Poland Is Not Yet Lost

Poland is not yet lost (Polish: Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła) is the incipit of the national anthem of Poland, known in Polish as "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego" (English: "Dąbrowski's Mazurka") or, formerly, as Pieśń Legionów polskich we Włoszech ("Song of the Polish Legions in Italy"). The song was written in 1797 by Józef Wybicki.

Quotes in literature


Kiedy my żyjemy Co nam obca moc wydarła, Szablą odbijemy.'' So long as we still live That which alien force has seized We at sabrepoint shall retrieve. English translation based on
 * ''Jeszcze Polska nie umarła,
 * Poland has not died yet
 * First stanza of the original lyrics by Józef Wybicki, 1797
 * Source:

Bziałoczerwóna kukarda. Mniejwa łufnoszcz w Bogu, Nam została tylko wzgarda, Bo Bóg dobry spraziedliwy Nie dopuszczy tego, Żeby Polok nieszczeszliwy Ni mniał kraju swego.'' A white-and-red cockade. Let's have trust in God All we've left is contempt Because God, good and just, Will not let it be That the hapless Pole Live without a homeland.
 * ''Jeszcze Polska nie zginóła.
 * Poland is not yet lost.
 * A variant of the Polish anthem in the Warmian dialect, author unknown
 * Source: Struny zadzwoniły, jak trąby mosiężne, Czas Warszawski

Ciemna zgliszcz drużyno! Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła, Gdy za Polskę giną!'' Dark team of char! Poland is not yet lost When people die for her!
 * ''Hej, dziesięciu! czas do dzieła,
 * Hey, you ten! Time to act,
 * Hymn węglarzy ("Hymn of the Carbonari") by Felicjan Faleński
 * Source:

English translation by Max A. Drezmal
 * Staś wypoczywał i polował. Znalazłszy wśród narzędzi karawany dłuta i młotki zajmował się prócz tego w chłodniejszych godzinach wykuwaniem na wielkiej gnejsowej skale napisu: "Jeszcze Polska...", albowiem chciał, żeby pozostał jakiś ślad pobytu ich w tych stronach. Anglicy, którym przetłumaczył napis, dziwili się, że chłopcu nie przyszło na myśl uwiecznić na tej afrykańskiej skale swego nazwiska. Ale on wolał wyryć to, co wyrył.
 * Stas rested and hunted. Aside from this, having found among the implements of the caravan a chisel and hammers, he was in the cooler hours engaged in chiseling upon a great gneiss rock the inscription "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła," for he wished to leave some trace of their sojourn in that region. The Englishmen, to whom he translated the inscription, were astonished that it never occurred to the boy to perpetuate his own name on that rock. But he preferred to carve the words he had chosen.
 * W pustyni i w puszczy ("In Desert and Wilderness") by Henryk Sienkiewicz, 1912



Że struny zadzwoniły jak trąby mosiężne I z trąb znana piosenka ku niebu wionęła, Marsz tryumfalny: Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła!... Marsz Dąbrowski do Polski! I wszyscy klasnęli, I wszyscy: "Marsz Dąbrowski!" chorem okrzyknęli!'' That the strings rang out boldly, like trumpets of brass, And from them to the heavens that song wafted, cherished, That triumphal march: Poland has never yet perished! ...March Dąbrowski to Poland! – The audience entire Clapped, and all "March Dąbrowski!" cried out as a choir. Englih translation by Marcel Weyland
 * ''Uderzenie tak sztuczne, tak było potężne,
 * The blow struck with such skill, with such force unsurpassed,
 * Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz, 1834

Quotes in speeches

 * Let this great day of concord come, when Russians will be united with you with the same feelings and, fighting for the same cause and against a common enemy, they will have the right to intone with you your national song, this hymn of Slavic unity: Poland is not yet lost.
 * Mikhail Bakunin's speech on the 44th anniversary of the Polish November Uprising, Paris, 29 November 1874. Translated from Polish.
 * Source:


 * Obecne niepowodzenie jest chwilowe, zwycięstwo będzie po naszej stronie. I pamiętajcie: Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła, póki my żyjemy. I to, co nam obca przemoc wzięła, siłą odbierzemy.
 * The present adversity is temporary, the victory will be ours. And remember: Poland is not yet lost, so long as we still live. And what alien force has seized, we shall retrieve with force.
 * Gen. Juliusz Rómmel's announcement of the capitulation of Warsaw to German forces, 29 September 1939
 * Source:


 * Rodacy! Wobec całego narodu polskiego i wobec całego świata pragnę powtórzyć te nieśmiertelne słowa: Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła, póki my żyjemy.
 * Compatriots! In the face of the entire nation of Poland and of the entire world I wish to recall these immortal words: Poland is not yet lost, so long as we still live.
 * Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski's announcement of the imposition of martial law in Poland, Warsaw, 13 December 1981
 * Source: Przemówienie gen. Jaruzelskiego z 13 grudnia 1981 in Wikisource


 * Wy jesteście na tym froncie zbrojnym ramieniem Polski, wy jesteście odpowiedzią daną Niemcom za dzień 1 września 1939 roku, wy jesteście jednym żywym dowodem, że jeszcze Polska nie zginęła i nie zginie!
 * You are Poland's armed arm on this front, you are the response given to the Germans for the 1 September 1939, you are one living proof that Poland is not yet lost and never will be!
 * Wanda Wasilewska's speech to the soldiers of the 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division, August 1943
 * Source:

Other quotes

 * [E]ven though Poland had made a major contribution to the victory which put an end to the Second World War, in June 1945 a representative of our country was not allowed to put his signature to the United Nations Charter. We remember that event when Artur Rubinstein, seeing that there was no Polish delegation at the concert to mark the signing of the Charter, decided to play the "Dąbrowski Mazurka", Poland's national anthem, to demonstrate that "Poland was not lost yet", that Poland lived on. I am recalling this because I had a very touching moment a few days ago in the same San Francisco opera house, to which I was invited for the opening of the season. This time it was the orchestra that played the "Dąbrowski Mazurka", and at that moment the memories of the great Artur Rubinstein and his performance came back with full force and it was very touching indeed for me.
 * Aleksander Kwaśniewski, "The United Nations: an Assessment and Prospects" (2005)


 * Pokud matička Praha, perla západního slovanského světa, se začíná ztrácet v německém moři, co asi čeká Slovensko, mou drahou vlast, pro kterou je Praha zdrojem duchovní kultury? Zatížen touto myšlenkou, vzpomněl jsem si na starou polskou píseň „Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła, póki my żyjemy“. Tato známá melodie vyvolala v mém srdci vzdorné „Hej, Slovaci, ešte naša slovenska reč žije“… Běžel jsem do svého pokoje, zapálil svíci a tužkou napsal do svého deníku tři verše. Píseň byla hotova v okamžiku.
 * If Mother Prague, the pearl of the West Slavic world, is starting to drown in a German sea, what awaits my dear homeland, Slovakia, which looks to Prague for cultural nourishment? Burdened by that thought, I remembered the old Polish song "Poland is not yet lost, so long as we still live". That familiar melody caused my heart to erupt with defiant "Hey, Slovaks, our Slovak language still lives"… I ran to my room, lit a candle and wrote down in pencil three verses into my diary. The song was finished in a blink of an eye.
 * Diary of Samo Tomášik, author of the song Hey, Slavs, 2 November 1834




 * Sławna pieśń legionów polskich poczyna się od wierszy, które są godłem historii nowej: Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła, kiedy my żyjemy. Słowa te mówią, że ludzie mający w sobie to, co istotnie stanowi narodowość, zdolni są przedłużać byt swojego kraju niezależnie od warunków politycznych tego bytu, i mogą nawet dążyć do urzeczywistnienia go na nowo...
 * The famous song of the Polish legions begins with verses which are the emblem of recent history: "Poland has not yet perished, so long as we still live". These words mean that people who have in them what indeed constitutes nationality are able to extend the existence of their nation regardless of the political circumstances of that existence, and may even pursue its re-creation...
 * Adam Mickiewicz, lecture in History of Slavic Literature, Paris, 26 April 1842
 * Source: Wacław Panek, Z historii hymnu, MKiDN


 * The Star-Spangled Banner celebrates the fact that, after a night of battle, the country's flag was still there. The Polish national anthem celebrates the fact that, after centuries of battle, the country is still there. This cautious, realistic anthem — "Poland is not yet lost"...
 * Source:


 * Polish national anthem reminds me primarily of victory. Surely every athlete will confirm my words.
 * Adam Małysz, Bravo Sport No. 24 (2003)
 * Original Polish: Polski hymn kojarzy mi się przede wszystkim ze zwycięstwem. Na pewno każdy sportowiec potwierdzi moje słowa.