Thursday, June 24, 2010

The parish will not perish



Now, at the Saint Casimir service, besides praying, they sing. In english, and in polish they sing. In polish, it is mostly marian hymns. They also sing the polish civil anthem, Dąbrowski's Mazurek. In the fotos above, there is the beginning. The camera cannot see the next page.
Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła,
Kiedy my żyjemy.
Co nam obca przemoc wzięła,
Szablą odbierzemy.

Chorus 2x:
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,

Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.

Przejdziem Wisłę, przejdziem Wartę,
Będziem Polakami.
Dał nam przykład Bonaparte,
Jak zwyciężać mamy.
_______________________
(imperfect translation)
Poland has not perished,
As [long as] we live.
What foreign violence has taken from us,
We at sabrepoint shall retrieve.

March, march, Dąbrowski,
From Italy to Poland.
Under your leadership
We unite as a nation.

Cross the Vistula, cross the Warta,
We shall be Poles.
To us Bonaparte has shown,
How to be victorious.
It is a martial song, but it has great beauty and vivid imagery. The first line is as vibrant, and defiant, a declaration as can be made. We, our nation exists, you have not extinguished us. We are alive. It goes on ... we are outside home, but we will come. We will cross one river, and then another. We will win.

The accident of english homophones, 'perish' and 'parish', reinforce the goal. Our parish is here, our nation is here, we have not died, we live, we will endure. Your violence in dismembering us shall not hold.

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