“Let not my bounties all die in you” − the theme of metamorphosis in “Willows” by Szymon Szymonowic

In Willows Szymon Szymonowic used a popular in Polish Renaissance and Baroque literature theme of the metamorphosis of the body, making a reference to Ovid’s Metamorphoses and other literary sources. In his bucolic tale he connected metamorphic theme with meta-poetic reflection on fame and immortality of the poet. The key motif of nymphs losing their purity and the punishment of turning them into willows is accompanied by a warning against losing the spirit of poetry, which may result from writing for unworthy crowds. Willows is also an attempt to demonstrate the mythical provenance of Polish bucolic tales. The author included in the conventional world of pastoral scenery his very own, local space by the river of Pur and by doing so he introduced the motif of Polish folk culture into European literary tradition. The relation between the metamorphic motifs and the essence of the bucolic tale genre is therefore disclosed