Chrząszcz
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Chrząszcz (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.
| Phonetic transcription | English translation | |
|---|---|---|
| W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie | [fʂt͡ʂɛbʐɛʂɨɲɛ xʂɔɰ̃ʂt͡ʂ bʐmi ftʂt͡ɕiɲɛ] | In Szczebrzeszyn a beetle sounds in the reeds |
| I Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie. | [iʂt͡ʂɛbʐɛʂɨn stɛɡɔ swɨɲɛ] | And Szczebrzeszyn is famous for this. |
| Wół go pyta: „Panie chrząszczu, | [vuw ɡɔ pɨta paɲɛ xʂɔɰ̃ʂt͡ʂu] | An ox asks him: "Mister beetle, |
| Po cóż pan tak brzęczy w gąszczu?” | [pɔ t͡suʂ pan tak bʐɛnt͡ʂɨ vɡɔɰ̃ʂt͡ʂu] | What are you buzzing in the bushes for?" |
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 (whose Polish equivalent is also difficult to pronounce for non-Polish speakers: świerszcz).