„A Funeral Rhapsody in Memory of General Bem” a poem by Cyprian Norwid – Budapest, Bem Square

Fact of the Polish figure „Lvov-Tarnów-Poznan„

Part of the „Revolutions of 1848″ topic

The poem ‘A Funeral Rhapsody in Memory of General Bem’ by Cyprian Kamil Norwid is an elegiac work dedicated to Józef Bem, a national hero who fought in uprisings and on many European fronts. Norwid presents a funeral procession, portraying Bem as an almost mythological figure who passes from this world into eternity. The poem combines motifs of national heroism with universal reflections on death, passing and human memory. Norwid uses a rich symbolism in which Bem’s coffin becomes a symbol of the eternal struggle for freedom and justice, and his death is presented as a passage to another, better world in which heroes never truly die. The work takes the form of a rhapsody – a solemn song, which emphasises the heroic dimension of Bem’s life and death. Norwid not only mourns the death of the great leader, but also pays tribute to the ideas to which he was faithful, making him a symbol of the unending struggle for freedom and dignity.