And when our
arguments
grew louder and more free,
Mr.
Mr.
Poland - 1881 - Poets and Poetry of Poland
on thy majestic ruins, high
The haughty Moslem rears his tyrant throne;
How many desolated nations lie
In dust ! -- how many suffering kingdoms groan !
Towns, towers in ashes sink ; by his stern eye
Dismay'd, their terror trembling millions own,
Shuddering in dread, when with half-stifled breath
They see him wave the scimitar of death.
Before him fell the holy city's walls.
Thy daughters, Zion! wept in slavery long;
Whelm 'd in the dust thy palaces and halls.
No more Mount Calvary's sacred scenes among
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? KRASICKI. 129
Kneel pious pilgrims; -- drear desertion palls
The Savior's sacred tomb; an impious throng
Insulting trampled where to fallen man
Salvation's marvelous mystery began.
The valiant Osman then the throne possess'd, --
Osman, whose conquests like the ocean spread;
To daring deeds adventurously he press'd,
And joy'd his sire's ambitious path to tread.
His busy love of conquest found no rest,
But in devoting every Christian head.
Impious! to deem a tyrant's peevish rod
Could raze or blast what has been raised by God.
Such thoughts he cherishes; the powers of Hell
Fan his ambitious flame: before his eyes
They bid fresh wreaths of shadowy laurels dwell --
A filmy web; though victory's heedless cries
Ring in his ears like music, sorrow's swell
Seems joy, while in his soul stern thoughts arise.
'Twas thus deluded warrior bands became
A scourge to nations, -- to the world a shame.
So from the palace happy quiet flies, --
The seat of peace is in the shelter'd cot;
When cares disturb the mind, sleep shuns the eyes, --
Sleep, not the monarch's, but the peasant's lot:
Though on a couch of down proud Osman lies,
Repose his weary eye-lids visits not.
'Twas dawn, -- the star of morn palely shed
Her beams, when o'er him slumbers faintly spread.
The great Arch-fiend approach'd him, -- he of old
Hurl'd down from highest heaven, -- who bids abound
On earth both guilt and guile. A cloth of gold,
From distant India brought, encurtain'd 'round
9
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? 130 POETS AND POETEY OF POLAND.
The tyrant's bed: -- in form of human mould
The daemon wrapp'd him; and with human sound,
While the false prophet's visible shape he took,
Thus to the deeply-slumbering monarch spoke :
"Nay! on a soft and an effeminate bed,
This is no fitting time, my son ! to taste
Oblivious sleep. Aurora blushing red
Heralds the morn; the pale stars sink to rest;
The sun uprises bright: -- Awake! and lead
Those conquering bands who wait thy high behest:
Awake! and let thy great example tell,
Sloth cannot in the minds of heroes dwell.
" Awake ! let them behold in thee whate'er
Befits a conquering nation's monarch ; scorn
Of sloth; delight the steely mail to wear;
A wakeful eye anticipating morn: --
Thine arm'd host waits thee, nought is wanting there
To valor, but a leader; fierce they burn
For the wild joy of battle: -- thus of yore
Their sires won fame; and lo! they pant for more.
" By glory led, whose brightly beaming light
Shines all propitious by the hero's side,
Each step is certain conquest; to the fight
A hero leading heroes; terror's tide
Shall whelm the Christians; and thy power shall blight
Each bud of hope for them; thy falchion dyed
With blood shall on the Faithful joy bestow, --
That sword which flashes death upon the foe. "
As when the savage boar outstretch'd in sleep,
In his dark covert hidden, hears the horn
Of the sharp hunter, and from slumbers deep
Awakes in bursting wrath, and rage, and scorn, --
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? KRASICKI. 131
Bristled and panting see the monster leap
Forth from his den; foaming and fury-torn
He dashes tow'rds the sounds, -- so Osman sprung,
While round his dreaming eyes the vision hung.
And fierce and fatal were the threats which call'd
His troops around him then; the battle cloud
Spread darkly gathering. Armies were enthrall'd;
Viziers and Agas at the mandates loud,
And seldom-check'd Pachas, by fear appall'd,
Brought their attendant hordes, and meekly bow'd;
While scarce one welcoming, one approving glance
Escaped the frowning despot's countenance.
He stood among them like a pyramid
O'er-darkling with its shade the plain around,
And thus unveil'd his daring purpose, -- hid
Till then ; while at the valor-stirring sound,
Prostration mute, and eager rapture bid
Meet utterance : -- " Thou, the Koran's moat and mound,
Stretch out thy blade; thy foes shall pass away.
And prostrate earth adore the Prophet's sway.
11 Nobly thou hast begun, and so proceed !
Let thy sword herald on the law divine; --
Destroy the impugners of the Prophet's creed,
But on the faithful let thy favor shine.
Thy glory shall encircle earth ; the meed
Of pious triumphs, -- thou shalt raise a shrine
To victory. And as Rome was victory's queen,
Stamboul shall now become what Rome has been. "
Skinder Pacha was there, -- 'twas he who won
Cecora's bloody day, -- and thus he gave
His monarch humble counsel: " Thy proud throne
Towers above all thrones, and thus thy slave
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? 132 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
Presumes t' advise. Since Poland's bravest son
Sleeps mouldering in his melancholy grave,
Be Poland thy first spoil: for Poland lies
Crouch 'd at thy feet, -- and at thy frown she dies.
" Z? o? ? kiewski was their chief: his fame in war
Was mighty: toils and time had made him gray:
His band look'd proudly on their country's star;
His countless band ; and in the glimmering ray
Of faded recollections twinkling far
Sought hope ! Thou gav'st them to us as a prey, --
Thou, Prophet! whom they dared blaspheme. They fell,
As ever falls the insulting infidel.
" And now dismay has crowded on defeat,
And terror holds them in its heavy chains;
Send forth thy mandate, and they shall retreat,
O'erpower'd and scatter'd, as across the plains
An atom in a whirlwind. It were meet
To whelm in dust their wasted, weak remains, --
Their wives, their children, slavery's bonds await, --
All yield to fate, -- and they must yield to fate.
" They have despised thee in their insolent pride ;
They have rebell'd against thy sovereign will ;
Laugh'd at thy awful frowns ; and turn'd aside
Prom thy bright smiles: and undespairing still,
Their obstinate zeal supports them. Chiefs divide,
And factions tear them; yet by force or skill
They hang together: and these stubborn foes
The only barrier to thy sway oppose. "
Thus the fierce Skinder spoke: their lord's behest
Anxious the whole divan awaited. He
The wild, rude anger of his eye suppress'd;
While bursting joy, dim dreams of victory,
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? KRASICKI. 133
And restless passions struggled in his breast.
He bow'd assent : and with proud dignity
Threw round him a dark glance of light afar.
And utter'd, " War, my warriors! nought but war! "
He said that he himself his troops would head,
And lead them on to triumph. At the word
A murmuring concert-tone of gladness spread,
And loud eulogiums on their valiant lord ;
For armies when by hero-monarchs led,
Know no defeat. A sultan's self-drawn sword
Flashes with victory. A chieftain brave
Makes all his followers spurn the gaping grave.
Then to the camp vast crowds of warriors throng,
From every quarter summon'd. Shouts of joy
And the gay music of the battle-song
Bid the heart leap, and light the ebon eye.
There young and old, children and sires, among
The gathering band are mix'd tumultuously;
And many an oath is heard, and many a vow
To Allah and the Prophet utter'd now.
And o'er the palace portal high unroll'd,
The Prophet's banner, deck'd with pearls and gems,
Floated. It was a sheet of broiderd gold,
Sparkling with jewels fit for diadems,
Which dazzle when their brightness we behold:
And the sublimest of all apothegms:
" There is no god but God, -- and Mahomet
His Prophet is. " on the bright field was set.
And proudly to the wind its folds it flung,
And million voices blended all around;
The clashing cymbals high aloft were flung.
The spahts shouts, and the strange babel-sound
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? 134 POETS AND POETEY OF POLAND.
Of countless voices uttering joy, o'er-rung
All heaven ; the war-steeds stamp'd the dusty ground,
Eager for battle. Osman bent his head,
And to the crowds the white-lock'd Mufti said:
"Ye have been chosen, Faithful! from the crowd
Of nations, sacred duties, mighty deeds
Triumphant to accomplish. Victory loud
Calls to the noble strife where victory leads;
Heaven blesses Ismael's sons; their banner proud,
With glory seated on its shrine, proceeds;
The Prophet's standard blinds the Infidel,
And God's bright smiles of light around it dwell.
"Yes, Osman! glorious thy reward shall be!
Bright as the dreams that pla} r around thee now
Shall be the future's dazzling victory;
And high as night's proud stars thy fame shall glow
O'er thy ruin'd foes. At thy decree
Cecora's scatter'd fragments swift shall go
Into oblivion. Thou shalt reign alone,
And all the prostrate world thy mandates own. "
Then the mysterious Koran-tome he took,
And read its dark and deleterious page ;
Mingling new cheats with that all-cheating book,
He pours his blasphemies ; then strove to engage,
With a devout but most dissembling look,
Heaven's smiles upon the tyrant, -- to assuage
Heaven's frowns ; and on the chiefs, and on the crowd,
Saints*, Mulahs, and Imams, pour'd blessings loud.
Then to his palace he return'd, and soon
Warriors from every quarter join'd his train;
From whence Euphrates, lighted by the moon,
Bursts through his cliff-bound way; and from the plain
* Santons.
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? KRASICKI. 135
Where rolls the yellow Tigris 'neath the noon,
Rushing in rapid depths toward the main:
And from the jagged and the granite shores,
Where fierce Araxes through the hard rocks roars.
And whence the solemn Xilus rolls his tide,
Enriching at each step Egyptian lands,
To where in seven-mouth 'd eloquence of pride
He breaks impatient from his earthly bands
Into the Ocean's bridal bed. The wide
And scorch'd Sahara, and Xumidia's sands,
Sent forth their sons, and Ethiopia's eye
Look'd proudly on her troops of ebony.
From Yemen came a sturdy shepherd race,
Bronzed in the fierceness of the burning sun; --
The tribes of Fez, who deem it a disgrace
To spare or sympathize where gore-streams run;
From Mecca : from Medina -- hallow'd place !
Scene of the Prophet's birth: from Lebanon
And from Mount Carmel's sides: -- impatient all,
Panting for fame, and reckless though they fall.
But who can count them, -- who, -- when all array'd
They pass'd before the sultan's raptured eye?
He saw his million vassals who display'd
Their gorgeous pomp: and hope's light ecstasy.
Scepters and crowns and mighty kingdoms laid
At his proud feet by victory. To the sky
Tower'd his ambitious thoughts; his frowns he huiTd
And pour'd his threats of insult o'er the world.
HOW MUCH TO DRIXK.
You may drink of wine three times at a feast.
The first small glass won't hurt you in the least.
The second you drink to the health of friends,
And if you stop there, all pleasantly ends.
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? 136 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
But suppose you drink the third to the guest,
Be sure that at this point you will rest --
For the fourth begets a coarseness of speech,
Words rude and vulgar your converse will reach;
At the fifth your anger is uncontrolled,
Loudly you talk -- not knowing where to hold;
And if, after all these, a sixth succeed,
You are left in a wretched state indeed;
And one's perception need not be acute
To see you've reached the level of a brute !
DRUNKENNESS.
A SATIRE.
Where were you? T can hardly go. Are you sick? Yes,
You know I never humor myself to excess;
But such a headache as I've had words can't convey.
You must have surely had a gay time yesterday --
That's why you are sad to-day, how was it? I think,
After a luscious meal, water is good to drink.
Nay, not so good my friend, -- and may that man be cursed
(IT1 tell you how it was) who used that proverb first. .
Day before yesterday I got drunk -- wife's birthday;
I regret it not -- that occasion should be gay.
'Tis a great day you know -- nor is it very wrong
To raise your neighbor's spirits -- wife was full of song.
We had lots of wine, and its quality was prime,
So you can bet we drank and we had a big time.
Till morn the feast continued, about noon I woke --
Head like a chunk of lead -- to cough and spit and choke;
Madame proposed tea, but that's sickening, you know;
Somehow, 'twas but a chance, I passed a drug store. So
I took a drink of bitters, as anybody would,
Then I drank again, thinking it would do me good.
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? KRASICKI. 137
Still sick, again I drank, then I felt better quite,
And thus, then, happened two guests of yesternight;
Under such conditions a treat I could not shun --
And then how can one treat and yet himself drink none?
That wouldn't do. I drank, it happened, so you see,
The liquor was A No. 1, and hot as it could be.
That's good for the stomach, and as my good luck willed,
The nausea was stopped -- that dreadful headache stilled.
Well, again, to happy home with my friends I went,
We found dinner ready, and it was excellent.
Mr. Andrew said temperance was a thing he prized,
Aye, long live temperance! drunkenness we despised.
At hand stood the bottle, the cork beside it laid,
Mr. Albert of dyspepsia somewhat afraid,
After the ham eaten, proposed a little wine.
One or two glasses drank for the health is fine,
Especially when the wine is pure and past its youth.
We acceded all to such self-evident truth --
Talked of manly spirit, of bold and grand designs,
Talked of gold and silver, of digging in the mines.
And so the bottle dried up -- how? we scarcely knew,
And so another came -- and while our ardor grew,
Disappeared the third, the fourth, and then the fifth came on,
Then the sixth and seventh and eighth and the tenth was gone !
And when our arguments grew louder and more free,
Mr. Andrew dared to fling the name of fellow at me.
I, a fellow! I'll teach you not to be so bold --
At me he goes, and I at him, we took fierce hold.
Albert interposed, and the servants next appeared,
I really do not know how the quarrel cleared --
Certes it is a bottle was broken on my head,
Be drunkenness below to darkest regions sped!
What is there in it? There is trouble, strife and pain,
Nausea, bruises, plasters -- these are its only gain.
Well said: a pastime 'tis to which the lowest cling,
An upright man will scorn it as a shameless thing.
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? 138 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
All sorts of feuds and trouble from its reign outcome --
Mem'ry grows dull -- reasoning powers grow numb;
Health suffers, and its victim hastens to life's brink.
Just look upon a man who is a slave to drink!
A man but in appearance -- really a brute.
When a man is drunk 'tis fitting to compute
Him with senseless cattle -- justice, not abuse.
If heaven thought fit to place wine here for man's use,
It was to help him, not to incapacitate --
The use of God's great gifts should e'er be moderate.
Though dumb brutes are senseless we oft are shamed by them.
Intemperance is a sin' that animals condemn
In men who drink but not alone to slack their thirst.
Brutes drink what is needful -- man who calls them accurst
Is worse indeed than they are, more abject and low.
Heed not the wounds and piasters; the meed of guilt is -- woe!
Far greater punishment than those bruises is meet
For those that keep transgressing in their blind conceit.
Knowledge, which distinguishes man from animal,
They often disregard for causes small.
What gain is sufficient to balance its neglect;
For its loss what profits sufficient can collect.
In those who commit not excesses base and vain
You'll find good sense and comfort -- and freedom from all pain.
See the results that with temperance agree --
Perfect health, cloudless brain, and a mind gay and free;
Strength exceptional, and energy for their tasks;
Property in order, in smiles their household basks;
Cash to meet each needful and sensible expense, --
These are the inducements to follow temperance;
And aught but total abstinence is risky,
It is: Good-bye -- I go to take a drink of whisky.
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? KKASICKI. 139
FABLES.
THE KING.
A certain king there was of projects grand
Would register the wise ones of the land,
The names likewise of all the happy found,
And set the scribes to search the kingdom round.
The seeker for the happy found but few,
But great the multitude of wise ones grew,
So great the scribe beheld his labor vain,
No paper left the number to contain!
THE LAZY OXEN.
The first commission of an ill
Delight is no less;
'Tis. in the effect it brings about
That lies the bitterness.
As easily is proven by
This most veracious history.
In spring the oxen all refused
To plough the grassy plain ;
When autumn came they would not haul
From out the fields the grain.
In winter, being scarce of bread,
They knocked the oxen on the head.
THE MOSQUITO AND THE FLY.
If we must fly at all, I know
We should soar neither high nor low,
Mosquito said, who, buzzing by,
Saw in a pail a drowning fly.
And sadly he bemoaned its fate,
That it had not been fortunate,
And, like himself, had wings to fly
Where'er he willed, or low or high,
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? 140 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
And mourning o'er its fate he turned,
Fell in the candle and was burned.
; THE BOYS AND THE FROGS.
At evening a small lake beside
A group of boys with hop and stride
Watching to see the frogs, ran by;
And when a frog with motion spry
Popped up, knowing of naught to dread,
They dealt a blow upon its head
Their love of sport to gratify.
But one frog, bolder than the rest,
With courage thus the boys addressed,
The while he rose into their sight:
" You'd better stop, -- it is not right
For you to play the way you do ;
It is but senseless sport for you,
For us 'tis death, or wounds and fright. "
THE RAM AND THE JACKASS.
The ass complained in moving words
It was a shame and sin
To cast him from the stable out
And let the ram within;
But while the loudest were his moans
Thus spake the ram in bitter tones:
" Be quiet, pray, my long-eared friend;
With anger be less rife,
A butcher's standing by my side
With ready, sharpened knife.
Comfort yourself with this conceit;
' Mankind will not eat jackass' meat! ' '
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? KRASICKI. 141
THE STANDISH AND THE PEN,
Betwixt the standish and the pen
A dreadful quarrel rose,
Which came to words of bitter kind,
Black looks and almost blows,
As to which penned a certain fable
That lay just written on the table.
Its author in the meanwhile came
The library within,
And, finding out the cause of this
Most sad and dang'rous din
Exclaimed: " How many bards at war
Just like this pen and standish are! "
THE DOG AND HIS MASTER.
A certain dog of watchful kind
To scare the thief away
Barked from the setting of the sun
Until the dawn of day.
His master at the morning light
Flogged him for barking thus all night.
Next night the dog in kennel slept
Sound with prodigious snore,
The thief broke in and seizing all
Made exit by the door.
When morning came they flogged the brute
Because the lazy dog was mute.
THE TALLOW-CANDLE AND THE TORCH.
A tallow-candle and a torch,
Both in a narrow place,
Were lighted, when the first began
To speak, with fancied grace:
" Fear not the dark, my glimmering brother,
My light shall the darkness smother. "
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? 142 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
" Fool ! " said the torch, " and thinkest thou
That all the world are blind,
That thy pretensions will deceive
A sensible mankind?
Or that they do no difference know
'Twixt my bright light and thy faint glow ! '
THE FOOL AND THE SAGE.
A fool one day a wise man asked
What good was there in learning,
If it improved one's happiness
And ought diminished mourning;
E'er mended coats or broiled a goose, --
In short, what was its aim or use?
At first the sage refused to speak,
But for a long time pressed,
In angry words yet courteous tones
This answer apt expressed:
" It becomes us this, its chiefest rule,
To give no answer to a fool. "
THE TORTOISE AND THE MOUSE.
A tortoise crawling o'er the plain,
Bearing her shelly house,
Met 'fore she long had traveled
A fat and pompous mouse, ?
Who said: " I pity one past telling,
Who hath to carry such a dwelling. "
" Reserve your pity, pray, my friend,"
The tortoise calm replied,
" And hie you to the palaces
Of man, to bloat your pride;
Though mine is formed of clumsy bone,
And is not handsome -- 'tis my own. "
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? KRASICKI. 143
THE HAUGHTY RAT.
Upon the altar, during mass,
One Sabbath morn there sat,
Surrounded by admiring friends,
A consequential rat.
11 For me," said he, " the incense floats,
And peal yon swelling organ notes. ' 1
E'en as he spoke, the incense cloud,
Borne by the summer breeze,
Came curling o'er the altar top
And made his ratship sneeze.
Hearing the sound, a wary cat
Leaped up -- adieu, my haughty rat!
THE CAT AND THE HOUND.
A pussy who in corner sat,
Devouring dainty mice,
Was by a mighty stag-hound asked
Why lived she not more nice?
Said he, " I eat no mice-like gear,
But seize and slay the stately deer. "
The cat replied with modest look,
" I grant my mice are small,
But please, my friend, to recollect,
That I consume them all;
Preferring for myself a mouse,
To a deer for my master's house. "
THE TWO PAINTERS.
Two painters once, 'tis" said, there were,
Each bore a wond'rous name;
But one far o'er the other stood
In point of noisy fame.
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? 144 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
The best no cash nor blessing got,
The worst one had them both, I wot.
The first his portraits made from nature,
True to the copied one ;
Correct in every form and feature,
With faithful care 'twas done.
The last drew little on truth's store,
Embellishing from fancy more.
THE CHILD AND THE ROD.
The father whipped his child because
He was so slow to learn;
Imagining the smart would make
Him smarter to discern.
But e'er that way again he trod
His son and heir had burned the rod.
Next time when little John deserved
A heavy punishment,
The father, to the usual place,
To find his weapon went.
And, as 'twas missing, he was fain
To use instead his walking cane.
THE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP.
A shepherd shearing sheep one day
Declaimed most zealously
Upon the care was ta'en of sheep,
From utter charity.
How they had homes to rest their feet
And in the winter food to eat.
The sheep he held was mute --
The angry peasant cried,
"Ungrateful! no acknowledgment? "
When calmly it replied --
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? KRASICKI. 145
" Well, God must pay men for their care:
From what is made the coats they wear? "
THE CAPTIVE BIRD.
" Why weepest thou? 1 ' a youngling bird
To older one appealed,
"Art thou not better in this cage
Than in yon dangerous field?
For me the prison-house and care,
'Fore danger and the open air," '
" Peace ! " said the elder bird, " be still !
Within this thou wert born;
But I have known the hallowed sweets
Of freedom in life's morn.
Bright liberty once sunned my brow,
I weep that I'm a prisoner now. "
THE PHILOSOPHER.
There lived somewhere, in olden time,
A proud philosopher,
Who, fixed in his opinions, thought
That he could never err.
Progressed through life without assistance,
And scoffed the thought of God's existence.
But sickness came, and with its pangs
Came loss of fortitude ;
And he who measured heaven's space,
And farther'st planets viewed,
Came not alone a God to know,
But all the fiends of hell ; also.
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? 146 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
WENGIERSKI.
Thomas Kajetan Wengierski, the Polish Piron, was
born in Podolia in 1755, and educated by the Jesuits
at Nowe Miasto, as also at Warsaw. He became a
chamberlain to the king Stanislaus Augustus, but his
unbridled passion tor satires and epigrams caused him
many bitter enemies. All his writings are distinguished
for smoothness and great wit. His ' c Calash " and ' ' The
Philosopher" are short poems, but excellent. He is
also the author of "Organy" (the organs), a poem of
great power and bitter satire. His satirical attacks of
persons connected with the king's court caused his dis-
missal, and he was obliged to leave the country.
He traveled in England, Italy, France, Martinique,
Hayti, St. Domingo and the United States of North
America. He gave a lucid account of his travels in
Southern France and Italy in the French language, but
the rest of his peregrinations were written in his native
tongue.
There is no denying that Wengierski was a poet of
great genius, but his language is occasionally some-
what loose. He died at Marseilles quite young (at the
age of thirty-two), having impaired his health and
shortened his life by all sorts of excesses.
Lucian Siemien? ski, in his "Literary Portraits," pub-
lished in 1850, wrote an article on the "Travels and
Reminiscences of Wengierski," mentioning many inter-
esting incidents in the poet's life, softening greatly the
asperse criticisms on Wengierski, and acquainting us
with the unknown part of his life and character.
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? VVENGIEESKI. 147
MY WIFE.
The haughty Moslem rears his tyrant throne;
How many desolated nations lie
In dust ! -- how many suffering kingdoms groan !
Towns, towers in ashes sink ; by his stern eye
Dismay'd, their terror trembling millions own,
Shuddering in dread, when with half-stifled breath
They see him wave the scimitar of death.
Before him fell the holy city's walls.
Thy daughters, Zion! wept in slavery long;
Whelm 'd in the dust thy palaces and halls.
No more Mount Calvary's sacred scenes among
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? KRASICKI. 129
Kneel pious pilgrims; -- drear desertion palls
The Savior's sacred tomb; an impious throng
Insulting trampled where to fallen man
Salvation's marvelous mystery began.
The valiant Osman then the throne possess'd, --
Osman, whose conquests like the ocean spread;
To daring deeds adventurously he press'd,
And joy'd his sire's ambitious path to tread.
His busy love of conquest found no rest,
But in devoting every Christian head.
Impious! to deem a tyrant's peevish rod
Could raze or blast what has been raised by God.
Such thoughts he cherishes; the powers of Hell
Fan his ambitious flame: before his eyes
They bid fresh wreaths of shadowy laurels dwell --
A filmy web; though victory's heedless cries
Ring in his ears like music, sorrow's swell
Seems joy, while in his soul stern thoughts arise.
'Twas thus deluded warrior bands became
A scourge to nations, -- to the world a shame.
So from the palace happy quiet flies, --
The seat of peace is in the shelter'd cot;
When cares disturb the mind, sleep shuns the eyes, --
Sleep, not the monarch's, but the peasant's lot:
Though on a couch of down proud Osman lies,
Repose his weary eye-lids visits not.
'Twas dawn, -- the star of morn palely shed
Her beams, when o'er him slumbers faintly spread.
The great Arch-fiend approach'd him, -- he of old
Hurl'd down from highest heaven, -- who bids abound
On earth both guilt and guile. A cloth of gold,
From distant India brought, encurtain'd 'round
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? 130 POETS AND POETEY OF POLAND.
The tyrant's bed: -- in form of human mould
The daemon wrapp'd him; and with human sound,
While the false prophet's visible shape he took,
Thus to the deeply-slumbering monarch spoke :
"Nay! on a soft and an effeminate bed,
This is no fitting time, my son ! to taste
Oblivious sleep. Aurora blushing red
Heralds the morn; the pale stars sink to rest;
The sun uprises bright: -- Awake! and lead
Those conquering bands who wait thy high behest:
Awake! and let thy great example tell,
Sloth cannot in the minds of heroes dwell.
" Awake ! let them behold in thee whate'er
Befits a conquering nation's monarch ; scorn
Of sloth; delight the steely mail to wear;
A wakeful eye anticipating morn: --
Thine arm'd host waits thee, nought is wanting there
To valor, but a leader; fierce they burn
For the wild joy of battle: -- thus of yore
Their sires won fame; and lo! they pant for more.
" By glory led, whose brightly beaming light
Shines all propitious by the hero's side,
Each step is certain conquest; to the fight
A hero leading heroes; terror's tide
Shall whelm the Christians; and thy power shall blight
Each bud of hope for them; thy falchion dyed
With blood shall on the Faithful joy bestow, --
That sword which flashes death upon the foe. "
As when the savage boar outstretch'd in sleep,
In his dark covert hidden, hears the horn
Of the sharp hunter, and from slumbers deep
Awakes in bursting wrath, and rage, and scorn, --
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? KRASICKI. 131
Bristled and panting see the monster leap
Forth from his den; foaming and fury-torn
He dashes tow'rds the sounds, -- so Osman sprung,
While round his dreaming eyes the vision hung.
And fierce and fatal were the threats which call'd
His troops around him then; the battle cloud
Spread darkly gathering. Armies were enthrall'd;
Viziers and Agas at the mandates loud,
And seldom-check'd Pachas, by fear appall'd,
Brought their attendant hordes, and meekly bow'd;
While scarce one welcoming, one approving glance
Escaped the frowning despot's countenance.
He stood among them like a pyramid
O'er-darkling with its shade the plain around,
And thus unveil'd his daring purpose, -- hid
Till then ; while at the valor-stirring sound,
Prostration mute, and eager rapture bid
Meet utterance : -- " Thou, the Koran's moat and mound,
Stretch out thy blade; thy foes shall pass away.
And prostrate earth adore the Prophet's sway.
11 Nobly thou hast begun, and so proceed !
Let thy sword herald on the law divine; --
Destroy the impugners of the Prophet's creed,
But on the faithful let thy favor shine.
Thy glory shall encircle earth ; the meed
Of pious triumphs, -- thou shalt raise a shrine
To victory. And as Rome was victory's queen,
Stamboul shall now become what Rome has been. "
Skinder Pacha was there, -- 'twas he who won
Cecora's bloody day, -- and thus he gave
His monarch humble counsel: " Thy proud throne
Towers above all thrones, and thus thy slave
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? 132 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
Presumes t' advise. Since Poland's bravest son
Sleeps mouldering in his melancholy grave,
Be Poland thy first spoil: for Poland lies
Crouch 'd at thy feet, -- and at thy frown she dies.
" Z? o? ? kiewski was their chief: his fame in war
Was mighty: toils and time had made him gray:
His band look'd proudly on their country's star;
His countless band ; and in the glimmering ray
Of faded recollections twinkling far
Sought hope ! Thou gav'st them to us as a prey, --
Thou, Prophet! whom they dared blaspheme. They fell,
As ever falls the insulting infidel.
" And now dismay has crowded on defeat,
And terror holds them in its heavy chains;
Send forth thy mandate, and they shall retreat,
O'erpower'd and scatter'd, as across the plains
An atom in a whirlwind. It were meet
To whelm in dust their wasted, weak remains, --
Their wives, their children, slavery's bonds await, --
All yield to fate, -- and they must yield to fate.
" They have despised thee in their insolent pride ;
They have rebell'd against thy sovereign will ;
Laugh'd at thy awful frowns ; and turn'd aside
Prom thy bright smiles: and undespairing still,
Their obstinate zeal supports them. Chiefs divide,
And factions tear them; yet by force or skill
They hang together: and these stubborn foes
The only barrier to thy sway oppose. "
Thus the fierce Skinder spoke: their lord's behest
Anxious the whole divan awaited. He
The wild, rude anger of his eye suppress'd;
While bursting joy, dim dreams of victory,
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? KRASICKI. 133
And restless passions struggled in his breast.
He bow'd assent : and with proud dignity
Threw round him a dark glance of light afar.
And utter'd, " War, my warriors! nought but war! "
He said that he himself his troops would head,
And lead them on to triumph. At the word
A murmuring concert-tone of gladness spread,
And loud eulogiums on their valiant lord ;
For armies when by hero-monarchs led,
Know no defeat. A sultan's self-drawn sword
Flashes with victory. A chieftain brave
Makes all his followers spurn the gaping grave.
Then to the camp vast crowds of warriors throng,
From every quarter summon'd. Shouts of joy
And the gay music of the battle-song
Bid the heart leap, and light the ebon eye.
There young and old, children and sires, among
The gathering band are mix'd tumultuously;
And many an oath is heard, and many a vow
To Allah and the Prophet utter'd now.
And o'er the palace portal high unroll'd,
The Prophet's banner, deck'd with pearls and gems,
Floated. It was a sheet of broiderd gold,
Sparkling with jewels fit for diadems,
Which dazzle when their brightness we behold:
And the sublimest of all apothegms:
" There is no god but God, -- and Mahomet
His Prophet is. " on the bright field was set.
And proudly to the wind its folds it flung,
And million voices blended all around;
The clashing cymbals high aloft were flung.
The spahts shouts, and the strange babel-sound
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? 134 POETS AND POETEY OF POLAND.
Of countless voices uttering joy, o'er-rung
All heaven ; the war-steeds stamp'd the dusty ground,
Eager for battle. Osman bent his head,
And to the crowds the white-lock'd Mufti said:
"Ye have been chosen, Faithful! from the crowd
Of nations, sacred duties, mighty deeds
Triumphant to accomplish. Victory loud
Calls to the noble strife where victory leads;
Heaven blesses Ismael's sons; their banner proud,
With glory seated on its shrine, proceeds;
The Prophet's standard blinds the Infidel,
And God's bright smiles of light around it dwell.
"Yes, Osman! glorious thy reward shall be!
Bright as the dreams that pla} r around thee now
Shall be the future's dazzling victory;
And high as night's proud stars thy fame shall glow
O'er thy ruin'd foes. At thy decree
Cecora's scatter'd fragments swift shall go
Into oblivion. Thou shalt reign alone,
And all the prostrate world thy mandates own. "
Then the mysterious Koran-tome he took,
And read its dark and deleterious page ;
Mingling new cheats with that all-cheating book,
He pours his blasphemies ; then strove to engage,
With a devout but most dissembling look,
Heaven's smiles upon the tyrant, -- to assuage
Heaven's frowns ; and on the chiefs, and on the crowd,
Saints*, Mulahs, and Imams, pour'd blessings loud.
Then to his palace he return'd, and soon
Warriors from every quarter join'd his train;
From whence Euphrates, lighted by the moon,
Bursts through his cliff-bound way; and from the plain
* Santons.
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? KRASICKI. 135
Where rolls the yellow Tigris 'neath the noon,
Rushing in rapid depths toward the main:
And from the jagged and the granite shores,
Where fierce Araxes through the hard rocks roars.
And whence the solemn Xilus rolls his tide,
Enriching at each step Egyptian lands,
To where in seven-mouth 'd eloquence of pride
He breaks impatient from his earthly bands
Into the Ocean's bridal bed. The wide
And scorch'd Sahara, and Xumidia's sands,
Sent forth their sons, and Ethiopia's eye
Look'd proudly on her troops of ebony.
From Yemen came a sturdy shepherd race,
Bronzed in the fierceness of the burning sun; --
The tribes of Fez, who deem it a disgrace
To spare or sympathize where gore-streams run;
From Mecca : from Medina -- hallow'd place !
Scene of the Prophet's birth: from Lebanon
And from Mount Carmel's sides: -- impatient all,
Panting for fame, and reckless though they fall.
But who can count them, -- who, -- when all array'd
They pass'd before the sultan's raptured eye?
He saw his million vassals who display'd
Their gorgeous pomp: and hope's light ecstasy.
Scepters and crowns and mighty kingdoms laid
At his proud feet by victory. To the sky
Tower'd his ambitious thoughts; his frowns he huiTd
And pour'd his threats of insult o'er the world.
HOW MUCH TO DRIXK.
You may drink of wine three times at a feast.
The first small glass won't hurt you in the least.
The second you drink to the health of friends,
And if you stop there, all pleasantly ends.
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? 136 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
But suppose you drink the third to the guest,
Be sure that at this point you will rest --
For the fourth begets a coarseness of speech,
Words rude and vulgar your converse will reach;
At the fifth your anger is uncontrolled,
Loudly you talk -- not knowing where to hold;
And if, after all these, a sixth succeed,
You are left in a wretched state indeed;
And one's perception need not be acute
To see you've reached the level of a brute !
DRUNKENNESS.
A SATIRE.
Where were you? T can hardly go. Are you sick? Yes,
You know I never humor myself to excess;
But such a headache as I've had words can't convey.
You must have surely had a gay time yesterday --
That's why you are sad to-day, how was it? I think,
After a luscious meal, water is good to drink.
Nay, not so good my friend, -- and may that man be cursed
(IT1 tell you how it was) who used that proverb first. .
Day before yesterday I got drunk -- wife's birthday;
I regret it not -- that occasion should be gay.
'Tis a great day you know -- nor is it very wrong
To raise your neighbor's spirits -- wife was full of song.
We had lots of wine, and its quality was prime,
So you can bet we drank and we had a big time.
Till morn the feast continued, about noon I woke --
Head like a chunk of lead -- to cough and spit and choke;
Madame proposed tea, but that's sickening, you know;
Somehow, 'twas but a chance, I passed a drug store. So
I took a drink of bitters, as anybody would,
Then I drank again, thinking it would do me good.
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? KRASICKI. 137
Still sick, again I drank, then I felt better quite,
And thus, then, happened two guests of yesternight;
Under such conditions a treat I could not shun --
And then how can one treat and yet himself drink none?
That wouldn't do. I drank, it happened, so you see,
The liquor was A No. 1, and hot as it could be.
That's good for the stomach, and as my good luck willed,
The nausea was stopped -- that dreadful headache stilled.
Well, again, to happy home with my friends I went,
We found dinner ready, and it was excellent.
Mr. Andrew said temperance was a thing he prized,
Aye, long live temperance! drunkenness we despised.
At hand stood the bottle, the cork beside it laid,
Mr. Albert of dyspepsia somewhat afraid,
After the ham eaten, proposed a little wine.
One or two glasses drank for the health is fine,
Especially when the wine is pure and past its youth.
We acceded all to such self-evident truth --
Talked of manly spirit, of bold and grand designs,
Talked of gold and silver, of digging in the mines.
And so the bottle dried up -- how? we scarcely knew,
And so another came -- and while our ardor grew,
Disappeared the third, the fourth, and then the fifth came on,
Then the sixth and seventh and eighth and the tenth was gone !
And when our arguments grew louder and more free,
Mr. Andrew dared to fling the name of fellow at me.
I, a fellow! I'll teach you not to be so bold --
At me he goes, and I at him, we took fierce hold.
Albert interposed, and the servants next appeared,
I really do not know how the quarrel cleared --
Certes it is a bottle was broken on my head,
Be drunkenness below to darkest regions sped!
What is there in it? There is trouble, strife and pain,
Nausea, bruises, plasters -- these are its only gain.
Well said: a pastime 'tis to which the lowest cling,
An upright man will scorn it as a shameless thing.
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? 138 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
All sorts of feuds and trouble from its reign outcome --
Mem'ry grows dull -- reasoning powers grow numb;
Health suffers, and its victim hastens to life's brink.
Just look upon a man who is a slave to drink!
A man but in appearance -- really a brute.
When a man is drunk 'tis fitting to compute
Him with senseless cattle -- justice, not abuse.
If heaven thought fit to place wine here for man's use,
It was to help him, not to incapacitate --
The use of God's great gifts should e'er be moderate.
Though dumb brutes are senseless we oft are shamed by them.
Intemperance is a sin' that animals condemn
In men who drink but not alone to slack their thirst.
Brutes drink what is needful -- man who calls them accurst
Is worse indeed than they are, more abject and low.
Heed not the wounds and piasters; the meed of guilt is -- woe!
Far greater punishment than those bruises is meet
For those that keep transgressing in their blind conceit.
Knowledge, which distinguishes man from animal,
They often disregard for causes small.
What gain is sufficient to balance its neglect;
For its loss what profits sufficient can collect.
In those who commit not excesses base and vain
You'll find good sense and comfort -- and freedom from all pain.
See the results that with temperance agree --
Perfect health, cloudless brain, and a mind gay and free;
Strength exceptional, and energy for their tasks;
Property in order, in smiles their household basks;
Cash to meet each needful and sensible expense, --
These are the inducements to follow temperance;
And aught but total abstinence is risky,
It is: Good-bye -- I go to take a drink of whisky.
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? KKASICKI. 139
FABLES.
THE KING.
A certain king there was of projects grand
Would register the wise ones of the land,
The names likewise of all the happy found,
And set the scribes to search the kingdom round.
The seeker for the happy found but few,
But great the multitude of wise ones grew,
So great the scribe beheld his labor vain,
No paper left the number to contain!
THE LAZY OXEN.
The first commission of an ill
Delight is no less;
'Tis. in the effect it brings about
That lies the bitterness.
As easily is proven by
This most veracious history.
In spring the oxen all refused
To plough the grassy plain ;
When autumn came they would not haul
From out the fields the grain.
In winter, being scarce of bread,
They knocked the oxen on the head.
THE MOSQUITO AND THE FLY.
If we must fly at all, I know
We should soar neither high nor low,
Mosquito said, who, buzzing by,
Saw in a pail a drowning fly.
And sadly he bemoaned its fate,
That it had not been fortunate,
And, like himself, had wings to fly
Where'er he willed, or low or high,
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? 140 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
And mourning o'er its fate he turned,
Fell in the candle and was burned.
; THE BOYS AND THE FROGS.
At evening a small lake beside
A group of boys with hop and stride
Watching to see the frogs, ran by;
And when a frog with motion spry
Popped up, knowing of naught to dread,
They dealt a blow upon its head
Their love of sport to gratify.
But one frog, bolder than the rest,
With courage thus the boys addressed,
The while he rose into their sight:
" You'd better stop, -- it is not right
For you to play the way you do ;
It is but senseless sport for you,
For us 'tis death, or wounds and fright. "
THE RAM AND THE JACKASS.
The ass complained in moving words
It was a shame and sin
To cast him from the stable out
And let the ram within;
But while the loudest were his moans
Thus spake the ram in bitter tones:
" Be quiet, pray, my long-eared friend;
With anger be less rife,
A butcher's standing by my side
With ready, sharpened knife.
Comfort yourself with this conceit;
' Mankind will not eat jackass' meat! ' '
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? KRASICKI. 141
THE STANDISH AND THE PEN,
Betwixt the standish and the pen
A dreadful quarrel rose,
Which came to words of bitter kind,
Black looks and almost blows,
As to which penned a certain fable
That lay just written on the table.
Its author in the meanwhile came
The library within,
And, finding out the cause of this
Most sad and dang'rous din
Exclaimed: " How many bards at war
Just like this pen and standish are! "
THE DOG AND HIS MASTER.
A certain dog of watchful kind
To scare the thief away
Barked from the setting of the sun
Until the dawn of day.
His master at the morning light
Flogged him for barking thus all night.
Next night the dog in kennel slept
Sound with prodigious snore,
The thief broke in and seizing all
Made exit by the door.
When morning came they flogged the brute
Because the lazy dog was mute.
THE TALLOW-CANDLE AND THE TORCH.
A tallow-candle and a torch,
Both in a narrow place,
Were lighted, when the first began
To speak, with fancied grace:
" Fear not the dark, my glimmering brother,
My light shall the darkness smother. "
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? 142 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
" Fool ! " said the torch, " and thinkest thou
That all the world are blind,
That thy pretensions will deceive
A sensible mankind?
Or that they do no difference know
'Twixt my bright light and thy faint glow ! '
THE FOOL AND THE SAGE.
A fool one day a wise man asked
What good was there in learning,
If it improved one's happiness
And ought diminished mourning;
E'er mended coats or broiled a goose, --
In short, what was its aim or use?
At first the sage refused to speak,
But for a long time pressed,
In angry words yet courteous tones
This answer apt expressed:
" It becomes us this, its chiefest rule,
To give no answer to a fool. "
THE TORTOISE AND THE MOUSE.
A tortoise crawling o'er the plain,
Bearing her shelly house,
Met 'fore she long had traveled
A fat and pompous mouse, ?
Who said: " I pity one past telling,
Who hath to carry such a dwelling. "
" Reserve your pity, pray, my friend,"
The tortoise calm replied,
" And hie you to the palaces
Of man, to bloat your pride;
Though mine is formed of clumsy bone,
And is not handsome -- 'tis my own. "
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? KRASICKI. 143
THE HAUGHTY RAT.
Upon the altar, during mass,
One Sabbath morn there sat,
Surrounded by admiring friends,
A consequential rat.
11 For me," said he, " the incense floats,
And peal yon swelling organ notes. ' 1
E'en as he spoke, the incense cloud,
Borne by the summer breeze,
Came curling o'er the altar top
And made his ratship sneeze.
Hearing the sound, a wary cat
Leaped up -- adieu, my haughty rat!
THE CAT AND THE HOUND.
A pussy who in corner sat,
Devouring dainty mice,
Was by a mighty stag-hound asked
Why lived she not more nice?
Said he, " I eat no mice-like gear,
But seize and slay the stately deer. "
The cat replied with modest look,
" I grant my mice are small,
But please, my friend, to recollect,
That I consume them all;
Preferring for myself a mouse,
To a deer for my master's house. "
THE TWO PAINTERS.
Two painters once, 'tis" said, there were,
Each bore a wond'rous name;
But one far o'er the other stood
In point of noisy fame.
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? 144 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
The best no cash nor blessing got,
The worst one had them both, I wot.
The first his portraits made from nature,
True to the copied one ;
Correct in every form and feature,
With faithful care 'twas done.
The last drew little on truth's store,
Embellishing from fancy more.
THE CHILD AND THE ROD.
The father whipped his child because
He was so slow to learn;
Imagining the smart would make
Him smarter to discern.
But e'er that way again he trod
His son and heir had burned the rod.
Next time when little John deserved
A heavy punishment,
The father, to the usual place,
To find his weapon went.
And, as 'twas missing, he was fain
To use instead his walking cane.
THE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP.
A shepherd shearing sheep one day
Declaimed most zealously
Upon the care was ta'en of sheep,
From utter charity.
How they had homes to rest their feet
And in the winter food to eat.
The sheep he held was mute --
The angry peasant cried,
"Ungrateful! no acknowledgment? "
When calmly it replied --
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? KRASICKI. 145
" Well, God must pay men for their care:
From what is made the coats they wear? "
THE CAPTIVE BIRD.
" Why weepest thou? 1 ' a youngling bird
To older one appealed,
"Art thou not better in this cage
Than in yon dangerous field?
For me the prison-house and care,
'Fore danger and the open air," '
" Peace ! " said the elder bird, " be still !
Within this thou wert born;
But I have known the hallowed sweets
Of freedom in life's morn.
Bright liberty once sunned my brow,
I weep that I'm a prisoner now. "
THE PHILOSOPHER.
There lived somewhere, in olden time,
A proud philosopher,
Who, fixed in his opinions, thought
That he could never err.
Progressed through life without assistance,
And scoffed the thought of God's existence.
But sickness came, and with its pangs
Came loss of fortitude ;
And he who measured heaven's space,
And farther'st planets viewed,
Came not alone a God to know,
But all the fiends of hell ; also.
10
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? 146 POETS AND POETRY OF POLAND.
WENGIERSKI.
Thomas Kajetan Wengierski, the Polish Piron, was
born in Podolia in 1755, and educated by the Jesuits
at Nowe Miasto, as also at Warsaw. He became a
chamberlain to the king Stanislaus Augustus, but his
unbridled passion tor satires and epigrams caused him
many bitter enemies. All his writings are distinguished
for smoothness and great wit. His ' c Calash " and ' ' The
Philosopher" are short poems, but excellent. He is
also the author of "Organy" (the organs), a poem of
great power and bitter satire. His satirical attacks of
persons connected with the king's court caused his dis-
missal, and he was obliged to leave the country.
He traveled in England, Italy, France, Martinique,
Hayti, St. Domingo and the United States of North
America. He gave a lucid account of his travels in
Southern France and Italy in the French language, but
the rest of his peregrinations were written in his native
tongue.
There is no denying that Wengierski was a poet of
great genius, but his language is occasionally some-
what loose. He died at Marseilles quite young (at the
age of thirty-two), having impaired his health and
shortened his life by all sorts of excesses.
Lucian Siemien? ski, in his "Literary Portraits," pub-
lished in 1850, wrote an article on the "Travels and
Reminiscences of Wengierski," mentioning many inter-
esting incidents in the poet's life, softening greatly the
asperse criticisms on Wengierski, and acquainting us
with the unknown part of his life and character.
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? VVENGIEESKI. 147
MY WIFE.
