Chrząszcz (a 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 | [fʂt͡ʂɛbʐɛʂɨɲɛ xʂɔɰ̃ʂt͡ʂ bʐmi ftʂt͡ɕiɲɛ] | In the town of Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reeds |
| I Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie. | [iʂt͡ʂɛbʐɛʂɨn stɛɡɔ swɨɲɛ] | And Szczebrzeszyn is famous for it. |
| Wół go pyta: „Panie chrząszczu, | [vuw ɡɔ pɨta paɲɛ xʂɔɰ̃ʂt͡ʂu] | An ox asks him: “Mister beetle, |
| Po cóż pan tak brzęczy w gąszczu?" | [pɔ t͡suʂ pan tak bʐɛnt͡ʂɨ vɡɔɰ̃ʂt͡ʂu] | What are you buzzing for in the bushes?” |
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 (also being a hard to pronounce for non -Polish: świerszcz).