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Prząśniczka

Irena Santor (music: Stanisław Moniuszko, lyrics: Józef Ignacy Kraszewski) · 1973

A beloved Polish art song by Moniuszko — a gentle cautionary tale about a spinning girl who forgets her faithful suitor the moment another comes along. Made iconic by Irena Santor's 1973 TV performance. The spinning imagery and moral punchline make it one of the most quoted songs in Polish culture.

Lyrics & Translation

Polski English
Verse 1
U prząśniczki siedzą jak anioł dzieweczki, przędą sobie, przędą jedwabne niteczki.
By the spinning wheel sit girls like angels, spinning, spinning silken little threads.
Chorus
Kręć się, kręć wrzeciono, wić się tobie, wić! Ta pamięta lepiej, czyja dłuższa nić!
Spin, spin, spindle, wind and twist! She remembers better whose thread is longer!
Verse 2
Poszedł do Królewca młodzieniec z wiciną, łzami się zalewał, żegnając z dziewczyną.
A young man left for Königsberg on a barge, he was flooding with tears, saying goodbye to his girl.
Verse 3
Gładko idzie przędza wesołej dziewczynie, pamiętała trzy dni o wiernym chłopczynie.
The thread runs smoothly for the carefree girl, she remembered her faithful lad for three whole days.
Verse 4
Inny się młodzieniec podsuwa z ubocza i innemu rada dziewczyna ochocza.
Another young man sidles up from the side and the eager girl is happy to oblige him.
Final Chorus
Kręć się, kręć wrzeciono, prysła wątła nić! Wstydem dziewczę płonie, wstydź się, dziewczę, wstydź!
Spin, spin, spindle — the frail thread has snapped! The girl burns with shame, shame on you, girl, shame!

  • Vocabulary

    • prząśniczka — spinning girl / spinning wheel
    • dzieweczka — young girl (diminutive of dziewka)
    • wrzeciono — spindle
    • niteczka — little thread (diminutive of nić)
    • jedwabny — silken / made of silk
    • wicina — flat-bottomed riverboat / barge (archaic)
    • Królewiec — Königsberg — historical Polish name for the city (now Kaliningrad)
    • ubocze — the sidelines / off to one side
    • ochocza — eager / willing / game (feminine adjective)
    • prysła — snapped / broke suddenly (past tense of prysnąć)
    • wątła — frail / thin / weak (feminine adjective)
    • płonie — burns / is aflame (third person singular of płonąć)

    Grammar note

    The repeated imperatives "kręć się" (spin) and "wić się" (wind) address the spindle directly — Polish imperatives drop the subject entirely. The diminutives "dzieweczki" and "niteczki" are characteristic of Romantic-era Polish poetry: affectionate and slightly ironic given the moral of the story. "Czyja dłuższa nić" uses the genitive of possession: czyja (whose) governs the genitive nić in the comparison.

    Cultural context

    Music by Stanisław Moniuszko (1819–1872), the father of Polish opera, with lyrics by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski. The song is a wry miniature drama: the thread as a metaphor for loyalty — the girl's breaks the moment temptation appears. Irena Santor (born 1934) is one of Poland's most enduring chanson singers, and her 1973 TV performance became the definitive recording of this piece.

    Intermediate folkclassicalculturelisteningMoniuszko

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