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Sonnets From the Crimea
Excerpt from Sonnets From the Crimea
The last of the eighteenth century was an important period for Russia and Poland, not only politically, but in letters and art. It marked the birth of statesmen, patriots, poets and writers. It was into a Poland of great names and greater activities that Adam Mickiewicz was born in 1798, as son of an impoverished family of the old nobility. Three years before, the third and last partition of his native land had taken place, and the signed documents had been hastened to Petersburg to make more triumphant the birthday of the Great Catherine.
Just a few years before this (1792), Kosciusko had courageously led his forty-five thousand valiant Poles in their brave defiance of an overwhelming number of Cossacks and Russians. History had recorded the bloody Turkish wars, the Pugatshev rebellion, the uprising of the Zaporogian Cossacks and the Polish confederations. And with the nineteenth century came the Napoleonic wars with the dramatic entry of Napoleon into Russia, and a new and different mental life began to dawn over Europe. Mickiewicz was born in Novogrodek in Lithuania.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
The last of the eighteenth century was an important period for Russia and Poland, not only politically, but in letters and art. It marked the birth of statesmen, patriots, poets and writers. It was into a Poland of great names and greater activities that Adam Mickiewicz was born in 1798, as son of an impoverished family of the old nobility. Three years before, the third and last partition of his native land had taken place, and the signed documents had been hastened to Petersburg to make more triumphant the birthday of the Great Catherine.
Just a few years before this (1792), Kosciusko had courageously led his forty-five thousand valiant Poles in their brave defiance of an overwhelming number of Cossacks and Russians. History had recorded the bloody Turkish wars, the Pugatshev rebellion, the uprising of the Zaporogian Cossacks and the Polish confederations. And with the nineteenth century came the Napoleonic wars with the dramatic entry of Napoleon into Russia, and a new and different mental life began to dawn over Europe. Mickiewicz was born in Novogrodek in Lithuania.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
55 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1826
About the author
Adam Mickiewicz
516 books298 followersTo a Pole, the name Adam Mickiewicz is emblematic of Polishness and greatness. What Homer is to the Greeks, or Shakespeare to the English, Mickiewicz is to the Poles. He is a cultural icon, a name inextricably connected with Polish literature and history, and one mentioned with pride. Mickiewicz stands out in the consciousness of Poles both as a man of letters and a political leader.
Despite his unquestionable status and fame, however, much of Mickiewicz's biography is shrouded in mystery. Even the generally accepted date of his birth, December 24. 1798, is uncertain, since it hasn't been determined whether it refers to the Gregorian or the Julian calendar. Nor has it been established conclusively whether Mickiewicz was born in Nowogrodek or at Zaosie, a mile or so apart. Many biographical facts, particularly those pertaining to his relationships with women, were deliberately obscured to preserve a flawless public image of the poet. Likewise, his interest in mysticism and involvement in mystical cults tended to be minimized, especially during the years of Communist rule in Poland when the official line was to shun spirituality of any kind, not to expose the poet to ridicule.
Mickiewicz's son. Władysław, can be held partially responsible for this state of affairs, but he is not the only one. Having gained control of his father's papers after the poet's death, Władysław Mickiewicz destroyed various documents which might have potentially tarnished his father's public image. Likewise, many critics and scholars tended to overlook significant facts in the poet's biography, as well as significant themes and issues in his writing, to sustain the idealized view of Mickiewicz as a Polish national bard. This tendency to carefully "whitewash" Mickiewicz is hardly surprising. Born three years after the final partition of Poland, Mickiewicz became a spiritual leader of the Polish nation. An ardent patriot, he animated the Polish national spirit through his poetic, dramatic and political writings, providing hope and spiritual sustenance to Poles under the Russian, Prussian and Austrian rule, as well as to the many exiles, particularly the emigré circles in Paris, where he settled in 1832. Given the history of Poland and the long streak of political oppression and subjugation, the need for heroes and the idealization of Mickiewicz as a leader are perfectly understandable.
Yet already in the 1930s, there were critical voices against the bowdlerization of Mickiewicz's work (since some editions of his works eliminated the more racy passages) and objections were raised against the cover-up in renditions of his biography. The prominent critic, Tadeusz Boy-Źieleński, for instance, in his work "Brązownicy" objected to the distortions of facts and the "sins of omission" in critical writings on Mickiewicz. In recent years, a much more vast and thorough re-examination of Mickiewicz' life and oeuvre has occurred. This is partially due to the overall re-examination of Polish history and Polish literary tradition after the collapse of Communism and, generally. a much greater openness in discussions of various issues previously relegated to the sphere of national taboos. Thus, much has been written lately about the white spots in Mickiewicz's biography. particularly about his mystical leanings and the Jewish origin of his mother. The evidence of Mickiewicz's fascination with mysticism is overwhelming, and there is some basis for the allegation of his mother's Jewishness.
(quoted from Regina Grol's piece posted on InfoPolan, University of Buffalo's website; for continuation see link below)
Despite his unquestionable status and fame, however, much of Mickiewicz's biography is shrouded in mystery. Even the generally accepted date of his birth, December 24. 1798, is uncertain, since it hasn't been determined whether it refers to the Gregorian or the Julian calendar. Nor has it been established conclusively whether Mickiewicz was born in Nowogrodek or at Zaosie, a mile or so apart. Many biographical facts, particularly those pertaining to his relationships with women, were deliberately obscured to preserve a flawless public image of the poet. Likewise, his interest in mysticism and involvement in mystical cults tended to be minimized, especially during the years of Communist rule in Poland when the official line was to shun spirituality of any kind, not to expose the poet to ridicule.
Mickiewicz's son. Władysław, can be held partially responsible for this state of affairs, but he is not the only one. Having gained control of his father's papers after the poet's death, Władysław Mickiewicz destroyed various documents which might have potentially tarnished his father's public image. Likewise, many critics and scholars tended to overlook significant facts in the poet's biography, as well as significant themes and issues in his writing, to sustain the idealized view of Mickiewicz as a Polish national bard. This tendency to carefully "whitewash" Mickiewicz is hardly surprising. Born three years after the final partition of Poland, Mickiewicz became a spiritual leader of the Polish nation. An ardent patriot, he animated the Polish national spirit through his poetic, dramatic and political writings, providing hope and spiritual sustenance to Poles under the Russian, Prussian and Austrian rule, as well as to the many exiles, particularly the emigré circles in Paris, where he settled in 1832. Given the history of Poland and the long streak of political oppression and subjugation, the need for heroes and the idealization of Mickiewicz as a leader are perfectly understandable.
Yet already in the 1930s, there were critical voices against the bowdlerization of Mickiewicz's work (since some editions of his works eliminated the more racy passages) and objections were raised against the cover-up in renditions of his biography. The prominent critic, Tadeusz Boy-Źieleński, for instance, in his work "Brązownicy" objected to the distortions of facts and the "sins of omission" in critical writings on Mickiewicz. In recent years, a much more vast and thorough re-examination of Mickiewicz' life and oeuvre has occurred. This is partially due to the overall re-examination of Polish history and Polish literary tradition after the collapse of Communism and, generally. a much greater openness in discussions of various issues previously relegated to the sphere of national taboos. Thus, much has been written lately about the white spots in Mickiewicz's biography. particularly about his mystical leanings and the Jewish origin of his mother. The evidence of Mickiewicz's fascination with mysticism is overwhelming, and there is some basis for the allegation of his mother's Jewishness.
(quoted from Regina Grol's piece posted on InfoPolan, University of Buffalo's website; for continuation see link below)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
January 19, 2016
I know very little about the history of Poland, but I can now tell you that it must have been very complicated, especially in the days when Adam Mickiewicz was attending university and participating in a student group dedicated to Polish independence. He was exiled to Russia for his dealings with this and other groups, and in the course of the five years he spent shuttling between Moscow and St. Petersburg, he found time to visit the Crimea, a trip which inspired the sonnets in this collection.
I can only imagine what an intelligent, sensitive young man must have felt during those dramatic times. The translator of these sonnets makes this statement in her introduction:
The old traditions of absolute and God-created monarchs and princely times were coming to an end, and that democratic modern world, where everything was to change, was close at hand, just over the crest, indeed, of this new century into which Fate was ushering him. He was to see the last of blind power and royal prerogative, and the first dawn of a modern spirit which in time would sweep away forever, the old. It was an uncertain, difficult transition period, without standards and without measurements.
I had never read any works by Mickiewicz. I confess I had not even heard of the man who is still regarded as 'Poland's greatest poet', according to the wiki article about him. I am looking forward now to reading what this same article claims are two of his influential works, Konrad
Wallenrod and Pan Tadeusz, which wiki calls 'the national epic poem of Poland'. These titles are the only others besides Sonnets which are available in English at Gutenberg, and they have gone already onto my Someday list.
But why? Because of the beauty of the writing in this particular collection. Because of the respect Miciewicz shows to what would have been a religion and a people strange to him. Because of the depth of feeling, the appreciation of Nature, and the ability to create an atmosphere that appealed to me. Naturally the longer epics will be quite different from these lovely, lyrical sonnets with lines such as these from The Ackerman Steppe:
Across sea-meadows measureless I go,
My wagon sinking under grass so tall
The flowery petals in foam on me fall,
And blossom-isles float by I do not know.
I think anyone who can capture a thought the way Mickiewicz did here would surely be able to keep my attention throughout an epic poem. I will leave you with on of my favorite Sonnets From The Crimea, The Pass Across The Abyss In The Tschufut-Kale:
(Mirza)
Pray! Pray! Let loose the bridle. Look not down!
The humble horse alone has wisdom here.
He knows where blackest the abysses leer
And where the path in safety leads us down.
Pray, and look upward to the mountain's crown!
The deep below is endless where you peer;
Stretch not the hand out as you pass, for fear
The added weight of that might plunge you down.
And check your thoughts' free flight, too, while you go;
Let all of Fancy's fluttering sails be furled
Here where Death watches o'er the riven world.
(The Pilgrim)
I lived to cross the bridge of ancient snow!
But what I saw my tongue no more can tell,
The angels only could rehearse that well.
I can only imagine what an intelligent, sensitive young man must have felt during those dramatic times. The translator of these sonnets makes this statement in her introduction:
The old traditions of absolute and God-created monarchs and princely times were coming to an end, and that democratic modern world, where everything was to change, was close at hand, just over the crest, indeed, of this new century into which Fate was ushering him. He was to see the last of blind power and royal prerogative, and the first dawn of a modern spirit which in time would sweep away forever, the old. It was an uncertain, difficult transition period, without standards and without measurements.
I had never read any works by Mickiewicz. I confess I had not even heard of the man who is still regarded as 'Poland's greatest poet', according to the wiki article about him. I am looking forward now to reading what this same article claims are two of his influential works, Konrad
Wallenrod and Pan Tadeusz, which wiki calls 'the national epic poem of Poland'. These titles are the only others besides Sonnets which are available in English at Gutenberg, and they have gone already onto my Someday list.
But why? Because of the beauty of the writing in this particular collection. Because of the respect Miciewicz shows to what would have been a religion and a people strange to him. Because of the depth of feeling, the appreciation of Nature, and the ability to create an atmosphere that appealed to me. Naturally the longer epics will be quite different from these lovely, lyrical sonnets with lines such as these from The Ackerman Steppe:
Across sea-meadows measureless I go,
My wagon sinking under grass so tall
The flowery petals in foam on me fall,
And blossom-isles float by I do not know.
I think anyone who can capture a thought the way Mickiewicz did here would surely be able to keep my attention throughout an epic poem. I will leave you with on of my favorite Sonnets From The Crimea, The Pass Across The Abyss In The Tschufut-Kale:
(Mirza)
Pray! Pray! Let loose the bridle. Look not down!
The humble horse alone has wisdom here.
He knows where blackest the abysses leer
And where the path in safety leads us down.
Pray, and look upward to the mountain's crown!
The deep below is endless where you peer;
Stretch not the hand out as you pass, for fear
The added weight of that might plunge you down.
And check your thoughts' free flight, too, while you go;
Let all of Fancy's fluttering sails be furled
Here where Death watches o'er the riven world.
(The Pilgrim)
I lived to cross the bridge of ancient snow!
But what I saw my tongue no more can tell,
The angels only could rehearse that well.
January 29, 2023
zamysł super, ale wyszło jak zawsze adas😭😭
April 26, 2023
Chłopie znajdź sobie przyjaciół
November 10, 2015
Sonnets de Crimée – Sonnets d’Odessa
Adam Mickiewicz (1798 – 1855)
For over a hundred years’ Polish poetry owes Mickiewicz the honour of being equal to Homer, Goethe, Byron, and Pushkin.
‘Sonnets of Crimea’ published in 1826, offer the reader a gaze at his essential romantic poetry.
To the south of Poland, the poets' caravan travels on horseback, crossing the steppes of Akerman, pass the peak of Dniestr, over the heights of Tartankut carried to the steppes of Kozlow reach Mount Tchatyrdah and the ruins of Bakhitchysarai, an ancient fortress of the Tatars. Ancient harem, graves of their flowers long dead.
Each of these stations brings inspiration to our poets’ mind songs of romantic images of the beauty of mind and colourful nature.
Each of the short poems is a gem and worth reading round and round in circles until the appearance of the dreamy, multilayered image the poet offers the reader to see.
“Dans ton Cœur, il en est ainsi, jeune poète, Ou la passion souvent fait gronder la tempête - Mais si tu prends ton luth, elle s’évanouit ; Sans te faire dommage, elle sombre dans l’oubli Et, des sublimes chants qu’elle laisse après elle, Les siècles tresseront ta couronne immortelle ! »
There seems to be no satiation of reading in repetition.
Daily news on the war in Ukraine pulled me irresistibly to this work, read many times before.
Adam Mickiewicz (1798 – 1855)
For over a hundred years’ Polish poetry owes Mickiewicz the honour of being equal to Homer, Goethe, Byron, and Pushkin.
‘Sonnets of Crimea’ published in 1826, offer the reader a gaze at his essential romantic poetry.
To the south of Poland, the poets' caravan travels on horseback, crossing the steppes of Akerman, pass the peak of Dniestr, over the heights of Tartankut carried to the steppes of Kozlow reach Mount Tchatyrdah and the ruins of Bakhitchysarai, an ancient fortress of the Tatars. Ancient harem, graves of their flowers long dead.
Each of these stations brings inspiration to our poets’ mind songs of romantic images of the beauty of mind and colourful nature.
Each of the short poems is a gem and worth reading round and round in circles until the appearance of the dreamy, multilayered image the poet offers the reader to see.
“Dans ton Cœur, il en est ainsi, jeune poète, Ou la passion souvent fait gronder la tempête - Mais si tu prends ton luth, elle s’évanouit ; Sans te faire dommage, elle sombre dans l’oubli Et, des sublimes chants qu’elle laisse après elle, Les siècles tresseront ta couronne immortelle ! »
There seems to be no satiation of reading in repetition.
Daily news on the war in Ukraine pulled me irresistibly to this work, read many times before.
April 30, 2021
piękny, szczery, żywy opis przyrody, uczuć, myśli. wzrusza
January 27, 2023
in my slowackiewicz era
March 23, 2025
Adam: Jedźmy, nikt nie woła...
Also Adam : pisze następne 17 sonetów o tym jak go woła tęsknota za Litwą ✨
Also Adam : pisze następne 17 sonetów o tym jak go woła tęsknota za Litwą ✨
September 11, 2017
Adam Mitskeviçdən oxuduğum ikinci şeir toplusu və yenə də bəyənmədim.
March 19, 2025
4,5
„Mirzo, a ja spójrzałem! przez świata szczeliny
Tam widziałem — com widział, opowiém — po śmierci,
Bo w żyjących języku nie ma na to głosu."
Genialne
„Mirzo, a ja spójrzałem! przez świata szczeliny
Tam widziałem — com widział, opowiém — po śmierci,
Bo w żyjących języku nie ma na to głosu."
Genialne
November 10, 2025
love it, są piękne
"Czekam, aż myśl, jak łódka wiami kręcona, zbłąka się i na chwilę w niepamięć pogrąży." ~ X Bajdary
"Czekam, aż myśl, jak łódka wiami kręcona, zbłąka się i na chwilę w niepamięć pogrąży." ~ X Bajdary
November 12, 2025
trch nudne, ale fajne w sumie, o tej Potockiej ładnie powiedział, że jej tęskny wzrok wypala ślady w niebie i tak powstały gwiazdy w kierunku Polski, albo ta strofa W kraju wiosny, pomiędzy rozkosznemi sady,
Uwiędłaś, młoda różo! bo przeszłości chwile,
Ulatując od ciebie jak złote motyle,
Rzuciły w głębi serca pamiątek owady.
Uwiędłaś, młoda różo! bo przeszłości chwile,
Ulatując od ciebie jak złote motyle,
Rzuciły w głębi serca pamiątek owady.
March 6, 2024
3.75/5
"podobnie na twe serce, o poeto młody! / namiętność często groźne wzburza niepogody / lecz gdy podniesiesz bardon, ona bez twej szkody / ucieka w zapomnienia pogrążyć się toni / i nieśmiertelne pieśni za sobą uroni, / z których wieki uplotą ozdobę twych skroni"
"podobnie na twe serce, o poeto młody! / namiętność często groźne wzburza niepogody / lecz gdy podniesiesz bardon, ona bez twej szkody / ucieka w zapomnienia pogrążyć się toni / i nieśmiertelne pieśni za sobą uroni, / z których wieki uplotą ozdobę twych skroni"
December 31, 2023
4.5 no tu sie chlop popisal
April 6, 2024
exegi monumentum
November 17, 2025
okej, zrobię rewatch wspaniałego stulecia.
March 31, 2025
takie o
March 4, 2023
Tylko ,,Burza" mi sie podobała. ,,Stepy Akermanskie" ujda
December 21, 2016
*2,5 stars*
June 26, 2026
4,5 🌟
każdy z tych sonetów jest trochę jak fotografia, albo raczej nagranie, bo są bardzo dynamiczne, różnorodne i ciekawe. czuć w nich realne emocje Mickiewicza, silną tęsknotę i zachwyt nad naturą, która bywa równie piękna co niebezpieczna. wcześniej nie pomyślałam o tym, że liryka też może być audiobookiem, więc czuję się jakbym odblokowała nową funkcję z której na pewno będę korzystać.
każdy z tych sonetów jest trochę jak fotografia, albo raczej nagranie, bo są bardzo dynamiczne, różnorodne i ciekawe. czuć w nich realne emocje Mickiewicza, silną tęsknotę i zachwyt nad naturą, która bywa równie piękna co niebezpieczna. wcześniej nie pomyślałam o tym, że liryka też może być audiobookiem, więc czuję się jakbym odblokowała nową funkcję z której na pewno będę korzystać.
November 22, 2020
7,5/10
October 1, 2022
Nie wszystko zostało zrozumiane 😔
November 13, 2022
zapomnialzm o istnieniu tej aplikacji🤣🤣
April 23, 2023
Adam Mickiewicz i "Sonety Krymskie" bawią z moim umysłem, a ja jeszcze nie poznałam zasad gry.
March 3, 2025
Ciekawe spojrzenie na wschód okiem Mickiewicza. Mile zaskoczyły perskie akcenty w tym skromnym dziele.
March 17, 2025
Kim ja jestem, żeby oceniać twórczość wieszcza narodowego?
PRZYSZŁYM LITERATUROZNAWCĄ hehe, 3.75
PRZYSZŁYM LITERATUROZNAWCĄ hehe, 3.75
November 16, 2025
[7/10] – (2025) – nienamacalne współuczestnictwo czytelnika w wędrówce przepełnionej orientalnymi barwami, tęsknotą i wiszącą w powietrzu melancholią. moje ulubione to "burza", "grób Potockiej", "pielgrzym" i niezmiennie "stepy akermańskie", przy lekturze których miałem mimowolnie przed oczyma "dzień świra"...
December 21, 2025
daje 3 gwiazdki bo mam wrazenie ze niektore sonety sa GENIALNE a niektore niesamowicie nudne.
June 1, 2025
piękne opisy przyrody
December 24, 2020
Fajne, zwlaszcza gdy sie mieszka na emigracji w Irlandii
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews