KORDIANBYJULIUSZ SŁOWACKITranslated, with notes and introduction byGerard T. Kapolka

PREFACEKordian is a difficult play to interpret, even for those who are well acquaintedwith Poland’s history and her literary traditions. It will be all the more difficult for English readers not steeped in these. Like most other major works of Polish literature it isintimately bound with questions of Polish history, Polish national consciousness, and thefuture of the Polish nation. Nevertheless, only a handful of other works from the canon of Polish literature could be said to be as pivotal for the understanding of the developmentof Polish literature as a whole, the development of Poland’s Romantic movement (her literary golden age), and certain self-critical aspects of the Polish national character. Itacts as a foil to Poland’s national tragedy,

Forefathers’ Eve Part III

by Adam Mickiewicz,and it is required reading in all Polish schools. With that play and Zygmunt Krasiński’s

Undivine Comedy

, it forms a kind of trilogy of Polish Messianism pivotal to theRomantic age. It is also one of the most popular plays in Polish culture, in constant production somewhere in the country. An English translation of this play is long overdue.In my introduction I have tried to provide essential background information sothat non-Polish readers will be able to understand the play, an overview of the play’scomplex structure, and a brief analysis of some of its major themes. I have left theexplanation of the more specific allusions to the notes. I have relied heavily on theBiblioteka Narodowa edition of

Kordian

, seventh edition, edited by Mieczysław Inglot(Wrocław: 1986), especially for the information contained in its introduction and notes.This edition also provided the Polish text from which my translation was made.Like most Polish verse,

Kordian

uses syllabic versification. The thirteen syllableline dominates, but eleven and eight syllable lines are also used. The text is rhymedthroughout in various patterns, but seldom in couplets. In deference to Słowacki’sobvious fondness for Shakespeare, I have rendered most of the play into (contemporary) blank verse. This seems to best suit the subject matter. I have, however, used rhymes inseveral sections where it seemed appropriate: the Motto; the Prologue; all scenesdominated by supernatural powers (including the entire “Preparation” section); the scenein which Kordian is confronted by the personified “Terror” and “Imagination”, and thefable presented , and all songs and verse that are sung or recited within the play. Here tooI have continued the irregular iambic meter, sometimes shortening the lines.For purposes of prosody, I must note how various names and places must be pronounced:Kordian = Kor’ dyahnTwardowski = Tvar dof’ skeeGrzegorz = Gzheh’ gosh (o as in English for)Janek = Yah’ neck Kazimierz = Kah zhee’ myeshMaciejowice = Mah chay o vee’ tsehIvan (Russian) = Ee vahn’Dąbrowski = Dome brof’ skee