in the Bible and the Protoevangelium (Gospel) of James – the author’s source of knowledge about the life of the Mother of God. As his form he chose ornate poetry, appropriate for conveying the knowledge about Virgin Mary to a wide range of recipients, usually poorly educated or even illiterate, who discovered poetry through the oral medium, i.e. read aloud. The poet had mastered the principles of poesis articifiosa and used them skillfully in his work. He introduced carmina figurata, multiple conceptual tricks, added figurative words to the biblical rhetoric, presented the titles and symbols associated with the Virgin Mary in ornate forms, and introduced original Marian symbolism. Waśniowski’s publication is an interesting example of a work of a poet-theologian, who conveys modern religious thought in a very attractive manner; poesis artificiosa is a very well-selected means of literary communication here. Well-educated recipients receive from the author (besides theological content) a portion of absorbing intellectual entertainment and cannot but appreciate the aesthetical value of his work, whereas listeners take in the Biblical teachings and fragments of the text get printed in their memory for a long time.