Do prostego człowieka

Do prostego człowieka

Do prostego człowieka (English: To the Simple Man) is a poem by Julian Tuwim. Published for the first time in the November 7, 1929 edition of Robotnik daily, it immediately became popular due to its strong pacifist and anti-war message. The poem mocks militarism, patriotic fervour and hysteria, and suggests that it is the powerful that reap the profits of wars waged by common people.

The poem was commonly read as expressing poet's disillusionment with Józef Pilsudski's regime and increasingly militant rhetoric.[1]

At the same time it was openly criticised by both left and right-wing journalists. The rightists went as far as to suggest Tuwim be hanged for allegedly promoting desertion among Polish soldiers.[1]

Despite criticism, the poem became immediately popular in Poland. One of the final lines of the poem (The oil is theirs, the blood is yours) became particularly famous and entered the Polish language as a popular expression in the form of "not my oil", meaning "it's none of my business".

In recent years the poem was translated to English by Marcel Weyland.[2] It also gained new popularity due to numerous rock bands performing it on their concerts. One of the best-known such interpretations is by a Polish rock group Akurat.

Notes and references

External links


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