Do prostego człowieka
Encyclopedia
Do prostego człowieka is a poem by Julian Tuwim
. Published for the first time in the November 7, 1929 edition of Robotnik
daily, it immediately became popular due to its strong pacifist
and anti-war message. The poem mocks militarism, patriotic fervour and hysteria, and suggests that it is the powerful that reap the profits of wars waged by common people.
The poem was commonly read as expressing poet's disillusionment with Józef Pilsudski
's regime and increasingly militant rhetoric.
At the same time it was openly criticised by both left and right-wing journalists. The rightists went as far as to suggest Tuwim be hanged for allegedly promoting desertion among Polish soldiers.
Despite criticism, the poem became immediately popular in Poland. One of the final lines of the poem (The oil is theirs, the blood is yours) became particularly famous and entered the Polish language as a popular expression in the form of "not my oil", meaning "it's none of my business".
In recent years the poem was translated to English by Marcel Weyland
. It also gained new popularity due to numerous rock bands performing it on their concerts. One of the best-known such interpretations is by a Polish rock group Akurat
.
Julian Tuwim
Julian Tuwim , sometimes used pseudonym "Oldlen" when writing song lyrics. He was a Polish poet, born in Łódź, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, of Jewish parents, and educated in Łódź and Warsaw where he studied law and philosophy at Warsaw University...
. Published for the first time in the November 7, 1929 edition of Robotnik
Robotnik (1894–1939)
Robotnik was the bibuła newspaper published by the Polish Socialist Party , and distributed in most major cities and towns in Poland under Partitions.....
daily, it immediately became popular due to its strong pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
and anti-war message. The poem mocks militarism, patriotic fervour and hysteria, and suggests that it is the powerful that reap the profits of wars waged by common people.
The poem was commonly read as expressing poet's disillusionment with Józef Pilsudski
Józef Pilsudski
Józef Klemens Piłsudski was a Polish statesman—Chief of State , "First Marshal" , and authoritarian leader of the Second Polish Republic. From mid-World War I he had a major influence in Poland's politics, and was an important figure on the European political scene...
's regime and increasingly militant rhetoric.
At the same time it was openly criticised by both left and right-wing journalists. The rightists went as far as to suggest Tuwim be hanged for allegedly promoting desertion among Polish soldiers.
Despite criticism, the poem became immediately popular in Poland. One of the final lines of the poem (The oil is theirs, the blood is yours) became particularly famous and entered the Polish language as a popular expression in the form of "not my oil", meaning "it's none of my business".
In recent years the poem was translated to English by Marcel Weyland
Marcel Weyland
Marcel Weyland is a translator of Adam Mickiewicz's Pan Tadeusz and of Echoes: Poems of the Holocaust. 'The Word: 200 Years of Polish Poetry', 2010, ed. Brandl & Schlesinger, Blackheath, NSW, Australia, ISBN 9781921556036.-Life:...
. It also gained new popularity due to numerous rock bands performing it on their concerts. One of the best-known such interpretations is by a Polish rock group Akurat
Akurat
Akurat is a Polish band formed in November 1994 in Bielsko-Biała district. 'Akurat' is Polish for 'exactly' or 'yeah right'. Music of the band can be credited as a fusion between punk rock, reggae, ska and pop.-Current members:*Piotr Wróbel - guitar, vocalist...
.