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  What it means

  “Blessed are the mothers who punish their children for wrongdoing.” Mothers who discipline their children are doing them a favour. Firm correction is an act of love, not cruelty.

  English equivalent

  Spare the rod, spoil the child.

  Vocabulary

  • błogosławiony — blessed
  • karać — to punish
  • dziatki — little children (archaic/poetic diminutive of dzieci)
  • złe — wrongdoing, evil (here: bad behaviour)

  Grammar note

  'Co' here is a relative pronoun meaning 'who' (colloquial/archaic equivalent of 'które'). 'Za złe' — 'for wrongdoing', accusative after 'za'.

  Cultural context

  The archaic diminutive 'dziatki' gives the proverb a tender, almost liturgical tone, echoing the Beatitudes.

  Intermediate

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