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Notes
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English translation of the title: Ribald Ballad
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English translation of first line: the peasant came out of his hut and scratched his head
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The poem ends with the strange image of a naked 'gazda' or highlander from the Tatra foothills making a 'non-speech' ('niemowie') in a girl's voice about the 'Platonic relation to things'. The 'ballad' appears to be satirising some tropes of Polish Romantic poetry, such as 'dziady z dawnej strasznej ballady' ('forefathers' spirits from the frightening old ballad'), a reference to Adam Mickiewicz's celebrated long poem Dziady (Forefathers' Eve), begun in 1822.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Last amended 21 Nov 2012 13:24:11
