TRANSLATION WITH TRANSLATOR'S COMMENTS
(PAGE 1)
Pithiviers Sunday June 21, 1942
Beloved Pola and Beloved Jacqueline!
On Friday you sent me a package, which I received on Saturday, and I thank you very much for that. I also received your letter, which gives me a lot of pleasure, because one has to wait a long time for a few words, because last week I couldn’t find [it], even though you write that it was in the same spot I was looking. It was strange to me that you didn’t let me know in the French letter, this time Maryska wrote already to take good care of the box, although I knew it would be in the same spot.
I wrote you that it was strange to me that I did not see the letter because you always sent one to me, and why wouldn’t you this time.
My Sweet One! As I see, you are writing this letter at a late hour, because you write very little, I was hoping for a long letter where you would write a lot about Yourself, Darling, and about our delightful one. In the letter you don’t write anything about Jacqueline, which saddened me a little, in the whole letter just one short sentence about her. You also write just a little bit about yourself, and I want to know more about both of you, because now I have to wait so long until a Polish letter comes from you again.
My Beloved! On the other hand, you wrote me a whole page about Suzane. You say that I write too gently to her and a few times I call her “Dear”. Believe me, she is not so dear to me, when I write “dear”. But why should we discuss it, she is simply another Erna. So it’s not worth writing a lot about it, I think it would be better to write about us.
My Sweet One! You write me that they stole the stroller with things and you didn’t want to tell me about it. Write me where they stole it, in our foyer or somewhere else. How do you manage now with the child, if you have to carry her in your arms and you have no strength. I really think a lot about what conditions you live in.
I AM SENDING A PAIR OF LONG JOHNS AND TWO JARS
[ It is impossible to tell from the sentence if the jars were empty of with some content – but probably empty, what would he put in them? It looks like care packages traveled the other direction.]
(PAGE 2)
My Sweet and Beloved Pola! You write just a few words from yourself, which surprises me, because I was hoping you would write me about every detail. I believe you don’t have the time now to write a longer letter, because you are working and you write at the last moment, late at night. Beloved! When you have some time, write to me on a big sheet of paper, until a long letter is created and I will have news about everything, if you can’t write right away and then one forgets what to write. I believe you will do so, as soon as you have time, you will write to me. There are times one really longs to write a few words to the closest person one has, and then one can write what one wants.
My Beloved! You write me that you work a little but it’s impossible to work because the work is fast and you can’t keep up. [This is a bit of my interpretation – this sentence could also mean “you can’t run around so much” – take care of the little J and work, too, and try to find food, as it says later in the letter.] I understand you well, in what conditions you have to manage on your own, when you have to watch the child and work, too. I know it is very hard on you but what can we do, there is no other way.
Sweet One! I know you only weigh 46 kilo [ca. 101 pounds], which worries me a lot and throughout the whole nights I think about you, darling, how to help you, to make your life easier. I am a man that has hands and legs in chains and I am unable to help you. I sent you 600 francs, which I see you don’t write me about them yet, for sure you will receive them in the next few days. Write me in the French letter if you get them.
My Beloved and Sweet One! I know if you keep losing weight, you may get sick. So please, Pola, try to gain some weight and eat more, because I know you don’t eat and only think about me. Please do it for me, try not to worry and eat a little better
(PAGE 3)
so you gain some weight, which will make me very happy.
Beloved! I know you don’t get food now, so don’t send it to me, only you, my beloved, try to eat better so you look good and it will make me very happy to know that I have a healthy Pola, just like the one I met. [“Look good” doesn’t necessarily refer to a beautiful face, he may mean having a healthy-looking body, which would fit the context better.] You know, like you wrote me, that one needs to take care of one’s health, because we will need it after the war. When you wrote to me about it, you wanted to sell the foxes, but I didn’t agree and I sent you 300 francs right away, and now 600 francs. [“Foxes” could be a fox fur coat or a collar – or perhaps another piece of clothing, but a hat rather unlikely.]
My Sweetest One! Now I write you that I agree to sell these foxes so you can eat more and be better, so you can be healthy and weigh again the 53 kilograms [ca. 117 pounds] same as before.
As you can see, Beloved, I think a lot about you, how you manage there. You write that you spend whole days looking for food and you don’t get it, and you have to take care of the work as well. Write me how much they pay for the gloves, what prices and who you work with. What does work look like now
[Polish has the same word for gloves and mittens, so it is not possible to tell which Pola was working on.
Also, maybe this explains the “pairs” from one of the previous letters, where we couldn’t figure out what Pola was making?]
You write me that you will settle it with Mrs. Kremska about the doubles. Our gloves are seemingly sold and you have already received 2000 f. Write me how many pairs you can make and who turns around, I believe that you will write me the same 4 pages and a little bit every day about everything.
[Language note – Polish names that end with –ski or –cki really have two forms, -ska, cka for females and ski, cki for males. In English it disappears, mostly for governmental reasons, and women take on the masculine endings.
The doubles: the context doesn’t really explain what exactly happened.
Turning around: this expression could have more than one meaning: turning around, or perhaps turning inside out, or, in a less literal way, it’s a euphemism for cheating.]
Write a lot about how you feel, how you sleep, if you sleep well, and a lot about Jacqueline. You write that you received a letter from Czestochowa from Masia Dajerman [mah-shah dah-year-mahn]. It’s strange that ours don’t write. Write two postcards right away to our homes, I sent two postcards last week to you [plural – your family] and to us. Does Dawid ever come. Give him greetings on my behalf. Also give greetings to Kolegiele on my behalf and to all the acquaintances.
(PAGE 4)
You want to know what conditions we live in now. I wrote you in the previous letter what it looks like. As you know, there is nothing new yet. We used to have a lot of potatoes but now there aren’t any, and there is no rutabaga. [This is probably borrowed from French rutabaga and spelled phonetically. The real Polish word would be “brukiew”, and I see that German is Steckruebe, so that’s not where the word came from.] They only cook beans 150 kg for 1300 people that are here. So, we have beans for lunch and beans in the evening. In the morning there is coffee, for lunch beans and soup and a portion of bread, in the evening coffee, soup, only water and beans, this is what food looks like now. The most important thing that they touched us with [that’s literal translation – he probably means “inconvenienced us with” or something similar] is that they don’t let bread through any more. [I’m assuming in care packages – but the text doesn’t specify it.] This is what it looks like now.
You write me that Maryska was afraid to put in hard biscuits for Szlamek [Schlah-meck] so know that we are entitled to receive packages up to 60 kg, if only there is anything to buy.
Beloved Pola! Today is Sunday, rumors are circulating again that we are to go this week for field work, to peasants here, in France, if it is really so, it will be much better for us. I am writing these words, but I’m not sure yet. I will try to write to you every day. So don’t worry, because this is our radio [sciot]. [I can’t figure out what this word might be – it could be a borrowing from French, but nothing comes to mind. I’ll need to consult with Agnieszka. There is a similar word in Polish – szczotka, brush, but it doesn’t fit the context at all. There was also a word they used in Poland during WWII for sort of outdoor radio or loudspeaker: szczekaczka, barker (from barking like a dog, which resembled the way it sounded), but szczekaczka is really far from sciot, so probably this is not the right guess, either.] I am ending this letter now and tell Maryska not to worry about Szlamek, either, because we will soon be home. If so, you will for sure come and visit us.
I wrote you about everything already, the package arrived all in order.
I kiss you a thousand times and our beloved Jacqueline.
Your Leon who misses you but I am sure that soon we will be together with our beloved Jacqueline!
Your loving you,
Leon
Greetings for Maryska and Janina.
Greetings for your from Szlamek.