KISS
663
EISS
ment and sent to Wiirtemberg. He took part in the
Rhine campaign in 1799, but sent in his resignation
the same year. He married liis early love, Rosa
Szegedy, iii ISOO.
in 1802 Kisfahidy participated in the insurrection of the Hungarian nobles, as orderly officer to the Palatine, by whose command he later wrote an ac- count of the uprising. He became a member of the Hungarian Academy in 1S30, and was chosen an honorary member in 1S35. He lost his wife in 1832, but later married again, shortly after which his second wife also died. The last years of his life were spent in his native town. Kisfaludy is particularly promi- nent as a lyric poet. His love-songs, which appeared under the name of " Liebeslieder Himfy's ", the first part in 1801, the second in 1S07, a.ssured him an im- mense popularity among his associ- ates. The songs revealed the influ- ence of Rosa Szeg- cdy's love,both be- fore and after their marriage. The metrical rendering of his verses is that of the sonnet; they vmdeniably show the influence of his stay in Provence, and the impress of Petrarch's songs,
SaNDOR KlSPAI-UDY jjjjj yg^ ^[jgy ^^g
in no wise servile imitations of the latter. His " Mar- chen aus der Ungarischen Vorzeit" is the best of his later works; he also tried the field of drama, but with little success.
(2) Karoly Kisfaludy, author, brother of the above; b. at Tet, 5 Feb., 1788; d. at Pesth, 21 Nov., 1830. He was the originator of the romantic ten- dency in the national Hungarian literature and com- edy, also pioneer in the field of Hungarian novel- writing. His birth having cost his mother her life, he was brought up by his sister. He pursued his studies at Raab, but did not finish them as he, as well as his brother, chose a military career, taking part in the wars with Italy. He resigned his commission in 1811, causing a breach with his father, which, in spite of repeated attempts at reconciliation, was never healed; nevertheless he was not disinherited. Even during his military career, Kisfaludy assiduously cultivated literature, and henceforth he devoted himself to it. When he could no longer expect any pecuniary assistance from home, he earned his living as an artist in Vienna and Italy and, later, on his return to Hungary. At the same time his literary energy was not dormant. Besides poetry, he wrote plays and dramas. In 1818-19 he experienced not a little dramatic success. About this time he published his first work in the field of Hungarian comedy, which likewise met with popular favour. He made up for his lack of early education by deep study, he became still more careful of his language, more mod- ern, his productions little by little bearing evidence of this culture.
His style was rather romantic than classical, and not infrequently approached modern realism. His in- fluence, especially on the public, became ever greater, so that in a certain sense he was the centre of the Hun- garian literary life in Pesth. In 1821 he published the first volume of his annual "Aurora ", the leading liter- ary review of his time, which numbered the most prominent writers among its contributors. After
Kolcsey, he was the first to cultivate the ballad, he
also wrote elegies, Italian verse, antl national songs.
Of his prose works, his humorous ones are better than
the more serious, as his comedies are better than his
dramas; the Hungarian novel also owes its ascen-
dency to him. An early death snatched him away
in the midst of his literary activity. The Kisfaludy
Society, so named in honour of him, was established
in 1836, and is devoted to the cultivation of good litera-
ture. The Hungarian national theatre also honours
him by giving yearly one of his plays. He survives
not alone in his books, but much more in his personal
influence over the writers of his day, whose leader and
model he was, in this way proving himself of immortal
service as the regenerator of Hungarian literature.
Many editions of his works were issued by Franz
Toldy, and one in six volumes by Bdnoczi (Budapest,
1893).
ToLDT, Lives of Hungarian Poels (Pesth. 1870), in Hunga- rian; SziNSYEY, Lives and Works of II ungarian Writers (Buda-
pest, 1899), IV, 400-27
A. Ald.\sy.
Kiss. — Four times in the Epistles of St. Paul we
meet the injunction, used as a sort of formula of fare-
well, "Salute one another in a holy kiss" (iv (piX-fitiari
ayli))), for which St. Peter (1 Pet., v, 14) substitutes
" in a kiss of love " {^y (pCK-qiuiTi aryiirrii). It has been
suggested by F. C. Conybeare (The Expositor, 3rd
Ser., ix, 461, 1894) on the ground of two passages in
Philo's " Qusestiones in Exodum " (ii, 78 and 118) that
this was an imitation of a practice of the Jewish
synagogues. The evidence adduced, however, is very
slight. In any case it seems probable that in these
very early days the custom of Cliristians so saluting
each other was not necessarily confined to the time
of the liturgy. Such salutations were no doubt used
somewhat promiscuously even between those of oppo-
site sexes in token of fraternal solicitude and cliarity
(pietatise.tcaritatispignus,as St. Ambrose," Ilexaem.",
VI, ix, 68, points out), and the modesty and reserve
which so many of the pre-Xicene Fathers inculcate
when speaking of this matter must be held to have
reference to other occasions than the kiss of peace in
the liturgy. Tliis is also implied by Tertullian, who
speaks of the pagan husband's reluctance that his
Christian wife should "meet one of the brethren with
a kiss" {alicui fratrum ad osculum co?»'enirc, "Ad
Uxor.", ii, 4). Not improbably St. Paul's injunction
was so interpreted that any synaxis of the faithful
where there was reading of the Scriptures terminated
in a salute of this kind, and it is even possible that the
appearance of the kiss in certain liturgies at the Mass
of Catechumens is due to the same cause. In any
case we have definite evidence that a kiss was on some
occasions bestowed outside the actual liturgy. After
baptism the newly initiated, whether infants or adults,
were embraced first by the baptizer and then by the
faithful who were present (see Cyprian. "Ad Fidum
Epis.", Ep. lix, 4, and Chrysostom, Hom. 1, "De
Util. leg. Scrip."). The use of the formula Pax tecum
in some of the later rituals of baptism is probably a
survival of this practice.
Again a kiss was and still is given to the newly ordained by the bishop who ordains them. Similarly after the consecration of a bishop and, at a later date, after the coronation of a king, the personage so ex- alted, after he was enthroned, was saluted with a kiss. while a kiss, no doubt suggested by the Scriptural example of the prodigal son, was enjoined in many of the rituals for the absolution of a penitent. Of the kiss solemnly exchanged between tho.se newly be- trothed something will be said under Marriage (q. v.), but we may note here the custom for Christians to bestow a last kiss, which then had a quasi-liturgical character, upon the dying or the dead. The prohibi- tion against kissing the dead which was issued by the
