I Foricoenia amorosi di Jan Kochanowski. Sull’imitatio di Ovidio in Polonia

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to find classical references in Jan Kochanowski’s amorous foricoenia. After singling them out, I propose an interpretation of Kochanowski’s choices: I argue that he engages in a long-distance dialogue with Ovid’s Ars amatoria and more in general with the whole ancient amorous-elegiac tradition, which he sometimes denies. I bring forward a few examples, starting from a comparison between the Kochanowski’s epigram XVI and Ovid’s Remedia Amoris 501-502 and Ars amatoria I 45-48 (i.e. the hunter caught in his own nets). Epigram V, In paellas venetas, introduces a special Ulysses, described as an amorous one, a lover rather than an epic hero, exactly what Ovid taught to do with this character. Furthermore, writing epigram LXIX to his friend Torquato, Kochanowski assures him to be able to make people fell ill with love as well as to cure his friend of such a “disease”; similarly, Ovid teaches who to make people fall in love (Ars amatoria) and who to recover from love (Remedia amoris).