Jan Kochanowski Laments Tren VIII

Jan Kochanowski Laments Tren VIII

Train VIII (one of the greatest in the entire training cycle of Jan Kochanowski) it was enclosed in a certain frame: it begins and ends with a description of the pain of a desperate father:

You have made my house empty for me,
My dear Orszula, this disappearance!
(…)
From every angle, grief is captivating,
And the heart of its consolation is free.

The middle part of the poem is filled with the image of Urszulka, her character was shown in the realities of the family home in Czarnolas. When the girl was alive, it was a house full of joy, happiness, there were no major problems and troubles in it. The mood of the manor house changed radically after the child's death. Now sadness reigns in the house, regret, it seems empty. These two images were contrasted: yesterday is joy, family happiness, today is marked by boundless sorrow.

The beautiful poem by Jan Kochanowski is distinguished by the economical use of artistic means, simplicity of expression, at the same time it is very suggestive. Next, giving the impression of being extremely honest, the paternity complaint is also written in thirteen syllable, the regularity of which perfectly matches the mood of the piece. Like all Treny, it is a sublime and pathetic piece, saturated with apostrophes and rhetorical questions.