The Hypatian Codex. Part 2. The Galicia-Volynian Chronicle: An Annotated Translation

156 Pages·7.497 MB·English

by  Dionisiy Pavlovich? George A. Perfecky (transl.)

HARVARD SERIES
IN UKRAINIAN STUDIES
Edited by The Harvard Committee
on Ukrainian Studies:
Omeljan Pritsak (Editor-in-Chief),
Members: Horace G. Lunt, Richard E. Pipes,
Ihor Sevcenko, Wiktor Weintraub
Vol. 16, II . 1973
THE HYPATIAN CODEX
Part Two:
THE GALICIAN-VOLYNIAN
CHRONICLE
An annotated translation
by
GEORGE A. PERFECKY
With an editor's preface
WILHELM FINK VERLAG MDNCHEN
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72 79463
@ 1973 Wilhelm Fink Verlag, Munchen 40
Gesamtheratellung: Druckerei und Verlagsanstalt Konstanz
Universitau-Druckerei GmbH Konstanz Am Fischmarkt
CONTENTS
Editor's Preface 7
Abbreviations and Symbols. 9
Author's Preface . 10
Introduction 11
The Galician-Volynian Chronicle - Hypatian Text:
The Galician Section 17
The Volynian Section . 78
Commentary to Translation 119
Notes to Translation 127
Bibliography 143
Glossary. . 147
Map of Southwestern Rus' 148
Index of Personal and Geographic Names
in the Galician -Vol ynian Chronicle . 149
Genealogical Tables . . . . . 161
To my wife
EDITOR'S PREFACE
Of all the Old Rus'ian>:· chronicles the Hypatian is the most significant not only
because of its value as a historical source, but also because of its artistic achievements
which make its two component parts prominent examples of world literature of the
12th and 13th centuries. These are the Kievan Chronicle, encompassing the years
1118 to 1198, which has reached us in the 1199 redaction of the abbot Mojsej (Moses)
from the Vydubyc(i) Monastery, and the Galician-Volynian Chronicle encompassing
the time-span from 1201 to 1292 (actually 1205 to 1289), which has also undergone
more than one redaction. Whereas, the Kievan Chronicle, according to D. Cy~evs'kyj,
represents the apex of the Kievan "monumental" style, the Galician-Volynian Chro
nicle stands out as one of the best examples of the "ornamental" style which origin
ated in Galicia in the second half of the 12th century and included the well-known
Igor' Tale. Despite their significance in the study of world literature, both parts of
the Hypatian text remain almost untouched by scholarly scrutiny. Neither chronicle
has had a critical edition devoted to it.
Consequently, the Committee on Ukrainian Studies at Harvard University con
sidered the study of these literary monuments as one of its major goals. A group of
scholars - philologists, linguists, historians, and Byzantologists - under the direction
of the chairman of the Committee have joined together in the preparation of ~
critical edition of both chronicles with specialized commentaries which will appear
in separate volumes, each as soon as it reaches completion. The first to appear will be
an English translation of both works. The Kievan Chronicle, translated by Pro
fessor Tatiana Ci~evska (Wayne State University) is in its final stage of preparation.
The Galician-Volynian Chronicle translated by Professor George A. Perfecky (La
Salle College) comprises this volume.
A critical edition of the text of both chronicles prepared by the same authors will
follow. Next to appear will be an analytical commentary to individual entries in
each chronicle, which will be published in separate volumes. The problem of the chro
nology of individual entries will also be examined there. Further volumes will be
commentaries by leading scholars according to their field of specialization: Byzan
tine studies, Turkology-Hungarology, Baltic, Polish and Czech history, etc. Finally,
several monographs are foreseen dealing with the language of the chronicles in all
its literary aspects.
The translation of the Galician-Volynian Chronicle by George Perfecky presented
in this volume shows the present state of research on this very important monument.
It must be understood that the translator's commentaries were not meant to be inter
preted as comprehensive; they were designed to facilitate the reading of the text,
whi:ch will be supplemented later by the monographs mentioned above.
In order to complete a project of such magnitude as this, in which several scholars
are cooperating, it must be conceived and carried out on the basis of "dialectics".
* The term Rus'ian, used in this series, is distinctly different from the term Russian.
It must be clearly understood that Rus'ian does not mean Russian, just as Rus'
does not mean Russia (Rossija), which is historically a much later term.
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The study of the text and its translation becomes the key for historical inter
pretation and the knowledge of historical facts and related studies in turn, facili
tates a valid understanding of the text and assures a better translation.
Work had to begin with the preparation of a critical edition of the text and its
translation.
Undoubtedly, an all-encompassing study of the individual entries, historical re
lations, philological and literary problems will make the text more understandable.
Therefore, both the translator and the editor, request the reader's recognition that
these are pioneer steps toward a comprehensive study of this work. Upon the com
pletion of the whole project, which is estimated to take at least ten years, we hope
to prepare a revised version of the translation which will incorporate the specialized
commentary.
Omeljan Pritsak
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ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS
GVC Galician-Volynian Chronicle
KC Kievan Chronicle
X Xlebnikovskij text
P Pogodinskij text
C Cracow text
E Ermolaevskij text
PSRL Polnoe sobranie russkix
letopisej
(?) uncertainty of form or item
I on the border between given
years
text breaks off - Under the
Hypatian year 1291 this
symbol indicates absence of a
name.
For abbreviations of periodicals, see Bibliography, page 143. The transliteration
used is that recommended by the Slavic and East European Journal (Madison, Wis
consin) with some modifications as used in this series.
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PREFACE
I would like to acknowledge my indebtedness to Professor George Y. Shevelov,
whose doctoral seminar in Slavic linguistics provided the impetus for this annotated
translation of the Galician-Volynian Chronicle. I would also like to express my
sincere gratitude to Professor Rado L. Lencek for his kind interest and generous
expenditure of time and energy in supervising this dissertation as well as to the
entire department of Slavic Languages at Columbia University, in particular to its
chairman, Professor William E. Harkins, for encouragement and guidance during
the course of my doctoral work.
I would also like to express appreciation to the following individuals and libraries
which provided me with source material: Dr. A. Alexander of Hunter College, New
York; Mr. O. Kudryk of Indiana University Library, Bloomington; Mr. S. Yakobson
of the Library of Congress, Washington; Mrs. I. Rozankowsky of the New York
Public Library; and the Jagiellonian University Library, Cracow; as well as Mrs.
G. Most, Mrs. L. Rappaport, and Miss K. Reinhardt of the Interlibrary Loan de
partment of the La Salle College Library, Philadelphia.
Last but not least I would like to thank my wife, who typed the first drafts of my
dissertation, and my parents for their support and understanding in bringing this
dissertation to a successful conclusion.
The dissertation represents the first English translation of the Galician-Volynian
Chronicle - the most important historical source of events in thirteenth century
southwestern Rus'. The translation has been provided with a linguistic,* a literary,
and a limited historical commentary. It also has a map of southwestern Rus' and
genealogical tables of Galician-Volynian princes, prepared especially for the publi
cation of this translation by Professor o. Pritsak of Harvard University, to whom
I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for their preparation.
George A. Perfecky
* The linguistic commentary proving that the language of the GVC was Middle
Ukrainian is being published separately as an article entitled "Studies on the Ga
lician-Volynian Chronicle" in the Annals of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and
Sciences in the U.S .• vol. 12, New York, 1971.
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