A History of Bohemian LiteratureLützow, Francis, hrabe
History
A History of Bohemian Literature
Lützow, Francis, hrabe
Czech literature -- History and criticism
Several other Bohemian manuscripts purporting to be of very ancient
origin also made their appearance at the beginning of the present
century, and modern additions were made to an authentic ancient
manuscript. These falsifications were soon discovered, and in some
cases suspicion undoubtedly points to Hanka.
* * * * *
The earliest Bohemian writings, the authenticity of which is
uncontested, have a distinctly Christian and religious character. One
of the most ancient written documents in the Bohemian language is
the hymn "Gospodi pomiluj ny" (Lord have mercy on us). The earliest
version is written in a language resembling the Old Slavonic, but with
many specially Bohemian locutions. The authorship of the hymn has been
attributed to St. Cyrillus and to St. Methodius, or to their early
disciples, but there is no evidence to prove this conjecture. The date
of the hymn also cannot be fixed, but the chronicler, Comas of Prague,
tells us that it was sung by the people at the installation of Bishop
Dietmar of Prague in 973. The hymn is sung, in a modernised version, in
the Bohemian churches up to the present day.
Another very ancient hymn that has great historical interest is that to
St. Venceslas. The date of this hymn also cannot be ascertained, but
there is evidence that the veneration for the murdered Prince Venceslas
was already very great in the eleventh century, and the hymn is
certainly very ancient. The existent version dates from the thirteenth
century. The composition of the hymn, which is rhymeless, but has
frequent assonances, also vouches for its antiquity. The three original
strophes run thus:--
"Holy Venceslas--Duke of the Bohemian land--Our Prince--Pray for us to
God--And the Holy Ghost--Kyrie Eleison.
"Beautiful is the court of heaven--Happy he who enters there--Into
eternal life--And the clear light--Of the Holy Ghost--Kyrie Eleison.
"Thy help we implore--Have mercy on us--Comfort the mournful--Deliver
us from all evil--Holy Venceslas--Kyrie Eleison."
Many further strophes were added to this hymn when it became famous.
During the Hussite wars it was the favourite war-song of the "lords sub
una" (= Catholics), while the utraquists or Hussites sang the famous
"All ye warriors of God."[6]
Among the very ancient documents written in the Bohemian language are
a considerable number of missals, psalm-books, and translations of
portions of the Holy Scriptures, which, though of great archaeological
and historical interest, hardly require notice in an account of
Bohemian literature.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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