On two songs of the Oath crisis

The paper is dedicated to two soldiers’ songs from the second half of 1917, written in the atmosphere of rebellion of the Polish Legions against the Central Powers. The turning point in the history of Polish military units during the First World War, which was caused by the so-called Oath crisis, for the demilitarised and interned soldiers, was the time of fighting by means of word, rather than weapon. However, they manifested their pride and perseverance of the Polish soldier, using mockery. Occasional poetic works – Dziadowska pieśń żałobna o odwrocie legionów spod Warszawy and Santa Lucia – shaped the independence ethos on the basis of a solid foundation of folklore and literary tradition (using e.g. the convention of ‘a beggar’s song’ and ‘a news story’). Arrogance and an ironic attitude, expressed in songs, conceal the real tragic situation of the soldiers – who were deprived of the chance to serve the Nation for being disobedient towards the German army. Szczypiorno and Beniaminów – places to which they were interned – are elevated to the rank of symbols of defiance and contempt for the invaders and constitute a significant element of the legend surrounding Piłsudski’s Legions