Żurawiejka

Żurawiejka was a short, two-line facetious couplet, written specifically for cavalry regiments of the Polish Army in the interwar period. It humorously and ironically presented the history of a given regiment, as well as its contemporary fate. Żurawiejkas were also used in cavalry regiments of the Imperial Russian Army, as the tradition of writing them, as well as the very name of the couplet, comes from Russian cavalry, and was taken over by the Poles in the interbellum period. Famous Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov is considered the father of żurawiejka, as he wrote first couplets while serving as a junker in the Russian Army. Żurawiejkas were sung by Polish cavalrymen at several occasions, mostly during different parties, and were usually associated with dancing. Common topics in most of them are the Polish–Soviet War, drinking, looting, and women. They described a military unit in black humor, using derogatory terms and swear words.