Polish Texans

While researching Kolędy for recent posts, I had the wonderful luck to come across Polish Texans.  What a group!  They have their genealogy information done up in a useful way; they put up vintage photos organized by theme; they link to dance troupes and put up articles on history, culture, and tourism.

Somehow they do the whole Christmas-and-Kolędy thing without snow.

The dismaying truth is that, over the last several months, Polish Texans have thrown a series of terrific parties, all of which I have missed.  These would include the Polish Festival at Barbarian Invasion Day at the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville.

Read all about it at Polish Texans.

Read all about it at Polish Texans.

I wish the Polish Texans a restful and inspiring winter season, and plan to check their upcoming events calendar with prudent frequency.

Julie

"Mędrcy świata, Monarchowie"

"Mages of the world, Monarchs" is the kolęda for Epiphany, written in the seventeenth century.

A Polish Army choir posted this performance, in which they make it sound the way it is supposed to sound.  A women's choir put up this moving performance.

Szymon Czechowicz painting,
from the previous post.

All four verses are essential to make sense of the thing; all four are given here and also here.

1. Mędrcy świata, monarchowie,

Gdzie śpiesznie dążycie?

Powiedzcież nam, Trzej Królowie,

Chcecie widzieć Dziecię?

Ono w żłobie, nie ma tronu,

I berła nie dzierży,

A proroctwo Jego zgonu,

Już się w świecie szerzy.

2. Mędrcy świata, złość okrutna,

Dziecię prześladuje.

Wieść okropna, wieść to smutna,

Herod spisek knuje:

Nic monarchów nie odstrasza,

Do Betlejem śpieszą,

Gwiazda Zbawcę im ogłasza,

Nadzieją się cieszą.

3. Przed Maryją stają społem,

Niosą Panu dary.

Przed Jezusem biją czołem,

Składają ofiary.

Trzykroć szczęśliwi królowie,

Cóż wam nie zazdrości?

Cóż  wam my damy, kto nam powie,

Pałając z miłości?

4. Tak, jak każą nam kapłani,

Damy dar troisty:

Modły, pracę niosąc w dani,

I żar serca czysty.

To kadzidło, mirrę, złoto

Niesiem, Jezu szczerze,

Co dajemy Ci z ochotą,

Od nas przyjm w ofierze.

Is there a good English translation available anywhere?  So far, such has eluded me, and I would be grateful to anyone who could provide one.  For now, here is an English version that I ran through, first, Google Translate, then my personal grammatical logic function, and then finally through my in-memory Baltimore Catechism doctrinal filter:

1.Worldly Magi, Monarchs,

Where go you at such speed?

Tell us, Three Kings,

You wish to see the Child?

It is in a manger, not on a throne,

And bears no scepter -

A prophecy of His death

Just as it is in the world rife/Just as death is rife in the world.

  

2. Magi of the world: anger cruel (there is)

Child-stalking.

News terrible, it (is) sad,

Herod conspiracy (is) plotting;

(Yet) No Monarch is deterred!

To Bethlehem hurry,

(The) Star the Savior proclaims,

(Consequently) Hope they enjoy.

  

3.Before Mary (they) are together,

Bear(ing) (You) Lord gifts,

Before Jesus (they) bow their heads,

making offering.

Thrice happy Kings,

Who would not envy you?

Well!  You are not jealous?

Well, to you we will give (? - show?)

to whom will tell us/the One who tells us,

burning with love.

4. Yes, as we are made priests,

We will give gifts threefold:

Prayer; the bearing of duty's labor;

and the fervor of a pure heart.

This frankincense, myrrh, gold,

Signifies Jesus, truly,

Since we take on the sacrifice//recognize/acknowledge
the Sacrifical Victim.

Czechowicz, detail

The crown and scepter of King Melchior are on the ground.  The image and idea of worldly kings giving homage to a universal God is the basis, and historically is the means of conveying, the concept of equality of man in the eyes of universal moral authority.  From that Judeo-Christian religious concept developed the religiously-neutral ethical-legal principle of equality before the law.

You can look at this painting and see why tyrants loathe the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Kaspar + Melchior + Balthazaar

Objawienie Pańskie ("Revelation of the Kings") is the Feast of the Epiphany of Christ to the Magi.
On January 6, the tradition is to write in chalk on the doors of the house
the initials of those three Magi,
to commemorate them and ask their blessing in the coming year.

From a third-century sarcophagus.
Those Phrygian caps they are wearing show up often in
subsequent depictions.

Mosaic, c565, the Basilica at Ravenna.
The kings are always shown to be of three generations.
See their star?

Melchior, the Persian, is the grandfatherly one.
Balthazaar, the Arabian, is of middle age.
Kaspar, a Prince of India, is the youth.

Fra Angelico and Fra' Filippo Lippi, C15,
admittedly have the Kings in the foreground,
but by golly they have the ox and the ass
on center stage.

Murillo, C17.
Melchior is kneeling;
Balthazaar stands to the left;
Kaspar stands to the right.
At top left, Murillo shows us
armed soldiers and crossed timbers,
seemingly to foreshadow the death of Christ.
Frankincense and myrrh were substances used
in the treatment for burial of the bodies of kings.

Szymon Czechowicz, of Warsaw, C18,
"Pokłon Trzech Króli."
The arrangement is similar to that of Murillo,
but the prefigurations of death are left out
and the star, the "gwiazda," shines forth instead.

Tissot, C19, "Journey of the Magi."
Or you could say "Podróż Magów."

20 K + M + B 13

Kolędy (Polish Christmas Carols) - "Dzisiaj w Betlejem"

While "Gdy się Chrystus Rodzi" expresses tender happiness, "Dzisiaj w Betlejem" ("Today in Bethlehem") is a carol of eager, triumphant gladness.

"Dzisiaj w Betlejem, dzisiaj w Betlejem

Wesoła nowina
Że Panna czysta, że Panna czysta
Porodziła Syna

(refren:)
Chrystus się rodzi
Nas oswobodzi
Anieli grają
Króle witają
Pasterze śpiewają
Bydlęta klękają
Cuda, cuda ogłaszają

Maryja Panna, Maryja Panna
Dzieciątko piastuje
I Józef święty i Józef święty
On ją pielęgnuje

(refren)

Chociaż w stajence, chociaż w stajence
Panna Syna rodzi
Przecież on wkrótce, przecież on wkrótce
ludzi oswobodzi

(refren)

I trzej królowie, i trzej królowie
od wschodu przybyli
I dary Panu, i dary Panu
kosztowne złożyli

(refren)

Pójdźmy też i my, pójdźmy też i my
przywitać Jezusa
Króla nad królami, Króla nad królami
uwielbić Jezusa

(refren)

Lyric Translate gives a satisfactorily literal translation to English:

Today in Bethlehem, today in Bethlehem
(there are) merry news
That the pure Maiden, that the pure Maiden
Has born a son

(Refrain:)
Christ is born
He's going to deliver us
The angels are playing (music)
The kings are bidding welcome
The shepherds are singing
The cattle is kneeling
Wonders, wonders do they announce

Mary the Maiden, Mary the Maiden
Is nursing the child
And Saint Joseph and Saint Joseph
He's taking care of Her

(Refrain)

Although in a little barn, although in a little barn
The Maiden is bearing Her son
After all He'll soon, after all He'll soon
deliver the people

(Refrain)

And the Three Kings, and the Three Kings
arrived from the east
and they gathered precious
gifts for the Lord, gifts for the Lord

(Refrain)

Let's go, too, let's go, too
and bid welcome to Jesus
King of Kings, King of Kings
to adore Jesus

(Refrain)

The International Book of Christmas Carols has the melody, harmony, accompaniment, and chord notation, although the lyric differs.

So - Turn off the lights!

Crank up the volume!

Link to the Mater Dolorosa Choir and play it on full-screen!

Christmas Decoration, Argyle, 2012 - Detail

This is a close-up of the Christmas angel in the "Decoration" post.

See on each wing the row of short under-feathers?

Julie

Christmas Decoration, Argyle, 2012

Coot Hill Family Historical Preservation Society Headquarters
has decorated for Christmas.

Pani Julia Mostkowska-Zdrojewska, who is with the angels,
has an angel by her portrait.

Marty and I have known this angel all our lives.
Look how feathery his feathers look.
How beautiful is the drapery of his gown,
as with right knee slightly bent
he hovers over the stable entrance.
"Gloria in Excelsis Deo!"

Here his hovering mechanism is revealed.
You took one of those wires for hanging bumpkies
and worked it into the plaster
and then into the wood
of the roof of the żłobek.

You don't know "żłobek" ?    Go to Google Translate.

Did you think I knew how to type all these Polish diacritical marks on my keyboard?

Thanks!  But alas, it is not so.

Wesołych Świąt!

Julie

Kolędy (Polish Christmas Carols) - "Gdy się Chrystus rodzi"

"Kolędy" are the hymns of of the European Christmas Season, which runs from December 4th through Epiphany, January 6th. This is intriguing and mysterious, since the "calends" are the first days of the months in the ancient Roman calendar.

"Gdy się Chrystus Rodzi,"  "When Christ was Born," is an enduring favorite due, I would say, to its tenderness and happiness, a quiet, reverent happiness.  Few things bring greater joy than this hymn performed by good musicians and choristers in a beautiful church at midnight on Christmas Eve.

This choir, "Harmonia," performs with a traditional up-tempo refrain.

A choir from Poznań renders the carol in constant, serene tempo.

Kolenda online is the source of lyrics below, and gives the musical score as well:

Gdy się Chrystus rodzi i na świat przychodzi,
ciemna noc w jasnościach promienistych brodzi.
Aniołowie się radują
pod niebiosa wyśpiewują:

Gloria, gloria, gloria
in excelsis Deo!

Mówią do pasterzy, którzy trzód swych strzegli,
aby do Betlejem czym prędzej pobiegli,
bo się narodził Zbawiciel
wszego świata Odkupiciel:

Gloria, gloria, gloria
in excelsis Deo!

O niebieskie duchy i posłowie nieba,
powiedzcież wyraźniej, co nam czynić trzeba,
bo my nic nie pojmujemy,
ledwo od strachu żyjemy:


Gloria, gloria, gloria
in excelsis Deo!

Nascitur cum Christus et mundo apparet,
Caeca nox fulgore radiante claret.
Angeli in caelis visi
Cantat hymnum paradisi:
Gloria, gloria , gloria,
In excelsis Deo.

Pavidos pastores angeli hortantur,
Bethehem quam primum ut proficiscantur:
Natus enim est Salvator,
Mundi machine Creator.

Gloria, gloria, gloria,
In excelsis Deo. 

Spiritus caelestes caelique legati,
Quidnam faciamus, nobis revelate.
Imperiti nil pollemus,
Metu capti vix vigemus.

Glioria, gloria, gloria,
In excelsis Deo.

 

 

 

English translation here.

Ehret and Evans's International Book of Christmas Carols - a wonderful volume - displays this carol on a two-page spread, giving the first two verses, in Polish and English.

Błogosławiony Bożego Narodzenia!

A Blessed Christmas Season!

to family and friends, far and near.  Julie

 

(This post edited and updated on 12/27/2020.)

A Couple of Marilla Photos

The snapshot below shows the essence of Gene and Clara's as a place and an institution, and, I would hope, explains the name of this blog.

They built the house in 1957.  We're seeing the kitchen not too long after that, and already so many of the vital elements are in place.  To the left, the hallway goes to the back door, which most visitors used, as well as indwellers.  So they checked out the garage as they came in, even if they were grandmas wearing fox stoles at the time.  This set the tone.  Of course, sometimes folk used the front door for fun. Then they would ring the doorbell, which had no microchip. A little hammer struck melodiously on long metal tubes.

On the walls we see the Polish Eagle on a card, and a recipe affixed to a cupboard door with a clothespin.  We see Suzette's dziura, her hidey-hole, with her leash hanging on the sidewall of it, a bit of her blanket, and a bit of herself at Clara's feet.  

Recipe books, Girl Scout candy in a tin, Southern Comfort,
Angostura bitters, stand mixer, electric frying pan.

That's a waffle iron on top of the refrigerator.
It's very benevolent-looking;
maybe it's the Buddha.

Clara is dressed like Julia Child - or perhaps Julia Child dressed like Clara - and it is important to realize that the stripes on her apron are in black, mauve, and greys, while the big band of pockets is a rich red.  Despite how that might sound, it looked great on her and against the oatmeal tweed of her below-the-knee sheath skirt.

Gene just got back from the office.

There's company in the house, over by the kitchen table, and somebody took that picture.  Blaise and Dorothy Militello may well have taken that picture. Wonderful neighbors: they first met in the winter, when the drifts were six feet high in front of the kitchen windows.  Clara looked up from the kitchen sink, and there were two feet on snowshoes standing on the snow directly in front of her. That was Dorothy, come over to say hello.

Below is the lead Militello saddle horse, Queenie, with Marty and Julie.  This is the driveway of their house, and across the road are buildings of the Pfitzinger farm.

Dzien Swietego Mikolaja

The feast day of Saint Nicholas is  December 6, because Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, died on this day in AD343.  During his lifetime he was beloved for his acts of charity, and to this day he is beloved  - in particular, for anonymous charity -  and imitated in it by Christians all over the world.

See Nicholas sneaking up to the window of the house to toss in pouches of coin, one for each of three distressed young women.  This 1425 painting by Gentile de Fabriano is in the Vatican.  The legend about this event is apparently typical of the kind of thing this man enjoyed doing.

The four weeks of Advent are sombre ones for children:  they mentally review their bad deeds of the past year, make resolutions, and review their catechism, all prior to Christmas Day. Saint Nicolas's feast day is a bit of a breather.  There are the coins in the shoes, and piernicki - gingerbread cookies.

Besides being the favorite of children, this Greek Bishop of ancient times, "Ἅγιος Νικόλαος," is patron saint of sailors.  That is why a ship is often depicted in the crook of his staff.

We've encountered the saint, in one of his many, many later manifestations, previously on Gene and Clara's.

Szczęśliwego Dzien Swietego Mikolaja!

Art Portfolio II

Last time we took a first look at a Clara Matynka high-school art portfolio, and thought with chagrin about mothers concealing their talents for mysterious reasons.

                                     

The smaller portfolio, found inside the big one, is quite plain.

  

It contains one each of a variety of work.  Maybe it was a selection from the semester's work, handed in for grading.

It starts off with studies in perspective drawing, basic shapes, shadow, and stippling, followed by still life in pencil . . .

. . .  self-portrait in pencil, detail work in pen-and-ink, and then that puppy.

This puppy began as a pencil drawing, but then it turned into a print of some kind.  "Linoleum-block print?"  Someone help me out here.  The black background looks like black, black ink, such as I sometimes saw other kids get to roll around with an ink-roller in art class. The surface is shiny and solid, in that it does not shed anything, and it is on thick, sturdy cardboard.

I never saw any of these things until the other day.  Did anyone else see them, or know about them?

Julie