Do prostego człowieka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
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