Master Polikarp's Dialog with Death
Master Polikarp's Dialog with Death (Polish: Rozmowa Mistrza Polikarpa ze Śmiercią, Latin: De morte prologus, Dialogus inter Mortem et Magistrum Polikarpum) is a late medieval dialog in verse, written probably in the early 15th century. Its author is unknown, but some historians speculate that it was written by Mikołaj of Mierzyniec (Mikołaj z Mierzyńca).
The original version of the dialogue has been lost; what remains is an incomplete copy from ca. 1463. The ending of the work as it is known today was based on its 16th century Russian translation. Master Polikarp's Dialog with Death is now regarded as one of the most important examples of medieval poetry in the Polish language. It has 498 lines, and presents everyday life scenes of members of different social classes of 15th century Poland. The author patterned the work after a 12th century Latin poem Dialogus mortis cum homine, and other Latin language publications, popular in medieval Europe.
One of the unique features of the work is its use of humour. The dialog mocks monks and priests, inn-keepers, fat women, dishonest physicians and unjust judges.
Characters
- Master Polikarp - a well-educated person,
- Death - pale, skinny, bald, yellowish, without nose and lips, showing its ribs, naked, a rotten kind of a woman. It holds a scepter in its hands, and its resemblance reminds the reader that life is short, and after death, human bodies decay.
Sources
- Polska poezja świecka XV wieku, oprac. M. Włodarski, Wrocław - Warszawa - Kraków 1997, BN I, 60.