Living history: past, present and future

Since I first came to Poland ten years ago, one man has been instrumentalto be instrumental in sth: walnie przyczynić się do czegoś in this foreigner's understanding and acceptanceakceptacja, zgoda of the Polish character.

His name is Baltazar Łuba. He is 75 years old, and for the last nine years has been my father-in-law. Much more than this, he is a living example of Poland's recent history and a link back to the Second Republic, and further.

Through weather-beatenogorzały, zahartowany features, he talks about his childhood in a village not far from Warsaw, which used to be in the Russian sector under partitionrozbiór, recallingto recall: (tutaj) przywoływać his father's complaints that the then government and civil service only looked after their own. His strongest memory of 1938 is the constant streamstrumień of beggarsbeggar: żebrak knocking on doors asking for money; among them, his father suspected, Germans surreptitiouslyukradkiem making plans and notes to be used in planning the invasion.

His brow furrowsto furrow: marszczyć a little when he discusses the war, becoming more animatedto animate: ożywiać, pobudzać as he relates particular vignettesvignette: obrazek (z życia) that are not to be found in any history book. These include events like his father being forced to work on the Warsaw/Białystok road being built by the Nazis (but getting paid two zlotys a day); or that in the early days of the occupation, if Jews suspected they'd been robbed by Poles or Russians, it was the German police that investigated the crime.

He can also relateto relate: relacjonować darker stories: hearing the machine guns in distant villages, and, with a teenager's curiosity, seeking and finding the freshly-filled mass gravesmasowe groby. Pan Baltazar was himself imprisonedto imprison: uwięzić, wtrącić do więzienia towards the end of the war, then forced to dig trenchestrench: rów, okop for days for the retreatingto retreat: wycofywać się, ustępować Germans. Afterwards, he slept in fields to avoid being abductedto abduct: porywać, uprowadzać by the Soviet NKVD.

His mood lightensto lighten: rozjaśniać się when we move on from the war. He recalls vividly the ubiquitouswszechobecny Russian propaganda, and his thick-setkrępy shoulders can still heaveto heave: zakołysać się with laughter when he talks about how, in the early 1950s, Russian builders were fired from the construction of the Palace of Culture and replaced by Polish firms that put the work right. His gruffgburowaty, burkliwy voice describes in detail the mixture of sand, limewapno and crushed glass they used to create the marblemarmur effect on the floors, which remains today.

In the 60s and 70s, Pan Baltazar built his own house. At that time, this was no mean featnie lada wyczyn, and he tells of the numerous visits to the local Gmina to order materials. When told that, for example, he was number 102 on the list for cement (meaning a wait of several months), it is no surprise that his home took many years to complete.

Through all this, and a life constantly underpinnedto underpin: podpierać by povertyubóstwo, you might expect to find a trace of anger, resentmentzłość, uraza, oburzenie or even hatrednienawiść.

Pan Baltazar's lined facepomarszczona twarz and wispswisp: kosmyk of graying hair may betrayto betray: zdradzać a certain strugglewalka, but his eyes reveal so much more. Stoicism is the overwhelmingprzejmujący, ogarniający feeling; of a man to whom fateprzeznaczenie, los dealt not an easy hand, but who neverthelessjednakże, niemniej jednak more than coped withto cope with: radzić sobie z the challenges. Within the aged face his eyes can still sparkleto sparkle: skrzyć się with youth and good humor. When I ask myself if I could achieve as much with the same beginnings and still retainto retain: utrzymać, zachować such an outlookpogląd na świat, punkt widzenia, perspektywa, the doubts are many.

Now, however, Pan Baltazar finds his country embarking onto embark on: rozpoczynać a new adventure, and he sums up Poland's accessionprzystąpienie to the EU with a typically wonderful simplicity that hits the nail right on the headto hit the nail right on the head: trafić w sedno. Ask him if he thinks it's the right thing to do and he replies, "Well, at least for once we are joining rich countries, not poor ones."

It is a fool indeed who has no regardpoważanie, szacunek or respect for different cultures. Peoples, with their customs and traditions, have survived the generations for very good reasons, and, as the Americans are finding to their cost in Iraq, to dismissto dismiss: zwalniać, pozwalać odejść tradition or traitcecha simply because it is different is foolishness incarnateto incarnate: wcielać. Pan Baltazar has taught this foreigner the value and strength of Polish tradition and culture. Patriotism plays its part well here; but it is ironic that it does not cut across all spheres of society. Even today, 15 years after its collapse, Poles are still wontto be wont to do sth: mieć coś w zwyczaju to blame numerous shortcomingsshortcoming: usterka, niedociągnięcie on the communist tenetzasada, doktryna of 'power without responsibility,' instead of breaking the bonds and powerfully restating their own identity. From the most far-flungodległa (od fling - cisnąć, rzucić) Gmina to the highest levels of government, and from the local food shop to the plush offices of international firms, individuals will show spitezłośliwość, przekora, pettinessmałostkowość and viciousbezwzględny, wściekły (tutaj: głupi) bloody-mindednessupór to no one's benefit. Yet, come Wigilia and Wielkanoc, these same people will show a generosityhojność, szczodrość of spirit and kindness of heart unmatched anywhere in Europe.

To such ironies, Pan Baltazar can only shrug his shoulderswzruszyć ramionami, preferring instead the pleasure his grandchildren give him in his autumn years. As it has been for the whole of his life, for us too the future remains a blank page, invisible ink slowly becoming legibleczytelny second by second.

In this age of transition, it helps to take a broader view. Picture the following scene: Many centuries from now, a history student is studying diligentlypracowicie, pilnie. She sits in a library turning the pages of a heavy volume. Presently, she comes across the following sentence: "After the fall of communism, Poland immediately took its place among the leading European nations."

Such words would not begin to describe the upheavalwstrząs and dislocation through which Poles are now going. They would not touch on the enormous contradictionssprzeczności we can see around us everyday; the wealthy elite in their luxurious cars and houses, seemingly oblivious to the knowledge that even now there are still villages in the countryside that rely on the charity of the Red Cross to stop children from starving to death. Nor would they reflect the anxiety that organized Polish criminals are selling explosives to Islamic terrorists, presumablyprzypuszczalnie without regardpoważanie, szacunek to the suffering that may be inflictedto inflict: zadać (cios).

Nevertheless, with every step of the Third Republic's tentativepróbny, niezobowiązujący way, it becomes more and more likely that the last 15 years will be summarized for future generations in such a brief and empty sentence.

For myself, it is enough to take a drink of vodka with, and greatly admire, a very grand old man. And one of Poland's true survivors.

Url źródłowy: http://www.wbj.pl/?command=article&id=22230&type=wbj

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