THE CONGRESS KINGDOM 241Among the Poles, the defeat of the Rising caused the greatest single outburst
of national feeling, and of literary activity in the nation's history. Here was a
catastrophe well matched to the talents of the Romantic generation. Ordinary
people simply wept in frustration and rage. Frederyk Chopin had left Warsaw
only three weeks before the outbreak. He ate his Christmas dinner in a restau-
rant in Vienna, fuming at the conversation of the diners at the next table. One
said: 'God made a mistake when he created the Poles.' The other replied: 'Ja! In
Polen ist nichts zu holen' (Yes, nothing good comes out of Poland). Chopin's
correspondence to his parents was filled with uncontrolled rage. He was in
Stuttgart in August when he heard that Warsaw had fallen:
... the enemy must have reached our home. The suburbs must have been stormed, and
burned. Johnny, where are you? Willem has certainly perished on the barricades. Oh
God, dost Thou exist? Thou Art, but revengest not. Hast Thou not seen enough of these
Muscovite crimes, or art Thou Thyself a Muscovite? My poor, kind father! Perhaps you
are hungry and cannot buy bread for Mother. Perhaps my sisters have fallen victim to the
fury of the Muscovite scum... The Muscovite is lord of the world... Oh, why could I
not slay a single Muscovite?.. .l6
Elsewhere in Europe, similar powerlessness reigned. Those who had taken no
interest in Poland's fate maintained their silence. Those few who had urged
action, were stricken with remorse. In France, Casimir Delavigne, for one, was
quickly forced to change his tune:
La Pologne ainsi partagee, What human hand could have avenged
Quel bras humain I'aurait vengee? Poland, so divided.
Dieu seul pouvait la secourir. God alone could have helped her.^17
In Germany, widespread sympathy for the Poles and fear of Russia, was
reflected in a wave of popular Polenlieder (Songs of Poland):
Schlaf ein, du weisst ja nicht, o Herz,
Warum du weinst.
Schlaf ein, ich will den wahren Schmerz
Dich lehren einst.
Schlaf ein, o Herz, was kummert dich
Der Feinde Sieg?
Dein Vater fiel fur dich und mich
Im Heldenkrieg.
You are thoughtlessly seduced by the courage of this desperate struggle;
And you hate us!
And for what? Answer! Is it because
In the ruins of blazing Moscow we did not heed the arbitrary will
Of him under whom you all trembled?
Is it because we hurled that towering idol into the abyss,
And with our blood redeemed the freedom, honour and peace of Europe?...^15