A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 1985 (Debrecen, 1986)

Irodalomtörténet, művelődéstörténet - Fekete Csaba: Csokonai’s Farewell-speech

Fekete Csaba CSOKONAI'S FAREWELL-SPEECH The most talented Hungarian poet in the 18

th century, contrary to customs, without previously acquired permission, and not in Latin, but in Hungarian adressed the students' body after the evening service on theday Jun 15, 1795. At an age of 21, he was known as of fame, and also accused of having transgressed scholar regulations. He resigned his position as lecturer (publicus praeceptor), and appealed to the bishop, but never changed his conduct, even when degraded because of drinking, smoking, fluting with his pupils at late night in lecture room, not being regular church-goer, making a ridicule of his professor, neglecting his teaching office, leaving the College without permission and not wearing student cloak (i.e. toga). Unfortunately he than stayed away when preaching on Easter Day in a village congregation, and travelled to Pest, where Hungarian Jacobinicals committed to prison or put to death. One among them, an organizer of literary life in Hungary, and a neológ, F. Kazinczy, was his patron and friend. In such a situation he decided to leave the College, and recitated a farewell oration, republished here. This reedition has been necessitated by the fact that there is no critical text in reach of readers or experts. It has been printed several times since 18t»l, and we are lucky to have the original draft, preserved in the Library of the Reformed College, Debrecen, however, it is never mentioned, that about twenty percent of it became delated, and a considerable number of rewriten and inserted words and sentences should be observed in it. In earlier editiones such delations were printed, as if Csokonai had recitated them. In another manuscript of his, writen a few days later, he stated having erased all the harsh portions, with the intention to have this dispurgated text printed (actually he never had it). This publication takes care for the so far neglected emendations, delations, insertions, and missreadings of earlier editions. As the case of Csokonai is still debated, also has raised anew the question of due understanding of this address. Two days later Csokonai became expelled, without any testimony, and all the students were strictly prohibited to have conversastion with him. But his connection with Jacobinism is never mentioned. Csokonai himself was cautious enough to delate the name of Rousseau, or not to name facts and documents concerning his case. For the sake of a critical edition and reinterpretation, the above text is true to the original. Pointed brackets enclose delated word/words in not longer passage than a single sentence. Roman type indicates fully delated passages, perhaps emended and dispurged first by the author. Smaller type indicates interlinear and marginal interpolations. 419