[Metacelsus]

In Polish, it's a mathematical tragic love poem. I've been studying Polish for 2 years, and I still don't fully understand all the wordplay here; it's pretty complicated.

Nieśmiały cybernetyk potężne ekstrema

Poznawał, kiedy grupy unimodularne

Cyberiady całkował w popołudnie parne,

Nie wiedząc, czy jest miłość, czy jeszcze jej nie ma.

Precz mi, precz, Laplasjany z wieczora do ranka,

I wersory wektorów z ranka do wieczora!

Bliżej, przeciwobrazy! Bliżej, bo już pora

Zredukować kochankę do objęć kochanka!

On drżenia wpółmetryczne, które jęk jednoczy,

Zmieni w grupy obrotów i sprzężenia zwrotne,

A takie kaskadowe, a takie zawrotne,

Że zwarciem zagrażają, idąc z oczu w oczy!

Ty, klaso transfinalna! Ty, silna wielkości!

Nieprzywiedlne continuum! Praukładzie biały!

Christoffela ze Stoksem oddam na wiek cały

Za pierwszą i ostatnią pochodną miłości.

Twych skalarnych przestrzeni wielolistne głębie

Ukaż uwikłanemu w Teoremat Ciała,

Cyberiado cyprysów, bimodalnie cała

W gradientach, rozmnożonych na loty gołębie!

O, nie dożył rozkoszy, kto tak bez siwizny

Ani w przestrzeni Weyla, ani Brouwera

Studium topologiczne uściskiem otwiera,

Badając Moebiusowi nie znane krzywizny!

O, wielopowłokowa uczuć komitanto,

Wiele trzeba cię cenić, ten się dowie tylko,

Kto takich parametrów przeczuwając fantom,

Ginie w nanosekundach, płonąc każdą chwilką!

Jak punkt, wchodzący w układ holonomiczności,

Pozbawiany współrzędnych zera asymptotą,

Tak w ostatniej projekcji, ostatnią pieszczotą

Żegnany - cybernetyk umiera z miłości.

[karol]

Native Polish speaker.

To get out the max of this poem you need to be versed in Polish lang of course, but also mathematics and basic history of Polish literature.

The poem is a mock-erotyk (quasi "poem about lovemaking") where the mechanics of love are replaced with mechanics of mathematics. It works very well with całka (integral) which creates a fantastic replacement całkować (determine integral) instead of całować (kiss).

The other place that speaks volumes about this being satirical is an almost word for word quote from Polish national epos called "Pan Tadeusz": Wiele trzeba cię cenić, ten się dowie tylko" (Much you must be valued, he will only know), which for a Pole is an instantly recognisable stylistic device.

It also mentions a lot of math which is either made up or way above my head so I won't comment about that.

[samstave]

We need a word for the curious, but ill-equipped, mind which seeks to understand the works of minds greater than our own.

I am in love with all things - and I recognize that while I am "smart" I am not "smart" like others, but I seek to gain not just their understanding, but their wisdom oof the universe of thought.

[int_19h]

Philomath?

[pmoriarty]

Here's Google translate's version:

  Shy cybernetic powerful extremes
  He recognized when unimodular groups
  Cyberiads were integrated on a steamy afternoon,
  Not knowing if there is love or not yet.
  Away with me, away, Laplasiana from evening to morning,
  And vectors of vectors from morning to evening!
  Closer, counterpictures! Closer, because it's time
  Reduce the mistress to the embrace of the lover!
  He tremors half a meter, which a groan unites,
  Change into rotation groups and feedbacks,
  And so cascading, and so dizzying,
  That they threaten with a short circuit, going from eye to eye!
  You transfinal class! You, strong greatness!
  Unwind continuum! Pre-layout white!
  I will give Christoffel and Stoks for a century
  For the first and last derivative of love.
  Your scalar spaces have multi-leaf depths
  Show those involved in the Body Theorem,
  Cyberiada of cypresses, bimodal whole
  In gradients, pigeons multiplied for flights!
  Oh, he did not live up to the pleasure of anyone without gray hair
  Neither in Weyl's space, nor in Brouwer's
  A topological study opens with an embrace,
  When examining Moebius, no curvature known!
  O, the multi-skin of comitanto feelings,
  You have to treasure a lot, this one will only find out
  Who such parameters, sensing the phantom,
  It dies in nanoseconds, burning every moment!
  Like a point that is part of the holonomic system,
  Without the zero coordinates an asymptote,
  Yes, in the last projection, the last caress
  Farewell - the cybernetic dies of love.

[macrolocal]

Maybe just me, but the math here feels much more thematically coherent than in the official translation: love as holonomy; go for a spin and come back forever transformed. Fascinating stuff!

[arcticbull]

Curious what made you want to learn Polish. It's not exactly a broadly spoken language. There isn't really much of a diaspora. It was my first language, but I don't really get much practice these days - outside trips to the Polish Store to pick up some suche kabanosy.

[kuboble]

I believe love to be the major motivation of foreigners to learn polish.

[Metacelsus]

Uczyłem się żeby rozmawiać z rodzicami mojej dziewczyny.

Mainly to talk with my girlfriend's parents. I'm also 50% Polish but never spoke it growing up.

[jandrese]

DeepL translate struggled a lot with that:

Shy cybernetic powerful extremes

He met when unimodular groups

Cyberiads totaled on a sultry afternoon,

Not knowing if there was love or not yet.

The world of the world, the world of the world, the world of the world, the world of the world, the world of the world,

And verses of vectors from morning to evening!

Closer, counter-images! Closer, because it's time

To reduce the lover to the embrace of the lover!

He'll make the half-metric tremors that moan unite,

He'll turn them into groups of turns and feedbacks,

And so cascading and so dizzying

That they short-circuit, going from eye to eye!

Thou, transfinal class! Thou, strong of greatness!

The uninhabitable continuum! Praucus white!

Christoffel with Stoks I will give up for a whole age

For the first and last derivative of love.

Thy scalar spaces' multilinear depths

Show the entangled in the Theorem of the Body,

Cyberiad to cypresses, bimodally whole

In gradients, multiplied into flights of pigeons!

Oh, he did not live to enjoy, who so without gray hair

Nor in Weyl's space, nor Brouwer's

The topological study with an embrace opens,

Studying curves unknown to Moebius!

O, multilayered comitant of feelings,

Much you must be valued, he will only know,

Who, sensing the phantom of such parameters,

Dies in nanoseconds, burning every moment!

Like a point, entering the system of holonomy,

deprived of the coordinates of zero by an asymptote,

So in the last projection, the last caress

Farewelled - the cyberneticist dies of love.

[lmilcin]

Polish guy here. And Lem fan, too. Ask anything you want.

[xyzzyz]

Here's a non-poetical translation in more straightforward English using standard word ordering in a sentence. Needless to say, Kandel's "translation" is not so much a translation, but really a completely new poem. Hope that will make it easier for you to appreciate the original:

A shy cyberneticists got to know[1] some powerful extremes,

when he integrated[2] cyberiads[3] on a steamy afternoon,

not knowing whether there is love, or there isn't yet.

Get out of my face[4], get out, Laplacians from evening to morning,

and versors of the vectors from morning to evening.

Come closer, preimages! Closer, because it's time

to reduce the lover into the embrace of the lover[5].

He will change half-metric trembles, united by moans,

into rotation groups and feedbacks[6],

so cascading, and so stunning,

that they risk a short-circuit, going from eye to eye!

You, transfinal class! You, strong enormity!

Irreducible continuum! White pre-structure!

I'll give up Christoffel and Stokes for an entire century

in exchange for the first and the last derivative of love.

Show the multipronged[7] depths of your scalar spaces

to the one who's entangled[8] in the Theorem of the Body[9],

you, cyberiad of cypresses, entirely bimodal

in gradients, multiplied into pidgeon flights!

Lo, he did not live to experience pleasure, who so without grey hair,

neither in Weyl nor Brouwer spaces,

topological study opens with an embrace,

studying curvatures not known to Moebius!

Lo, multilayered comittant[10] of feelings,

how much you need to be treasured will only be learned by the one[11]

who, experiencing phantom of such parameters,

dies in nanoseconds, burning every moment!

Like a point, entering into holonomy configuration,

losing coordinates of zero on an asymptote,

in a last projection, with a last caress,

dies from love the cyberneticist, when he's bid farewell.

[1] - "poznawał" in original, past form of "poznawać", the most important meanings are "to be meeting a new person", "to be recognizing something/someone", or "to be learning something", hard to figure out which meaning is intended.

[2] - "całkował", a mathematical term meaning "to integrate"

[3] - a word made up by Lem

[4] - "precz"

[5] - first "lover" is female, second is male

[6] - "sprzężenia zwrotne"

[7] - "wielolistne", literally "multileaved", from "leaf", "liść"

[8] - "uwikłanemu", probably a reference to "twierdzenie o funkcji uwikłanej", "implicit function theorem"

[9] - "Teoremat Ciała", a more mathematical translation would have "Theorem of the Field", as the mathematical concept of the "field" translates to "ciało" (body) in Polish, similar to e.g. "Körper" in German, which also stands for "mathematical field".

[10] - "komitanto", I don't even know what this word is supposed to mean in Polish.

[11] - a verse from very famous Polish epic poem "Pan Tadeusz" by Adam Mickiewicz

[ajuc]

Some further notes:

- "poznawać" is also used in "Biblical language" to mean "to have sexual intercourse with X"

- "całkował" is very similar (and rhymes with) "całował" = "he kissed"

- cyberiad suggests a cybernetic driad - I think that's the target of the cybernetic's love

- "so cascading and so stunning" "zawrotne" can mean "stunning" but I think "dizzying" is a better translation. It comes from the feeling you get when you turn around too much and can't keep balance - in this case following the feedbacks between the lovers' eyes

- if the first and the last derivative of love is the same, then love is constant :) [or exponential I guess]

[kubanczyk]

> [10] - "komitanto", I don't even know what this word is supposed to mean in Polish.

In English "comitant": https://encyclopediaofmath.org/wiki/Comitant

[xyzzyz]

Ah, thanks. This is rather obsolete terminology, these days people tend to talk about "equivariant maps" ("przekształcenia przemienne z działaniem", "przekształenia niezmiennicze", or "przekształcenia ekwiwariantne"). I certainly never heard of it.