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StefanZabierowski
Unfortunately,whenheandhissonbegantoliveinCracowhishealthtookasudden
turnfortheworse.Yearslater,Conradhadthefollowingrecollectionsofthosehar-
rowingmonths:
Laterintheevening,butnotalways,Iwouldbepermittedtotip-toeintothesickroomto
saygood-nighttothefigureproneonthebed,whichoftencouldnotacknowledgemypresence
butbyaslowmovementoftheeyes,putmylipsdutifullytothenervelesshandlyingonthe
coverlet,andtip-toeoutagain.ThenIwouldgotobed,inaroomattheendofthecorridor,and
often,notalways,crymyselfintoagoodsoundsleep.18
Apollo’slastmomentswererecordedbyhisfaithfulfriendStefanBuszczyński:
[Apollo]wassurroundedbyhismostpreciousmementos.Hisgazewasoftenfixedonhis
weddingringandontheportraitofhiswife.Hehadwishedtoseehermother.Shewasunableto
visitherson-in-law,whomshelovedlikeason.Shehadnotbeengivenapassport.Heprepared
himselffordeathlongandslowly,incompletespiritualtranquillity.Havingmadehisconfes-
sionandreceivedtheLastRitesfromthehandsofFr.WalerySerwatowski,hesatuponthe
couchand,withapeacefulcountenancethatbrightenedintoanunusuallyjoyoussmilewhena
friendenteredtheroom,said,“Ihavefinishedeverything.Ihavesquaredmyaccountswiththis
world.Idonotbelongtoitanymore.”19[Transl.R.E.P.]
AccordingtoAleksanderNowolecki,Apollo’slastwordstohimandtoKazimierz
WładysławWójcickiwere:
Itwon’tbelongbeforeIhavetopartcompanywithyou,mydearfriends.It’seasierfor
metodiebecauseIcanseeyoułandbecauseI’mdyingonPolishsoil,inCracowłamong
Poland’sfaithfulsonsłclosetotheWawelcastle.20
ApolloKorzeniowskidiedon23rdMay1869.Thefuneralofthisindefatigable
fighterforthePolishnationalcausetookplaceinCracowthreedayslater.Itwas,of
course,reportedbythe“Kraj”newspaperthatApollohadhopedtoworkfor:
Yesterdayatsixo’clockintheeveningimmensecrowdsgatheredinGrodzkaStreetandPo-
selskaStreetinordertopaytheirlastrespectstothepoetandworthysonofPoland,whoselife
hasbeentragicallycutshort.Hiscoffinwasescortedbymembersoftheclergy,membersofthe
guildsbearingtheirbanners,professorsoftheUniversity,schoolteachers,students,schoolchil-
dren,membersoftheSocietyfortheAdvancementofLearning,theFriendsofEducation,the
“Ants”,the“Muses”andmembersoftheVoluntaryFireBrigade.Severalthousandmembersof
thepublicfollowed,walkinginsilence.Withtheexceptionofahandfulofitsrepresentatives,
so-calledhighsocietywasconspicuousbyitsabsence.21[Transl.R.E.P.]
18Conrad.NotesonLifeandLetters,ed.cit.,p.134.
19StefanBuszczyński.Małoznanypoeta.Stanowiskojegoprzedostatnimpowstaniem,wygnanie
iśmierć.Kraków:Drukarnia„Czasu”,1870,p.51.
20BoguniaandBogunia-Paczyński.“Apollo,ConradiKraków.Dwaprzyczynkidobiografii
Korzeniowskich”,ed.cit.
21“Pogrzebśp.ApollaKorzeniowskiego”(TheFuneralofthelateApolloKorzeniowski).Kraj1869,
№70.[In:]Conradwśródswoich.Listy.Dokumenty.Wspomnienia.Ed.ZdzisławNajder.Warszawa:
PaństwowyInstytutWydawniczy,1996,p.185.Seealso:ConradunderFamilialEyes,ed.cit.,p.129.
