The Soldier | He neighs, my little dun-colored horse

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by Stefan Witwicki (1801 - 1847)

Translation © by Laura Prichard

Wojak

Language: Polish (Polski)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Rży mój gniady, ziemię grzebie,
Puśćie, czas już, czas!
Ciebie, ojcze, matko, ciebie,
Siostry, żegnam was!

Z wiatrem, z wiatrem! niech drżą wrogi,
Krwawy stoczym bój!
Raźni, zdrowi wrócim z drogi,
Z wiatrem, koniu mój!

Tak, tak, dobrze! na zawody!
Jeśli polec mam!
Koniu, sam, do tej zagrody,
Wolny wróć tu sam!

Słyszę jeszcze sióstr wołanie,
Zwróć się koniu, stój!
Nie chcesz? Lećże, niech się stanie!
Leć na krwawy bój!

Text Authorship:

by Stefan Witwicki (1801 - 1847) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849), "Wojak", op. 74 no. 10 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "The Soldier", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le soldat", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Ferdinand Gumbert) , "Der Reitersmann vor der Schlacht"
GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Wilhelm Henzen) , "Der Reitersmann vor der Schlacht"
GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Georg Friedrich Reiß) , "Der Reitersmann vor der Schlacht"

Research team for this page: Gerhard Dangel , Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2003-12-27
Line count: 16
Word count: 70

The Soldier

Language: English after the Polish (Polski)

He neighs, my little dun-colored horse.
Let’s go, it’s time!
You, father, mother, [and] you,
Sisters, I bid you farewell!

Fly, fly like the wind! Let our enemies tremble,
A bloody battle I’ll fight!
Energized, healthy, returning with riches,
Fly like the wind, my steed!

Yes, yes, for sure! To battle!
And I fall in battle,
My horse, alone, to his little pen
Will return home alone!

I can still hear my sisters’ voices,
Settle yourself, horse, stop!
You don’t want to go? Relax, don’t worry!
Fly toward the bloody battle!

Text Authorship:

Translation from Polish (Polski) to English copyright © 2024 by Laura Prichard, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Polish (Polski) by Stefan Witwicki (1801 - 1847)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2024-03-05
Line count: 16
Word count: 91