Music As Translation. Musical Motifs in Liebert’s Poetry

Abstract

This article is devoted to analyses of musical motifs in poetry by a Polish author Jerzy Liebert (1901–1934). Two main kinds of metaphorically understood music can be distinguished in his work: the earthly, referring to human fi niteness, and the transcendental, which is the divine music of God. In the investigation of this problem, Boethian typology of music (musica mundana, musica instrumentalis, musica humana) is engaged. The results of these analyses contribute to the understanding of how the human condition confronts the perfect nature of the Creator in Liebert’s poetry. The article argues that musical motifs seem to be yet another expression of this problem, ubiquitous in the poet’s work; thus, they are essential to its correct interpretation.