, but usually the question remains an open one. Not all the narrative poems in the
Vertograd which derive from the
Magnum speculum exemplorum do so directly. For example, the poem «Běganie iz cerkve» may be traced back to the second
exemplum under the heading «Ecclesia» in the 1653 edition, but when one looks at the place that the poem occupies in
A one can demonstrate that Simeon's immediate source was Meffreth's third sermon for the 5th Sunday after Pentecost. Meffreth is also the immediate source for the poems «Desjatina» and «Demon ispovSdi pakost"», though the anecdotes go back to «Decimae» No. 2 and «Contritio» No. 10 respectively in the
Magnum speculum exemplorum.
We regard the task of investigating the background to the poems of the Vertograd as far from complete. However, it is now clear that the question is no longer whether Simeon relied on specific sources, but rather which sources. There are 2 763 poems in the autograph manuscript A, or 2 496 if one regards the cycle entitled «Vivlia» as one poem[101]. Of this total, well over half have now been traced back to their source in either Faber, Meffreth, the Magnum speculum exemplorum, or the Hortuspastorum of Jacobus Marchantius, another Jesuit priest. The Commentary at the end of each volume of the present edition identifies those sources about which there can be no reasonable doubt, and an Appendix at the end of the third volume will list those sources that have come to light in the course of preparing the text for publication. Thus, the Commentary does not so much provide comment as factual information about the origins of particular poems. This information is so important for an understanding of both Simeon's worldview and his creative process that it has been felt necessary to quote extensively from his sources, especially as these works are not to be found in most university libraries. Although it might also have been desirable to provide translations of the numerous Latin passages quoted in the Commentary, considerations of space have rendered this impracticable. Simeon Polockij was deeply immersed in Latin culture, and a good working knowledge of Latin is a great asset to the student of this remarkable Russian poet. Indeed, the paucity of present-day scholars who bridge the gap between classical and Slavonic studies is one reason why research into Simeon Polockij has not been as exhaustive as it might have been. It is hoped that the present critical edition of the Vertograd will advance that research into a new and productive phase.