Spiritual poesy. Late 14th – early 15th c.
An excerpt from Complimentary Lay To George is taken from the Belarusian Poetry Anthology book (V. I, Minsk, 1993). The Belarusian phonetic transcription is written by Zmicier Sasnoŭski.
Hryhoryj Camblak (1364-1419) is a writer, cultural and church figure, author of more than 40 works in various genres (hagiologies, complimentary lays, sermons, sirventes and canons). H. Cambłak was of distinguished birth, occupied the pulpit in monasteries in Constantinople, Serbia and Walachia. In 1415, he was elected Metropolitan of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during a Synod of Belarusan and Ukrainian Bishops. He participated in the 16th Oecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church in Constantsa.
H. Camblak lived and worked in the town of Navahradak in Belarus for a long time. On the Belarusian land, he continued and developed the traditions of celebratory eloquence started by Kiryla Turaŭski. His defence of native faith and culture, glorification of national and cultural figures under the circumstances of the Turkish inroads were a deeply patriotic act and made his works highly relevant.
The Complimentary Lay is devoted to George The Triumphator, who is the defender of warriors, and therefore Belarusian knights might have read this lay-prayer before battles.