The artist Marek Zulawski, translation & Polish-British culture

Hi,

What with my grandfather Jerzy Żuławski's 150th anniversary this year, I thought I'd translate something of his.

It's the start of a short story he wrote called A Fairy Tale about a Happy Man.

Cover of the 1928 edition via polona.pl

It was first published in 1905 and was later the first in of a collection of stories published in 1910 which bears the same title.

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A Fairy Tale about a Happy Man

Once upon a time, there was a man — an ordinary man no different from other ordinary people, except for one thing. He was happy. How it happened, where it came from, he couldn't even explain himself. And he couldn't describe his happiness either. 

Despite this, it was known he was happy because he laughed often and loved the sun and little children. So sometimes people who were not happy themselves would come to him and ask, "Tell us what happiness looks like..."

Each time, he wanted to tell them, for he was not jealous but rather wished that everyone would laugh often and love the sun and little children as he did. However, he could never explain it in a way that was understood. 

He himself felt that half of his words got stuck in his heart, some remained on his lips, spreading only in a smile, and only the rest, strangely poor and transformed, came out — into the listeners' ears. This remainder was truly poor, so people who listened to the happy man would shake their heads and walk away, muttering, "We don't understand anything. This man probably only thinks he's happy! Because if that's all there is to it..."

But he felt that it was not "that's all," but rather "there's so much," and it was strange to him that he couldn't express it all... So sometimes he tried to think about his happiness himself. However, this also didn't work out. 

As soon as he began to think and recall all the things and moments that made up his happiness, he immediately felt a warm rush of blood to his heart, and all his thoughts scattered at once, leaving a kind of mist in his head that was warm, silver and rainbow-like, and an indescribable feeling of bliss in his chest. And again, he would only smile and seek the sun and happy little children, or he would go to the woman who gave him happiness, lay his head on her lap, and say, "I thank you." And he felt then that he was very, very happy, even though he didn't know his happiness in precise terms.

"Lovers" by Marek Zulawski, 1956

Until finally, one beautiful day, while thinking about his happiness, the happy man became sad. It seemed to him that his heart was like a expensive chest that hid an immeasurable treasure inside, but he didn't have the key to this chest and couldn't look upon his own wealth. 

"What good is it that I am happy," he thought, "when all of it is so locked up inside me? In my heart are memories of strange elations and vivid, trembling visions of her kisses, and the memory of her body, and the echo of her words, and so many other incomprehensible yet precious things that make up my happiness... I am glad of this treasure that I have, but I would like to sometimes sift these most precious jewels through my fingers, look at each one separately, and caress each one again, and even show them to people so that they know I am truly infinitely rich! And yet, all of it is so hidden within me! I cannot sing, imagine or tell of my happiness. I cannot even relive it in my mind a second time, or third or however many times as I would like. Certainly, I am wasting the treasure I possess."

This was how the happy man thought, and he was sad. The woman he loved noticed his mood and asked him the reason. And after she heard everything, she only smiled and said to him, "You are unwise; why do you need this? Isn't it enough that you feel you are happy?" 

"Yes, but..." he began hesitantly. 

She didn't let him finish. She quickly bent down and kissed him on the lips — one of those kisses that turned his blood into a delightful fire and hit him in the head like strong fragrant wine. 

"Here's another jewel for you," she said. "Look after it well and be content!" 

And he, still full of an indescribable blissful shiver, laid his head on her lap and whispered, "I thank you." And again, he felt very, very happy and desired nothing more.

And so it always was when he was with her. But as soon as he walked away — with his ever-growing yet always locked treasure in his soul — the thoughts would always return, and with them, the sadness...

If you'd like to read the rest of the story, you'll have to read the Polish original. You can find it here on Wikisource.

As mentioned earlier there are a bunch of events this year that will in part honour Jerzy's 150th anniversary. Last week, the Space Resources Conference in Kraków included a lecture at their dinner gala all about him. Amusingly, in their English writeup, they subtly insult their own event - they insist it was enjoyable because somebody played the electric violin, implying otherwise it would have been rather boring. Charming.

Also related: a random postcard my grandfather wrote is now up for sale for 360 PLN (about 72 quid). It was sent from Rome, where my grandparents lived for a while and where my father Marek was born.

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Political campaign of the week

Last week, Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 different things (34!), and yet he continues to happily campaign for the US presidency. 

This is not as uncommon as you'd have thought.

A ripped billboard advertising Kamiński

In the Lubelskie region of Poland, there are posters everywhere for Mariusz Kamiński, a candidate for the EU parliament. He too was recently in trouble with the law and sentenced to two years in prison.

He was technically pardoned by the Polish president, but more charges have appeared since. I'm not sure how all this makes him think he's an appealing political candidate. Many of the billboards for him have been brutally defaced which seems to imply the general public's perception of him.

Graffiti on another Kamiński billboard

Perhaps Trump is going to inspire a whole wave of political pioneers like this 🤷‍♂️

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That's all for this week. Many thanks for reading.

Adam

Adam Zulawski

TranslatingMarek.com / TranslatePolishMemoirs.com / Other stuff

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