DZIADY Adam Mickiewicz – Nie znałeś litości panie!

''Dziady'' (, ''Forefathers' Eve'') is a poetic drama by the Polish poet

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...

. It is considered one of the greatest works of both Polish and European

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

.G. Sand, ''Goethe - Byron - Mickiewicz'' in ''Revue des Deux Mondes'', 1 December 1839. To

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...

and

Georg Brandes Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (4 February 1842 – 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind ...

, ''Dziady'' was a supreme realization of Romantic drama theory, to be ranked with such works as

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

's ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

'' and

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

's '' Manfred''. The drama's title refers to ''

Dziady Dziady ( Belarusian: , Russian: , Ukrainian: , pl, Dziady; lit. "grandfathers, eldfathers", sometimes translated as Forefathers' Eve) is a term in Slavic folklore for the spirits of the ancestors and a collection of pre-Christian rites, ritual ...

'', an ancient Slavic and Lithuanian feast commemorating the dead (the "forefathers"). The drama has four parts, the first of which was never finished. Parts I, II and IV were influenced by

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of e ...

and

's poetry. Part III joins historiosophical and individual visions of pain and annexation, especially under the 18th-century partitions of Poland. Part III was written ten years after the others and differs greatly from them. The first to have been composed is "Dziady, Part II," dedicated chiefly to the ''

'' Slavic feast of commemoration of the dead which laid the foundations of the poem and is celebrated in what is now

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

. A ban on the performance of the play was an aspect of the

1968 Polish political crisis The Polish 1968 political crisis, also known in Poland as March 1968, Students' March, or March events ( pl, Marzec 1968; studencki Marzec; wydarzenia marcowe), was a series of major student, intellectual and other protests against the ruling Pol ...

The parts

The drama's four parts are described below in the order of their composition. Part II In this part, published in 1823, Mickiewicz expresses a philosophy of life, based mainly on folk morality and on his own thoughts about love and death. In the drama, Lithuanian peasants are summoning ghosts to ensure them the access to heaven. The first ghosts are two children who are unable to reach heaven, as they have never suffered. Then appears a phantom of a cruel squire who is persecuted by birds. They are obliged not to let him eat, because as a living person he did not act like a human being. The next ghost is a phantom of Zosia, a young, beautiful shepherdess. Her fault is that she had never returned anybody's love, and love is needed for the act of salvation. The final ghost resembles the main hero of the Part IV, Gustaw. Part IV Part IV, also from 1823, is believed to be Mickiewicz's manifesto of his romantic philosophy of life, and also a story about his love for Maryla Wereszczakówna. The main reason for associating bard's and his hero's biography is the resemblance of what Gustaw (the protagonist of the drama) says about his tragic youth. He met a fine girl, with whom he fell in love. Unfortunately, she married a rich duke and, subsequently, Gustaw committed suicide. A similar situation took place in poet's life, but he managed to forgive his lover. When he was depressed, he wrote the IV part of "Dziady", one of the most beautiful Polish poems about love and also a fascinating example of the

romantic poetry Romantic poetry is the poetry of the Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It involved a reaction against prevailing Enlightenment ideas of the 18t ...

. The action of the drama is divided into three episodes — the hour of love, the hour of despair and the hour of admonition. The book shows dangers of people's romantic nature and reading sentimental masterpieces, which do not show the real world. On the other hand, Gustaw is presented as an owner of the metaphysical knowledge. It is him, not his teacher who eventually notions to the philosophy of Enlightenment and visualizes the true picture of the world, which is the reality conducted by paranormal laws. Part I The first part, published after Mickiewicz's emigration to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, was probably written in the early 20s, though never finished. Meant to be a picture of "emotion of the 19th-century people", it was immediately given up by the author. It shows a young girl and boy, feeling confused with and trying to choose between the sentimental idea of love, adjustment to the society and respect to own nature. Part III Wilno - w bazylianskiej celi

This part, published in 1832, is thought to be the most significant one, or even one of the finest poems in the

Polish literature Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages used in Poland over the centuries have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Latin, ...

. The main character bears a resemblance to Gustaw from the IV part, but he is no longer a "romantic lover". The drama was written after the failure of the

November Insurrection The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...

, an event which exerted a huge influence over the author. In the Prologue the protagonist of the drama writes on the wall "Today Gustaw has died, today Konrad was born". Konrad is a name from the previous Mickiewicz's novel, '' Konrad Wallenrod''. Wallenrod was the hero who sacrificed his life and happiness for his own country's sake. Mickiewicz dedicated his work to people fighting for Polish freedom in the 1830s insurrection and especially to those who were exiled to

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

by the Russian Tsar. The book describes the cruelty of Tsar Alexander and the persecution of Poles. It has many mysterious episodes; historical characters appear side to side with ghosts, angels and the devil. Poland, according to Mickiewicz's visions, was meant to be "the

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

of Europe": the national suffering was to result in the release of all persecuted people and nationalities, just as Christ's death brought salvation. The characters of the drama are chiefly prisoners, accused of conspiracy against the Russian conqueror. The self-named protagonist is called Konrad. He is a poet. In his monologue, commonly known as "The Great Improvisation" (''Wielka Improwizacja''), he is talking to God about his patriotic feelings and personal misfortune. He compares his works of poetry to the creations of God and nature, and claims that they are completely equal, if not better. Frustrated, Konrad calls God out, accusing Him of letting people suffer — particularly him and Poles under the rule of three foreign empires, and yet still wanting to be called Father, worshipped and loved. The young poet thinks that Creator is baffled by his words and that man knows Him better than any of

archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

s, because he hears no response. He is ready to fight against God (comparing himself to Satan, but claiming that he will be the more challenging enemy, because, unlike his predecessor, in this battle he will use heart, not reason) for improving the fate of his nation and whole humanity. Meanwhile, angels and devils are struggling over Konrad's soul. Another character, a priest called Piotr, has also a vision. When he happens to foretell the country's future, he says one of the most mysterious words of the whole drama. Describing a person who will bring back the freedom of Poland, he says: "The Son of a foreign mother, in his blood old heroes And his name will be forty and four". The whole drama brings back the hope of Polish independence and gives a great picture of

Polish society The demographics of Poland constitute all demographic features of the population of Poland, including population density, ethnicity, education level, the health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the po ...

in so difficult a moment. For instance, recognizable words are: "Our nation is like lava. On the top it is hard and hideous, but its internal fire cannot be extinguished even in one hundred years of coldness. So let's spit on the crust and go down, to the profundity!"

Interpretation

''Dziady'' is known for its varying interpretations. The best known ones are the moral aspect of part II, the

individualist Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-relianc ...

and romantic message of part IV, and the deeply

patriotic Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

, messianistic and Christian vision in part III. , however, focuses his interpretation on Slavic pagan and occult elements found in the drama. In his book ''Mickiewicz hermetyczny'' he writes about the influence of

Hermetic Hermetic or related forms may refer to: * of or related to the ancient Greek Olympian god Hermes * of or related to Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary Hellenistic figure based on the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth ** , the ancient and m ...

, theosophical and

alchemical Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

philosophy on the book as well as

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

symbols (including the controversial theory of Mickiewicz being a communist).

Performances

A performance of ''Dziady'' took place in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

's ''Teatr Miejski'' (City Theater) in 1901, directed by

Stanisław Wyspiański Stanisław Mateusz Ignacy Wyspiański (; 15 January 1869 – 28 November 1907) was a Polish playwright, painter and poet, as well as interior and furniture designer. A patriotic writer, he created a series of symbolic, national dramas withi ...

. After the communist takeover of Poland, the new government discouraged the staging of ''Dziady''. The first postwar production, a major cultural event, opened in November 1945, during the 1945-46 theater season, at ''Teatr Miejski'' in Opole. It was guest-directed by Jerzy Ronard Bujanski of ''Teatr Stary'' (the Old Theater) in Kraków, who also starred as Konrad. Three years later,

Leon Schiller Leon Schiller or Leon Schiller de Schildenfeld (14 March 1887 – 25 March 1954) was a Polish theatre and film director, as well as critic and theatre theoretician. He also wrote theatre and radio screenplays and composed music. He was born in Kra ...

began work on a production of ''Dziady'' at ''Teatr Polski'' (the Polish Theater) in Warsaw. The opening night was planned for December 1948, but was canceled for a number of reasons, some political. The next production of ''Dziady'' in post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Poland was staged only after

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

's death and took place in November 1955 at Warsaw's ''Teatr Polski''. The first ever full staging of the ''Dziady'' was directed by Michal Zadara and was premiered on February 20, 2016. The performance lasted 14 hours and included six breaks. It began at noon and lasted until 2 in the morning.Culture.pl, https://culture.pl/pl/dzielo/wszystkie-czesci-dziadow-w-rezyserii-michala-zadary, 16.02.2016, retrieved May 28, 2020.

References

External links

English translation of 'Great Improvisation' - Part Three, Scene Two

Full Polish Text of ''Dziady''

''Dziady'' - Adam Mickiewicz
{{Authority control Polish poems Polish plays Unfinished plays Unfinished poems Works by Adam Mickiewicz Lithuania in fiction Plays set in Poland Polish messianism