Pieśni ułańskie (Polish Lancers Songs) - Polish Army Choir, 1944
Chór Polskiej Armii pod dyr. J. Kołaczkowskiego (Polish Army Choir cond. by J. Kolaczkowski) – Polish Lancers’ Songs: 1. Z tamtej strony jezioreczka... (On the Other Side Of the Lake) 2. Kiedym jechał do dzieweczki (When I Rode To My Lass’) HMV c. 1944 (Polish recording in UK)
NOTE: This rare recording was made in last months of existence of the Polish Army Choir in United Kingdom, during the 2nd World War. The Choir was completed in 1939 within the Polish Military Forces in the West, which according to Polish-British-French Pact of Military Alliance were formed by general Władysław Sikorski in Western Europe, after the fall of the defence of Poland, attacked in September 1939 by the allied German-Soviet armies. The Choir was dismissed in 1945 in Scotland, where the Polish military forces were grouped, shortly after cessation of the war operations. This recording contains two very old and rarely performed Polish military songs from the turn of the 19/20th century. I quote their wonderful old Polish lyrics, as well as my own and imperfect translation into English.
This uploading is dedicated to the 96th anniversary of the battle of Warsaw on 15th August 1915, which is today. After the Bolshevic Revolution in Russia of 1917, two years later the newly formed soviet Red Army attacked Poland. It was the first year of independent existence of the Polish state, which – according to the Versailles Treaty from June 1919, regained its freedom after 150 years of partition between Prussia, Russia and Habsburg Empire.
The 2-year Polish-Bolshevic war broke out, ended with the heroic battle of Warsaw on the 15th August 1920, when the nearly million Bolshevik soldiers were pushed away from the walls of Warsaw by a handful of Polish soldiers and volunteers, who gathered as the bud of the future Polish Army, to achieve unbelievable victory in the battle, held on the outskirts of Warsaw. The battle of Warsaw of the 15 Aug, 1920 is called therefore The Miracle on Vistula River and belongs to 15 most important battles in the modern history of Europe. There’s no doubt, the battle saved Europe from the Soviet attack, which was the Soviets principle: to plunge into the Western Europe as far as to the Atlantic Ocean, marching across the “corpse of Poland”. That plan failed and Soviet troops in panic had to withdrew from Poland, followed by the fantastic rides of the Polish lancers (in Polish, the “lancers” are called the “uhlans”) .
This recording is my tribute to those wonderful people, right on the day of the 96th anniversary of their battle for the free, and non-communist Europe. The slideshow is composed from the Uhlans’ old photographs and paintings as well as Polish posters from the time of the Polish-Bolshevik war of 1919-20.
The Songs and their translations:
1. Z tamtej strony jezioreczka... (On the Other Side of the Lake)
Z tamtej strony jezioreczka,
Ułani jadą.
Hej, hej, Mocny Boże!
Ułani jadą...
(On the other side of the lake / The lancers are riding… /Hey, hey, Mighty God! / The lancers are riding… )
2. Kiedym jechał do dzieweczki (When I Rode To My Lass')
Ref. Hej, dana dana, dziś, dziś…
Kiedym jechał do dzieweczki
brzękały mi podkóweczki,
/brzękały, brzękały,
siwe oczka płakały.
Siwe oczka, co płaczecie,
kiej mnie widzieć nie będziecie
/na wieki, na wieki
bom ja chłopiec daleki/bis
Mam fajeczkę za cholewą,
czy za prawą, czy za lewą
/kiej wyjdę na pole
to ją sobie zapolę./bis
Mam ja kozik wyrzynany,
na rzemyczku uwiązany,
/bo mi go potrzeba
do komiśnego chleba./bis
Ref. Hej, dana dana, dziś, dziś…
(Ref. Hey , hey, hey, hey, today… When I rode to my lass /my horse’s shoes clanged/ and clanged /while her grey eyes were weeping.
Why are they weeping, her grey eyes? ‘Cause they won’t see me for long / for long, for long / for I am a faraway boy.
I have a pipe under my upper /either the left, or the right one /and when I get out on the field / I’ll take it out and smoke.
I have also a penknife /tied up to my belt /for I need it to slice/ my army rye bread. Ref. Hey, hey, hey, hey, today…)
Острог: в тіні історії | Ostroh: in the shadow of history
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