| Three poems by the Cretan poet Andreas Sklegios or Skletzas are preserved in a manuscript of the Biblioteca Marciana, Venice. They were copied in 1493 by a scribe named Manousos on behalf of a woman known as Kyra Leni. Skletzas was from an Orthodox Cretan family which seems to have gradually converted to Catholicism during the 15th century. He composed, in fifteen-syllable verse in the contemporary vernacular: a) a prayer to the Theotokos, asking her to intercede with Christ for the salvation of sinners in general and the poet in particular; b) a translation of the hymn Adoro te devote latens veritas by Thomas Aquinas; and c), “Praises to the Fountain of Life”, also addressed to the Theotokos, humbly requesting her grace and guidance. The texts are provided in a critical edition. |