Polish Nursery Rhymes

Raczek is a crayfish. Cancer is a disease :)

I had no idea! really! :) but in a horoscope there's cancer, too, am I a disease, then?

sh..., this could really scare a child, i mean singing to it about a disease

anyway, new day, new word ;) everything's fine

cheers, Krysia

that's not quite right, it's a diminuitive of "nieborak"

from PWN lexicon:
nieborak «ze współczuciem o człowieku lub zwierzęciu»
so it's someone/something poor, unhappy, unlcky
poor soul/thing

my mother used to sing that one I did the same. It is used more in a kind of tickle game. its not scary

My mother used to say:
Cos pod debem stuknelo
Cos pod debem huknelo
A to komar z deby spadl
I polamal w pupie gnat

Now i know why i turned out like i am :)

Hmmmm....my grandmother used to say something to me. And it had the same meter to it as the poster above's little crab stinging, and leaving a mark.

I have no idea how to spell it in Polish....but can say it....I think the meaning is something like:
"Oh Stella, Oh Stella, (Stephanie?)
East saurakraut and you will
have a fat behind."

When I say it in Poish, people laugh a lot, but the translation does not seem that funny to me.

Anyone hear of such a nursey rhyme?

Last line sounds like...beenja mowa, dubcha twista (sorry for bad phonetics) LOL

that's freaking awesome.. lol

the version i recall is this:

Idzie rak nieborak
Jak uszczypnie bedzie znak


yeah man.

My late mother used to sing us a song when we were small children. I only remember the first couple of lines.

Jedzie koń, jedzie koń, kopytami bije,
Uciekaj dziewczynko, bo cię koń zabije.

Does anyone know how the rest of the song goes or perhaps might be able to translate these two lines? Thanks for your help

I like nursery rhymes...the truth

lskerton.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nursery.html

"Horse is riding, horse is riding, hoofs beating on the ground,
Run away girl, because the horse will kill you"

Not a good nursery rhyme for children. Sledz's are much better.

Does anyone know a rhyme about a spider? I don't know how to spell it but sounding it out it goes something like: Eja bubba podra viena kogiswapka tosshibia. I know that is completley off. If anyone can help me translate it in both english and polish I would be grateful.

I think I know what this nursery rhyme might be, and why you refer to it as about a spider. If you mean that you walk your fingers while reciting it in a similar fashion to “Itsy Bitsy Spider” Than this one is about chimney sweeper and it goes like this.

Idzie kominiarz po drabinie
Widzicie go to w kominie?

That may be it Piorun. Some of it sounds right...but then again I'm not sure of the correct pronunciation of some of those words...so it's hard to tell. Is there any way you could translate that into english? Thank you!

Thread attached on merging:
po drabinie

Wondering if anybody knows a rhyme, I think it is a rhyme. It says Idzie (then I miss a part) then po drabinie and keeps going on for a few more sentences. I think that is how you spell it. When I was younger my aunt would say it and tickle me in the side. Does anyone know the english and polish versions?

Idzie kominiarz po drabinie, fiku miku... i w kominie!
Idzie rak, nieborak, jak ugryzie – będzie znak!

translate on ur own heh :P

Put you right hand to the left and left to the right so that palms are facing out.

Then you start putting your fingers on top of each other starting with your pinky and moving up. This represents chimney sweeper walking up the ladder. Then you twist your hands without losing the hold of your fingers so that the hands form a basket with a thumb sticking out. This represents chimney sweeper in chimney.

This is usually shown to the toddlers to get their attention.

So the translation is

Chimney sweeper walks up the ladder
Do you see him in a chimney?

Nursery rhymes somehow never disappear from memory, even if they become vague.
There might be something to be said for learning a language, in part, from a child's perspective.
Mother tongue speakers start learning from the moment they are born, in a totally different way to anyone who comes to the language later.


Nursery rhymes are notorious for being scary to children.
How can a little kid sleep with the threat of falling out of a tree, let alone being trampled to death.
Parents, especially mothers, have always needed some kind of release I suppose.

Jedzie osioł, jedzie osioł, jedzie osioł.
Uciekaj dziewczynko, bo cię osioł...

... I don't know how to say 'post on an internet forum'.

That would make a bad nursery rhyme.

Thank you everyone...I'm trying to write down old rhymes and songs for a family geneology project...so your help is really appreciated!

You could also look at the benefits of such rhymes. Instead of saying: it's OK, go up the tree, nothing bad may possibly happen. And the horsie... nah, there is no way any harm could come out of it, so ahead and hug his hind leg.

Nursery rhymes tend to be actually educational :)

Hi everybody :)
I'm Agnieszka. I'm from Krakow in Poland, but now I live in Edinburgh.
Just I was learning my scotish friends our polish songs and rhymes.
My english is not very well, but I try...

A CRAYFISH COMES

A CRAYFISH COMES
A POOR FELLOW
WHEN IT STINGS YOU
THERE WILL BE A MARK !

----->

IDZIE RAK

IDZIE RAK
NIEBORAK
JAK UGRYZIE
BĘDZIE ZNAK !

-------------------------------------------------

A LITTLE BALLOON

OUR LITTLE BALLOON
IS GROWING, GROWING
MORE ROUND.
THE BALLOON IS GROWING
THAT WAS GOING
MUCH TOO FAR
AND … TRACH !!!

----->

BALONIK

BALONIKU NASZ MALUTKI
ROŚNIJ, ROŚNIJ
OKRĄGLUTKI.
BALON ROŚNIE
ŻE AŻ STRACH,
PRZEBRA£ MIARĘ
NO I … TRACH !!!

------------------------------------------------

OLD BROWN BEAR

OLD BROWN BEAR
IS SLEEPING SOUNDLY / x2

WE ARE AFRAID OF HIM
WE ARE WALKING TIP-TOE

WHEN HE WAKES UP
HE WILL HAVE US TO EAT / x2

ONE O’CLOCK
– BEAR’S SLEEPING

TWO O’CLOCK
– BEAR’S SNOREING

THREE O’CLOCK
– BEAR IS CATCHING !!!

----->

STARY NIED-WIED-

STARY NIED-WIED-
MOCNO ŚPI / x2

MY SIĘ GO BOIMY
NA PALCACH CHODZIMY

JAK SIĘ ZBUDZI
TO NAS ZJE / x2

PIERWSZA GODZINA
- NIED-WIED- ŚPI

DRUGA GODZINA
- NIED-WIED- CHRAPIE

TRZECIA GODZINA
- NIED-WIED- £APIE !!!

-------------------------------------------------

A MAGPIE MEASURED
HER PORRIDGE (I)

A MAGPIE MEASURED HER PORRIDGE
SHE BURNED HER TAIL.

THIS ONE SHE GAVE SOME
ON THE SPOON
THIS ONE SHE GAVE SOME
IN THE BOWL
THIS ONE SHE GAVE SOME IN THE CUP
THIS ONE SHE GAVE SOME
ON THE PLATE
THIS ONE SHE GAVE NOTHING
BUT FRRR … SHE FLEW

SHE FELL HERE
SHE SAT DOWN HERE
AND SHE HID HERE.

----->

SROCZKA KASZKĘ WARZY£A (I)

SROCZKA KASZKĘ WARZY£A
OGONEK SPARZY£A.

TEMU DA£A NA £YŻECZKĘ
TEMU DA£A NA MISECZKĘ
TEMU DA£A DO KUBECZKA
TEMU DA£A NA TALERZYK
TEMU NIC NIE DA£A
TYLKO FRRR …
… POLECIA£A.

TU PAD£A
TU SIAD£A
A TU SIĘ SCHOWA£A.

-------------------------------------------------

A MAGPIE MEASURED
HER PORRIDGE (II)

A MAGPIE MEASURED HER PORRIDGE
SHE BURNED HER TAIL.

THIS ONE SHE GAVE SOME
BECAUSE HE’S SMALL
THIS ONE SHE GAVE SOME
BECAUSE HE’S SHORT
THIS ONE SHE GAVE SOME
BECAUSE HE’S ASKED
THIS ONE SHE GAVE SOME
BECAUSE HE’S CARRYED WATER
THIS ONE SHE GAVE NOTHING
BUT FRRR … SHE FLEW

SHE FELL HERE
SHE SAT DOWN HERE
AND SHE HID HERE.

----->

SROCZKA KASZKĘ WARZY£A (II)

SROCZKA KASZKĘ WARZY£A
OGONEK SPARZY£A.

TEMU DA£A BO MALUTKI
TEMU DA£A BO KRÓTCIÓTKI
TEMU DA£A BO SIĘ PROSI£
TEMU DA£A BO WODĘ NOSI£
A TEMU NIC NIE DA£A
TYLKO FRRR …
… POLECIA£A.

TU PAD£A
TU SIAD£A
A TU SIĘ SCHOWA£A.

-------------------------------------------------

A LITTLE LADYBIRD

A LITTLE LADYBIRD
MET A FEW LITTLE WORMS

1. SHE GREETED THIS ONE
2. STROKED THIS ONE
3. WAVED TO THIS ONE
4. WANTED TO GRAB THIS ONE
5. SAID GOODBYE TO THIS ONE

AND FLEW TO THE SKY

----->

BIEDRONECZKA MA£A

BIEDRONECZKA MA£A
ROBACZKI SPOTKA£A

1. Z TYM SIĘ PRZYWITA£A
2. TEGO POG£ASKA£A
3. TEMU POMACHA£A
4. TEGO ZABRAĆ CHCIA£A
5. TEGO POŻEGNA£A

I DO NIEBA POLECIA£A

-----------------------------------------------

uuufff :D

If there are any mistakes - tell me, please

good night,
Agnieszka

my girlfreind taught me this one but i dont really understand what it mean, i have tried to translate it but can only figure out a few words can someone please help

czarna krowa w kropki bordo gryzla trawe krecac morda

"A black cow with crimson dots ate grass while moving her mouth."
It's a play of words

Thank you Krysia

These are fantastic! I am trying to teach my young son a polish nursery rhyme that my babci taught me growing up. I have no clue how to spell any of it, but I know it's got something to do with a boy?? I can use phonetics to spell it out for you...

Tut-sin vally, du-vut-sin-vally
Ya-gun-a-dresky droogy-mally

....does this sound at all familiar to anyone????

Jeden niebieski a drugi biały??
maybe?

Julian Tuwim-Dwa Michały

link anikino.pl/dzieci.php?s=czytanki&id=36

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! This is it! However, I didn't realise it was that long of a poem/rhyme. I only was ever taught the first two verses.

Can anyone loosely translate what this means?

And, without it being too difficult (??), can someone please phonetically write down the pronunciation for the first paragraph? I have a feeling I might be reciting it incorrectly (it's been many years since I sang it).

Wow that’s a tall order.
I’m not brave enough to do that.
But there must be at least one brave soul on this forum to take on this challenge.

Two Michaels were dancing, one big the other small
When the big one started pacing, the small one couldn't catch up
When the small one couldn't catch up
Then the big one stopped pacing
And when the big one stopped pacing
then the little one caught up.
And when the little one caught up
then the big one started pacing
And when the big one started pacing, then the little one couldn't catch up.
The little Michael could barely breath
The Big Michael was pushing him
Untill they both fell on the floor
The two dancing Michaels

Piorun - just a break down of the first paragraph, not the entire rhyme! :)

Krysia - Thank you so much for the translation. It really is a silly rhyme! LOL!