"Bóg się rodzi" (, ) is a Polish Christmas carol (), with

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

written by

Franciszek Karpiński Franciszek Karpiński (4 October 1741 – 16 September 1825) was the leading Sentimentalism (literature), sentimental Polish people, Polish poet of the Age of Enlightenment. He is particularly remembered for his religious works later rendered ...

in 1792. Its stately melody (the composer has not been established) is traditionally known to be a coronation

polonaise The polonaise (, ; , ) is a dance originating in Poland, and one of the five Polish folk dances#National Dances, Polish national dances in Triple metre, time. The original Polish-language name of the dance is ''chodzony'' (), denoting a walki ...

for Polish Kings dating back as far as during the reign of Stefan Batory in the 16th century. The carol is regarded by some as the National Christmas

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, and, for a short time, it was also considered a

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

, for instance by poet Jan Lechoń.A. G. Piotrowska, Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Instytut Muzykologii
Polish songs performing national anthem function
It has also been called "one of the most beloved Polish Christmas carols". The carol was published for the first time in a compilation of Karpiński's works entitled ''Pieśni nabożne'' (''Songs of Piety'') in 1792. The book was printed by the

Basilian monk Basilian monks are Greek Catholic monks who follow the rule of Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great, Caesarea Cappadociae, bishop of Caesarea (330–379). The term 'Basilian' is typically used only in the Catholic Church to distinguish Greek Catho ...

s printing shop in

Supraśl Supraśl (; ; ) is a town and former episcopal see in Białystok County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina Supraśl. It is situated on the Supraśl (river), Supraśl River, about northeast of Białyst ...

. However, the hymn had been publicly presented already a few years earlier, in the Old Basilica in

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

, as Karpiński lived in Białystok's Branicki Palace in the years from 1785 to 1818. First presentation of the carol is now commemorated by a tablet, located on the wall of the church. The tablet reads: ''In this church, for the first time ever, Songs of Piety by Franciszek Karpiński were performed''. The original title of the carol is ''Pieśń o Narodzeniu Pańskim'' (''On God's Nativity'' or ''Song of the birth of our Lord'').

Structure

The carol consists of five verses, each verse with eight lines, and each line with eight syllables. The hymn can be characterized as a rhetorical tautology, which is visible while analyzing the text (''God is born, power is trembling: Lord of the Heaven bared/exposed. Fire’s congealing/solidifying, lucence/resplendence is darkening, the infinite/endless one has limits/boundaries''). These apparently

oxymoron An oxymoron (plurals: oxymorons and oxymora) is a figure of speech that Juxtaposition, juxtaposes concepts with opposite meanings within a word or in a phrase that is a self-contradiction (disambiguation), self-contradiction. As a rhetorical de ...

ic figures of speech are used deliberately, to emphasize the importance of the miracle which took place in the shed. Lyrics of the carol are also supported by quotation from the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John () is the fourth of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "Book of Signs, signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the ...

(''Word-Turned-Flesh to prove the Story, lived among us, born of Heaven''). Additionally, Karpiński inserted a patriotic message, as the fifth verse begins with an appeal to

Baby Jesus The Christ Child—also known as Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, Child Jesus, Divine Child, Divine Infant and the Holy Child—refers to Jesus Christ during his early years. The term refers to a period of Jesus' life, described in the canonical Gospe ...

(''Raise Your hand now, Child of Glory, bless our homeland now and ever''). "Bóg się rodzi" was the carol on which

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

based his talk during the traditional exchange of Christmas greetings on 23 December 1996 at the Paul VI Auditorium. The Pope cited the words of the hymn saying, "The poet presented the mystery of the Incarnation of God's Son, using contrasts to express what is essential to the mystery: in assuming human nature, the infinite God at the same time assumed the limitations of a creature". The hymn has been performed by several popular Polish artists, including

Anna Maria Jopek Anna Maria Jopek (born 14 December 1970) is a Polish vocalist, songwriter, and improviser. She represented Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, 1997 Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "Ale jestem" and finished 11th out of 25 participat ...

Violetta Villas Czesława Gospodarek (née Cieślak; 10 June 1938 – 5 December 2011), known by her stage name Violetta Villas, was a Polish and international cabaret star, singer, actress, composer and songwriter. Her voice was characterized as coloratura sop ...

, Michał Bajor,

Krzysztof Krawczyk Krzysztof January Krawczyk (; 8 September 1946 – 5 April 2021) was a Polish baritone Pop music, pop singer, guitarist and composer. He was the vocalist of a popular Polish band, Trubadurzy ("the Troubadours"), from 1963 to 1973 when he sta ...

and Eleni Tzoka. It was sung by Polish prisoners of the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

; an account by an inmate named Jozef Jedrych, kept in the Auschwitz Museum collections, describes how "the singing of German carols began, and then like the waves of the sea came the powerful words rom a Polish carol‘God is born, the powers tremble’."Christmas Eve in Auschwitz as Recalled by Polish Prisoners.
Internet Archive.

In popular culture

An instrumental rendition of this song is featured in the "Brave New World" expansion pack of ''

Civilization V ''Sid Meier's Civilization V'' is a 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K (company), 2K. It is the sequel to Civilization IV, ''Civilization IV'', and was released for Microsoft Windows, Windows in Sep ...

''. It is the theme of the Polish civilization, which is led by Casimir III.

Text

Original Polish, and English translation. https://www.tekstowo.pl/piosenka,koleda,bog_sie_rodzi.html

References

Polish lyrics of "Bóg się rodzi" along with phonetic spelling
at ''Hymns, Gospel & Spirituals''. Retrieved December 21, 2012. {{authority control Christmas carols Christmas music 1792 songs 18th-century hymns Polish songs Christmas in Poland Songs about Jesus

Structure

In popular culture

Text

See also

References