THE “BRIGHT CITY” MYTHOLOGEME IN LYRIC POETRY OF PIMEN KARPOV

The article analyzes the poet Pimen Karpov’s understanding of the “Bright City” mythologeme. The need to analyze this mythologeme stems from the fact that the image of the Bright City is at the core of the mythopoetic concept that forms the basis of Karpov’s worldview. The toponymy of the sacred space of the Bright City, the Heavenly City, the City of God in Karpov’s lyric poetry is multifaceted. It is realized in poetry both as a real earthly space, and as a certain symbol with blurry borders: it is a heavenly city, a potential paradise on earth, the promised land, the land of the forefathers, and even simply the land for the peasant. The ideal world order has both spatial and temporal reference points. According to Karpov, it is only possible to reach the Bright City through self-sacrifice. Out of pain and suffering, happiness is born, and this is the only possible way to attain the coveted Paradise. But for Karpov, it is not merely a personal path, but also Russia’s path, its mission, and the lyrical hero’s participation in its fate is undeniable. Karpov sees Russia’s historical mission in sacrificial self-immolation as a path to Transformation. The paradoxical convergence of Christ and the antichrist in his works reflects the spiritual context of the turn of the 20th century, i.e., the extreme ambivalence of personal principles. The fragmentary and aphoristic nature of Karpov’s poetic language, the kaleidoscopic nature of his artistic space, on the one hand, and the hidden integrity emanating from the unity of the visible and invisible worlds, on the other, make his poetry akin to the culture of modernism.

Dante and the Medieval City

This chapter explores the paradox that the most sustained and influential literary representation of the medieval city is set in the afterlife. The chapter begins with a discussion of Dante’s reproduction of the vertical Christian cosmos within the horizontality of everyday life in the city. It then looks at the place of hell within this city, the types of urban experience represented within it, and the relationship of the infernal city to the heavenly city as which Dante figures paradise. The final section of the chapter surveys the dissemination of this urban model into the diverse cityscapes of Boccaccio, Chaucer, François Villon, and Christine de Pizan. The chapter concludes that late medieval urban representations are characterized by the growing insistence on the city as a site of representational difference and local autonomy that remains nevertheless deeply embedded in the spatial dynamics of verticality.

Comparing the Concept of Ideal State Through the Lens of al-Farabi’s and Augustine’s Perspectives

This research is a comparative analysis over the concept of an ideal state according to the perspective of a Muslim philosopher, Al-Farabi and that of a Christian philosopher, Augustine. It is an interfaith study that is based on a library research. The main data are collected through the book of Arā 'Ahl al-Madīnah al-Fādilah by al-Farabi and The City of God, by Agustinus, before they are analyzed with a hermeneutic approach. It argues that there are some similarities between Al-Farabi’s and Augustine's thoughts on the concept of ideal state, as well as a few differences. According to al-Farabi, an ideal state is the one that is led by a prophet or a philosopher, because, like the heart in a human body, the leader occupies a central position and is highly decisive. An ideal state according to Augustine refers to the concept of the city of God or the heavenly city, which is resided by innocent people, or sinners who have received God’s repentance. In this regards, the opposite of the City of God is the City of Man, in which all sinners are living their lives.

Love, or On the Best Life

Chapter 7 focuses on Fénelon’s concept of pure love and its relationship to his political philosophy. In so doing, it contests the common claim that Fénelon sought to realize pure love in political practice. In contrast, it argues that his political philosophy is in fact animated by a deep awareness of the gap that separates the world of human glory from the world of divine glory, the earthly city from the heavenly city. To this end it proceeds in three parts. The first part examines his definition of pure love, and the degree to which this definition comports with the categories of his political thought. The next section examines Fénelon’s understanding of the life of pure love, and how it compares to the lives led by political rulers and philosophers. The final section offers a brief consideration of Fénelon’s own life seen through the lens of pure love.

U bram niebios. Oda (IV 30) Macieja Kazimierza Sarbiewskiego do Janusza Skumina Tyszkiewicza

At Heaven’s Gate: Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s Ode (IV 30) to Janusz Skumin Tyszkiewicz The main purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it presents the edition of a Latin ode written by Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski SJ (1595–1640) dedicated to Janusz Skumin Tyszkiewicz (1572–1642), Voivode of Trakai, after the death of his beloved wife, Barbara née Naruszewicz (1580–1627). A new Polish translation of this text and a commentary are also provided. Secondly, the first part of the paper, or the invitation to close reading, aims at giving more detailed information about the rhetorical architecture of the ode, particularly its composition, arguments, and figures. Sarbiewski, regarded as the most brilliant imitator of Horatian lyrical discourse in early-modern Europe (“Christian Horace”), used the established schemes and formulas to create a Christian consolation based on reinventing the lyrical arguments. The persuasive power of his ode is strongly related to vivid, evocative, and meaningful images. The correlation between divine inspiration and poetic perfection allowed him to refashion the rhetorical patterns of epicedium. Sarbiewski wanted to demonstrate his ability to use various modes of linguistic expression. Thus, in the heart of his consolation there is a story about “the cracks”(rimae) in heaven’s gate and a poet who can take a short glimpse into “the heavenly city”(urbs caelestis). The consolation is to confirm the belief that, following departure, a deceased can live in the realm of eternal joy and happiness. Paradoxically, he or she can be happier there than during his or her earthly life. Despite its rhetorical refinement and poetical elaboration, it always serves the same purpose. Moreover, its realisation only becomes possible due to literary mediation. The poet appears to be the mediator between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The final verses of the poem bring a moral lesson best epitomized in a brief appeal “do not want more”(nec tu plura velis), addressed not only to Tyszkiewicz, but also to the poet himself and the readers.