Musings about Tradition in the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and an attempt to collect essays and articles which would appear in a Catholic press which exercised critical solidarity with the Hierarchy.
10 April 2010
Polonia Semper Fidelis
. The cruellest of ironies is that the Poles who have died were finally being given permission to commemorate what the Soviet Union did seventy years ago, and that they died in Russia. All we can do is pray.
I think the last line of the refrain is seriously mistranslated.
NOT: behind your leadership we will unite as a people
BUT: following your lead we will unite with the Nation.
This was the song of the exiled legion in Italy, expressing its hope of return to their Commonwealth which had been invaded and divided by the three neighbours, Russia, Prussia and Austria. The sense of Nation and Polish culture was strong, and the Royal Commonwealth of the Two Nations still a lived experience for many. In no sense could they be thought of aspiring "to unite as a people." That was a continuing cultural reality with a long history. Poland as a political unit had been extinguished by Germany and Russia, with Austria's complicity.
I think the last line of the refrain is seriously mistranslated.
ReplyDeleteNOT: behind your leadership we will unite as a people
BUT: following your lead we will unite with the Nation.
This was the song of the exiled legion in Italy, expressing its hope of return to their Commonwealth which had been invaded and divided by the three neighbours, Russia, Prussia and Austria. The sense of Nation and Polish culture was strong, and the Royal Commonwealth of the Two Nations still a lived experience for many. In no sense could they be thought of aspiring "to unite as a people." That was a continuing cultural reality with a long history. Poland as a political unit had been extinguished by Germany and Russia, with Austria's complicity.
B Flat: thanks.
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