The Complete Correspondence of Hryhory Skovoroda

Philosopher And Poet

Hryhory Skovoroda

• Publisher: Glagoslav Publications B.V.
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781784379902
• eBook ISBN: 9781784379926
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

The religious philosopher and poet Hryhory Skovoroda (1722-1794) is described by many as the Ukrainian Socrates and was one of the most learned men of his time. He was a polyglot who knew the Bible virtually by heart, as well as the writings of the Church Fathers and the literature of Greek and Roman antiquity. The eminent literary critic Ivan Dziuba considers Skovoroda the greatest Ukrainian mind ever. And Yuri Andrukhovych, one of the most prominent Ukrainian writers of today, calls him "the first Ukrainian hippie" on account of his itinerant lifestyle and rejection of worldly life. The impact of Skovoroda's life and works has been well documented on major writers in future generations, such as Leo Tolstoy, Andrei Bely and Pavlo Tychyna, to name but a few.
None of Skovoroda's works appeared during his lifetime – they were first published in 1837 in Moscow. The texts of Skovoroda's writings were preserved mostly by Skovoroda's lifelong friend Mykhailo Kovalynsky, to whom he had given the manuscripts. Skovoroda's extant writings consist of a collection of thirty poems entitled The Garden of Divine Songs along with other occasional poems, a collection of fables entitled Kharkiv Fables, which was published in 1990, and seventeen philosophical treatises. Most of the treatises were composed during the latter part of his life.
The letters of Skovoroda are appearing in their entirety here in English for the first time, accompanied by a guest introduction by Leonid Rudnytzky.
This title has been realised by a team of the following dedicated professionals:
Translated by Eleonora Adams and Michael M. Naydan,
Edited by Liliana M. Naydan,
The cover shows a detail from Blessing of the Road,
by Mykola Kumanovsky from the Woskob Private Collection,
Interior Design by Dmytro Podolyanchuck,
Guest Introduction by Leonid Rudnytzky,
Maxim Hodak - ?????? ????? (Publisher),
Max Mendor - ???? ?????? (Director),
Ksenia Papazova.

Letters to
Mykhailo Kovalynsky
(1–79)

- 1 -

[ Kharkiv ] May 26 (27?), 1762

Greetings, most pleasant of all, young man,
my esteemed [friend] Mykhailo!

As soon as we parted after our meeting, my soul was suddenly seized with a longing for you and with a strong wish to see you. I began to regret that I did not invite you into my museum, so that you would be in the company of others, especially because you obviously were somewhat saddened for other reasons and because of your most excellent uncle. This I explain as a feeling of exceptional respect with which you regard all your relatives. Yet I would not be surprised if you, young man, restrain from visiting me, sometimes because of fear and always because of shyness. That is what I, an old man, sometimes fear—and I am not at all proud of this, calling and chiding myself as lazy and weak. Believe me, dear heart, that today, too, I yielded to a childish fear, in not summoning up the courage to invite you in. Oh, if you could only look into my heart! But if I succeed in convincing you that I am ready to ignore everything, to conquer and to endure, then I will attempt to balance the fact that I sometimes display weakness with courage. But here for you, dear friend, are a few words about the Feast Day of the Holy Spirit, which, to be sure, are due him: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14).

Be well, my soul!

Your Hryhor[y] S[avych].

- 2 -

[ Kharkiv ] July 9, 1762

My most coveted [friend] Mykhailo!

You are already leaving us. Well then, go where your devotion and beneficence call you, go with Christ, and return under his care. May Jesus grant that you find your cherished parents at home well and happy, at least that they should know no anxiety and may all be at peace!

And may the High Martyr of Israel keep watch over you and your dear brother so that no misfortune may befall you on the way! Rest when you are at home, but avoid excessive inactivity, because

ἐπὶ πᾶσι μέτρον ἄριστον—

“in everything moderation is best in all things.”

Excess begets congestion, congestion—illness, and illness—melancholy, and he who suffers from this cannot be called healthy. There is no time that does not lend itself to the pursuit of beneficial knowledge, and if you occupy yourself with subjects useful for this life as well as for the hereafter, in moderation, but consistently, then learning becomes joy not work. Whoever is engrossed in education loves it, and whoever loves it never ceases to investigate even though on the surface he may appear idle. If one truly loves anything, then as long as the beloved object is with him, he does not realize the enjoyment he derives from it, but as soon as that object disappears, he immediately feels love’s cruelest suffering. Why is this? Because if one does not love beneficial education with his heart and soul, then every effort will be in vain. After all, even during times of idleness, love studies and contemplates, and the further it gets away from the goals, the more it strives toward them. I am well aware of how much you love your preoccupation with education, and I do not at all mean to imply that you need to be encouraged to study because you show your enthusiasm for the field of knowledge more than sufficiently. This kind of prodding is particularly out of place, especially right now during vacation time. I write about it only to let you know how I feel, and I am the kind of person who never tires of conversation with friends. Note that people who love piety are particularly fond of young men and adolescents, pleasant, pure in heart, who were by nature gifted with auspicious talents. An isocrat usually calls them παῖδας θεῶν, or children of God. That is why I direct my gratitude to your wonderful uncle, the Archbishop, the very reverend father Petro, for helping me to establish a friendship with you that I regard as good fortune for me. And in order for you not to miss me during the time we are apart, I have decided to write a few devout Greek maxims for you μνημόσυνον, that is to say as a memento. Whenever you might feel a desire to talk to me, look at these sentences and you shall feel as if you are speaking with me; remember at the same time the kinds of conversations your friend likes to have.

Well then, let the first maxim be as follows:

1. Κάλλιστον ἐφόδιον ἔν τῷ γήρατι ἡ σοφία. “The best companion in old age is wisdom.” or παιδεία, meaning knowledge, because man in old age is bereft of everything save knowledge.

2. Σεμνὸς ἔρως ρετῇς. “Sacred is love of virtue.” Because one cannot disrespect him in whom one sees the temple of virtue, for wherever there is love of virtue there is dignity.

3. Φίλους ἔχων, νομίζε θησαυροὺς ἔχειν. “If you have friends, remember that you hold dominion over a treasure.” Nothing, says Seneca, gives more joy than true friendship.

4. Χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά. “That which is beautiful is difficult.”

5. Ὀλίγη πρὸς κακότητα ὁδός. “The path to evil is short.” But take one expression from the Holy Scriptures. Paul in his Epistle to St. Thomas (Chap. 1, end) writes:

Ἔστι δὲ πορισμὸς μέγας ἡ εὐσέβεια μετὰ αὐταρκείας.

“A great achievement is piety with satisfaction.”

It is characteristic for virtue to worship God and to love thy neighbor. Αὐταρκεία in Latin is called spiritual peace, in which man is satisfied with his fate. This i...

Table of contents

• The Сomplete Сorrespondence of Hryhory Skovoroda: Philosopher and Poet
• Preface
• Copyright
• A Note on Hryhory Savych Skovoroda
• A Note on the Translations
• A Biographical Note on Skovoroda
• Acknowledgments
• Letters to Mykhailo Kovalynsky (1–79)
• Letters to other individuals (80–120)
• Letters to various persons
• Letters to Unknown Individuals(121–125)