Генрик Сенкевич
With Fire and Sword
NOTES
POLISH ALPHABET
Since the Polish alphabet has many peculiar phonetic combinations which are difficult to one who does not know the language, it was decided to transliterate the names of persons and places in which such combinations occur in this book. The following are the letters and combinations which are met with most frequently; -
In this transliteration ch retains its ordinary English sound. Kh is used as the German ch, or the Gaelic ch in "loch;" so is h, as in Hmelnitski, and a few names in which it is used at the beginning and preceding a consonant, where it has the power of the German ch. J is the French j; the vowels e, i, u, are, respectively, ai in "bait," ee in "beet," oo in "pool," when long; when short, "bet," "bit," "put" swould represent their values.
The following names will illustrate the method of this transliteration: -
In Jendzian the initial R has been omitted, on account of the extreme difficulty of its sound to any one not a Pole. In Skrzetuski, a very difficult name also, sh has been used instead of the French j, because in this word the two sounds are almost identical, and the sound of sh is known to all, while j is not.
ACCENT
All Polish words, with few exceptions, are accented on the syllable next the last, the penult. The exceptions are foreign names, some compounds, some words with enclitics. Polish names of men and places are generally accented on the penult. In Russian-both of the Ukraine and the North, or of Little and Great Russia-there is much freedom in placing the accent. In this book there are many Russian names of men and places; but the majority of names are accented on the penult. It has been thought best, therefore, to state this fact, and place accents only on words accented on syllables other than the penult. Some of these were accented in the body of the book; the rest are accented here. The following names of men are accented on the last syllable: -
The following names of places are accented as indicated: -
Polish names in ski and vich are adjectives, regularly declined, with masculine and feminine endings. The titles of address Pan, Pani, Panna, refer respectively to a gentleman, a married lady, an unmarried lady. The following are examples: -
These three forms when applied to one family refer to the father, mother, and an unmarried daughter.
The ending in ski is not so complicated; for instance, -
The names in vich denote descent; those in ski, origin in, or lordship over, a place.
Nikolai Pototski, Grand Hetman, captured at Korsún, was Pan Pototski, which means lord of Potok (Potok being the name of the place which he inherited); he was also Pan Krakovski, lord of Krakov (Cracow), because he was castellan of Krakov (Cracow), an office to which he was appointed by the king.
The names of villages which Zagloba mentions as belonging to Podbipienta are curious enough, whether real or invented by the whimsical narrator; as is also the name Povsinoga, which he gives the tall Lithuanian, and which means "tramp." The villages-taken in the order in which he gives them on page 540-Myshikishki, Psikishki, Pigvishki, Sirutsiani, Tsiaputsiani, Kapustsiana glowa, Baltupye, are-excluding the first two, the meanings of which are given on page 20-Crabapple town, Homespunville, Simpletown, Cabbagehead, and Slabtown.
The soup botvinia, mentioned in connection with Podbipienta and Pan Kharlamp, which is made of vegetables and fish in eastern Russia, may be made, it seems, without fish in Lithuania. The word is used figuratively to designate a rustic or stay-at-home villager.
OFFICES AND THINGS
Balalaika, a stringed instrument used in southern Russia, resembling the guitar.
Cástellan, the chief of a town or city under Polish rule, as well as the district connected with it. The castellan was always a senator, and was appointed by the king.
Chambul, a party of mounted Tartars.
Koshevói, chief of a Cossack camp.
Kurén, a company or group of Cossacks as well as the barracks in which they lived.
Sotnik, a captain of Cossacks. This word is exactly equivalent to "centurion," and is derived from sto, "one hundred," with the nominative ending nik.
Stanitsa, a Cossack village.
Stárosta, chief of a town under Polish control.
Starshiní, elders. This word meant for the Cossacks the whole body of their officers.
Telega, the ordinary springless wagon of Russia, smaller than the country wagon in the United States.
Teorbán, or Torbán, a large musical instrument of twenty strings or more.
Voevoda, governor and commander of troops in a province, corresponding to the military governor of modern times. This office was common to the Poles and the Russians of the East or Moscow.
