At first called the 'Song of the Polish Legions in Italy' (Pieśń Legionów Polskich we Włoszech), it also has the informal name Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła, from its first line, which is sometimes erroneously taken to be the Polish state motto.
The song gained much popularity in Poland and became one of the most popular hymns during the November Uprising of 1830 and January Uprising of 1863. During the Revolutions of 1848 it became popular throughout Europe as one of the revolutionary anthems in Berlin, Vienna, Prague and Paris. This led Czech poet Samuel Tomašik to write new words for the anthem that were later accepted by the First Congress of the Pan-Slavic Movement in Prague as the Pan-Slavic Anthem. In 1945 the translation of this anthem became the national anthem of Yugoslavia - Hej Sloveni. Other famous versions of the anthem include Shumi Maritsa , the national anthem of Bulgaria between 1886 and 1944.
The original lyrics of Mazurek Dabrowskiego, written by Józef Wybicki included also two stanzas more. They are not present in the official lyrics of the anthem:
Poland has not yet perished as long as we live - i.e. Poland is not just a country, but something constituted by all Polish people (Poland had been split up and divided between its neighbours in the 25 years preceding the writing of these verses - see Partitions of Poland). While this may not seem a strange idea nowadays, it was quite an unusual one at the time of writing.
sabre - the traditional weapon of the Polish cavalry, still used in the Napoleonic era.
across the sea - after the liberation of Poland, Czarnecki fought in Denmark.
Italian land, Bonaparte - the Polish Legions were created by Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy. The Legionists believed that they would ultimately fight for the independence of Poland, which remained occupied at that time.
Basia - a popular Polish name (a diminutive of Barbara).
