“Bonaparte set us his example”: origins of the Polish national anthem

I’ve been down another rabbit hole recently, reading up about Poles in the Napoleonic era for a Sharp Practice game about the death of Poniatowski. There is an excellent facebook group called “Epoka Napoleońska”, which often posts albums of uniforms and battle scenes from the period. Recently this group posted a link to an article from the Polish magazine “Historia”, published on 27 February 2023, about the origins of the Polish national anthem. It was so interesting that I decided to summarise it here.

The story begins with the Third Partition in 1795, when the Polish State disappeared from the map, her territories shared out between Russia, Austria and Prussia. In 1797 the Polish Legions were raised in Italy under French sponsorship, attracting former soldiers and young patriots in exile. Their commander was General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, an experienced officer who would serve the Polish cause throughout the Napoleonic wars.

Also in 1797, the Polish nobleman, politician and writer, Józef Wybicki, a friend of Dąbrowski who had joined him in Italy, wrote a poem that became known as “the Song of the Polish Legions in Italy”. The words were set to the music of a popular Mazurka and sung for the first time on 20 July 1797 in Reggio Emilia in Italy. The Dąbrowski’s Mazurka soon became the Legions’ marching song and its popularity spread. In 1806 it was first printed in the partitioned Polish territories, and from then on, it became an enduring symbol of the ambition to regain independence. Despite being banned by the partitioning powers, the song kept its popularity and eventually became the official national anthem of the restituted Poland in 1927.

The loyalty and courage of Polish troops in Napoleon’s service is legendary. The words of Dąbrowski’s Mazurka help demonstrate how tightly the dream of restored nationhood was bound to the person of the French Emperor. Small wonder they fought so hard for him, right up to the end.

The original song had six verses, though verses four and six have been dropped in modern times (you can guess why) . Some of the words have changed slightly since 1797 but the gist is exactly the same. My loose translation is below

Poland has not yet died
As long as we are alive
We shall take back by the sword
What foreign powers have stolen.
Refrain:
March, march, Dąbrowski
From Italian lands to Poland
Under your command
We shall unite with the nation.
We will cross the Vistula, cross the Warta
We will be Poles
Bonaparte has shown us by example
How we shall be victorious.
Refrain
Just as Czarniecki returned to Poznan
From across the sea
To save the fatherland
After the Swedish partition.
Refrain
Neither German nor Muscovite shall settle (our lands)
When, having drawn our sword,
Our watchword will be “Unity
And our Fatherland”.
Refrain
So the father says
To his weeping (daughter) Basia
“Hark! It seems our (lads)
Are beating the military drums”.
Refrain
At this we all say with one voice
“Enough of this captivity!
We have the scythes of Racławice
Kościuszko, if God wills it”.

And the Polish original text:

Jeszcze Polska nie umarła,
Kiedy my żyjemy.
Co nam obca moc wzięła,
Szablą odbierzemy.
Refrain:
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski
—Do Polski z ziemi włoski
—Za twoim przewodem
—Złączym się z narodem.
Przejdziem Wisłę, przejdziem Wartę
Będziem Polakami
Dał nam przykład Bonaparte
Jak zwyciężać mamy.
Refrain
Jak Czarniecki do Poznania
Wracał się przez morze
Dla ojczyzny ratowania
Po szwedzkim rozbiorze.
Refrain
Niemiec, Moskal nie osiędzie,
Gdy jąwszy pałasza,
Hasłem wszystkich zgoda będzie
I ojczyzna nasza.
Refrain
Już tam ojciec do swej Basi
Mówi zapłakany
Słuchaj jeno, pono nasi
Biją w tarabany.
Refrain
Na to wszystkich jedne głosy
Dosyć tej niewoli
Mamy racławickie kosy
Kościuszkę Bóg pozwoli.
Refrain