Heaven for the nobles, Purgatory for the townspeople, Hell for the peasants, and Paradise for the Jews
"Heaven for the nobles, Purgatory for the townspeople, Hell for the peasants, and Paradise for the Jews" (Latin: Clarum regnum Polonorum est [The illustrious kingdom of the Poles is] coelum nobiliorum, paradisus Judaeorum, purgatorium plebeiorum et infernus rusticorum) is part of a satirical commentary,[2][3][4][5] dating to 1606, about the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in early modern Europe, describing the sociopolitical system of "Golden Liberty" or Nobles' Commonwealth—a system viewed as favoring the nobility (szlachta), less so the townspeople (mieszczaństwo or burghers), and much less so the enserfed peasants.[6] The phrase "Paradise for the Jews", referring to the Golden Age of Jews in Poland and often used to favorably compare the situation of the Commonwealth's Jews with that of their brethren elsewhere in Europe at the time,[4][7] has been described as exaggerating the Jews' position in the Commonwealth, compared with that polity's most privileged class, the nobility.[8][9]
The saying, in its current Polish-language version, derives from a 1606 satirical Latin screed that has been described as "critical of everything in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth—foreigners, immigrants, “heretics,” peasants, burgers [townspeople], and servants, and also Jews."[10]
History and versions[edit]
The proverb dates to 16th[11] or more likely 17th century;[12] by the latter time it had become quite popular.[6] Polish historian Stanisław Kot found the earliest printed reference to this saying in an anonymous Latin poem (though with a Polish title, Paskwiliusze na królewskim weselu podrzucone, lit. Pasquinades [a genre of satirical epigram] planted at the royal wedding party) of 1606,[12] satirically commemorating the wedding of Sigismund III Vasa and Constance of Austria the previous year.[12][1] The poem was later included in a work by Szymon Starowolski in 1636.[13] Several variations of the poem appear in brief Latin verses from throughout Europe in the writing of the Croat Juraj Križanić (1664)[14] and later the Italian Giovan Battista Pacichelli (1685)[15] and the Slovak Daniel Krman (1708-9).[16] It has been repeated in various works since; for example the father of the last king of Poland, Stanisław Poniatowski, in regard to Jewish occupants of his private town in the 18th century,[17] and in the 19th century is it was used by Polish novelist Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, who referred to it as "an old proverb".[18] It was also used by modern non-Polish authors; for example in a travelogue to Jewish Poland by the 20th century German novelist Alfred Döblin.[19]
The phrases are often in a varying order, with some elements omitted (ex. Kraszewski cites only the "Hell for the peasants, and Paradise for the Jews" part). The four-part version, including the reference to the purgatory for the townspeople, has been recorded in Polish paremiology collection of 1887 by Samuel Adalberg (""Polska niebem dla szlachty, czyśćcem dla mieszczan, piekłem dla chłopów, a rajem dla Żydów""), and it is also closest to the 1606 original, which differs only in order, and in referring to the ruling class as "courtiers' dominion" rather then "heaven for the nobles".[12] Križanić used "Paradisus Hebraeorum" (Hebrews' Paradise) instead of Jewish Paradise.[14] A five-part version including another phrase from the 1606 poem, a non-Biblical reference to Poland as a goldmine for foreigners also exists; it has been attributed as a German proverb in 1861 and goes "Polen ist der Bauern Holle, der Juden Paradies, der Burger Fegefeuer, der Edelleute Himmel, under der Fremden Goldgrube".[20][21]
Meaning[edit]
The author of the 1606 pasquinade is unknown, though it has been suggested by Stanisław Kot that it was created by a Catholic townsman, perhaps a priest, jealous of the nobility and the Jewry.[22][12] Konrad Matyjaszek has described the 1606 work as "expressing anti-gentry and anti-Jewish sentiments".[1] Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett summarized the original text as "a pasquinade critical of everything in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth—foreigners, immigrants, “heretics,” peasants, burgers, and servants, and also Jews." [10]
Over the time, the longer poem has lapsed into obscurity, and reduced to a popular proverb.[6] The sarcastic and satirical[12] proverb contrasts the starkly different situation of four social classes in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with the most privileged nobility (szlachta) on top ("paradise for nobles"), and the impoverished, usually enserfed peasantry on the bottom ("hell for peasants). The other two classes are the townspeople (burghers) and the Jewry. By 16th century, the position of the town-dwellers in the Commonwealth has been declining (hence, the "purgatory for townspeople"), while the situation of Polish Jewry was reasonably safe and prosperous, particularly when compared to the situation of Jewry in most other European countries (hence, the "heaven for Jews").[4][11][9]
Paradise for the Jews[edit]
The expression "Paradisus Iudaeorum" (also spelled "Paradisus Judaeorum", lit. "Paradise of the Jews") has been often used to refer to the golden age of Jewish life in Poland[4][7][23] and to compare Poland to the Jewish homeland.[24] John Klier entitled one of his book chapters about Eastern European Jewish history "Poland-Lithuania: "Paradise for Jews"".[25] Gershon Hundert wrote: "The Polish Jewish community was vibrant, creative, proud and self-confident [...]. Their neighbours knew this as well, referring to Poland as Paradisus Judaeorum [...]. The full expression went: 'Poland is heaven for the nobility, hell for the peasants and paradise for Jews'."[26] The comparison has been generally described as exaggerated (Hundert himself noted it was a hyperbole[26]), as the Jewish situation in early modern Poland, while comparatively privileged compared to many other classes in the Commonwealth, and to the Jewish position in many other contemporary countries, was hardly idyllic.[4][11][27][7][12] As Norman Davies notes, the position of the nobility was clearly much superior to that of the Jewry.[9]
Controversy over use at POLIN[edit]
The phrase is used as the name of a gallery covering the "Golden Age of Polish Jewry" period in POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews that opened in 2013 in Warsaw,[28] though this was criticized for being a lampooning reference, and its inclusion and form were subject to a heated discussion. This ambiguity was first going to be expressed with a question mark appended to the gallery's name, but it was later decided not to include this.[22] Elżbieta Janicka, in her 2016 critique of the POLIN Museum exhibition, has described the saying as an anti-Semitic myth, at the same time noting that it has been used by pro-assimilation Polish Jews in the era of the Second Polish Republic (such as in Henryk Nusbaum's Jewish assimilationist newspaper Rozwaga in 1918) "for the purpose of convincing Polish public opinion that: a) Jews have the right to live in Poland; b) the “true Poland” is a Poland that is kind to Jews; c) anti-Semitism is a misunderstanding: a non-Polish element, instilled by the partitioning powers".[8] Also in 2016, Joanna Tokarska-Bakir argued that the use of this phrase for the museum's exhibition is disrespectful.[29] Konrad Matyjaszek wrote that the phrase Paradisus Judaeorum was used by the 17th century anonymous writer "to express his conviction that Poland is ruled by Jews and that they enjoy excessive privileges".[1] Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Program Director of the Core Exhibition of the POLIN Museum, commenting on that controversy and explaining why the museum has chosen to use this phrase in the first place, acknowledged that if taken out of context, "to characterize the Commonwealth as a Jewish paradise could be seen as a way of saying that Jews had it “too good"", but the use of this phrase is intentional, as it is the exhibition intention to engage the reader in a complex debate that is more than just a simple, binary white and black, good and evil simplicity.[10]
In 2017 Kamil Kijek summarizing both sides of the debate has explicit noted that while "The criticism pertaining to the somewhat unfortunate name of the gallery [...] is justified. The name “Paradise for Jews” is given without quotation marks there. Visitors to the Museum do not have an opportunity to learn from the exhibition that its title is taken from an anti-Jewish text, which claims that the good living conditions Jews enjoyed in Poland were something that should change", the phrase is just one of many elements framing the Wall of Words museum exhibition which displays this proverb (among a number of other sayings and quotes). Kijek notes that the POLIN exhibition was designed by "one of the most distinguished experts on the history of Jews in Poland in the modern period, Moshe Rosman" and the scope of the museum is more than just "antisemitism and showing Jews as its victims", something that critics of the museum, most notably Janicka, unduly focusing on the potentially misleading "Jewish Paradise" phrase, seem to disregard.[30] He concludes that out of context the saying can indeed be confusing, but within a broader context it is representative of a much more complex and nuanced relationship between Jews and the Poles.[30] As of 2018, POLIN Museum's gallery retains the name Paradisus Iudaeorum.[28]
Early Latin verses[edit]
| Year | Author | Text | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1606 | Anonymous | Regnum Polonorum est: |
Given the Polish title Paskwiliusze na królewskim weselu podrzucone.[12] Also appears in Szymon Starowolski in 1636.[13] |
| 1664 | Juraj Križanić[14] | Polonia est Nova Babylonia, Tsiganorum, Germanorum, Armenorum et Scotorum colonia; |
|
| 1685 | Giovan Battista Pacichelli[15] | Clarum regnum Polonorum |
|
| 1708-9 | Daniel Krman[16] | Clarum regnum Polonorum |
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Matyjaszek, Konrad (2018-03-05). "„Trzeba mówić po polsku". Z Antonym Polonskym rozmawia Konrad Matyjaszek ["You need to speak Polish": Antony Polonsky interviewed by Konrad Matyjaszek]". Studia Litteraria et Historica. 0 (6). doi:10.11649/slh.1706. ISSN 2299-7571.
- ↑ Krzyżanowski, Julian (1960). Madrej glowie dość dwie slowie: Trzy centurie przysłlów polskich [Three centuries of Polish proverbs] (in polski). Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy. Search this book on
- ↑ Adalberg, Samuel. "Księga przysłów, przypowieści i wyrażeń przysłowiowych polskich" [Book of Proverbs, parables, and common Polish expressions.]. www.wbc.poznan.pl. 18873 (in polski). Warsaw: Drukarnia Emila Skiwskiego. p. 419. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Haumann, Heiko (2002-01-01). A History of East European Jews. Central European University Press. p. 30. ISBN 9789639241268.
From the sixteenth century comes the proverb - The Republic of Poland is hell for the peasant, purgatory for the town-dwellers, heaven for the nobleman, and paradise for the Jew.
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- ↑ Kraushar, Alexander (1865). Historia Żydów w Polsce [History of Jews in Poland] (in polski). Warsaw: Drukarnia Gazety Polskiej. p. 242.
An old Latin proverb reads: "Poland is heaven for the nobility, purgatory for townsmen, hell for peasants and a paradise for Jews".
CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Skinner, Quentin; Gelderen, Martin van (2013-03-07). Freedom and the Construction of Europe. Cambridge University Press. p. 233. ISBN 9781107033061. Search this book on
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Moskalewicz, Marcin. Jewish Medicine and Healthcare in Central Eastern Europe. Springer. p. 20. ISBN 9783319924809. Search this book on
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Janicka, Elżbieta (2016-12-28). "The Embassy of Poland in Poland: The Polin Myth in the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (MHPJ) as narrative pattern and model of minority-majority relations [Ambasada Polski w Polsce. Mit Polin w Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich jako wzór narracji i model relacji mniejszość-większość]". Studia Litteraria et Historica. 0 (5): 1–43. doi:10.11649/slh.2016.003. ISSN 2299-7571.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Norman Davies (24 February 2005). God's Playground A History of Poland: Volume 1: The Origins to 1795. OUP Oxford. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-19-925339-5. Search this book on
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Garbowski, Christopher (2016). "Polin: From a "Here You Shall Rest" Covenant to the Creation of a Polish Jewish History Museum. An interview with Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett". The Polish Review. 61 (2): 3–17. doi:10.5406/polishreview.61.2.3.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Modras, Ronald (2000). The Catholic Church and Antisemitism: Poland, 1933-1939. Psychology Press. p. 17. ISBN 9789058231291. Search this book on
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 Joanna Tokarska-Bakir (2004). Rzeczy mgliste: eseje i studia. Fundacja Pogranicze. p. 53. ISBN 978-83-86872-60-2. Search this book on Mirror
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Starowolski, Szymon (1636). Stacye zołnierskie: Abo W wyćiągániu ich z dobr kośćielnych potrzebne przestrogi. Dla Ich Mćiow Pánow Zołnierzow stárych, y inszych młodych, co się ná Zołnierską vsługę sposabiáć będą (in polski). Search this book on
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Palmer, William (1876). The Patriarch and the Tsar ... Trübner and Company. p. 58. Search this book on
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Archivio storico lombardo (in italiano). Società storica lombarda. 1907. p. 409. Search this book on
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Monumenta hungariae historica: Irök (in magyar). Magyar Tudományos Akadémia. 1894. p. 473. Search this book on
- ↑ Polin. Basil Blackwell for the Institute for Polish-Jewish Studies. 1986. p. 357. ISBN 9780631153436. Search this book on
- ↑ Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (1875). Polska w czasie trzech rozbiorów 1772-1799: studia do historyi ducha i obyczaju. 1791-1799. J. K. Żupański. pp. 107–. Search this book on
- ↑ Döblin, Alfred (1991). Journey to Poland. Tauris. p. 51. ISBN 9781850433637. Search this book on
- ↑ Walsh, William Shepard (1892). Handy-book of Literary Curiosities. J.B. Lippincott Company. p. 790. Search this book on
- ↑ Proverbs of All Nations, Compared, Explained. W. Kent & Company. 1861. pp. 224–. Search this book on
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 "A Virtual Visit to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews". Culture.pl. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ↑ Despard, Matthew K. (2015-01-02). "In Search of a Polish Past". Jewish Quarterly. 62 (1): 40–43. doi:10.1080/0449010x.2015.1010393. ISSN 0449-010X.
- ↑ Rosenfeld, Gavriel D. (2016-09). "Mixed Metaphors in Muranów: Holocaust Memory and Architectural Meaning at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews". Dapim: Studies on the Holocaust. 30 (3): 258–273. doi:10.1080/23256249.2016.1242550. ISSN 2325-6249. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Russia Gathers Her Jews. The Origins of the "Jewish Question" in Russia, 1772–1825. John Doyle Klier. Northern Illinois University Press". www.niupress.niu.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Hundert, Gershon David (1997-10-01). "Poland: Paradisus Judaeorum". Journal of Jewish Studies. 48 (2): 335–348. doi:10.18647/2003/jjs-1997. ISSN 0022-2097.
- ↑ Byron L. Sherwin (24 April 1997). Sparks Amidst the Ashes: The Spiritual Legacy of Polish Jewry. Oxford University Press. pp. 56–. ISBN 978-0-19-535546-8. Search this book on
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Paradisus Iudaeorum (1569–1648)". POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
- ↑ Tokarska-Bakir, Joanna (2016-12-28). "Polin: „Ultimate Lost Object"". Studia Litteraria et Historica. 0 (5): 1–8. ISSN 2299-7571.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Kijek, Kamil (2017). "For whom and about what? The Polin Museum, Jewish historiography, and Jews as a "Polish cause"". Studia Litteraria et Historica (6): 1–21. ISSN 2299-7571.
Further reading[edit]
- S. Kot, Polska rajem dla Żydów, piekłem dla chłopów, niebem dla szlachty, Warszawa 1937. "Odbitka z wydawnictwa "Kultura i Nauka."
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