Morituris! (1863)
by Władysław Tarnowski, translated from Polish by Wikisource

Morituris!” published in vol. „Lutnia. Piosennik polski”, Vol. 2, publ. F.A. Brockhaus, Leipzig, 1865, pp. 162-165. „Krople czary”, Part 2, publ. P. Rhode, Leipzig, 1865, pp. 101-103.

2473358Morituris!1863Władysław Tarnowski


                                „Thy kingdom come.”
                                             Our Father.

                                „Morituri te salutant… patria!” [1]

                                „Youth, you over the levels
                                 Fly up! . . . . . .”
                                                                Adam. [2]


Youthful chest! Marble lamp,
Which burn with eternal fire to dying;
Youthful chest! Lachrymal urn of a tomb! [3]
Your holy ash the sign of Resurrection –

Youthful chest! Volcano of the Universe! [4]
Which save hells the lightning of love,
Though the forehead would be given the stigma of madman;
O! be armoured with truth [5] – in this nudity!

Youthful chest! Mankind treasury, [6]
Which give back treasure only from the crack –
O! be to end crowded in love,
As the cup of life, by the spell of eternity –

Youthful chest! the lion's wall of nation!
Though world shackled you in snake's scale,
The Aurora of freedom be in the pains of childbirth
And let the gates of hell will not prevail against you. –

Youthful chest! Shield of the Polish land!
Your wounds shine the stars of mankind,
Great you are as God – which you with his breaths
Similar to him He created in love!

As in the Blessed host of the sacrament
There is whole deity of worlds and eternity,
So in one polish heart is the spell
Poland whole life – and holiness –

And as the name of Cesar's before centuries
The emblem of the Empire named among the nations – [7]
Name of the Pole will be the name of miracles,
The men of virtuous will and care!

O hecatomb of the nicest [men] made
You with Abel’s pole join the earth with the sky,
Fatherland! The tribe which is to die today
Greets you – o god praised!

Youthful chest! Jehovic [8] Harp,
On which Jehovah played with lightening,
You are bloody field, where evangelical
Plant rises great – millionth!

Youthful chest! forward! for whole world –
Your wounds – stars on the blue of history!
They don’t hurt! They will drive the night in the glitter of glory –
Perish that to kill death – and to win life!

Youthful chest! You are holy spirit
Nest! – before He fly up in spaces of mankind
When nations family in future
Will not touch your side with Thomas' finger!

But be humble, as field, [9] which bends
With harmony of the ears [10] in the brilliants of the youth,
And the land which fathers have won,
Will vibrate towards you the heaps its bones! –

O forward! forward! young of generations!
There the new era’s lightnings thundered –
Pole today [is] the grain of the future of seed,
Born in fetters – but he knows, that for the glory!

Warsaw 1863.

„Dziennik literacki.” [11]
Lvov, 1863. [12]
  1. „Morituri te salutant… patria!” – „Those about to die salute you… Fatherland!” (This motto only in: „Krople czary”, Part 2, publ. P. Rhode, Leipzig, 1865, p. 101.)
  2. Adam Mickiewicz „Oda do młodości”, („Ode to Youth”) verse 12-13, or „Youth, fly above the levels” transl. by Patryk Pawlak; „Youth! Up and over the horizons rise,” transl. by Jarosław „Jarek” Zawadzki. (This motto only in: „Krople czary”, Part 2, publ. P. Rhode, Leipzig, 1865, p. 101.)
  3. Lachrymal urn of a tomb! or Lachrymal urn of the grave!
  4. Volcano of the Universe! or Volcano of whole world!
  5. Ephesians 6,13-14: „Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” („The Holy Bible”, King James Version.)
  6. Literally in Polish: „skarbono” is augmentative form of "skarbonko" („money-box”). But the sound and sense of phrase: „skarbono, co skarb”, it is far from literal translating "money-box, which treasure" or even „money-chest, which treasure”. A little better seems: „chest of treasure” („skrzynio skarbu”), much better "treasury" („skarbcu”).
  7. Empire in English; l'empire in French; but cesarstwo in Polish, Kaiserreich in German.
  8. Jehovic or Jehovical – from Jehovah, after the example of giant - gigantic or gigantical, angel - angelic or angelical; and angelic harp.
  9. As a field [of cereals].
  10. With harmony of [the] ears [of cereals].
  11. This place and date only in: „Lutnia. Piosennik polski”, Vol. 2, publ. F.A. Brockhaus, Leipzig, 1865, p. 165.
  12. This place and date only in: „Krople czary”, Part 2, publ. P. Rhode, Leipzig, 1865, p. 103.