Świat ptaków w staropolskich kolędach i pastorałkach (na materiale Kantyczek karmelitańskich z XVII i XVIII wieku)

The article discusses the image of birds as documented in Kantyczki karmelitańskie [Carmelite canticles] from the 17th and the 18th centuries published by Barbara Krzyżaniak in 1980. Birds are to be found in more than 30 lyrics of Christmas carols (for the total number of 357 contained in the set under scrutiny). These include mainly domestic birds, very well-known both to the authors of the canticles and to the recipients and users of Polish Christmas carols and Christmas festivity songs. In total, about 60 species of birds are specified, including two exotic birds (the canary and the parrot). The bird’s realm was used in Christmas carols for different purposes, e.g. in the descriptions of the Bethlehem shed that is inhabited by petty birds, mentioned on account of the enumeration of gifts given to Jesus by shepherds, in accounts of the Flight to Egypt by the Holy Family, and in descriptions of the joy of the whole of the world of nature at the birth of the Saviour. It is worth noting that creators of Christmas carols did not limit themselves to just mentioning names of particular species of birds, but also provide a description of characteristics, sometimes a detailed one, such as the appearance and behaviour of its particular representatives. The carols include, for example, information on the habitat of birds, type and colouring of the plumage, common sounds made by various birds, staple food of birds, the shape of the beak and the size of the gullet. The birds pictured in the Christmas carols were either members of a village band up in the air (some sort of flying band), joyfully proclaiming Good News to the world (a motif often made used of in old-Polish Christmas carols and festive songs), or gathered at the manger to perform menial services and functions in real word reserved only for humans. Birds take on typically human behaviour, show human dispositions and fancies, customs and habits (e.g. wine or beer drinking in the nuptials)

Gwarowe nazwy ubiorów w „Słowniku warszawskim”

The article discusses slang lexis related to garment names, documented in Słownik języka polskiego [Dictionary of Polish Language] by Jan Karłowicz, Adam Kryński, and Władysław Niedźwiedzki (vols. I–VIII, Warszawa 1900–1927). Many of the words are unknown to literary Polish of the first decades of the 20th century, and some differ in their pronunciation, structure, or meaning from garment dictionary used in standard Polish. As the research suggests, the slang material documented in the dictionary is not only rich, but also varied in terms of form and meaning. Characteristically, many words are unstable. Słownik warszawski contains particularly many words for outer garments. Unfortunately, the editing layout of entries in the dictionary makes it impossible to localize the origin of each garment name, and consequently to link it to a particular slang. The explanations of words in the dictionary are usually very short, which often not enough to reconstruct the look and purpose of a garment

Świat ptaków w staropolskich kolędach i pastorałkach (na materiale Kantyczek karmelitańskich z XVII i XVIII wieku)

The article discusses the image of birds as documented in Kantyczki karmelitańskie [Carmelite canticles] from the 17th and the 18th centuries published by Barbara Krzyżaniak in 1980. Birds are to be found in more than 30 lyrics of Christmas carols (for the total number of 357 contained in the set under scrutiny). These include mainly domestic birds, very well-known both to the authors of the canticles and to the recipients and users of Polish Christmas carols and Christmas festivity songs. In total, about 60 species of birds are specified, including two exotic birds (the canary and the parrot). The bird’s realm was used in Christmas carols for different purposes, e.g. in the descriptions of the Bethlehem shed that is inhabited by petty birds, mentioned on account of the enumeration of gifts given to Jesus by shepherds, in accounts of the Flight to Egypt by the Holy Family, and in descriptions of the joy of the whole of the world of nature at the birth of the Saviour. It is worth noting that creators of Christmas carols did not limit themselves to just mentioning names of particular species of birds, but also provide a description of characteristics, sometimes a detailed one, such as the appearance and behaviour of its particular representatives. The carols include, for example, information on the habitat of birds, type and colouring of the plumage, common sounds made by various birds, staple food of birds, the shape of the beak and the size of the gullet. The birds pictured in the Christmas carols were either members of a village band up in the air (some sort of flying band), joyfully proclaiming Good News to the world (a motif often made used of in old-Polish Christmas carols and festive songs), or gathered at the manger to perform menial services and functions in real word reserved only for humans. Birds take on typically human behaviour, show human dispositions and fancies, customs and habits (e.g. wine or beer drinking in the nuptials)

Kolory Afryki w powieści Henryka Sienkiewicza W pustyni i w puszczy. Część I: świat przyrody

The object of studies presented in the article are the designations of colours documented in the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz entitled In Desert and Wilderness. Against all appearances, it is not the issue treated only marginally by the writer, which may be a little surprising if we take into account the character of the book (an adventure novel for youth, focused basically on the lively, attracting attention plot and not on extensive author’s narration). The author of the article distinguishes more than a dozen of groups of realities especially often characterised from the point of view of their colours.Primarily, these are the descriptions concerning the world of African flora and fauna – exotic for the Polish reader. As it results from the conducted studies, the attention of Sienkiewicz is mainly drawn to the colours of animals, especially birds. It is likely that the writer’s  predilection for hunting played here a decisive role. African flora is basically presented in the form of colourful spots against the background of greenery, and not by detailed descriptions of the appearance of individual representatives of a given species. Additionally, the writer’s interest is aroused by changes of colours of the sky and the whole surrounding world depending on the time of day, atmospheric conditions, light intensity (mainly sunrises and sunsets)

Obraz pasterzy w staropolskich kolędach i pastorałkach (na materiale tzw. „Kantyczek karmelitańskich” z XVII i XVIII wieku)

oai:ojs.pressto.amu.edu.pl:article/6636The image of shepherds in old Polish Christmas carols and pastoral Christmas carols (based on the material provided by the so-called Carmelite Canticles “Kantyczki karmelitańskie” from the 17th and the 18th centuries) Summary The article discusses the images of shepherds, that have come to be identified with Christmas, as they were created in Christmas carol songs written by Polish authors through the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries. The study covers 358 songs included in the so-called “Kantyczki karmelitańskie” (Carmelitan Canticles) compiled and written down in the eighteenth century (presumably from the 1720s to the end of the century) for the use of the Cracow-based Carmelite nuns. In 1980, the collection of songs was published by Barbara Krzyżaniak (see Kantyczki karmelitańskie. Rękopis z XVIII wieku, przygotowała do wydania B. Krzyżaniak, Kraków 1980, 419). A thorough analysis of the collection has made it possible to identify that a large portion of the Christmas carols that introduce the pastoral thread make up for the bulk of the manuscript under scrutiny (about 46 per cent of the texts). These are original songs, deeply embedded in Old Polish social and natural reality (with mainly pastoral and rustic setting), and thus easily reaching a wide audience of the time. The image of shepherds reconstructed on the basis of the works in the collection includes such elements as: 1) Christian names, surnames (patronymics), and nicknames of shepherds (in all, more than 140 anthroponyms, included in the appendix); 2) characteristic physical and psychological features attributed to particular members of the community of shepherds; 3) the set of social rules governing the relations within the group; 4) particular distinctive and characteristic elements of represented world in which the community operated (e.g. shepherd’s attires, home utensils and equipment to be used for agricultural production, food and dairy products, farm animals and musical instruments). The author claims that the informative nature of the texts clearly indicates that the image of shepherds preserved in Christmas carols had been succumbed to a far-reaching Polonisation process. The settings for the Christmas carol songs were thus purposefully and consistently embedded in Polish local and authentic reality, which undoubtedly gave them mass appeal to people across a wide spectrum of social sectors. Keywords: literature, the Enlightenment, religious lyric poetry, song, Christmas carol, pastoral Christmas carol, religion, Christma

Obraz pasterzy w staropolskich kolędach i pastorałkach (na materiale tzw. „Kantyczek karmelitańskich” z XVII i XVIII wieku). Cz. II

This article is an attempt at reconstructing the image reflected in Old Polish Christmas carols of the activities pursued by shepherds following the news of the Saviour’s birth. The analysed material comes from the so-called “Carmelite Canticles” written in the 18th century for the Krakow female Carmelites. The research results suggest that a large part of the stories included in the Carmelite manuscripts of Christmas carols were modelled on the compositional structure of a classic Polish Christmas carol. This consisted of three elements: 1) the angels notifying the shepherds that the Saviour was born; 2) the confusion among the awoken shepherds, their preparations for leaving and the trip to Bethlehem; 3) paying homage to the Infant Jesus on arrival, presenting their gifts, shared celebrations at the manger and the shepherds’ return home. The analysed works demonstrate that the described events bear a strong Polish touch. In old Polish carols the shepherds were presented as a group of impoverished yet well-organized members of a rural society, capable of rational decisions and specific activities in unaccustomed circumstances. Special attention should be paid to the hierarchy among shepherds; it favoured the elder and best educated individuals, collective decision-making and care for all members of the shepherding community, including those less physically fit. The image of the shepherds preserved in the carols is very realistic, diversified and dynamic. Their quite detailed descriptions give an indication of how the poor lived in Polish villages of the 17th and 18th centuries and how well these communities were organized

Kolory Afryki w powieści Henryka Sienkiewicza W pustyni i w puszczy. Część II: ludzie i ich wytwory

The object of studies presented in the article are the designations of colours documented in the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz entitled In Desert and Wilderness. Against all appearances, it is not the issue treated only marginally by the writer, which may be a little surprising if we take into account the character of the book (an adventure novel for youth, focused basically on the lively, attracting attention plot and not on extensive author’s narration). The author of the article distinguishes more than a dozen of groups of realities especially often characterised from the point of view of their colours.Primarily, these are the descriptions concerning the world of African flora and fauna – exotic for the Polish reader. As it results from the conducted studies, the attention of Sienkiewicz is mainly drawn to the colours of animals, especially birds. It is likely that the writer’s predilection for hunting played here a decisive role. African flora is basically presented in the form of colourful spots against the background of greenery, and not by detailed descriptions of the appearance of individual representatives of a given species.Additionally, the writer’s interest is aroused by changes of colours of the sky and the whole surrounding world depending on the time of day, atmospheric conditions, light intensity (mainly sunrises and sunsets).In the descriptions of people, the narrator pays attention to the differences in the skin colour of the Europeans, Blacks and Arabs. Sienkiewicz devoted less attention to the colours of clothes or ornaments worn by African residents.The lexis used in the novel, belonging to the field of colours, although semantic­ally quite rich and formally varied, is not very original. There dominate here typical adjectival designations used in their basic meanings, instead of inventive comparisons or metaphors, e.g., biały (white), czarny (black), czerwony (red), zielony (green), żółty (yellow), niebieski (blue), różowy (pink), szary (grey), srebrny (silver), złoty (gold).In the studied novel, the field of red has been documented with most examples (e.g., czerwonoskóry (red-skinned), czerwony (red), koralowy (coral), krwawy (bloody), ognisty (fiery), purpurowy (purple), wiśniowy (cherry), zaczerwieniony (reddened); czerwono (red), pąsowo (bright red), wiśniowo (cherry); purpura (purple), rubin (ruby); czerwienić się (to become red), zaczerwienić się (to redden)), and further on: the field of white (for example: białawy (whitish), biały (white), pobladły (pale), śnieżny (snowy), wybielony (whitened), zbielały (bleached); biało (white); pobielenie (whitening); blednąć (to become pale), bielić się (to grow white), pobieleć (to become white), poblednąć (to grow pale), wybieleć (to grow white), zabielić się (to paint white), zblednąć (to turn pale)), the field of blue (for example: błękitnawy (bluish), błękitny (azure), granatowy (navy blue), jasnoniebieski (light blue), niebieski (blue), sinawy (glaucous), siny (livid), siwobłękitny (grey blue); błękitno (blue); błękit (azure); sinieć (to become livid)), the field of green (for example: ciemnozielony (dark green), jasnozielony (bright green), koloru morskiej wody (the colour of sea-water), szarozielony (grey-green), zielonawy (greenish), zielony (green); zielonawo (greeny), zielono (green); zieloność (greenness)), and also the field of black (for example: barwy węgla (the colour of coal), czarny (black), poczerniały (blackened), sczerniały (turned black); czarno (black); czernieć (to grow black), czernić się (to go black), sczernieć (to grow black)), the field of grey (for example: płowoszary (tan-grey), popielaty (ash-coloured), stalowy (steel-like), szary (grey), szyfrowy (slate), zielonoszary (green-grey); poszarzeć (to become grey)), the field of brown (for example: brunatny (tawny), kasztanowy (auburn), opalony (suntanned), rudy (ginger), smagły; opalać się (to bronze), opalić się (to get a suntan)), the field of yellow (for example: cynamonowy (cinnamon), płowożółty (buff-yellow), płowy (buff), woskowy (wax), żółty (yellow)), the field of silver (for example: srebrny (silver), srebrzysty (silvery); srebrno (silver); posrebrzeć (to silver-plate), rozsrebrzyć (to become silvery)), the field of pink (for example: różany, różowy; różowo; różowieć), the field of gold (for example: złoty (golden); złoto (gold); złocić się (to show golden)) and the field of violet (for example: lila (lilac), liliowy (lilac); ametyst (amethyst)). In the field of varied colours we can find, among others, such designations as: pręgowany (striped), pstry (spotted), siedmiobarwny (seven-coloured), różnobarwny (many-coloured), różnokolorowy (colourfull), drgać odblaskami pawich piór (tremble with reflections of peacock feathers), mienić się jak opale (to shimmer like opals), mienić się jak tęcza (to shimmer like a rainbow), mienić się i grać wszelkimi barwami jak wielkie kwiaty (to glitter and play with all colours like huge flowers), przybrać barwę muszli perłowej (to assume the colour of a pearl conch). Among the general descriptions of colours we can enumerate the adjective kolorowy (colourful) and the expression jaskrawo upierzony (brightly feathered), which can signify both mono-, as well as multi- colours of the realities being described.In the studied novel, there are quite numerous examples of words from the field signalling different intensity of light, from full brightness to absolute darkness, for instance: blady (pale), blado (pale), blask (radiance), blednąć (to grow pale), jasny (bright), rozjaśnić (to light up), światło (light), ciemny (dark), ciemno (dark), ciemność/ciemność tak gęsta, że prawie namacalna (darkness/darkness so thick as almost touchable), ćma (moth), mrok (dimness), pociemnieć (to make dark), ściemnić się (to become dark).Two adjectives designating colours manifest the greatest frequency, i.e., biały (white) (106 occurrences in the text) and czarny (black) (58 occurrences), and subsequently – according to the frequency of use – the adjectives: czerwony – red (24), różowy – pink (16), zielony – green (13), żółty – yellow (10), płowy – buff (9), szary – grey (9), srebrny – silver (7), niebieski – blue (6), złoty – gold (6), białawy – whitish (5), błękitny – blue (5), purpurowy – purple (5), popielaty – ash-coloured (4).Additionally, attention should be brought to the designations of colours in less ­typical forms, e.g., comparisons, metonymy, metaphor. Among the comparative expressions we can find the designations frequently used in Polish, such as: biały jak kreda/mleko/papier/śnieg (as white as chalk/milk/paper/snow), czarny jak aksamit/kir/noc (as black as velvet/pall/night ), czarno jak w piwnicy (as black as in the cellar), czerwony jak krew (as red as blood), szary jak mysz (as grey as a mouse). Among the designations of colours which are less typical than the ones mentioned above there are collocations such as: drgać odblaskami pawich piór (tremble with reflections of peacock feathers), mieć barwę czystego ametystu (to have the colour of pure amethist), przybrać barwę muszli perłowej (to assume the colour of a pearl conch), mienić się jak opale (to shimmer like opals), mienić się jak tęcza (to shimmer like a rainbow).There is definitely more information about the colours of the world depicted in the studied novel by Sienkiewicz than in The Trilogy written by the same author, especially when we take into account the differences in length of the analysed writings. In the novel In Desert and Wilderness there dominate the descriptions of colours of nature—which is exotic for Polish readers—rather than people, which results, among others, in greater frequency of designations from the colour field ascribed to African flora (green and pink) if we compare it with The Trilogy

Nazwy kolorów w leksyce odzieżowej (na materiale Słownika ubiorów Ireny Turnau)

The Dictionary of Clothing by Irena Turnau records 113 lexemes defining the colours of clothes and fabrics used in the Polish language from the 14th century until the beginning of the 19th century. The material collected by the author of the Dictionary originates from the sources that are seldom taken into account by lexicographers, that is from inventories, last wills, bills, the data recorded by guilds and merchandise official prices, and because of this a large group of words was not documented in the dictionaries of historical Polish and monographs devoted to the names of colours (in the index placed at the end of the article, such words have been highlighted with bold type). In the analysed material, a quite numerous group of loan words (mainly from French and Italian) is represented, used in Polish only periodically, but also the vernacular formations, most often found with the suffix -owy, derived from the word-forming bases being the names of flora, fauna and cookery, precious and semiprecious stones, minerals, metals, atmospheric phenomena etc. The names of various shades of red colour, then yellow, blue and green dominate among the lexical items describing the colours of clothes and fabrics. The remaining palette of colours is represented by fewer examples. We can include here such names of colours as: grey-brown, brown, violet and white. The descriptions of the colours of clothes and fabrics contained in the Dictionary of Clothes by Irena Turnau, do not fully represent a whole richness of lexicon of the studied semantic field. It is also difficult to answer unambiguously the question about the reasons which decided about this specific selection of material, because, next to the names which were not documented previously, there appears here also the generally known vocabulary which has been in use in the Polish language until today. Also, the author does not separate the lexicon used all over Poland from dialectal names

Polskie realia w kolędach i pastorałkach XVII i XVIII wieku (na materiale tzw. Kantyczek karmelitańskich)

oai:ojs.pressto.amu.edu.pl:article/194The object of research for the author of the article has been the ancient realities recorded in the texts of carols from the 17th and 18th centuries. The material originates from an extensive manuscript collection of Christmas carols and songs, comprising 357 texts, owned by the cloister of Carmelite nuns in Cracow. This invaluable written monument of religious lyric poetry was published in print by Barbara Krzyżaniak in 1980. The image of the world presented in the Old-Polish carols reflects – in a careful and detailed manner – the realities of the Baroque and the Enlightenment periods, especially the realities of poor Polish rural areas, which the authors of Christmas carols must have known firsthand. Specific saturation of Christmas songs with lay motifs can be observed in the central and closing part of the studied collection.In the lexicon found in Kantyczki karmelitańskie, which describes Old-Polish realities, two basic categories can be distinguished: one of them is composed of proper names (mainly the names and nicknames of shepherds and the names of nuns), the second – much more extensive and internally diversified – comprises the names of all kinds of objects that appear in the descriptions of shepherds’ preparations prior to their journey or merry-making at Christ’s crib. They are, for example, the information about the clothes worn by shepherds, farming implements and household objects, the means of transportation, foodstuffs, dishes, the animals reared or living free, the plants cultivated by people or growing naturally, musical instruments etc.

The representation of shepherds in Old Polish Christmas carols (on the basis of the so-called “Carmelite Canticles” from the 17th and 18th centuries) Part II

This article is an attempt at reconstructing the image reflected in Old Polish Christmas carols of the activities pursued by shepherds following the news of the Saviour’s birth. The analysed material comes from the so-called “Carmelite Canticles” written in the 18th century for the Krakow female Carmelites. The research results suggest that a large part of the stories included in the Carmelite manuscripts of Christmas carols were modelled on the compositional structure of a classic Polish Christmas carol. This consisted of three elements: 1) the angels notifying the shepherds that the Saviour was born; 2) the confusion among the awoken shepherds, their preparations for leaving and the trip to Bethlehem; 3) paying homage to the Infant Jesus on arrival, presenting their gifts, shared celebrations at the manger and the shepherds’ return home. The analysed works demonstrate that the described events bear a strong Polish touch. In old Polish carols the shepherds were presented as a group of impoverished yet well-organized members of a rural society, capable of rational decisions and specific activities in unaccustomed circumstances. Special attention should be paid to the hierarchy among shepherds; it favoured the elder and best educated individuals, collective decision-making and care for all members of the shepherding community, including those less physically fit. The image of the shepherds preserved in the carols is very realistic, diversified and dynamic. Their quite detailed descriptions give an indication of how the poor lived in Polish villages of the 17th and 18th centuries and how well these communities were organized