W Urbana, miły chłopie, siej len i konopie
Listen
What it means
“On St. Urban’s Day, dear fellow, sow flax and hemp.” St. Urban’s feast (May 25) was the traditional date for sowing flax and hemp in Polish folk agriculture.
Vocabulary
- Urban — Urban (saint's name, feast May 25)
- chłop — peasant, fellow, man
- siać — to sow
- len — flax
- konopie — hemp
Grammar note
'Miły chłopie' is the vocative case used in direct address. 'Siej' is the imperative of 'siać'. 'Len i konopie' are accusative objects.
Cultural context
St. Urban's Day (May 25) was an important date in the Polish agricultural calendar, associated with sowing fiber crops.
Advanced
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." No matter how kind a stepmother tries to …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a brief hint to understand; …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles (or people in general) tend to learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will scorn it." Intelligent people are open to counsel, while …