In 1634 he went to
Danzig (Polish:
Gdańsk) where he met professors
Peter Crüger and
Johann Mochinger at the Danzig Gymnasium, who introduced Gryphius to the new German language poetry. Crüger had for years close contacts to
Martin Opitz, who became known as the 'father of German poetry'. Greatly influenced by Crüger, he is the only one Gryphius dedicated poems to. Gryphius wrote Latin language poetry, German poems and sonnets. The same year that Gryphius arrived, the printer
Andreas Hünefeld published
Martin Opitz's
Buch von der deutschen Poeterey (Book of German Poetry). The same publisher printed Opitz's translation
Tetrastichen des Pibrac (Tetrasticha of Pibrac, or four verse) and
Antigone. Among Gryphius' benefactors was the city's secretary
Michael Borck, who wrote a German version of the life of Jesus Christ. Borck's illustrated book is still at the
Gdańsk library. Coming from war riddled Silesia, taking refuge at the big international harbor and a
Polish city, greatly stimulated Gryphius. In 1635 he published his second epos of
Herodes,
Dei Vindicis Impetus et Herodis Interitus. He dedicated this to the city state council. In 1636, while still in Danzig, he published the
Parnassus renovatus in praise of his mentor and patron, the eminent
jurist Georg Schönborner (1579–1637). Later the same year Gryphius became the tutor of Schönborner's two sons, on Schönborner's estate near Freystadt, in Silesia (today,
Kożuchów, Poland). A highly educated scholar, Schönborner held various government administrative posts and by that time had been honored by
Emperor Ferdinand II with the title of
Imperial Count Palatine (Hofpfalzgraf). On 30 November 1637, Schönborner recognized Gryphius's poetic talent by bestowing upon him the title of
poeta laureatus and master of
philosophy, as well as a
patent of nobility (of which Gryphius, however, never made use). Schönborner died less than a month later, on 23 December 1637. While staying with Schönborner, Gryphius completed his first collection of poems,
Sonnete ("Sonnets"), which was published in 1637 by Wigand Funck in Lissa (today
Leszno, Poland), and is also known as the
Lissaer Sonettbuch, after the town. The collection of 31
sonnets includes some of his best known poems, such as "Vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas", later titled "Es ist alles eitel" (All is
vanity), about the effects of war and the transitoriness of human life; "Menschliches Elende" (Human misery); and "Trawrklage des verwüsteten Deutschlandes" (Lament of devastated Germany). In 1632, he had witnessed the pillaging and burning of the Silesian town of
Freystadt by Swedish troops, and immortalized the event in his poem
Fewrige Freystadt. Also in 1637 he went to continue his studies at
Leiden, where he remained for six years, both hearing and delivering lectures. Here he fell under the influence of the great Dutch dramatists,
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft and
Joost van den Vondel, who largely determined the character of his later dramatic works. In 1635 with the
Prager Frieden (
Peace of Prague), the
Habsburgs took control over in Silesia again and persecuted Protestants and closed their churches. In 1638 Paul Gryphius, the brother of Andreas, received a position as Superindendant at
Crossen an der Oder (Krosno Odrzańskie) in
Brandenburg from the Elector
Georg Wilhelm of Brandenburg. Paul was for several years banned from Silesia for of being a Protestant, and Andreas dedicated and sent him several poems for the start of his new position. ==Travel and dramatic work==