What is "chrzaszcz"

Chrząszcz ( beetle, chafer) by Jan Brzechwa is a poem famous for being one of the hardest-to-pronounce texts in Polish literature, and may cause problems even for adult, native Polish speakers.

Phonetic transcription

English translation

W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie

In Szczebrzeszyn a beetle sounds in the reeds

I Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie.

And Szczebrzeszyn is famous for this.

Wół go pyta: „Panie chrząszczu,

An ox asks him: "Mister beetle,

Po cóż pan tak brzęczy w gąszczu?”

What are you buzzing in the bushes for?"

The first line "W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie" (In Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed) is a well-known Polish tongue-twister.

Thanks to the poem, the town of Szczebrzeszyn is widely known in Poland. A monument to the beetle was erected there in 2002, and a yearly sculpture festival has been held there ever since.

Chrząszcz was translated into English by Walter Whipple as Cricket (whose Polish equivalent is also difficult to pronounce for non-Polish speakers: świerszcz).

1. redirect Chrząszcz