English translation of "Poczatek" by Szczypiorski
Zbigniew J. Pasek
"Poczatek" has been changed in English translations to "The Beautiful
Mrs. Seidenman" (Mrs. Seidenman is of the characters in the book).
So far, there were a number of printings in the US, the two recent
ones came from:
Vintage Books, New York, 1991
Glove Weidenfeld, New York, 1990
Both editions are the translations by Klara Glowczewska. The original
Polish edition appeared in 1987 and went mostly unnoticed. The book's
international career started with the German translation and its
promotion in 1989 during the Hannover Book Fair. Since then it has
been translated into a number of languages.
I have included below one fragment from the book in both, Polish and
English. Seems to me that some flavors of the Polish original were
lost in translation, but nevertheless the book is definitely worth
reading.
zjp
_________________________________________________________________
Andrzej Szczypiorski "POCZATEK"
...
Tu byl srodek ziemi, os wszechswiata, bo sam Bog umiescil tutaj jadro
stworzenia, polozyl palec wskazujacy przed stuleciami i zakreslil nim
krag wszelkiego sensu ludzkich zywotow. Tu gdzie huczal niebieski
plomien gazu, plynelo niegdys zrodlo, u ktorego najemny Tatar poil swoje
konie, tedy biegl trakt, ktorym bojarzyn z postronkiem na karku szedl do
lackiej niewoli, a po obu stronach tego traktu Zyd i Niemiec rozbijali
swoje kupieckie stragany. Tutaj i nie gdzie indziej na calej ziemi
szabasne swieczki odbijaly sie mdlym, zoltawym blaskiem na pochwie
rosyjskiej szabli, a polskie rece przelamywalu oplatek w cieniu
pruskiego drzewka wigilijnego. Tu i nigdzie indziej we wszechswiecie
niemiecki poeta nadawal piekne imiona polskim ulicom. moskiewski ksiaze
zagrzewal do boju polskich zolnierzy. by celniej strzelali do gwardii
Imperatora, a trawieni suchotnicza goraczka Zydzi, ozywieni duchem
wolnosci rosyjscy oficerowie i polscy zeslancy spiskowali przeciwko
tyranii. Tu byl ten srodek ziemi, os wszechswiata, gdzie sie glupstwo
splatalo z wzniosloscia, nikczemna zdrada z najwyzszym poswieceniem. W
tym miejscu jedynym dziki, smagly i przebiegly pysk Azji od
niepamietnych czasow patrzyl z bliska w tlusta, butna i glupia gebe
Europy, tu wlasnie a nie gdzie indziej zamyslone i wrazliwe oczy Azji
spogladaly w rozumne oczy Europy. Tu byl srodek ziemi, os wszechswiata,
gdzie zachod bral w ramiona wschod, a polnoc wyciagala reke do poludnia.
Na stepowych, rozhukanych koniach, w jucznych tobolach na ich
grzbietach, wedrowaly tedy ksiazki Erazma z Rotterdamu. Zydowskie wozki,
lamiac dyszle na wybojach, rozsypywaly tutaj wolterianskie ziarno. W
pruskich furgonach jechal Hegel do Sankt Petersburga, by wracac potem
rosyjska trojka, z Czernyszewskim, okrytym baranim tolubem. Tutaj byl
wschod i zachod, polnoc i poludnie. Na tej ulicy Tatar bil poklon,
twarza zwrocony do Mekki, Zyd czytal Tore, Niemiec Lutra, Polak gromnice
palil u stop oltarzy w Czestochowie i na Ostrej Bramie. Tutaj byl srodek
ziemi, os wszechswiata, nagromadzenie braterstwa i nienawisci, bliskosci
i obcosci, bo tu sie spelnialy losy najdalszych sobie ludow, w tych
zarnach nadwislanskich Bog polska make robil dla polskich glodnych,
polska make, manne niebieska, mojzeszowa i chrystusowa, Starego i Nowego
Przymierza dla wszystkich meczennikow i lotrow, swietych i szubrawcow
tej ziemi.
"THE BEAUTIFUL MRS. SEIDENMAN"
(translated by Klara Glowczewska)
...
Here was the center of the earth, the axis of the universe, because here
the God Himself had established the core of creation, had placed his
index finger centuries ago and with it had drawn the circle encompassing
all the meaning of human lives. Here, where the blue flame from the gas
stove roared once, flowed the stream at which a Tatar mercenary watered
his horses; here ran the track along which a gangster with a tether
around his neck went into Polish captivity, and on both sides of the
track Jewish and German merchants set up their stalls. Here and nowhere
else on the whole earth Sabbath candles reflected with a faint yellow
glow on the sheath of a Russian sword, and Polish hands broke a
communion wafer in the shadow of a Prussian Christmas tree. Here and
nowhere else in the universe a German poet gave beautiful names to
Polish streets, a Muscovite prince warmed up Polish soldiers for battle
so that they would shoot more accurately at the emperor's guard, and
Jews consumed by tuberculosis, Russian officers inspired by the spirit
of freedom, and Polish deportees in chains together, conspired against
tyranny. Here was the center of the earth, the axis of the universe,
where stupidity was interlaced with the sublime, odious betrayal with
the purest self-sacrifice. In this spot alone the wild, swarthy, and
cunning snout of Asia stared from time immemorial straight into the fat,
arrogant, and stupid mug of Europe; precisely here and nowhere else the
pensive and sensitive eyes of Asia gazed into the rational eyes of
Europe. Here was the center of the earth, the axis of the universe,
where the West took the East into its arms, and the North stretched out
hands to the South. The unruly horses of the steppes here carried in
their saddlebags the books of Erasmus of Rotterdam. Jewish carts,
shattering their shafts in the ruts, dispersed Voltairean seeds here.
Hegel passed this way in Prussian covered wagons on his way to St.
Petersburg, to return later by Russian troika, with Czernyszewski,
wrapped in sheepskins. Here was East and West, North and South. On this
street the Tatar prostrated himself, his face turned toward Mecca., the
Jew read the Torah, the German read Luther, the Pole lit consecrated
candles at the foot of the altars in Czestochowa and Ostra Brama. Here
was the center of the earth, the axis of the universe, the accumulation
of the brotherhood and hatred, closeness and strangeness, for here were
fulfilled the joint destinies of peoples most distant one from the
other. In these mills by the Vistula God made Polish flour for the
Polish hungry, Polish flour, heavenly manna, Mosaic and Christian, of
the old and the new convenant, for all the martyrs and scoundrels, the
saints and villains of this world.
_________________________________________________________________
____ ____
| \ / | Zbigniew J. Pasek
| |\ \/ /| | Department of Mechanical Engineering
| | \ / | | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | \/ | |
|___| |___| zbig...@engin.umich.edu
Marek Swierkosz
|> Surprisingly enough, the title of Andrzej Szczypiorski's book
|> "Poczatek" has been changed in English translations to "The Beautiful
|> Mrs. Seidenman" (Mrs. Seidenman is of the characters in the book).
Actually, the title of the German version of the book, which was published
shortly *before* the Polish one, also was "Die schoene Frau Seidenmann".
I guess this title was chosen by Szczypiorski himself.
Marek
CHARLIE HAHS X2949 P7421
the book greatly, if I can find it. I still have a problem finding the actual book, though. It seems the publisher does not have any copies nor does any of a number of bookstores I checked and libraries.
Any suggestions on where I can obtain a copy?
Thank you again.
Charlie Hahs
Pawel Gora
word which has the double meaning of Polish "poczatek" (viz. physical
beginning of a thing and start of a process), and that under this
circumstations he decided to follow the advice of his German publishers to
give the German translation a more 'marketable' title.
Pawel