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  What it means

  “Saint Agnes let the skylark out of her purse.” Around the feast of Saint Agnes (21 January), the first skylarks may be heard — a sign that spring is stirring even in the cold.

  Vocabulary

  • święta — saint (feminine)
  • Agnieszka — Agnes
  • wypuścić — to release, to let out
  • skowronek — skylark
  • mieszk — purse, pouch (archaic)

  Grammar note

  'Wypuściła' is the feminine past tense of 'wypuścić'. 'Z mieszka' uses the genitive after 'z' (from).

  Cultural context

  Saint Agnes's Day (21 January) was seen as the first hint of approaching spring in the Polish folk calendar. The skylark was a symbol of spring's return.

  Intermediate

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