The Lenten Bitter Lamentation Hymns of Poland

The Lenten season within the Christian faith is a preparation period before Easter designed to emulate the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert before his death. 

It is meant to be a time of quiet contemplation and self-examination, of limiting worldly distractions and reflecting on the passion and death of Jesus Christ…all intended to help Christians prepare their hearts for the joyous celebration of Jesus' Resurrection. 

This is often done through spending time in silent prayer at the foot of a cross, or participating in the Way of the Cross that takes the faithful through the events that led to His death and crucifixion. 

In its long and venerable history as a Catholic nation, Poland has observed this liturgical period with great reverence and solemnity and developed its very own unique Lenten devotion called Gorzkie Żale, the Bitter Lamentations. This Passion service emerged in Poland at the church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw.  
← Edward Knab photo in the village of Okrągła, Poland 

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Initially titled Snopek Miry, it consists of hymns that meditate on the Passion of Christ and the sorrows of His mother, Mary. It was sung for the first time on the first Sunday of Lent on March 13,1707- three centuries ago- and continues to this day in Poland and throughout the Polish diaspora world-wide on Sunday afternoons during Lent.

​Even older than the Bitter Lamentations is Poland’s history of proclaiming its Catholic faith through the erection of thousands of crosses across its entire landscape either on top of pillars and chapels or as a single, massive  structure that rose high in the sky, visible from long distances to inspire thought and prayer.  The crosses were called Boże Męki, or God’s Passion/Suffering.  

←Radomska Biblioteka Cyfrowa Public domain
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There are three different lamentations with different hymns and contemplations with numerous stanza's that rotate each Sunday through the Lenten season. The  following are just a few excerpts sung on the first Sunday of Lent along with examples of the crosses that dot the Polish landscape and inspire contemplation.

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Each Lamentation begins with the : 
 
Pobudka, the Awakening or Wake up call which gives it its title.

         
Gorzkie żale, przybywajcie,
 Serca nasze przenikajcie,
 Rozpłyńcie się, me źrenice,
 Toczcie smutnych łez krynice.
 
Let us pray in contemplation,
While we sing this lamentation.
With eyes tearful, hearts repenting,
Let us grieve with no relenting.




← Edward Knab photo in the village of Frampol, Poland 
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The  Hymn

Żal duszę ściska, serce boleść czuje,
Gdy słodki Jezus na śmierć się gotuje;
Klęczy w Ogrójcu, gdy krwawy pot leje,
Me serce mdleje.
 
Sorrow afflicts me, my heart bleeds in pain
As sweet Jesus, prepares for death
Kneeling in the garden, drenched in bloody sweat
My heart sickens.

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​The  Lament
 
Jezu, na zabicie okrutne,
Cichy Baranku od wrogów szukany,
Jezu mój kochany!
 
Jesus, sought by the maddened rabble
like meekest of lambs driven to slaughter.
My Jesus, I love you.


← Edward Knab photo from a roadside chapel in the village of Lipa, Poland 

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At the foot of many crosses is an image of the Blessed Mother who also suffered as she watched the sacrifice of her Son and gives meaning to the last part of the devotion:
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​The Soul Converses With The Sorrowing Mother
 
Powiedz mi, o Panno moja, Czemu blednieje twarz Twoja? Czemu gorzkie łzy lejesz?
Widzę, że Syn ukochany, W Ogrójcu cały zalany, Potu krwawym potokiem.
O Matko, źródło miłości, Niech czuję gwałt Twej żałości! Dozwól mi z sobą płakać!
 
Tell me, O my Virgin, why does your face turn pale? Why do you shed bitter tears?
I see your beloved Son, in the Garden of Olives, completely drenched in a bloody stream of sweat.
O Mother, source of love, let me feel the violence of your sorrow! Allow me to weep with you!
 
​↑ Edward Knab photo from a roadside chapel in the village of Kurzyna Mała, Poland 

 For those who lived in small hamlets and villages far from parish churches, the devotion was held in someone's home along with other prayers and Lenten hymns. Palm Sunday was the last time the Gorzki Żale devotion was sung.  The Christian world now entered Holy Week and the Passion of Christ.

Thanks so much for reading.

For more about the roadside crosses and shrines of Poland see: Spirit of Place: The Roadside Shrines of Poland Hippocrene Books, Inc. and about the celebration of Holy Week and Easter see: Polish Customs, Traditions and Folklore, also by Hippocrene Books, Inc.
Hippocrene Books, Inc. is offering a special promotion of 40% off on all my books through Indiepubs.com with the promo code HIPPOCRENE40. https://indiepubs.com/search?type=product&q=sophie+hodorowicz+knab

The books are also available at Polish Art Center www.polartcenter.com/Polish-Customs-Traditions-and-Folklore-Softcover-p/9836057.htm

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