Mar 14/16
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subject:-????
Ave Polonia
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Hello, I need help with a little project.
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It’s only 2+ years to Nov 11, 2018 which will be the
100th anniversary of the official founding of the Second Republic of
Poland although Poland’s borders were not settled finally until the Treaty of
Riga on Mar 18, 1921 and she was really reborn on the battlefields of World War
One at intense events
like the and Battle of ?owczówek and many others.
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I come from a family of soldiers
with many soldiers on both sides of my family
who participated in fighting for the Second Republic to
create it and to defend it from annihilation and many of them died along the
way.
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I count at least 6 from both my mother’s and father’s immediate
families
(parents and grandparents) with 3 dying in World War
Two
and I have no idea of how many other uncles and grand-uncles
were involved
(but there certainly seem to be a lot of Polish soldiers
back there!).
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I grew up among the many survivors of those immense
conflicts
who were often badly hurt both physically and
emotionally
and severely traumatized and often died prematurely as
a result
and I’m still dealing with those unresolved issues
that I inherited from my parents.
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I’m sure there are many others here who have the same
family histories
and the same issues.
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Theirs was a truly heroic and valiant generation
and I think they need their own anthem to commemorate
their accomplishments.
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The “Mazurek D?browskiego” commemorates
our Polish patriots of the 18th century and the “Warszawianka 1831”
and “Warszawianka 1905” commemorate our Polish patriots of the 19th
century but now we need an anthem
to commemorate our Polish patriots of the 20th
century
and they certainly deserve one of their own.
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Poland has literally been the forge and anvil of
modern European history
in the 20th century
and I think that their generation must be among the
toughest and most resilient people who have ever lived anywhere and anytime in
all of history.
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I recently came across the old American song “Hail
Columbia”
which I realized would make a perfect model for a new
anthem for those patriots.
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I paraphrased some of the English words to suit a
Polish context
but the melody would stay the same
and I have tried to keep it gently assertive without
being bombastic
and also to keep it in the nature of a prayer
and I’m calling it “Ave Polonia”.
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However I need help to fully translate it into good
poetical Polish
to fit the melody although I managed to translate the
first four lines:-
can anyone help with this?
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After that we need to “publish” it by finding a person
with a good operatic voice
(either a gentleman with mellow tenor voice or a diva
with a strong mezzosoprano voice) to perform it in public
and have it recorded for further distribution on the
Internet.
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I do not think that the Americans will mind us
borrowing a bit of their cultural heritage for this purpose and they might even
be a little bit flattered by it.
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They hardly ever play this melody anymore and only on
official occasions
for their vice-president and virtually no one ever
sings this song anymore.
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The Americans actually drew some of the inspiration
for their Constitution from the Polish experience including their ideas about
an elected President who was also native-born and of course they will remember
their great Polish-American revolutionary heroes, Pulaski and Kosciuszko, who
contributed so much to their own cause of freedom and liberty.
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Americans also have never objected to Polish patriots
(or any other patriots) borrowing from their constitution to write the first
Polish constitution
and this song is certainly “constitutional” and
patriotic in nature.
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Likewise American ideals have always inspired Poles
for many generations
so that no one Polish will mind that American
influence either.
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Please note that I’m not trying to replace the “Mazurek D?browskiego”
as the official Polish national
anthem
but only to commemorate, honor,
and celebrate the Polish patriots
who created and defended our
ill-fated Polish Second Republic
and also to teach mainland
Poles to finally remember
the “lost” Polish “tribe” of
Polish war-refugees and their descendants (us!)
and to finally get past all
their residual post-Communist amnesia about us.
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For guidance you can find a
nice gentle piano version of the melody
on YouTube at
(United States
National Anthem (Until 1931) - Hail, Columbia (Instrumental)
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and a more powerful operatic version of the original American song at
(Hail Columbia! with
Lyrics; First American National Anthem - United States of America) (and with
some very inspirational pictures!).
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You can also find more technical information about the original
in the Wikipedia article at
(Hail, Columbia).
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This is also includes the basic sheet music for the
melody (suitable for piano)
which is quite simple and fits onto one page.
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Please note that the original (melody and lyrics) are
and always have been public-domain
and I would like this new Polish version to also always
remain public-domain.
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If anyone is interested in helping with this but is stuck
for suitable Polish words please let me know:- as a “fluent” speaker of
“Poglish” (smile!)
and child-translator for Polish immigrants I’m quite good
at rephrasing English
to make it more translatable into Polish.
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Ideally, it would be very nice if we could have this ready to be performed
in interested Polish churches everywhere on the first Sunday of next May
when congregations often celebrate “Polish Constitution Day”
and perhaps in connection with a reception for the surviving Polish
war-veterans
of the Second Republic
and where families could display photos of their Polish ancestors from that
era.
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So that is my “little” idea (smile!):- what do people think?
Thank you.
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Ave Polonia
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Hail Poland, joyful
land!
Hail, ye heroes,
heav'n-born band,
Who fought and
bled in freedom's cause,
Who fought and
bled in freedom's cause,
And when the
storm of war was gone
Enjoy'd the peace their valor won.
Let us cherish our independence,
but always remember the cost;
Ever grateful for the prize,
Let its altar reach the skies.
Chorus
Firm and united let us be,
Rallying round our liberty,
In our Polish kinship joined,
Peace and safety we shall find.
Immortal
patriots, rise once more,
Defend your rights, defend your motherland!
Let no rude foe, with impious hand,
Let no rude foe, with impious hand,
Invade the shrine where sacred lies
the well-earned prize of toil and blood.
While off'ring peace, sincere and just,
In God we freely place our lasting trust,
That truth and justice will prevail,
And every scheme of bondage fail.
Chorus
Firm and united let us be,
Rallying round our liberty,
In our Polish kinship joined,
Peace and safety we shall find.
Behold our troops who now muster
Once more to serve their country stand.
The rock on which the storm will break,
The rock on which the storm will break,
But armed with virtue, firm and true,
Their hopes are fixed on God and you.
When hope was sinking in dismay,
When glooms obscured Poland's day,
Their steady minds, from changes free,
Resolved on death or liberty.
Chorus
Firm and united let us be,
Rallying round our liberty,
In our Polish kinship joined,
Peace and safety we shall find.
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Sound, sound the
trump of fame,
Let Poland's great name
Ring through the world with loud applause,
Ring through the world with loud applause,
Let ev'ry clime to freedom dear,
Listen with a joyful ear,
With equal skill and with divine power
God teaches us in the fearful hour
Of horrid war, or guides with ease
The happier times of honest peace.
Chorus
Firm and united let us be,
Rallying round our liberty,
In our Polish kinship joined,
Peace and safety we shall find.
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partial
translation:-
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Ave Polonia
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?Awej Polonia, kraj radosny!
Awej,
bohat’ry jej, w niebie urodzone
Ktory bronily i krwawily za wolno?? jej
Ktory
bronily i krwawily za wolno?? jej
