Poems

Disclaimer

The following English translations of Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna’s poems were written for the purpose of publishing an English language version of Karol Szymanowski’s Rymy dziecięce (Children’s Rhymes), op. 49 musical score. Although every effort was made to honor the meaning of Iłłakowiczówna’s poetry, there were occasions when it was necessary to take the liberty of poetic license when writing the English translations. The reason for this, is that the English translations had to be written in such a way so as to fit into the rhythm of Karol Szymanowski’s musical score. Alternate text choices in English of Iłłakowiczówna’s original Polish poems were sometimes used because the exact meaning would require adding or subtracting syllables and changing the rhythm of Szymanowski’s vocal melodies. For this reason, you may encounter translations that do not express the literal meaning of the original Polish poems. I will add that it was not our intention to be poetic when writing these English score translations. On occasion, however, we were successful in capturing both meaning and rhyme within Szymanowski’s musical parameters. If you are a singer, perhaps you would consider performing these songs on your concerts.

Laura Kafka-Price