I króla robaki zjedzą.
Listen
What it means
“Even a king will be eaten by worms.” Death makes everyone equal. Rank, wealth, and power cannot save anyone from dying. It is a reminder of mortality.
English equivalent
Death is the great leveller.
Vocabulary
- król — king
- robak — worm, bug
- zjeść — to eat up
Grammar note
'Króla' is the accusative of 'król' and is the direct object. 'Robaki' is the nominative plural subject. 'Zjedzą' is third-person plural future perfective.
Cultural context
This is a common theme in medieval Polish writing and folk wisdom, shaped by Catholic reflection on death.
Beginner
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." However kind she may be, a stepmother may …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a short hint to understand. Long …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles, or people in general, often learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will reject it with scorn." Wise people listen to advice, …