20th-century poem by Jan Brzechwa, popular as a tongue-twister
Chrząszcz (beetle , chafer ) by Jan Brzechwa is a tongue-twister poem famous for being considered one of the hardest-to-pronounce texts in Polish literature . It may cause problems even for adult, native Polish speakers.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3]
The first few lines of the poem:
Polish original ⓘ
Phonetic transcription
English translation
W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie
[f‿ʂt͡ʂɛ.bʐɛ.ˈʂɨ.ɲɛ xʂɔɰ̃ʂt͡ʂ bʐmi f‿ˈtʂt͡ɕi.ɲɛ]
In Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reeds
I Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie.
[i ʂt͡ʂɛ.ˈbʐɛ.ʂɨn s‿ˈtɛ.ɡɔ ˈswɨ.ɲɛ ‖]
And Szczebrzeszyn is famous for this.
Wół go pyta: „Panie chrząszczu,
[vuw ɡɔ ˈpɨ.ta | ˈpa.ɲɛ ˈxʂɔɰ̃ʂ.t͡ʂu |]
An ox asks him: "Mister beetle,
Po cóż pan tak brzęczy w gąszczu?"
[pɔ t͡suʂ pan tag‿ˈbʐɛn.t͡ʂɨ v‿ˈɡɔɰ̃ʂ.t͡ʂu ‖]
What are you buzzing in the bushes for?"
The Beetle Wooden Monument in Szczebrzeszyn, dedicated to the poem's main character
The first line "W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie"
(In Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed ) is a well-known Polish tongue-twister and dates to at least the 19th century.[ 2]
Thanks to the poem, the town of Szczebrzeszyn is widely known in Poland. Two monuments to the beetle were erected there, and a yearly sculpture festival has been held there ever since.[citation needed ]
Chrząszcz was translated into English by Walter Whipple as Cricket (whose Polish equivalent, świerszcz , is also considered difficult to pronounce for non-Polish speakers).
See also
References
External links