ROMANTIC CONSTITUENT OF POLISH IDENTITY

The simplest definition of the word "ethos" explains that it is primarily a catalogue of the most crucial values which form the basis of specified a way of life and not another way of life.

The ethos of people identifying with Poland has been forming for centuries and in many respects it is different from the reality of another countries and peoples of our continent. The first of these differences is the work of a reasonably different appearance of Poland on the map of Europe. We seldom remember this phenomenon, and after all, our country, created by Prince Polan Lobiez, who made the unification of the Prapolskie tribes, was created at an even fast rate and very rapidly began to be an crucial power in the world. At least this is how it looks from the position of nearly eleven centuries ago, and not unlike most European countries, usually not so violent. It is so hard to defy the impression that our nation was distinguished from its very beginning by its large "mobilization capacity." In a fresh book by prof. Wojciech Polak published by the White Raven, we can read that Poland's Bolesław Chrobry was the top power of all of Europe. This view is hard to question, and it is simply a country that, even decades earlier, was limited to a state-like but tiny heritage of Poles. The second Polish phenomenon is simply a reasonably modest participation in our national tradition of what preceded the large breakthrough of Christianity. Although we have any specified themes contained in legends, songs, or customs dating back to pagan times, they are only echoes of ancient ages and seldom anything more than the colour of what consists of a vast dimension of Christian culture. How large is the importance of the fact that the formation of our Polish state took place at the same time as the Christianity of the tribes that were part of it, which became a single nation! The consequence of this simultaneousity could not be different – the Polish nation was formed as a collective across the Christian. No different – our country, our culture, our customs, our ethos. All we have left of pre-Christian past is the genealogy of the House, which in the 10th century gave us the large Liver and a mosaic of ancient clergy and beliefs most frequently abandoned yet more than a 1000 years ago. De facto and Poles and Christians – we became at the same time. frequently within the same process. So our national identity from the very beginning is inextricably intertwined, even connected with Christian identity. Without Christianity – no Poland would have been created. There was never a Polish another than Christian. There is nothing Polish and not Christian – neither is there today. And most likely won't be in the future either. Hence, all effort to "exile" Christianity from Poland, even in the form of removing the signs of the cross from the walls, is rightly seen not only as a fight against God, but besides against Poland, against Poland. This obviousness of Polishness belonging to Christianity is the foundation of the large ethos of Poles.

The premiere of an exceptional publication, which shows that Polish romanticism is not only literature, but the foundation of our national and spiritual identity. Authors – eminent historians, literary scholars and philosophers – remind that the romanticist ethos has been accompanying Poles for centuries and is inactive shaping our culture and reasoning about freedom.

Among these centuries there were those that had peculiar importance for Polish culture. Of course – there were no centuries for our culture of small importance. For can we treat as “secondary” those in which songs specified as “God’s Mother” or “Gaude Mater Polonia” were made, or the time erstwhile John’s poesy from Blackwood flourished? No different – the time of formation of the first Polish law or system? However, it is hard not to separate the 17th century, in which most likely the most and most common of all was the difference of Polish culture. This 1 expressed in the first national costume, Polish colour and weaponry, Sarmatian lifestyle, a deficiency of customs not known anywhere else, specified as the tradition of seismizing or painting coffin portraits. And besides – the crushing of invading armies with the martial arts represented not only by superb hetmans, but besides the Hussars able to successfully face many more opponents. In spite of what post-communist ombudsmen of “people's history” preach today, the seventeenth-century ethos of Poles did not limit themselves to a noble state. This is evidenced not only by the books "Liber Chamorum", which the authors lamented about mass flooding of peasantry into the ranks of nobles, but besides by technological findings specified as Maria and Stanisław Ossowski. It is not the only professors who indicate that the unprecedented numbers of the Polish nobility led to the fact that the peasant ethos in Poland – either disappeared or did not occur. Despite all legal or systemic barriers, Polish peasants resembled the poorer nobility. And this was the most, in Sadness, Polesia and large areas The masovian nobleman was all 4th man, and sometimes almost all second. There were no shortages of free peasants with their wealth, not giving way to a garden nobleman. Although the peasant did not carry swords (unless he served in the Chosen Infantry) and carried no contemporaries, did the conventional Sucman make specified a definite difference? Let's take a look at the 19th century's owner Maciej Boryna from Władysław Reymont's “Guys”. Does he always act like a peasant known for Czech, Russian or German literature? In his youth, Maciej Boryna, a Russian landowner had the right to take a kid from any peasant hut and sale it to a friend from a distant province. And the Russian nobles utilized the law – sharing and selling peasant families. In which item was Boryn akin to the peasants there? Well – like countless another Polish peasants – in none. Polish ethos – it was not limited to nobility. Prof. Maria Ossowska showed this with her investigation – Polish peasants either did not make or did not hold their peasant ethos. Polish peasants – accepted the ethos of nobility. So – national, Polish ethos!

The 19th century is simply a time when, apart from episodes of the Duchy of Warsaw and enjoying any autonomy of the kingdom called the congressional, we were a nation without a state. And yet the 19th century went to past as the “Great Stunt of Poles”. This size was due to the large actions of Polish patriots, the large fruits of Polish spirit and Polish thought, the top measurement of achievements of Polish culture and art. It is for this reason that this century of national captivity for the form of Polishness was not little crucial than the times in which our emerging nation and age was formed, in which the mature most first components of our unique national style.

“Polish romanticist ethos”, published by White Raven, excellent work under the editorial board of Dr. Lidia Banowska Prof. Wiesław Ratajczak, is the first collection of speeches consisting of a compendium of an appealing subject in a way that takes into account all the most crucial aspects of the issue of specified a large and besides crucial one. It is besides very crucial that the excellent authors of subsequent chapters do not close the subject of "romantic ethos" within the historical framework of an era called romance. Yes – excellently, accurately and in an highly interesting way indicate the origin of Polish romanticism. However, they besides prove that much of what was created between Adam Mickiewicz's literary manifesto and the bloody repression of the January Uprising, not only fruited in subsequent generations. Polish romanticist ethos is besides a component of our modern identity. And most likely not just because, by its very nature, identity is something mostly unchanging and lasting, it will live and bear fruit.

Some chapters of this fascinating book talk about any kind of timelessness of Polish romanticist ethos. For example, Dr. hab. Jacek Kowalski, an tireless popularizer of old Poland, as fewer people who can prove the constant surviving attractiveness of Polish heritage of the past centuries. prof. Kowalski takes on the subject of cossiniers – peasant soldiers fighting for independency under the command of Tadeusz Kościuszko. The historical minute in which the soldiers of the people, equipped with weapons for their field work, bravely clashed with the Moscow satrapia army of combat, before the romanticist period for decades. possibly he could qualify for the pre-romantic phase. However, the reflections of Jack Kowalski show that the “romantic spirit” is more in Polish past than the calendar buckles of the period in the past of literature. Especially since Kościuszko's envoys were not readers of poesy volumes. possibly part of the solution to this issue will be found in the answer of Bulat Okudżawa to the question about 3 features with which he associate Polishness. After a very brief thought, he replied: “Pride, poorness and the pursuit of independence”. And our memorable vocalist Przemysław Gintrowski explained the same thing with the phrase of 1 of his ballads: “With us Chopin, peas and cabbage and from time to time – will rise!” So, I think it is right that Jacek Kowalski, a large lover and popularizer of old Polish culture, besides finds the ingredients of Polish romanticist ethos in pre-Romantism. Components specified as the ability to execute massive acts of spiritual strength, the large possible of mobilization to meet large challenges. Finally, as I noticed at the outset, our full Polish past began. past created not by the noble or knightly elite, but mostly by Polan, or “people from fields”, by the natives of the people of wars led by the genius of a prominent ruler. Pursuing independency is 1 of the fundamental components of the romanticist ethos. How, over the centuries, has this independency been protected by far greater and increasingly aggressive powers? Is this not the case with the rule of "measurement of strength upon intent"? So it doesn't substance what the enemy's advantage is. What matters is not to quit on him! Was this not a key origin in the countless victories of Polish weapons, fewer and fearless defenders of Polish borders? Isn't this something like a “Polish romanticist ethos” equipped with unbreakable religion in God and the rightness of the Polish origin – it allowed triumphs at Kircholm, Trzciana, Chocim, Vienna, Breeding?

"We are not English, German or French at an earlier phase of development. We are frequently at a higher phase and the difference is that we are truly – others" – says Rafał Ziemkiewicz about Poles. Polish romanticist ethos – is simply a different component of this most important. And this is what we learn from all chapter of the beautifully illustrated and well-released volume released by the White Crow. It is besides large that it contains both interesting, frequently poorly known and crucial themes of Polish history, which represent the projection of the ethos expressed most prominently in the age called the large century of Poles, as well as in periods distant from it. Those in which the first Polish work was to fight for freedom of homeland, past gave us more than that. And that is very much the difference between our romanticism. Georg Gordon Byron had to look for an chance to fight for freedom in Greece far from Britain. Not unlike many another poets and writers of that time. Edgar Allan Poe was going to Poland for the news of the upcoming next uprising, in which only abrupt death prevented him. Poles had enemies of freedom on their land, hence heroes of our literature were more heroic soldiers of freedom than subsequent incarnations of the Wetters, suffering torments of unhappy love. Despite this, in Poland 1 of the national slogans became “For our freedom and for your freedom” and it was the Poles who joined the ranks fighting for their independency as Hungarians or Italians.

"Polish romanticist ethos" is simply a book that resembles not only works of the top poets, but besides the work of the powerful spirit of the Church's people, whose formation effort brought fruit which was impossible to estimation or overestimate. From the pages of this book we learn besides a very interesting Polish philosophical thought. It points to the large importance of spiritual strength that can flourish in a nation conscious of its message and cultivating its ethos. It will besides never lose the actuality of providentialism, most prominently represented by Zygmunt Kraiński. For can we construct for mankind a signpost more noble and more useful than a belief that only this human effort will be permanently fruitful, which fits into the form of God's appointed laws and plans? How crucial the foundation of morality is! And again – it was not the invention of the times of Romanticism, although it was then that it was very full of expression. After all, specified ideologists of Sarmatian ethos wrote about the inalienable function of average human decency, specified as Vespasian Kochowski, in 1 of his poems stating that "let others have even all the gold of America there, I request a home." He was told by others, who were not rude or cowardly, for all decision they made to defend their homeland, and who answered with outrage erstwhile asked about the conquests of overseas lands: “Stand by others? This is not acceptable!”

"Polish romanticist ethos" is simply a reading which is all the more obligatory, due to the fact that it is hard to realize Polishness if you do not realize the period in which this ethos was most formed. Many literary historians place peculiar emphasis on the work of this time, which is reflected in their works and lectures. On the Polish Polonistics of Wroclaw, outstanding professors are known, among others, for their repeated words: “To the very depths you must learn this literature, due to the fact that without it you will realize nothing from Polish works of later periods!”

"Polish romanticist ethos" is besides a book in reading, all the more great, due to the fact that its authors guide their reader through another areas of issues. For example, erstwhile we talk about Cyprian Kamil Norwid, we get to know not only his hard and colorful biography, but besides the very interesting social thought of the last of the large Polish romantics. In another chapters, of course, we meet the concept of national messianism. How our Polish messianism is different from everyone else! The English attributed the mission of bringing civilization to all non-European continents. rather similarly, the French, who have almost always attributed themselves to the function of the centre of planet culture. Similarly, the Germans calling themselves "cultureraegers", i.e. the bearers of culture, which have been called mainly in central and east Europe. The Russians coined for themselves the story of the expected "third Rome", whose incarnation, after the fall of Latium and Byzantium, is expected to be Moscow. This is accompanied by the "collection of Russian lands", which we know even the districts located to the west of Kalisz were able to include. Each of these messianisms proved to be a slogan justifying conquest, a tool of exploitation and terror, an instrument of expansion and exploitation of both Americas, as well as Africa, Asia, Australia... What was Polish Messianicism? Not only Adam Mickiewicz wrote about Poles being “pilgrimages of freedom”. This thought was expressed and sometimes inactive is – through a multitude of poets and writers, thinkers and philosophers, national leaders and statesmen. They were realized by Polish volunteers fighting for the freedom of the United States, Mexico and countries of South America, Siberian militants, Polish Indian freedom advocates, Garibaldi's comrades and many others. This is the case – Polish romanticist ethos. The 1 that says that “it is not fair to scope for individual else” and the struggles of those fighting for freedom to support – it is an eternal Polish duty.

“Polish romanticist ethos” is so an outstanding, cross-sectional and full of arch – crucial content book about Polish identity. Especially crucial and essential in times like these. In times erstwhile immense forces are concentrated on lying and disdaining Polish history. At the demolition of the Polish identity, at the demolition of the Polish ethos.

Artur Adamski