Editing Poland Is Not Yet Lost (section)

== History ==
=== Origin ===
[[File:Jan Henryk Dabrowski 2.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Jan Henryk Dąbrowski]] (1755–1818)]]

{{see also|Polish Legions (Napoleonic era)}}

In 1795, after a prolonged decline and despite last-minute attempts at constitutional reforms and armed resistance, the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] was ultimately [[Partitions of Poland|partitioned]] by its three neighbors: [[Russian Empire|Russia]], [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] and [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]]. A once vast and powerful empire was effectively erased from the map while monarchs of the partitioning powers pledged never to use the name "Poland" in their official titles. For many, including even leading representatives of the [[Polish Enlightenment]], this new political situation meant an end of the Polish nation.<ref name=czaplin>{{cite book|location=Kraków|publisher=[[Znak (publisher)|Znak]]|last=Czapliński|first=Władysław|author-link=Władysław Czapliński|title=Zarys dziejów Polski do roku 1864|language=pl|trans-title=Outline of Polish history to the year 1864|year=1985|isbn=8370060579|lccn=86100095|oclc=16228048}}</ref> In the words of [[Hugo Kołłątaj]], a notable Polish political thinker of the time, "Poland no longer belonged to currently extant nations,"{{efn|Polish: {{lang|pl|(Polska) przestała należeć do narodów aktualnie będących}}.<ref name=czaplin />}} while historian [[Tadeusz Czacki]] declared that Poland "was now effaced from the number of nations."{{efn|Polish: {{lang|pl|Polska wymazana jest z liczby narodów}}.<ref name=czaplin />}}

[[File:Jozef Wybicki 1805 (14441287) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Józef Wybicki]] (1747–1822)]]

Meanwhile, Polish patriots and revolutionaries turned for help to [[French First Republic|France]], Poland's traditional ally, which was at war with Austria (member of the [[First Coalition]]) at the time. [[Józef Wybicki]] was among the leading moderate émigré politicians seeking French aid in re-establishing Polish independence. In 1796, he came up with the idea of creating Polish Legions within the [[French Revolutionary Army]]. To this end, he convinced General [[Jan Henryk Dąbrowski]], a hero of the [[Greater Poland Uprising (1794)|Greater Poland campaign]] of the 1794 [[Kościuszko Uprising]], to come to Paris and present the plan to the [[French Directory]]. Dąbrowski was sent by the Directory to Napoleon who was then spreading the [[French Revolution]] in northern Italy. In January 1797, the newly created French-controlled [[Cisalpine Republic]] accepted Dąbrowski's offer and a Polish legion was formed. Dąbrowski and his soldiers hoped to fight against Austria under Napoleon and, subsequently, march across the Austrian territory, "from Italy to Poland", where they would ignite a national uprising.<ref name=czaplin/>

[[File:Lapide Wybicki.jpg|thumb|right|A commemorative plaque in [[Reggio Emilia]], Italy]]

In early July 1797, Wybicki arrived in Reggio Emilia where the Polish Legions were then quartered and where he wrote the ''Song of the Polish Legions'' soon afterwards. He first sung it at a private meeting of Polish officers in the Legions' headquarters at the episcopal palace in Reggio. The first public performance most probably took place on 16 July 1797 during a military parade in Reggio's Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square). On 20 July, it was played again as the Legions were marching off from Reggio to [[Milan]], the Cisalpine capital.<ref name=kuczyn/>

With its heart-lifting lyrics and folk melody, the song soon became a popular tune among Polish legionaries. On 29 August 1797, Dąbrowski already wrote to Wybicki from [[Bologna]]: "soldiers gain more and more taste for your song."{{efn|Polish: {{lang|pl|Żołnierze do Twojej pieśni coraz więcej gustu nabierają}}.<ref name=kuczyn />}} It appealed to both officers, usually émigré noblemen, and simple soldiers, most of whom were [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galician]] peasants who had been drafted into the Austrian army and captured as [[Prisoner of war|POWs]] by the French. The last stanza, referring to Kościuszko, who famously fought for freedom of the entire nation rather than the nobility alone, and the "scythes of Racławice", seems to be directed particularly at the latter. Wybicki may have even hoped for Kościuszko to arrive in Italy and personally lead the Legions which might explain why the chorus "March, march, Dąbrowski" is not repeated after the last stanza. At that time Wybicki was not yet aware that Kościuszko had already returned to [[Philadelphia]].<ref name=kuczyn/>

=== Rising popularity ===
The song became popular in Poland as soon as late 1797 and quickly became an object of variations and modifications. A variant from 1798 introduced some stylistic changes, which have since become standard, such as replacing {{lang|pl|nie umarła}} ('not dead') with {{lang|pl|nie zginęła}} ('not perished') or {{lang|pl|do Polski z ziemi włoski}} ('to Poland from the Italian land') with {{lang|pl|z ziemi włoskiej do Polski}} ('from the Italian land to Poland'). It also added four new stanzas, now forgotten, written from the viewpoint of Polish patriots waiting for General Dąbrowski to bring freedom and human rights to Poland.

[[File:Piesn Legionow - Mowi ojciec do swej Basi (76123674) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|left|''Father, in tears, says to his Basia...'']]

The ultimate fate of the Polish Legions in Italy was different from that promised by Wybicki's song. Rather than coming back to Poland, they were exploited by the French government to quell uprisings in Italy, Germany and, later, in [[Haiti]] where they were decimated by [[Haitian Revolution|war]] and disease.<ref name=czaplin/> Polish national hopes were revived with the outbreak of a Franco-Prussian war (part of the [[War of the Fourth Coalition]]) in 1806. Napoleon called Dąbrowski and Wybicki to come back from Italy and help gather support for the French army in Polish-populated parts of Prussia. On 6 November 1806, both generals arrived in [[Poznań]],<ref name=czaplin/> enthusiastically greeted by locals singing "Poland Is Not Yet Lost".<ref name=kuczyn/> The ensuing [[Greater Poland Uprising (1806)|Greater Poland Uprising]] and Napoleon's victory over Russian forces at [[Battle of Friedland|Friedland]] led to the creation of a French-controlled Polish puppet state known as the [[Duchy of Warsaw]].<ref name=czaplin/>

"Poland Is Not Yet Lost" was one of the most popular patriotic songs in the duchy, stopping short of becoming that entity's national anthem. Among other occasions, it was sung in Warsaw on 16 June 1807 to celebrate the battle of Friedland, in [[Kraków]] as it was liberated by Prince [[Józef Poniatowski]] on 19 July 1809, and at a ball in Warsaw on 23 December 1809, the birthday of [[Frederick Augustus I of Saxony|Frederick Augustus]], King of Saxony and Duke of Warsaw. On the occasion of Dąbrowski's [[name day]] on 25 December 1810 in Poznań, Dąbrowski and Wybicki led the mazurka to the tune of "Poland Is Not Yet Lost". Although the melody of Wybicki's song remained unchanged and widely known, the lyrics kept changing. With the signing of a Franco-Russian alliance at [[Treaties of Tilsit|Tilsit]] in 1807, the fourth stanza, specifically mentioning Russians as Poland's enemies, was removed. The last stanza, referring to Kościuszko, who had grown suspicious of Napoleon and refused to lend his support to the emperor's war in Poland, met the same fate.<ref name=kuczyn/>

{{Quote box|quote=<poem>
The blow struck with such skill, with such force unsurpassed,
That the strings rang out boldly, like trumpets of brass,
And from them to the heavens that song wafted, cherished,
That triumphal march: Poland has never yet perished!
...March Dąbrowski to Poland! – The audience entire
Clapped, and all "March Dąbrowski!" cried out as a choir.</poem>
|author=Adam Mickiewicz
|source=<br />''[[Pan Tadeusz]]'' (Book Twelve, ''Love and Friendship!'')<ref>{{cite book|location=Blackheath, N.S.W|publisher=Verand Press|editor-last=Weyland|editor-first=Marcel|editor-link=Marcel Weyland|last=Mickiewicz|first=Adam|author-link=Adam Mickiewicz|translator=Marcel Weyland|others=Illustrated by Philippa Weyland|title=Pan Tadeusz; or the last foray in Lithuania: a tale of the gentry during 1811–1812|orig-year=First published 1834 in Polish|year=2004|isbn=1876454164|oclc=224592497|url=http://www.antoranz.net/BIBLIOTEKA/PT051225/PanTad-eng/PT-Start.htm#CONTENTS|access-date=8 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102223613/http://www.antoranz.net/BIBLIOTEKA/PT051225/PanTad-eng/PT-Start.htm#CONTENTS|archive-date=2 January 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|salign=right
}}

The anthem is mentioned twice in ''[[Pan Tadeusz]]'', the Polish [[national epic]] written by Adam Mickiewicz in 1834, but set in the years 1811–1812. The author makes the first reference to the song when Tadeusz, the main protagonist, returns home and, recalling childhood memories, pulls the string of a chiming clock to hear the "old Dąbrowski's Mazurka" once again. [[Music box]]es and [[musical clock]]s playing the melody of ''Poland Is Not Yet Lost'' belonged to popular patriotic paraphernalia of that time. The song appears in the epic poem again when Jankiel, a Jewish [[Hammered dulcimer|dulcimerist]] and ardent Polish patriot, plays the mazurka in the presence of General Dąbrowski himself.<ref name=kuczyn/>

[[File:Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła.jpg|thumb|left|Charles Michel Guilbert d'Anelle, ''Expiring Soldier of Liberty'' (1849). The painting shows a dying [[freedom fighter]] scrawling "Poland is not yet lost" in his blood.]]

With Napoleon's defeat and the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815 came a century of foreign domination over Poland interspersed with occasional bursts of armed rebellion. "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" continued to be sung throughout that period, especially during national uprisings. During the [[November Uprising]] against Russia in 1830–1831, the song was chanted in the battlefields of [[Battle of Stoczek|Stoczek]], [[Battle of Olszynka Grochowska|Olszynka Grochowska]] and [[Battle of Iganie|Iganie]]. In peacetime, Polish patriots performed it at homes, official functions and political demonstrations. New variants of the song, of various artistic value and length of life, abounded. At least 16 alternative versions were penned during the November Uprising alone. At times, Dąbrowski's name was replaced by other national heroes: from [[Józef Chłopicki]] during the November Uprising to [[Józef Piłsudski]] during the First World War to [[Władysław Sikorski]] during the Second World War. New lyrics were also written in regional dialects of Polish, from [[Silesia]] to [[Warmia|Ermland]] and [[Masuria]].<ref name=kuczyn/> A variant known as "Marsz Polonii" ('March of Polonia') spread among [[Polish diaspora|Polish immigrants]] in the [[Americas]].

Mass political emigration following the defeat of the November Uprising, known as the [[Great Emigration]], brought "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" to Western Europe. It soon found favor from Britain to France to Germany where it was performed as a token of sympathy with the Polish cause. It was also highly esteemed in Central Europe where various, mostly [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]], peoples struggling for their own independence, looked to the Polish anthem for inspiration. Back in Poland, however, especially in the parts under Russian and Prussian rule, it was becoming increasingly risky to sing the anthem in public. Polish patriotic songs were banned in Prussia in 1850; between 1873 and 1911, German courts passed 44 sentences for singing such songs, 20 of which were specifically for singing "Poland Is Not Yet Lost". When Poland was part of the [[Russian Empire]], public performance of the song often ended with police intervention.<ref name=kuczyn/>

=== Choice of national anthem ===
When Poland re-emerged as an independent state after World War I in 1918, it had to make a decision about its national symbols. While the coat of arms and the flag were officially adopted as soon as 1919, the question of a national anthem had to wait. Apart from "Poland Is Not Yet Lost", there were other popular patriotic songs which could compete for the status of an official national anthem.

[[File:Bogurodzica rekopis1407.png|thumb|Sheet music for ''[[Bogurodzica]]'' from 1407]]
[[File:Poland is Not Yet Lost!.png|thumb|Poland is Not Yet Lost!]]

In the Middle Ages, the role of a national anthem was played by hymns. Among them were "[[Bogurodzica]]" ('Mother of God'), one of the oldest (11th–12th century) known literary texts in Polish, and the Latin "[[Gaude Mater Polonia]]" ('Rejoice, Mother Poland'), written in the 13th century to celebrate the canonization of Bishop [[Stanislaus of Szczepanów]], the patron saint of Poland. Both were chanted on special occasions and on battlefields. The latter is sung nowadays at university ceremonies. During the [[Renaissance in Poland|Renaissance]] and the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], several songs, both religious and secular, were written with the specific purpose of creating a new national anthem. Examples include the 16th-century Latin prayer {{lang|la|Oratio pro Republica et Rege}} ('Prayer for the Commonwealth and the King') by a Calvinist poet, [[Andrzej Trzeciński]], and "{{lang|pl|Hymn do miłości Ojczyzny|italic=no}}" ('Hymn to the Love of the Fatherland') written in 1744 by Prince-Bishop [[Ignacy Krasicki]]. They failed, however, to win substantial favor with the populace. Another candidate was "{{lang|pl|[[Bóg się rodzi]]|italic=no}}" ('God Is Born'), whose melody was originally a 16th-century coronation [[polonaise (dance)]] for Polish kings.

The official anthem of the Russian-controlled [[Congress Poland|Congress Kingdom of Poland]] was "{{lang|pl|Pieśń narodowa na pomyślność Króla|italic=no}}" ('National Song to the King's Prosperity') written in 1816 by [[Alojzy Feliński]] and Jan Kaszewski. Initially unpopular, it evolved in the early 1860s into an important religious and patriotic hymn. The final verse, which originally begged "Save, O Lord, our King", was substituted with "Return us, O Lord, our free Fatherland" while the melody was replaced with that of a Marian hymn. The result, known today as "[[Boże, coś Polskę]]" (from the first lines "Boże! Coś Polskę przez tak liczne wieki / Otaczał blaskiem potęgi i chwały...", "Lord! Who for so many ages enclosed Poland with the light of power and glory..."), has been sung in Polish churches ever since, with the final verse alternating between "Return..." and "Bless, O Lord, our free Fatherland", depending on Poland's political situation.

A national song that was particularly popular during the November Uprising was "[[Warszawianka (1831)|Warszawianka]]", originally written in French as "{{lang|fr|La Varsovienne|italic=no}}" by [[Casimir Delavigne]], with melody by [[Karol Kurpiński]]. The song praised Polish insurgents taking their ideals from the French [[July Revolution]] of 1830. A peasant rebellion against Polish nobles, which took place in western [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria|Galicia]] in 1846 and was encouraged by Austrian authorities who wished to thwart a new uprising attempt, moved [[Kornel Ujejski]] to write a mournful [[chorale]] entitled "{{lang|pl|Z dymem pożarów|italic=no}}" ('With the Smoke of Fires'). With the music composed by {{ill|Józef Nikorowicz|pl}}, it became one of the most popular national songs of the time, although it declined into obscurity during the 20th century. In 1908, [[Maria Konopnicka]] and [[Feliks Nowowiejski]] created "[[Rota (poem)|Rota]]" ('Oath'), a song protesting against the oppression of the Polish population of the [[German Empire]], who were subject to eviction from their land and forced assimilation. First publicly performed in 1910, during a quincentennial celebration of the Polish–Lithuanian victory over the [[Teutonic Knights]] at [[Battle of Grunwald|Grunwald]], it too became one of the most treasured national Polish songs.

At the inauguration of the [[United Nations]] in 1945, no delegation from Poland had been invited.<ref name="YoUN">{{cite journal|location=Lake Success, New York|publisher=United Nations. Office of Public Information|journal=[[Yearbook of the United Nations]]|issn=0082-8521|lccn=47007191|oclc=01768016|volume=1946–47|author=United Nations|title=Origin and Evolution|url=http://unyearbook.un.org/1946-47YUN/1946-47_P1_CH1.pdf|access-date=21 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728143749/http://unyearbook.un.org/1946-47YUN/1946-47_P1_CH1.pdf|archive-date=28 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rp|page=12}}{{efn|name=CoUN|By the [[Polish government-in-exile]] being an original signatory of the ''[[Declaration by United Nations]]'' which pledged itself to the principles embodied in the ''[[Atlantic Charter]]'', Poland is recognized as a founding member state of the United Nations.<ref name="YoUN" />{{rp|page=1}} But a representative of a Polish government did not sign the [[United Nations Charter]] during the [[United Nations Conference on International Organization]].<ref>See empty representatives signature area ''For Poland'' in: {{cite book|location=San Francisco|publisher=[[United Nations]]|author=United Nations|title=Charter of the United Nations and Statute of the International Court of Justice|date=26 June 1945|at=signature area|url=http://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CTC/uncharter.pdf|access-date=21 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116214749/http://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CTC/uncharter.pdf|archive-date=16 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> A Polish delegation was not permitted to be seated.<ref name="YoUN" />{{rp|page=12}}<ref name="Schlesinger2003">See: {{cite book|location=Boulder, Colorado|publisher=Westview Press|last=Schlesinger|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen Schlesinger|title=Act of creation: the founding of the United Nations: a story of superpowers, secret agents, wartime allies and enemies, and their quest for a peaceful world|year=2003|isbn=0813332753|lccn=2003014600|oclc=52520112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oXy9GN4wxEcC|access-date=21 March 2013}}</ref> The [[Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland]] did not recognize the [[Polish government-in-exile]]. By 1945-06-05, both the U.S and U.K Governments withdrew their recognition of the Polish government-in-exile as the legitimate government of Poland.<ref>
{{cite book|editor-last=Stachura|editor-first=Peter D|editor-link=Peter Stachura|title=The Poles in Britain, 1940–2000: from betrayal to assimilation|publisher=Frank Cass|location=London, GB; Portland, Oregon|year=2004|isbn=0714684449|lccn=2003055417|oclc=52553891|chapter=The Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile, 1945–92|last=Rojek|first=Wojciech|page=33|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=09pTHi1D1D8C}}</ref>{{rp|page=33}}<ref name="Schlesinger2003" /> Poland was the 51st nation to sign the ''United Nations Charter'' on 1945-10-15.<ref>{{cite web|location=New York|publisher=United Nations. [[Dag Hammarskjöld Library]]|work=UN Member States on the Record|author=United Nations|title=Founding Member States|date=28 September 2009|url=https://www.un.org/depts/dhl/unms/founders.shtml|access-date=21 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309171653/http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/unms/founders.shtml|archive-date=9 March 2013|url-status=live}}
</ref>}} The Polish pianist [[Artur Rubinstein]], who was to perform the opening concert at the inauguration, began the concert by stating his deep disappointment that the conference did not have a delegation from Poland. Rubinstein later described becoming overwhelmed by a blind fury and angrily pointing out to the public the absence of the [[Flag of Poland|Polish flag]]. He then sat down to the piano and played "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" loudly and slowly, repeating the final part in a great thunderous ''forte''. When he had finished, the public rose to their feet and gave him a great ovation.<ref>{{cite journal|location=Stevens Point, Wisconsin|publisher=Point Publications|journal=[[Gwiazda Polarna]]|issn=0740-5944|date=11 October 2008|volume=99|issue=21|last=Ulanowska|first=Elżbieta|title=Na cześć Artura Rubinsteina: Pianistyczna gala w Łodzi|trans-title=In Honor of Artur Rubinstein: Piano Gala in [[Łódź]]|page=18}}</ref>

Over 60 years later, on 22 September 2005, [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]], [[President of Poland]], said: {{blockquote|For the [[United Nations|UN]] is rightly criticised for being anachronistic, for reflecting the old world that is drifting away into the past. Particularly we, the Polish people, and all the nations of Central and Eastern Europe find it difficult to forget about [[Western betrayal|that]]. The UN idea dates back to 1943; to the [[Tehran Conference|meeting of the "Big Three" in Tehran]]; to the illusions that [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]] harboured about [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]], benevolently nicknamed "Uncle Joe". As a result, the road to [[United Nations Conference on International Organization|San Francisco]] led via [[Yalta Conference|Yalta]]. And even though [[Polish contribution to World War II|Poland had made a major contribution]] to the victory which put an end to the Second World War, in June 1945 a representative of our country was not allowed to put his signature to the [[United Nations Charter]].{{efn|name=CoUN}} We remember that event when Artur Rubinstein, seeing that there was no Polish delegation at the concert to mark the signing of the Charter, decided to play the Dąbrowski Mazurka, Poland's national anthem, to demonstrate that "Poland was not lost yet", that Poland lived on. I am recalling this because I had a very touching moment a few days ago in the same San Francisco opera house, to which I was invited for the opening of the season. This time it was the orchestra that played the Dąbrowski Mazurka, and at that moment the memories of the great Artur Rubinstein and his performance came back with full force and it was very touching indeed for me. The UN is rooted in the Second World War and in the post-war situation; it reflects the balance of power of that era.<ref>{{cite web|location=Warsaw, PL|work=President.pl|last=Kwaśniewski|first=Aleksander|author-link=Aleksander Kwaśniewski|title=Participation of the President of the Republic of Poland in an academic conference: 'The United Nations: an...{{bracket|Assessment and Prospects}}'|date=22 September 2005|url=http://www.president.pl/en/archive/news-archive/news-2005/art,36,participation-of-the-president-of-the-republic-of-poland-in-an-academic-conference-the-united-nations-an-.html|access-date=21 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232924/http://www.president.pl/en/archive/news-archive/news-2005/art,36,participation-of-the-president-of-the-republic-of-poland-in-an-academic-conference-the-united-nations-an-.html|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>}}