The genesis and variants of the Polish song “Krzyżu święty nade wszystko”

Abstract

The Polish Song Krzyżu święty nade wszystko, was created on the basis of a translation of three stanzas (no. 8–10) from the hymn Pangue lingua gloriosi preolium certaminis and a compilation with the content of the 13th-century Vita beatae Virginis Mariae et Salvatoris rhytmica and selected verses from the 15th-century Polish song Żale Marji Panny pod krzyżem, starting with an incipit Posłuchajcie, bracia miła, also known as Lament świętokrzyski. Such treatments seem to be rare in the religious poetry used in Polish sacred songs. In terms of content, the hymn in honour of the Cross was accompanied by meditations of the Mother of God, who suffered from the Crucified. The studied song has one version, and the variations are limited to changes caused by the number of stanzas, the change of words due to the modernisation of the language, or the use of synonyms. Only a few lines or words have been changed. This proves the use of the song in a commonly known form, without actually introducing changes to our times. Some sources (in the 20th-century) shortened the text to 4- or 5-stanzas. Most editions transmit the most common 16-stanzas song.