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  What it means

  Literally “swan song.” A final, often magnificent performance or work before death or retirement — “a swan song.” From the ancient belief that swans sing beautifully just before dying.

  Vocabulary

  • łabędź — swan
  • śpiew — song, singing

  Grammar note

  'Łabędzi' is the adjective from 'łabędź' — nominative masculine agreeing with 'śpiew'.

  Cultural context

  The swan song myth goes back to ancient Greece — shared across European cultures. In Polish it carries the same poignant finality as in English.

  Intermediate

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