The Two Painters Poem by Ignacy Krasicki

Translated by Przemyslaw Musialowski 7/27/2020

There lived two painters in the past:
Peter - who was good and poor,
and John - who was rich and bad.
Peter painted exquisitely,
but he was suffering from poverty,
John did less and badly,
but lived in luxury.
Why the fate of these
two painters was so unlike?
- Peter always painted the truth,
John - candy-coated lies.

Ignacy Krasicki 1830


Translated by Thomas Dunn

Two painters, once 'tis said, there were,
Each bore a wond'rous name;
But one far o'er the other stood
In point of noisy fame.
The best no cash nor blessing got,
The worst one had them both, I wot.

The first his portraits made from nature,
True to the copied one;
Correct in every form and feature,
With faithful care 'twas done.
The last drew little on truth's store,
Embellishing from fancy more.

Ignacy Krasicki 1830