An 18th century Ragusan-English literary link

Abstract

As early as in 1785, a booklet was published at Dubrovnik, which contained the English text of an English poem and its Italian translation entitled Idillio Inglese. However, the author and the original title of the poem were not indicated. The translator had given only his initials M. S. P. R. and dedicated the booklet to Džono Rastić (Resti). The author of this paper has found out the name of the English poet (John Byrom) and the source from which the translator had taken the original text (the Spectator, No 603). As the poem was published in the Spectator without any title, the translator invented a new one in accordance with the subject matter of the poem and added the attribute »Inglese« to denote its English origin.
The fact that the text of the poem in the Spectator differs with the text of the same poem in subsequent editions has helped the author of this paper to establish the above mentioned source. Besides it, he furnishes the evidences showing that the initials M. S. P. R. stand for »Michele Sorgo Patrizio Raguseo«, i.e. Miho Sorkočević and that the immediate cause of his effort was one Delfina Gabbuti, an actress in an Italian theatrical troupe that acted at Dubrovnik in 1785. He also produces proofs showing the reason why Miho Sorkočević dedicated in the translation to Džono Rastić. The author has been able to do so because he could produce statements of Miho Sorkočević and his friends taken from their correspondence and contemporary Nuovo Giornale Enciclopedico published at Vicenza in 1785.
To furnish further evidence, the author describes the cultural and literary background putting into relief the favourable tendencies that enabled Miho Sorkočević to choose the said poem and to publish it with its English text and Italian translation. He produces several names of some other Ragusan writers who were interested in English language and literature, the most important being Džono Rastić who corresponded with Miho Sorkočević in English and left evidence that he used to borrow English books from Miho Sorkočević.
It seems to be the only English literary work published in the English language and the only published translation of an English literary work in the Republic of Dubrovnik. As such this translation deserves our special attention. The solution of some problems about it may be considered as a contribution to the study of the Croato-English literary links at that early time.