Lorena wrote:
Hi,
I’m Argentinian, my grandfather was Polish and he would always sing a circle game song in Polish. Now that I’m a Mommy, I’d like to sing it to my daughter. I don’t remember it well. Since my grandfather passed away some years ago, I’m writing to you to see if you can help me.
The song goes phonetically something like this…
Kowo miski sa te de reski, kowo…
I’m sorry but I don’t know anything about Polish, I remember that we used to end the game sitting on the floor.
Thanks so much… Lorena
If anyone can help Lorena with this song, please comment below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
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6 Responses to “Can Anyone Help with a Polish Circle Game Song?”
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January 29th, 2009 at 9:00 am
I think it is:
Koło, koło młyńskie,
za te cztery ryńskie.
Koło się nam połamało,
cztery ryńskie kosztowało,
a my wszyscy: baś!
January 29th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Thanks for helping Slávka!
Could anyone help with an English translation?
Mama Lisa
February 18th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
The song is really Polish, but it should say:
Koło …młyńskie…
Za cztery reńskie,
Koło nam się połamało,
Cztery reńskie kosztowało,
A my wszyscy – bęc!
TRANSLATION:
If you translate this song literally, it won’t make sense and you won’t be able to play along with your child. So, here is what it means (literally) and how I would translate it into an English rhyme so that you could sing it to the same tune (if you remember it) and play circle with your child(-ren):
Watermill wheel The 4-cent watermill wheel
For 4 cents Seemed like a good deal
The wheel broke down But it broke down,
It was 4 cents So we make a frown,
We all fall down! And we all fall down – baaam!
I hope this helps. Lately, I’ve translated some of Jan Brzechwa poems (i.e., The Zoo). A lot of my Polish friends’ children are grown up now and getting married to partners of non-Polish backgrounds. My son is growing up too. I thought that by translating some of those poems, it would be possible to keep the tradition alive, as both parents could read the same poem to the child in Polish and/or in English.
Here is a sample:
TIGER
– Hello Mr. Tiger and how are you? Co słychać, panie tygrysie?
– I’m sick and tired of this Zoo. A nic. Nudzi mi się.
– You’d love to roam outside, no doubt? Czy chciałby pan wyjść zza tych krat?
– If you unlocked me, I could eat out… Pewnie. Przynajmniej bym pana zjadł.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I’m not sure if the format of my comment was preserved. Just in case it wasn’t, I’m enclosing my translations again:
Literal translation:
Watermill wheel
For 4 cents
The wheel broke down
It was 4 cents
We all fall down!
Poetic translation:
The 4-cent watermill wheel
Seemed like a good deal
But it broke down,
So we make a frown,
And we all fall down – baaam!
Jan Brzechwa’s Tiger translation
– Hello Mr. Tiger and how are you?
– I’m sick and tired of this Zoo.
– You’d love to roam outside, no doubt?
– If you unlocked me, I could eat out…
Tygrys (original)
Co słychać, panie tygrysie?
A nic. Nudzi mi się.
Czy chciałby pan wyjść zza tych krat?
Pewnie. Przynajmniej bym pana zjadł.
August 15th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Krystyna I love your translations!!
November 21st, 2009 at 3:34 am
Hi,
I am really impressed by Krystyna’s translations!
Krystyna, could you please contact me on katewojtan@bigpond.com
I would like to talk to you about possible publication.
(I am a visual artist and book illustrator)
Kind regards
Kate