Závišova píseň

Závišova píseň (also known as Jižť mne všě radost ostává) was written towards the end of the fourteenth century and is considered to be one of the finest and most sophisticated poems written during the flowering of secular love poetry which took place in the latter half of that century (other notable examples are Ztratilať jsem milého, which is unusual in that it is written from the woman's point of view, Slovce M and Dřěvo sě listem odievá).

This new lyric form seems to have arisen among the educated classes of the time and, to an extent, among the nobility. The influence of Provençal lyric poetry is detectable in the use of the familiar tropes of courtly love, respect and honour for women, chivalry, etc. The poems are often written in the form of a monologue describing the author's awakening feelings of love, and also his or her sadness and longing at the loved one's absence (or, in some cases, inaccessibility). Protestations of eternal love and faithfulness frequently follow. 

The author of Závišova píseň is considered by some to be the liturgical composer Záviš ze Zap (c. 1350–1411), although this attribution was controversial for much of the 20th century. More recently, the musicologist Hana Vlhová-Wörner has written an important essay (Záviš, autor liturgické poezie 14. století) that provides strong evidence that Záviš ze Zap was indeed the same Záviš who wrote Závišova píseň.