Chopin/Mickiewicz Question

[Susan Rachel Ophelia Mina]

Hi Everyone:

I am hoping someone can help me out with a research question. I am
looking for an English translation of Adam Mickiewicz's poem entitled
"Switez." This poem may also be called "Lake Switez" or "Le Lac des
Willis." It was used as an inspiration for the Second Ballade in F
Major by Chopin.

I have prepared a Gregory Karl-esque narrative analysis of the work and
wish to compare it to the true narrative which Chopin supposedly created
from the Mickiewicz poem.

Thank you for your help!

Susan Mina
Department of Music Theory
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois
srm...@nwu.edu

[Juillet]

I don't know if I can really help you out a lot as I don't
have an English translation of this poem, but I have
a summary of what it's about in a French biography
of Chopin I have. Maybe you already know it,
though. This book says the poem is about some
fishermen who pull out a girl from a lake who tells
them a story about girls in a city submerged under
the water who, in order to escape evil Russian
hordes, were changed into aquatic flowers (the
word in French doesn't translate directly as the one
for "waterlilies", but I suppose that's close enough).
I'd think you could probably find a complete
translation of it in some library.
Are you sure this is really a true story, though?
(I mean, about this being the inspiration for Chopin's
Ballade, not the poem). I believe Schumann was
the one who said this, but I've never read whether
Chopin himself ever acknowledged this. I know
these extra-musical Romantic associations were
popular at the time. In any case, even if this poem
were the inspiration for this Ballade, I would think
it would be in a broad sense, not a direct narrative
following the poem. Anyway, that's what the author
of the French biography I have says (she's
Camille Bourniquel) -- but I don't want to influence
you by telling you her analysis of the work in
comparison to the poem. If you are really
desperate and the poem isn't too long, you can
e-mail it to me at the above address and I'll
translate it for you (assuming you have it in
French, and not Polish -- I don't know Polish).
-- Christina