Where is everyone drawn to...? On a group of proverbs
The article is devoted primarily to two Polish proverbs: “Każdy rad tam chodzi, gdzie się urodzi” Everyone likes to go where they were born and “Każdy tam ciągnie, gdzie się ulągnie” Everyone is drawn to where they came from. They were mentioned by Julian Krzyżanowski, who concluded that their meaning is erotic, pornographic even, a view challenged and rejected in the article, and replaced with the author’s own explanations. Three most important meanings have been established: 1. when urodzi and ulągnie denote growth, prosperity, profit; 2. concern a return to the birth place: home, town, homeland; 3. tell us that people are ruled by inclinations, customs, nature, i.e. old Polish nałogi habits and przyrodzenie nature; cf. M. Rej’s “Muszą myśli nasze tam ciągnąć, gdzie je przyrodzenie wlecze; do czego kogo nałóg a przyrodzenie ciągnie, tym się zawżdy para i tego pilnie szuka” Our thoughts are necessarily drawn to where nature attracts them, what habit and nature attracts one is what one always does and diligently seeks. The author has also established that the Polish proverbs in question have their European predecessors: Greek, Latin, Egyptian, e.g. “Habit is the second nature of man” Aristotle, “Everyone is dragged on by their favorite pleasure” Trahit quemque sua voluptas – Virgil; “To each his own is beautiful” Suum cuique pulchrum — Cicero, “You will return to your own mud floor, you will find your sycamore Egyptian.