but he talks quietly
the poor kid
The Gates of Death
to the memory of Henryk Bereska
when I started writing poems
“everyone” was still alive
then they began to depart
the hardest task
is to pass through the gates of death
without the aid of an Angel
believers pass
through the gates of death
with eyes closed
once through
there is a smile on their lips
behind me I have a journey
growing longer
from hour to hour
before me I have
an ever shorter journey
faith in what exists
is knowledge not faith
but faith in what does not exist
is true faith
whoever believes God exists
needs no miracles
faith is the miracle
one who knows that love exists
has a duty to describe it
to let others see its image
The gates of death
The secret of their construction
is that the gates are not there
and at the same time they are
wide open to all
they are so narrow
that they must be squeezed through
in bloody labor
for years on end squealing
or screaming in fear
fortunate those who die
in their sleep
their hand taken
by Eurydice
who is immortal
and weeps for she must
live on alone
Notes
THE PROFESSOR’S KNIFE
the professor’s knife
I: The Trains
Cyprian Kamil Norwid (1821–1883): the outstanding poet of the late Romantic period in Poland.
II: Columbus’ Egg
“sugar fortifies”: Polish advertising slogan from the 1950s. Melchior Wańkowicz (1892–1979) was a well-known author.
Father Robak and Jankiel: a Catholic priest and a Jewish innkeeper respectively, from the 1834 epic poem Master Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855): the major poet of the Romantic period. Konrad Wallenrod, a Teutonic knight, was the title character of a long poem by the same author from 1828.
III: Shades
Julian Przyboś(1901–1970): avant-garde poet. Bronisława (Bronia) was his wife.
Czarnolas: the country home of Jan Kochanowski (1530–1584), one of Poland’s greatest poets, who wrote about sitting under the linden tree in his garden.
IV: The Discovery of the Knife
1968: in March 1968 there were student protests that led to an “anti-Zionist” clampdown by the government, forcing many Polish Jews to leave the country.
Zomo: the riot police.
VI: The Last Age
“The iron age was last [. . .]”: from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (author’s note). The translation is adapted from that of A. S. Kline.
“the poet Jawień”: pseudonym used by Karol Wojtyła (1920–2005), who later became Pope John Paul II.
gateway
“stone upon stone . . .”: a children’s song.
the mystery of the poem
“Ludwik Solski’s Dressing Room”: room in the Słowacki Theatre in Kraków, named after the famous Polish actor Ludwik Solski (1855–1954).
Extracts from Useful Books: anthology of world poetry compiled by Czesław Miłosz and published in 1994.
GRAY ZONE
gray zone
Antoni Kępiński (1918–1972): eminent psychiatrist and author.
Juliusz Słowacki (1809–1849): one of the leading poets and dramatists of the Romantic period.
I know nothing about you
White Marriage: 1975 play by Różewicz.
Oriole
Monika Żeromska (1913–2001): memoirist, daughter of Stefan Żeromski (1864–1925), the preeminent Polish writer of the early 20th century.
“a poem about a rose”: a reference to “Dawn Day and Night with a Red Rose” from the professor’s knife (author’s note).
the Skamander poets: group of poets popular in the interwar period 1918–1939.
(Master Jakob Böhme)
Zgorzelec and Görlitz: adjacent towns on either side of the present Polish-German border.
conversation with Herr Scardanelli
Scardanelli was a pseudonym of the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843).
the spilling of blood
“caps with four corners”: the four-cornered cap or rogatywka is the traditional headwear of Polish soldiers.
EXIT
my old Guardian Angel
“O heavenly angel guardian mine . . .”: a bedtime prayer said by children.
golden thoughts against a black background
“golden thoughts” is a Polish expression meaning something like “quotable quotes.”
à la Wyspiański
Stanisław Wyspiański (1869–1907): a Kraków painter and poet, one of the most significant figures in Polish culture.
Wawel: the former royal castle in Kraków.
(ever since the “little”)
Albino Luciani: Pope John Paul I, who reigned for thirty-three days in 1978.
heart in mouth
Leopold Staff (1878–1957): outstanding poet of whom Tadeusz Róźewicz is particularly fond.
Tadeusz Kotarbiński (1886–1981): a major Polish philosopher. “three times yes”: reference to a referendum in 1946 in which
the Polish communists sought to legitimize their rule. Roman Ingarden (1893–1970): influential Polish philosopher.
labyrinths
“leśmianek”: or “little leśmian,” a reference to Bolesław Leś-mian (1878–1937), widely regarded as the most important Polish poet of his time. His verse is characterized by complex, innovative uses of language.
tempus fugit
“A cold coming . . .” from “Journey of the Magi” by T. S. Eliot.
“Fallen / angels / are like / [. . .] / they fall drop by drop”: this is the entire text of the poem “Homework on the Topic of Angels” from the poet’s 1969 collection Regio.
“youth give me wings . . .”: lines from “Ode to Youth” by Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855).
Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz (1894–1980): poet and writer, a leading literary figure in the mid-century.
knowledge
This poem is a parody of “Paweł and Gaweł,” a children’s poem by comic writer Aleksander Fredro (1793–1876). “Mr. Cogito” frequently appears in the poetry of Zbigniew Herbert (1924–1998).
I rub my eyes
Telimena, Master Tadeusz, Robak: characters from Adam Mickiewicz’s Master Tadeusz (1834).
Emilia Plater (1806–1831): Polish national heroine who fought and died in the 1831 November Uprising.
“painted uhlans”: referring to Polish soldiers (from a popular song)
“our good emperor”: the emperor of Austria-Hungary.
you can’t scare me
King Władysław the Short (1260–1333): King of Poland from 1320.
RECENT POEMS
depressions VII
Jerzy Dudek: a well-known Polish soccer player.
Adam Małysz: a champion ski-jumper.
The Gates of Death
Henryk Bereska (1926–2005): an eminent translator of Polish literature into German.
Copyright © Tadeusz Różewicz 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006
eISBN : 978-1-935-74450-4
English translation copyright © Bill Johnston 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form without the
prior written permission of the publisher.
Archi
pelago Books
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the professor’s knife was originally published in Polish by
Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie as nożyk profesora in 2001.
gray zone was originally published in Polish by
Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie as szara strefa in 2002
exit was originally published in Polish by
Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie as wyjście in 2004.
Distributed by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution http://www.cbsd.com
This publication was made possible by the Lannan Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
This publication has been subsidized by Instytut Ksiazki–the © POLAND Translation Program