Kaczmarski was considered by many to be the voice of the anti-communist Solidarity movement in the 1980s, for his commitment to a free Poland, independent of Soviet rule. His songs criticized the ruling regime and appealed to the tradition of patriotic resistance within Poles. He remains best known for his protest songs on social and political subjects ("Mury" (Walls), "Obława" (Wolf hunt)). However, he was more a poet than a political singer, and his texts have not lost their meaning with the demise of the Soviet union and its communist block.
He made his debut in 1977 at the Student Song Festival, where he was awarded first prize for his work "Obława" (Wolf hunt) based on song "Охота на волков" by Vladimir Vysotsky. In 1980 he won Second prize at the Opole Song Festival for "Epitafium dla Włodzimierza Wysockiego" (Epitaph for Vladimir Vysotsky).
Kaczmarski chose to emigrate after the imposition of the martial law in Poland in 1981, and would not be allowed to return until 1990. From 1982 he was an editor and journalist with Radio Free Europe, with his own radio program, A Quarter with Jacek Kaczmarski.
After his return to Poland (following the Round Table negotiations that brought and end to communist rule) he toured the country with his friend and artist Zbigniew Łapiński. The tour was recorded and released as Live, and it achieved Gold album status in 2001. His other albums included "Mury" (Walls), "Nasza klasa" (Our class), "Raj" (Paradise), "Muzeum" (Museum), "Pochwała łotrostwa" (Praising the Rascals), "Wojna postu z karnawałem" (The War between Carnival and Lent). However, Kaczmarski was soon disillusioned by the developments in Poland after 1989 and would eventually emigrate to Australia.
Kaczmarski was known not only for his politically motivated lyrics but also for his characteristically dynamic — even aggressive — classical guitar playing, and expressive performance style. His deep knowledge of not only the history of Poland but also Classical literature resulted in a wide variety of insightful connections between cultures and eras via song (for example "Powtórka z Odysei," recalling Homer's Odyssey or "Lalka," a masterful strike at the heart of a riveting Polish novel). He often performed before contrastingly different audiences: groups of friends in their homes, campus venues, and large concert halls in Poland, the rest of Europe and America.
Kaczmarski in the late 1990s was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx (attributed to his heavy smoking). He could not afford the costs of the treatment and in response a nationwide fundraising campaign was organized. However, Jacek Kaczmarski, out of fear of irrevocably losing his voice, did not agree to standard cancer therapy and resorted instead to alternatives such as vilcacora and sangre de drago, among other "natural" remedies.
He died in a hospital in Gdańsk 2004.
Modlitwa o wschodzie słońca
Jacek Kaczmarski Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Przed mocą Twoją się ukorzę.
Ale chroń mnie Panie od pogardy
Od nienawiści strzeż mnie Boże.
Wszak Tyś jest niezmierzone dobro
Którego nie wyrażą słowa.
Więc mnie od nienawiści obroń
Co postanowisz, niech się ziści.
Niechaj się wola Twoja stanie,
Ale zbaw mnie od nienawiści
Ocal mnie od pogardy, Panie.
The song "Modlitwa o wschodzie słońca" by Jacek Kaczmarski is a prayer asking for protection from the destructive power of hatred and contempt. The song is an expression of humility in the face of God's wrath, seeking shelter from the emotional turmoil that can consume us when we encounter people who hold us in contempt. The lyrics begin with the singer expressing his acceptance of God's judgment by vowing to submit to its authority. However, at the same time, he is seeking solace from the feelings of inferiority and humiliation associated with being ostracized by those who harbor feelings of hatred and contempt towards him. He is asking God to protect him from such emotions and to save him from being consumed by them.
The singer goes on to express his faith in God's infinite goodness, which he believes is beyond words. His prayer is not for deliverance from God's judgment but rather from the pain of alienation caused by human hatred and contempt. He implores God to save him from these emotions and to protect him from being overwhelmed by them. In the final verse, the singer expresses his submission to God's will and surrenders himself to the grace of God, hoping to be saved from the destructive power of hatred and contempt.
Line by Line Meaning
Każdy Twój wyrok przyjmę twardy
I will accept every judgment of Yours firmly
Przed mocą Twoją się ukorzę.
I will humble myself before Your power.
Ale chroń mnie Panie od pogardy
But protect me, Lord, from contempt.
Od nienawiści strzeż mnie Boże.
Guard me from hatred, God.
Wszak Tyś jest niezmierzone dobro
For You are infinite goodness.
Którego nie wyrażą słowa.
That words cannot express.
Więc mnie od nienawiści obroń
So defend me from hatred,
I od pogardy mnie zachowaj.
And preserve me from contempt.
Co postanowisz, niech się ziści.
Let what You decide come to pass.
Niechaj się wola Twoja stanie,
Let Your will be done,
Ale zbaw mnie od nienawiści
But save me from hatred,
Ocal mnie od pogardy, Panie.
Rescue me from contempt, Lord.
Contributed by Kaelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@akukukuku7998
Tekst:
Każdy Twój wyrok przyjmę twardy
Przed mocą Twoją się ukorzę
Ale chroń mnie, od pogardy
Od nienawiści strzeż mnie, Boże
Wszak Tyś jest niezmierzone dobro
Którego nie wyrażą słowa
Więc mnie od nienawiści obroń
I od pogardy mnie zachowaj
Co postanowisz, niech się ziści
Niechaj się wola Twoja stanie
Ale zbaw mnie od nienawiści
I ocal mnie od pogardy Panie...
@martamau30
To wykonanie wykracza poza czasoprzestrzeń i trwa z nami już tyle lat
@boguslawawachnikowska6861
Nie znam piękniejszej modlitwy dla Polakow
@krzysztofadamek5053
Dla Polaków czy żydów ???
@kaloriarz
dla żydów, Żydów, dla wszystkich, dla Pana też@@krzysztofadamek5053
@darekpro6117
tyle lat...niesamowite. żadnego nie ma już tutaj, a piosenki i emocje, które one wywołują nadal żywe.
@pawek.4281
To jest kapitalne! I jakże ponadczasowe... Ciary przechodzą i łzy same z oczu lecą...Spoczywajcie w pokoju Przemku i Jacku... :-((
@JK-ob4wk
I Natanie - piękne słowa. Zmarł w 2016 chyba :((
@bogdankrawczyk1963
Tak naprawdę to jest modlitwa . Cudowna !
@justynabudzichowska5212
Piękny tekst
@ABCgita
Jak tak wykonany utwór może sie komuś nie podobać? Rewelacja!