48 Mejen distinguished himself in the national war under Kosciuszko. Mejen's ramparts are still shown near Wilno.
49 [Kite.]
50 [The translator has omitted the phrase, “called little grand-mothers.”]
51 [The translation of this poem by Miss M. A. Biggs contains a note “supplied by Dr. Rostafinski of Cracow” as to the scientific names of the different mushrooms mentioned by Mickiewicz.
“(1) Lisica [fox-mushroom]. Cantarellus cibarius(Chantarelle).
(2) Borowik [pine-lover]. Boletus edulis (called in Lithuania Bovinus).
(3) Rydz [orange-agaric]. Agaricus deliciosus .
(4) Muchomor [fly-bane]. Amanita muscaria, or Agaricus muscarius (fly-agaric). This is the Siberian fungus, with remarkable intoxicating properties.
(5) Surojadki [leaf-mushrooms]. A species of the Russula. Those quoted by Mickiewicz seem to be Russula nitida, R. alutacea, and R. emetica.
(6) Kozlak. Two species of Boletus; one B. luteus, the other (mentioned in the text) B. luridus (poisonous).
(7) Bielaki [whities], Agaricus piperatus and Agaricus vellereus.
(8) Purchawki [puffball]. Lycoperdon bovista.
(9) Lejki [funnels]. The word does not signify any particular sort of fungus; it may be that the poet created the name a forma. The shape suggests Agaricus chloroides."]
52 A well-known Lithuanian folk-song tells of the mushrooms marching to war under the lead of the pine-lover. In this song the qualities of the edible mushrooms are described.
53 [Zosia is the diminutive of Zofia (Sophia).]
54 [Telimena's last words are taken almost literally from a popular song, Serce nie sluga.]
55 [The Breughels were a famous family of Dutch painters of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Pieter had a bent towards diabolic scenes, whence he received the title “hell Breughel” (Van der Helle); Jan, his younger brother, was a master in the painting of landscapes, flowers, flies, etc. Apparently the Count's learning did not extend to the father of these two brothers, who was also a famous painter.]
56 A noted genre painter; some years before his death he began to paint landscapes. He died recently in St. Petersburg.
57 [The Polish points the contrast by a rime: “the uproar was not funereal, but dinnerial.”]
58 [This translation of the Polish matecznik is of course purely conventional: compare pp. 105-107.]
