Translation:Wormwood hymn

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Wormwood hymn (1865)
by Władysław Tarnowski, translated from Polish by Wikisource

Piołunowy hymn” published in vol. „Lutnia. Piosennik polski”, Vol. 2, publ. F.A. Brockhaus, Leipzig, 1865, pp. 29-31. „ Krople czary”, publ. P. Rhode, Leipzig, 1865, pp. 36-37.

Władysław Tarnowski2466406Wormwood hymn1865Wikisource

After thunders of storm, after nights of doubts.
You get up o morning star in the majesty of silence,
And over sleepy heads of generation
You throw thunder of belief in skeletons figures.
Lord! o Lord! wake up hopes in the sky,
Throw the thunder of spirit over sleepy body!
The shout of the nation, the voice calls to You –
On strings of harp I grated with a dagger –
Lord, o Lord, I call You in morning
Shout of my soul, youth of enthusiasm.
I loved my people a pelican's breast. [1]
So I sucked out from his legs the viper's poisons! –
O! I sucked mother’s nailed feet,
Satan's hand bedridden terribly,
Throwing her blood in the eyes of Europe –
The nation with brain of spirit marked degrees of his tortures!
I looked up, and sky so black,
And only one – one night cloud,
And terrific frights on her bosom
The apocalypse gloomy beast of seas –
Then, I got up strong by pain,
Which hit on my strings with a knout,
And I pulled out the nail from her legs, [2] and with unrespect,
I stood over the world rotten Mammoth!
In areas of world howled wild storm,
As oaks grew up, fells [as] nations –
But world in shed blood plunge, [3]
Drawing on Baal’s Babylonian Marriage. [4]
Ah! and in the name and blood of the Saviour
Such nation, as my [5] here, was not!
The voices of Hellad – Rome – Israel
Dead and gone in centuries where only ”I” lived.
But my nation [is] the soul – the suffering of all nations
[How] not to be impressed to him? … [how] to his wonders
From love not to go crazy? . . . when angels
There to the court, from urn flow by elements – !
And every angel lay down before eyes of Lord
This cinerary urn bright by holy bones,
And my nation was the spirit of priest of the Earth [6]
Lifted in fires over angers of the world –
Which will not crow only as jurors.
Though they die every day in misery and despair;
Because they dawn of spirit from their bosom hatched –
Thunder of redemption fell in his bosom.
He embraced sphere of this earth in shoulders,
He pressed her to [his] prophetic bosom
And he warmed up - chest on the cross blooded!
O holy spirit! the spark of Resurrection,
Flow down! o flow down with eagle’s white wings,
In thunders sounds – among the ground trembling [7]
O! because you are white eagle of our land!

  1. Pelican’s Breast – a symbol of sacrifice for love.
  2. Literally: „I tore out the [steel] nail from her legs”, [steel] nail („gwóźdź”), not a fingernail („paznokieć”).
  3. But world plunge in shed blood.
  4. Literally: Baal’s Babylonian matings – in meaning: Babylonian Marriage of Baal.
  5. Phrase: „Such nation, as my” is rare, but phrase: „Such people as my” is common.
  6. Phrase „priest of the ground” is rare, but phrases „priest of the Earth” and „priest of the Land” seems common and better match to the meaning.
  7. Phrases „among the ground trembling” and „among the earth trembling” seems rare, though phrase „among the earthquakes” is common, but „ziemi trzęsienie” („earthquake”) has slightly different sense than „ziemi drgania”.