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The song “Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła” (“Poland Has Not Yet Perished”) is the national anthem of Poland. It is known by its incipit (the first few words of the song; the initial sequence of notes). The Latin word incipit is Latin (“it begins”). Its counterpart is explicit (“it ends”). The song is also called the “Mazurek Dąbrowskiego” (“Dąbrowski’s Mazurka”)

Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, 1755-1818 - Polish Legions - Poland - Chansons de soldats - Soldiers songs and military marches
Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, 1755-1818, Commander of the Polish Legions in Italy

The lyrics were written by Józef Wybicki in Reggio Emilia, Cisalpine Republic in Northern Italy, between 16 and 19 of July 1797, two years after the Third Partition of Poland erased the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from the map. The melody is Wybicki’s adaptation of a Polish folk tune that had already been popular during the second half of the 18th century.

The current official musical score of the Polish national anthem was arranged by Kazimierz Sikorski and published by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

In 1908, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, who later became the first Prime Minister of independent Poland, quoted the anthem in a disguised way in his Symphony in B minor “Polonia”. The anthem was quoted by Edward Elgar in his symphonic prelude “Polonia”, composed in 1915.

The Polish Legions (Legiony Polskie we Włoszech, also known as the Dąbrowski Legions) were Polish military units that served with the French Army, mainly from 1797 to 1803, during the Napoleonic period.

The song was originally meant to boost the morale of Polish soldiers serving under General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski’s Polish Legions that served with Napoleon’s French Revolutionary Army in the Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars.

After the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, many Poles believed that Revolutionary France and her allies would come to Poland’s aid. France’s enemies included Prussia, Austria and Russia, the countries that had partitioned and erased Poland as an independent state.

Polish officers, soldiers, and volunteers emigrated to parts of Italy under French rule, and the number of Polish volunteers soon reached many thousands.

With support from Napoleon Bonaparte, Polish military units were formed, bearing Polish military ranks and commanded by Polish officers.

They became known as the “Polish Legions”, a Polish army in exile, under French command.

The best known commanders of the Polish Legions include Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, Karol Kniaziewicz, and Józef Wybicki, the composer of the future Polish national anthem “Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła” (“Poland Has Not Yet Perished”) .

The Polish Legions served alongside the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars, and saw combat in most of Napoleon’s campaigns, from Egypt, through Italy, and the West Indies.

When considering the Polish Legions, many historians have argued that Napoleon used the Poles as a source of recruits, and had little desire to invest in the re-creation of the Polish state.

Among the most notable of Napoleon’s contemporary Polish detractors was Tadeusz Kościuszko, who refused to join the Legions, arguing that Napoleon would not restore Poland in any durable form. In this regard, Kościuszko also stated that the Duchy of Warsaw was created in 1807 only because it was expedient, rather than because Napoleon supported Polish sovereignty.

5th Infantry Regiment - Duchy of Warsaw - Jan Chełmiński (1851-1925) - Poland - Chansons de soldats - Soldiers songs and military marches
5th Infantry Regiment, Duchy of Warsaw, Jan Chełmiński (1851-1925)

When the Duchy of Warsaw was created in 1807, many veterans of the Legions in Italy formed the core of the Duchy’s army that was raised under Józef Poniatowski. This force fought a victorious war against Austria in 1809, and would go on to fight alongside the French army in numerous campaigns.

The disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 marked the end of the Napoleonic empire, including the Legions, and allied states like the Duchy of Warsaw.

Nevertheless, the memory of the Polish Legions is strong in Poland, and Napoleon himself is regarded in Poland as a hero and liberator. About the Polish Legion, Napoleon himself is reputed to have said that 800 Poles would equal 8,000 enemy soldiers. The Legions became legendary in Poland, helping to spread the civic and democratic ideals of the French Revolution throughout Poland.

Legionnaires formed the core of the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw, and later for the Army of the Congress Kingdom. After the November Uprising of 1831, the state was forcibly integrated into the Russian Empire.

Respect for the Polish Legions was the spiritual source of the future Polish national anthem. The anthem includes words promising “the return of the Polish army from Italy to Poland” and emphasizes that “Poland is not lost as long as we live” in reference to the Polish Legions.

The song inspired similar songs among other peoples struggling for independence during the 19th century, such as the Ukrainian national anthem “Shche ne vmerla Ukraina” and “Hej, Sloveni“, the national anthem of Yugoslavia during that state’s existence.

The song is also known by its original title, “Pieśń Legionów Polskich we Włoszech“, “Song of the Polish Legions in Italy”). English translations of its Polish incipit (“Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła“) include “Poland Has Not Yet Perished”, “Poland Has Not Perished Yet”, “Poland Is Not Lost”, “Poland Is Not Lost Yet”, and “Poland Is Not Yet Lost”.

Józef Wybicki’s original manuscript was in the hands of his descendants until February 1944, when it was lost in the home of Wybicki’s great-great-grandson, Johann von Roznowski, in Charlottenburg during the Allied bombing of Berlin. The manuscript is known today only from facsimile copies, twenty four of which were made in 1886 by Edward Rożnowski, Wybicki’s grandson, who donated them to Polish libraries.

The song is “one of the most important songs of the Slavic nations.” When Poland re-emerged as an independent state in 1918, “Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła” (“Poland Has Not Yet Perished”) became the de facto national anthem of the new state of Poland. The song was officially adopted as the national anthem of Poland in 1926.

The main theme of the Polish national anthem is the idea that the spirit and hope of the Polish people is strong and enduring, even if they are temporarily deprived of their national sovereignty by political circumstances of the moment.

Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła” (“Poland Has Not Yet Perished”) expresses the idea that the nation of Poland, despite no longer being an independent state, has not disappeared as long as the Polish people are still alive and fighting in its name. The song soon became one of the most popular patriotic songs of Poland.

Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła manuscript - Chansons de soldats - Soldiers songs and military marches
One of the copies of Józef Wybicki’s original manuscript made by Wybicki’s grandson, Edward Rożnowski, now in the Polish libraries

The song also includes a call to arms, and expresses the hope that, under General Dąbrowski’s command, the legionaries will rejoin their nation, and fight to retrieve “what the alien force has seized”.

The famous song of the Polish Legions expresses the idea that Poland has not perished yet as long as we live. These words mean that people who have the essence of their nation within them, are the living soul of their country, regardless of their temporary political circumstances.

The official lyrics of the song were from an 1806 variant of Józef Wybicki’s poem, in which the initial verse, “Poland has not yet died” was replaced with the words “Poland has not yet perished”.

Józef Wybicki’s original manuscript was kept in the home of Wybicki’s great-great-grandson, Johann von Roznowski in Charlottenburg, Berlin. The manuscript was lost in February 1944, during the Allied bombing of the city.

The manuscript is known today only from facsimile copies, twenty four of which were made in 1886 by Edward Rożnowski, Wybicki’s grandson, who donated them to Polish libraries.

The main theme of the poem is the idea that the enduring soul of Poland continues to exist, even if its political sovereignty has been temporarily taken away.

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 fight to retrieve “what the alien force has seized”.

The chorus and subsequent stanzas include the names of inspiring examples of military heroes, set as role models for Polish soldiers:

Jan Henryk Dąbrowski
Napoleon Bonaparte
Stefan Czarniecki
Tadeusz Kościuszko

Dąbrowski, for whom the anthem is named, was a commander in the failed 1794 Kościuszko Uprising against Russia. After the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, Dąbrowski went to Paris to seek French aid to re-establish Polish independence. In 1796, he began forming the Polish Legions as Polish units within the French Revolutionary Army.

When the song was written, Napoleon Bonaparte was a commander of the French Revolutionary campaign in Italy, and Dąbrowski’s superior. Having proven his skills as a military leader, Napoleon is described in the lyrics as the one “who has shown us ways to victory.”

Napoleon Bonaparte is the only non-Polish person mentioned by name in the Polish anthem.

Stefan Czarniecki was a 17th-century hetman (military commander), famous for his role in driving the Swedish army out of Poland after an occupation, remembered by Poles as the Deluge, that had left the country in ruins. With the outbreak of a Danish-Swedish War, Czarniecki 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 the Royal Castle in Poznań. In the same castle, Józef Wybicki, started his career as a lawyer (in 1765).

Tadeusz Kościuszko, mentioned in a stanza now missing from the anthem, was a hero of the American Revolutionary War. Kościuszko returned to Poland to defend his native country from Russia in the war of 1792. He led a national uprising in 1794.

Szabla husarska - traditional - Poland - Chansons de soldats - Soldiers songs and military marches
The szablą (saber)
a traditional Polish cavalry weapon

One of the major battles during the Polish-Lithuanian Kościuszko Uprising against Russia was the Battle of Racławice, where the victory was won partly due to Polish peasants armed with scythes. The song also mentions traditional Polish weapons, the szablą (saber) and the backsword, used by the Polish szlachta (nobility).

Basia, a female name (diminutive of Barbara), and her father are fictional characters. They represent women and elderly men who wait for the Polish soldiers to return home and liberate their homeland.

The route that Dąbrowski and his legions hoped to follow upon leaving Italy is reflected in the words “we’ll cross the Vistula, we’ll cross the Warta”. These two major rivers flow through parts of Poland, then controlled by Austria and Prussia.

The national anthem, the national coat of arms, and the national colors, are symbols defined by the Polish constitution, and are protected by law.

It is the “right and obligation” of every Polish citizen and all state organs, institutions and organizations to treat these national symbols “with reverence and respect”.

The anthem should be performed at celebrations of national holidays and anniversaries. Civilians should pay respect to the anthem by standing in a dignified manner. Men should uncover their heads.

Members of uniformed services are to stand at attention. If wearing headgear, such as the rogatywka military hat or a helmet, and not standing in an organized group, service members are to perform the two-finger salute. Color guards are to pay respect to the anthem by dipping their banners.

At that time, the Russian Viceroy in Poland, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, is said to have remarked that Poles salute him with two fingers, while using the other two to hold a stone to throw at him.

The two-finger salute of the Polish Armed Forces means Honor i Ojczyzna (Honor and Fatherland). The salute is performed with the middle and index fingers extended and touching each other, while the ring and little fingers are bent and touched by the thumb. The tips of the middle and index fingers touch the peak of the headgear.

It is not clear when the two-finger salute appeared in Polish military forces. Some see its origin in Tadeusz Kościuszko’s 1794 oath. Others state that it came from Polish soldiers in the Congress Kingdom army around 1815, when Poland was partitioned.

Polish two-finger military salute - Armed Forces of Poland - Chansons de soldats - Soldiers songs and military marches
Polish two-finger military salute – 1904 drawing by Ludwik Solski

Another legend attributes the salute to the Battle of Olszynka Grochowska in 1831. A wounded soldier who lost all his fingers, but the middle and index fingers, saluted his officer, and then died of his wounds.

During the European Revolutions of 1848, “Poland Is Not Yet Lost” won favor throughout Europe as a revolutionary anthem.

This led the Slovak poet Samo Tomášik to write the ethnic anthem, “Hey, Slavs“, based on the melody of the Polish national anthem. It was later adopted by the First Congress of the Pan-Slavic Movement in Prague as the Pan-Slavic Anthem.

During the Second World War, a translation of this anthem became the national anthem of Yugoslavia, and later, Serbia and Montenegro. After the 2006 split between Serbia and Montenegro, neither state kept the song as its national anthem. Serbia chose “Bože pravde” and “Montenegro chose “Oj, svijetla majska zoro“.

The Polish national anthem is also notable for influencing the lyrics of the Ukrainian anthem, “Shche ne vmerla Ukraina” (Ukraine’s glory has not yet perished).

The words “Poland is not yet lost” has become proverbial in some languages. In German, for example, a common saying is “noch ist Polen nicht verloren“, meaning “all is not lost”.

“Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła” • “Poland Has Not Yet Perished”

Short Version

“Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła” • “Poland Has Not Yet Perished”

Long Version

       
  Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła,
Kiedy my żyjemy.
Co nam obca przemoc wzięła,
Szablą odbierzemy.
  Poland has not yet perished,
So long as we still live.
What the foreign force has taken from us,
We shall with sabre retrieve.
       
  Chorus
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.
  Chorus
March, march, Dąbrowski,
From Italy to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.
       
  Chorus
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.
  Chorus
March, march, Dąbrowski,
From Italy to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.
       
  Przejdziem Wisłę, przejdziem Wartę,
Będziem Polakami.
Dał nam przykład Bonaparte,
Jak zwyciężać mamy.
  We’ll cross the Vistula, we’ll cross the Warta,
We shall be Polish.
Bonaparte has given us the example
Of how we should prevail.
       
  Chorus
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.
  Chorus
March, march, Dąbrowski,
From Italy to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.
       
  Chorus
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.
  Chorus
March, march, Dąbrowski,
From Italy to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.
       
  Jak Czarniecki do Poznania
Po szwedzkim zaborze,
Dla ojczyzny ratowania
Wrócim się przez morze.
  Like Czarniecki to Poznań
After the Swedish annexation,
To save our homeland,
We shall return across the sea.
       
  Chorus
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.
  Chorus
March, march, Dąbrowski,
From Italy to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.
       
  Chorus
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.
  Chorus
March, march, Dąbrowski,
From Italy to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.
       
  Już tam ojciec do swej Basi
Mówi zapłakany –
Słuchaj jeno, pono nasi
Biją w tarabany.
  A father, in tears,
Says to his Basia
Listen, our boys are said
To be beating the tarabans.
       
  Chorus
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.
  Chorus
March, march, Dąbrowski,
From Italy to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.
       
  Chorus
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.
  Chorus
March, march, Dąbrowski,
From Italy to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.