Language Quest Blog
Polish Music and Poetry

Learn Polish with Sanah's E viva l'arte: A Modern Tribute to Timeless Poetry

Jaroslaw Weber •
#polish#music#poetry#kazimierz przerwa-tetmajer#eviva l'arte
Eviva l'arte - A Celebration of Artistic Spirit

About the Song

Polish singer-songwriter Sanah has a unique talent for blending classical literature with contemporary music, and her song “E viva l’arte” is a perfect example. Based on Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer’s famous poem “Eviva l’arte”, this track is more than just a song—it’s a celebration of artistic passion and defiance. But it’s also a fantastic tool for learning Polish!

With its poetic yet accessible lyrics, “E viva l’arte” helps listeners absorb beautiful, literary Polish while enjoying Sanah’s mesmerizing vocals. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, this song is a great way to expand your vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and connect with Polish culture. In this post, we’ll explore the meaning of the lyrics, break down the vocabulary, and show how music can make learning Polish more engaging and fun!

Verse 1

Eviva l’arte! Człowiek zginąć musi
Eviva l’arte! A man must perish

Cóż, kto pieniędzy nie ma, jest pariasem,
Well, whoever has no money is a pariah,

Nędza porywa za gardło i dusi
Poverty grabs by the throat and suffocates

Zginąć, to zginąć, jak pies, a tymczasem
To perish, is to perish like a dog, and in the meantime

Chorus

Eviva l’arte! Niechaj pasie brzuchy
Eviva l’arte! Let it feed the bellies

Nędzny filistrów naród! My artyści,
The wretched nation of philistines! We artists,

My, którym często na chleb braknie suchy
We, who often lack even dry bread

My, do jesiennych tak podobni liści
We, so similar to autumn leaves

Verse 2

Choć życie nasze splunięcia niewarte
Though our lives are worth no more than a spit

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

I tak wykrzykniem, gdy wszystko nic warte
And so we will shout, when everything is worth nothing

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

Verse 3

Eviva l’arte! Duma naszym bogiem
Eviva l’arte! Pride is our god

Sława nam słońcem, nam, królom bez ziemi!
Fame is our sun, to us, kings without land!

Możemy z głodu skonać gdzieś pod progiem,
We may die of hunger somewhere under the threshold,

Ale jak orły z skrzydły złamanymi But like eagles with broken wings

Verse 4

Eviva l’arte! W piersiach naszych płoną
Eviva l’arte! In our chests burn

Ognie przez Boga samego włożone,
Fires placed there by God himself,

Więc patrzym na tłum z głową podniesioną
So we look at the crowd with our heads held high

Laurów za złotą nie damy koronę
We will not give a laurels for the crown of gold

Chorus

Choć życie nasze splunięcia niewarte
Though our lives are worth no more than a spit

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

I tak wykrzykniem, gdy wszystko nic warte
And so we will shout, when everything is worth nothing

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

Verse 5

Więc naprzód! Cóż jest prócz sławy, co warte?
So forward! What is worth anything besides fame?

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

I chociaż życie nasze nic warte
And although our lives are worth nothing

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte!

Chorus

Choć życie nasze splunięcia niewarte
Though our lives are worth no more than a spit

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

I tak wykrzykniem, gdy wszystko nic warte
And so we will shout, when everything is worth nothing

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

Więc naprzód! Cóż jest prócz sławy, co warte?
So forward! What is worth anything besides fame?

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

I choć życie nasze nic warte And although our lives are worth nothing

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte! Eviva l’arte!

Eviva l’arte!
Eviva l’arte!

Vocabulary List

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