Latin-language poetry of Vasyl Dovhovych

Abstract

It is known that the Latin language, having ceased to function as a living language, was still used as an official language in Central Europe for quite a long time, including in some Ukrainian lands, in particular in Transcarpathia. This is explained by the fact that in conditions where the literary norms of one's own language have not yet been formed, its role is sometimes performed by a foreign or even a "dead language". In addition, traditions from the time of Medieval Europe, when Latin was the only language of science, education, religion, the business language of the society of that time, and the means of communication of intellectual circles, had a significant influence. Many documents of various kinds were written in this language on the territory of modern Transcarpathia, which for a millennium was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, including resolutions and orders of local authorities, court records and verdicts, church records of births and marriages, inventories of church property etc. A number of important historical works have been written in Latin, shedding light on the complex and poorly understood periods of life in our region, which is an integral part of Ukraine. The article examines the Latin-language poetry of the Transcarpathian cultural figure Vasyl Dovhovych, who in 1832 compiled a handwritten collection containing 131 Latin-language poems among poems written in Hungarian and his native language. The theme, genre and poetic dimensions of the works are considered. Poems written in Hungarian and native languages are mostly intimate. Latin-language poems are represented by odes, elegies, and epigrams. The author is well acquainted with ancient metrics. Depending on the genre of poetry, he uses different verse sizes. His works are dominated by the elegiac distich and the dactylic hexameter. The study showed that the Latin-language poetic heritage of Vasyl Dovhovych occupies a worthy place in the history of Ukrainian literature as an integral part.