St. John’s Cathedral Parish in Toronto, Ontario, Canada has been reconciled to the Polish National Catholic Church. Praise and thanks to the Holy Spirit who grants us the grace to reconcile in all things.
Obama has more czars than the Romanovs – who ruled Russia for 3 centuries. Romanovs 18, cyberczar makes 20
There was an Old Man of Vesuvius,
Who studied the works of Vitruvius;
When the flames burnt his book,
To drinking he took,
That morbid Old Man of Vesuvius.
By Stanisław Barańczak, translated by Edward Lear
Pewien starzec u stóp Wezuwiusza
zgłębiał trzeci już tom Witruwiusza,
gdy zalała go lawa;
“Działa to jak ‘Wełtawa’ “,
rzekł, “Smetany: wzrusza i rozjusza”.
An epicure, dining at Crewe,
Found quite a large mouse in his stew.
Said the waiter: “Don’t shout
And wave it about,
Or the rest will be wanting one, too!”
By Antoni Marianowicz, translated by Edward Lear
Raz na mleku zamówiwszy ryż
gość w tym ryżu znalazł zdechłą mysz.
Kelner na to rzekł: “Ciszej,
nie pokazuj pan myszy,
bowiem inni goście zechcą tyż!”
There was a young lady of Riga,
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger:
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside,
And the smile on the face of the tiger.
By Janusz Minkiewicz, translation unattributed
Zachciało się pewnej niewieście w Skarżysku
przejechać konno na małym tygrysku…
Przybyli z wyprawy w porządku:
dama w tygrysim żołądku,
a tygrys z uśmiechem na pysku.
A young schizophrenic named Struther
When told of the death of his mother,
Said, “Yes, it’s too bad,
But I can’t feel too sad.
After all, I still have each other.”
By Grzegorz Gigol, translation unattributed
Schizofrenik, który mieszkał pod Porajem,
w katastrofie samolotu nad Bombajem
stracił całą rodzinę.
Nie zmartwiony ni krztynę
rzekł: “To nic, i tak wciąż siebie mam nawzajem!”
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New blog post: Daily Digest for May 28th http://bit.ly/11U0IW [#]
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Shared 3 books.
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New blog post: Soooo…. they’re not stealing ‘our’ jobs http://bit.ly/6bYYy [#]
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New blog post: May 29 – Into the midst of riotous squabblers by Juliusz Słowacki http://bit.ly/v7pPv [#]
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Into the midst of riotous squabblers
God sounds his gong;
Here is the Slavic Pope, your new ruler;
Make way, applaud.
This one will not, like Italians before him,
Flee sworded throngs;
Our world disdainer will fight like a tiger,
Fearless like God.Sunshine resplendent shall be his countenance,
Light shining true,
That we may follow him into the radiance
Where God resides.
Multitudes growing obey all his orders,
His prayers too:
He tells the sun to stand still in the heavens,
And it abides.Now he approaches, the one who distributes
Global new might,
He who can make blood circulate backwards
Inside our veins.
Now in our hearts the pulsation starts flowing,
Heavenly light;
Power is a spirit, turns thought into actron
Inside his brain.And we need power in order to carry
This world of ours;
Here comes our Slavic Pope to the rescue,
Brother of mankind.
Angel batallions dust off his throne with
Whisks made of flowers,
While he pours lotion onto our bosom,
Pontiff benign.He will distribute love like a warlord
Passes out arms;
His strength sacramental will gather the cosmos
Into his palms.Then will he send glad tidings to flutter
Like Noah’s dove:
News that the spirit’s here and acknowledged,
Shining alone.
And we shall see part nicely before him
The sky above.
He’ll stand on his throne, illumined, creating
Both world and throne.His voice will transfrom the nations to brethren.
Burnt offerings
Circle the spirits in their march toward
Their final goal.
Strength sacramental of hundreds of nations
Will help our king
See that the spirits’ work overpowers
Death’s mournful toll.The wounds of the world shall he cleanse, and banish
Rot. pus and all–
He will redeem the world and bring to it
Both health and love.
He shall sweep clean the insides of churches
And clear the hall,
And then reveal the Lord our Creator
Shining above.
Translated by Sandra Celt
Pośród niesnasek Pan Bóg uderza
W ogromny dzwon,
Dla słowiańskiego oto papieża
Otworzył tron.Ten przed mieczami tak nie uciecze
Jako ten Włoch,
On śmiało, jak Bóg, pójdzie na miecze;
Świat mu to proch!Twarz jego, słowem rozpromieniona,
Lampa dla sług,
Za nim rosnące pójdą plemiona
W światło, gdzie Bóg.Na jego pacierz i rozkazanie
Nie tylko lud
Jeśli rozkaże, to słońce stanie,
Bo moc to cud!On się już zbliża rozdawca nowy
Globowych sił:
Cofnie się w żyłach pod jego słowy
Krew naszych żył;W sercach się zacznie światłości bożej
Strumienny ruch,
Co myśl pomyśli przezeń, to stworzy,
Bo moc to duch.A trzeba mocy, byśmy ten pański
Dźwignęli świat:
Więc oto idzie papież słowiański,
Ludowy brat;Oto już leje balsamy świata
Do naszych łon,
A chór aniołów kwiatem umiata
Dla niego tron.On rozda miłość, jak dziś mocarze
Rozdają broń,
Sakramentalną moc on pokaże,
Świat wziąwszy w dłoń;Gołąb mu słowa w hymnie wyleci,
Poniesie wieść,
Nowinę słodką, że duch już świeci
I ma swą cześć;Niebo się nad nim piękne otworzy
Z obojga stron,
Bo on na świecie stanął i tworzy
I świat, i tron.On przez narody uczyni bratnie,
Wydawszy głos,
Że duchy pójdą w cele ostatnie
Przez ofiar stos;Moc mu pomoże sakramentalna
Narodów stu,
Moc ta przez duchy będzie widzialna
Przed trumną tu.Takiego ducha wkrótce ujrzycie
Cień, potem twarz:
Wszelką z ran świata wyrzuci zgniłość,
Robactwo, gad,Zdrowie przyniesie, rozpali miłość
I zbawi świat;
Wnętrze kościołów on powymiata,
Oczyści sień,
Boga pokaże w twórczości świata,
Jasno jak dzień.
My commentary:
“All Poles are…” is one of the most famous misstatements and pejoratives in the history of the world. Whether it comes from misinformation, a lack of historical study, or with an intent to defame, it none-the-less conveys stereotyping which is false at best and slanderous at worst. In that vein, it should be understood that not all Poles are Catholic, and among Polish Catholics few are Ultramontanist Roman Catholics.
Polish intellectuals, and later working class Poles did not regard the papacy as a constant, and at times they saw it as working against the interests of their country.
As far back as 1475, Jan Ostroróg wrote against papal power and church courts and advocated for a tax levy on the church for National defense in Pro Republicae Ordinatione
A painful and inhuman burden also oppresses the Kingdom of Poland, which is otherwise completely free, in another way, because we allow ourselves to be cheated and deceived to such a degree by the constant cunning of the Italians, and under the guise of piety, which is rather a falsification of teaching and a superstition: we permit big sums of money to be sent annually to the Roman court, as they call it, in the payment of a big tribute, called the bishop’s tribute or the annates … It is known that the German and Polish noblemen allowed the Apostolic See to collect the annates for only a few years in order to restrain the enemies of the Christian faith and to check the cruel Turk in his attacks. And this is certain: these few allotted years have long since passed, and the annates destined for other uses are channelled elsewhere. It is therefore necessary to stop this false piety, and the pope should not be a tyrant under the cloak of faith, but on the contrary, a benevolent father, just as merciful as the one whom he claims to represent on earth.
In The Role of Polish and American Identities in the Future of the Polish National Catholic Church, Jeffrey M. Jozefski
Bishop Hodur also encouraged his followers to read the newest generation of nationalistic Polish authors, describing “messianic” writers Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki and Ignacy Krasiński as “great minds.” These three writers have also been described as “Bishop Hodur’s favorite literary trio.” Messianic literature was popular among the congregations of the PNCC, especially those which had come to label Poland as the “Christ of nations” that would eventually be resurrected. The first PNCC “Special Synod” in 1906 described Mickiewicz and Słowacki as heroes for their courageous literary attacks on the Pope and encouraged every Polish family to own not only the Holy Scriptures, but also the works of these three writers. The synod especially recommended Księgi Pielgryzmstwa Polskiego (Books of the Polish Pilgrimage), as well as mentioning Jan Ostroróg and Stanisław Orzechowski as Polish literary heroes who had advocated for a “national” or otherwise more autonomous Catholic Church in Poland.
Bishop Hodur obviously held Słowacki in high esteem. Słowacki’s poem, cited above, should be seen in historical context as an indictment of a papacy enamored of earthly power, a papacy that needed a change, a Pope of the Spirit. This poem supports Bishop Hodur’s stance against the papacy as it had evolved and, contrary to “popular belief
He shall sweep clean the insides of churches
And clear the hall,
And then reveal the Lord our Creator
Shining above.
A critical analysis of Słowacki’s work and his times indicates that Słowacki was anything but an admirer of the office of the Bishop of Rome as it existed in his day.
In Chapter VI – Polonia Semper Fidelis of The Eternal Church in a Changing World: The Relationship of the Church and World in the Thought of John Paul II by Maciej Zięba, the author notes:
The constant threat to the faith, in the beginning from the anti-Catholic policies of Prussia and Russia, later from Nazi Germany and then from the communist government imposed on Poland by the USSR had the effect of making fidelity to the Church the most valued quality to Polish Catholics. In the face of a direct threat to the Faith and an official policy aiming at promoting discord among the faithful, doctrinal controversies or political disputes could have had real and dangerous consequences. Thus building up and maintaining the unity of the Church became the essential task for all Catholics.
This fidelity was not necessarily totally uncritical. The conciliatory policy of the papacy towards the tsarist regime was often criticized in Poland. In turn, when Cardinal Wyszynski was triumphantly greeted in Rome after his release from a Stalinist prison, Pius XII ostentatiously punished him for his political independence (in seeking a modus vivendi with the communist regime!) by having him wait for days for a Vatican audience. Some newer events might serve as examples of the same independence of thought. In August 1980, Cardinal Wyszynski made an appeal to abandon strikes. The workers listened to his words with obvious respect for the speaker, but then quietly ignored them. Again, in 1989, some well-known candidates, supported by the present Primate, Cardinal Glemp, were soundly defeated at the polls.
For Słowacki and other similarly situated Polish patriots the constant betrayals of Polish sovereignty at the hand of the Popes, who supported the Russian, Prussian, and Austro-Hungarian division of Poland, was proof positive that the Popes were not leaders of the Spirit nor protectors of Polish self determination or rights.
In the Review Article, After the Blank Spots Are Filled: Recent Perspectives on Modern Poland
Jerzy Kloczowski’s History of Polish Christianity is thus a valuable companion to any encounter with Polish history. The themes Kloczowski emphasizes will probably not surprise any student of church or religious history, but they are not always fully appreciated by other historians. In the early modern period, Kloczowski argues that a drift from rigor toward moderation in religious practice kept Poland Catholic through the Reformation, even as Orthodoxy and Calvinism continued to be part of the common environment. Polish Catholicism was deep but not strict, a folk religiosity in which adherence to ritual and fervent faith did not mean observance of church teachings.
The gap between belief and action emerged most strongly during the nineteenth—century uprisings. Famously, both the Vatican and the Polish episcopate withheld support for uprisings against the Russian tsar; the unity of church and nation is a post—uprising construct. Still, the church enjoyed two signal advantages in the era of partitions. First, it was the only institution that crossed partition borders; thus, to think of a Poland restored was to think of the Catholic Church, too. Second, individual priests—”such as those immortalized in the drawings of Artur Grottger (1837—“67)—”joined the uprisings, especially the January Uprising of 1863. Yet the powerful traditions of both popular and intellectual anticlericalism in Poland—”a legacy largely destroyed by the double blow of Nazi occupation and Communist rule—”can be found only between the lines in Kloczowski’s account. Kloczowski asserts that anticlericalism was a —marginal phenomenon,— restricted to a part of the intelligentsia and isolated pockets of industrial workers. Stauter—Halsted, in contrast, explores growing resistance to clerical authority from the 1880s onward, as peasant leaders came to value the secular schoolteacher more. The relationship of Pole to structures of authority and to cultures of tradition still needs to be examined…
Over and over betrayals came to light as ostensibly Catholic leaders, political and religious, were faced with the bitter experience of Vatican double dealing, sometimes at the hands of their fellow countrymen in the Curia
But oh my Prophet-Bard! Where are you going?
What harbor beacon lights your way, and where?
Either you founder in the depths of Slavonic atavism
Or with your lightning mind you sweep up
The refuse and drive it at the Pontiff’s triple crown.
I know your harbors and coastlands! I shall not go
With you, or go your false way —” I shall take
Another road! —” and the nation will go with me!
The footnotes to the verse state:
Słowacki also alludes to Mickiewicz’s audience with Pope Pius IX in 1848 during which the Pope expressed disapproval of revolutionary activity. Mickiewicz allegedly grabbed the Pope’s sleeve and exclaimed that God is on the side of the Paris workers. In 1848, Pius IX secretly signed a concordat with Russia, thereby abandoning the cause of Polish Catholics in the Russian empire and joining the reactionary circle of European rulers desirous to retain at any price whatever was left of the old regimes.
From the time of Ostroróg to the First World War, when Roman Dmowski traveled to Rome to ask for assistance in gaining Poland’s independence, and was greeted with open disfavor, Poles have understood Słowacki’s famous statement: “Poland, thy doom comes from Rome (Krzyż twym papieżem jest – twa zguba w Rzymie!
In the no kidding department, a recent study published by the Immigration Policy Center finds Immigration Does Not Increase Unemployment:
There is little apparent relationship between recent immigration and unemployment rates among native-born workers, according to a pair of studies released May 19 by the Immigration Policy Center.
The reports analyze data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Census 2000 data . They are the first two installments of a three-part series, Untying the Knot, which seeks to —debunk the frequently misrepresented relationship between immigration and unemployment,— IPC said.
According to IPC, opponents of an immigration overhaul —frequently argue that immigrants ‘take’ jobs away from many native-born workers, especially during economic hard times.—
—We commissioned this report in order to take a serious look at whether or not immigration is in fact impacting unemployment among the native-born and what we have found is that scary rhetoric is not a substitute for good data,— said Ben Johnson, executive director of the American Immigration Law Foundation. IPC is the research arm of AILF.
—These findings are in line with other long-term studies conducted around the world which have shown that immigration has very little impact on native unemployment,— Johnson said. —In order to have a serious policy debate, we need good, honest numbers and that is what we believe we have provided in these reports.—
Unemployment Rates Similar in High-, Low-Immigration Areas
According to the reports, if immigrants took jobs away from native-born workers, one would expect to find a high unemployment rates in those parts of the country with large numbers of immigrants, particularly recent immigrants who are more willing to work for low wages and under worse conditions than long-term immigrants or native-born workers.
However, —analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau clearly reveals that this is not the case,— IPC said.
—The level of unemployment in the U.S. is painful, scary and difficult—”so we shouldn’t belittle it,— said Dan Siciliano, senior research fellow at IPC and executive director of the program in law, economics, and business at Stanford Law School. —However, the very notion that immigration has anything to do with unemployment does just that. It belittles the challenge of unemployment,— he said.
Siciliano said the idea that immigration is causally linked to unemployment among the native-born is a —red herring distracting from the real causes of unemployment.—
According to the report, there is —no correlation between the number of recent immigrant workers in a given state, county, or city and the unemployment rate among native-born workers.—
For example, recent immigrants make up 8.4 percent of the population in the Pacific region (including California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii) but only 2.8 percent of the population in the East North Central region (including Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin). However, both regions have nearly the same unemployment rate, 10.8 percent in the Pacific region, and 10.0 percent in the East North Central region.
Another example cited in the report is between New Jersey, a state where recent immigrants make up 7.3 percent of the population, and Maine, where recent immigrants make up 0.8 percent of the population. Both states have similar unemployment rates—”8.3 percent in New Jersey and 8.1 percent in Maine, according to the report.
—Locales with high unemployment rates do not necessarily have large numbers of recent immigrants, and locales with many recent immigrants do not necessarily have high unemployment rates,— according to the report.
IPC said that on average, recent immigrants comprise 3.1 percent of the population in counties with the highest unemployment rates, which average 13.4 percent. Recent immigrants account for a higher share of the population (4.6 percent) in counties with the lowest unemployment rates (below 4.8 percent), the report found.
Immigrants Don’t Impact Minority Unemployment
Additionally, the report found that there was no connection between immigration and unemployment rates of native-born minorities, such as African Americans.
—On the question of race we find that there’s just no connection between immigration and unemployment,— said Rob Paral, senior research fellow at IPC and the principal of Rob Paral and Associates, a research consulting firm.
—The culprit when it comes to unemployment is not immigration,— Paral said.
In the 10 states with the highest shares of recent immigrants in the labor force, the average unemployment rate for native-born blacks is about 4 percentage points less than in the 10 states with the lowest shares of recent immigrants, according to the report.
Similar findings were found for the 10 metropolitan areas with the highest number of recent immigrants compared with the 10 metropolitan areas with the lowest number of recent immigrants.
—The absence of any significant statistical correlation between recent immigration and unemployment rates among different native-born racial/ethnic groups points to deeper, structural causes for unemployment among the native-born, such as levels of educational attainment and work skills,— IPC said.
As I have oft repeated, the people who complain most loudly about immigrants have other, more central issues, an animus against people of slightly darker skin tones, or against Catholics, or for a thousand other less well-informed/reactionary reasons. They’re the first to enjoy cheaper meals, lower cost construction, and the time and energy they saved not having to mow the lawn, plant the garden, or clean the house, all because José, Janek, Engjí«ll, Sonja, or Agnieszka did the work. They rarely speak against wage theft or the abuses these workers are subject to. They close their eyes, pay 10-20% less, and complain — Why can’t they just speak English?
Why? Because yes, they’re talking about you; your greed, laziness, and hypocrisy.
Huw gets it right in his I’m a bad Homosexual Activist and Californians and the Prop 8 thing… posts (thanks to the Young Fogey for the link). We stand to complain about high prices, high unemployment, unfairness from our comfort zone while the person working for us is getting squished. He says:
Making a —just for me society— instead of a Just Society is really rather sinful.
And I say Amen.
The PNCC, a Church founded by immigrants, understands the immigrant experience and honors people of all nations and cultures. The Lord asked us to go and preach to all nations because all are valuable in His sight. Human value is a totality and our call to value each person’s inherent dignity is absolute. That’s makes us, as Christians, as PNCC members, rather radical.
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New blog post: Daily Digest for May 27th http://bit.ly/1NIqSU [#]
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New blog post: Daily Digest for May 27th http://bit.ly/1NIqSU [#]
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New blog post: May 27 – Before the Chapel by Juliusz Słowacki http://bit.ly/XPEsD [#]
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New blog post: May 28 – A Funeral Rhapsody in Memory of General Bem by Cyprian Kamil Norwid http://bit.ly/z5j2I [#]
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Ius iurandum patri datum usque at hanc diem ita servavi… Hannibal
– Why ride away, Shadow, hands broken on the mail
Sparks of torches playing around your knees -?
The laurel-green sword is spattered with candle tears,
The falcon strains, your horse jerks its foot like a dancer.
– Pennons in the wind blow against each other
Like moving tents of nomad armies in the sky.
Long trumpets shake in sobbing and banners
Bow their wings, which droop from above
Like spear-pierced dragons, lizards and birds…
Like the many ideas you caught with your spear…Mourning maidens go, some lifting their arms
Filled with scent-sheaves torn apart by the wind;
Some gather into shells tears breaking from the cheek,
Some still seek the road that was built centuries ago…
Others dash against the ground huge pots of clay
Whose clatter in cracking yet adds to the sorrow.Boys strike hatchets blue against the sky,
Serving lads strike light-rusted shields,
A mighty banner sways amid the smoke, its spear-point
Leaning, as it were, against the arcs of heaven…They enter and drown in the valley… emerge in the moonlight
Blackening the sky, an icy glare brushes them
And glimmers on blades of spears like as tar unable to fall,
The chant suddenly ceased, then splashed out like a wave…On – on – till it’s time to roll into the grave:
We shall behold a black chasm lurking beyond the road
(And to cross it humanity will not find a way)
Over the edge we shall spear-thrust your steed
As though with a rusting spur…And we’ll drag the procession, saddening slumber-seized cities,
Battering gates with urns, whistling on blunted hatchets,
Till the walls of Jericho tumble down like logs,
Swooned hearts revive – nations gather the must from their eyes.. .On -on –
Translation unattributed.
…Iusiurandum patri datum
usque ad hanc-diem ita servavi…
AnnibalI
Czemu, Cieniu, odjeżdżasz, ręce złamawszy na pancerz,
Przy pochodniach, co skrami grają około twych kolan? –
Miecz wawrzynem zielony i gromnic płakaniem dziś polan;
Rwie się sokół i koń twój podrywa stopę jak tancerz.
– Wieją, wieją proporce i zawiewają na siebie,
Jak namioty ruchome wojsk koczujących po niebie.
Trąby długie we łkaniu aż się zanoszą i znaki
Pokłaniają się z góry opuszczonymi skrzydłami
Jak włóczniami przebite smoki, jaszczury i ptaki…
Jako wiele pomysłów, któreś dościgał włóczniami…II
Idą panny żałobne: jedne, podnosząc ramiona
Ze snopami wonnymi, które wiatr w górze rozrywa,
Drugie, w konchy zbierając łzę, co się z twarzy odrywa,
Inne, drogi szukając, choć przed wiekami zrobiona…
Inne, tłukąc o ziemię wielkie gliniane naczynia,
Czego klekot w pękaniu jeszcze smętności przyczynia.III
Chłopcy biją w topory pobłękitniałe od nieba,
W tarcze rude od świateł biją pachołki służebne;
Przeogromna chorągiew, co się wśród dymów koleba,
Włóczni ostrzem o łuki, rzekłbyś, oparta pod-niebne…IV
Wchodzą w wąwóz i toną… wychodzą w światło księżyca
I czernieją na niebie, a blask ich zimny omusnął,
I po ostrzach, jak gwiazda spaść nie mogąca, przeświÄ‚Ł ca,
Chorał ucichł był nagle i znów jak fala wyplusnął…V
Dalej – dalej – aż kiedyś stoczyć się przyjdzie do grobu
I czeluście zobaczym czarne, co czyha za drogą,
Które aby przesadzić, Ludzkość nie znajdzie sposobu,
Włócznią twego rumaka zeprzem jak starą ostrogą…VI
I powleczem korowód, smęcąc ujęte snem grody,
W bramy bijąc urnami, gwizdając w szczerby toporów,
Aż się mury Jerycha porozwalają jak kłody,
Serca zmdlałe ocucą – pleśń z oczu zgarną narody…
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dalej – dalej – –
Before the chapel,
My little angel,
In lace,
A wife,
Sealed.Before the organ,
My little B…gdan
Loudly
and proudly…Before the monastery,
My little phony,
To be holy,
To be taken,
To be pompous.Before the cross
At the capital
A fact,
In two acts…
Translation by Dcn. Jim
Przy kościołku,
Mój aniołku,
Koronka,
Żonka,
Pieczonka.Przy organku,
Mój B…gdanku,
Szumka
I dumka…Przy klasztorku,
Mój kaczorku,
Świętość,
Wziętość,
Nadętość.Przy krzyżyku
Na stoliku
Fakta,
Dwa akta…
1
We took his poor coffin from the hospital
And had to cast it into a beggar’s pit.
There was not even one maternal tear,
Nor a gravestone above a handful of ashes.
Yesterday he was full of youth and strength —
Tomorrow there will not even be a tomb.2
If only at the singing of the war song
There were a soldier’s rifle above his head!
That same rifle, in whose pan the shot
Fired at Belvedere is still smoking,
If only a sword in heart, or a deadly ball —
But no! — a hospital bed and gown.3
Did he ever think, on that azure night
When all Poland clattered in arms
As he, melancholy, lay in the Carmelite coffin,
And the coffin burst at the moment of the resurrection?
As he pressed his rifle to his bosom,
Did he think that he would die thus?4
Today the greedy, alms-taking doorkeeper came,
And old women who guard the corpses,
And opened the asylum to us,
And asked: “Do you recognize your brother —
Is he the same one who yesterday knocked about
The world with you? — Can you identify him?”5
The coarse, bloody hospital cloth was taken from his head
With the surgeon’s autopsy scalpel.
He held his open eyes to the light,
But his face was turned from his brethren.
Then we asked the ladies to close
The coffin — for he is our brother — the deceased.6
This wretchedness appalled us all.
One of the younger asked: “Where will they bury him?”
The hospital shrew replied to him:
“In consecrated ground, where by God’s mercy
We bury them by the hoardes
In one large pit — coffin piled upon coffin.7
Then that youth, feeling sincere grief,
Pulled out a small gold coin
And spoke: “Sing the Miserere over him.
Let him have a small garden plot and a cross of his own.”
He hushed — and we bowed our heads
As we put a coin and our tears on the tin plate.8
Let him have a garden — and may he thank
The Lord, that a cross above his grave tells
That he was the captain of the ninth regiment,
That a gathering of knights followed his orders,
And today he has no debts to his country —
Even though he has a grave mound of his own, purchased from alms.9
O God! Thou who from on high
Hurls thine arrows at the defenders of the nation,
We beseech Thee, through this heap of bones!
Let the sun shine on us, at least in death!
May the daylight shine forth from heaven’s bright portals! —
Let us be seen — as we die! —
Translated by Walter Whipple
Wzięliśmy biedną trumnę ze szpitalu,
Do żebrackiego mieli rzucić dołu;
Ani łzy jednej matczynego żalu,
Ani grobowca nad garstką popiołu!
Wczora był pełny młodości i siły —”
Jutro nie będzie nawet —” i mogiły.Gdyby przynajmniej przy rycerskiej śpiewce
Karabin jemu pod głowę żołnierski!
Ten sam karabin, w którym na panewce
Kurzy się jeszcze wystrzał belwederski,
Gdyby miecz w sercu lub śmiertelna kula —”
Lecz nie! —” szpitalne łoże i koszula!Czy on pomyślał —” tej nocy błękitów,
Gdy Polska cała w twardej zbroi szczękła,
Gdy leżał smętnie w trumnie Karmelitów,
A trumna w chwili zmartwychwstania pękła.
Gdy swój karabin przyciskał do łona —”
Czy on pomyślał wtedy, że tak skona?!Dziś przyszedł chciwy jałmużny odźwierny
I przyszły wiedmy, które trupów strzegą,
I otworzyli nam dom miłosierny,
I rzekli: —Brata poznajcie waszego!
Czy ten sam, który wczora się po świecie
Kołatał z wami? —” czy go poznajecie?—I płachtę z głowy mu szpitalna zdjęto,
Nożem pośmiertnych rzeźników czerwoną;
Ł¹renicę trzymał na blask odemkniętą,
Ale od braci miał twarz odwróconą;
Więceśmy rzekli wiedmom,, by zawarły
Trumnę, bo to jest nasz brat —” ten umarły.I przeraziła nas wszystkich ta nędza,
A jeden z młodszych spytał: —Gdzież go złożą?—
Odpowiedziała mu szpitalna jędza:
—W święconej ziemi gdzie przez miłość bożą
Kładziemy poczet nasz umarłych tłumny,
W jeden ogromny dół —” na trumnach trumny—.Więc ów młodzieniec, męki czując szczere,
Wydobył złoty jeden pieniądz drobny
I rzekł: —Zaśpiewać nad nim Miserere,
Niechaj ogródek ma im krzyż osobny…—
Zamilkł: a myśmy pochylili głowy,
Łzy i grosz sypiąc na talerz cynowy.Niech ma ogródek —” i niech się przed Panem
Pochwali tym, co krzyż na grobie gada:
Że był w dziewiątym pułku kapitanem,
Że go słuchała cała rycerzy gromada,
A dziś ojczyźnie jest niczym nie dłużny,
Chociaż osobny ma kurhan —” z jałmużny.Ale Ty, Boże! który z wysokości
Strzały Twe rzucasz na kraju obrońce,
Błagamy Ciebie przez tę garstkę kości,
Niechaj dzień wyjdzie z jasnej niebios bramy,
Niechaj nas przecie widzą —” gdy konamy!