Might one, to thy succor, endeavor to fly

The president of Poland, his wife, and several military officials died in a plane crash this morning. No one on the plane survived. They were traveling to Russia for the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Polish prisoners of war during World War II. In 1940, the Russians were trying to eliminate an entire class of Polish people. In 2010, the highest officials in Poland were lost. Read this article for more information on the ramifications of the accident.

Ignacy Krasicki, an 18th century Polish patriot, wrote these words about his homeland:
O sacred love of the beloved Country,
Only good and true minds can experience you!
For thee, virulent poisons are savory;
For thee, chains and fetters are not an abuse.
Thou embellish cripples with scars of glory;
In the mind, thou dost nestle pleasures most true.
Might one, to thy succor, endeavor to fly,
'Twere nothing to live poor, 'twere nothing to die.

You might wonder what this is doing on my blog. If I'm Polish, I don't know it. However, I am interested in all things regarding World War II, especially the aftershocks that we still feel around the globe. It's amazing what seventy years can and cannot do to a planet.