Do prostego człowieka

Do prostego człowieka (English: To the Simple Man) is a poem by Julian Tuwim, first published in the October 27, 1929 edition of Robotnik daily.^[1] The poem gained immediate popularity due to its strong pacifist anti-war message; its mockery of militarism, jingoistic fervour and hysteria; and its placement of blame upon those in power who profit by starting wars to be fought by commoners.^[2][3]

The poem was commonly read as expressing the poet's disillusionment with Józef Pilsudski's regime and increasingly militant rhetoric.^[4][5]

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.^[5] Tuwim was defending himself by saying that his poem is against offensive wars, not defensive ones.^[6] Despite criticism, the poem became immediately popular in Poland.

In recent years the poem was translated to English by Marcel Weyland.^[7] 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.^[8]