Chrząszcz (a beetle, chafer) by Jan Brzechwa is a poem famous for being one of the hardest to pronounce texts in Polish literature, and may cause problems even for adult, native Polish speakers
Polish original
W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie
I Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie.
Wół go pyta: „Panie chrząszczu,
Po cóż pan tak brzęczy w gąszczu?"
In the town of Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed
And that is why Szczebrzeszyn is famous.
An ox asks him: “Mister beetle,
What for are you buzzling in the bushes?”
The first line “W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie” (In Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed) is a well-known Polish tongue-twister.
Thanks to the poem, the town of Szczebrzeszyn is widely known in Poland. A monument to the beetle was erected there in 2002 and a yearly sculpture festival has been held there ever since.
Chrząszcz was translated into English by Walter Whipple as Cricket.
Saša Ćurčić se sve češće šćućuruje čučeći iza ćoška sa čokanjčićem.
Edited by FranziskaKafka, 08 July 2007 - 08:57.