Owing to his fascination with the folklore of the Polish Masovia (which Lenartowicz used as the chief motif of his poetry), he used to call himself
Mazurzyna, a
versifier of Masovia region. He was friends with Elżbieta Bośniacka, a playwright, poet and journalist associated with
Dziennik Literacki. The best-known of his poems is "The Golden Cup" ("Złoty kubek", 1853), based on a traditional
Polish Christmas carol, in which an orphaned girl asks the heavenly
goldsmith to make her a golden cup from golden apples and leaves fallen from the golden . The cup is to be decorated with engravings depicting the idealized Polish countryside. Because of its symbolism of transcendent light, the poem can be interpreted in different ways, including as advice on art-making. It was favorably received by
Norwid, as well as by
Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, who wrote a poem, "Lenartowicz," about the concept of his "Golden Cup". He published two collections of poetry:
Lirenka and
Zachwycenie (Rapture, 1855). Poland's eminent poet
Czesław Miłosz described Lenartowicz longer poems "Zachwycenie" ("Rapture") and "Błogosławiona" ("The Blessed One"), both published in 1855, as having a "curious treatment of religious themes." The
heaven encountered by a departing soul is expected to look just like a village in Poland. Between 1888 and 1893, Lenartowicz was an honorary member of the
Poznań Society of the Friends of Science, according to Bolesław Erzepki in 1896. == Death ==