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  What it means

  “When the night of Saint Michael’s is clear, a lasting winter will follow.” A clear, starry night on 29 September (Michaelmas) predicts a long, persistent winter.

  Vocabulary

  • noc — night
  • jasny — clear, bright
  • nastąpić — to follow, to come next
  • trwały — lasting, persistent

  Grammar note

  'Nastąpi' is the perfective future of 'nastąpić'. 'Zima trwała' — adjective postpositioned for rhyme with 'Michała'.

  Cultural context

  Michaelmas (29 September) was a major feast day in the Polish folk calendar, marking the transition from autumn to the approach of winter.

  Intermediate

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