POLISH LITERATURE.

OLAND holds a unique place in the history of the world. The country long formed the borderland of Christendom, and the brave people from the time of their conversion to Catholicism were engaged in constant wars with the Pagan Lithuanians, the Mongols and the Russians. The nobles filled with military enthusiasm showed a proud independThey rejected hereditary monarchy and insisted on electing their sovereign. Early in the sixteenth century they established the "liberum veto," by which a single noble could nullify the choice of the diet. This absurd custom sapped the strength of the nation and at times led to practical anarchy. The neighboring nations, pretending to fear for the safety of their own institutions, invaded the ill-fated land and twice divided its territory among them.

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Yet not until that lamented overthrow did Polish literature become known to the rest of the world. Down to the sixteenth century Latin was the only medium used by the Poles for literary purposes. When the Reformation movement reached the land, there were some signs of the rise of a native literature. But the Jesuits secured control of the schools and enabled Latin to preserve its supremacy. France and Poland, animated with a common jealousy of Germany, had much friendly intercourse, and before the eighteenth century the Polish nobility, apt in imitating foreign fashions, had made French their favorite speech. Some books were written in Polish, but the style of the more pretentious was interlarded

with Latin and French phrases. After the partition of Poland the wave of Romanticism swept over Europe. History had been the chief form of literature, and now Polish writers were roused to tell again in verse and romance the exploits of their ancestors. The intense national feeling found vent in unaffected language. The hope that Napoleon would prove the saviour of their down-trodden country inspired poets, such as Julian Ursin Niemcewicz (1757-1841), whose earliest work was "Historical Lyrics," celebrating the national heroes. He died an exile in Paris. The chief representative of Romanticism was Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855), who lived for a time in St. Petersburg, afterwards visited Italy, and in 1832 settled in Paris, where he taught Slavonic in the College of France. He never ceased his poetic battle for his native land. He was a disciple of Byron, but his poems resounded with Polish lore and legends. His "Pan Tadeusz" is a stirring picture of Lithuania on the eve of Napoleon's invasion of Russia.

Julius Slowacki (1809-49) belonged to the Romantic school and for a time followed Byron and Victor Hugo, taking corsairs and adventurers for his heroes. But the revolution of 1830 stirred his national feeling, as was seen in his noble "Ode to Freedom" and the martial "Song of the Lithuanian Legion." The poet was exiled, and while in Geneva composed dramas vividly illustrating Polish history and character. His lyrical masterpiece is "In Switzerland," a lamentation for his country and his lost love. Later he became a mystic, sometimes depicting in weird allegories the woes of his nation and sometimes dreaming of her impossible resurrection.

Still greater as a poet and more in harmony with the Polish spirit was Count Sigismund Krasinski (1812-59), who was born and died in Paris. On account of his father's unpopularity, he wrote anonymously and was called "The Unknown Poet." In the drama "Iridion" he presented the struggle between Christianity and Paganism in Rome under the Cæsars. In "The Undivine Comedy" he represented the sufferings of Poland allegorically. His lyric poems treat the same theme with powerful imagination, but are melancholy and dirge-like.

Prose fiction has flourished in Poland in the nineteenth century as throughout Europe. The most prolific author in this department was Josef Ignacy Kraszewski (1812-87), who wrote about 250 novels, and altogether more than 500 works. Though this rapidity of production may have lessened their merit, they are still widely read by his countrymen. He treated the whole history of Poland in a series of novels, after the style of Sir Walter Scott. Other novelists have acquired local and temporary fame, but no Polish writer obtained recognition in English until the works of Henryk Sienkiewicz began to be translated by Jeremiah Curtin. His novels of Polish history were welcomed by discerning critics, but later his great romance, "Quo Vadis," treating of the introduction of Christianity into Imperial Rome, captivated readers of all classes. Sienkiewicz practically represents Polish literature to readers of English.

HENRY SIENKIEWICZ.

THE Civilized world has never been more suddenly captivated by literary genius than in the case of Sienkiewicz. In spite of native critics who sought to smother his attempts, he won the affectionate regard of his countrymen and almost at the same time the admiration of all nations. This brilliant novelist was born at Wola Okrejska, in Lithuania, in 1846, of an old noble family. He was thirty-five years of age before he entered upon the work that has made him famous. After a student's career at the University of Warsaw, he edited a journal there, and in 1872 published his first work, a humorous tale. Then he set out on almost aimless wanderings, and for some years led a kind of gipsy life. He was a Bohemian in Paris; and in 1876 he joined the Polish fraternity of expatriated artists and musicians, gathered around Madame Modjeska to form at Los Angeles, in California, a Polish commonwealth of denationalized genius. Sienkiewicz wrote letters of travel and story-sketches some of which treated American scenes. Before returning to Warsaw, he visited Africa. In 1880 he issued his first large work,

"Tartar Slavery," but he soon applied himself to his great proseepic of Poland in the seventeenth century. To this period he was obliged to revert in order to exhibit the true greatness of his country and race. In that age Poland was still a powerful nation. Sienkiewicz in his wanderings had explored nearly every corner of his country. He now produced a trilogy, thoroughly Polish in sentiment and patriotism. In the background there is a deep feeling for nature, and a sadness which seems inseparable from the Lithuanian temperament. "With Fire and Sword," the first novel of the series (published in 1884) describes the Cossack invasion of Poland in 1647-51, and ends with the siege of Zharaj. "The Deluge" (1886) opens in the year 1655, deals mainly with the Swedish invasion, and ends with the expulsion of the Swedes in 1657. "Pan Michael" (1887) the last of the series, treats of the Turkish invasion, while the epilogue narrates subsequent events down to the final triumph of Poland under John Sobieski. In all of these novels figures a unique personage, Zagloba, who has been said to combine "a great deal of Falstaff, a touch of Thersites, and a gleam of Ulysses." Sienkiewicz is said to have found the original model in the Polish settlement in California. Taken as a whole, these novels rank among the foremost historical romances of the world.

To an entirely different class belongs Sienkiewicz's next work, "Without Dogma" (1890). This is a psychological novel, and therefore appeals to a limited class. But his wider fame was not long to be deferred. "Quo Vadis" appeared in 1895, and gave a brilliant view of Nero's reign and the first struggle of Christianity in Rome. It is founded on Tacitus and other Roman historians, on the "Satiricon" of Petronius Arbiter, and the early Christian traditions. The hero, a nephew of Petronius, is converted from Paganism through his love for the pure Christiau maiden Lygia, and finally suffers martyrdom in the arena with her. On the other hand the courtly Petronius, who sought, after Nero's burning of Rome, to prevent the persecution of the innocent Christians, loses favor with his imperial master and is driven to suicide. Readers of English are indebted to the learned linguist, Jeremiah Curtin, for admirable translations of the works of Sienkiewicz.

VINICIUS AND LYGIA:

(From "Quo Vadis," translated by Jeremiah Curtin. Copyright, 1896, by Jeremiah Curtin. Used here by permission of the publishers, Little, Brown & Co.)

URSUS was taking water from the cistern by drawing up a double amphora. He was singing a wonderful Lygian song in an undertone, and looking meanwhile with delighted eyes at Lygia and Vinicius, who were as white as two statues among the cypresses in the garden of Linus. Their clothing was not moved by the least breeze. A golden and lily-colored twilight was sinking on the world while they were conversing in the calm of evening, each holding the other by the hand.

"May not some evil meet thee, Marcus, because thou hast left Antium without Cæ sar's knowledge?" asked Lygia.

"No, my dear," answered Vinicius. "Cæsar announced that he would shut himself in for two days with Terpnos, and compose new songs. He acts thus frequently, and at such times neither knows nor remembers aught else. Moreover, what is Cæsar to me since I am near thee and am looking at thee? I have yearned too much already, and these last nights sleep has left me. More than once, when I dozed from weariness, I awoke on a sudden, with a feeling that danger was hanging over thee; at times I dreamed that the relays of horses which were to bear me from Antium to Rome were stolen,-horses with which I passed that road more swiftly than any of Cæsar's couriers. Besides, I could not endure longer without thee; I love thee too much for that, my dearest."

"I knew that thou wert coming. Twice Ursus ran out, at my request, to the Carinæ, and inquired for thee at thy house. Linus laughed at me, and Ursus also."

It was, indeed, evident that she had expected him; for instead of her usual dark dress, she wore a soft white stola, out of whose beautiful folds her arms and head emerged like primroses out of snow. A few ruddy anemones ornamented her hair.

Vinicius pressed his lips to her hand; then they sat on the stone bench amidst wild grape-vines, and, inclining toward each other, were silent, looking at the twilight whose last gleams were reflected in their eyes.

The charm of the quiet evening mastered them completely.