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.
| Polish original W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie |
Phonetic transcription]] [fʂʧε.bʐε.ʂɨ.ɲε xʂɔɰ̃ʂʧ bʐmi ft.ʂtɕi.ɲε] |
English translation In the town of Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed |
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.
