The Red Contagion ( Polish Czerwona zaraza ) is the last poem by the Polish poet Jozef Szczepanski , written by him on August 29, 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising as a reaction to the actions of the Red Army, which was located on the right bank of the Vistula and, as the author believed, did not render assistance to the rebels. The work was written a few days before the death of the poet.
| Red plague | |
|---|---|
| Czerwona zaraza | |
| Genre | poem |
| Author | Jozef Schepanski |
| Original language | Polish |
| Date of writing | August 29, 1944 |
Until 1956, in connection with the anti-Soviet context, the poem was banned by the communist authorities. When this poem was discovered, criminal punishment in the form of imprisonment followed [1] . Subsequently, the poem was used by the anti-communist opposition as one of the elements of the political struggle.
The poem inspired the Polish director Andrzej Wajdu to create the film " Channel " [2] .
Excerpts from the poem were used by the Polish rock band Lao Che in the song “Czerniaków” in the album “Powstanie Warszawskie” and the Norwegian rock band De Press in the album “Myśmy rebelianci. Piosenki żołnierzy wyklętych . "
At present, the phraseology “Czerwona zaraza”, having retained its original anti-Soviet and anti-communist context, is used in Polish society in relation to both the communist past and the Soviet symbols [3] .
Text
The Russian translation exists in various versions
"We are waiting for you, red infection,
to save us from black death
so that our quadranted land meets
your liberation is like leprosy.
We are waiting for you, a rabble of a great power,
in bestiality introduced by the authorities by the bats,
waiting for you to trample us with boots,
Pour propaganda with your evil one.
We are waiting for you, everlasting,
our fellow murderer is a bloody
We do not crave revenge, retribution, reprisal,
and with bread and salt we will go out to meet
So you know hated rescuer
what death we wish you as a reward
as we squeeze our fury in a fist,
asking for your help, cunning punisher.
So you know, grandfathers, great-grandfathers kat,
Siberian prison guard notorious,
how curses your kindness here
all the people are Slavic, your imaginary brother.
So you know how scary and painful we are,
children of the Free, Holy and Great Fatherland,
to be in the shackles of your wild love again
the one that stinks us with a hundred-year captivity.
Invincible red hordes stood up
at the walls of Warsaw illuminated by fire,
flock of grave diggers amuse themselves with bloody pain
handfuls of madmen perishing in piles of ruins.
A month has passed since the beginning of the Rebellion,
with thunder of guns you make us happy at times
you know how scary you cannot find an excuse
conscience will bawl that he laughed at us again.
We are waiting for you - not for the sake of the rebels of salvation,
and for the sake of the wounded - thousands of them die in agony,
many children here, nursing mothers here,
and an epidemic is already walking in the basements.
We are waiting for you - but your troops are in no hurry,
you are afraid of us - we know that, of course,
do you want us to fall here, as one, without exception,
you are waiting near Warsaw when we are all settled here.
We don’t ask anymore - you yourself choose:
if you help, you will save many from death,
if you wait, you’ll leave everyone to perdition.
Death is not terrible for us, we already know how to die.
But, know, the winner is from our common coffin
a new strong Poland will be born sometime -
the one that soldiers will not have to walk on
and the lords of the wild red rabble ” [4] .Original text (Polish)"Czekamy ciebie, czerwona zarazo,
byś wybawiła nas od czarnej śmierci,
byś nam Kraj przedtem rozdarłwszy na ćwierci,
była zbawieniem witanym z odrazą.
Czekamy ciebie, ty potęgo tłumu
zbydlęciałego pod twych rządów knutem
czekamy ciebie, byś nas zgniotła butem
swego zalewu i haseł poszumu.
Czekamy ciebie, ty odwieczny wrogu,
morderco krwawy tłumu naszych braci,
czekamy ciebie, nie żeby zapłacić,
lecz chlebem witać na rodzinnym progu.
Żebyś ty wiedział nienawistny zbawco,
jakiej ci śmierci życzymy w podzięce
i jak bezsilnie zaciskamy ręce
pomocy prosząc, podstępny oprawco.
Żebyś ty wiedział dziadów naszych kacie,
sybirskich więzień ponura legendo,
jak twoją dobroć wszyscy kląć tu będą,
wszyscy Słowianie, wszyscy twoi bracia
Żebyś ty wiedział, jak to strasznie boli
nas, dzieci Wielkiej, Niepodległej, Świętej
skuwać w kajdany łaski twej przeklętej,
cuchnącej jarzmem wiekowej niewoli.
Legła twa armia zwycięska, czerwona
u stóp łun jasnych płonącej Warszawy
i scierwią duszę syci bólem krwawym
garstki szaleńców, co na gruzach kona.
Miesiąc już mija od Powstania chwili,
łudzisz nas dział swoich łomotem,
wiedząc, jak znowu będzie strasznie potem
powiedzieć sobie, że z nas znów zakpili.
Czekamy ciebie, nie dla nas, żołnierzy,
dla naszych rannych - mamy ich tysiące,
i dzieci są tu i matki karmiące,
i po piwnicach zaraza się szerzy.
Czekamy ciebie - ty zwlekasz i zwlekasz,
ty się nas boisz, i my wiemy o tym.
Chcesz, byśmy legli tu wszyscy pokotem,
naszej zagłady pod Warszawą czekasz.
Nic nam nie robisz - masz prawo wybierać,
możesz nam pomóc, możesz nas wybawić
lub czekać dalej i śmierci zostawić ...
śmierć nie jest straszna, umiemy umierać.
Ale wiedz o tym, że z naszej mogiły
Nowa się Polska - zwycięska narodzi.
I po tej ziemi ty nie będziesz chodzić
czerwony władco rozbestwionej siły ".
Note
- ↑ Czerwona Zaraza, Rzeczpospolita. 09/04/2004 (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment May 5, 2014. Archived November 12, 2004.
- ↑ Kanal
- ↑ "Czerwona zaraza". Pomnik katów i oprawców - do skansenu! (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Translated by Iskander Ulmas
Links
- The text of the poem (Polish)