Following the declaration of independence of theSecond Polish Republic in 1918, the song became itsde facto national anthem, and was officially adopted in 1927.[3] It also inspired similar songs by other peoples struggling for independence during the 19th century, such as the Ukrainian anthem "Ukraine Is Not Yet Perished" and theYugoslav anthem "Hey, Slavs".[2] Thefirst Slovak Republic also used the Polish anthem's melody for its anthem.
One of a series of postcards, designed byJuliusz Kossak, illustrating the lyrics of "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego"
It is also known by its original title, "Pieśń Legionów Polskich we Włoszech" ('Song of thePolish Legions inItaly').[2][3] As there are no official translations of the name into English, various translations of its Polishincipit "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła" include 'Poland has not yet perished',[1] 'Poland has not perished yet',[2] 'Poland is not lost',[4] 'Poland is not lost yet',[5] 'Poland is not yet lost',[6] and 'Poland has not yet succumbed'.[7]
Facsimile ofWybicki's manuscript of the "Song of the Polish Legions in Italy"
The original lyrics, authored by Wybicki, are a poem consisting of sixquatrains and arefrain quatrain repeated after all but the laststanza, all following an ABABrhyme scheme. The official lyrics, based on a variant from 1806,[8] "Poland has not yet died" suggesting a more violent cause of the nation's possible death.[9] Wybicki's original manuscript was in the hands of his descendants until February 1944, when it waslost in Wybicki's great-great-grandson, Johann von Roznowski's home inCharlottenburg during theAllied bombing of Berlin. The manuscript is known today only fromfacsimile copies, twenty four of which were made in 1886 by Edward Rożnowski, Wybicki's grandson, who donated them to Polish libraries.[8]
The main theme of the poem is the idea that was novel in the times of earlynationalisms based on centralizednation-states – that the lack of political sovereignty does not preclude the existence of a nation. AsAdam Mickiewicz explained in 1842 to students of Slavic Literature in Paris, the song "The famous song of the Polish legions begins with lines that express the new history: Poland has not perished yet as long as we live. These words mean that people who have in them what constitutes the essence of a nation can prolong the existence of their country regardless of its political circumstances and may even strive to make it real again..."[2] The song also includes a call to arms and expresses the hope that, under General Dąbrowski's command, the legionaries would rejoin their nation and retrieve "what the alien force has seized" through armed struggle.
Dąbrowski, for whom the anthem is named, was a commander in the failed 1794Kościuszko Uprising against Russia. After the Third Partition in 1795, he came to Paris to seek French aid in re-establishing Polish independence and, in 1796, he started the formation of the Polish Legions, a Polish unit of the French Revolutionary Army.
Bonaparte was, at the time when the song was written, a commander of the Italian campaign ofFrench Revolutionary Wars and Dąbrowski's superior. Having already proven his skills as a military leader, he is described in the lyrics as the one "who has shown us ways to victory." Bonaparte is the only non-Polish person mentioned by name in the Polish anthem.
Stefan Czarniecki was a 17th-centuryhetman, famous for his role in driving theSwedish Army out of Poland after an occupation that had left the country in ruins and is remembered by Poles as theDeluge. With the outbreak of aDano-Swedish War, he continued his fight against Sweden in Denmark, from where he "returned across the sea" to fight the invaders alongside the king who was then at theRoyal Castle in Poznań. In the same castle, Józef Wybicki, started his career as a lawyer in 1765.
Kościuszko, mentioned in a stanza now missing from the anthem, became a hero of theAmerican Revolutionary War before coming back to Poland to defend his native country from Russia in thewar of 1792 and anational uprising he led in 1794. One of his major victories during the uprising was theBattle of Racławice where the result was partly due to Polish peasants armed withscythes. Alongside the scythes, the song mentioned other types of weaponry, traditionally used by the Polishszlachta, or nobility: thesabre, known in Polish asszabla, and thebacksword.
Basia (afemininediminutive ofBarbara) and her father are fictional characters. They are used to represent the women and elderly men who waited for the Polish soldiers to return home and liberate their fatherland. The route that Dąbrowski and his legions hoped to follow upon leaving Italy is hinted at by the words "we'll cross theVistula, we'll cross theWarta", two major rivers flowing through the parts of Poland that were inAustrian andPrussian hands at the time.
The melody of the Polish anthem is a lively and rhythmicalmazurka. Mazurka as a musical form derives from the stylization of traditional melodies for the folk dances ofMazovia, a region in central Poland. It is characterized by atriple meter and strong accents placed irregularly on the second or third beat. Considered one of Poland's national dances in pre-partition times, it owes its popularity in 19th-centuryWestern Europeanballrooms to themazurkas ofFrédéric Chopin.[11]
The composer of "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego" is not known. The melody is most probably Wybicki's adaptation of a folk tune that had already been popular during the second half of the 18th century. The composition used to be erroneously attributed toMichał Kleofas Ogiński who was known to have written amarch for Dąbrowski's legions. Several historians confused Ogiński's "Marche pour les Légions polonaises" ('March for the Polish Legions') with Wybicki's mazurka, possibly due to the mazurka's chorus "March, march, Dąbrowski", until Ogiński's sheet music for the march was discovered in 1938 and proven to be a different piece of music than Poland's national anthem.[8]
The first composer to use the anthem for an artistical music piece is always stated to beKarol Kurpiński. In 1821 he composed his piano/organFugue on "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła" (it was published in 1821 in Warsaw; the first modern edition by Rostislaw Wygranienko was printed only in 2009).[12][13] However,Karol Lipiński used it in an overture for his operaKłótnia przez zakład composed and staged inLvivc. 1812.[14]
Wojciech Sowiński [pl] was the next who arranged "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego" for the piano. The arrangement, accompanied by the lyrics in Polish and French, was published 1829 in Paris.[8] German composers who were moved by the suffering of theNovember Uprising wove the mazurek into their works. Examples include Richard Wagner'sPolonia Overture andAlbert Lortzing'sDer Pole und sein Kind.
The current official musical score of the national anthem was arranged byKazimierz Sikorski and published by the PolishMinistry of Culture and National Heritage. Sikorski's harmonization allows for each vocal version to be performed eithera cappella or together with any of the instrumental versions. Some orchestra parts, marked in the score asad libitum, may be left out or replaced by other instruments of equivalent musical scale.[2]
The national anthem is, along with thenational coat of arms and thenational colors, one of three national symbols defined by thePolish constitution.[15]As such, it is protected by law which declares that treating the national symbols "with reverence and respect" is the "right and obligation" of every Polish citizen and all state organs, institutions and organizations.[10] The anthem should be performed or reproduced especially at celebrations of national holidays and anniversaries. Civilians should pay respect to the anthem by standing in a dignified manner; additionally, men should uncover their heads. Members of uniformed services should stand at attention; if their uniform includes headgear and they are not standing in an organized group, they should also perform thetwo-finger salute. The song is required to be played in the key of F-major if played for a public purpose.[16]Color guards pay respect to the anthem by dipping their banners.[10]
In 1795, after a prolonged decline and despite last-minute attempts at constitutional reforms and armed resistance, thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was ultimatelypartitioned by its three neighbors:Russia,Prussia andAustria. A once vast and powerful empire was effectively erased from the map while monarchs of the partitioning powers pledged never to use the name "Poland" in their official titles. For many, including even leading representatives of thePolish Enlightenment, this new political situation meant an end of the Polish nation.[17] In the words ofHugo Kołłątaj, a notable Polish political thinker of the time, "Poland no longer belonged to currently extant nations,"[f] while historianTadeusz Czacki declared that Poland "was now effaced from the number of nations."[g]
Meanwhile, Polish patriots and revolutionaries turned for help toFrance, Poland's traditional ally, which was at war with Austria (member of theFirst Coalition) at the time.Józef Wybicki was among the leading moderate émigré politicians seeking French aid in re-establishing Polish independence. In 1796, he came up with the idea of creating Polish Legions within theFrench Revolutionary Army. To this end, he convinced GeneralJan Henryk Dąbrowski, a hero of theGreater Poland campaign of the 1794Kościuszko Uprising, to come to Paris and present the plan to theFrench Directory. Dąbrowski was sent by the Directory to Napoleon who was then spreading theFrench Revolution in northern Italy. In January 1797, the newly created French-controlledCisalpine Republic accepted Dąbrowski's offer and a Polish legion was formed. Dąbrowski and his soldiers hoped to fight against Austria under Napoleon and, subsequently, march across the Austrian territory, "from Italy to Poland", where they would ignite a national uprising.[17]
In early July 1797, Wybicki arrived in Reggio Emilia where the Polish Legions were then quartered and where he wrote theSong of the Polish Legions soon afterwards. He first sung it at a private meeting of Polish officers in the Legions' headquarters at the episcopal palace in Reggio. The first public performance most probably took place on 16 July 1797 during a military parade in Reggio's Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square). On 20 July, it was played again as the Legions were marching off from Reggio toMilan, the Cisalpine capital.[8]
With its heart-lifting lyrics and folk melody, the song soon became a popular tune among Polish legionaries. On 29 August 1797, Dąbrowski already wrote to Wybicki fromBologna: "soldiers gain more and more taste for your song."[h] It appealed to both officers, usually émigré noblemen, and simple soldiers, most of whom wereGalician peasants who had been drafted into the Austrian army and captured asPOWs by the French. The last stanza, referring to Kościuszko, who famously fought for freedom of the entire nation rather than the nobility alone, and the "scythes of Racławice", seems to be directed particularly at the latter. Wybicki may have even hoped for Kościuszko to arrive in Italy and personally lead the Legions which might explain why the chorus "March, march, Dąbrowski" is not repeated after the last stanza. At that time Wybicki was not yet aware that Kościuszko had already returned toPhiladelphia.[8]
The song became popular in Poland as soon as late 1797 and quickly became an object of variations and modifications. A variant from 1798 introduced some stylistic changes, which have since become standard, such as replacingnie umarła ('not dead') withnie zginęła ('not perished') ordo Polski z ziemi włoski ('to Poland from the Italian land') withz ziemi włoskiej do Polski ('from the Italian land to Poland'). It also added four new stanzas, now forgotten, written from the viewpoint of Polish patriots waiting for General Dąbrowski to bring freedom and human rights to Poland.
Father, in tears, says to his Basia...
The ultimate fate of the Polish Legions in Italy was different from that promised by Wybicki's song. Rather than coming back to Poland, they were exploited by the French government to quell uprisings in Italy, Germany and, later, inHaiti where they were decimated bywar and disease.[17] Polish national hopes were revived with the outbreak of a Franco-Prussian war (part of theWar of the Fourth Coalition) in 1806. Napoleon called Dąbrowski and Wybicki to come back from Italy and help gather support for the French army in Polish-populated parts of Prussia. On 6 November 1806, both generals arrived inPoznań,[17] enthusiastically greeted by locals singing "Poland Is Not Yet Lost".[8] The ensuingGreater Poland Uprising and Napoleon's victory over Russian forces atFriedland led to the creation of a French-controlled Polish puppet state known as theDuchy of Warsaw.[17]
"Poland Is Not Yet Lost" was one of the most popular patriotic songs in the duchy, stopping short of becoming that entity's national anthem. Among other occasions, it was sung in Warsaw on 16 June 1807 to celebrate the battle of Friedland, inKraków as it was liberated by PrinceJózef Poniatowski on 19 July 1809, and at a ball in Warsaw on 23 December 1809, the birthday ofFrederick Augustus, King of Saxony and Duke of Warsaw. On the occasion of Dąbrowski'sname day on 25 December 1810 in Poznań, Dąbrowski and Wybicki led the mazurka to the tune of "Poland Is Not Yet Lost". Although the melody of Wybicki's song remained unchanged and widely known, the lyrics kept changing. With the signing of a Franco-Russian alliance atTilsit in 1807, the fourth stanza, specifically mentioning Russians as Poland's enemies, was removed. The last stanza, referring to Kościuszko, who had grown suspicious of Napoleon and refused to lend his support to the emperor's war in Poland, met the same fate.[8]
The blow struck with such skill, with such force unsurpassed, That the strings rang out boldly, like trumpets of brass, And from them to the heavens that song wafted, cherished, That triumphal march: Poland has never yet perished! ...March Dąbrowski to Poland! – The audience entire Clapped, and all "March Dąbrowski!" cried out as a choir.
Adam Mickiewicz, Pan Tadeusz (Book Twelve,Love and Friendship!)[18]
The anthem is mentioned twice inPan Tadeusz, the Polishnational epic written by Adam Mickiewicz in 1834, but set in the years 1811–1812. The author makes the first reference to the song when Tadeusz, the main protagonist, returns home and, recalling childhood memories, pulls the string of a chiming clock to hear the "old Dąbrowski's Mazurka" once again.Music boxes andmusical clocks playing the melody ofPoland Is Not Yet Lost belonged to popular patriotic paraphernalia of that time. The song appears in the epic poem again when Jankiel, a Jewishdulcimerist and ardent Polish patriot, plays the mazurka in the presence of General Dąbrowski himself.[8]
Charles Michel Guilbert d'Anelle,Expiring Soldier of Liberty (1849). The painting shows a dyingfreedom fighter scrawling "Poland is not yet lost" in his blood.
With Napoleon's defeat and theCongress of Vienna in 1815 came a century of foreign domination over Poland interspersed with occasional bursts of armed rebellion. "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" continued to be sung throughout that period, especially during national uprisings. During theNovember Uprising against Russia in 1830–1831, the song was chanted in the battlefields ofStoczek,Olszynka Grochowska andIganie. In peacetime, Polish patriots performed it at homes, official functions and political demonstrations. New variants of the song, of various artistic value and length of life, abounded. At least 16 alternative versions were penned during the November Uprising alone. At times, Dąbrowski's name was replaced by other national heroes: fromJózef Chłopicki during the November Uprising toJózef Piłsudski during the First World War toWładysław Sikorski during the Second World War. New lyrics were also written in regional dialects of Polish, fromSilesia toErmland andMasuria.[8] A variant known as "Marsz Polonii" ('March of Polonia') spread amongPolish immigrants in theAmericas.
Mass political emigration following the defeat of the November Uprising, known as theGreat Emigration, brought "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" to Western Europe. It soon found favor from Britain to France to Germany where it was performed as a token of sympathy with the Polish cause. It was also highly esteemed in Central Europe where various, mostlySlavic, peoples struggling for their own independence, looked to the Polish anthem for inspiration. Back in Poland, however, especially in the parts under Russian and Prussian rule, it was becoming increasingly risky to sing the anthem in public. Polish patriotic songs were banned in Prussia in 1850; between 1873 and 1911, German courts passed 44 sentences for singing such songs, 20 of which were specifically for singing "Poland Is Not Yet Lost". When Poland was part of theRussian Empire, public performance of the song often ended with police intervention.[8]
When Poland re-emerged as an independent state after World War I in 1918, it had to make a decision about its national symbols. While the coat of arms and the flag were officially adopted as soon as 1919, the question of a national anthem had to wait. Apart from "Poland Is Not Yet Lost", there were other popular patriotic songs which could compete for the status of an official national anthem.
Sheet music forBogurodzica from 1407Poland is Not Yet Lost!
In the Middle Ages, the role of a national anthem was played by hymns. Among them were "Bogurodzica" ('Mother of God'), one of the oldest (11th–12th century) known literary texts in Polish, and the Latin "Gaude Mater Polonia" ('Rejoice, Mother Poland'), written in the 13th century to celebrate the canonization of BishopStanislaus of Szczepanów, the patron saint of Poland. Both were chanted on special occasions and on battlefields. The latter is sung nowadays at university ceremonies. During theRenaissance and theEnlightenment, several songs, both religious and secular, were written with the specific purpose of creating a new national anthem. Examples include the 16th-century Latin prayerOratio pro Republica et Rege ('Prayer for the Commonwealth and the King') by a Calvinist poet,Andrzej Trzeciński, and "Hymn do miłości Ojczyzny" ('Hymn to the Love of the Fatherland') written in 1744 by Prince-BishopIgnacy Krasicki. They failed, however, to win substantial favor with the populace. Another candidate was "Bóg się rodzi" ('God Is Born'), whose melody was originally a 16th-century coronationpolonaise (dance) for Polish kings.
The official anthem of the Russian-controlledCongress Kingdom of Poland was "Pieśń narodowa na pomyślność Króla" ('National Song to the King's Prosperity') written in 1816 byAlojzy Feliński and Jan Kaszewski. Initially unpopular, it evolved in the early 1860s into an important religious and patriotic hymn. The final verse, which originally begged "Save, O Lord, our King", was substituted with "Return us, O Lord, our free Fatherland" while the melody was replaced with that of a Marian hymn. The result, known today as "Boże, coś Polskę" (from the first lines "Boże! Coś Polskę przez tak liczne wieki / Otaczał blaskiem potęgi i chwały...", "Lord! Who for so many ages enclosed Poland with the light of power and glory..."), has been sung in Polish churches ever since, with the final verse alternating between "Return..." and "Bless, O Lord, our free Fatherland", depending on Poland's political situation.
A national song that was particularly popular during the November Uprising was "Warszawianka", originally written in French as "La Varsovienne" byCasimir Delavigne, with melody byKarol Kurpiński. The song praised Polish insurgents taking their ideals from the FrenchJuly Revolution of 1830. A peasant rebellion against Polish nobles, which took place in westernGalicia in 1846 and was encouraged by Austrian authorities who wished to thwart a new uprising attempt, movedKornel Ujejski to write a mournfulchorale entitled "Z dymem pożarów" ('With the Smoke of Fires'). With the music composed byJózef Nikorowicz [pl], it became one of the most popular national songs of the time, although it declined into obscurity during the 20th century. In 1908,Maria Konopnicka andFeliks Nowowiejski created "Rota" ('Oath'), a song protesting against the oppression of the Polish population of theGerman Empire, who were subject to eviction from their land and forced assimilation. First publicly performed in 1910, during a quincentennial celebration of the Polish–Lithuanian victory over theTeutonic Knights atGrunwald, it too became one of the most treasured national Polish songs.
At the inauguration of theUnited Nations in 1945, no delegation from Poland had been invited.[19]: 12 [i] The Polish pianistArtur Rubinstein, who was to perform the opening concert at the inauguration, began the concert by stating his deep disappointment that the conference did not have a delegation from Poland. Rubinstein later described becoming overwhelmed by a blind fury and angrily pointing out to the public the absence of thePolish flag. He then sat down to the piano and played "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" loudly and slowly, repeating the final part in a great thunderousforte. When he had finished, the public rose to their feet and gave him a great ovation.[24]
For theUN is rightly criticised for being anachronistic, for reflecting the old world that is drifting away into the past. Particularly we, the Polish people, and all the nations of Central and Eastern Europe find it difficult to forget aboutthat. The UN idea dates back to 1943; to themeeting of the "Big Three" in Tehran; to the illusions thatRoosevelt harboured aboutStalin, benevolently nicknamed "Uncle Joe". As a result, the road toSan Francisco led viaYalta. And even thoughPoland had made a major contribution to the victory which put an end to the Second World War, in June 1945 a representative of our country was not allowed to put his signature to theUnited Nations Charter.[i] We remember that event when Artur Rubinstein, seeing that there was no Polish delegation at the concert to mark the signing of the Charter, decided to play the Dąbrowski Mazurka, Poland's national anthem, to demonstrate that "Poland was not lost yet", that Poland lived on. I am recalling this because I had a very touching moment a few days ago in the same San Francisco opera house, to which I was invited for the opening of the season. This time it was the orchestra that played the Dąbrowski Mazurka, and at that moment the memories of the great Artur Rubinstein and his performance came back with full force and it was very touching indeed for me. The UN is rooted in the Second World War and in the post-war situation; it reflects the balance of power of that era.[25]
During the EuropeanRevolutions of 1848, "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" won favor throughout Europe as a revolutionary anthem. This led theSlovak poetSamo Tomášik to write the ethnic anthem, "Hej, Sloveni", based on the melody of the Polish national anthem. It was later adopted by thePrague Slavic Congress as the Pan-Slavic Anthem. During theSecond World War, a translation of this anthem became thenational anthem ofYugoslavia, and later,Serbia and Montenegro. The similarity of the anthems sometimes caused confusion during these countries' football or volleyball matches. However, after the 2006 split between the two, neitherSerbia norMontenegro kept the song as its national anthem, instead choosing "Bože pravde" and "Oj, svijetla majska zoro" respectively. The Polish national anthem is also notable for influencing the lyrics of thenational anthem of Ukraine.[26]
^Name "Poland Is Not Yet Lost", which is the first verse of the song, is the name officially used in English language, although, inPolish language, the song is primarily known by the nameMazurek Dąbrowskiego (English:Dąbrowski Mazurka) instead.
^ This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Soboleski, Paul, ed. (1883)."Joseph Wybicki"(PDF).Poets and Poetry of Poland. A Collection of Verse, Including a Short Account of the History of Polish Poetry, With Sixty Biographical Sketches or Poland's Poets and Specimens of Their Composition, Translated into the English Language. Chicago: Knight and Leonard. pp. 200–201.OCLC681812227.Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved7 March 2013.
^Kurpiński, Karol (2009). Wygranienko, Rostislaw (ed.).Jeszcze Polska nie zginela. Fuga (1821) na fortepian lub organy [Keyboard Fugue (1821) on Polish National Anthem] (in Polish). Lublin, PL: Polihymnia.ISMN 979-0-9013342-6-7.
^Ulanowska, Elżbieta (11 October 2008). "Na cześć Artura Rubinsteina: Pianistyczna gala w Łodzi" [In Honor of Artur Rubinstein: Piano Gala inŁódź].Gwiazda Polarna.99 (21). Stevens Point, Wisconsin: Point Publications: 18.ISSN0740-5944.
"Poland".NationalAnthems.info. n.d.Archived from the original on 22 March 2008. Retrieved21 July 2018.
Herter, Joseph (August 1999)."History: Edward Elgar's Polonia".Polish Music Newsletter.5 (8). Los Angeles: Polish Music Center, University of Southern California.ISSN1098-9188. Archived fromthe original on 1 September 2000. Retrieved19 July 2008.
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